Cleveland Collapses.....Again

I'm pretty much too despondent to write very much write now, even though I saw this coming (my wife kept saying, "I think they're going to win tonight", but I said since Saturday night, "Boston's got this thing wrapped up" - I really loved and appreciated her optimism, but as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I knew better). Overall, as time passes, I'll be happy with this season, considering everything that actually went wrong for Cleveland:

-two of our five startes on the opening day roster didn't make it the season (Cliff Lee & Jeremy Sowers)

-despite the flops this year of Jesse Barfield, Andy Marte, David Dellucci and Trot Nixon, callups Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, and Aaron Laffey were unbelievably important in the second half of the season, and even Luis Rivas looked REALLY good in his few at-bats as a September callup.

-pitching was great, between our top 3 starters (even Paul Byrd got 15 wins), and the bullpen, while an adventure with Borowski, looks good with who we have for the future, especially Betancourt.

-the Tribe won 96 games despite Hafner and Sizemore having what is for them a terrible year in production.

But for the love of all that's good in the world.......if you'd told me we'd make it to the ALCS just two have our two top starters, Travis Hafner, Rafael Perez, Victor Martinez, Betancourt (last night), and several other players not show up for the series, stinking up the joint in ways previously inconceivable to the foolishly-hopeful Cleveland fans (like Charlie Brown with the football, somehow believing that this time was for real), and the fans who don't need any more suffering (thanks guys, but we already have the Drive, the Fumble, the Shot, Jose Mesa, and the NBA finals this year, not to mention the Buckeyes with Florida) something else (the 3-1 year, with "The Case of the Missing Aces"), well, I would have honestly passed. I bear no personal ill will to my Boston fans, but as a collective, they can go to hell (along with all the other cities that have won something in my lifetime - I'm looking in your direction, Philadelphia) - you have the Pats, you had the Celtics in the 80s, and you have this. Again. Meanwhile, it's been 60 years now (and counting) for the tribe, 53 for the Browns, 40+ for the Cavs, and no end in sight......