With a shade over forty games remaining in the 2001 season, the Indians are beginning to turn the corner towards the postseason. Remember when fans yearned for a pennant race? Remember when they were sick of wrapping things up this time of year? I do, because I was one of them.

After missing the playoffs last season for the first time in five years, fans are ready for baseball in October. And before the pessimists rare their ugly heads and say the Indians are beating a bad Minnesota Twins team and will struggle against the Yanks, M’s and A’s, let me say: Shut up! 

The Indians possess the best offense of those three teams. Question that? As of last night, Indians were on top of the three major offensive categories (Thome HR, Alomar BA, Gonzalez RBI), something that not even the storied ’95 squad could amass. All three of those guys are AL MVP candidates. Not to mention the Indians have scored 40 percent of their runs with 2 outs.

But as the fair-weather faithful will quickly point out pitching wins championships, the Indians pitching is not that bad. 

Sure, the Indians starting rotation doesn’t match up with Clemens, Pettite and Mussina, or Hudson, Zito and Mulder, or even Garcia, Sele and Moyer, for that matter. However, there bullpen is better than the A’s and M’s and their defense is far superior to all three. And as we have seen the Indians defense can alter the course of a game in the pitcher’s favor.

Tribe fans stay calm. Let’s first burry Tom Kelly and his Twins and secure a spot in the post season. Then let’s see how our rotation shakes out. Burba may come around, Finley may stay healthy and pitch well down the stretch like he did last year, Nagy is a veteran who will throw 85 mph darts, Woodard is young with good stuff and may crack a spot. Colon and Sabathia are legit and give us a nice 1-2 punch. 

And before you get your last crack in, and say Sabathia is young, unproven and can’t handle the pressures of October go back 3 years and think Jaret Wright.

Enjoy this ride to the playoffs and don’t take it for granted because you just never know when the dynasty is over.  

Pessimists speak out and others defend the tribe at our INDIANS FORUM

Pictures from Jacobs Field...

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