THIS Is My Tribe?

Well, the dismantling of the Indians – at least, as we’ve known them the past few years – is complete. Victor Martinez was shipped to Boston today, on the heels of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco going to Philadelphia, Ryan Garko going to San Francisco, and Rafael Betancourt journeying to Colorado. Wasn’t Mark DeRosa on the team at one point, too?

So, who’s left?

Let’s see, there’s a pitcher named Mike Gosling. Another named Tony Sipp. And don’t forget Jose Veras. Or Chris Perez.

At times, they’ll all have the chance to throw to Wyatt Toregas behind the point. Chris Gimenez, too, although he’s listed as an infielder.

Who? I mean, who?

There are three outfielders on the roster. One of them is Trevor Crowe. Talk about going from uncertainty to security; Crowe has to feel lucky to be in Cleveland during this fire sale.

Wow, what a season it’s been.

Fans are crying for Mark Shapiro’s head, but you really can’t blame the Indians’ general manager. This season is lost. And the pitching has been horrendous. Losing Lee is tough, but otherwise he surrendered some bats, and they can’t throw strikes. So stocking up on pitchers (nine of the 11 players obtained) revealed his strategy – fix the rotation, and fix the bullpen. Trust the guys who are here (Hafner, Cabrera, Sizemore, Choo, Peralta) to hit. Trust that one or two position players in the minors (LaPorta, Santana) develop into big league hitters. And hope that lightning strikes twice in the Shapiro era, and that this current crop of youngsters gets it done.

I’m not upset by it all, I’m really not. Admit it: The Indians weren’t going anywhere – this year, or next, or ever – not without better pitching. Now, we’ll sit back and watch to see if they can recharge their batteries and develop into a contender in a season or two.

Finally, how great was it to see the emotion Martinez showed after the trade? He could barely speak to reporters in the locker room. It was clear that when he said recently that he wanted to play his entire career in one uniform, he meant it. Martinez’s loyalty to the Indians, and his sadness over leaving the team regardless of their won-lost record, speaks volumes about him. Would that there were more players with his attitude in professional sports today.