For the Love of the Indians

I'm still attempting to get out at least one blog post a month. This month I tried multiple times. But every time I started to write, I scrapped the topic. Now as I write this, I have 40 minutes until August first. Seeing as baseball has just returned )but may be in limbo) I've decided to release this never before seen piece I started writing after the 2016 world series. It's a bit long, but a pandemic is going on so what else are you really doing anyway? Just note that the "he" in the below story is referring to me. 

For the Love of the Indians

November 3^rd 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 3^rd, 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 11^th 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 19^th 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 9^th. 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 2^nd 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 10^th, the Angels added 2 runs. At this point, doom was certain for the Tribe. No more runs scored and to the bottom of the 10^th 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 8^th, 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 7^th 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 19^th, 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 3^rd, 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 2^nd 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 8^th. 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.