Today, a common refrain among the citizens of Cleveland will be how proud they are of the 2007 Cleveland Indians, how great the team's run through the regular season and the ALDS was, and how we as fans should hold our heads high for their efforts this year.
It's time to wake up. We, as Indians fans, should not be proud of this team.
This season is failure. This team is a failure. And the sooner this city and this team accept that fact, the better we'll all be.
The Indians did not lose this series because Joel Skinner held Kenny Lofton at third. They didn't lose this series because the second base umpire incorrectly called Kenny out at second in the fifth inning. And they didn't lose because baseball has no salary cap, and the Red Sox have a payroll twice as large as the Indians.
No--they lost because they gave this series away. They lost because they bought into the culture of failure that exists amongst this city's sports franchises, amongst this city's fans, and in fact amongst this city's political, social and economic institutions. It is a culture of failure that starts with the Browns, extends down through the Indians and Cavaliers and is mirrored in Cleveland's schools, in its politicians, and too often in its citizenry.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians are comprised of world-class athletes, led by a talented manager and built by an incredibly-astute general manager. This is not a call for wholesale change on this team--that would be foolhardy. This team is good enough to win in the future and in fact should have won now.
But they did not. Instead, they added another chapter to a long litany of sad failures in Cleveland sports--a litany of failures that has lost its novelty and is no longer cute.
Oh, Cleveland--you did it again. Oh, Cleveland--just like the Drive, and the Fumble, and the Shot, you blew it in this series.
Oh, Cleveland--you've had the highest poverty rate amongst major American cities two of the last four years. Oh, you lovable losers. Oh, Cleveland, your schools are failing and your industrial infrastructure is crumbling, what a cute city you are.
Oh, Cleveland, your river is on fire again, your city is bankrupt again, it was so cute seeing all those bugs come in off your little lake, wasn't it?
This is the perception of Cleveland that exists nationally; it's a perception that in many ways is perpetuated by the citizens of this city; and it's a perception that must be destroyed if this city is to survive, if this city is to prosper.
Cleveland is a world class city, with world class people and world class sports franchises, with world class health-care institutions and world class tourist attractions, with world class art and world class culture. And it's time we all started acting that way. It's time we stopped being happy about making the playoffs, and stopped being proud of a team that loses its last game. It's time we stopped being content with a 43-year title drought, and stopped being content with a city that is losing its socioeconomic heart and soul.
We booed LeBron James when he wore his Yankees hat at Jacobs Field earlier this month--but maybe we should adopt a mindset that's a little bit more like that of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, who is not content with making the playoffs every year and who holds those who fail to win--to really win--accountable for those failures.
No, we should not fire Eric Wedge. But nor should we applaud him for piloting this team to a loss in the American League Championship Series. That is not good enough. Nor was it good enough for Mike Brown to take his team to the NBA Finals. Nor is it good enough for Romeo Crennel to win two division games in September. Those are all nice feats, but they are not successes. It's time our city realized that.
When the 2008 Indians take the field next April, we should stand and cheer them. They deserve our support, they deserve our respect, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts. But they also deserve, right now, to be called what they are--a failure.
It's time to wake up. We, as Indians fans, should not be proud of this team.
This season is failure. This team is a failure. And the sooner this city and this team accept that fact, the better we'll all be.
The Indians did not lose this series because Joel Skinner held Kenny Lofton at third. They didn't lose this series because the second base umpire incorrectly called Kenny out at second in the fifth inning. And they didn't lose because baseball has no salary cap, and the Red Sox have a payroll twice as large as the Indians.
No--they lost because they gave this series away. They lost because they bought into the culture of failure that exists amongst this city's sports franchises, amongst this city's fans, and in fact amongst this city's political, social and economic institutions. It is a culture of failure that starts with the Browns, extends down through the Indians and Cavaliers and is mirrored in Cleveland's schools, in its politicians, and too often in its citizenry.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians are comprised of world-class athletes, led by a talented manager and built by an incredibly-astute general manager. This is not a call for wholesale change on this team--that would be foolhardy. This team is good enough to win in the future and in fact should have won now.
But they did not. Instead, they added another chapter to a long litany of sad failures in Cleveland sports--a litany of failures that has lost its novelty and is no longer cute.
Oh, Cleveland--you did it again. Oh, Cleveland--just like the Drive, and the Fumble, and the Shot, you blew it in this series.
Oh, Cleveland--you've had the highest poverty rate amongst major American cities two of the last four years. Oh, you lovable losers. Oh, Cleveland, your schools are failing and your industrial infrastructure is crumbling, what a cute city you are.
Oh, Cleveland, your river is on fire again, your city is bankrupt again, it was so cute seeing all those bugs come in off your little lake, wasn't it?
This is the perception of Cleveland that exists nationally; it's a perception that in many ways is perpetuated by the citizens of this city; and it's a perception that must be destroyed if this city is to survive, if this city is to prosper.
Cleveland is a world class city, with world class people and world class sports franchises, with world class health-care institutions and world class tourist attractions, with world class art and world class culture. And it's time we all started acting that way. It's time we stopped being happy about making the playoffs, and stopped being proud of a team that loses its last game. It's time we stopped being content with a 43-year title drought, and stopped being content with a city that is losing its socioeconomic heart and soul.
We booed LeBron James when he wore his Yankees hat at Jacobs Field earlier this month--but maybe we should adopt a mindset that's a little bit more like that of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, who is not content with making the playoffs every year and who holds those who fail to win--to really win--accountable for those failures.
No, we should not fire Eric Wedge. But nor should we applaud him for piloting this team to a loss in the American League Championship Series. That is not good enough. Nor was it good enough for Mike Brown to take his team to the NBA Finals. Nor is it good enough for Romeo Crennel to win two division games in September. Those are all nice feats, but they are not successes. It's time our city realized that.
When the 2008 Indians take the field next April, we should stand and cheer them. They deserve our support, they deserve our respect, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts. But they also deserve, right now, to be called what they are--a failure.
