is this attitude of Antonettis. He obviously thinks alot of himself. I guess us little people just cant grasp the "big picture." "All of our resources are committed to helping the team play better." Really? Tell me when werent they? "Acta is part of the solution." Oh yeah? To what? 2 years in a row we nosedive after the All Star game. Was anyone watching tonight at the end? Carrera grounded into a double play. HE DIDNT EVEN RUN THE BALL OUT!!! This guy, while technically not so, is, essentially a rookie. He outta be busting chops every play! He has learned that attitude from somewhere. Yeah. Acta, part of the solution? Radinsky. Why is he here? I cant remember an entire staff just breaking down like this. Ever. And of course, all year, these wanna be MLB "players" would have trouble hitting at AA level. Seriously, people. Ive been watching this team over 40 years. This is as about as sad and despicable as Ive ever seen. I will end this will Carrera again. That is indicative of the apparent attitude on this team. If rookies wont run out ground balls..I dont CARE if maybe he thought it was foul...most little leaguers know enough to run everything out...I am convinced this team has given up and no longer has any toughness, mentally, I mean, they dont care and much worse, they are unmotivated slackers. There isnt anyone worth keeping on this club if you ask me.

Carerra ran his tail off in that Detroit series and was the high point of those 3 games for the Indians so Acta must have had a team meeting on the way back to Cleveland and told him he better quit playing so good because he was ruining the reputation of the rest of the team.

Nuh uh, Sometimes they talk in triangles and squares.

Just read Castrovices blog. Small market, huh? Whats the market difference in Cleveland than Detroit? Minnesota? Tampa? No. It is the ownership. Obviously, this is the most frustrating aspect. Not much can be done there. The fact these guys have rolled over two years in a row IS Acta's responsibility. I was pretty much behind him for a long time. I felt he just isnt getting the players. But when I see this give it up attitude...and this pitching melt down is unacceptable. Im hard pressed to think of another club that would still have this coaching staff in place. Thats why, I keep thinking, common sense says, the shoe will fall anytime now...then I think..what the heck am I thinking? This is the Indians! When have we ever displayed common sense?

I'd take the vote of confidence by Antonetti at face value.

Traditionally - a vote of confidence is the kiss of death in disguise.

<< Whats the market difference in Cleveland than Detroit? Minnesota? Tampa? No. It is the ownership. >>

100% true. Our owner is willing to spend a whole lot. He wants to win now, because he's in his 80's, so we overpay for FA signings. Sorry to say, that's the lot in life for clubs like Detroit and Cleveland. We're small market, blue-collar towns, and we either have to work harder or pay more, just to even out with the west and east.

Cleveland is pretty much the only other team I ever pull for outside of the Tigers. Hang in there, guys.

Biggest differences between Detroit and Cleveland are that Detroit has a billionaire owner willing to spend at a loss in order to see a championship in Detroit before he dies, that and the fact that Detroit is a much larger metropolitan area than Cleveland. Both economies are bad, but Detroit has a much larger base from which to draw fans. Also, there's no in-state competition. If you live in Michigan, you're a Tiger's fan.

Difference between Cleveland and Minnesota, mainly, is that they just built a new stadium. Their attendance has already dropped significantly from last year to this year. If they continue to lose, they will see fewer and fewer fans, and their ownership will be just as penny-pinching as ours.

Tampa? Well, they face a similar situation to the Indians. They have a small base from which to draw fans and their ownership doesn't have endless pockets. They have a smaller payroll than us every year. So I wouldn't say that their ownership is better, their front office is better. They win because they find good players on the cheap. They also had the benefit of drafting in the top 10 for about the first decade they were in existence because they were so bad, which is why they have Upton (#2 overall), Niemann (#4), Longoria (#3), Price (#1), etc.

All true. But I get tired of hearing this "small market" bs. If only major markets won, then the Yankees should win every year. Or the Mets. Or Boston, LA and Chicago. It IS about the ownership. I am not saying Dolan has to spend zillons on a Prince Fielder, but he has to spend a lot more than he is now. If he isnt willing to that, he out to sell and stop whining.

It depends on the definition of "winning."

If getting to the playoffs year after year defines a winning team (not necessarilly the WS), then teams like the Yankees and Boston have a clear advantage. Yeah, Boston isn't doing anything this year, but they're still not that far out of it.

The Yankees - specifically Steinbrener, have brought this about on smaller market teams by over bidding and over paying for free agents ever since free agency came into being. In order for smaller market teams to compete for these players, we have to pay more for their services - over paying an already overpaid player, just to get them to play in Detroit, or name your town.

It's a vicious circle, and a game that the larger market teams will always win, because they have more money to spend than we can afford. Some teams, if they have good scouting and what-not, can build a club from within. They only have a small window to win in, though - because their best players will move on to where they'll get more money later - ie, New York, Boston, LA, etc...KC has some good talent. How long they will be able to hold onto it is a real problem. Will they be able to hold onto them long enough to build a winner? Time will tell.

The obvious solution would be to have a salary cap. That would level the playing field in the MLB.

