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A few years ago, Eric Wedge was this brilliant minor league manager that was in such demand that the Tribe overlooked a more experienced Joel Skinner to nab him. Three years later, all I see is an undisciplined, fundamentally-retarded baseball team. What was Cliff Lee thinking when he threw the ball into the stands? What was Broussard thinking when he bare-handed a slow grounder and didn’t go for the sure out? What was Boone thinking when he couldn’t simply move the runner over with NO OUTS? Could somebody tell the Indians spring training is over and these games actually count? I know it’s early, but it’s obvious thus far the White Sox and the Twins are better, hungrier, and play much smarter baseball than the Indians. It’s time for Wedge to start showing us why he was chosen to manage this team. The honeymoon is over.

These tough losses to the Sox need to stop. Wednesday’s game went to extra innings, with Bob Howry allowing the decisive run in the top of the 10th. Travis Hafner, the ink not even dry on his new extension, ripped a double off the wall in the bottom of the inning but Victor Martinez popped out on the first pitch he saw to wrap up the 5-4 loss for the Indians.

Grady Sizemore hit a bomb with two outs in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4 but it wasn’t enough. And who else cringed when Wedge called on Wickman in the top of the ninth with the game tied? He got through it fine (1-2-3 with a K) but I covered my eyes on every swing.

Just a week after locking up Victor Martinez, the Indians announced that they’ve agreed to a three-year contract extension with Travis Hafner. The deal, reportedly worth $7 million, runs through 2007 and also includes a club option for 2008.

This is just one more fantastic move by GM Mark Shapiro, reminiscent of the mid-90s when John Hart inked guys like Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Charlie Nagy to long-term deals at bargain prices. You knew Shapiro would move on to Hafner shortly after extending Martinez, and now you’ve got to wonder if he’s working on someone else. Regardless of his next step, Tribe fans should be thrilled with the direction Shapiro is taking this team. Another stretch of AL Central crowns and Jacobs Field sellouts may be just around the corner.

Aside from back-to-back match-ups in weeks two and three with Green Bay and Indianapolis, Romeo Crennel will have a rather easy non-divisional schedule during his first season as an NFL head coach. Of course, the Browns play the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals a total of six times, all of which will be tough games, but the rest of the 2005 schedule, just released by the NFL, is pretty tame. The two games with the Packers and Colts, along with a week-12 meeting against the Vikings and a game the following week with Jacksonville, will certainly pose some problems but beyond that, the Browns play patsies like the Lions (6-10 last year), Bears (5-11), Titans (5-11), Raiders (5-11) and Dolphins (4-12).

Of course, the Browns are patsies too, so that may not matter all that much. Still, a schedule that features six sub-.500 teams from a year ago offers some hope for the ’05 season. In fact, if you take the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals out of the equation, Cleveland’s 2005 opponents were a combined 71-89 last year. Looks like the NFL took some mercy on the Browns.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering…no, you won’t find the Browns on any nationally televised games next season. I know, shocker.

Kind of a double-edged sword thing Tuesday night in Philly, with the 76ers falling to the Celtics 105-98. The idle Cavaliers gain a half game on the ‘Sixers, which puts Cleveland a full game ahead of Philadelphia in the seventh slot, but they also lose a half game to the Celtics, who now find themselves deadlocked at 42-35 with the Pacers and Wizards, two games up on the Cavs. The good news here is that the 76ers have a tough stretch to close the season, hosting Miami on the 14th and then traveling to Indiana and New Jersey on the 15th and 17th before closing against Milwaukee and Atlanta.

The Nets, meanwhile, may have a tougher road ahead. Two games behind the Cavaliers, New Jersey wraps up with games against the Pacers (4/13), 76ers (4/17), Wizards (4/19) and Celtics (4/20) along with a gimme against Toronto on the 15th.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they’ve got their own scheduling headaches to worry about, with Washington (4/15), Detroit (4/17) and Boston (4/19) sandwiched between the Knicks and Raptors. You sure would like to see LeBron pull this team up a slot or two to avoid a first-round match-up with the Pistons or the Heat (if they fall to #8), but at this point I don’t think we can be too picky.