Lobbying the All Star Game...

[Alex]

I think there is a resignation among the Indians that we will only have one player in the All Star Game.

If by some chance we got hot in the next week, we could sneak in more than one player onto the team. In turn the additional All Star selections could help with attendance once fans see that MLB has selected more than one Indians player for the All Star Game.

Many players are on the bubble. Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, Matt Lawton, Travis Hafner, Vic Martinez, (edit correction, I had previously written Rafael Belliard instead of Ronnie Belliard), Ronnie Belliard & Casey Blake deserves consideration.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 14, 2004 11:00 PM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>

[Alex]

Well, we ended up with five players on the All-Star Team! Hafner and Lee must have just missed.

But then when you are only short two pitchers in the relief corp from being 20 games above .500 and in first place, it kind of makes sense.

This is an excerpt from Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer...Lots of raised eyebrows from Chicago and Minnesota! hehehehehehe

Indians High Five All Stars

Tribe players did not apologize for standing five strong at the Midsummer Classic.

"We should have had seven instead of five," said second baseman Ronnie Belliard.

He was referring to designated hitter Travis Hafner (.313, 10 home runs, 61 RBI) and left-hander Cliff Lee (9-1, 3.77 ERA). Imagine, seven Indians. As if Martinez, Belliard, C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Matt Lawton haven't shook things up enough.