For the Love of the Indians
November 3rd 2016. He was bundled up and
walking down the cold and blustery streets of downtown Cleveland. His hands
were crammed into his pockets and he walked with haste. He kept pushing them
against the inner lining, hoping they would go deeper, even though he knew his
efforts were useless. He turned 26 yesterday. But there was no feeling of
celebration today. Not even the people he passed on the streets seemed in a
great mood. Maybe the frigid air added to it, but even without it, there was no
joy to be found in Cleveland.
July 3rd, 2007. He was at his third game of
the season. He was only 16 years old. His love for the Indians had not yet
blossomed, but little did he know it would on this very night. The Indians had
a strong season and were on the edge of clinching a playoff spot. But first
they had to face a familiar foe. The Detroit Tigers. Because both teams were in playoff contention and the two cities aren’t that far apart, a number of Tiger fans had
infiltrated Jacobs field in hopes that their team would come out victorious.
The Tigers led most of the game, but in front of a pumped crowd, the Indians
forced extra innings. Then in the 11th inning, Casey Blake came to
the plate. The pitcher slung a ball that any batter would love. Casey took a
mighty swing and didn’t miss. Two run moonshot. Game over. In that moment, he
became an Indians die hard fan. Win or lose.
October 21, 2007. His beloved Indians had made it to
game 7 of the ALCS. One win away from their first World Series appearance in 10
years. They were facing the historic Boston Red Sox. Like the Cubs, they had a
curse as well. But they ended theirs three years prior, winning the 2004 World
Series. The Indians at one point had a 3-1 series lead, but they allowed Boston
to battle back and force a game 7. Boston took that redemption and never looked
back. They pounded the Tribe and sent them home. They then went on to sweep the
Rockies in the World Series to win their second crown in three years. Their
manager was a guy by the name of Terry Francona.
Year 2008 and 2009. For him, the dream of winning a
world series was beginning to fade. The Indians couldn’t replicate the success
of 2007. They slowly began to crumble. He watched in agony as stupendous
players such as CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, Victor Martinez, Jhonny
Peralta, and even the mighty Casey Blake were traded for young prospects. The
sting of losing after coming close was real and it wouldn’t go away for a long
time.
April 2013. Baseball season has just begun and
excitement has returned to the 216. He didn’t know then what a single off-season
move the Indians had made would change the course of his beloved team for years
to come. The move in question was their hiring a new manager. His name? Terry
Francona. The same man who broke Boston’s curse and led them to not one, but
two world series championships. Change was coming, but not even he was prepared
for what was to come.
Summer 2013. He followed avidly. Listening to Tom
Hamilton call nearly every game on the radio. That man has the best home run
call in all of baseball. He finds himself at a game versus the Seattle
Mariners. The game is exciting and the crowd is intense. The game is tied in
the ninth. There are two men on and young and upcoming second baseman Jason
Kipnis is up to bat. The pitcher stares him down. Then in a fiery throw
launches a rocket towards the plate. A cylindrical piece of wood mashes a tiny
spherical orb and sends it into the seats. The crowd explodes. Kipnis hits his
first walk-off homer of his career. Good things are happening at the corner of
Carnegie and Ontario.
September 19th 2013. His spirits are high.
The Tribe is close to a wild card berth. But 10 games stand between them. Five
days later and the Indians are on a six game winning streak. He’s in his room
listening intently to the radio as if it holds all the answers. Bottom of the 9th.
The Indians are down by one to the Chicago White Sox. Two outs. One man one
base. Trusted skipper Terry Francona makes a move. He sends in a pinch hitter
by the name of Jason Giambi. Giambi was a legend in his younger years, but now
he’s a shell of his former glory days. Hammy’s voice comes over the radio waves talking about
Giambi’s walk off home run verses the White Sox earlier in the season. He also
mentions that Giambi is in a bit of a slump and might be due. As those words
left Tom’s lips, magic happens. Giambi smokes a walk-off two run shot to win
the game. In his room he’s jumping up and down and begins to tear through his
house in celebration. Jacob’s field was going nuts. The old man came through
when they needed him the most. Tom Hamilton’s call of that home run will live
in history.
