Barons Blog

In his first news conference since the season ended, manager Eric Wedge pointed to a myriad of reasons for why the Indians, the darlings of baseball coming into the season, weren't returning to the playoffs.

Indians manager Eric Wedge announced Tuesday morning the first of what should be a hectic offseason for a ballclub that went into the 2008 season with great expectations and didn't fulfill those expectations, saying he'd dismissed bullpen coach Luis Isaac.

Cliff Lee was named the American League's Comeback Player of the Year on Tuesday, following the Tribe hurler's 22-3 campaign in 2008.

Shin-Soo Choo's season is done, but he'll walk away with one final nod. The Cleveland outfielder was named the Sharp Presents the American League Player of the Month for September. It is the first such award for Choo.

Cliff Lee, the odds-on favorite for the American League Cy Young Award, could finish the season with the highest winning percentage for a 20-game winner in the modern era.

Catcher Kelly Shoppach had what the Indians are calling routine arthroscopic surgery performed on his right knee Monday at the Cleveland Clinic, and his recovery isn't expected to take long.

Injuries and ineffectiveness prevented the Indians from defending their AL Central title in 2008 and prompted the club to deal its first Cy Young winner in 26 years.

The Indians' spoiler act ran dry with Sunday's 5-1 loss to the White Sox in the season finale at U.S. Cellular Field, and the Tribe will head into what figures to be an intriguing offseason with an even record of 81-81 for 2008.

Left-hander Cliff Lee didn't make the start in the Tribe's season finale, as expected, because of a stiff neck, so we can firmly file his 2008 numbers in the books. And we can file two prominent numbers at the top of the American League leaderboard.