Has it really been 15 years?

When the Indians equipment managers pack up the gear from Winter Haven this year, they’ll be packing up for good. The Indians will call Goodyear, Arizona home next spring. They will take with them all the gear, uniforms and many memories. They will leave something behind though.

There is a plaque under two oak trees bearing Chief Wahoo’s face, and a baseball patch that the Indians wore during the ’93 season. The patch was a memorial to Steve Olin and Tim Crews, two Tribe pitchers that lost their lives in a boating accident not too far from where the Indians have trained.

I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. The math works, but my mind is in disbelief. It was the last year at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Indians were an up and coming team. John Hart had taken some chances, and it was about to pay off. Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Charlie Nagy were forming the nucleus of a championship contender. Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez were getting their first taste of big league spring training.

It was no secret that the Indians were looking to be contenders at the same time they moved into ‘gateway’ as we called it back then. Hart knew he had the hitters in the organization. He also knew the pitching was suspect. Jose Mesa was a starter. Nagy was coming off a great year. Eric Plunk and Derek Lilliquist were in the pen setting up a young talented closer- Steve Olin. He had 60 saves in three years, 2 as the full time closer.

Tim Crews was a free agent signing. He was brought in to provide veteran leadership for a bullpen that needed some help. Cleveland fans never got the chance to get to know him. There was a third player in that boat. Bob Ojeda had helped win a World Series with the Mets, and was signed by Hart to try and revitalize the lefty’s career. Ojeda had also pitched with the Dodgers, like Crews, and the two were friends. It took awhile for Ojeda to recover from his injuries and return to the mound. Ojeda pitched in 9 games that year, starting 7. He finished his career with the Yankees the next year, appearing in just 2 games. Ojeda served as a pitching coach in the minor leagues for a few years, and I believe is now out of baseball.

There was of course another tribute to Olin and Crews. I remember the song that played as the Indians raised the championship banner in 1995. It was Garth Brooks’ The Dance. The same song that had played at the funeral.

So much has happened in the 15 years since that accident. A new generation of Tribe fans probably don’t even remember this story, let alone when the team struggled to win 60 games. They probably don’t remember that the Indians used to train in Tuscon, Arizona. In some ways they are better off for not remembering. But I’m glad that the plaque will stay in Winter Haven, a lasting reminder of two players, two men whose lives were cut short.

(Photo from the PD.)