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Cleveland Indians: One Final Night Without Indians Baseball

By Steven Kubitza

Oct 14, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians players including Francisco Lindor (12) and Jose Ramirez (11) celebrate after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in game one of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians players including Francisco Lindor (12) and Jose Ramirez (11) celebrate after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in game one of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Indians will be in preseason action on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, kicking off a 2017 season filled with great expectations.

The date is February 24 and it is 70 degrees in Cleveland, Ohio. Seems like the perfect time for some baseball, and fans will get just that on Saturday.

The Cleveland Indians are set to open up the preseason slate with a game against the Cincinnati Reds, signaling the beginning of the Indians’ redemption tour, with the ultimate goal being a World Series title.

The beginning of spring training also means the pain of how the 2016 season ended can begin to fade into the past, as a new season will help fans move on and focus on this October.

The situation is similar to what the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt with in 2015, when the team lost in the NBA Finals after several key players were out with injuries. Indians fans will always wonder what could have been if Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar were all healthy, so maybe we will all find out in 2017. It certainly turned out well for the Cavaliers.

There is still plenty of baseball to be played before we can all set our collective sights on the World Series, but this is the first year in a long time in which the Indians enter the season as legitimate World Series contenders.

Related: 5 position players with most to prove in spring training

That is why tomorrow is such a great day. Fans can stop imagining what the team will do and actually begin watching live games. It is just spring training, but it is better than no baseball being played.

The MLB regular season is a long journey, but it should be just as fun, if not more fun, this year than it was in 2016. We may not see a 14-game win streak, but the Indians could realistically run the table all season in the AL Central.

Next: 5 Pitchers with Something to Prove in 2017

The excitement is at an all-time high, and fans will finally get a chance to see their favorite players in action in 2017. Just one more night of sleep, if you can manage to get any.

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