Talking Indians Baseball with England Tribe

Tom Moore from the blog Red Right 88 and a contributing writer at The Cleveland Fan recently asked me a few questions about the Tribe and I thought I'd share the Q&A session here at England Tribe as well. Thanks again to Tom for doing this, it was a lot of fun and I appreciate the time and attention given. Here's the original posts here, and here.

Enjoy:

Being a fan of Cleveland sports is one of the better aspects of life, aside from the no championship thing, of course.

The allure of the Indians, Browns and Cavs is not just confined to Northeast Ohio, however, but extends not only across the country but internationally as well.

Which brings us to Ash Day.

Ash is a 24-year-old from Dorset, England, and the author of England Tribe, a blog about the Cleveland Indians as written by an Englishman. You can also find him on Twitter @AshKetchup29.

We recently came across Ash’s blog (h/t to @TalknCleveland) and Ash was kind enough to sit down for a virtual Q&A on how he became a Tribe fan and the team’s prospects for 2013.

Q: So how does someone from Dorset, England, become a Cleveland Indians fan?

Ash: Well it all started with basketball. When I was in school I played for my school team and naturally started to develop a keen interest in the NBA. Everyone at school knew who Michael Jordan and the Bulls were, but I wanted to pick a team nobody else supported and follow them. In 2004, at one of my local sports stores, they had some NBA jerseys for sale and I chose a Cavaliers one with LeBron James on it. I liked the colors and thought it looked good, and I’d heard his name before, and that’s how it started, I was a Cavs fan from then on. Over the next two to three years I started to get interested in the other two big U.S. sports, football and baseball. In 2006 I chose the Browns as my NFL team, deciding to stick with Cleveland as my city of choice and then, in 2007, I got into baseball and opted for the Indians to complete my sporting trilogy. Since then my interest in the NBA has waned a bit and now I pretty much focus solely on the Indians and Browns year-round.

Q: How well are you able to follow the Tribe?

Ash: It’s pretty difficult but it’s just become a hell of a lot easier since I bought MLB TV a few days ago. Now I can watch every game! But over the past few years I’ve had to settle for online streams or the MLB.com free game of the day. If the Tribe played an early afternoon game I had a much better chance at watching it, since they begin around 6 p.m. here in England. Night games are more difficult as they start at 1 a.m. I used to stay up a lot in my single days, but a relationship kind of put an end to that! A few years ago one of the British TV channels used to show MLB games every Wednesday and Sunday night. They did this for years but it unfortunately stopped a couple of years ago because of licensing fees. I learned a lot watching those games and got to see a lot of teams and players to help increase my knowledge of the sport. I even got to watch an Indians game on that TV channel, as we beat the Yankees (the majority of the games on that channel featured the big clubs like New York and Boston.) My routine since 2007 has been waking up in the morning and opening MLB.com to see how the Indians got on the night before, and then watching the highlights and reading the box scores. It’ll be a lot easier now, though; I can watch the Indians at my leisure.

Q: How much interest is there in American baseball in England (or American sports in general)?

Ash: For baseball, there isn’t a great deal of interest, at least not on a national scale. The game is very similar to cricket and even that is pretty low down the list in terms of relevance on the British sporting spectrum. I don’t think many Brits have the patience for baseball, which is a real shame. We play a game over here in schools called rounders,  which is similar to baseball, and most Brits tend to associate the two sports a little too closely. “Oh you like baseball? Isn’t that just glorified rounders?” is something I have to put up with constantly. But the fans that do love baseball over here are legit, guys and girls who really love the game. The fanbase for baseball in the U.K. may be relatively small but it’s passionate. There’s a great fanbase online especially, lots of U.K. fans coming together on forums to discuss your national pastime. But I do think the interest in American sports as a whole is growing significantly. The NFL is especially getting much larger attention. The whole notion that people are contemplating the idea of a London NFL franchise proves that. I disagree on that whole idea, though; the UK should not get an NFL team.

Q: What made you decide to start England Tribe?

Ash: Well I enjoy writing blogs and my enthusiasm for the Indians has never been higher before the start of a season. I figured if I was going to start a Tribe blog, there was never going to be a better time for it. I actually started a blog in 2010 called Escape to Forest City, which was my little space to write about the Cavs, Browns and Tribe, but it quickly became a blog about my football (sorry, soccer) team Arsenal and morphed into Escape to N5 (the area in London Arsenal are from). I had a hard time writing anything meaningful about the Cleveland teams on a regular basis, but England Tribe is almost certainly going to be 100 percent Indians. I can focus on just them and the blog posts should be a bit more consistent than they were in the past. You might see a Browns or Cavs post from time to time, depending on my mood, but I’m hoping England Tribe can have some staying power and last for a good while.

