Re: Articles
2027Did he sell high after having bought low? Or encounter cash flow probs? (I have no idea--I don't follow whichever sport/business that is.)
Re: Articles
2028this guy obviously plagiarizes me. I am going to sue.u
quote="J.R."]Let’s Pray That Dolan Sells the Indians
By Larry Durstin
The tension was building all during the last week of July as the baseball trade deadline was approaching and the Cleveland Indians had a big decision to make. Hovering around the .500 mark yet still “in the hunt” for a post-season appearance, the Tribe was contemplating either trading whatever few minor league prospects they might have in their mediocre farm system for proven big leaguers to help them in the stretch run, or once again throwing in the towel and parting with one or more of their few established players in exchange for young prospects and the dream of future success.
In today’s baseball parlance, they would have to choose between being a “buyer” or a “seller.” Well, to make a long, sad story short, the Tribe was swept by the last place Minnesota Twins in the final series before the trade deadline, enabling its feckless brass to make the Solomon-like decision to do nothing. Well, technically they did “something.” They traded a relatively insignificant minor leaguer for another relatively insignificant minor leaguer. This particular “something” only proved how far into nothingness this franchise has fallen since it was purchased a dozen years ago by Larry Dolan.
Of course, over the past half century or so – with the exception of Dick Jacobs – the Indians have had their share of inept owners, but the current situation is about as bad or worse than its ever been – and that’s really saying something. It appears that the morale of the fans is lower that it has been in nearly 20 years. That’s why the time is right for Dolan – like the Browns’ clueless Randy Lerner – to answer the prayers of Clevelanders and find a buyer for his team. Now.
Why? I’m glad you asked that question. The Indians are dead last in attendance among the 32 major league teams and there seems to be few if any prospects for circumstances to change much in the near future. Their farm system is essentially bereft of top prospects in the upper minors, which is indicative of their scouting and drafting personnel not doing their jobs effectively. While they have made a few decent deals over the Dolan years, the Tribe struck out mightily in the fairly recent trades of back-to-back Cy Young Award winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, getting only one decent major-leaguer, Michael Brantley, in return instead of the hoped-for talent bonanza that would generally come from the exchange of two premier pitching aces.
At the trading deadline a year ago, the Indians dealt their top two pitching prospects for Ubaldo Jiminez, who thus far has been god-awful. To visually characterize the gangly Ubaldo’s mound performances, one needs to go back to the old Disney cartoon where a gyrating Goofy is on the mound serving up pitches as his head corkscrews around watching his ineffectual offerings rocketed around the field. At the time of the deal the Tribe was doing well. At the end of the season, they were under .500 and Ubaldo had been terrible. This year he’s done even worse as the ERA of the Indians starters is at or near the bottom of the American League.
Since this past off-season, the “big” moves made by the Indians have brought them banjo-hitting first baseman Casey Kotchman and way over-the-hill Johnny Damon (combined average this season of about .225), who was finally released last week. And, don’t forget, they re-signed an injured Grady Sizemore, who hasn’t played yet this year. These three players are all left-handed hitters, as is the insignificant minor leaguer they traded for at the deadline. The Indians line-up often features a ridiculous overload of lefty swingers, only two of whom are hitting over .250 against southpaws, which puts the team at a significant strategic disadvantage. But perhaps in Dolan-Land this lopsidedness is somehow balanced out by the fact that, heading into August, each of the Tribe’s over 100 games was started by a right-handed pitcher – which may be some kind of dubious major league record.
The few remaining Dolan apologists may argue that this crazy-quilt team is the fault of the front office. That may be true, but Larry is the guy who hired this crew and he is ultimately responsible for everything – especially the current atmosphere of near-hopelessness that emanates from what’s left of Tribe Nation. And the front-office guy that Larry let get away five years ago, Neal Huntington, is now the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and has seemingly turned that once-dormant franchise around. But what strikes the most fear among fans is Dolan’s is-that-a-threat-or-a-promise statement that he plans to keep the team and pass it down to his children who will “assume ownership.” God forbid.
