They killed Kenny!

Kenny Rogers finally found a place where he can't hide behind an army of sympathizers and sycophants. And I'm proud to say, it's Cleveland.
Ronnie Belliard found a Rogers pitch to his liking with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, and treated it like Rogers treated the equipment of two cameramen in June, yanking it for a bases-clearing double that proved to be the decisive blow in an 8-2 Indians win.
This victory is satisfying on so many levels. First, and most importantly, it clotted the remaining blood still flowing from this weekend's embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Devil Rays. Second, it came against Rogers. Sure, it was nice to beat baseball's No. 1 thug in the heat of a wild card race, certainly after arbitrator Shyam Das gave Rogers a shoulder rub by reducing his suspension from 20 to 13 games.
But let's not forget Rogers is a slop-throwing lefty in the mold of Jamie Moyer. Soft-tossing southpaws give the Indians fits no end, every year, regardless of how good or bad the offense is. To get a six-run win against a pitcher like Rogers is important if for no other reason than it doesn't happen everyday.
Finally, C.C. Sabathia, persecuted by fans and media (including me) for his struggles in July, picked up the win. He dueled Rogers to a 2-2 draw through seven innings before Belliard and the Tribe offense picked him up. Sabathia showed some of the intestinal fortitude fans have been waiting for recently. He is now 3-0 with a 3.79 ERA in his last three starts.
Now, the Indians have to build on this win. Considering the Rangers have now lost eight in a row, I'd say a series victory is a must.

(Side note: Bill Livingston, in his Plain Dealer column today, reported WEWS Channel 5 cameraman Tom Livingston -- no relation -- decided to play a joke and showed up to work Tuesday at Jacobs Field with a hard hat on, apparently ready for anything Rogers was ready to throw at him. Sure, it was a smart-ass move, but it's not like Rogers doesn't deserve it. Livingston took the construction hat off before entering the Rangers clubhouse.)