Indians Interim Report
I always hated interim reports in school. My parents would get a little sheet that said how I was doing. In math, it always seemed to have two phrases on it:
Student's grade is between a D and an F
Student is enjoyable to have in class.

Which I believe translated into "You're son's a nice kid, but I won't have a second thought to failing his ass."

Anyway, we have reached the All-Star Break, which is as good a time as any to evaluate the Indians. We'll go player by player, in the same format as my old interim reports. Then we'll evaluate the manager and team overall.
Hitters
Victor Martinez .324, 16, 68
- Grade is solid A.
- Has worked hard to improve his skills.
- Possible MVP candidate.

Kelly Shoppach .330, 4, 17
- Grade is between an A and a B.
- Enjoyable to have on team.
-Could start on number of teams.

Josh Barfield .262, 2, 38
- Grade is between C and B.
- Player plays outstanding defense.
- Shows signs of an improving bat.

Casey Blake .276, 14, 48
- Player's grade is solid B.
- Gets along well with others.
- Player still struggles with runners in scoring position; but has thrived when not in that position.
- Much better defense than expected.

Ryan Garko .292, 9, 30
- Player's grade is solid B.
- Has lived up to expectations.
- Is expected to improve as season continues.

Jhonny Peralta .277, 14, 50
- Grade a solid B.
- Has improved since last season.
- Still shows signs of laziness in field.

Mike Rouse .125, 0, 3
- Grade is between D and F.
-Couldn't hit broad side side of barn.
- Benefits from ridiculously low expectations.
- Had better never make an error, or else.

David Dellucci .234, 4, 20
- Player is not passing.
- Player looks like waste of money.
- Player can stay on DL as long as he wants.

Ben Francisco .357, 3, 5
- Player's grade cannot be tabulated at this time.
- Player enjoyable to have on team.
- Has excelled when given opportunity.
- Player can cancel ticket back to Buffalo.

Franklin Gutierrez .284, 4, 9
- Player's grade a solid B.
- Player's defense is outstanding.
- Player enjoyable to have on team.
- Has been solid contributor to team

Travis Hafner .262, 14, 57
- Player's grade a solid B
- Player hasn't lived up to high expectations.
- Player will carry heavy burden to improve in second half.

Jason Michaels .284, 6, 26
- Player's grade is solid B.
- Player plays role very well.
- Player unable to fool us into thinking he's full time player.

Trot Nixon .238, 3, 26
- Player's grade a solid D
- Player resembling Boxer from Animal Farm; may need to be sent to glue factory.
- Player shows strong leadership skills.

Grady Sizemore .280, 15, 46
- Player's grade between A and B
- Player as talented as any in game
- May strike out too much for leadoff hitter.

Pitchers
Rafael Betancourt 1-0, 1.13, 0
- Player has solid A.
- Player is one of best late-inning relievers in the sport.
- Better hope player's contract doesn't run out anytime soon.

Joe Borowski 1-3, 5.35, 25
-Player's grade between an A and a B.
- Player shows ability to finish projects, no matter how dire they appear.
- Player doesn't fail much, but when he does, it's scary to watch.

Paul Byrd 7-4, 4.41, 0
- Player's grade is between C and B.
- Player defines average.
- Gets along well with teammates (especially now that Bob Wickman is with Braves).

Fernando Cabrera 1-2, 4.73, 0
- Player's grade a solid D
-Player's recent performances cause for concern.
- Hope, for player's sake, that he's renting.

Fausto Carmona 10-4, 3.85, 0
- Player's grade is between A and B.
- Player has been crucial to team's success.
- Player should be considered for Comeback Player of the Year.
- Player has responded well to team's attempt to wreck his career last season.

Cliff Lee 5-5, 5.23, 0
- Player's grade is solid D.
- Player has difficulty escaping tough situations.
- Player is only consistent at being inconsistent.

Tom Mastny 6-2, 4.63, 0
- Player's grade is solid C.
- If grade was on a bullpen curve, it would be higher.
- Has shown ability to escape trouble.

Edward Mujica 0-0, 10.57, 0
- Player hasn't pitched enough for accurate grade.
- Thank goodness for the kid that's the case.

Rafael Perez 0-0, 2.22, 0
- Player's grade is between an A and a B
- Could become a staple if he keeps up recent play.
- One of three relievers the Indians can count on.

C.C Sabathia 12-3, 3.58, 0
- Player's grade is a solid A.
- Has become one of the four best starting pitchers in the league.
- Have to hope last start was an abberation.

Jason Stanford 1-1, 4.71, 0
- Player hasn't pitched enough for an accurate grade.
- Has been solid as a starter, and in long relief.
- Would be next in line for starting job should someone go down.

Jake Westbrook 1-4, 6.27, 0
- Player's grade is between D and F.
- Player's season seemed to go downhill after signing big contract.
- Still reason for optimism, based on player's solid track record.

Manager Eric Wedge
- Manager's grade is between A and B.
- Manager seems to have sold local media on his greatness.
- Manager has shown ability to get most out of a talented but not superior roster.
- Manager seems to fall in love with players (Nixon, Blake, Rouse), but his persistence at times pays off.
- Manager deserves credit for keeping team together after rare April blizzards.

General Manager Mark Shapiro
- GM's grade is between A and B.
- GM has hit on enough moves (Barfield, Borowski) that the ones he didn't hit on (Nixon, Roberto Hernandez) don't hurt so much.
- GM continues to be saavy with a shoestring budget.

Indians
Record 52-36, second in central.
-Team's grade between A and B.
- Only miss an A outright because it isn't in first.
- Trouble could lurk, because the Tigers are probably a little better talent for talent, and can outspend the Indians at the trade deadline.
-Eric Wedge (and several Indians) will need to prove they can operate under pressure, something the team couldn't do two years ago.