Dolan, a retired attorney, made his dough in cable television and is clearly a shrewd businessman. But owning a baseball team is an entirely different matter and the same business model that gouged every last dollar out of cable subscribers is a sure-fire way to produce mediocrity in baseball. And his which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg approach to spending money (Dolan’s policy of ‘if the fans come out in big numbers he will spend more’) is foolish beyond belief, especially when the product on the field is run-of-the-mill at best.
Additionally, Tribe fans can’t be encouraged by some the Dolan family’s failures in endeavors outside their cable empire. It practically goes without saying that Larry’s venture into starting an all-sports TV station, SportsTimeOhio, has resulted in one of the blandest sports products in existence. His nephew, James, owns the New York Knicks and was recently voted the worst owner in the NBA. And his son, Matt, is such an inept Republican politician that he was unable to even come close to winning the race for Cuyahoga County Executive despite the fact that he had a huge financial advantage and the county’s Democratic Party was knee-deep in the biggest corruption scandal in this area’s history.
Adding insult to injury for the long-suffering Tribe fans has been the sickening sight and sound of addle-brained reliever Chris Perez (who should be dropped like a bag of dirt before he turns into John Rocker) saying that players around the league hate Cleveland, hinting that some of his teammates want out and lashing out at the fans for not enthusiastically supporting a death-marching team that has not accomplished anything and is unbelievably boring to boot.
So this is the situation, Larry, that you have wrought. Complain all you want about the perils of the small market teams and economic vagaries and the unwillingness of fans to front you enough money to spend freely. Knock yourself out. But, please, do everyone a favor and leave before the villagers are forced to take up their pitchforks and torches and run your pasty behind out of town on a rail. Good Lord willing, that is.
Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com[/quote]
quote="J.R."]Let’s Pray That Dolan Sells the Indians
By Larry Durstin
The tension was building all during the last week of July as the baseball trade deadline was approaching and the Cleveland Indians had a big decision to make. Hovering around the .500 mark yet still “in the hunt” for a post-season appearance, the Tribe was contemplating either trading whatever few minor league prospects they might have in their mediocre farm system for proven big leaguers to help them in the stretch run, or once again throwing in the towel and parting with one or more of their few established players in exchange for young prospects and the dream of future success.
In today’s baseball parlance, they would have to choose between being a “buyer” or a “seller.” Well, to make a long, sad story short, the Tribe was swept by the last place Minnesota Twins in the final series before the trade deadline, enabling its feckless brass to make the Solomon-like decision to do nothing. Well, technically they did “something.” They traded a relatively insignificant minor leaguer for another relatively insignificant minor leaguer. This particular “something” only proved how far into nothingness this franchise has fallen since it was purchased a dozen years ago by Larry Dolan.
Of course, over the past half century or so – with the exception of Dick Jacobs – the Indians have had their share of inept owners, but the current situation is about as bad or worse than its ever been – and that’s really saying something. It appears that the morale of the fans is lower that it has been in nearly 20 years. That’s why the time is right for Dolan – like the Browns’ clueless Randy Lerner – to answer the prayers of Clevelanders and find a buyer for his team. Now.
Why? I’m glad you asked that question. The Indians are dead last in attendance among the 32 major league teams and there seems to be few if any prospects for circumstances to change much in the near future. Their farm system is essentially bereft of top prospects in the upper minors, which is indicative of their scouting and drafting personnel not doing their jobs effectively. While they have made a few decent deals over the Dolan years, the Tribe struck out mightily in the fairly recent trades of back-to-back Cy Young Award winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, getting only one decent major-leaguer, Michael Brantley, in return instead of the hoped-for talent bonanza that would generally come from the exchange of two premier pitching aces.
