Defective Pitcher. Made in China.

The main player returning to the Indians in the CC Sabathia trade now lies in a hospital in China after being intentionally drilled in the back of the head by a Chinese pitcher. Apparently the Chinese were angry that their starting catcher (Wang Wei) had been bowled over and had to leave the game and then their backup catcher (Yang Yang) was also bowled over. So it makes perfect sense then to throw at someones head... Sure. Great idea. Five US players hit. One still in the hospital. This just days after another US player was also hit in the head and is still recovering from that.

Have another bratwurst on me....

You know what? It doesn't even bother me that the Indians traded Sabathia. I guess I'm getting numb to it to some degree. Why not trade your stars and get something for them before they just walk away to the higher dollars of free agency. No matter how much they say that they want to stay in Cleveland, they never do.

Looking back in time, there's also the Bartolo Colon trade as precedent. At the time I was upset that they were trading their ace. It certainly worked out in the end though. I mean they got Lee Stevens after all, and where would they be without him? Oh, they also got some dudes named Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, and Cliff Lee. Maybe you've heard of them. It's because of that that I have some faith in the general manager and the scouts. It looks like 2-3 of the guys they traded for (i.e. everyone except Zach Jackson) have the potential to be stars.

Depending on the player to be named later, it's possible that they've netted a power corner outfielder, their future closer, and a possible all-star second baseman. All definite needs for the Tribe. Granted, those players are all at AA or lower, so a lot can happen, but Sizemore was at high A when they traded for him...

At this point, the season might as well be over. They're done. Stick a fork in them. They couldn't stay healthy and they couldn't handle the expectations of winning. That of course means they are about 2 years away from competing again, because there will be expectations again next year that they'll turn it around. By then, they should have a desperately needed influx of hitting.