Chemistry

There were some interesting articles out this morning around the web about how the Tribe players feel about the fact that there were no real changes made to their roster in the off season. They all said that it only served to build their confidence that the front office felt no need to bring in new players or trade people to stay competitive. Someone even mentioned that the other teams were making deals to compete with the Tribe, the implication being that the Tribe were the top of the line and other teams were making moves to join them.

Along with those articles, there were a few character pieces, small stories about how the guys interact with each other now that they're back together for this extremely long season. And for as much as Tribe fans might complain about a lack of another bat at 3rd or in the outfield, it's clear during the season that strength of character and team chemistry ultimately mean the most.

How else, for example, can you explain the almost irrational (and I'm guilty of this) fondness of Josh Barfield that so many Tribe fans had? Or, on the flipside, the almost irrational dislike for Jhonny Peralta? Barfield was just as guilty of poor fielding as Peralta (and worse throws) and certainly hit much worse, yet Peralta never got the benefit of the doubt. The bottom line: Barfield has personality. And Peralta, by virtue of saying little, doesn't come across as well.

Another great example is Barfield's (former?) roomate, Ryan Garko. Remember the crazy outcry when there was a chance he wouldn't make the roster last year? Again, Garko is well spoken and personable, exactly the kind of guy we like on our team.

Which is exactly why possibly losing C.C. is so hard. Second perhaps only to Victor Martinez, C.C. is the party guy. He and Victor could have smiling contests. And C.C. does nothing but compliment his teammates. There was a moment in '04 where C.C. had pitched a great game only to hand the ball to David Riske for the close. Riske, as was the norm for every member of that bullpen, blew the save rathter handily. Afterwards, Sabathia said he had no concerns about giving the ball to Riske again (C.C. was probably the only one who felt that way). And I can't even count the number of times I've read quotes from Sabathia about how Martinez makes him better.

For as worried as Tribe fans might be about the state of the AL Central, we all need to take a look at our team and remember what they accomplished last year -- and why we cared so much. It's not just what they did, it's how they did it, and it's nice to have that same group of guys back.