At the trading deadline a year ago, the Indians dealt their top two pitching prospects for Ubaldo Jiminez, who thus far has been god-awful. To visually characterize the gangly Ubaldo’s mound performances, one needs to go back to the old Disney cartoon where a gyrating Goofy is on the mound serving up pitches as his head corkscrews around watching his ineffectual offerings rocketed around the field. At the time of the deal the Tribe was doing well. At the end of the season, they were under .500 and Ubaldo had been terrible. This year he’s done even worse as the ERA of the Indians starters is at or near the bottom of the American League.
Since this past off-season, the “big” moves made by the Indians have brought them banjo-hitting first baseman Casey Kotchman and way over-the-hill Johnny Damon (combined average this season of about .225), who was finally released last week. And, don’t forget, they re-signed an injured Grady Sizemore, who hasn’t played yet this year. These three players are all left-handed hitters, as is the insignificant minor leaguer they traded for at the deadline. The Indians line-up often features a ridiculous overload of lefty swingers, only two of whom are hitting over .250 against southpaws, which puts the team at a significant strategic disadvantage. But perhaps in Dolan-Land this lopsidedness is somehow balanced out by the fact that, heading into August, each of the Tribe’s over 100 games was started by a right-handed pitcher – which may be some kind of dubious major league record.
The few remaining Dolan apologists may argue that this crazy-quilt team is the fault of the front office. That may be true, but Larry is the guy who hired this crew and he is ultimately responsible for everything – especially the current atmosphere of near-hopelessness that emanates from what’s left of Tribe Nation. And the front-office guy that Larry let get away five years ago, Neal Huntington, is now the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and has seemingly turned that once-dormant franchise around. But what strikes the most fear among fans is Dolan’s is-that-a-threat-or-a-promise statement that he plans to keep the team and pass it down to his children who will “assume ownership.” God forbid.
Dolan, a retired attorney, made his dough in cable television and is clearly a shrewd businessman. But owning a baseball team is an entirely different matter and the same business model that gouged every last dollar out of cable subscribers is a sure-fire way to produce mediocrity in baseball. And his which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg approach to spending money (Dolan’s policy of ‘if the fans come out in big numbers he will spend more’) is foolish beyond belief, especially when the product on the field is run-of-the-mill at best.
Additionally, Tribe fans can’t be encouraged by some the Dolan family’s failures in endeavors outside their cable empire. It practically goes without saying that Larry’s venture into starting an all-sports TV station, SportsTimeOhio, has resulted in one of the blandest sports products in existence. His nephew, James, owns the New York Knicks and was recently voted the worst owner in the NBA. And his son, Matt, is such an inept Republican politician that he was unable to even come close to winning the race for Cuyahoga County Executive despite the fact that he had a huge financial advantage and the county’s Democratic Party was knee-deep in the biggest corruption scandal in this area’s history.
Adding insult to injury for the long-suffering Tribe fans has been the sickening sight and sound of addle-brained reliever Chris Perez (who should be dropped like a bag of dirt before he turns into John Rocker) saying that players around the league hate Cleveland, hinting that some of his teammates want out and lashing out at the fans for not enthusiastically supporting a death-marching team that has not accomplished anything and is unbelievably boring to boot.
So this is the situation, Larry, that you have wrought. Complain all you want about the perils of the small market teams and economic vagaries and the unwillingness of fans to front you enough money to spend freely. Knock yourself out. But, please, do everyone a favor and leave before the villagers are forced to take up their pitchforks and torches and run your pasty behind out of town on a rail. Good Lord willing, that is.
Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com[/quote]
Re: Articles
2029Gotta love it!
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Articles
2030Manny Acta Defends His Low-Key Managerial Style
By Lindsey Foltin - 92.3 The Fan
August 8, 2012 4:23 PM
CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) –
“When I flip tables, it just isn’t in front of you. When I say bad words in both languages I just don’t do it in front of you.”
That’s what Indians manager Manny Acta said after Tuesday night’s 7-5 loss to the Twins, which was one game shy of tying the record for clubs longest consecutive losing streak of 12 games.
