The Indians seem to be flying under the radar locally.

The TV, radio and newspapers have continued their normal coverage of a Tribe spring training, but for a team that was one win from the World Series, it seems that not much is at stake.

Maybe it is the Browns' strong offseason or LeBron James, maybe there isn't enough air for everyone. Heck, even the Gladiators are 2-0.

The Indians are close, they can win it all.

But the window of opportunity is open THIS season. This is C.C. Sabathia's likely final season with the Indians.

These thoughts need to be a the forefront of GM Mark Shapiro's head.

I think Shapiro needs to be ready to play whatever chips he has to make trades to fix any holes that develop early. The chips, I see, are the the losers in the No. 5 spot in the rotation, either Lee, Laffey or Sowers. Marte, Choo and Francisco also are trade bait.

I think this team can win the American League this season, but it also can't be a season that Shapiro lets get away early. He needs to be bold and active.

– It has been quite a change for LeBron James.

Last season, at this time, his play late in games was questioned. This season, he only seems to play in the fourth quarter, scoring at will at that, leading the league in scoring.

He won't win MVP this season, but I do think he has taken his place as the best player in the league.

– The rest of the Cavs still leave a lot to be desired. But with LeBron, anything will be possible in the playoffs.

– I can't argue with the contract extension for Mike Brown.

– The quiet offseason seems to have spooked Indians fans. I get any number of e-mails worried that last season will be a one-shot wonder. I don't think that will be the case. The foundation is in place for the Indians to be like the Twins have been recently. Always in contention.

– Any worries about the new defensive coordinator having little experience should be put to rest with Romeo Crennel in charge of the Browns. That is where he made his career, coaching defenses. Now does that mean the defense will suddenly be better? NO. Just ask Marvin Lewis of the Bengals. Another supposed defensive wiz whose defense can't play. It takes players to win on defense.

– Terelle Pryor seems to add more schools to his wish list each week. Now the No. 1 prep star in the country is said to be considering LSU. He added Oregon about a month ago, Michigan three weeks ago and Duke after that. At this rate, he will end up a Akron. Actually, I think he ends up at Michigan (he has had a long relationship with RichRod) with OSU a close second.

– Selena Roberts wrote her first back page column for Sports Illustarted this week. She is the best female sportswriter in the business and it shows. She recently left the New York Times to go to SI.

According to several reports in Pittsburgh, the hangup on the Jason Bay-to-Tribe trade is Cliff Lee.

The Pirates don't want him in the deal. They want Aaron Laffey or Jeremy Sowers instead, and Shapiro has said no.

Bay and Paulino for Gutierrez, Shoppach and Laffey or Sowers, is what the Pirates would do.

It is dead for now, but so was the Pirates trade to get Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez at this time last year. It took until the middle of January to get that one done with the Braves.

Even with Bay (another guy who even when he is playing well strikes out a ton), the Indians lineup is not on par with the Tigers and Yankees, but the Indians pitching is better.

The funny thing is that only 3 of the 4 (Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Indians) get to make the playoffs, and if the Rangers are horrible, there is a chance that two teams from the West, Mariners and Angels, could make playoff runs.

This I do know: At least, one very good team is not making the playoffs.

Wow. That is all I can say to describe the Tigers lineup after their trade to get Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis:

CF-Granderson
2B: Polanco
RF: Ordonez
DH: Sheffield
3B: Cabrera
1B: Guillen
SS: Renteria
C: Rodriguez
LF: Jones/Thames platoon

That lineup is better than the Yankees. The rotation is Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Willis, Nate Robertson and whoever they drop in

The bullpen is a question, but that is true with just about every team.

This probably will force the Indians hand in adding a quality left fielder. Jason Bay, anyone?

It seems from reports from the baseball winter meetings that Cliff Lee is the one chip that GM Mark Shapiro is looking to play.

There were reports that he would the key piece in a deal to land Jason Bay from the Pirates, but that deal seems to be dead. Pirates GM Neal Huntington doesn't want to trade his most valuable player when he is coming off a down season.

Lee with some prospects should be enough to land a above-average left fielder but not an all-star player.

But don't expect a trade soon. It seems that until Johan Santana and/or Miguel Cabrera are traded that the winter meetings are stalled.

On the C.C. watch, Jeff Passon of Yahoo! Sports weighs in from Nashville.

We don't know who will be paying it, yet speculation from a couple of notable reporters says that Johan Santana will be signing a contract for around $25 million per season.

Most think the best fit for the Twins is the Yankees due to Melky Cabrera and pitching prospects coming back in a major trade. No matter whether it is the Yanks or Red Sox or Mets or some other team, Mr. Santana is about to become the richest pitcher in baseball history.

