Let's see some good crowds in Cleveland this week

OK. I realize that it is a mid week series in April against Kansas City, so I understand if it isn't standing room only at The Jake. (Sorry Progressive... it's the Jake.)

But there SHOULD be some buzz and excitement in Cleveland this week.
The three game losing streak means they are no longer the best team in the American League (the defending AL Champion Rangers have that honor.)

They ARE still on top of the AL Central, and the Royals are still in second. Last week the two teams met up for a thrilling 4 game set. And on Tuesday, Justin Masterson is taking his 4-0 record to the hill.

Embrace this team! Who knows what they will do this year? And in a way, that doesn't matter. In April they are playing an exciting brand of baseball and are giving Cleveland fans a little bit of hope.

They very well might not be contending in August or September and the games will be dull "playing out the string" affairs.

Wouldn't it be more fun to see them play when you can say "Who knows? Maybe they CAN do something!"?

Get on the bandwagon NOW!
The best case scenario is you are rooting for the team than finally delivers a title to Cleveland.

The worst case scenario? You see a fun baseball game.

Sounds pretty good to me.

Larry Bird 1983 All Star Throwback Jersey - Made by Adidas

1983 Larry Bird All Star Basketball Throwback Jersey 

Made by Adidas

Larry Bird was on of the best NBA players to ever play. He could play surprisingly tough defense, was deadly from three point range, and had the heart of a champion. When the game was on the line, Bird was the guy that the Celtics could count on to make a clutch basket!

The throwback Larry Bird jersey shown below is what he wore for the 1983 All Star game.You can also purchase his Indiana State Sycamores and Boston Celtics jersey as well.

1983 Larry Bird All Star Throwback Jersey

Features :

• Screen printed lettering with Bird's name and number on the back. "East All Star's" with #33 screen printed on the front.
• Jock tag on lower left of jersey
• Sizes : S, M, L, XL, 2XL
• 100 percent polyester
• Embroidered Adidas logo
• Officially licensed by the National Basketball Association.

The $66 Million Catalyst

The Mets began the 2011 season by drawing comparisons to the original 1962 team. Their abysmal 5-13 record (which included a franchise-worst 1-8 start at home) had put them in last place in the NL East and had made even the most optimistic fans wonder if the Mets would be playing meaningful games in May, let alone September. Then last Tuesday, Jason Bay returned to the lineup for the first time since last July. Since then, the Mets have yet to lose a ballgame. Is it a coincidence or something else?

Last year, when Ike Davis was called up to the major leagues on April 19, the Mets were struggling. They had lost eight of their first 12 games and appeared to be falling out of contention before the season got underway in earnest. With Ike providing the Mets another solid bat in the lineup, the team took off, embarking on an eight-game winning streak in late April. Over his first two-plus months in the major leagues, the Mets went 39-24, propelling themselves into the wild card lead.

Of course, once the second half began, the Mets went on their season-changing road trip, where they lost nine of 11 games and the services of their left fielder after Jason Bay ran head first into the fence at Dodger Stadium.

When Jason Bay played his last game for the Mets last year, the Mets had a winning record (50-49). The Mets played the final 63 games of 2010 and the first 18 games of 2011 without Bay, which is the equivalent of half a season of missed games. In that time frame, the Mets' record was 34-47.

Of course, when Bay was healthy, he was performing far below what was expected from him. However, his absence from the lineup made it easier for opposing pitchers to pitch around other batters in the lineup, particularly David Wright. Prior to Bay's injury, Wright was hitting .298 with a .372 on-base percentage. Once Bay's name was removed from the lineup, Wright's batting average fell to .253 and he reached base at a .321 clip.

The same formula continued over the first 18 games of the 2011 season. With Bay on the disabled list, Wright began the season by hitting .229. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage were .304 and .386, respectively. Wright also struck out at an alarming rate, with 22 whiffs in 70 at-bats.

Then Jason Bay returned to the lineup on Tuesday. David Wright had another bat to protect him in the batting order and he hasn't stopped hitting ever since.

David Wright gives Jason Bay a hand, but in reality, it's been Bay's return that has given Wright a hand.

