Tuesday-Tribe defeats Seattle 6-4 @ Peoria

Being 4 and 0 is a tiny tiny step so don't block off the month of October for baseball in Cleveland yet! An observation on the Indians under Manny Acta and his new staff is that they appear to have made an attitude adjustment. Yes, they still need pitching, yes, they need power, and yes, they need fans in the seats, but they appear to want to improve and not just enjoy wearing the uniform. It is my observation that they respect this coaching staff much more than they have the past two or three years.

Today we traveled about 25 minutes to the Peoria Sports Complex which is shared by the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres. It is similar to Goodyear with each team having a practice facility with six full fields and an infield in addition to very up-to-date training rooms, locker rooms, lounges, and indoor batting facilities. Peoria is much more fan friendly as I could easily talk and visit with each and every player. Fewer fences and security so it actually felt friendly. I think it reminds the players where a great deal of their salaries come from.

Answers to questions that you would never asked..........

-Cliff Lee signed a ball for Brenda here but was always hard to catch in the Indians camp.

-Former pitching coach Carl Willis has showed up in a Mariners uniform.

-Former Indian Franklin Gutierrez is a real fan favorite in Seattle.

-We saw Ryan Garko with the Mariners today and yes, Jessica, his pant legs are pulled up again!
-Seattle looks like they are going to be one of the best in the league.

-Ichiro hits in his sleep...I watched him bat 12 pitches in 12 directions and called each spot.

-Austin Kearns is showing me why he hit .160 last year.

-Justin Masterson could not throw a straight pitch to save his life.

-Luis Valbuena is going to hit .275 or above with 30 doubles and 15 home runs.

-Wes Hodges can hit but not sure where to hide him in the field.

-Sandy Alomar Jr. signs one of the worst autograph signatures ever...Jake Westbrook the best.

-Our DH position is a concern as Travis looks.....well... we may need a DH.

-Wyatt Toregas can catch and throw like a big leaguer and I think he could hit at least .250.

-Batting coach John Nunnally makes me feel like I could even hit a slider down and in.

-Asdrubal Cabrera looks like a natural as lead-off.

-Aaron Laffey looks young enough to be the president of a 7th grade class but when he is on the mound he becomes our most aggressive pitcher using the inside half of the plate.

Off to Sedona Wednesday for a little red rock time.....look for the some pictures.