I know we live in a society today where mass media is always quick to jump to conclusions. It's easy for us as fans to do the same thing too, especially with a team that you watch everyday. I am a University of Kentucky graduate, and I usually watch every football and most basketball games each year. It's always interesting when March Madness rolls around and I start to fill out my bracket. Usually money is at stake, but the problem is my fanhood is a big issue usually. As a fan you never want to pick your team to lose, it goes against everything fans stand for. However when you got your own money on the line, and you have your own team to bet with, reality usually settles in after a bias pick or two. The reality is that as fans who watch most games, you see the good, the real, and the ugly. Manny Acta references this all season when he drops quotes that when Jack Hannahan is hitting .380 to start the year, that he will average out, and same with guys who enter slumps and the team's overall play in general. You can't help but to jump to conclusions, you know your favorite team can win any game at anytime. You have seen them do it for most every sport you watch. Even the Cavs beat the Heat at home 'post Decision'! However you have seen them play at their worst too. Losing games that a team should have no business losing, even this past season I saw UK basketball play one of the worst halves I have ever seen in any basketball game when they went down to Starkville(luckily they recovered in the 2nd half to win).
Media will always present the rush discussion. They have to, when you have a 3 hour TV or radio show and only 3 major things happened the night before, you got to yuck it up all day until something else happens. As a midwest sports fan it always stinks that our teams rarely get mentioned unless you are a fan of any Chicago team, and even then does anybody really remember a no-hitter by Phillip Humber earlier this year?
The big point here is, what in the world do we take from the week the Indians are having(Other than Tomlin and Lowe may be done for the year)? I was not trying to rush to conclusion about this team based on the Tigers series, however they just turned off their own momentum. When Santana and Pronk hit two HRs in that 7th inning off of Justin Verlander to change the momentum and turned out to win the game that inning, you knew this team could skyrocket. That was their moment! Just like the Tigers did around this time last year, and the White Sox a few years before that, winning that series and then getting a big time selling Twins team should have been lights out! In sports momentum plays a key role. Yes it is imaginary, but why do you think that it is so hard for a team to start losing, or a player to break a slump? It's much easier to stay in a zone, or to keep loose when wins are happening. This team was in a funk all summer, then you got the favorite to win the division at home, and you win the series. Huge right? Now your going to have a series against the bottom of the division, and you squander all momentum.
They win a series against the defending division champs, and then lose 11-0 the next night. Right now it is 11-3 in the 8th inning, and we are not ahead. This was the week to make a run! This was the week to tell management, "We are who you thought we were! Now get us some help!", or "We don't need anybody else!". Now what is the message that Chris Antonetti is looking at when it comes to trades? He said he will decide on Tuesday if the team is a buyer or a seller.
Good thing for us, Antonetti doesn't act like a media member or a fan and rushed to a conclusion following that Tigers series, because I am sure right now he is second guessing buying anybody(PLEASE CHASE HEADLEY). Chris Antonetti doesn't have the luxury of rush decisions, and he can't be loyal to anybody other than the Indians organization. He has to be a realist about where this team is, and what this team can afford to do. Unlike my march madness bracket, Chris Antonetti can add the pieces mid-season that we need to make those really bad moments not spring up as often after July 31st. Or maybe he realizes this team isn't one you could or even should pencil in all the way to the championship this year when you got money and jobs on the line. Maybe it's time to add something that will pay dividends long term.
We still have 2 more games before Tuesday, maybe the Indians will turn it around behind the non-struggling starters(McAllister, Jimenez, and Masterson). I think it's time for Josh Tomlin to skip a start and regroup or do so in 2.5 weeks.
Good luck Mr Antonetti, I do not want to be in your shoes on Tuesday.
Daniel Hahn
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