Random Tribe Thoughts

Roger Brown has a list of guys who the Indians say might be on the block if the season doesn't rebound soon (he also basically calls the team a bunch of assholes later on in the column, thanks Roger).

Now, putting aside Brown's ability to make shit up, this is kinda interesting.

I had always thought about Boone and Belliard as the most likely to be traded, but Wickman could/should net the Tribe a decent amount of talent. Eduardo Perez has been playing well all year, and I hadn't even thought about the Tribe dumping him, but it makes sense.

Brown goes on to add that the Indians aren't looking to move Paul Byrd. Brown doesn't say why Byrd wouldn't be on the block (again, this is Roger Brown, who knows if this is true) but I'm not sure he's right when he says Bryd could net more than any of the other veterans.

I'm not ready to give up on the season yet, though I think they need another shakeup besides losing Jason Johnson. I'm not sure if firing Wedge is the answer, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to it.

There are a few things I'd like to address: The cheap Dolans and the Brandon Phillips trade.

Dolans: Yes, they are cheap. And yes if Shapiro could've spent more money on the bullpen (Howry anyone? Rhodes?) then maybe the Tribe wouldn't be in the mess they are in now. But since the talk of Wedge's job has been coming up, I've heard another new wrinkle to the "Dolan cheap" talk: The Tribe's inability to get Jim Leyland. What the hell? Jim Leyland? I know he's got the Tigers playing out of their mind this year, but come on, no Tribe fan really thought bringing in a retread manager was really going to do a whole lot, right? Some how we've gotten to the point that the Dolans are so cheap that they wouldn't sign Jim Leyland. Never mind that Eric Wedge did well last year and was in no way on the hot seat. Or that Jim Leyland signing with Detroit was looked at another lame move by the Tigers. Sure he may have lit a fire under some of their asses, but come on, this guy has a sub-500 overall record. It's not like people were beating down his door.

The Tribe's problems are mostly their bullpen and bad luck (aka when the team hits, they don't pitch and when the team pitches well, they don't hit. They are never on the same page). Could the Tribe have spent more money on the pen? Yes. But all this bitching about trading Coco and Phillips bugs the shit out of me. Marte is hitting his ass off in AAA Buffalo and looks like the real deal. Jason Michaels (Coco's replacement) isn't exactly a problem they need to address.

As for this Phillips nonsense... The PD had a nice story on the trade and how Cinci's execs are saying how they didn't know something everyone else didn't, they just thought he needed a change of scenery. Look, he didn't play his first 10 days there. Did anyone really think that Brandon Phillips was the answer here in Cleveland? Sure it would've been nice to give him one last look, but he didn't show signs that he could be doing this everyday. I firmly believe that if we would've kept Phillips he'd A) be on our bench cause both Ronnie and Peralta aren't hurt and B) he wouldn't be hitting that well (be it for lack of playing time or other factors).

Plain and simple, he needed to get out of here. Would it have been nice for the Tribe to get something more for him? Sure. But come on, it's not like this guy was a can't miss prospect anymore. He missed. And then had work issues.

Can we lay off this Phillips and Jim Leyland talk please? These were our seasons saviors? Really?