The gloves are coming off..

I have been biting my tongue on the Indians for quite some time now, but I simply can't do it anymore. Some things need to be said.

First of all, here's a tip for Indians management. As Cleveland fans, we have been through the ringer more than a few times. No other fan base is more equipped to deal with disappointment, and while we don't like it, we can handle it.

So don't try to Butch Davis us around and spin fantastic tales about the status of the ballclub. Mark Shapiro scolding us about getting too excited and not "seeing the big picture" is doing nothing but insulting our intelligence. You want a big picture Mark? How about 30,000 empty seats each game in September if your "brain trust" can't figure out a way to win some freaking ballgames? How's that big picture for you?

And Eric Wedge, I see you trying to sneak away from me. As for you and your incessant "it's such a long season" preaching. Just STOP! First of all, are you trying to tell us something? Is the season too long for you? Are the Indians not giving you enough vacation time?

All jokes aside, while Wedge is so busy calming the masses, his team has already dropped 15 Central Division games. Hey Eric, you don't get those games back!

It goes so much further than the 23-25 record. The team's play on the field reflects the very lackadaisical lack of urgency their manager maintains during press conferences and interviews.

Back to Shapiro for a minute. In the interest of full disclosure, I must say I was a strong Shapiro supporter at one time. I did not set my couch on fire when the Tribe traded Colon or even Alomar. I recognized the need for rebuilding and reloading the organization of prospects.

But this past offseason has really raised some questions about Shapiro's baseball acumen. I feel some lucky jackpots early in his stint have brought about an arrogance that is ultimately leading to his demise.

Shapiro struck gold a few times early on, such as the Colon trade and stealing Hafner from the Rangers for Ryan Drese and Einar Diaz. Prospects like Hafner, Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore made such an impact, people hardly noticed how badly he missed on others moves such as signings of Scott Stewart, Jose Jimenez and Ricky Gutierrez.

To make things worse, his gamble on Kevin Millwood coming off an arm injury paid dividends and it appears Shapiro started believing his own press clippings. It all came to a head this offseason.

He arrogantly traded a "heart and soul" guy in Coco Crisp for a "can't miss" prospect who is doing a whole lot of missing at Buffalo right now. To make it worse, he replaced Crisp with an unproven crap shoot in Jason Michaels, who is about as special as yellow mustard. (I don't care what his on-base percentage was in 250 at bats last year. There is a reason Philly wasn't playing him)

Shapiro felt since the Millwood deal worked out so well last year, certainly he could strike gold on another rehab project and replace one of the best set-up men in baseball (Bob Howry) with Guillermo Mota. Yet another move that has fallen as flat as a Jason Davis fastball.

The Shapiro/Wedge team, combined with an absurdly cheap owner, seems to be on a path to destruction. Nobody seems to be happy, not the fans, not the management and not even the players.

Jhonny Peralta and Ronnie Belliard have the same look eighth graders have sitting in algebra class. Vic Martinez almost seems to be begging to be moved from catcher with each opponents stolen base. Now he can't hit or apparently run hard to first base on ground balls anymore.

The whole thing is a mess and there is plenty of blame to go around. There is no way a guy like Kenny Rogers should be wearing a Detroit uniform. Those are the kind of signings that takes a good team to the next level, not the dynamic duo of Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson.

All I know is we are coming to a critical point as Tribe fans. I know turning your back on the home team should always be the FINAL option. But are we close to that option? In 2002, we were promised great things (i.e. contending and championships) starting in 2005. Well 2005 came and went. Are we supposed to be content with a mere 93-win season and no playoffs?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not ready to go back to 77-85 seasons again. If a miserable season and countless empty seats at the Jake is going to force front office and personnel changes, then sobeit. A message needs to be sent to the organization.

This isn't the movie "Major League." We sold out 455 straight games when this team was a legitimate contender. Don't give us this small-market crap company line. The Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Oakland A's all have higher payrolls than the Indians this year, along with 20 other teams.

We have two other professional sports franchise owners in Cleveland that seem to have a genuine interest in winning. If Larry Dolan and the Indians refuse to join the group, then I am left with little choice but to wash my hands of them.

For this former Viking, dreams DO come true!

With all the off-field negativity surrounding professional athletes nowadays, its easy to become disillusioned with professional sports. With player salaries out of control, rookies failing to report to training camp, players switching teams on an annual basis. There are plenty of reasons for a fan to wash his or her hands of it all.

Which makes this next story and other stories like it so important. It is stories like the one I'm about to tell that remind us all why we love sports so much.