In the four games since Bay's return, Wright has hit .429 (6-for-14) and has reached base in 10 of his 18 plate appearances. He has also banged out more productive hits, driving in six runs over the four games. In addition, Wright has picked up four extra-base hits with Bay in the lineup, three of which cleared the outfield wall. His slugging percentage over the four games is an eye-popping .889, giving him a 1.445 OPS. That's a far cry from the .690 OPS Wright was producing out of the three-hole over the first three weeks of the season.

The most important stat that has come out of Bay's return is not Wright's re-emergence as a potent bat, but the number in the win column. The Mets have won all four games since Jason Bay came off the disabled list. Similar to Ike Davis' addition the lineup in 2010, Bay's return has brought a winning atmosphere to the team. His presence in the batting order has given opposing pitchers something else to contemplate (Bay's batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage since his return is an impressive .333/.412/.667.) and has awakened a number of sleeping bats in the lineup, most notably David Wright's.

The Mets may have paid Jason Bay $66 million over four years to provide a powerful bat to a lineup that lacked firepower in 2009, but what they may have gotten as a bonus was a catalyst. Even if Bay doesn't come close to reproducing his 2009 numbers in Boston (36 HR, 119 RBI), his return to the Mets gives his teammates a better chance to put up the numbers expected from them. Jose Reyes might be considered by some to be the spark plug of the team, but Jason Bay, whether he knows it or not, is the one who's lit the fire, and the Mets are a better team because of it.

This is how I feel about how the Red Sox and Celtics did this weekend

What if Dice-K is good again?

Seriously, was ANY Red Sox fan counting on Dice K for squat this year?
Wasn't the consensus that the Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston was grinding down to a whimper?

And yeah he had a great game on Monday. But that was a Patriots Day game and most visiting batters' timing tends to be off with the early Patriots Day start.

So I guess it was easy to dismiss 7 innings of 1 hit ball.

But is it so easy to dismiss 8 innings of 1 hit ball on the road?

That's 15 shutout innings where he let up 2 hits total in his last 2 starts.

Couple this with Beckett's unexpected return to form and it is similar to finding a pair of $20 bills in an old jacket.

I wasn't even COUNTING on those two. What if they give the Sox a good year? What if Buchholz finds his stuff again?

And do you REALLY think Carl Crawford will bat .154 all year?
Do you REALLY think Kevin Youkilis is a .217 hitter?

They will start to hit. (Today they both DID hit.)

Suddenly the Sox, 7-1 in their last 8 games, don't look so helpless.

(I made a 7-11 joke about their record. I just can NOT make a 9-11 joke.)

Yes. An April Twins/Indians Series is BIG!

It seems counter intuitive to call any series in April big. The Indians will have 144 games left after today and the Twins have lots of time to recover from their injuries.

But I will argue this is a big series for both teams.

Cleveland is off to a hot start. Is this an April fluke, like the Royals in 2009? Remember how the Royals were in first place in Mid May? You probably don't. They finished the season with 97 losses.

Or is this a team like the 2008 Rays, whom EVERYONE thought was a fluke until they won the American League pennant!

If the Indians keep winning, they might lean more towards the Rays than the Royals. And winning games against the Twins, the team many people picked to win the Division, goes a long way. These are the head to head games that actually DO matter more in the standings.

They improve the Indians and keep the Twins down.

And if the teams are tied and need a one game playoff, the head to head match up would determine home field advantage.

The Twins need to dust themselves off and take out the upstart Tribe and right their ship.

If these teams are going neck and neck throughout the year, the team that lost this series will look back and think "Man, why didn't we win in April?"

Big series.

Watch it, Twins and Indians fans.

Sox look good... their hats don't

OK, there were a lot of things that were odd and could have cost the Red Sox the game. Lester was great but only lasted 6 innings. Saltalamacchia couldn't find a baseball in a little league play that cost the Red Sox a run. Hey Jarrod, it's BEHIND YOU!

The Sox won, and no matter how low Carl Crawford's average plummets, that's all that matters. Inching closer to .500... and oh yeah Dan Haren lost at the Red Sox hand.

That is awesome. The hats with the Sox on it are lame.
My wife thinks they look like booties... and that's all you need to know.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 6

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)

-1.

Think about that. After the rotten start, they are nearing .500 and have only one more teeth grinder loss than dodged bullet wins.

But those hats still suck.