The LGT Mailbag: Cheering for Nick Swisher, Progressive Field's terrace boxes, and trading Terry Francona

Mailbag articles can be fun, but why not spice it up a little bit.  The LGT Mailbag is where I answer the questions Tribe fans everywhere have been pondering. Plus, there's some answers to questions that nobody has been thinking about. Here goes:

Is it wrong to cheer against Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn in Atlanta? I feel so much disgust from their lousy performance here in Cleveland that I find myself actively rooting against them.

Who am I to judge who you cheer for or against? I certainly can understand the frustrations with Swisher and Bourn, as their years here in Cleveland did not go as planned.

I am shocked that Swisher is actually contributing in Atlanta. He's slugging .541 and carries an OPS of .874 over 42 plate appearances, with three home runs and 10 RBI's. While this absolutely qualifies as a small sample size, those are what we Cleveland fans wanted to see from Swisher. Why now Swish?!?

With all that said, both guys never dogged Cleveland and qualify in my book as good guys who just under performed, so I find myself mostly happy that they are doing well over in the National League.

What exactly is the role of the right field terrace boxes at Progressive Field? Do they get used much? Do you like how they look?

While the right field upper deck looks nothing like the conceptual drawings released by the Indians, they do serve as a home for large groups and/or standing room only overflow. I've only seen them used once, but it's possible I missed a few games where fans were up there.

Initially I greatly disliked how the giant cement boxes looked and felt they were out of place, but I've grown to find them almost ok.

And to finish, let's take another look at a question from earlier this year:

Consider this interesting trade offer . . . trading Terry Francona. The Washington Nationals, going all-in this year, decide they need an upgrade from Matt Williams. They target Terry Francona (and for this example Francona agrees to the deal, possibly with a hefty raise) and offer their 1st round pick and 2nd round picks this year for him. Do you trade Tito?

The majority of folks this spring commented that they would rather keep Francona. Some mentioned how valuable he was in attracting free agents to Cleveland, while others focused on his winning pedigree.

I argued then, and still believe, that most baseball managers offer up similar value. Sure the Dusty Baker's and Ned Yost's of the world can cause issues, but in reality, what's really the long-term difference between Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi, Kevin Cash, or Terry Francona? I think not much.

Plus, while I like Francona and glad he's our manager, I think he's far from perfect (Lindor bunting, Aviles in the two hole, overuse of pen).

I'd absolutely make the deal . . . how about you?