What the People Want to Know

I figured when the playoffs started that I would get a surge of hits on this blog, primarily because it focuses on the Indians and casual fans would want to know a little about what the buzz was about the team.

What I did not count on was the fact that what people really want to know about the Cleveland Indians is what Asdrubal Cabrera is wearing around his neck.

Of the hundreds of extra hits I have had on this blog, over 90% are coming by way of Google to a short blurb I rattled off citing the Plain Dealer called "The Truth About Asdrubal Cabrera's Necklace"

People do not want to know about Asdrubal Cabrera's clutch hitting and slick fielding. They want to know about the beads (not pearls, beads) he wears around his neck that his wife made him for good luck.

So this is what I say. The time has come, people for Indians fans to rise up and say, all together, "Fear The Necklace."

That's right. Fear The Necklace. It represents luck united with skill. Shout it from the rooftops. Take your banners to Jacobs Field. Paint it over your doorposts. Fear The Necklace. It's the rally cry that Cleveland needs. Mistake By the Lake? No, we have The Necklace. The Drive? That's history - today, we have The Necklace. Red Right 88? No, Fear the Necklace.

Do you really think that Youk and Pedroia dropped that foul pop on their own accord. Sorry, crimestoppers - it was The Necklace. That liner off Wakefield's glove - The Necklace.

The Indians mid-season turning point? Say it with me - "The Necklace."

The people have spoken. Fear The Necklace.

The Truth About Asdrubal Cabrera's Necklace

From the Plain Dealer:

"Clubhouse confidential: No, that's not a pearl necklace that second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera wears. It's a necklace of beads that his wife, Lismar, made for him."

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1188390648188850.xml&coll=2

Now you know, as Paul Harvey might say, the rest of the story.

Tribe Finds a Pearl in Cabrera

Asdrubel Cabrera, the Tribe's "Shortstop of the Future" is looking more and more like the "Second Baseman of Today." All he did yesterday was get a clutch two-out 9th inning hit to send the game into bonus baseball. The day before he made a totally sick play where he fielded a wicked hop groundball and shoveled the ball to Peralta to start a double play - with the runner going. Plus, he's got a signature fashion statement - a necklace which appears to be pearl. Not every baseball player could get away with that.

Since The Pearl was inserted into the starting lineup, the Tribe is 7-3. They finish a road trip where they won all three series at 6-3. Small sample size? Heck yes. Were two of those teams Tampa Bay and Kansas City? Yes. But he seems to have given this team some sort of spark, and the team certainly needed it. On this road series, the Indians did something they hadn't been doing - they beat teams they should have beat. And they took 2 out of 3 from the Tigers.

It was nice to see Pronk get a big base hit yesterday - the winning hit in the 11th in fact, smoking a liner up the middle that actually fell in. Pronk has been a victim of some bad luck lately, but he looked good on that at bat. Turning point? Maybe. We'll see. We've had so many potential turning points recently for Pronk and he's not turned on any of them.

The series against those Pesky Twins will be big for both teams. A good showing here by the Tribe will likely knock the Twins out of playoff contention and perhaps even make them August 31 deadline sellers instead of buyers. Wouldn't that be pleasant to see?

Mojo Watch
Pronk: . I'm giving Pronk back some Elvis, since he got the game winning hit and all.

Indians hitting: This team actually displayed some clutch hitting over the weekend - big hits with two outs and two strikes and game on the line and whatnot. Sure, it was KC, but it bodes well.

Indians pitching:

Asdrubal Cabrera: This kid's got major Elvis going right now, and it seems to be catching.

The Cleveland Indians: Let's give them 4 Elvi for taking care of business on the road. Now it's time to come home and do the laundry and put the Twins through the wringer. We haven't seen much Leadership Pie lately. Time to go to the bakery on this key homestand.