Weekend on the shores

So this was the weekend we had been hearing about. The weekend when the fans of Cleveland would come out, just like the old days.


We had the Indians hosting the Yankees for the only time this year. Saturday night, the Browns opened up the 2007 preseason, and gave all fans a short respite before the inevitable waste of a season takes place.


The Indians-Yankees series was a trainwreck. More people saw the Indians this weekend than at any other this season, and I assume many fans won't be back.

Of course, so many have no reason to -- they're Yankee fans.

The Indians have had a problem the last several years with pressure.

They have never played well against the Yankees under Eric Wedge, they struggle against Boston, and they had to hitch a ride to the finish line in 2005, when just one more win in the final week could have meant the playoffs.

The first two games were blowouts. Fausto Carmona didn't pitch badly -- he never does -- but he was not over-the-top dominant against New York. Paul Byrd apparently can't pitch outdoors. The bats were quieter than Charles Nagy.

Meanwhile, the Yankees got pitching and hitting.

The Yankees looked like a powerhouse; the Indians looked like a one room apartment with no windows.

The question is: Can the Indians beat up on enough mediocre teams to win the Central?
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Charlie Frye played OK Saturday night, but made two major blunders. Things of those sorts have cost the Browns regular season games in the past.

Ken Dorsey played well against fifth teamers, while Derek Anderson looked lost. My guess is Dorsey will stay on the team, and Frye will win the starting job. Anderson will be elsewhere.