12 Is My Lucky Number

It's the top of the 12th in Minnesota as I type this. V-mart just singled and Hafner moved to third. There are no outs.

As this is my inaugural entry into Ray Chapman's Revenge, perhaps a little background is needed.

My name is Kyle. I'm an Indians fan. Of the many awful things I've inherited from my father, this is the worst. Let's face facts: no one chooses to be an Indians fan. Why would anyone choose such misery?

I've had it pretty good, though, I'll admit. While my earliest memories of the Tribe center around the 1987 Sports Illustrated cover (I was 11), I was less than invested in the team. Honestly, I was more interested in playing outside than watching baseball on TV.

(I should note that the Tribe is now up 5-3 following a single by Garko -- who we all love -- and a double by Jason Michaels. The funny part about this is that the Minnesota announcer suggested that the Twins' defense was looking for Michaels to bunt, which is just funny since it's the Indians we're talking about.)

Needless to say, the "good years" were right in my wheelhouse (have you ever noticed that words like "wheelhouse" seem to be socially acceptable -- nay, necessary -- during baseball season, yet never leave your lips any other time?). My love of Major League helped, too. I mean, I can't be the only one that thought Willie Mays-Hayes and Kenny Lofton were separated a birth. I kept waiting for Lofton to do push-ups whenever he popped out.

Update: Bases loaded for Choo. Still no outs.

Update: Choo hits it up the middle and drives in two more. Will Rouse finally get a hit?

As I was saying, I had it better than most Tribe fans, and certainly better than my dad or my older brother. There was little suffering on my part...

...or was there? In the grand scheme of things, supporting a bad team isn't so much heart breaking as it is sad. But cheering on a team that comes within two outs of winning it all? Well, that's just cruel.

I'll go into more detail on my history with the Tribe in the future, but this is getting a bit long as it is.

So what's the point? What am I doing with this free forum?

I'm going to chronicle the 2007 season as best I can. I'm going to cover every game from here on out, sometimes with a running commentary.

Because I'm just that weird.

Update: We're headed to the bottom of the 12th, 7-3 Tribe. There could be more later, depending upon how this goes (and you really never know).