How does the Tribe stack up to other small market teams?

Fridays are better than other days. Baseball is better than other sports. Let's talk about baseball this Friday. Here's what's going on:

Indians news & notes

Hey Hoynsie! Why are the Indians worse than KC, OAK, and TB? | Cleveland.com - How come Cleveland sucks so much under Shaptonetti when compared to other small market teams? Well, they don't, as Hoynsie adeptly points out. Read on to see Paul address other dumb questions, covering topics such as a Jason Kipnis position change and promting Clint Frazier to AAA.

WOF vs That Guy: Extend Kluber for Life! | Wahoo's On First - Corey Kluber won the Cy Young last year, so we'd be stupid not to extend him now, right? Not necessarily, says WOF. There are many reasons why it wouldn't make sense to do now, and WOF addresses all of the typical "that guy" arguments in explaining their case.

Tribe anchored by strong catching duo | Indians.com - With Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez, the Indians once again find themselves with two backstops that could be starters on many teams. It didn't start out that way in 2014,as Carlos Santana began the season as backup catcher. With Perez' arrival, the catcher spot was solidified.

Are the Indians the latest victims of the Bieber curse? | Cleveland.com - Justin Bieber was spotted wearing a Wahoo hat. If ever there was a way to convince the Clecommers to give up on the Chief, this may be it.

Tidbits from around MLB

Is baseball really boring? | Just a Bit Outside - A hardcore fan analyzes why casual fans might see baseball as boring. The biggest culprit? Too many games. There's actually a lot of other really great insight in this piece, too.

New commish open to discussing Rose's eligibility | Fox Sports - Pete Rose has come clean and shown remorse (for gambling, but not for being an insufferable jerk). Is it time to finally let him in the Hall?

Worrying about V-Mart | Sports On Earth - In case you missed it Victor Martinez tore the meniscus in his left knee. He's expected to be recovering for 4-6 weeks, but Anthony Castrovince thinks there might be more to worry about than you'd think. Victor isn't getting any younger, and this isn't his first ride in the injury rodeo. Losing Victor for longer than expected would be a huge blow for the Tigers - and a huge boon for he Tribe.

Top 10 pitcher/batter rivalries | Sports On Earth - Some guys just have another guy's number. Others have actually gotten into fights. Everyone loves a good showdown, though.

How Shields could maximize his earnings | Fangraphs - James Shields is the last major free agent left on the market. The problem is, most teams have their rosters set and their offseason plans fully realized by this point. What if Shields' best option was to wait around until some team loses a pitcher to injury and is in dire need of a frontline starter?