Q: Have you run into any other Cleveland fans in your daily life?

Ash: I was in a pub last year and a guy stopped me at the bar and said “I really like your hat!” I was wearing my Indians cap and he said he was from Akron and was over here on holiday, and we had a little chat about the Tribe for a bit. I thought that was really cool. I went to Wembley Stadium last October for the Patriots-Rams game and saw a handful of Browns fans at the game, fellow Brits like myself. Apart from that I’ve never met any other Cleveland fans, aside from a few on the online forums I’ve been on in the past.

Q: Have you ever been to Cleveland for a game (or have plans to visit)?

Ash: I’ve still never been to the States at all, let alone Cleveland. It’s at the top of my wish list and I do have plans to visit when my funds enable me to do so. I definitely want to get to the Jake (Progressive Field) at some stage in the near future. A few U.K. fans do ballpark road trips, which sounds like heaven to me. I’d love to travel to a few select cities and catch a game in each one.

Q: Which off-season move by the Tribe do you think was the best?

Ash: I love the Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn acquisitions, but I think the best move was probably grabbing Brett Myers to shore up the rotation. If Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez melt down again, Myers could quickly look like an ace compared to them! I obviously hope that doesn’t happen but, yeah, I think getting the reliable and solid Myers was probably the best move the front office made. We need some stability in the starting rotation for sure. Oh, and the Trevor Bauer trade for Shin-Soo Choo was also a fantastic move further down the road.

Q: How do you like their chances this year?

Ash: I don’t think we’ll be going to the World Series but I at least like our chances to challenge the Tigers and their dominance in the division. My dream scenario is to make the playoffs, something I’ve only ever experienced once back in 2007. (And I was still a total baseball noob then and didn’t appreciate it like I should have!) If the team can stay healthy and the pitching holds up, who knows? At the very least, I hope we can maintain the same level of play after the All-Star break, and not fade away again like the last two years.

Q: You also write about Arsenal FC on your blog, Escape to N5. So, Arsene Wenger: Stay or Go?

Ash: Stay. My first year of being an Arsenal fan was Wenger’s first season in charge, way back in 1996 at the age of 7. He’s all I know. I don’t think Wenger is to blame entirely for the drop in success at the club, and people who think firing him will make things better are naïve and should know better. Football doesn’t work like that. If we’re to succeed and challenge for the title again, changes have to be made at the top. Wenger needs support and help. Changing the manager would only set us back even more.

Q: What do you think of England’s chances in the next World Cup?

Ash: Slim. It’s sad to say but the England team just isn’t at the level of Spain, Germany, Italy and Holland. We’re probably not even as good as France. England have some good players, especially my boy Jack Wilshere (Arsenal central midfielder), but they also have some duds that the management insists on playing (Manchester City’s James Milner). I don’t think anyone here in England realistically expects us to come back from Brazil victorious. Who knows though, tournament football can throw up all sorts of surprises.

Q: If the Tribe was a Premier League team they would be …

Ash: Great question! Let me think … I’ll go for Aston Villa. A team with great history, a great stadium and a city that loves their team but have made their fans suffer in recent years. Aston Villa are really struggling this year, so I hope the similarities to the Tribe end there in 2013!

Thanks again to Ash for taking the time to talk with us and be sure to check out his blog.

Tribe Roster Set: My Thoughts

With the news coming from Goodyear that the Indians have set out their plans for the Opening Day roster, I thought I'd weigh in on the results:

Kazmir Gets The 5th Rotation Spot

The comeback story of the Spring, once-upon-a-time flamethrower Scott Kazmir has finally beaten his competition and captured the 5th place in the Tribe's starting rotation. It's obvious he's worked incredibly hard since his exit from MLB in 2011 and done really well to regain his lost velocity. He's not going to be striking guys out like he did in his heyday (he led the American League in strikeouts with the Rays in 2007) and gone are the days of his heater blowing batters away. But he has worked his way back to getting his fastball to a respectable low-to-mid 90mph level, which is a lot better than the mid 80s stuff he was throwing prior to his release from the Angels a couple of years ago. I'm really happy Scott won the job to be the 5th starter but, and he'll be the first to admit it, the real job is just beginning. Time will tell how he performs against MLB competition after time away from the elite level and there's no knowing yet how his arm will hold up in the dog days of summer. For now though, we can all enjoy the success story that's been Kazmir's return and I'm excited to see how he does for us.

