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Mark Shapiro should be careful. After sending another fan favorite due for a payday out of town, Shapiro’s transactions look less like a GM reloading for another run at another AL Central title and more like a desperate GM following owner’s orders to dump payroll. For all the talk about improving the ballclub and coveting prospects, the Indians have essentially traded an All-Star for a guy they gave up three seasons ago.

Similar to the Coco Crisp, Ronnie Belliard stood on the cusp of a nice pay raise as his contract set to expire at the end of the season. And similar to the Crisp deal, Belliard was traded away to a ballclub with deeper pockets, this time to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, the Indians received a very similar player in Hector Luna with fewer pending contractual needs.

The transactional nature of the Indians fails the organization in one key area - fan support. At some point the Indians front office needs to realize you can’t five-year plan yourself into the World Series. Filling the seats might have something to do with having ballplayers fans would pay to see. Journeymen like Aaron Boone, Casey Blake, and Todd Hollandsworth might sound good in a boardroom, look good on a balance sheet, and fill a gap in the locker room. But fans come to see stars and exciting baseball. And while the Tribe has a few in Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Victor Martinez, each day the Indians look more like a aimless corporation than a ballclub. Each player being treated like a widget that can be replaced with an similarly effective yet cheaper version. Sure, winning bumps attendance. But so does having an attachment to the ballclub and its players.

Tribe fans cheered a homerun by former Indians first baseman Ben Broussard Saturday night. Despite the fact manager Eric Wedge kept Broussard in the doghouse for most of the season, Tribe fans appreciated his play. Less appreciated, however, is the questionable management direction put forth by Larry Dolan and his crew of cost-cutting accountants. Somewhere the model for the Indians turned upside down - the fans not coming to see the team has nothing to do with the product put on the field. Do you buy a car because the next version will be better.

No, and it shows in the standings and the ever increasing empty seats.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Browns fans - this is how it goes. We might as well get used to it. It has nothing to do with curses, Red Right 88’s, Drive’s, or old fashioned bad luck. It is the reality of the modern NFL where players are too big for their own health and the rigorous of offseason programs push player’s bodies beyond physical limits. Players get hurt. Other players step up. Just ask the New England Patriots how this works.

There is no need to mourn Cleveland’s loss of LeCharles Bentley. Certainly he was going to be a dominant force in the middle of an improved offensive line. Absolutely the Browns are worse off with him on the sideline than on the field. But this is the NFL, and say nothing of the 52 other guys that will make the final cut, the Browns will - and must - find a way to get on without him.

Popularity: 9% [?]