Thankfully, the 2012 Indians didn’t make history (for all the wrong reasons) after snapping the 11-game losing skid with a 6-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
During the course of the teams rough patch, one which Acta said he’d “never seen anything like it before”, fans have begun to question the managerial style of the once trusted skipper.
Fans are claiming that Acta lacks “passion” and “fight”, and that his composure during games makes him appear uncaring and uninvolved. While Acta has remained cool as a cucumber throughout what many are calling “the worst stretch of baseball ever seen”, he stands by his unruffled demeanor.
“Passion doesn’t mean throwing stuff, yelling profanities and disrespecting people. That’s what people are a little confused about. When things are going well, I’m being labeled as cool, calm and collected, but when my team starts to lose, (people say) ‘he doesn’t argue enough, he doesn’t show enough fire or passion.’”
Acta said that just because the fans don’t see such outbursts, doesn’t mean they don’t happen.
“We did have a big time yelling and screaming match with a few words that can’t be said here or printed in the papers, but you know what happened after that? We dropped five more in a row. There is a time and place for that, it’s not in front of the cameras.”
So give him credit for taking the abrasive approach, at least he tried. He made a great point in saying that “no one wants to be yelled at”. While sometimes scolding is indeed necessary, Acta feels that he can manage his baseball team more effectively by taking a softer approach with his players.
“This isn’t high school or college, these are elite athletes playing at the professional level. I shouldn’t have to scream and yell at them to get them to do something, and if I do, I have the wrong guys,” Acta said.
Since managing at the Major League level, Acta has yet to lead a team to a winning record. His overall winning percentage in five seasons (three with the Washington Nationals and his first two with the Indians) as skipper is .422.
Despite five (going on six) seasons with losing records, Acta feels his managerial style is in no need of a makeover.
“This is how I lead. I’m going to stay true to myself. I’m not a chameleon, I’m not going to change it just because a few people think that screaming, yelling and turning tables in front of cameras is the way to go. I reflect calmness to my players. When I have to yell and scream which I can do in two languages, I’ll do it behind closed doors.”
By Lindsey Foltin - 92.3 The Fan
August 8, 2012 4:23 PM
“When I flip tables, it just isn’t in front of you. When I say bad words in both languages I just don’t do it in front of you.”
That’s what Indians manager Manny Acta said after Tuesday night’s 7-5 loss to the Twins, which was one game shy of tying the record for clubs longest consecutive losing streak of 12 games.
Thankfully, the 2012 Indians didn’t make history (for all the wrong reasons) after snapping the 11-game losing skid with a 6-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
During the course of the teams rough patch, one which Acta said he’d “never seen anything like it before”, fans have begun to question the managerial style of the once trusted skipper.
Fans are claiming that Acta lacks “passion” and “fight”, and that his composure during games makes him appear uncaring and uninvolved. While Acta has remained cool as a cucumber throughout what many are calling “the worst stretch of baseball ever seen”, he stands by his unruffled demeanor.
“Passion doesn’t mean throwing stuff, yelling profanities and disrespecting people. That’s what people are a little confused about. When things are going well, I’m being labeled as cool, calm and collected, but when my team starts to lose, (people say) ‘he doesn’t argue enough, he doesn’t show enough fire or passion.’”
Acta said that just because the fans don’t see such outbursts, doesn’t mean they don’t happen.
“We did have a big time yelling and screaming match with a few words that can’t be said here or printed in the papers, but you know what happened after that? We dropped five more in a row. There is a time and place for that, it’s not in front of the cameras.”
So give him credit for taking the abrasive approach, at least he tried. He made a great point in saying that “no one wants to be yelled at”. While sometimes scolding is indeed necessary, Acta feels that he can manage his baseball team more effectively by taking a softer approach with his players.
“This isn’t high school or college, these are elite athletes playing at the professional level. I shouldn’t have to scream and yell at them to get them to do something, and if I do, I have the wrong guys,” Acta said.
Since managing at the Major League level, Acta has yet to lead a team to a winning record. His overall winning percentage in five seasons (three with the Washington Nationals and his first two with the Indians) as skipper is .422.
