The river isn’t the only thing on fire in Cleveland. (No, they’ll never live that down.)
- As you probably heard, the Cleveland Indians are going to their first World Series since 1997 after ousting the Toronto Blue Jays. Stephanie Apstein looks at the “loose” and “family-like” clubhouse atmosphere in Cleveland contributed to the team’s success.
- Mike Lupica credits Indians manager Terry Francona for the team’s success.
- Bill Baer thinks Francona deserves to go into the Hall of Fame as a manager. This also shocks him, as he’s a longtime Phillies fan who remembers when Francona managed the Phils.
- Reliever Andrew Miller was named MVP of the ALCS.
- Craig Goldstein credits the bullpen and Francona’s use of it in game five for the Indians triumph.
- Cliff Corcoran ranks the five best postseasons ever by a relief pitcher. Miller is on the list although his postseason isn’t over yet, of course.
- Mike Axisa has six “unsung heroes” of the Indians season.
- Tracy Ringolsby talks to former Indians manager Mike Hargrove about this year’s team and his long association with the Indians. Hargrove still serves as an advisor to team president Chris Antonetti.
- Trevor Bauer says he expects to pitch in the World Series. Of course, he said he’d be fine for game three. But this one does seem more realistic.
- R.J. Anderson asks who should the Indians want to face in the World Series? Cubs or Dodgers?
- Christopher Crawford wonders if the Indians postseason success means we may start to see a change in the way teams use their bullpens.
- Michael Baumann calls for a different revolution in bullpen use and thinks that starting rotation aces like Clayton Kershaw should pitch out of the bullpen more often.
- And because I like poking tigers with sticks, Craig Calcaterra explains why it’s time for MLB to take a stand against Chief Wahoo.
- And now for the vanquished. Grant Brisbee writes that this group of Blue Jays were always headed for a disappointing end.
- Michael Baumann thinks the Blue Jays didn’t do anything wrong, they just didn’t match up with the Indians.
- Alex Wong looks backwards over the Blue Jays season and forwards as to where do they go from here.
- Fangraphs plays a little point-counterpoint with the Blue Jays as Dave Cameron argues that Toronto needs to start the rebuilding process now.
- Jeff Sullivan thinks the Jays should take one last shot with the current core.
- Chris Bahr has three things the Blue Jays must do to return to the postseason in 2017.
- Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons will return in 2017.
- If free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion doesn’t return to Toronto next season, at least he wrote a heartfelt “Thank You” to the Toronto faithful.
- Michael Klopman looks at how the AL East laid an egg in October.
- Jon Heyman is calling for changes in the MLB replay system.
- Ben Badler looks at the proposals for an international draft and thinks that this will make a broken system even worse. He also thinks that the suits in New York have no idea of how baseball works in the Caribbean.
- MLB is moving their corporate offices to the skyscraper formerly known as the Time-Life Building. Unfortunately, the ad agency of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce no longer work there.
- The suspension of Padres GM A.J. Preller has ended. Boy, MLB sure taught him a lesson!
- The entire Mariners coaching staff will return in 2017.
- As will the entire Nationals coaching staff. So the toothpick shortage in our nation’s capital will likely continue.
- The Reds have signed a new TV deal with Fox Sports Ohio.
- A homeless man in Clovis, California has received a four-year prison sentence for vandalizing the Ferrari of Matt Garza.
- And finally, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis thinks they ought to make a movie about this year’s team. Also, he wants Channing Tatum to play him. Sorry, you get Charlie Sheen and you’ll like it.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Please just win.