It's not suprising to me that New York, Boston, and LA fans like their baseball the most: It's the only sport left where the rich tend to continue winning and getting richer. In all other sports, they're just another team, with the same amount of funds to spend as any other.

After all that wind-blowing, though: You have a point about ownership. They have to spend money to build a viable product. A winning club draws out the band wagon fans. They spend a whole lot of money at the ballpark. They're not going to come to the ballpark if the team isn't winning, though. For the most part, the fans that post in the MLB message boards will watch their team no matter what. They'll go to the games, etc...because they are fans of baseball, and Cleveland baseball, in particular (obviously :-) ).

Ownership is most interested in those "fans" that only become fans when a club is winning. Maybe your owner doesn't believe that your fans will come. If they don't, he loses money on a FA signing. He's got to take the chance and find out. Otherwise, attendance will just keep dropping. I know this well. Detroit lost a generation of fans in the 90's. They never lost the really knowledgeable fans - but the band wagoners were in a deep hibernation. If he spends the money, people will come.

As rklewis above me said, baseball is the toughest major sport to own a franchise. If you dont own a team in a major market like new york, la, boston, etc. You need to be prepared to lose money on your team. I agree that if the dolans can't afford to consistently spend about 80 million a year on payroll they should look to sell. The problem is, in my opinion, no billionaire in his right mind would be willing to do things differently than the dolans have in this market. I think we probably have to accept the small market label, and we simply must do a better job drafting players, signing players, trading players, and managing players. Unfortunately for us, i truly belive that is our only chance.

Agree, no one on club worth keeping, and this applies especially to manager and the bozos pretending to run the operation. I'm saying rosary that ownership changes hands, although may need intervention from the Vatican, if not from the Almighty himself.

LOL just heard Acta in press conference postmortem....he lashed out at folks who want him to show more emotion, ect. he said " I can scream and shout in two languages, but I refuse to do that, I'm going to do the things that have made me successful/not going to throw chairs or shout/"...well that's it, he thinks he's been SUCCESSFUL!! No need to change managers here I guess!!! I have to give the 3 amigos credit for spinning and double talking at the highest level I have ever heard/it's almost on the level of Romney and his henchmen!!!LOLOLOL

Like everyone else in management position, Actup is delusional. If, as Antonnitwit said in recent interview with MLB beat reporter, that FO MAY have misjudged caliber of player talent in off-season, then he ought to be handed his walking papers, together with his equally clueless boss and MENTOR, ("Miss The") Mark Shapiro. The two clowns aren't qualified to run a lemonade stand. On second thought, maybe they are given that roster "boasts" a lot of lemons.

Agree, they are the joke of the Major Leagues, feel a bit sorry for Dolan, he is not aware, they boys have swindled him, probably.

Shed no tears for Dolan. Contrary to what he may insist publicly, my guess is that he is doing just fine financially, using "unprofitable" franchise as tax write-off. You and I should be so "poor." What is direly needed is reincarnation of Jacobs brothers, who were not only willing to open their wallets, but also cared about putting a winning team on the field. Distinct impression is that Dolan couldn't care less about performance of team. Too bad. Indians fanned snookered once again. 'Twas ever thus, alas.

Imagine the good will the fans would give the Dolans in a send off, if they publicly stated they would be willing to sell the team!! Imagine the good will gesture the fans would give Hafner, if he came out and told the Indians to buy him out for this year, as a good gesture to this organization who has made him a millionaire, over and over, and his contributions have been dismal. "Imagine"

Nice to dream about such gestures of magnanimity, but I reckon it's just that, a dream. Hafner is hardly alone in being MLB player made millionaire thanks to long-term contract after ONE good year (in Hafner's case, 2006). Sizemore is another, of course, although I don't think he has been faking his injuries. Still and all, foolish for FO to have offered him $5M for 2012, only to find him in whirlpool bath instead of in center field. I do feel sorry for Sizemore because he has/had all the talent in the world, and I don't think he is a malingerer. Just rotten luck. Had he remained healthy, he could have become a league MVP. Instead, he will be remembered -- if at all -- as "the Indian who wore Willy Mays's number and, like Willy, played centerfield." Too bad.

Miami just opened a billion-dollar new stadium and seats are still empty. Maybe the fans there hate Ozzie Guillen as much as I do. Similar situation in Tampa. Good team year after year, empty seats year after year. IMHO, they never should have awarded ANY franchise in Florida. Too many retirees, many of whom would rather drive around in their golf carts and be happy they shot round of 150 (for nine holes). Others find escalators and ramps unfriendly to walkers and gurneys. Many others are dead, so at least they have a valid excuse for not attending.

Indians should move to Columbus as well as the Browns. The market there is twice the size of Cleveland. 393,806 - Jul 2011
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Columbus Ohio
797,434 - Jul 2011
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

The Browns would fill the Horseshoe every Sunday and with that revenue maybe they could be a contender.

The Indians would also draw more fans and more revenue.

Both of these teams could also keep their NE Ohio fan base with this move.