Inside Pitch

CLEVELAND -- The Indians finalized their division series roster this morning and there weren't too many surprises. The most notable ex-Bison inclusion was that of left-hander Aaron Laffey, who the Tribe put on the 25-man list with the idea it could use him out of the bullpen either in long relief or in a situation where a double play is in order because Laffey is a groundball pitcher.

Josh Barfield and Trot Nixon made the roster as reserves off the bench, with Nixon's left-handed bat apparently getting the edge over Ben Francisco. David Dellucci did not make the list as well, as he has been stymied by a torn hamstring since June.

New rules this year allow teams to make injury replacements during a series (either a position player for a position player or a pitcher for a pitcher). So the Tribe will be bringing Francisco, Dellucci, Luis Rivas, Jeremy Sowers and Cliff Lee to New York in case that happens.

The Yankees announced their roster yesterday and the biggest news is that they have no left-handed relievers as Joe Torre opted for rookie Ross Ohlendorf over lefty specialist Ron Villone. Let's see how that plays out in a tight spot against Cleveland batters like Grady Sizemore or Travis Hafner.

---Mike Harrington

In Tuesday's Sports section, we took an in-depth look at the made-in-Buffalo Indians -- a team filled with players, coaches and a manager who were Bisons within the last 10 years. All the Dunn Tire Park-era connections, particularly from the Herd's beloved 2004 International League championship team, makes the Indians-Yankees division series matchup easily the most intriguing one for Western New York baseball fans.

My friend Chris Duncan, the Bisons' ubiquitous radar gun operator at Dunn Tire Park, had the best take on this series. Here's the bottom-line summary he e-mailed to me:

"2004 Bisons vs. the Evil Empire!"

Pretty cool thought.

So tell me this: How do you think Eric Wedge is going to fare in the battle of wits against Joe Torre? And which ex-Bison player are you rooting for the most in this series?

---Mike Harrington

(Photo: Eric Wedge with the Bisons in 2002/Buffalo News files)