Most people remember that Milwaukee County Stadium was the stunt double for Municipal Stadium for the movie Major League. Since then, Milwaukee as become a National League team. Milwaukee County Stadium was replaced with Miller Park and Municipal Stadium was replaced with Jacobs Field.

Almost like magic, when Major League (Wild Thing Edition w/Turf Cover), special DVD edition is released the Indians played a home game in Milwaukee. Interesting how things work out.

The Indians pulled out a 7-6 victory against the Angels, with backup catcher Kelly Shoppach, who also homered in the game, gunning down Erick Aybar trying to steal second to end the game.

Looking through the data from Retrosheet, the caught stealing to end the game was the 98th time it has happened since 1957. The third time the Indians have been involved in such a game, and the FIRST time the Indians were on the winning end.

Game Ending Caught Stealing involving the Indians from 1957-1998,2000-2006.  Data from Retrosheet

Unless you have been underneath a rock, involved in prolonged “quality time” with your significant other for the past day (and if so, congrats!), you probably heard about the mess surrounding Jason Grimsley.

Could this investigation, and Grimsley’s own admission, turn him into the Alexander Butterfield of Human Growth Hormones (HGH) in baseball?

Grimsley has played for several teams in his career: the Phillies, the Indians, the Royals, the Angels, the Yankees, the Orioles, and is currently with the Diamondbacks. The affidavit (warning:  link to pdf file) blacks out player’s names. His major league career started in 1989, and his stints with the Indians and Yankees include playoff teams with big hitters. Could he the smoking gun to  more information about this whole steroids silliness or will it just highlight the problems with the testing in baseball? You know it is only a matter of time before those names come out.  Tick-Tock.  Look at the teams he played for and thing of some of the names that could come up.

MLB currently, from my limited fan knowledge, has no testing in place for HGH. 

But Grimsley’s tie to the Indians is not just being on the team during the late 90’s hey days. During the 1994 season, Albert Belle‘s corked bat as taken for examination.   Yep, he was the player the scooted through the air ducts in Comiskey Park and switched Bell’s confiscated bat with Paul Sorrento‘s non-corked bat.

Phillie fans should remember Grimsley.  Not only did he set a major league record by throwing wild pitches in nine straight appearances, he also was the bait the Phillies used to get Curt Schilling from the Astros.

<rant>
After a surprising three game win streak — Yes, I know the local media and announcers didn’t sound too surprised by it, but us the fans were — the Tribe is now down by a touchdown, 10 – 3.  Jason Johnson didn’t look good and Younger J-Weaver is either going to be a force, or the Tribe rested on their sweet victories.  But then Mota came in and  was a good teammate; making Johnson look good in comparison.

The only consistency on this team is the inconsistency ( and if that statement doesn’t boggle your mind you are way to sober ).  With Eric “Weggie” Wedge at the helm, this team can’t seem to pull achieve a balance.   The lows are low, the highs are highs.  I am not alone in quickly losing the faith we are told to have in Mr. Wedge.

During the present bad play, there has been a lot of mumbling about the length of the season and reminding everybody what happen last year. 

Last year we didn’t make the playoffs.  If, at the beginning of the year, the Indians could have won 1 or 2 more games they would have been in the playoffs.  The poor play in April, May, and the beginning of June certainly contributed to missing the playoffs.  Why they want to remind people about that is lost on me.

While the baseball season is a marathon, I still have to believe it would be easier give a bit more importance to those early games in the spring and early summer.  Wouldn’t it be better to win a few of those games when, perhaps other teams, are taking them lightly? 

Call me stupid, most people do, but you have a team that in the previous two years has demonstrated having issues winning when under heavy pressure.  Let’s not forget the August swoon of ’04 when they had the chance to over take the Twins for first place and then fell apart .  Remembering last year, the season ended with the Tribe losing a chance for the division title and the wild card, and crazy little Ozzie joking with the fans about the choke.

The Tribe starts slow, heats up for a while to recover lost ground, and fails at the end.  Two years in a row now.  I see a pattern and this year again see a slow start.  Early season success might not provide enough wins to change fates. It certainly would make things easier.  Perhaps having the Tribe being chased, instead of doing the chasing.  I fail to see how that isn’t important.
</rant>

Good Grief!

We lost two of three to the Royals.  The Indians have a losing record against the Royals?  This is why Cleveland has some of the best microbreweries around, Tribe fans need a good tonic to calm the nerves or try to wash away the memories.

[PSA:  Please drink responsibility.]

I search long and hard for something witty to say about the situation.  It is Poetry Month.  There must be some wisdom one of Americas wordsmiths has penned for such an occasion.

No such luck. 

So I guess I will have to force myself to get some good old Cleveland thinking juice sit outside and look sad, sullen and yet inviting.  Perhaps some lost TribeChick will inspire me to pen a "We lost two of three to the Royals!" poem of despair, hope, and pride.  Words giving voice to chats from the shores of Lake Erie was a battle cry for all Tribe fans!  Words that can inspire the players lucky enough to wear the American colors of the Cleveland Indians — getting into a Bill Murry in Meatballs flurry of B.S. here —  to turn this memory into the starting point of a championship season we cannot believe!  Words that would bring tears to the eyes of generations past, present and future.   An anthem for this year, next year and championships to come.

Of course, maybe she will just buy me a beer and feel me up.

Either way is cool.

Two out of three, lost to the Royals.