The 2009 Cleveland Indians Are Just a Silhouette of the Team They Once Were

The above photo says it all.

So far in 2009, the Cleveland Indians and its fans are a silhouette of its former selves with no definition, no detail, no characteristics, no face, no excitement, and no emotion (except for anger and chagrin).

The definition of a silhouette is a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, uniformly filled in with black, which is the perfect description of Indians and their fans right now.

"Uniformly filled in with black," is how most Indians fans feel in their hearts.

"Two-dimensional" is a flat surface without depth, which is exactly what the Indians are currently, flat and without depth.

From everyone that I have talked to, regarding the current state of the Indians, they all have similar comments and their answers show no signs of passion.

Passion for the Indians used to been seen everywhere and anywhere you went in Cleveland, but with a team being less than mediocre for five out of the last seven years, it is easy to see why that passion is gone.

This year is not looking any better and seems like it may be another losing season which would then make it six out of the last eight years.

This by no means is the fault of the fans.  Maybe they can be more supportive, but this is Cleveland, and Cleveland fans are very critical of their teams.

If the team doesn't win, then the fans will not be happy.

That is true in every town that has a sports franchise, but no other city in America has gone through such a dry period without any professional sports championships as Cleveland has (sorry Cleveland Force/Crunch, you don't count).

Whether the problems are with Owner Larry Dolan, General Manager Mark Shapiro, Manager Eric Wedge, or the players, the problems do consist of a little bit of everything.

Is pitching to blame? Yes.

Is hitting to blame? Yes.

Is coaching to blame? Yes.

Is winning five straight division titles and two World Series appearances in the mid to late-90s to blame? Definitely.

See a trend? Yes.

This list can keep going, but it will not help the team become one of the elite teams in baseball any time soon.

Maybe the Indians should take some notes from the Cavs, but that's already been covered in another of article I wrote here.

In the past, the club has been known to get really hot during the hottest months of the summer, but by then it may be too little too late.

The Indians had a record of 9-18 in June, and for the season they are 31-48, 13 games out of first place.

I am always a "glass is half full" type of fan, but with the recent trade of Mark DeRosa, the rest of the season is looking pretty grim.

Player injuries (Grady Sizemore) and under-performers (Fausto Carmona) may just bring this team to a total dismantling after the season is over, but a major shake up is inevitable and much needed.

Maybe Mike Hargrove would come back as general manager of the team, if Shapiro gets fired?

There are too many questions, and this is an Indians fan that just wants some results and consistency already.