Indians' Cliff Lee set for Cy Young sequel

[February 24, 2009]  GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Stretched out on a chair in front of his locker, Cliff Lee delicately balanced a laptop computer on his thighs. Scratching his head, the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner plotted his next move in an online chess game before heading outside for another day of spring training.

Cleveland's ace surveyed the virtual board pieces. Sacrifice a pawn? Attack the bishop? Defend the queen?

Lee was locked in -- just as he was all last season. Baseball's king of the mound.

The left-hander, demoted to the minor leagues a year earlier, came out of nowhere to have an historic 2008. Lee went 22-3, led the league in wins and ERA, became the Indians' first 20-game winner since 1972, started the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium and pitched with a single-minded purpose every time out.

"Unbelievable. I can't even try to explain it," said Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach, who was behind the plate for 29 of Lee's 31 starts. "I've never seen anything like it before. You rarely see it for an inning and he was able to do it for an entire season. It was pretty impressive, to say the least."

Lee spent the offseason collecting hardware for his efforts. He picked up awards from coast to coast and even had his high school jersey retired in his hometown of Benton, Ark., where they celebrated Cliff Lee Day.

It was a victory tour he'll never forget, especially the January stop in New York to accept his Cy Young plaque.

"It was somewhat surreal and something that not many people get a chance to do," he said. "I definitely want to go back and do it again."

The Indians would be all for that. They would love a repeat performance from Lee, but the best they can realistically hope for is that he pitches like a No. 1 starter, a role the 30-year-old inherited when CC Sabathia was traded last July.

However, just as Lee is hitting his prime, he and the Indians could be headed for trouble. He's entering the final season of a three-year, $14 million contract that will pay him $5.75 million this year. The team holds an $8 million option for 2010 -- and odds are it will pick that up.

Cleveland was unable to work out a long-term deal after Sabathia won his Cy Young in 2007, and faced with the prospect of losing him to free agency after last season, the club had little choice but to deal him for prospects.

This would seem to be the ideal time to offer Lee a contract extension. But the Indians, who have worked on such deals during past springs, have not yet approached the pitcher or his agent, Darek Braunecker. That could change, but for now general manager Mark Shapiro's only public stance is that Lee is in the team's long-term plans.

"He's a core member of our team and we're proud of what he did last year and how he accomplished it. Ever since then he has shown nothing other than a desire to build off of that," Shapiro said. "We believe in him and we'd like to have him here for a long period of time."

Lee would sign up for that.

"I want to be here," he said. "So I'm all for whatever they want to do."

With no end in sight, the economic downturn could help the Indians. After seeing some high-profile free agents settle for contracts half the size -- or less -- than they expected to get, Lee may want to finalize something before things worsen. But if he waits and has another 20-win season, Lee could cash in as Sabathia did.

Shoppach doesn't foresee Lee's contract being a distraction.

"That's not Cliff. He has worked too hard to get where he's at," Shoppach said. "He doesn't look too far ahead, that's why he was so good last season. That focus."

For a stretch, Lee had taken his eye off the proverbial ball.

An abdominal injury during spring training in 2007 sent Lee into a downward spiral nastier than any breaking pitch. He went on the disabled list, was ineffective when he returned and got demoted to the minors. He came back, was sent to the bullpen and spent October watching his teammates in the playoffs.

The Indians didn't give up on Lee, though. They knew he could pitch. He won 46 games from 2004-06 and the club was convinced he could rebound. Last winter, manager Eric Wedge suggested that Lee fly to North Carolina and spend some time with pitching coach Carl Willis. During the visit, Lee and Willis played catch in the coach's backyard and talked.

"It wasn't anything special," Willis recalled. "More than anything else we talked about him getting back to what had made him successful in the past. It wasn't a real complicated visit, but I think it helped him realize how important he was to our organization and how we wanted him to do well. We wanted him to know we were in his corner. We weren't against him."

Lee felt the visit helped.

"I think so. We both got on the same page," he said. "It was pretty obvious what I needed to do. It was nothing too different. We got to be face to face and we talked about the things that I needed to improve and get better at."

Lee kept things simple last season. Command the fastball. Get ahead in the count. Trust the off-speed stuff. He devised a game plan, stuck with it and became one just seven pitchers since 1920 to win 22 of his first 25 decisions.

"There was no secret or no magic," Lee said. "It was pretty basic."

It was pretty remarkable.

A year ago, Lee was fighting for the No. 5 spot in Cleveland's rotation. Now, he's the unquestioned No. 1 with a booty of new plaques and trophies bearing his name.

So where are they?

"Sitting in my closet," he said. "My basement is full of memorabilia, so they'll eventually go up down there. Someday."

[Associated Press; By TOM WITHERS]

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