Only 3,000 People Or So Cared To Be There

Did you see the crowd tonight in Baltimore? Peter Angelos must be spinning in his grave, the friggin guy isn't even dead yet. He gets what he deserves. I don't care what the attendance will say in the morning, there couldn't have been more than 3,000 people at Camden Yards watching the sad sack Orioles get schooled by Jeremy "Ziggy Sobotka" Sowers, he of the 5.97 ERA. (SIDE NOTE: That is a reference to season two of HBO's The Wire. Sowers and Ziggy - separated at birth)

Just how bad was it for The O's in the 6-1 loss? The Indians got RBI in consecutive innings from Michael Aubrey, David Dellucci, and Andy Marte. That's like getting beaten by a knife in a gun fight. Tonight also marked the return of Pronk. Travis Hafner actually looked good at the plate, getting hits in his first two at bats with solid line drives. He hadn't stung a ball like this once in the first two months while playing through a bulky shoulder.

Another thing - I know I am beating a dead horse and I know he had an RBI triple, but please explain to me why Dellucci got the start in left field and hit second? I mean seriously Wedge, what are you trying to prove here? Why should Benny Francisco and Franky G lose at bats this late in the season to this scrub dog who has no future with the club? The only explanation is they are trying to showcased him for an off season deal. There isn't any other single reason to play him. He is slow, he is old, he is a terrible outfielder with a pop-corn arm, and is hitting .244.

Do I say this every single week? I swear I do. I think the only dumber move in Cleveland sports right now is a certain football coach who elects to kick field goals down 21 points in the fourth quarter rather thank going for it on fourth and three.

Meanwhile, my Tigers/Tribe bet is coming right down to the wire. The Indians were percentage points ahead of Detroit entering tonight. I've got a steak dinner at Fleming's for four riding on this. I figured I'd be battling it out for first place, not third.

Another quick note - Tommy Hamilton said something on the radio tonight that made a ton of sense. The guy who would look great in a Tribe uniform next year is Orioles 2B Brian Roberts. Think about it. Here is the perfect #2 hitter. Great on base percentage guy with speed. He's an allstar caliber player and has a contract that ends after the 2009 season. The Orioles would love to snatch some of the Indians pitching depth and having Roberts in the lineup would settle the infield with Asdrubal Cabrera moving to SS and Jhonny Peralta to third. How does this lineup sound?

CF Grady Sizemore

2B Brian Roberts

C Victor Martinez

3B Jhonny Peralta

DH Travis Hafner

LF Ben Francisco

RF Shin-Soo Choo

1B Ryan Garko

SS Asdrubal Cabrera

Mix in Kelly Shoppach, Franky G, and Jamey Carroll regularly and I think you can contend if Pronk and Victor return to form. Two people I do not want to see in that mix are Dellucci and Marte. I'd say there's a good shot I'm gonna be right. Call me too optimistic, but it's not that crazy of an idea.