Lee, Still Waiting....

Cliff Lee is still without a contract. Sunday is the deadline for him to be signed.

It seems as though Lee, a 27-year-old lefthander, has earned the right to be treated fairly. Last year's results spoke for itself, 18 wins and 5 losses with a 3.79 ERA. Another notable statistic is that he pitched 202 innings.

Mark Shapiro is still pondering the decision.

It does not seem like it is a question of skill for Lee. It is a situation where the Indians are just running low on funds. Big name Indians like Martinez, Sabathia, Hafner, and Peralta were all signed or resigned last year. For a small market team like the Tribe, only a certain amount of coins are left in the team "piggy bank."

The Indians open its season on Sunday night on ESPN2 in Chicago. Lee will appear is set to start next Wednesday in the last game of a three game set against the White Sox.

Hopefully, he will be on track for another year like last year.

Sizemore Locked In

The Cleveland Indians signed Grady Sizemore to a six year deal for $24 million. $23.45 million of that is guaranteed with a $1 million dollar signing bonus.


This signing comes on the heels of the signing of Jhonny Peralta. It seems as though the Indians are committed to a young nucleus for the team.

To the right is an old picture of Grady, a third round draft pick, when he was on the Clinton Lumber Kings back in February of 2000. This was about the time when he was signing a letter of intent to play quarterback for the University of Washington.

This week, I will have my predictions for this year's results.

Still Rooting for the Indians

Cleveland sports is an exercise in infamy for many. It is a perennial wish and desire to be a winner. It is just difficult to actually win the big one.

The great thing about Cleveland is that the fans keep on going to games and supporting the team. Cleveland is a town that is hard-nosed and works as hard as it plays

Take the Indians for example. It will be another optimistic year for the organization. It is a team that just cannot seem to compete with the teams with the big money. When the season starts, the top teams to watch in the American League will still be teams like Chicago, New York, Boston, and Anaheim.

But the Indians should make a run at the wild card. The optimism continues with the youth that it has at almost every position. This youth is headed by players like Grady Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta, and Travis Hafner. Sizemore, 23, will bring speed and some power to a offensive line-up. The pitching staff is headed by Cliff Lee, a proven starter that won 18 games last year.

This week, I will give my official predictions on what the Wahoo faithful can expect of the team.

OPENING DAY! This is a holiday as far as I am concerned. When can every team in the majors feel like it has a chance to win and be undefeated, at least for one day. It also is a time for the vast majority of baseball fans to take a day off of work.

So grab a brew and enjoy the game! Go Tribe!