Time will determine Hart's legacy

Down the road, it will be interesting to see what John Hart's Cleveland Indians legacy will be.
Will he be fondly remembered as the general manager who brought baseball glory back to Cleveland?
Or will he be remembered as the last Indians GM who had the resources to build a World Series winner and failed?
Unless Major League Baseball shows enough guts to revise its economic policies, it's going to be harder and harder for teams like the Indians to compete against the free-spenders.
Yes, the Mariners and Diamondbacks are showing that clubs without huge cable-TV contracts can challenge for the World Series.
But they are exceptions, not the rule.
Deserves more: Hart deserves more credit than he likely will get -- the 1997 Indians should have won the World Series. It's not Hart's fault that closer Jose Mesa failed in the clutch against the Marlins in Game 7.
Since then, many of Hart's signing decisions have been shaky. His best move was signing free agent Roberto Alomar to a four-year deal following the 1998 season.
Another good one was inking Juan Gonzalez to replace Manny Ramirez this past season.
Acquiring Bob Wickman last year made a big difference in the Tribe pulling away from the Twins and White Sox this summer.
Glaring: But Hart's mistakes have been glaring. The Brian Giles-for-Ricardo Rincon deal was his worst. Reacquiring extremely overpaid Wilfredo Cordero from the Pirates to replace David Justice was almost as bad.
Hart never met a fading slugger he wouldn't whet his chops over at the trading deadline. Remember Harold Baines? Julio Franco?
And then there was the promotion of Charlie Manuel to manager two years ago with nary a search outside the organization.
Manuel is a nice guy and a heckuva hitting instructor.
But he's proven he's not a major league manager.
With the players association contract about to expire, the Indians and the other mid-market clubs who depend on attendance for their revenue stand at a crossroads this offseason.
GM challenges: Here are some questions facing those general managers:
*Will Commissioner Bud Selig really push to eliminate as many as four major league teams? (Doubtful).
*Will the small-market owners ban together and refuse to cooperate with the big-market clubs unless a more generous form of revenue sharing is implemented? (Extremely doubtful).
*Will the owners wise up and demand a salary cap even though it may mean a long strike/lockout (Get real).
*Will season ticket holders, particularly businesses drastically affected by the economic downturn after the terrorists attacks, renew contracts for expensive loges in a time when so many are being laid-off? (Stay tuned).
*How much is 37-year-old Barry Bonds worth to the New York Yankees after his 73-homer season?
*How much attention will Bret Boone and Gonzalez command on the open market?
Key decisions: Mark Shapiro, the new Indians GM, has several key decisions to make.
*Should Manuel remain manager?
*How low of an offer can he get away with making to free agent centerfielder Kenny Lofton without looking cheap?
*With one year left on Alomar's contract, does Shapiro shop him this winter? What would third baseman Travis Fryman bring in a trade?
*Will Charles Nagy and Jaret Wright heal in time to be able to be in the starting rotation by April?
This much everyone can agree on -- the American League Central Division is so weak that a .500 ballclub can contend.
The Indians may prove it next summer.
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.