Are You Experienced?

We liked Sheldon Ocker's take this morning in the Beacon Journal on yesterday's Indians victory, especially when we contrasted it to the Plain Dealer's interview with owner Paul Dolan that appeared in the Plain Dealer earlier that day. The curmudgeonly Ocker notes that the grand total of major league experience for the entire Tribe lineup yesterday was 10.6 years. Just hours earlier, Dolan was telling Cleveland fans "We are not in a developmental mode. We're in a compete mode." Which makes us wonder all the more about whether Indians owner Paul Dolan is in denial or actually insane.

Teams in compete mode, like, say, the White Sox, the Tigers, the Twins, the Yankees, the Red Sox, the As, don't sport a line-up in late August where the longest tenured player has a mere 3.8 years of service (Travis Hafner). Teams in compete mode, like, say, the White Sox, the Tigers, the Twins, the Yankees, the Red Sox, the As, aren't on their fourth closer in four weeks. And teams in compete mode, like, say, the White Sox, the Tigers, the Twins, the Yankees, the Red Sox, the As, don't keep lying to their fans about the direction of their team.

We like GM Mark Shapiro, we really do. He's a patient, thoughtful guy. But we won't be surprised if he leaves at the end of the season. Having to come back next season and work for Dolan under these circumstances would be akin to tunneling back into Auschwitz.