Versatility and Veterans

Possibly the biggest difference between this year's Indians and the teams over the past few years is the veteran presence on the roster. No longer must we suffer the sight of the Tribe starting every season with one of the youngest teams on the field. The oldest guy on the team is Jason Giambi and the 2000 American League MVP and 5-time All Star looks set to make the team despite being the grand old age of 42. He's been placed on the DL with a lower back strain but all signs point towards him making the bench once he's healthy. It's impossible to predict what Giambi will provide on this 2013 Indians team. He still has some power in those arms and might chip in a few homers this season. Put it this way, if he comes into a few games to pinch hit in the latter innings and his hits mean we win a few games that we normally wouldn't then that would be amazing, the best possible result from his signing. However, I think what really earned Giambi his place on the team is his experience and his ability to be a role model for the younger players. The guy has been around for a long time now and knows how to win. Francona has already stated how important Giambi could be in the clubhouse: "He's not a veteran, he's the veteran. I've already gone to him three or four times asking him questions. He's solid. Brings a lot." If the Indians can get any production on the field from the elderly DH then that's wonderful but I feel he's going to be even more productive off the field and in the locker-room. 

The other interesting addition to the roster is 31 year old Ryan Raburn (pictured above). The ex-Tiger, who can play second base as well as the outfield, provides some much-needed versatility to the team and could be an important player off the bench. He beat out the likes of Cord Phelps and Ezequiel Carrera for the final bench spot and I like the decision to go with Raburn. He's had a solid spring and earned his spot for sure. Hopefully he'll contribute, spotting Kipnis from time to time and filling in for an outfielder when they need a day off.

For more details on the Indians team set to begin the 2013 campaign, Nino over at The Tribe Daily has done a wonderful roundup on the Opening Day roster that's definitely worth checking out: http://www.thetribedaily.com/2013/03/the-roster-is-set.html#more 

Overall I really like the Opening Day roster and I'm enthusiastic about our chances in 2013. It's not very often I've said that since I've been a fan of the Tribe. There's been an amazing sense of optimism ever since the hiring of Francona last year and I've certainly never been more excited to watch the Indians. Luckily, and for the first time, I will be able to watch every and any game I like this year, having purchased MLB TV a couple of days ago. I made the decision because I was so sick of trying to watch games on crappy streams and sitting through endless pop-up ads and all the other shit that comes with illegal streaming. Best $129.99 (about £88 for you fellow Brits interested) I've ever spent. Bring on Opening Day!

Thanks for reading.

Book Review: 'Francona: The Red Sox Years'

Given Francona is the Tribe's new manager and I can never turn down a new baseball book, I picked up his new book just over a week ago and raced through it. It took me just over a week, which is pretty damn quick for me.

Like the majority of Tribe fans I was excited at the announcement of Tito as our new skipper and his influence has already completely re-shaped the team. Players are keen to play for him and his hire as manager really helped recruit those big free agent acquisitions like Swisher and Bourn. Whisper it quietly but I've always had a soft spot for the Red Sox (except when we play them of course) and they have kind of become my second team of sorts, if that sort of thing exists. So I was excited to read about Terry's years in Boston, from the 2004 and 2007 championships to that unforgettable collapse in 2011.

It's definitely an interesting read, no doubt about it. Co-written with Boston scribe Dan Shaughnessy, who had his fair share of issues with Francona during his reign in Beantown, the book flows seamlessly from year to year, written chronologically. At times it feels a bit like a book written about the Red Sox rather than Francona, with quotes dropped in here and there by Terry. However the third person style is effective and the focus is still on Terry as you'd expect. A lot of the time the book is pretty funny, Terry dropping F bombs during hilarious locker-room anecdotes.

The book has made quite a splash in the media due to the controversial words about the Red Sox owners, John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino. Francona and Shaughnessy don't hold back as promised, with John Henry in particular coming across as a rather cold human being and Lucchino looking foolish most of the time (although at least he contributed to the book, unlike Henry). Ex-GM Theo Epstein was clearly very close with Francona in Boston and this shines throughout the book, Epstein coming through unscathed. Players like Pedroia and Lester are given lots of room, two obvious favourites of Francona. There are plenty of good stories involving those two and some touching moments with Lester especially. Manny Ramirez does not come off as well unfortunately (for him). Manny is painted as the ego-driven diva we all expected him to be. To Francona's credit he doesn't fully bash Manny but just tells it like it was and the stories speak for themselves. All very interesting from my point of view, there was plenty of stuff I didn't know before.

