The Indians Had So Much Potential: What Went Wrong?

When the 2009 season began and you looked at the AL Central, the Indians stood out as the clear-cut favorites to win the division, and seemed to have a good chance to advance deep into the playoffs. They had one of, if not the best center fielders in the AL. They had the reigning Cy Young winner coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory. Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez were both back from injuries. And, the bullpen had been heavily strengthened, with the signings of Kerry Wood and Joe Smith. As of the morning of Aug. 24, they are 11 games out of first place in the AL Central, and 13 games out of the Wild Card. So now the question comes into play: What Went Wrong? We'll break it down into three sectors: Managing, General Managing/Talent, and bad luck. Today, I will write about Managing, and continue the series at a further date.   Managing Starting off in managing: The Bullpen. Kerry Wood was coming off of a monster season in 2008, with 34 Saves, a 3.26 ERA, 11.4...