Top Five Fake Headlines

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Sep 9, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (right) celebrates a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Which Fake Headlines Would Cause the Most Buzz?

It’s been a slow go for the Cleveland Indians this off-season. Not much has happened outside of signing David Murphy and a handful of veterans to minor league contracts with invites to spring training. Exciting stuff, right? Yeah, not so much.

With that in mind, what would it take to work the fans into a frenzy, either good or bad? There are any number of moves that could cause the fan base to either get excited or anger to the point that they show up at Progressive Field with pitchforks and torches in hand. With that in mind, I decided to compile the top five fake headlines that would cause the greatest reaction among the fan base. Could some of these things happen? Possibly, but probably unlikely at this point.

So without further ado, let’s get this party started.

Sep 25, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Justin Masterson delivers in the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

#5. Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis sign multi-year extensions

Both Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis have been in the news lately thanks to the state of their current contracts. Masterson is possibly heading to arbitration and then free agency. Kipnis on the other hand is still a year away from arbitration, but is likely headed for a monster pay day. Both of these issues have raised the question of will they or won’t they in terms of long-term contract extensions. If the Indians announced tomorrow that both players have agreed to long-term deals, fan excitement would erupt. It would signal a commitment to keeping things going while showing a willingness to spend in order to keep their top players in a Cleveland Indians uniform no matter what it takes. Yes, you can argue the merits of offering multiple years and dump trucks worth of guaranteed money to any player, but for both Masterson and Kipnis the move would be applauded by most.

Oct 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning in game two of the American League divisional series playoff baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

#4. Indians acquire David Price in three team trade

This is unlikely to happen, especially this close to the start of spring training. The Rays wanted to trade David Price since he is due for a monster pay increase, but with the market slowed by the Masahiro Tanaka saga and the incredibly high price to acquire Price’s services, a trade seems unlikely at this point. However, if the Indians made the bold decision to part with several top prospects and even some major league level talent in order to acquire David Price, that would certainly cause a reaction. It’s hard to know whether the move would be seen as a positive or negative. In all likelihood it would probably be a 50/50 split. Those living in the here and now would love it. Those who understand Price’s quickly approaching free agency would hate it. But again, it would certainly cause a reaction.

Sep 19, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (right) scores before a tag by Houston Astros catcher Carlos Corporan (22) in the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

#3. Indians trade Asdrubal Cabrera for prospects; Francisco Lindor named opening day starting shortstop

The odds of either of these things happening is a long shot at this point. The window of opportunity to trade away Asdrubal Cabrera has come and gone and Francisco Lindor is not ready to step up to the big leagues in any role other than a possible September call-up. That said, how exciting would this be? Fans pretty much hate Cabrera at this point given how poorly he performed offensively last season and the ever declining state of his defense. Lindor, on the other hand, would certainly be a shot of excitement. Fans have been clamoring to see Lindor and his slick fielding skills for a couple of years now. Even though he’s probably not ready for the big league stage, having him in the lineup on opening day would probably rank as one of the more exciting moments of the post-Municipal Stadium era.

Sep 20, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; A security guard stands alone in the rain during a delay in the game during the seventh inning between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

#2. Indians and the City of Cleveland agree on construction of new stadium on Cleveland’s west side

The Indians are waiting patiently for the final decision on whether or not the sin tax will be extended in order to make the necessary improvements to Progressive Field. However, in this strange turn of events, the city and the team take a page out of the Braves playbook and agree to scrap Progressive Field all together in order build a new, state of the art facility on Cleveland’s west side. The first wave of reaction would revolve around the decision to tear down a 20-year-old facility in order to build a new one. Most fans would probably hate that and see it as a tremendous waste of time and money. The next wave of reactions would involve the east side/west side rivalry that exists between Cleveland’s two halves. This would be minor to anyone who has never lived in Cleveland, but to those who have ever called Cleveland home, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Baerga, Belle, Lofton

#1. Indians use time traveling DeLorean to bring the 1995 Indians to the present day

And just like that, we have jumped the shark. But, how awesome would this be? The 1995 Indians were a juggernaut and one of the most feared lineups in the history of baseball. Bringing them to the future via the most iconic time machine history has ever seen would be incredible. Combine their offensive powers with some of the Indians present day players and maybe we have something even more magical on our hands. What’s the worst that could happen? So there might be some serious space-time continuum issues in play, but it’s been more than six decades since we’ve won a World Series. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So what if time stops or a black hole opens up or something. It would be worth it, right?

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