The End to a Lost Era

By Bob Toth

The signing of Travis Hafner by the New York Yankees on Friday effectively signified an end to what should have been a period of glory and high accolades in the history of the Cleveland Indians.

Hafner was part of a collection of players who will forever be remembered in Cleveland for falling short of the lofty expectations placed upon them. After the team’s impressive run at the end of the 1990’s, Hafner and his teammates of the mid- to late-2000’s were thought to have the potential to be perennial playoff contenders, maybe even being able to reach the great heights of the World Series and bringing home the coveted World Series Championship that has eluded the city since 1948.

Instead, Hafner and his peers left the organization and its fans wondering, “what if”?

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A Thirst Never Quenched

Recently, Pat McManamon of FOXSportsOhio.com had a conversation with Cleveland Indians’ team president Mark Shapiro, who talked about his challenges and interests in baseball, the recent history of the team, and his vision moving forward. Following will be a series of opinions and insight about Shapiro’s responses and how they apply to where the team was, how the team got to where it is now, and most importantly, Where Do the Indians Go From Here.

This is part four in the series – part one; part two; part three.

By Bob Toth

What on earth happened to the Cleveland Indians in 2012?

Last season will be one of those years that leaves a bitter, unfulfilled taste in fans’ mouths and the question of “what if?” the season had lived up to the expectations that so many people had for the team prior to its start.

That which could go wrong did go wrong for the team. The moves the team made did not work out. The moves the team did not make did not work out. The team was constructed in a manner in which they needed maximum effort from all of their players for 162 games, and any injuries, slumps, or identity crises were going to severely endanger the team’s postseason chances.

When trying to come up with positives about the season, it has been extremely difficult to come up with definitive examples.

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Uncertain Future Ahead for Sizemore

After a disappointing 2012 Cleveland Indians season the organization is at a crossroads to decide how to progress with the organization, not just for the 2013 season but several seasons to come. Decisions involve ownerships, the front office, managerial and coaching decisions and the players. For the month of October, we’ll look at how the Indians ended up in their current predicament, but most importantly, Where Do the Indians Go From Here. Today, we consider if Grady Sizemore should return to the Indians.

By Bob Toth

Sometimes, calculated risks pay off.

The Cleveland Indians elected to go all in and gambled $5 million on fan favorite free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore after the team declined its $8.5 million team option on him following the 2011 season. They were willing to ante up even more money, as much as another $4 million, in the event that Sizemore was able to reach several performance-based incentives in his contract.

The team and its fans lost on the bet.

Now, the Indians face the same debate again with the free agent Sizemore. Do they attempt to resign the veteran, or do they allow him to walk away?

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Where Do the Indians Go From Here?

By Mike Brandyberry

Well, that didn’t go as planned.

When the Cleveland Indians left Goodyear, Ariz., at the end of March, expectations were high. The team was coming off an 80-82 season in 2011 that could have been much better had injuries in the second half of the season not taken their toll. Now, with a healthy team in place and a young group of players with a season of contention under their belts, 2012 was supposed to be a season to compete for the playoffs.

Six months later, those predictions of playoff baseball all seem foolish now.

After a good start, the Indians found themselves 37-33 after 70 games and a half game in first place. The plan seemed to be working.

But 71 games later, the plan had been exposed, the wheels had fallen off the tracks and the Indians were in last place. It’s one of the fastest falls from the top spot to the bottom in baseball history. At 68-94, the Indians narrowly missed being only the third team in baseball history to finish in last place after leading the division at the 70-game mark.

Chris Antonetti’s plan to resign Grady Sizemore, sign Casey Kotchman and entrust left field, third base and first base to a collection of veteran journeymen or stars past their prime didn’t work. The offense faltered, most notably against left-handed pitching. The team hit .235 against southpaws for the season and was only 18-36 when a lefty started against them.

“I can tell you I’m accountable for those decisions,” Antonetti said last Thursday. “Certainly many of the decisions we made haven’t worked out as well as we hoped.”

