Tribe spinning their wheels in a pointless second half

Not sure what the exact quote was, but as the All-Star break was coming to an end Eric Wedge made the comment that he was looking for stability in his lineup in the second half.

And then there's the one about the bishop, the priest and the rabbi...

In the four games since the break the Tribe has used the same lineup exactly - nunce. Not at all. Four games, four different lineups.

Not that I expect that - at this point - a stable lineup would make any difference on a team that is playing their games with one eye on the calendar - waiting for it to flip to October. But the disconnect between Wedge's talk and his action is just another example of him no longer having a clue about what to do with this team. It's also the reason no one - fans or players - put any stock in anything he has to say anymore.

Of course there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the decisions by the front office as to who is one the big league team anymore either.

The team has a youngster like Luis Valbuena up, but not playing everyday. What is the point there?

At the same time, the roster is full of retreads on the pitching staff, like Tomo Ohka and Winston Abreu.

I tuned in to the pregame show today just in time to hear the conclusion of an interview with with assistant GM Chris Antonetti, who said the goal of the organization at this point is to win as many games as possible while developing the young talent on the roster.

Huh?

How do these two things go together. Either you put the young guys in and let them play in the hope that they get comfortable and get better - W's and L's be damned - or you put your best lineup out there day in and day out to rack up as many wins as you can.

This team is so confused right now they can't even decide what is in their best interest for the rest of the season.

GM Mark Shapiro indicated the team is in no hurry to bring up youngsters like Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley because: "we are doing some very good development work with a lot of these guys" right where they are.

From where I sit though, why lose with Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco and Tomo Ohka, when you could be spending the remainder of the season at least getting some sort of idea of what guys like Brantley, LaPorta and even Hector Rondon can contribute next year? (Unless you don't want the major league staff - which has proven itself inept at developing talent - anywhere near these guys.)

Perhaps things will change at the end of the month, when we find out who, if anybody, the Tribe has sent along to greener pastures, and which youngsters they get in return.

No one wants to watch the same old thing for the next two months. No one gives a damn anymore. The only way to make anything out of this wasted year is to see if there's any help down below that can be counted on for next year.

The current team is simply unwatchable and it serves no purpose for the Tribe to keep spinning its wheels.

Give us something to care about.