October 2nd 2013. The Indians won their
last 10 games to clinch the top wild card seed. Their first return to the
playoffs in six years. Jacob’s field was packed to the gills, hoping to see the
Indians be victorious. Sadly, there was no joy here as they fell 4-0 and were
sent packing. Disappointment hit him hard, but he wasn’t crushed because hope
had come back to Cleveland.
June 19th 2014. He had a summer internship but was
granted the day off to go witness the Indians battle the Angels at the Jake
during an afternoon game. The Indians hadn’t been looking too hot, but that
wasn’t going to prevent him from attending the game. Rain, on the other hand,
may have. It was forecasted to hit around game time, but currently it was sunny
with a few gray clouds moseying along. There were a lot of empty seats in the
stands which was expected. The game was a pitchers’ duel with each team scoring
one run. At the end of the required 9 innings, the game was still at a draw.
Then, in the 10th, the Angels added 2 runs. At this point, doom was
certain for the Tribe. No more runs scored and to the bottom of the 10th
they went. The Indians slowly began to put men on base, but at a price. They
loaded the bases but notched two outs and hometown favorite Nick Swisher was up
to bat. The Indians gave up quite a bit to acquire him. He was getting paid
slightly north of 10 million a year and they had to give a high draft pick to
those awful Yankees. And in his second year of the contract, he was not playing
well at all. Swisher stepped to the plate and was seemingly the last hope. Hope
might not mount too much because Swisher was 0-4 and already down to his last
strike. Those left at the Jake were on their feet, screaming and cheering for a
miracle. The Angel’s pitcher got the sign and let the ball fly. Fastball. Right
down the middle. A gift. And Swisher didn’t hesitate. Suddenly, the crowd
exploded as the white blur landed in the lower deck over the fence. A walk off
grand slam! He was feeling like he had just won a million bucks. He forwent a
day’s paycheck for a noon game with the threat of rain and witnessed something
magical. He’ll never forget this moment.
August 8th, 2015. After the Indians fell
short of the playoffs in 2014, they were battling to get in again. He decided
he was going to give his friend a birthday gift of Indians tickets. The day was
pleasant and the Tribe was facing the Twins. From the first inning on, the
Tribe’s bats were cooking. They were smoking balls over the place. Then, in the
7th inning, with ducks on the pond, a journeyman by the name of
Jerry Sands was up to bat. The Indians had been riddled with injuries and he
was one of the many fill-ins. He had hit a couple home runs in his debut
earlier in the season and because of this, the fans liked to chant “Jerry!
Jerry!” which was based off Jerry Springer’s daytime show. The Indians were
already pummeling the Twins and Jerry wasn’t going to go easy. Crack! That ball
was gone in the blink of an eye. The journeyman added to the show and rewarded
the sell-out crowd with a grand slam. In back-to-back years, this die-hard Indians fan
got to witness a grand slam live and he was loving every minute of it.
April 2016. The Indians failed to make the October
dance for the second year in a row. But baseball was back in Cleveland and from
the beginning, the feel was different. There was something in the air that
hinted that great things were going to happen in Cleveland this year. April wasn’t
proof of that because the Tribe hung around .500 through the month, but he,
being a lover of the game knew there was a lot of baseball left.
July 1st, 2016. Before, the Indians were battling for
the division lead, but now they had it and were going for history. They had
just won 13 straight and tied the franchise record for consecutive wins. Only
the Toronto Blue Jays stood in their way. He had his portable radio on as he
worked on a renovation project. Nine innings passed and the score was still
knotted up. Ten innings. Twelve. Fifteen. Eighteen. This grueling duel seemed
it would never end. Then, in the bottom of the 19th, Indians first
baseman Carlos Santana stepped up to the plate. The pitcher released the ball
and Santana smoked it over the fence. Game over. The Indians had made history.
