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Hey Hoynsie: You’ve spent months collecting potential team names when it became known that the Indians would change their name. It seems to me that as a writer you would like to have a nickname or two. Do you have a list – Cindy Leach, Strongsville.
Hello Cindy: I have yellow notepads full of names suggested by fans. I liked the Cleveland Walleyes, the Cleveland Blue Waves, the Cleveland Coasters, and the Cleveland Clutch. I didn’t hate the Cleveland Blues, Cleveland Grays, Cleveland Green Sox, or the Cleveland Longshoreman. I could have lived with the Cleveland Commodores, but as a member of the Indian Front Office pointed out, “In short, we would have been called the Cleveland Commies.”
When I look at all the suggested names Guardians has been one of the most popular from the start.
Hey Hoynsie: Is there any clarity about the introduction and implementation of the name Guardians?? And what was the first reaction of the fans to the new name? – Jim Mullen, Bay Village.
Hey Jim: From what I’ve heard, it will likely happen at the beginning of the off-season, maybe after the World Series. It won’t happen immediately after the regular season ends on October 3rd.
I imagine you already know what the reaction was to the new name. At first, the fans who emailed and texted me were upset. They wanted to stay Indians or have the name changed to tribe. Lately it has become more accepted when people wonder what the Guardians’ alternate nickname is going to be like in Indians / Tribe.
Hey Hoynsie: How’s James Karinchak doing in the AAA Columbus class? Has he served in any games for the Clippers? – JD, Edinburgh, Texas.
Hello JD: Karinchak works with the pitching coaches of the Minor League of the Indians at Columbus. He tries to refine the final parts of his delivery. He did not attend a game for the Clippers but held bullpen sessions in preparation for the game activities.
Hey Hoynsie: Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill will be good additions for next season, but what will the tribe do on the offensive? – Kori Austin, Florida.
Hey Kori: This season McKenzie, Quantrill and Emmanuel Clase grabbed the fans by the elbows and said, “Hey, look at me.” You can’t take your eyes off them when they’re on the hill and they’re all jugs.
None of the positional players the Indians have given chances this season have made it. It was lightning, but nobody really took advantage of this extraordinary opportunity and established themselves as an everyday player. The front office won’t run out this winter bringing in several seasoned hitters who would run counterclockwise to the next phase of their rebuilding, but they could use a few or 2022 will look pretty much like 2021.
Hey Hoynsie: Why are the Indians doing such a great job developing pitching and a bad job developing outfielders? – John, Leetonia, Ohio
Hey John: Most of the time, I think things run in cycles for big league teams. When the Indians dominated the AL Central in the 1990s, they had outfielder Kenny Lofton (trade), Albert Belle (draft), Manny Ramirez (draft), Richie Sexson (draft), Brian Giles (draft), Marquis Grissom (trade ), David Justice (Commerce), Mark Whiten (Commerce) and Russell Branyan (draft). I am sure that I will forget some players too.
I think the focus of those responsible for the Indians has also changed. This front office is definitely focused on pitching because they think it is too expensive to trade for or find it in the free agent market. They feel that by shuffling and matching they can keep up in the outfield as long as they pitch well.
It should be noted that outfielder Tyler Naquin, who was not advertised in December, has a career year with the Reds. He was a former number 1 Indian struggling to stay healthy.
Hey Hoynsie: In the off-season, is there a chance the Indians could get financial aid from either a new majority owner or a minority owner? –Duncan, Waterdown, Ontario.
Hello Duncan: I don’t have the impression that Paul is going to sell Dolanl his dominant participation in the team. My impression is that Dolan and John Sherman, former minority shareholders and now owners of the Kansas City Royals, are working together to find a third party to buy Sherman’s stake in the Indians. This portion has been deposited in trust.
There really is no schedule for when this can happen. Another thing to consider is the owners-reported proposal by the owners to the players’ association to pay a $ 100 million floor wage for all teams in exchange for a different tier of luxury tax. I’m not sure how much weight this will have in the ongoing negotiations for a new basic agreement, but that could add a huge boost to Indians’ payroll.
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