Nail biter tonight. Tribe scored one in the bottom of the 9th to tie it at 2 and then one in the 10th to make it 22!!!!!!! 5 more to erase the Giants "streak".
Two outs, man on first...Was there ANYBODY we'd rather have at the plate than Lindor? These guys won't be denied... The numbers Doug posted are just staggering.... Oriole manager Buck Showalter said it best on MLB network: "This team has no holes. Where are the holes? The Indians have outstanding team chemistry. They have the best line-up. They have the best starting rotation by far. They have the best bullpen by a mile. They have outstanding late inning defensive specialists. They have switch hitting superstars all through the batting order. They can beat you with power. They can beat you with speed. They can beat you with incredible defense. And they can beat you with dominant pitching. It's the most complete team I've ever seen."
Which begs the question(s)... 1) Is this the best Indians team ever? 2) Is this the best AL team ever? 3) Is this the best MLB team ever? Let the arguments commence for a few days in this here football establishment! I compared them to the '95 Indians, but damn, I don't know enough about the teams from the past to know how they compare. I do believe, at full strength, this is the best Indians team since I've been alive. The Big Red Machine of the 70's would give them a run for their money as far as MLB is concerned...and a couple of Yankees bought teams were right up there..not sure if any of the Yankees teams dominated like this team has.
The mid 90's Indians were a powerful superstar filled line-up. One of the best of all time...Lofton, Vizquel, Baerga, Belle, Thome, Ramirez, Alomar, Murray, etc., it was the modern day "murderers row". Certainly the best MLB had seen since Johnny Bench and the Big Red Machine. But they didn't have the caliber of pitching that these current Indians have. They were a special team. For most of us, 1995 was the first time in our lives we saw the Indians make the post-season. It was a great time and I have lots of wonderful memories of that team. Arguably the greatest team in MLB history that never won it all. But even as great as those 90s teams were, I don't think they ever achieved this level dominance. Terry Francona is a big step up from Mike Hargrove, IMO. And I really believe Tito is the key to everything. He's the king of baseball managers, and his team obviously responds positively to his style. We were truly great in the 90's, but this is the best Indians team I've ever seen. We have three players (Lindor, Ramirez, Kluber) that should be in the running for league MVP. It's just amazing. No team has ever been on a roll like this. They have an opportunity to truly make a case as MLB's best ever...They gotta finish.
On a football note...Wow do the Bengals suck!!! That was brutal. It reminded me of Ken Dorsey's Browns. smh... And Marvin Lewis tries to tell everybody that Dalton hasn't taken a step back. lol! Gimme a break...I was really hoping they'd put the Texans at 0-2. No chance with that offense. Hope you didn't draft Bengals players in fantasy...It's gonna be ugly. They go to Green Bay next...
I've said it before, but if the Browns get a win in Baltimore this week, they've got a shot at being 5-1 before hosting the Titans in late October. Colts, Bengals, Jets, Texans on the schedule... might be the four worst teams in the NFL right now.
I'm surprised the Browns are getting 9 points...I think that's a good bet. Our defense is good. Sooner or later the rest of the world will take note. Until then, I'm gonna keep taking the Browns and these disrespectful spreads. We were getting 10 at home last week....If we can bottle up Bell, and everything else the Steelers had (except for 2 lucky shit passes to Antonio Brown), I like our chances against Terrance West and the Ravens.
I've been impressed with Kizer since we drafted him. Everything screams, WE FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT.... I'm not worried about him folding in the dreaded M&T Bank stadium...In fact, I'm predicting the upset right now. Forget the 9, take the moneyline... BROWNS 23, Ravens 20
I couldn't agree more. I felt good going into the Steelers game. I felt like they would win...but deep down, I knew it was going to be a dog fight to get a victory. Still, I came out feeling very good about this team. I don't think the Ravens are the same caliber as the Steelers. I expect a win this week.
TBH, after week 1 scores were in, I was concerned about facing the Ravens' D in week 2. I was mistaken. The Bengals' offense has been simply putrid. So far . . . 8 quarters without a TD. If they play next week against the Packers like they have the first two they could go 12 quarters. IMHO, they fucked up big time allowing their O-line to deteriorate like it has. 4.5 points per game ain't gonna get you too far in the NFL.
It's worse than that Lym...The first team offense only has 1 TD since preseason began, that came from Jeremy Hill in week 3 of the preseason. The Angry Leprechaun has been terrible!
I don't place too much stock in the preseason. Its somewhat entertaining but definately not a reliable precursor to what lies ahead. We've all seen what's happening in Cincy before. In fact, I couldn't help but compare what I was watching last night to the Browns of the past few years. Hill and Mixon are talented running backs but they had absolutely no where to run. And . . . Dalton isn't helping their situation. Play 8 men in the box and dare Dalton to beat you through the air. Then pressure him a little in the pocket and he's toast. I keep going back to the O-line. From what I witnessed last night and read about from week 1 (haven't watched a Ravens / Bengals replay) they can neither run block nor pass protect. That wasn't the case in the past for them. {edit} Make no mistake. I'm no fan of Dalton. But there's a reason the Bengals have been in the playoffs as much as they were. IMO, that reason was their players in the trench.
Yeah, David Carr pointed out, during last night's postgame, just how bad the Bengals have been since Hue Jackson left. It really is night and day. They are in a freefall. That offense is in the stone ages. In defense of Dalton, he doesn't have time in the pocket, and he is not a good QB under duress...His accuracy was atrocious, but that's how it goes when the QB is under siege. I've always thought Dalton was mediocre at best, and I agree with Lym 100%. Letting their O-line get picked apart during the offseason was not good. The Brown family has always been tight with the money, and Bengals fans are in for a long year, likely followed by a massive blow-up. I wonder right now who will start more games for Cincy, Dalton or AJ McCarron?
Believe it or not . . . there are some schools of thought that NFL coaches would rather extend drives in the preseason than score. Extending drives gives them more opportunity to evaluate players with live reps. Don't know if I subscribe to that or not, but it kind of makes sense given the recent player safety rules governing practices. W/L records in preseason are meaningless. Live reps aren't.
