I'm sure people are going to tune out as soon as I bring this up, and maybe that alone should make you read more, but I think ESPN needs to take a long hard look in the mirror after using an image of Indians fans in "red"face on its front page this morning. Since the image will change, I will describe it. The image was two fans wearing what, without the feathers and the context, would look like reverse clown make up. The white paint was around their mouths and their eyes and the red paint was on the rest of their face (instead of the other way around). Say what you will about Native American mascots and people's right to express themselves, surely this image is unnecessary. Especially since we've seen so little of the actual Cleveland players.

The obvious next point is that if those guys had gone out in public having substituted black paint instead of red, they would be in trouble. And if ESPN had then put them on their front page, there might have even been a news cycle's worth of controversy about it. But for some reason, using red paint makes it ok, even though it is still a misrepresentation and insult to entire groups of people.

I want Cleveland to win, I don't mind fans getting behind a mascot, and I'm not going to tell them they can't dress up as idiots. I just think it's interesting that ESPN chose to perpetuate this image of all the possible images they could have put on the front page. Like I said, we've seen very little of the Cleveland players, perhaps because they're in a flyover city? Isn't Ohio a pretty populace place, though? And yet after Cleveland beat the Yankees, the entire sports center broadcast was about Joe Torre. All of which is to say, ESPN could focus on the sport and the players instead of a couple fans who dressed up in what many would find offensive outfits.

Finally, I'm sure this isn't some sort of policy of always showing excited fans dressed up. I would argue that the type of image (fans dressed as the mascot) being chosen above others is specific to this team. That is, I don't think an image of an Arizona fan dressed as a snake, if that had happened, would have ever made the front page of ESPN in this situation. I dont' think a player wearing red and white in support of the Red Sox would have been likely to make the front page in this type of image (We would have seen manny or papi, muscles bulging, knocking one out of the park, or maybe all the guys pilingon and celebrating)...I think this is unique to the situation of players dressing as "Indians," which makes it worse.

Sorry if this is hijacking the letters section, but it's important enough an issue that I felt it important to say something.

The Indians are one win away from a flyover World Series that will have Fox TV executives diving for the Maalox. Cleveland vs. Colorado, in a postseason that had started out with the possibility of a Red Sox-Chicago Cubs Series and the 20th century ratings such a matchup promised.

Well, instead of ratings-whining, FAUX ought to appreciate if it is Cleveland v. Colorado. For baseball purists, and real lovers of the game - flyover Series have been among the best.

For example, the 1982 Series between Milwaukee (Brewers, then in the AL) vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. More spectacular plays were seen in that Series (which went a full 7 games) then seen in many others.

We will see what occurs this time, but I am predicting Indians in 7, on account of the Rockies' long layoff.

emotion?

No really, I pretty much totally agree with letter writer # 1 (although I'm not sure that this mascot-fan-front page is a phenomenon restricted to the Indians). It seems like an absurd choice to me, but then again, ESPN rarely impresses me with their good taste...

On a slightly related note, it seems that the only puff-piece in ESPN on any Cleveland players was some yawner of an interview of Paul Byrd's about his new book on his relationship with god...

In reality, I only opened it because of the mention of porn in the article caption; I found out that it was Byrd talking about how he struggled dealing with his porn addiction and faith. Isn't that fantastic!

The series steps aside Wednesday for ... for who knows what

Well, for the record, it's because MLB doesn't want to show a game on Friday night, when people supposedly don't watch much television. But in reality it's just another instance of Selig rearranging his glass menagerie on a whim ("let's put the Brewers over here, and the Expos there, and the Mets next to the Yankees for a few days... and no Fridays!"). This is the genius who cancelled the World Series on an ego trip, leaving billions of dollars on the table while fans (understandably) took their sweet time coming back to baseball games.

So now that attendance is finally back to the record levels of 1993(!), players and owners have become friends, and everyone is flush with cash, Selig decides that Friday nights are an imminent threat to the health of the game. And only he, St. Bud of Milwaukee, can slay that dragon.

I think that the Red Sox downfall is that they get too cocky in the beginning and it shows in their performance. But I've never seen them in such a slump. Usually they snap out of it after the first loss.

I sincerely doubt that they will win any games in this series. Their only chance was last night, and they blew it... and it's due to their own failing.

Congrats, Cleveland.

After watching him for years, I honestly think Manny doesn't look at the scoreboard. He has admitted that half the time, he doesn't know the count when he's hitting.

What's amusing and infuriating and ultimately sort of heroic about Manny is that he seems to live completely in the moment at all times. The last inning and even the last pitch is a distant, meaningless memory.

It's sort of awesome, when you think about it.