Here's the latest from Indians CEO Paul Dolan, courtesy of Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- After a disastrous 2012 season, the Indians signed Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, but Dolan was still impressed how quickly the team turned itself around. "We were on the verge of a complete collapse at the end (of 2012)," Dolan says. "Twelve months later, the entire trajectory of the franchise has been changed. It's a 180-degree turn."
- Dolan says has has been very impressed with manager Terry Francona, who led the Indians in their rebound season. "I used to think that a good manager would make a difference, but a marginal difference," says Dolan. "A bad manager could mess things up. But Terry makes so much more than a marginal difference."
- Swisher and Bourn may not have played up to expectations last season, but Dolan says they still played a key role in turning the organization around by "changing the culture" in the Indians' clubhouse. Dolan expects Swisher and Bourn to play better in 2014.
- Dolan did not complain about the Indians' disappointing 2013 attendance, and instead focused on their television ratings, which rose 40 percent.
- Dolan did not comment on potential extensions for Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis, except to say that the Indians want to retain them both.