Despite five (going on six) seasons with losing records, Acta feels his managerial style is in no need of a makeover.
“This is how I lead. I’m going to stay true to myself. I’m not a chameleon, I’m not going to change it just because a few people think that screaming, yelling and turning tables in front of cameras is the way to go. I reflect calmness to my players. When I have to yell and scream which I can do in two languages, I’ll do it behind closed doors.”
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Articles
2031So There !!! 
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Articles
2032In my opinion, Manny Acta is a good manager and I like him a lot. He's been dealt a tough deck to play with and the future isn't going to be any more reassuring to Manny Acta or the Indian's faithful fans. Face it! This team is stuck between a rock and a hard place. In my opinion, until we get new ownship and cleanout the front office, it will be the same o'le same o'le. The conditions were not created by Manny Acta and he certainly does not deserve any blame for it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Articles
2033Even Manny realizes he doesn't make a difference.Despite five (going on six) seasons with losing records, Acta feels his managerial style is in no need of a makeover.
Re: Articles
2034We have had this discussion before but I think we mostly agreed that a Manager probably makes an 8-10 game difference in a season.
But I must mention that 1) that is 16-20 games if you are dealing with extremes and 2) 8-10 games is enough to get under the skin of a dedicated fan if negative and make him a hero worshiper if positive.
JMHO.
But I must mention that 1) that is 16-20 games if you are dealing with extremes and 2) 8-10 games is enough to get under the skin of a dedicated fan if negative and make him a hero worshiper if positive.
JMHO.
Re: Articles
2035I'll take the middle road and say 11-15 games....but I agree in the marathon of the season that isn't much.loufla wrote:We have had this discussion before but I think we mostly agreed that a Manager probably makes an 8-10 game difference in a season.
But I must mention that 1) that is 16-20 games if you are dealing with extremes and 2) 8-10 games is enough to get under the skin of a dedicated fan if negative and make him a hero worshiper if positive.
JMHO.
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
Re: Articles
2036If the manager makes a difference in 10 games a season, an average manager wins 5 and loses 5.
A great manager might win 7 and lose 3. An awful manager might win 3 and lose 7.
I still don't think it makes any difference.
A great manager might win 7 and lose 3. An awful manager might win 3 and lose 7.
I still don't think it makes any difference.
Re: Articles
2038Sparky Anderson always said there are 50 you'll win regardless, 50 you'll lose and 62 that can go either way. Acta stinks fire him, Shapiro and Antoneti. Dolan game them plenty of money to compete this year. Very poor management led to this disaster....
Re: Articles
2040Cleveland Indians CEO Paul Dolan on Tribe's midsummer collapse: 'It was so dismal' -- Terry Pluto
Published: Thursday, August 09, 2012, 3:02 PM Updated: Thursday, August 09, 2012, 3:40 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Paul Dolan still can't believe it happened.
On July 26, his Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. They were within 3 1/2 games of first place in the Central Division.
"We were a contender," said Dolan.
Then came the 11-game losing streak, one short of a team record set in 1931. Outscored 95-35. Starting pitchers had an earned run average of 10.44. Team batting average of .224. Outscored 32-12 in the first two innings.
"That was probably the most disappointing stretch of baseball in our tenure [as owners]," Dolan said. "It was so dismal. It changed the entire season. We had an opportunity to make up some ground in attendance. We were set up for a drive for the playoffs."
Not now. Not with a 51-60 record heading into Thursday night.
"I have never seen a season unravel like that in such a short stretch," Dolan added. "Our pitching just collapsed. It was so painful."
Some fans wanted manager Manny Acta fired. Others wanted the front office turned upside down. There were demands for the Dolans to sell the franchise. On Thursday morning, the reality of a lost opportunity to win both games and fan support weighed heavily on Dolan.
To his credit, he talked. But he didn't answer many of the questions and was not especially expansive.
