Day 3: One more day in Texas

Long road home: After 2 months of spring training, 2 days in Houston and a 5 day stay in the Dallas - Ft.Worth area to start the season, Indians players and coaches can't wait to get back to Cleveland for the home opener tomorrow. Not only are they excited about playing in front of the home fans at Progressive Field, but for many it's a chance to reunite with wives and kids. With any type of school vacations not taking place during spring training this year, some members of the Indians family have not seen their families, or only seen them for a long weekend, for almost 2 and a half months. There are very few downsides to what is an enjoyable profession for any player or coach, but time away from family is one of the challenges.

Tragedy hits Angels: What a difficult start to the season it has been for the Angels organization. On opening night in Anaheim, a concrete slab fell into an area of seats at Angels Stadium and fortunately no one was injured. However, following the game, a brawl resulted in the death of a fan as he was leaving Angels Stadium. Then in the early hours of this morning, Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was one of three people killed in a hit and run accident in the Los Angeles area. Adenhart was on his way home from the ballpark following his first start of the season and only fifth major league start of his career. He had thrown six shutout innings against Oakland, confirming what most baseball people already knew: the 22 year old was one of the brightest young pitching prospects in the game. I first learned of the tragic news while in the Indians clubhouse this morning prior to the Tribe game here in Texas. As is usually the case, baseball being a close knit fraternity, most players knew of or knew someone who knew Adenhart. Needless to say, it was a quiet scene as players watched the news unfold on television.

Staying the course: Tough start to the season for the Tribe with today's loss in Texas. It was the 3rd consecutive lackluster outing for an Indians starting pitcher as Carl Pavano allowed 9 runs in less than 2 innings. Manager Eric Wedge has always been a patient supporter of his players who appreciates the length of the baseball season. That philosophy will come in handy as the Indians negotiate the early portion of the 2009 season.