Originally posted by: Windexed
The problem for the Indians is that the White Sox are, most likely, going to be even better this year. Anyway I'm a Cub fan (and Bud man) but they are going to royally suck (pun intended) this year.

It should be noted that last year, the Indians lost...I don't recall the exact number...probably between 12 and 16 games by 1 run, and at least half them were to the White Sox.
We were also 1 game behind the Sox before we lost 6 of our last 7 games of the year.
Last, when Travis Hafner ( got hit in the face by Mark Buehrle, that essentially took him out for the year. He eventually came back from the concussion after a month or so, but he was having dizzy spells for the rest of the year.
He still ended up in the top-ten for average, home runs and RBIs, but he could have had a much bigger year.

The Pantyhose (as some people call them here in Cleveland) have improved, no doubt, but the Indians have improved too. Maybe not with the new player's we brought in, but rather through the invaluable experience of going through a playoff-type atmosphere. Don't sell them short, they will perform well (barring big injuries) and I don't think taking the Central Division crown back is out of the realm of possibility.