Culver City Observer -

In a great World Series someone has to lose.

This year it was the Cleveland Indians but they should be proud of their performance in a classic series that wasn’t decided until the extra inning of the seventh game.

Terry Francona is a manager who is probably headed to the Hall of Fame. He guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships and came close this time.

His work this season was superb. The Indians lost some key players early in the season including two important pitchers.

Francona adjusted the pitching rotation and consistently fielded teams that played the game right.

They weren’t the favorite to win the American League championship but they outclassed the hard-hitting Red Sox and the powerhouse team in Texas to reach the World Series.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor is going to be a big league star and recent key additions, pitcher Andrew Miller and catcher Mike Napoli have been a big help.

I don’t know why the Angels didn’t keep Napoli when they had him but that’s a story for a different time.

Coco Crisp was another key addition. The Indians got the outfielder away from the Oakland A’s in a mid season trade. He’s a true pro.

The Indians were good enough to take a 3-1 series lead from the Cubs in the World Series. There’s no shame in losing the final three games to a team that had a lot of determination considering their 108-year absence from a World Series championship.

So let’s go on to next year and see what surprises baseball can bring us.