My thought process on this is very simple. Why should anybody be excited about the Indians? Why should anyone be following them or even giving them the time of day? No, it's not entirely fair. I mean, MLB is FUBAR. You know it is. But when does the culture of excuses stop? The Browns have new ownership, a talent infusion on the offensive side of the ball, and are giving people reasons for optimism. The Cavaliers have one of the best young players in the league, an owner that is literally a rock star to the fans (again: perception is EVERYTHING! It's been said over and over, and it's so true), and whatever you say, Gilbert has clearly convinced the fans that he will do whatever it takes to win. Then you have the Indians. Their front office has given the fans one playoff appearance in 11 years. They've clearly blown yet another supposed "window of contention." The fans have seen them trade away star player after star player and get mediocrity or worse in return. Then you have an owner who makes excuses (no matter how valid they are; we get it, they are handicapped by the league but so is the majority of teams) and appears lethargic and this trickles down to the FO. Sure, people like b00bie and Nom and sgm have a million counters to each of these points, and a lot of them are even valid ones. At the end of the day, they are excuses and whether you like it or not, this is how your fans view you. What have you done to change that perception? Maybe you tried. Your last move was over a year ago. You traded some prospects for a pitcher, who ended up being mediocre as fuck. Failure.
Sports, like many things, are very results oriented. Everybody is trying to win. Not everybody does.
We've seen the Browns fire an FO every other year. Well, with the Indians you have the opposite extreme.
So I pose the question again: what exactly do the Indians have going for them?
I don't know how anyone can argue it's time for a regime change with the Indians. I stopped watching a while ago. I stopped following. This post isn't made as a rip on the Tribe. I'm past that point. They don't frustrate me anymore because I don't let them. You could say I am "over" them. I am apathetic to them. Yet somehow, I keep coming back to this forum because the plight of the Indians- and their story- just fascinates and dumbfounds me so much. It's inexplicable.
I'll always be happy if the Tribe gets good and someday wins a World Series. Me, personally, though- I've just given up hoping for it and moved on. Ownership change is probably the only thing that could get me out of this state, to be honest, and I only tell you how I feel in such detail because I believe that a lot of people are feeling the same way.
Anyways, just a few thoughts.