Burn, baby, burn
06/28/2002
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Blow it up. Blow it all to smithereens.
The Cleveland Indians traded Bartolo Colon for Lee Stevens and three minor leaguers on Thursday, a move that signals the end of an illustrious era for the century-old franchise. One of the absolute worst teams in baseball during the 1970s and '80s, the Tribe's fortunes turned in the mid-90s with the construction of Jacobs Field, the infusion of talented young players like Albert Belle and Carlos Baerga, the leadership of veterans like Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez, and the vision of general manager John Hart. They've owned the AL Central crown six of the past seven years, they advanced to the ALCS in 1998 and the World Series in both 1995 and 1997, and they sold out nearly every game along the way.
But with this Colon trade (and a putrid 36-41 record), the days of contention are over. Without question.
Face it, Cleveland fans: True playoff teams don't trade guys like Bartolo Colon in June. He's tied for third in the American League with 10 wins, his 2.55 ERA places him second behind Derek Lowe, he's tossed two shutouts this year and he leads all of baseball with four complete games.
In a word, Colon is a horse. Plain and simple. And contending teams don't deal their horses before the All-Star break.
But most Tribe fans didn't really understand that the 2002 version of the Cleveland Indians as it stood was a mediocre squad at best. Oh sure, there were encouraging moments -- an 11-1 start to the season, Jim Thome's constant power stroke, Omar Vizquel's quantum leap at the plate and then, of course, Colon's AL dominance. But in the end, the Tribe couldn't keep up with the Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners, let alone the patsies in the Central. And if you can't compete in this feeble division, you may as well pack it in.
So just three months into the 2002 campaign, the proverbial white flag has been raised after it became increasingly clear that the Indians were drowning in their first lost season since 1993. Mark Shapiro, John Hart's successor, knew it. Realistic fans knew it. Every team in baseball who saw Bill Selby, Chris Magruder and Jolbert Cabrera earning regular playing time in a Cleveland uniform definitely knew it.
But fans who comprehend the game of baseball strictly on a win/lose level didn't know it, or at least they weren't ready to accept it. And now that Shapiro has kissed the rest of 2002 and, most likely, all of 2003 goodbye, many in Cleveland view the deal as, simply, Bartolo Colon for Lee Stevens and three minor leaguers.
What they'll realize in a couple years, though, is what White Sox and Seattle fans have figured out the past few seasons -- when it's just not working, when the bad days on the field completely overshadow the good ones, when your minor leagues are barren of true, blue-chip prospects, it's time to start over. And if you do it right, two or three years down the road you'll again be ready for pennant races and magic numbers and game sevens and October baseball.
So blow it all up. Throw some gasoline on this puppy, add some dynamite, strike a match and watch the explosion. Trade Chuck Finley. Trade Jim Thome. Trade Travis Fryman, Omar Vizquel, Bob Wickman and Ellis Burks. Trade anybody born before 1975 and just start over. And I say this as a devout Tribe fan, someone who remembers the bad times and cherishes the good, someone who'll hate to see most of those guys go. I loved the 1990s, but the last time I checked Baerga and Manny Ramirez were in Boston, Kenny Lofton and Sandy Alomar were in Chicago, Hart and Hershiser were in Texas, Charles Nagy was washed-up, Belle was retired (and still ornery), and Thome and Vizquel were on the wrong side of 30. This team needs some new blood.
That's a tough conclusion to draw, but I absolutely understand what Shapiro is doing. I've seen the games this year. I've seen lineups that include Selby at third, Cabrera at second, John McDonald at short, Magruder in center and Todd Dunwoody in left. That's not a contender. That's not even a pretender.
It's pathetic, and it's time to move on.
So say goodbye to Bartolo, and get ready to wave sayonara to nearly every other veteran on the roster. It's time to meet guys like infielder Brandon Phillips, lefty pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder Grady Sizemore, the three minor leaguers acquired in the Colon deal. Introduce yourself to Ben Broussard and his impressive AAA numbers. Get used to seeing Milton Bradley in center and get ready for southpaws Billy Traber and Brian Tallet. I believe you already know C.C. Sabathia, Danys Baez and Ryan Drese. Oh, and don't forget about Alex Escobar.
These are the guys of the future. These are the guys who'll lead this team back to the playoffs and beyond in a few years, not Bartolo Colon, Jim Thome and Ellis Burks. Sure, it'll be a rough transition, and the game being played downtown ain't gonna be pretty for a while, but there's no doubting that the time for sweeping changes has finally arrived on the Erie shores. And while you'll bitch about the record and compare every youngster to fan favorites from a decade earlier, eventually you'll see results. The wins will start piling up, the excitement will build and then suddenly, before you even have a chance to dismiss it all as a fluke, these kids will be filling The Jake again, selling out every seat in the house as they rise to the top of the American League with today's unproven prospects out in front, leading the way. It won't happen next year, but I trust Mark Shapiro and I like the first couple of steps he's taken down this road. Faced with a decreased payroll, lack of fan interest and a farm system that Hart completely decimated for guys like Kevin Seitzer and Dave Burba, Shapiro's doing the only thing he can -- he's restocking and looking toward the future. Hopefully, by the time this all happens Larry Dolan will be ready to open up his wallet again and reward us all for our loyalty.
As constructed, the 2002 Cleveland Indians were dying a painfully slow death on the diamond every night, and Shapiro decided to mercifully end the misery for the team and us fans. It was the right move, and for all of you complaining about the imminent hard times, you'll see the payoff soon enough. Be patient.
Until then, though, just sit back, relax, put on your sunglasses and grab some marshmallows, because Shapiro's going to blow this sucker sky-high. And it should be fun.