Cleveland Indians: 2006 Year In Preview

Who would have thought Juan Gonzalez would tear a hammy in his first at-bat of the season? Improbable! Who would have thought the Tribe would win 93 games and miss the postseason? Impossible! And, no one, no one could have predicted the tribe could meltdown the way they did at the Jake during the final homestand.

So, since we don’t know anyway… who’s to say that things won’t turn out like this for the Tribe in 2006:

March 30th - After seeing the success of “Ladies Night” and “College Night” in 2005, Indians Owner Larry Dolan amends the promotional calendar to include “Tuesday 50/50 Raffle Night.” The promotion is subject to be amended to 60/40 or 70/30 raffle night depending on attendance figures throughout the year.

April 2nd- C.C. Sabathia allows just two solo homeruns to former teammate Jim Thome over seven solid innings as the Tribe starts the 2006 campaign with a 6-2 win over the Sox in Chicago.

April 14th- Larry Dolan, still uneasy of the one-year deal settled with Ben Broussard earlier in the offseason, donates the first baseman to “Our Lady of the Wayside.” While Broussard remains on the Tribe payroll, the frugal owner reaps the benefits of a nice tax deduction just before the filing deadline.

April 30th- Tribe loses to Texas 7-1 on a three hitter by Kevin Millwood, capping an 8-17 April. Attendance suffers greatly and GM Mark Shapiro pleads to fans to come down to the Jake. Shapiro, known for only committing to short-term deals, explains that the team will be forced to offer only month-to-month contracts if seats are not filled soon.

May 14th- Ryan Garko finishes his first week in Cleveland strong with a 3-for-4 effort and a homerun.

May 15th- Realizing Garko is only under the Indians control for six more years, Shapiro deals him to Los Angeles for 13-year old Lucky Jones. Just finishing the 7th grade, Jones will be an Indian through 2021.

May 17th- Mark Shapiro, a stickler on character issues, releases Eduardo Perez after the utility infielder receives his third moving violation within the last twelve months.

May 28th- Cliff Lee improves to 6-2 with a shutout over the Tigers. The Tribe inches within a game of the .500 mark.

June 2nd- Casey Blake singles with men on second and third and two out.

July 9th- Indians formally announce that they are the 30th major league team to no longer consider Jason Davis a prospect anymore.

July 11th- Indians non-tender Slider after the mascot asks for a hole in his body to be repaired. Bob DiBiasio is reportedly asked to fill in as temporary mascot.

July 15th- Paul Dolan, known for inflating the actual team payroll, is asked at an area luncheon why research and development costs for chicken waffles and a sushi stand are included with this year’s numbers

July 30th- Despite a strong start to the second half, Indians entertain trade offers for anyone making more than $3m per year. Ronnie Belliard and Bob Wickman are dealt.

September 12th- Tribe finishes an amazing six-week run and pulls within a game of the White Sox.

September 19th- The Indians win 7-6, making them an unbelievable 33-3 in one run games on the season.

October 1st- Indians avenge last year’s debacle at the Jake by going 6-1 on the final home stand and clinching the division title.

October 27th- Tribe wins world series for the first time since 1948, and does so with a $19 million dollar payroll.

October 28th- GM Mark Shapiro explains at the parade that as a small market club, the Indians will not have the flexibility to do a lot of the same things in 2007.

Mar 22, 2006 7:00 PM

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Cleveland Indians: 2006 Year In Preview

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