He did state "The franchise is not for sale." He added that he was open to "minority investors," but so far none have appeared.
"I don't want knee-jerk reactions"
The Dolans bought the team before the 2000 season. In that span, the Indians have had four managers: Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner (interim), Eric Wedge and Acta, who has taken most of the heat for a season that has gone up in flames.
"[Firing him] was never discussed," said Dolan. "The president [Mark Shapiro] and general manager [Chris Antonetti] never even brought that subject to me."
Dolan declined to discuss Acta's future beyond this season -- or that of anyone else in the front office. "We assess everyone at the end of every season," he said. "As painful as this has been, I don't want to get into some knee-jerk reactions."
While Antonetti recently said he expected Acta to return in 2013, there is no guarantee of that at the moment. Acta is under contract for 2013, but it's clear Dolan wants to see how the team performs for the rest of the season.
It's no secret that many fans want bench coach Sandy Alomar to take over as manager. Furthermore, the former Tribe star interviewed for managerial jobs last season -- and may be in the mix again for openings. And yes, the Dolans do like Alomar and have a long relationship with him.
But that's not something Dolan is prepared to discuss in the middle of August.
The Indians did make a change Thursday, with Class AAA pitching coach Ruben Niebla replacing Scott Radinsky as pitching coach. Niebla was named on an interim basis.
Never fired a GM
Shapiro has a contract through 2013. It would be a shock if Shapiro was replaced, because his main job is the big-picture policies for the franchise. He is not involved in the day-to-day aspect of running the baseball team on the field. That falls to Antonetti and Acta.
Dolan admitted that "some" of Antonetti's moves "didn't work out as well as we'd like." He declined to discuss the length of Antonetti's contract, other than to say it's not up at the end of this season. I've heard it runs at least through 2014.
Antonetti took over officially as GM in 2011, but had been making major baseball decisions for several years. Shapiro was preparing Antonetti for a few years before his elevation was announced.
The Dolans have never fired a team president or general manager. GM John Hart left when he sensed payroll would be cut and the team was in a decline. His assistant -- Shapiro -- took over in 2002. Shapiro actually did much of Hart's job in 2001 as Hart was preparing for the transition.
Shapiro then trained Antonetti as his replacement, Shapiro becoming the president in 2010.
"It's not fair just to judge [Antonetti] on the last year or so," said Dolan. "He has been with us for a long time [since 1999] and has been the architect of some deals that turned out very well -- long before he became general manager."
What's next?
The Indians rank last in MLB average attendance at 20,321. That's not enough to hit their projection of 1.7 million. Their payroll is $71 million, ranking 26th. The average MLB payroll is $105 million.
How are the Indians doing financially this season? "Not particularly good," said Dolan, not willing to elaborate.
While fans often mentioned the 2002 line for the Dolans about them "spending when the time is right," it's doubtful that time will be 2013. Besides, the now 10-year-old proclamation was vague. What does "spend" really mean? When is the right time? Fans can keep bringing it up, but that won't affect ownership.
The Dolans would say they did spend in 2009, adding Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa to the payroll -- $15 million over budget. That season ended with a 65-97 record and Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee traded to cut payroll.
The collapse of the Tribe will hurt ticket sales for 2013. And it also is devastating to the franchise, which is still trying to win back the confidence of the fans.
Changes? The Dolans may make some, but it's hard to imagine them blowing it up as some fans have suggested. That has never been their history.
Published: Thursday, August 09, 2012, 3:02 PM Updated: Thursday, August 09, 2012, 3:40 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Paul Dolan still can't believe it happened.
On July 26, his Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. They were within 3 1/2 games of first place in the Central Division.
"We were a contender," said Dolan.
Then came the 11-game losing streak, one short of a team record set in 1931. Outscored 95-35. Starting pitchers had an earned run average of 10.44. Team batting average of .224. Outscored 32-12 in the first two innings.
"That was probably the most disappointing stretch of baseball in our tenure [as owners]," Dolan said. "It was so dismal. It changed the entire season. We had an opportunity to make up some ground in attendance. We were set up for a drive for the playoffs."
