One more glass of orange juice
Maybe it says something that it's taking me five minutes to come up with a decent lede for what I want to write.
But the truth is, I've got nothing.
Six games were left and the Indians were tied for the Wild Card. I thought the Tribe was a good bet to handle its' remaining games, go say, 4-2, and slide into the Playoffs.
There is likely a line about assumptions. But remember, this is Cleveland, where there is another, longer standing fact:
You can never be optimistic.
During the Indians 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, I spoke with three people, all of whom were watching the game. I think there was one common sentence:
"I can't believe it."
Under normal circumstances, my pre-disposed negativity would have kept me off that. I'd assume something would go wrong.
But the Indians had been so hot the last few weeks that I allowed myself to believe that this year would be different.
As I write this, Boston is down to its final out. If the Red Sox lose, they'll be tied with the Indians.
But the truth is, Indians fans (including myself) should have seen this coming.
The Indians began playing sloppy in Chicago, but the White Sox were so cold that it didn't matter. They were flat out bad at times in Kansas City.
But no matter. They could play bad and still take 2 of 3 from Tampa Bay.
Silly me.
Of course, Cleveland has followed a pattern. The team gets so hot that it looks unbeatable. But a loss at some point, and the Indians suddenly look like a different team.
The loss in Kansas City appears to have had that effect.
Suddenly, Travis Hafner looks like he's pressing. The whole team does, actually.
Aaron Boone, after an amazing series in Chicago, is back in May-form.
Casey Blake is ... well, Casey Blake.
If Cliff Lee allows one run in eight innings, the Indians should win.
Whatever is the root cause, it has to be found.
The Indians lose Thursday, forget it.