Watching the Indians fall out of the AL Central race this week was tough for Tribe fans. But it could be worse. Here is what the standings would look like if the AL converts to the proposed no-division format and moves Houston in from the National League (through Thursday):

Team W L Pct.
New York 87 55 .613
Boston 85 58 .594
Detroit 81 62 .566
Texas 81 63 .563
Tampa Bay 78 64 .549
Los Angeles 78 65 .545
Chicago 72 70 .507
Toronto 72 72 .500
INDIANS 70 71 .496
Oakland 65 78 .455
Seattle 60 83 .420
Kansas City 60 85 .414
Minnesota 59 84 .413
Baltimore 57 85 .401
Houston 48 95 .336 36

The top five teams would make the playoffs under the proposal. At best, the Indians would be 7.5 games out of the last playoff spot, and instead of competing against a few other teams for the division title, they'd be going against the rest of the AL.

This is also against the current, unbalanced schedule. If it was evened out into a round-robin and those 19 games against Kansas City were trimmed and replaced with more against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Tribe would have an even tougher road.

This would occur every season unless baseball's economic setup changes. The Indians and teams similar to them would basically cede the top few spots by the end of spring. The problem the AL East is facing - Baltimore and Toronto haven't been contenders in years - would be spread to the whole league.

It would take a success story along the lines of the Tampa Rays to nab one of the last playoff spots and the right to take on a big-market team that will have home-field advantage.

That's why if you're an Indians fan, keeping the divisions the way they are is the way to go.

- Howard Primer

I missed the pulse of sports fans in Cleveland when the Indians acquired Jim Thome last week.

At first blush, I thought it would make for a nice, five-week nostalgia tour. Thome could tie up some loose ends with his original team on the way to Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Indians can sell a few extra tickets. Everyone wins. If they Indians make the playoffs, even better.

But our web poll for this week showed I was in the minority. The question asked, "Should the Indians consider bringing Jim Thome back in 2012?"

The results: 136 yes to 35 no (80 percent to 20 percent). That's a lot of people who want to see a designated hitter who can barely run and can't play in the field. And the Indians have two of those, including Travis Hafner.

Then there's the group of fans who are still mad at Thome for leaving in the first place.

I must be the only one in the middle. Let Thome tip his cap, hit a couple home runs and ride off into the sunset.

- Howard Primer

The Indians' catchy slogan this season is "What If?"

As in, "What if the Indians actually make the playoffs, win the pennant and win the World Series?"

What if indeed. It is difficult to imagine the Tribe winning the World Series, but why not shoot for the moon?

The All-Star break is fast approaching and the Indians are in it for the long haul in 2011, so jump on board fast because there is plenty to like.

The bullpen has been outstanding, the starting pitching solid and the hitting has been timely in plenty of spots. There are questions about the offense as a whole that need to be answered in the second half.

What if Grady Sizemore finds his groove? What if Travis Hafner stays healthy? What if Carlos Santana becomes more consistent?

We'll find out more in the second half, but for now, enjoy the ride Tribe fans. The first half has been completely unexpected, which is why we're all asking ourselves one simple question:

"What if?"