When the Indians signed Kerry Wood, I was ecstatic.  He is, after all, the first big name closer the Tribe have had in quite sometime.  I was by no means an all out Borowski hater, but he certainly was frustrating far too often.  Wood will be closing games with his overall pitching ability and cannon of an arm.  Borowski relied far too much on taking risks and aiming his pitches, and the outcome was often disappointing.

Hearing that Wood is showing leadership so early on in the pre-season is great news as well.  I’m sure he will have a great deal of effect on the younger pitchers in the Indians organization, and the whole team will benefit from that.

As for Mark DeRosa, well, it seems as if he is filling the Casey Blake void, and then some.  It’s no question that the Indians plans for Andy Marte weren’t going to pan out, so when the they traded Blake to the Dodgers, I was concerned.  Casey Blake is by no means a hall of famer, but he was a phenomenal teammate and seemed to always be making the big play or getting the big hit when it was needed.  He is a ballplayer through and through. 

Enter Mark DeRosa, IF pickup from the Cubs, and an all around “do what’s best for the team” kind of guy.  Oh, and did I mention his offensive numbers are far better than Blake’s? 

Can’t wait to see the impact these two have during the season.  Should be interesting.