Football
Associated Press 18y

Shapiro rebuilds Indians with patience, plan

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Smack in the middle of Mark Shapiro's
crowded desk sits a copy of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," required
reading for businessmen, politicians -- anyone seeking an edge.

And there's little doubt that Shapiro, general manager of the
financially challenged Cleveland Indians, can always use one.

"There's some great stuff in here," Shapiro said, holding up
the shiny, hardcover edition, a gift he got recently that will
replace his worn paperback. "You can always go back and find
something."

Included in the noted military work's 13 chapters are: Laying
Plans, Waging War, Tactical Dispositions and Maneuvering.

Not one of them is entitled: Dismantling A Major League
Organization And Rebuilding It On a Tight Budget.

Shapiro learned how to do that on his own.

More quickly than anyone could have imagined, Shapiro
disassembled the Indians, rebuilt them and their minor league
system and brought mid-market Cleveland, a franchise which hasn't
won the World Series since 1948 but twice came close in the 1990s,
back into the AL playoff picture -- possibly for years.

After the Indians went 93-69 last season, narrowly missing the
postseason, the 38-year-old Shapiro was named baseball's top
executive, an award one of his more high-profile peers said was
well deserved.

"He's a special person, very organized and detail oriented,"
New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. "He surrounds himself with
quality people, people who build quality programs, and when you do
stuff like that, nothing but good can happen. He's going to max out
on everything he does."

After pouring himself a tall coffee on another sunny morning in
Central Florida, Shapiro slides into his office chair and prepares
for a new day running the Indians. Just back from giving a speech
to a group of the club's sponsors, he and assistant GM Chris
Antonetti briefly discuss their game plan before taking part in a
teleconference with a few other teams.

No trades today, just talks.

Shapiro briefly checks the status of NCAA tournament brackets
before sorting through scouting reports and e-mails. Later, he'll
head over to the club's bustling minor league facility, where the
Indians' future is taking shape.

Shapiro's workload isn't much different from what it was when he
took over as Cleveland's GM in 2001, replacing John Hart, who
guided the club to six AL Central titles and two Series
appearances. What has changed for Shapiro are his priorities.

He's no longer turning over the Indians' roster. These days,
he's simply tweaking it.

"A year ago, two years ago, three years ago," Shapiro said,
"we were making decisions on everyday roles for star players and
trying to decide among minor league free agents, who was going to
play for us? Who was going to be in the rotation? Who was going to
fill a core spot in the bullpen?

"Now it's, who is going to be the fourth outfielder, the backup
catcher and get one spot in the bullpen out of 12? That's a good
sign. Now, it's more preparing for the season and staying healthy.
That's a big difference, and a good sign."

Shapiro's plan to rebuild the Indians began to unfold in June
2002 when he traded ace Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos for
three players, including outfielder Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee --
two budding stars the club hopes to sign to long-term deals soon.

The deal signaled the end of Cleveland's championship run, a
tough swallow for the club's loyal fans, who sold out Jacobs Field
445 straight times and had become spoiled by the Indians' success.

For Shapiro, there was no other way. To get the Indians back
among the league's elite there would have to be sacrifices. There
would be lean years for sure, but in the end, the rewards would be
great.

He was right. The Indians won 68 games in 2003, 80 in 2004, and
93 last season. They're now on the cusp of another World Series
push.

"Mark made the smart play," said Cashman, whose $207 million
payroll dwarfs the $42 million Shapiro had to work with last
season. "He didn't do anything halfway, where it was, 'We're going
to slowly rebuild.' He didn't have one foot in the door and one
foot out.

"He made the decision to take one giant step backward to take
quantum leaps forward, and the Indians benefited, no doubt about
it. They've got tremendous young players that the rest of our
league are going to have to contend with for years to come."

Fans haven't always been so complimentary to Shapiro, who
recently showed he won't back off from making risky moves. In
January, he traded popular outfielder Coco Crisp to Boston in a
seven-player deal that brought reliever Guillermo Mota and highly
touted third baseman Andy Marte to Cleveland.

Indians backers didn't initially see it as a smart swap, a
backlash that wasn't shocking to Shapiro.

"Look at our recent history," he said. "I'm not surprised by
anything. I'm surprised when people congratulate us and say nice
things. This job by nature, in probably all markets but about six
to eight, causes you to separate from fans' opinions.

"In the end, I want us all to be on our feet applauding in
October, that's something we can all agree on."

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