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[csml] tribe: Do or Die

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Dale J. Mahoney

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Oct 13, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/13/98
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Here it is, game 6, ALCS, win or go home. We'll watch the game as if on
eggshells, wondering if Nagy can hold up, hoping Cone will crack. If
the Yankees get an early lead, dread will creep in with every inning.
If the Indians get an early lead, we'll hold our breath with every pitch
to a Yankee batter. If the Yankees do get a lead of a few runs, as most
everyone expects, then the latter innings will be spent watching a
season's of work slip away, as it has at some point for each of the past
50 seasons. The damn thing is that even if the outcome is positive,
then the reward is another nail-biting game on Wednesday, hoping Bartolo
can out-dueled Pettitte or El Duque or the Babe himself. (_Everyone_ is
available for game 7.)

I really can't imagine how the true-blue "watch every pitch" Atlanta
fans must have felt the past two days, so near to elimination twice,
but still alive. I can't imagine that tension, even though we were
treated to late-inning heroics last year. In fact, we still have that
consolation prize. "We'll always have last year." If the Indians are
eliminated, I might go back and watch some of the magic from '97. We've
had more than our fair share of magic these past two years. 86 win
teams are not supposed to come 1 out from winning it all. 89 win teams
are not supposed to take 114 win teams to 6 games. Of course 99 win
teams are not supposed to lose to wild-card teams in 4 games (see
Baltimore, 1996). Baseball's postseason rules are that there are no
rules. Nearly anything can happen.

I'd so love to yet again postpone the Yankee coronation. My brain
says that it's over in 6, but my heart longs for one more game. If
this is it, so be it. It's been a tough but good season. The Indians
aren't the better team and shouldn't beat these Yankees. Although
there is plenty to hate about New York, it's hard to hate any one of
these skillful, aggressive ballplayers. But it would be great to
watch the Indians steal another game from New York, to scare NYC and
shock the baseball world with the possibility of the Yankees' failure.
It would be great to get to game 7, roll the dice, and see what comes
up.

Some other notes:

*** Gotta love Justice's fire, even if it's a little misplaced toward
Mr. Gammons. I didn't hear Gammons say anything that Hargrove didn't
say, about David not being comfortable about LHP. Justice probably
didn't say that, but his numbers versus LHP since the break are poor.
Sounds like Justice has a beef with Hargrove, not Gammons.

It's too bad that the rookies got the heat for the loss in game 5.
Sexson looked bad, and "Hard-Hittin' but Whiffin'" Mark Whitten should
be been lifted for Justice in the 8th. But Diaz made several great
plays and Wilson had good ABs. IMO, the Indians didn't lose game 5 due
to the rookies. Justice might be a "big-game" player, whatever that
means, but David has struggled this season and is hardly a savior.
Sexson and Giles have struggled in the playoffs, but if Michael Tucker
and Tony Fernandez can be post-season heroes, anyone can.

BTW, I think Gammons has done a great job reporting during this series.
His regular season comments were a little tedious, and he has a tendency
for bombast, but in this series, he's nailed it. He, correctly, brought
up the Weaver saw, "Momentum is your next day's starting pitcher." He
mentioned that, despite El Duque's early success, we might still not
know how special that guy is. He reported that Torre refused to even
comment on game 7, despite repeated questions, because it was a
"negative thought." Gammons praised the Indians for making this series
out to be a dog-fight, and brought up several breaks that went the
Yanks' way, which New York has desperately needed to get the 3-2 series
lead.

*** Wells made me laugh with his complaints about the Indian fans. It's
too bad Cleveland has idiots, too. (Just ask Mr. Belle.) But to imply
that Indian fans are worse than Yankee fans is simply ludicrious.
There's no love lost between these fans, that's for sure, but so many
Yankee fans are boorish, aggressive, and just plain mean. They play
in the Bronx Zoo. You'd be safer wearing a suit of $100 bills on the
streets of the Bronx than wearing an Indians' jersey in Yankee Stadium
tonight.

Go Tribe!

--Dale
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