September 26, 2016. His spirits were high. His beloved
Indians were one win away from clinching the division. All they had to do was
beat their long-time rivals the Detroit Tigers. They didn’t disappoint. Carlos
Santana, the 14 game streak hero caught the final out. The Indians had clinched
the division. He was ecstatic. It had been ten years since he last saw the
Indians do accomplish this feat. October baseball was back in Cleveland.
October 6, 2016. The playoffs had begun. He had
secured two tickets for ALDS game one at Jacob’s Field. Indians vs. Red Sox.
The playoff atmosphere was crazy. It was unlike anything he’d experienced
before. And all it did was get better. Red Sox ace Rick Porcello Vs. Indians
Trevor Bauer.
Bottom of the 3rd, the score was tied 1-1. Back-up catcher
Roberto Perez was up to bat. Not much of a hitter, he got a pitch he liked and
mashed it. 2-1 Tribe. Santana up next and he grounds out. Fan favorite Jason Kipnis
faces Porcello. Crack! That ball is gone! 3-1 Tribe. The stadium is rocking.
Porcello is sweating. The Indians young SS and best player Fransisco Lindor is
up next. Porcello delivers a meatball and the crowd rises as the ball sails
over the fence. Jacobs field was beyond nuts. The biggest party of the year was
happening at the corner of Carnagie and Ontario. Party king himself, Mike
Napoli, is next. He crushes the first pitch out of the park...but foul. If it
was fair, no one would be going to work the next day. It gets tense, but the Tribe
holds on for a 5-4 victory.
October 10, 2016.
Game three of the ALDS. Indians lead the series 2-0. They traveled to Fenway
Park for game 3. It was close and tense, but the Tribe finished off the Red
Socks and sent the mighty David Ortiz into retirement.
October 19, 2016.
It was game five of the ALCS. A few days before, he had been at Cedar Point for
Hallow Weekends. He walked through the haunted maze, but was unfazed as Tom
Hamilton’s voice was in his ear calling the game. The Indians won that game and
now they had 3-1 lead looking to send the Blue Jays home. Due to injuries, the
Indians had to use a young pitcher by the name of Ryan Merritt to start the
game. Big mouth Bautista (Jose Bautista) of the Jays said Merritt was going to
be shaking in his boots. He watched as Merritt pitched a dandy of 4 2/3 innings
and not allowing a run. Bautista ate crow and the Tribe was headed to the World
Series for the first time since 1997.
November 2nd 2016. Today is his birthday,
but that isn’t important to him right now. His eyes were glued to the TV. It is
showing Game 7 of the World Series. The Chicago Cubs verses the Cleveland
Indians. Two teams that hadn’t won a championship in a combined 176 years. The
former was expected to finally end their drought. The latter wasn’t considered
to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. But here they were. One game
away from what few thought could be done. But hope was fading as the Indians
had trailed all game and were down two runs in the 8th. Rajai Davis,
who was known for his speed and not for his bat, was at the plate. He was
facing the toughest closer that year in Aroldis Chapman who the cubs paid a
steep price to acquire for just three months. Then, as if someone was beginning to write a fairy tale ending, Davis swung and sent that ball over the fence. He
leapt of his couch with a mighty roar. Outside his house, cheers could be heard
all over. The Indians had tied the game! The adrenaline was flowing and hope
returned. Then the rain came. The game was paused until it passed. When play
resumed, the Cubs tacked on two more runs. Disappointment set in, but hope was
not lost. The Indians came to bat and added one more themselves…but that was
all they got. The Cubs flooded the field in celebration. Their curse was broken.
Their drought was over. He sat there in silence, the joy left as quickly as it
came. There would be no championship for his beloved Indians. All he could do was wait six months and hope for the magic to happen once again.
