Fluke! Dont get me wrong, Im loving watching him totally dominate, but how much longer will it last? We will see where that ERA is at at the end of the season. He will at most be a 3 man in the future, especially if we can find a way to keep CC.

Pfff no. Even if he ended the year with the ERA he has now and say a 18-4 record he wouldnt be the ace. As of now all signs point towards Carmona being our ace next year unless CC stays.

If Carmona was healthy this season he would be an ace, but no one even knows when he is coming back.

It's really just a question of rhetorics and symantics anyway. "Ace" meaning the guy in the #1 hole; who really cares? If the 2, 3, 4, and 5 holes suck, your ace is nothing but an ace of a lousy pitching staff, and you're going to have a crappy season.

Whether Lee starts in #1 or #5 will have little bearing on the way next year goes. What will matter is whether or not he performs as well next year as he has so far this. Too much emphasis is put on this "Ace" stuff these days. The entire pitching staff needs to be looked at as a whole, not individual pitchers treated like they are the fate of the season lies in their hands alone.

That said, I don't think Lee's performance this year is a fluke, and I have a lot of reasons for saying that. First and foremost, if you look at video of his delivery frame by frame (which I have done) you notice some major changes between last year and this, and it is probably related to the work he did in the minors, which included a VERY heavy dose of developmental rehab after that abdomenal problem he had. His mechanics now include a longer stride (8-10 inches, indicating better leg flexibility), better post-delivery position (which indicates improved balance), a higher kick (also indicative of better flexibility, balance, and core strength) and he also works much faster than he used to (ten seconds faster on average between pitches this year vs. last). This last point should not be overlooked. It means that he is not only in better physical shape, but that his total core strength is better. One of the developmental problems a lot of pitches face in terms of conditioning is getting the small muscles that decelerate your arm after delivery to be as strong as the big muscles that accelerate your arm during delivery. The latter give you raw power but the former give you control and also prevent injury, and if they are conditioned properly, greatly add to your stamina and improve the speed at which you work; each pitch does not take as great a toll on your joints. This is something I have struggled with. I can throw 90mph, but I have no control at that speed, and it hurts like hell. This is mostly because of muscle imbalance.

In the minors and during the offseason Lee was on a very good conditioning program with some of the best pitching mechanics coaches around. He worked very hard at his physical conditioning and also made mechanic changes to his delivery, which requires swallowing some pride and taking instruction (something a lot of pro pitchers don't do very well). He is now reaping the benefits of hard conditioning and good coaching.

He's going to have good days and bad days like any pitcher. But to call this year a fluke after he's had as many starts as he's had is far-fetched in light of the very quantifiable and measurable changes he's made to his delivery, and in light of knowing what kind of conditioning he did in the minors and offseason.  If he keeps doing what he's doing his ERA will probably stabilize in the 2.0-3.0 range (we all knew it couldn't stay at 1 indefinitely) for the balance of his career, with some seasons better and some worse.

But if you just watch his mechanics - there is nothing wrong. There are no problems. His pitch placement is excellent; he's putting the ball in the zone on the corners when he needs to and making the tough pitches regularly. That doesn't happen by accident.

So I say, Ace Shmace. Who cares about the Ace? If everyone isn't on their game next year, does it really matter? I expect Cliff to perform next year much as he did this, unless he gets hurt or out of shape in the off season. And these things can happen, but hopefully won't. Carmona will be good, the big questions are about the rest of the staff, and if they can't deliver the goods, we're going to be in a worse way next year than we have been so far this, because the only thing keeping us out of last place is our pitching.

An Ace isn't a position in the rotation its going out there every 5 days and pitching like he did... ending loosing streaks like he's done this year and give your team a chance to win.... I meant it like that

You can have multiple aces like we did last year in CC and Carmona.... Arizona with Dan Haren and Brandon Webb.... or Cincy with Aaron Harang and Edison Volquez

So I didn't mean this a position in the rotation but the way he pitches

the Indians do have a team option on Lee for 2010 for 8 million.