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Game #124: Cleveland Indians (54-69) at Seattle Mariners (60-64)

By Mike Brandyberry

Tuesday evening the Indians Roberto Hernandez pitched into the seventh inning, giving the Tribe a chance to win but tired in his second start of the season. In a 1-1 tie game Hernandez allowed the Mariners to take the lead and set the table for John Jaso’s three-run homer to break the game open and give Seattle a 5-1 lead. It was all the run support Felix Hernandez would need, dealing the Wahoo’s their seventh straight defeat.

Today, the Indians play a game in the daylight hours for Clevelanders. No need to moonlight to see today’s 3:40 pm ET start from Safeco Field. While more fans may see the Tribe in action, it might not necessarily be a positive for the team that has lost seven in a row and 20 of their last 24 games. With the Tribe just two and one-half games away from the worst record in the American League, the team is trying to survive the final quarter of the season amidst negativity from the public and speculation that Indians Manager Manny Acta could be fired.

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Grady Sizemore May Never Return To The Indians

By Mike Brandyberry

The Indians might be coming to a realization that many fans felt inevitable a couple of years ago.

Grady Sizemore is done.

Ten years ago today the Indians acquired Sizemore, but his career may have already culminated. While fans have felt that Sizemore no longer can be productive and that his best days are behind him, the Indians have remained hopeful and supportive that the player who was once deemed a “player of this generation” could return to the prowess he showed from 2005 to 2008.

However, the Indians lately have started to give slight indications that Sizemore’s return isn’t just delayed, but possibly unlikely.

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Injuries Begin To Clear As Camp Winds Down

By A.J. Atkinson

When the Tribe failed to bring in a strong offensive bat this offseason like Michael Cuddyer or Josh Willingham, more pressure for offensive production was placed on Cleveland’s current outfielders.

When Grady Sizemore went down with a back injury in early March that is expected to sideline him for at least eight more weeks, more pressure was put on Indians’ left fielder Michael Brantley.

So when Brantley left Monday’s game with a sore left hamstring, Cleveland fans’ hope for a strong season began to dissipate.

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Can Sizemore Provide Second Half Punch?

Each week through Spring Training the DTTWLN staff will profile and break down the players in camp for the Indians at Goodyear, Arizona and examine their potential roles for the season to come. This week, we continue our Goodyear coverage by breaking down the players who are most in need of a bounce back season if the Tribe is to make the playoffs.

By Craig Gifford

If any player has ever been in more need of a bounce-back season than center fielder Grady Sizemore, you would be hard-pressed to find that guy.

The former All-Star, who spent the majority of the last three years battling injuries and the last two on the disabled list far more than on the field, was hopeful of a career resurrection this year. The Cleveland Indians were hopeful of the same.

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Grady Sizemore Out Two To Three Months

By Mike Brandyberry

According to the Cleveland Indians, Grady Sizemore underwent micro discectomy in Miami, Florida earlier today. According to Dr. Barth Green, recovery time is 8-12 weeks. The procedure was regarded as minimally invasive and he is expected … Read More

Sizemore Injury Opens Several Doors

By Tschanen Brandyberry

Grady Sizemore started the 2011 season on the DL and it looks like he might kick off 2012 there, too. However the move could mean the difference between spending Opening Day at AAA-Columbus or in Cleveland for Lonnie Chisenhall.

The Indians announced Friday that Sizemore was being shut down from baseball activities. According to reports on Twitter by those covering spring training and the organization, the centerfielder strained his back two weeks ago while fielding ground balls.

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Grady’s Return Best Move For Sizemore, Probably Not Indians

By Mike Brandyberry

“I just had a hard time letting go of Cleveland and saying goodbye.”

Those are the words of former heartthrob, All-Star, “once in a generation player,” and centerfielder Grady Sizemore. The former 30 home run, 30 stolen base player signed a one-year, $5 million contract, with incentives that could earn him another $4 million, on Wednesday making his Thanksgiving quite thankful.

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BREAKING NEWS: Indians Resign Grady Sizemore

By Mike Brandyberry

The Cleveland Indians have resigned outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year contract. The Tribe declined the former All-Star’s $9 million option for 2012 on October 31, but after testing the free agent market and having contact … Read More