Tribe Talk: Why 2008 Collapse Reset the Deck

Man, I love this picture. The 2007 Cleveland Indians season was magical. Heading into the campaign, they were viewed by most experts as a “middle of the pack” type team. The ’06 season was ripe with expectations after a 93 win 2005, but the Indians floundered. After a typical Eric Wedge managed slow start (who doesn’t miss those?), the Tribe caught fire by moving away from some of the under-producing veterans and giving the kids a real shot. The risk was rewarded. By September, the Tribe was inching closer and closer to a division crown and started thinking about the playoffs. At the trade deadline, they were buyers, adding old friend Kenny Lofton to the mix for one last shot the elusive ring for #7. A division crown was captured. The prevailing thought was that this was again the start of a mini-run of great years with the infused talent of the youngsters. However, that was not meant to be. There were several factors that played into it. Injuries that ravaged the likes of Travis Ha...