Growing up as a frisky lad in Sacramento, Calif., Onterrio Smith would seldom be seen without his football, carrying it everywhere like a mother with a newborn child. Sprinting down the aisles at the grocery store, he would pretend he was charging through pursuing linebackers en route to the end zone, always culminating in the same familiar phrase, "TOUCHDOWN BLUE BOMBERS!"

Yes, this week the childhood dream of former Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith became reality as he inked a deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Sure, excelling at the University of Oregon was nice. Rushing for over 1100 yards and 7 touchdowns in just nine starts over two years for the Vikings was a blessing. But Smith could never have called himself fulfilled until he had a chance to lead the blue and gold to the incomparable Grey Cup.

The Bombers said it best in an official press release that proudly stated, "The Winnipeg Blue Bombers could have the best offensive backfield tandem in the CFL this season..."
The other half of the highly touted tandem to which the Bombers are alluding is Charles Roberts, or as I like to call him, "Chucky Rob." Chucky Rob led the CFL in rushing last year with 1624 yards. Who knows how many games those stats were compiled in, but who cares!

Brendan Taman, Bombers general manager could hardly contain his excitement when he said, "Onterrio Smith is an exciting, dynamic player who will add a lot to this team."

Of course by "add a lot to this team," we can only assume he meant rushing yards and touchdowns as opposed to killer bong hitting techniques and Original Whizzinators.

There will be some who will try to label Smith harshly, claiming he has "ruined his career" and he is an "idiot" or a "pot head."

Well I say, If being kicked out of the NFL for repeatedly smoking weed only to end up as a member of the storied Winnipeg Blue Bombers franchise makes someone an idiot, then Onterrio must be an idiot.
But I choose to call him a young man who is not afraid to chase his dreams...and a killer buzz!

Florida Marlins: 2009 World Champs

The Florida Marlins have it all figured out.
Laugh if you must. But if you can get passed the awful record and microscopic payroll, you may realize the Marlins are right on schedule.
I have these tricky Marlins all figured out. While large market giants like the Yankees and Red Sox continue to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars each year, only to fail to accomplish the ultimate goal more often than not. The Marlins stay steady to their organizational plan – Win a World Series every 6 years.
If you remember back in 1997, the Marlins defeated the Indians in the World Series with a roster that was completely loaded with talent. On the mound they featured Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Livan Hernandez and Robb Nen. In their everyday lineup they sent out studs like Gary Sheffield, Moises Alou, Edgar Renteria, Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Conine and Devon White. Almost reads like an all-star team.
After the ’97 Championship, the Marlins promptly gutted the team. By Opening Day 1999, only Hernandez and Renteria remained from the aforementioned group. Those two would be shipped out that season.
The same grumblings could be heard then that we hear now. How the Marlins bought a championship. How they are cheating the fans and rumors of moving the franchise were rampant.
Then came 2003.
With a new stockpile of young talent mixed with a few veteran acquisitions, the Marlins once again were crowned World Champs, for the second time in the franchise’s 10-year existence. At the time, they had accomplished twice in a decade what the big market Red Sox had been striving for all of 86 years.
After 2003, the same thing.
Gone are Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Ivan Rodriguez, Derrek Lee and Juan Pierre. But in their place is yet another impressive core of young talent. Guys like the dynamic 22 year old Hanley Ramirez, who is hitting .331 while playing a solid shortstop. Second basemen Dan Uggla, 26, is hitting .312 and center fielder Reggie Abercrombie has displayed outstanding speed and athleticism.
On the mound, the Marlins have nine pitchers aged 24 or younger. Leading the way is Dontrelle Willis, one of the few holdovers from the 2003 squad. Another holdover is all-star Miguel Cabrera; himself only 23.
Had the Marlins hung onto the five players just mentioned from the 2003 team, Beckett, Penny, Pudge, Lee and Pierre, they would be paying them a combined $35.3 million based on their 2006 salaries. As it is, the Marlins total payroll is a hair under $15 million for the entire roster, and while the won-loss record doesn’t show it yet, they are getting better.
So laugh at the Marlins now. Crack jokes about their payroll or place in the standings. But remember, this franchise is designed to strike every six years. Dontrelle Willis will be 27 when he starts game one of the 2009 World Series.
The baseball world has anointed teams like the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins as prototypes for small-market success, yet I don’t see those two with any recent titles. Maybe the Marlins didn’t invent sabermetrics, but their method, as unconventional as it is, is netting rings, and is not that, after all, the ultimate goal