Indians’ pitch seems quite believable

 by RAY ROBINSON

Ahhh…the joys of early spring and Cleveland Indians baseball somehow always brings about feelings of hope and despair. At the same time.

Right now, the Indians are swinging the lumber and adding up big wins and some mighty big scores. Although it took a while longer to get around to some warm weather, attendance has been waaaay down, and as a team who has a decent record AND is in first place, these guys really deserve a hand.

Ever since 1948, when the Tribe last won “the big one,” Cleveland fans have been on the edge of their seats, waiting for a return trip to the days at the top of the MLB heap. King of the hill. World Champions. 1920. 1948.

In ‘48, pitchers Satchel Paige, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Gene Bearden kept the heat on the Boston Braves, taking the series in six games and ushering in a new era in Cleveland baseball….wait until next year. And now, some 65 years later, the wait continues.

This year, just like many other recent years, the Indians are glowing like a blacksmith’s iron that has been left on the fire, ready to be shaped and molded into a championship winning organization. And just like recent years the memories creep back in rattling their chains like a ghost from a Charles Dickens novel.

Normally, by the All-Star break the mold gets smashed by injuries and bad management and once again we are left wishing and hoping and dreaming.

Gone is the old rickety Cleveland Municipal Stadium and its blue painted steel beams that always managed to be right in the way of the play that turned the game around.

Gone is the humongous neon-lit sign with Chief Wahoo swinging his Louisville Slugger and flashing that wide, toothy grin that has become synonymous with both winning and losing. Also gone is the view of Lake Erie that provided a nice, cool breeze during the dog days of summer.

In their place is Progressive Field, located right smack dab in the middle of the concrete jungle known as E. 9^th Street and Carnegie Avenue. The ballpark, when it first debuted in 1993 was the crème de la crème of modern day ballparks and the envy of older stadiums across the nation.

The new kids who are assigned the task of taking us to baseball’s promised land are now named, Justin Masterson, Zach McAllister, Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Perez and Fausto Carmona a.k.a. Roberto Hernandez. These guys have developed a winning attitude that seems to have affected the whole team and has somehow spread to their bats.

The fans aren’t yet convinced, since they have seen this all too often over the past few seasons. At press, the Indians are hugging first place and don’t seem to be letting go anytime soon. The Tigers and the Yankees have both been beaten, bruised, bloodied and battered at the hands of these new young gladiators. They are currently at odds with the Seattle Mariners, taking game#1 Monday night in the 10^th, 10-8.

Masterson, who has been shining like a new penny under a stoplight, has opponents shaking in the batter’s box and swinging at nearly invisible pitches. He carries a 2.83 ERA and is 7-2 having won his last three starts. He has pitched 19 consecutive scoreless innings and is seeing the plate extremely well.

He was named the American League Player of the Week last week.  Ulbaldo Jimenez gets the nod tonight against the visiting Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field.