Winning!

When the Tribe were down 14-0 in the 4th inning of their season opener April 1, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt posted the following Tweet:

"Snapshot of the Indians season after 4 frames: Tell that man he can stop banging the drum."

Only John Adams, much like Tupac and Biggie, hasn't stopped (and won't stop) banging. Can't nobody hold him down. Dude is a beast. In this case, it's not "Levitation, Homes," it's "Dedication, Holmes."

Maybe the opener, during which the Tribe fought back, made a game of it, and ended up losing 15-10, was just an April Fool's joke? Because now the Indians sit atop the AL Central Division in first place.

Keep banging the drum, please.

After rattling off eight consecutive wins, the Indians (8-3) dropped a game on the road last night to the Angels by a score of 2-0. They were one-hit in a pitcher's duel.

Despite the loss, this young season has been a sign of good things to come.

Offensively, the Tribe will surely have its ups and downs this year. The team is young and will probably be inconsistent at the plate. At times, they will look unstoppable. Then again, other times they will probably look unwatchable.

What's great is the Tribe have a quality mix of young talent showing flashes of what the young Indians team was doing prior to moving into Jacobs Field in the early 90s, and some older veterans playing like they are 25 again.

The regulars are hitting a combined .281 (79-for-281), with 13 homers and 48 RBIs. And Choo hasn't even found his rhythm yet.

But pitching will be the key for this team.

The Tribe's current rotation of Carmona, Carrasco, Masterson, Tomlin and Talbot have combined to earn seven quality starts out of the team's first 11 games. Their combined ERA is 3.62. Combined WHIP is 1.19. The staff has allowed just five home runs in the first 11 games. Those numbers are Phillies-esque.

Even better, the bullpen has a 3.18 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and has allowed only two homers.

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" said John Adams' Ludwig tenor drum mallets as they continued striking the face of his bass drum from the bleachers beneath the left-center scoreboard. That sound is a staple and it reminds Tribe fans that, even if we are down by 14 runs, you never know which batter might start the rally. It reminds us not to listen to the doubters (as if Clevelanders ever do), to stick with what works, to stay focused and to keep on WINNING!

The beat goes on ...