If, in fact, he signs that type of deal (five years, $125M or more), what does that mean for C.C. Sabathia?

Don't know. I used to think it would be better to trade C.C. now rather than during the season, but you know, you only get so many shots at a World Series title. I say keep him, offer him arbitration after next season so you get the draft picks when he signs somewhere else. I don't think the Indians would offer anymore than four years at $80M, and that probably isn't enough in years or money. But if the Tribe would sign him to five or six years and he would get hurt, it would set the franchise back years.

Be happy you had him, ride him, hopefully, to a championship and then wish him well.

The Indians can't have one player be more than 33 percent of the payroll or three (Hafner and Westbrook with C.C.) being more than 50 percent of the payroll.

It just doesn't work.

The free-agent market is open, and in my opinion, it is bleak.

I don't see much here for the Indians or any other team to be interested in. Other than Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, I don't see any future Hall of Famers or maybe even all-stars available.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports! ranks the 144 free agents here. I don't necessarily agree with his rankings but thought you all would like to see the names and comments.

Two Indians items caught my attention.

Picking up Paul Byrd's option on his contract. As a franchise you either have standards or you don't. There really is no middle ground. With Byrd admitted use of HGH and baseball still investigating, Mark Shapiro needed to pass on Byrd. If he gets suspended for 50 games before the beginning of next season, it will have proved to be a major blunder with the Indians' window of opportunity small.

The second part was comments by owner Larry Dolan on the signing of C.C. Sabathia. It sounds to me like he is waiting for C.C. to present numbers first. I think if the Indians have any chance (I don't think they do) to sign C.C., they need to be proactive. Offer the same deal that Carlos Zambrano got from the Cubs and hope that is enough. I think C.C. can get Barry Zito money (7 years, $126M) if he wants, but there is no way he is taking less than Zambrano money (5 years, $91.5M). Actually, I think the likely route is C.C. pitches for the Tribe next season and then becomes a free agent.

Sorry for the break in blogging but made a family trip to Denver last weekend.

What a beautiful part of the country. We saw the four seasons in four days. Friday, 60s with more sun; Saturday 80 and sun; Sunday 30s with 4 inches of snow. Monday back in the 50s with sun. Did you know that Denver averages more than 300 days of sun per year. I am not sure if we average more than 300 hours of sun here with all the clouds rolling off Lake Erie.

Also did some interesting reading on the Rockies (hard not to like), Nuggets (easy to hate with Iverson and Anthony), Broncos (a .500 team in the making) and Avalanche (Cup-worthy?).

Back to sports …

– I leave for the weekend and the Indians go from being a game from the World Series to at least another season away. What a meltdown!

It seems to me that the suddenly scared pitching staff and the overpaid DH in Travis Hafner did in the Tribe. Hafner finished the season as he started it. Not hitting, at all.

I still think that any chance of the Indians signing C.C. Sabathia ended the day Hafner signed his deal. Now neither was good in the postseason, but C.C. got the Tribe there.

– The Browns could be tied for first place Monday. Who would have thought that sentence would be written this season?

– Ohio State is still the inside favorite to make the BCS title game. Another sentence I didn't expect to write this season, especially in October.

– The Cavaliers are in trouble. I agree with GM Danny Ferry not spending the Cavs into oblivion, but if he sticks to his priorities and doesn't overspend on Pavlovic or Varejao, then he needs to make a deal to support the starting five.

– Rockies in 7. Not sure why. Just a feeling.

– Rick Reilly from Sports Illustrated to ESPN. In his place at SI will be Dan Patrick, formerly of ESPN. Well, that is like trading Tom Brady for Ken Dorsey. Advantage, ESPN.

By the way, Reilly gets $10 million for five years to write one column per week (one week in the magazine, the next for the .com) plus some TV duties. Hopefully SI doesn't continue Patrick's Q/A interviews that used to be on the back page of ESPN Magazine.

First, I want to start this take by saying that I enjoy reading Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.

But … this morning on the Mike and Mike radio show, it hit that we listen to all of these talking heads like they have some inside knowledge but in reality they really don't.

Stark said the reason that the Indians had turned the series was by throwing first-pitch strikes.

I am not saying this isn't true. In fact, it is very true.

My questions is why would a team not do this in the first place. Is Stark telling us that C.C. Sabathia's and Fausto Carmona's plan in the first two games was to throw first-pitch balls?

Of course not.

The reality is, that Byrd and Westbrook are pitching well right now. Byrd said he threw his first 90 mph fastball of the season last night

Now, I am not saying it is luck but it isn't this great new game plan either.

Right now, the Indians are playing well. Period. And the Red Sox aren't.

Nothing else