[RebelYell]

Sizzling start has Clevelanders starting to take notice
(Editor's Note: This is the first installment of a weekly feature where fans can send their questions to Indians manager Bobby Don Southworth. Answers to selected questions will appear in a weekly column from Southworth.)

Q: BD, is it possible for the Indians to get back where we want to be sooner than we've expected?

A: Sure, anything is possible. Baseball is a game of momentum and emotion as much as it is a game of batting averages and ERAs. With a young team, you can multiply the momentum and emotion factors by about two or three times as, say, a veteran ballclub. Little things affect a young team more and how the team reacts and handles those things will be reflected in the standings. Do I think we can have a winning record? Win the Central Division? Make the ALCS? Yes to all of them. But they're going to come like everything else: One step at a time. We're still taking baby steps right now. We've got a long way to go.


Q: We saw the Royals game on TV this week where Jeremy Sowers pitched. Are we bringing him along too fast?

A: Jeremy looked great in spring training and he had a couple of good starts at Kinston. He's not going to get challenged in A ball; the AA and AAA rosters are chock full of guys who need every start they can get; and Jeremy was one of about three or four guys we promised ourselves to take a look at early in the season. He's started out great and hopefully he can keep it going Tuesday against the Yankees.


Q: Grady Sizemore is tearing it up, but I noticed we don't utilize his speed very much. Without him, this team is pretty slow, especially for being so young. Is there any kind of a conscious effort going on to inject some speed into the lineup?

A: You've hit on the one thing I really can't do much about but would love to change. We're a slow team and we've had to play a lot of station-to-station baseball. We have sluggers in the lineup to hit home runs and when they don't do it, they're on base and we have to deal with it. If you went to my games in Akron the last few years, you know I love to play the short game, run on everybody, take extra bases, bunt, squeeze. We can't do that much with this team. It's a team that's filled with guys who can swing the bat, but there isn't a lot of speed. We just have to make do with what we've got.


Q: Coach, what do you do in your down time on the road?

A: There isn't as much down time as people think when we're on the road. There are a few hours in the morning and late at night when you have to find some entertainment. I usually read and watch TV and I do a lot of walking.