It Doesn’t Take a Curse
I haven’t written anything about the Cleveland Indians mostly because I have just been gripping too tightly on just about everything within reach. Now, after beating up the Yankees convincingly, and catching fire in game two to take three in a row from the Red Sox in the ALCS, the Indians have dropped two in a row to allow a game seven to occur tonight in Boston.
While some of my friends are suggesting new names for this breakdown over the last two games, I have refused to wallow in any sort of negativity. There hasn’t been an event in this series yet that screams to me of some imaginary curse. Even in Cleveland’s history, “the curse of Rocky Colavito” seems to work in a very loose, non-specific way. Almost to the point where I really don’t buy the fact that there is a curse at all. Sure, Indians teams of the 90’s lost in the World Series, but then again when the Braves beat the Indians in 1995 that was the only time they would win one. The point being that nobody has a “right” to win championships.
On top of that, I just can’t call what is going on during the ALCS a curse. The Indians beat the Yankees convincingly enough that they were able to line up their pitching rotation. They put C.C. Sabathia out there as the number one starter, just like he should have been. They put Fausto Carmona out there as the second starter, just like he should have been. They have gone to the bullpen pretty effectively with few exceptions. They have had some good bounces. They have had some bad bounces, like last night with all those infield singles. There has been some horrendous umpiring behind the plate on balls and strikes, but for the most part it has been going both ways. Boston might have lost game three in Cleveland partially because of umpiring the balls and strikes. Cleveland might have lost game six partially because of umpiring balls and strikes.
None of it matters, though. Tonight the Indians have one more chance to go to the World Series. Boston has momentum and home field advantage, but that is where the advantages stop. The Red Sox have Matsuzaka going, and the Indians have Westbrook. Who has the advantage? That’s debatable. It could be even, or either pitcher could give up runs in droves. Either way, I guess my argument would just be that there is a fine line between winning and losing in Championship situations. It doesn’t take a curse. We will see what happens when these two guys take the mound to see who can work the counts, and drive in runs. Whoever does that more effectively will win the game, despite a front-office move that occurred in 1960.
And keep those heads high Indians fans. This series has lined up exactly how the Indians wanted it to line up. Nobody gets 100% of the results they want, but to get the chance you want is another thing altogether. There hasn’t been an injury like Kenny Lofton sliding into first base, or Dave Burba blowing out his elbow in the middle of a game like has happened to the Indians in the past. The players who should be out there giving the Indians their best shot are out there on the field and they are doing everything they can to stand tall. That is all you can ask for in the playoffs, really.
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Shall I wave you in????
Chris D.
Thank goodness it wasn’t a one run game, or that would bother me a whole lot. I just don’t know quite what to say yet. The team had it all lined up the way they needed it and just couldn’t get it done. I don’t even think there were horrendous performances all the time. The Sox offense just became unstoppable during their streak as the Indians went ice cold. The opposite happened during the Tribe’s three game streak. The analysis is just so obvious. There is no big mystery.