Friday, May 16, 2008, 06:20 PM EST [
Reds]
So, I haven't had the three from the other side in a while, but the good news is, not only is it back, but it's back with a vengeance -- Anthony Castrovice, who covers the Indians for MLB.com, is answering questions today. Check out his blog here.
Reds fans may remember Anthony from his days covering the Reds for MLB.com. We all missed him as he moved back to his native Cleveland to cover the Indians. Can't blame him, but the Queen City (and its ladies) are certainly disappointed not to have him as a resident.
Castrovince hard at work...
Anyway, I asked him three questions:
1. You covered the Reds for mlb.com (and we do miss you 'round these parts) and now the Indians. How have
the Indians been successful building from within and so far the Reds
haven't? What other differences do you see between the two teams, two
organizations and two cities?
AC: It's all about stability. The Indians put a plan in place in 2002,
put the right people in charge of that plan and stuck with them (and
it) until they saw it through last season. Of course, changes came
along the way, but the organization was strong enough to survive major
hits, such as farm director John Farrell leaving after '06.
I
hate to say it, but the Reds have been a soap opera for years now. You
don't hire a guy like Dan O'Brien -- well, you could argue you don't
hire him for a lot of reasons -- but you definitely don't hire him to
install a long-range plan to build up the farm system, only to dump him
as quicky as they did. And then to repeat the process with Krivsky is
just laughable.
I think the fan bases of the
Indians and Reds are pretty similar, actually. If you give them a
quality product on the field, they'll come out in droves. Otherwise...
crickets.
2. I picked the Indians to win it all before the season, am I nuts?
AC: Maybe not. I was convinced in spring training and remain convinced this
team will win the division. I'm as surprised as anyone that the offense
has stunk as bad as it has, but the pitching is so strong, they'll be
there at the end, and this division looks very winnable. Once you get
to October, it's all about pitching and defense, and the Indians are
strong in both.
3. Cliff Lee. WTF?
AC: Seriously, WTF? You might have told me he'd regain confidence and
get a little more velocity on his fastball, but you'd never expect that
to translate into this type of run. Incredible stuff. His breaking
stuff has been pretty wicked, too. By this point, he's confident enough
and he's been consistent enough that I'm convinced he's legit. I think
he's simply become a smarter pitcher. Last year humbled him and he grew
from it.
