It has been a long 81 games. With a 32-49 record, the 2009 Cleveland Indians have left much to be desired.

Something like 75 different lineups have been used so far this season. Our starting catcher, Victor Martinez, has played 40 games at first. Meanwhile, our regular first baseman has made 9 appearances as an outfielder. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta was railroaded into becoming a third baseman, which had to contribute to his struggles on both sides of the ball. Cliff Lee, the reining Cy Young award winner, cannot get run support to save his life. Disappointing considering that he is still pitching like a stunner (despite a few rough outings). Then there is the bullpen. No lead is safe with these guys. And offensively, the Tribe has been bi-polar. One day scoring 22 runs against the Yankees. The next day making some no-name rookie look like a pitching savant.

The injury factor also played a big role these first 81. At one point, I think we could have made an entirely new roster of solely injured players. Most of our starting rotation, big bats like Hafner, Sizemore, and Asdrubal Cabrera, and key bullpen guy Raffi Betancourt all made the disabled list so far. To top things off, a few days ago trainer Lonnie Soloff said there is a “high index of suspicion” of Grady Sizemore having elbow surgery at the end of the season. What does that even mean? Seriously, I think Lonnie is just messing with the media after having to do so many briefings on the injured players.

Of course, this type of failure on all fronts or bad luck or voodoo curse, whatever you want to call it, makes fans frustrated to say the least, resulting in the backlash at Mark Shapiro and Company. Wedge’s job is on the line. I don’t think firing him would do much. Shapiro would just hire a yes-man to run the team the way he wants it run (sorry, that was the cynical Cleveland sports fan in me). At this point, I am not sure whether to be angry at Wedge or feel sorry for the man. 

Amidst all the frustration and turmoil, there were a few glimmers of hope. A few come from behind victories, some solid baseball games where everyone (offense, defense, pitching, bullpen) all clicked, and some good defensive plays.  

Tonight, game 81, things looked good. It was one of those glimmers of hope. The Tribe beat Oakland 15-3. Choo was spectacular going 4 for 5 with 7 RBI, 2HR, 4 runs scored and throwing in a stolen base just to mess with Grady Sizemore.

The good news, there are still 81 games left to do something. I know the odds of the Indians making the playoffs now are slim, but at least they can salvage their reputation in the next half. That is something to look forward to. So there you go Tribe, you set the bar pretty low. All we ask is that you finish above .500 or just play a game that doesn’t make us want to chuck the remote at the TV. Simple as that. Now get to work.