I was tempted to go through the entire Nick Swisher press conference and count the number of times that the man said the word "excited". It was like Tim Tebow sitting up there after being traded to the New York Jets. He's just so darn excited to be here!

No really, he's REALLY excited. 

I think that is the word that athletes go towards when they're in a situation they probably didn't see themselves in. Tebow did not ask to be traded to New York. He wanted to be in Denver. He was all of a sudden thrown into a situation where he was going to be playing for a new team and they already had a quarterback, at least one that was starting.

So what else could he say? He was excited! (And MLB.com's Zack Meisel did the legwork, 16 times!)

Now please, do not think I'm going to start off by comparing Nick Swisher to Tim Tebow or say that Swisher is in a situation he doesn't want to be in.

I'm simply saying that Swisher is in a situation he probably did not expect to be in a month ago. And his press conference was rather similar to the Tebow one with the Jets in that he said the word excited so many darn times.

It did not come off as fake. But to me, I kind of now see Nick Swisher in a unique light.

I see him as somewhat of a hired gun. A hired gun with a big smile.

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Chris Antonetti wants the Indians to be in contention in 2013. That’s the only explanation for the free agent signings that the team has made. This Indians team, which looked like it would struggle to avoid 90 losses again, has been filling holes left and right with free agents and could find a way to sneak into contention if they keep adding to the roster. Antonetti has shown no signs of slowing down this offseason.

The Dolans appear to be willing to spend some money, possibly due to the sale of SportsTime Ohio to Fox Sports and the additional money they will receive on a yearly basis for the rights to broadcast the Indians. The interesting thing about the free agent signings is that, outside of Swisher, these are all very short-term deals and a lack of talent at the top levels of the Indians’ farm system will create the same holes at the start of 2014.

But, is it going to be enough? Can the Indians patch enough holes to keep the boat afloat into late September and be a factor in the Central Division? Whether or not they can depends on the answers to a lot of questions. On Tuesday, we finally closed the book on 2012, ending one of the worst calendar years in franchise history. Even though the planning for the 2013 season has gone on for quite a while at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, the calendar officially turning over has to be a welcomed sight.

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So my question right now is a rather simple one. It's a good question for a team like the Indians to have at this current state.

And of course that is the question that we'll be evaluating and discussing right now. But before I get to that question, let me pose this, somewhat rhetorical but also one that I'm going to try and answer before we discuss the other question.

Nino, what the hell are doing?

Friends, it's the offseason, my intros get a little weird, so stick with me for a second. But I ask this...

Who are these Cleveland Indians?

Seriously. Like I said, it sounds rhetorical, like OH MY WHO ARE THESE INDIANS!? But no really, who are these Cleveland Indians? In several ways this question needs answered.

Who are these Cleveland Indians named Aviles, Swisher, Reynolds, Bauer, Stubbs, Shaw, Albers, and now Myers?

Who are these Cleveland Indians who have suddenly decided that they're players in the offseason?

Who are these Cleveland Indians that have previously made moves like signing Kerry Wood for a few years be a huge risk, to signing a guy to a multi-year contract worth $60 million dollars?

Who are these Cleveland Indians that have decided to sign a manager who has won a World Series, and not only decide, but convince him to come and build something in a city that last won a World Series, 11 years before he was even born?

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I know it's tempting to start salivating. Without the big moves they made last year, there was a little bit of hope. This year, people might start shouting playoffs or some junk like that.

I was as optimistic as the next guy, but with some guarded optimism as to what had to go right and what had to go wrong, as I was the previous year when the Indians did the exact same thing. Start hot, fizzle, oh well let's try again next year.

Things are a little different now. The Indians are not acting as a team that is ready to try and sell off what they have and build up for a future run. And why should they? They're simply taking a new angle to the situation they have, with a new manager who is being brought in to win now, why would you do anything else?

You already have invested in the trade for Ubaldo Jimenez, why not just throw your eggs in the contention basket at this point, right? The Choo trade is simply common sense. He's a commodity that helps you, but one that could help you in a greater way, not just now, but in the future, because he sure as hell isn't helping you beyond 2013.

That's why the Indians were so staunch on trading Asdrubal Cabrera. Would they have? If they got the right deal, of course, but Cabrera has more value beyond 2013, so holding onto him makes more sense than trading him, unless trading him makes too much sense.

So here we are, the Indians, chased after Nick Swisher. And it appears to me as if they were the team that wanted him the most, from beginning to the very end of him signing this $56 million dollar deal. Let me spit some economics at you.

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