GO TRIBE!

I just don't get it. And that's what I love.

I'm talking about how the Cleveland Indians are winning, 8 games in a row in fact, with players I've either never heard of or thought were out of baseball. It's an amazing thing. A team that came into the year with hopes of their first World Series title in 60 years is now counting on their backup catcher, some wily veteran relievers who needed homes, and some minor leaguers just happy to get their first shot in the bigs.

And here I am in Augusta, unable to watch it. But you know, it's kind of cool to watch the progress from afar. I find myself on Yahoo Stattracker all the time, looking at a name that I don't know like A. Gonzalez or Z. Jackson and then going to Indians.com to find out who the new Tribe member is. It makes it fun because I know that these are names I will come to know next year.

Hmmm, next year...those words seem to be familiar to a Cleveland fan. Now I only support the Tribe but man, am I tired of hearing those words. Just once, I want it to be this year. But alas, it won't be...or will it?

The Tribe are 11.5 games back right now of the White Sox with a little over a month to go. Their record sits at 63 and 67, meaning they can still get to 95 wins (yea, I know, win 32 in a row). But this team is playing with a Hakuna Matata-like attitude now. They've traded away a Cy Young winner, playing without a third of their payroll and had a starting lineup today that included zero players over the age of 30. These guys are playing for fun again, with no pressure or expectations.

Even if they just get over .500, this is a season to remember. They proved that with less, they can do more. And next year, they add Matt Laporta and (hopefully) Adam Miller to their lineup and rotation. Add in a third baseman that can actually hit the ball (names anyone?) and a healthy and hopefully productive Hafner and Victor and maybe, "next year" will become "this year".

But let's not get too far. The Tribe still have a shot at making the playoffs this year. An outside shot of course, but a shot is all you need. GO TRIBE!