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Despite depleted roster, Indians enjoying wins. Team loose, having fun
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008
ANAHEIM, CALIF.: Why are the Indians winning?
As a result of the decision to audition players for next season, the Tribe is playing with a patchwork lineup; virtually any realistic hope for a postseason berth is gone, and key players remain on the disabled list or have been traded or released.
Yet players are loose and the mood in the clubhouse is upbeat.
''At a certain point, we got past C.C. [Sabathia] being traded,'' manager Eric Wedge said Wednesday. ''That kind of thing does hang over you. It's not unusual, especially for a player of C.C.'s caliber. Not just because of what he meant on the field, but what he meant to everybody personally.
''We talked about things [after the deal]; they needed to get back to being themselves. Have fun and execute on the field.''
With a week to go before the trading deadline, someone else in the Tribe clubhouse could be headed elsewhere, but the frame of mind prevalent among the players does not reflect any uncertainty.
Maybe because after Sabathia left, the club began to win. There was the four-game sweep of Tampa Bay, then a road trip to the West Coast, which often means hard times ahead. Instead, the Indians won two of three in Seattle before losing two of three to the first-place Angels.
Apparently, the positive attitude in the clubhouse overcame a depleted roster and a previous inability to perform at an acceptable level.
''That's a big part of it,'' Wedge said. ''The atmosphere these guys create is a big part of who they are. We want them to have fun and be comfortable. There are certain things that we can't do anything about. There are other things they know how to fix, and that's what they've done.''
It's tougher for players and managers to deal with an unexpected bad season than a year in which there was little hope of success from the outset.
''I work hard to be the same guy every day,'' Wedge said. ''But it's fair to say that [this year] I've had to work a little harder.''
Wedge is surprised that some fans are mystified by the Tribe's unfortunate season.
''It always amazes me when people ask what's the difference between last year and this year,'' he said. ''Are they kidding? But that's all I'm going to say about that.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
ANAHEIM, CALIF.: Why are the Indians winning?
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