If there is a single fan base that will suffer the most at the start of tonights game, it most certainly will be the Cleveland Indian fan. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are the two defending AL Cy Young award winners. They both are slated to pitch games 1,4, and 7 of the World Series. They both won their awards in an Indian uniform but never lead them to the World Series. In 2007 the Indians led by CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona won the AL Central and with the help of some handy midges defeated the Yankees in the ALDS. Unfortunately for them that would be as far as they would go. Unlike in 2009 CC Sabathia did not pitch 16 innings while just giving up 2 runs, he instead took two losses. Meanwhile, Cliff Lee didn't discover his brilliance until 2008 and didn't even pitch in the playoffs.
At the start of the 2008 season the Indians were the AL Central favorite and had a rotation which consisted of both CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Unfortunately for them, Fausto Carmona shat the bed and after a few key injuries and the spontaneous shrinking of pronk, the Indians shopped and sold CC.
2009 started off much like 2008 for the Indians. Cliff Lee like CC in 08 struggle some out of the gate, in part due to some horrendous run support, and the Indians dug themselves a very early hole. At the all star break as the Indians had already began to accept their poor reality, the Indians once again sold off their defending Cy Young Award winner to the highest bidder.
Now just a few months removed from the Lee deal, Indians fans are forced to watch potentially 3 games in the World Series in which the only starting pitchers are former members of their rotation. It must suck to be an Indians fan.
Image Courtesy of the Very Depressed Waiting for Next Year
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