Not now. Not with a 51-60 record heading into Thursday night.
"I have never seen a season unravel like that in such a short stretch," Dolan added. "Our pitching just collapsed. It was so painful."
Some fans wanted manager Manny Acta fired. Others wanted the front office turned upside down. There were demands for the Dolans to sell the franchise. On Thursday morning, the reality of a lost opportunity to win both games and fan support weighed heavily on Dolan.
To his credit, he talked. But he didn't answer many of the questions and was not especially expansive.
He did state "The franchise is not for sale." He added that he was open to "minority investors," but so far none have appeared.
"I don't want knee-jerk reactions"
The Dolans bought the team before the 2000 season. In that span, the Indians have had four managers: Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner (interim), Eric Wedge and Acta, who has taken most of the heat for a season that has gone up in flames.
"[Firing him] was never discussed," said Dolan. "The president [Mark Shapiro] and general manager [Chris Antonetti] never even brought that subject to me."
Dolan declined to discuss Acta's future beyond this season -- or that of anyone else in the front office. "We assess everyone at the end of every season," he said. "As painful as this has been, I don't want to get into some knee-jerk reactions."
While Antonetti recently said he expected Acta to return in 2013, there is no guarantee of that at the moment. Acta is under contract for 2013, but it's clear Dolan wants to see how the team performs for the rest of the season.
It's no secret that many fans want bench coach Sandy Alomar to take over as manager. Furthermore, the former Tribe star interviewed for managerial jobs last season -- and may be in the mix again for openings. And yes, the Dolans do like Alomar and have a long relationship with him.
But that's not something Dolan is prepared to discuss in the middle of August.
The Indians did make a change Thursday, with Class AAA pitching coach Ruben Niebla replacing Scott Radinsky as pitching coach. Niebla was named on an interim basis.
Never fired a GM
Shapiro has a contract through 2013. It would be a shock if Shapiro was replaced, because his main job is the big-picture policies for the franchise. He is not involved in the day-to-day aspect of running the baseball team on the field. That falls to Antonetti and Acta.
Dolan admitted that "some" of Antonetti's moves "didn't work out as well as we'd like." He declined to discuss the length of Antonetti's contract, other than to say it's not up at the end of this season. I've heard it runs at least through 2014.
Antonetti took over officially as GM in 2011, but had been making major baseball decisions for several years. Shapiro was preparing Antonetti for a few years before his elevation was announced.
The Dolans have never fired a team president or general manager. GM John Hart left when he sensed payroll would be cut and the team was in a decline. His assistant -- Shapiro -- took over in 2002. Shapiro actually did much of Hart's job in 2001 as Hart was preparing for the transition.
Shapiro then trained Antonetti as his replacement, Shapiro becoming the president in 2010.
"It's not fair just to judge [Antonetti] on the last year or so," said Dolan. "He has been with us for a long time [since 1999] and has been the architect of some deals that turned out very well -- long before he became general manager."
What's next?
The Indians rank last in MLB average attendance at 20,321. That's not enough to hit their projection of 1.7 million. Their payroll is $71 million, ranking 26th. The average MLB payroll is $105 million.
How are the Indians doing financially this season? "Not particularly good," said Dolan, not willing to elaborate.
While fans often mentioned the 2002 line for the Dolans about them "spending when the time is right," it's doubtful that time will be 2013. Besides, the now 10-year-old proclamation was vague. What does "spend" really mean? When is the right time? Fans can keep bringing it up, but that won't affect ownership.
The Dolans would say they did spend in 2009, adding Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa to the payroll -- $15 million over budget. That season ended with a 65-97 record and Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee traded to cut payroll.
The collapse of the Tribe will hurt ticket sales for 2013. And it also is devastating to the franchise, which is still trying to win back the confidence of the fans.
Changes? The Dolans may make some, but it's hard to imagine them blowing it up as some fans have suggested. That has never been their history.