Overall I enjoyed the book and definitely feel like I know the Tribe's new manager a lot better now. Here's hoping that Francona leads us to a world championship or two and he writes a sequel with a more upbeat ending. One can dream right?

Rating: 4/5

Thanks for reading.

What I Want In 2013

We're into the meat of Spring Training now and Opening Day is within our sights. With that in mind I thought I'd kick off this new blog with a wishlist of sorts: what I want to see from our Cleveland Indians this 2013 season. Some of it is largely obvious but necessary too. Without further ado...

1) Masterson and Jimenez to Bounce Back

Now this one is so obvious it should be on every Tribe fan's wishlist for 2013. Whether we like it or not, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez are the "aces" of our pitching staff and both guys had pretty miserable 2012 campaigns. It's fair to say that expectations are about as low as can be so if Masterson and Jimenez can just get back to respectable form I think most Indians fans will be relatively happy. If one of them could regain some of their past magic (Masterson 2011, Jimenez 2010) and distinguish themselves as a real ace then we're golden. What a bonus that would be. Both guys are having a solid spring so far and look to be rejuvenated by the good feelings in the clubhouse that all the new additions have brought. Plus, if anyone can get the best out of Masterson, it's gotta be new skipper Terry Francona who never shied away from his admiration for the big righty during their time together in Boston. Time will tell but the success of this Indians team lies on the arms of Masterson and Jimenez. We need them to perform if we stand any chance at competing.

2) Stay Healthy (AKA Get Lucky)

Every MLB team gets hit with injuries over the gruelling season. It's part of the game. However if we can get a little bit of luck and keep our key guys healthy for the majority of the season, especially our speedy outfielders, we'll have a much better shot at staying with the Tigers this year. The most depressing sight in baseball is seeing your star player/s go down with long term injuries. So this wish is for us to get a bit of luck when it comes to the team's health. Fingers crossed...

3) New Boys Perform

The Indians had an unusually busy off-season this year and brought in a lot of new talent. If our new guys like Swisher, Bourn, Stubbs and Myers can just live up to their career averages then the Indians are immediately a more dangerous team in the American League. If any of them can surpass their average and have a career year, then that's even better! As long as each man can be on the field for the majority of the season and perform at the level we're accustomed to seeing, then the Tribe have a real shot at making the Playoffs.

4) Can the Back of the Rotation Surprise?

At the time of writing this, the 5th and final spot in the starting rotation is still up for grabs. I feel like whoever wins the job could surprise a few people in 2013. Yesterday Daisuke Matsuzaka was told by the organisation that he would not break camp with the Indians roster so the battle for the 5th spot is now down to Scott Kazmir and Carlos Carrasco (with Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer all but confirmed to be starting the season in the minors). Kazmir has been a Spring Training star and has surprised everyone during his bid to break back into the majors. Carrasco is now healthy after missing all of 2012 through injury and has had a solid spring so far, pitching well. It looks like everyone is leaning towards Kazmir grabbing that 5th spot and I think that would be fair. There are still a lot of questions about his durability and whether or not the velocity on his fastball can hold up over multiple innings but so far the signs have been good, if not great. The 5th spot in the rotation on the majority of major league clubs is usually the place for an average to below-average pitcher so if Kazmir does make the roster and contributes solid innings, the Cleveland front office will be overjoyed. With Zach McAllister already confirmed at number 4, the back of the rotation will be under watchful eyes all season. If somebody doesn't pan out or looks shaky, the good news is we have some decent guys ready and waiting to step up. Bauer is one of the best pitching prospects we have and could easily force his way onto the 25 man roster. If Dice-K does well at AAA he could be brought up, plus the young arms of Kluber and Carrasco will be stating their cases too. That's a lot of healthy competition, which can only be a good thing for the Tribe.

Overall this 2013 team will live or die on the strength of it's pitching. We all know the bullpen are pretty good but the starting pitchers are still a mystery at the moment. On paper our offense should be well equipped to keep us in games but we won't get anywhere if can't hold back the opposition. Hopefully the rotation can surprise the nay-sayers and play well. The season will depend on it.

Thanks for reading.