2005 was the team’s breakout season, 2006 was to be a continuation of that success, but the Indians finished in fourth place, 78-84.Ahead to 2007, expectations were still there, but they were not as high after the poor performance of 2006. The Indians went on to pass the Twins, Tigers, and White Sox to capture a division crown. Now it is 2008, and again, the Indians were expected to continue their development, but again have fallen flat on their face. Is it leadership? Do Eric Wedge and the coaching staff not ride the guys enough? Should he be like a Jim Leyland and go in front of cameras, putting his team’s efforts down in an attempt to motivate? Wedge seems to be becoming a younger version of a Joe Torre, who in his time, has not been one to ridicule his players. He stays positive and has faith in his players, and tries to lead by example.The difference? Torre did this with a veteran lineup in New York.

The Indians don’t have the same talent, and have numerous young players who are still learning how to handle adversity.That said, this is where Wedge, the 2007 AL Manager of the Year, must earn his money and a reputation as a top manager in the game. He must find a way to put players into the right situations to succeed. Maybe that means platooning guys who have never been platooned before, or mixing the lineup, or benching a guy like Peralta or Gutierrez.Maybe it is the players. Has any one of them really shown any emotions on the field other than frustration. There has even been a little bickering between teammates earlier this week, as Victor Martinez and reliever Jorge Julio spat about pitch selection.Nobody has stepped forward to take the blame and say what needs to be done. We as fans continue to wait and aimlessly hope for the situation to resolve itself One thing is for sure, right now, nobody is having fun Maybe it is that simple.

The next time the Indians have a successful game, maybe a player should find a new prank to breed some positive emotion.Because in the end, success must involve some fun.. Dupont Circle Event to Focus on Taking Charge and Feeling BetterWASHINGTON, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Foundation of America GreaterWashington Chapter (LFAGW) will offer the 14th Annual Symposium for LupusPatients and Families on Sat., May 16 from 9:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at theCarnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.,Washington, D.C (Dupont Circle Metro). The free Symposium was created for the70,000+ Washington area patients with lupus --- 90 percent of whom are women.Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease with no known cure that can damage anypart of the body including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys andthe brain.