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With all of the excitement lately with the Cavaliers and the Blue Jackets, Opening Day for the Indians sort of snuck up on me. Typically I'm more excited for Indians baseball than any of my teams, but my time has just been consumed with CBJ fever and the Wine and Gold.

With that said, I have still been following the Tribe. That 9-1 shellacking was nothing short of discouraging, but the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. I have my mind on some things going into this season though.

The question that has been on everyone's mind is what is Travis Hafner going to bring? Call me bitter, but I'm not thinking he's going to return to form. Maybe it's because I'm superstitious, and I received a Hafner jersey for Christmas in 2006 (and he hasn't played well the last two seasons), but there just really hasn't been much good news about this guy lately. Nothing seems too positive, and I'm concerned that there will be a glaring hole in the heart of this order.

The outfield make-up intrigues me. Grady Sizemore is a lock, but Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo seem to be placeholders until the likes of Michael Brantley, Trevor Crowe and Matt LaPorta are ready to take over. As it stands, there are five outfielders who are on the big league radar. I'm just curious to see who emerges from this ongoing competition from now until the end of the season and into 2010 as the future corner outfielders.

Without taking into account today's game, Cliff Lee will go something like 10-12 this year. Call it a hunch, but I've always been hot and cold with Lee. Before last year, he was inconsistent at times, and it seems that he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I hope I'm wrong on this one (and again, it's just a hunch), but the 2009 season greatly depends on his left arm.

Will Grady Sizemore hit .300? I think he will. I'm considering 2009 as his real breakout year. He's going to cut down on his strikeouts, and truly lead this team.

Put it all together, and I think the Indians fall just short of the division title, second to the Twins. Uncertainty in the rotation and the next wave of young players will keep this team from making the playoffs. I'm expecting this club to come together in 2010, but hopefully that billing comes ahead of schedule.

If that's the case, basketball and hockey season will sneak up on me this fall.

Tags: ben francisco, cleveland indians, cliff lee, columbus clippers, grady sizemore, matt laporta, michael brantley, shin-soo choo, travis hafner, trevor crowe