What we can learn from the Browns in Free Agency
March 24, 2015On the Browns, Hard Knocks, questions and narratives
March 24, 2015OK, let’s get this out of the way: The last time the Cleveland Indians made the cover of Sports Illustrated’s MLB Preview, Corey Snyder and Joe Carter’s smiling faces were supposed to lead to an “uprising” that ultimately saw the Tribe lose 101 games in 1987.
Fast forward to 2015 and the Tribe has the reigning Cy Young winner and a young, corner outfielder who just finished third in the 2014 MVP race. They could dwell on the fact that things could go horribly wrong—it is Cleveland—or consider the young and deep Indians to be potentially on the brink of winning their first World Series since 1948.
No, Cleveland doesn’t do well with pressure. What about Manny Ramirez’s cover for the 1996 MLB Preview?1 That “Cleveland Rocks” cover of LeBron James from 2009? How’d What about the “Watch Out” NBA Preview from a season later? Braxton Miller’s cover less than a year ago? How’d all those work out?2
Most publications are still putting the Detroit Tigers ahead of the Indians. ESPN The Magazine’s preview has them winning 83 games and coming in second in the AL Central. Even Sports Illustrated has a regional cover with the Kansas City Royals. If the Tribe doesn’t win it all—or even make the postseason for that matter—it won’t be because of the SI cover. It’ll be because of substantial regression, injuries, and the lack of production from key players.
But if they do win it all, just like the cover insinuates, WFNY will gladly become WFTY. Being relevant is good, folks. Embrace it, regardless of the outcome.
.@CapitalGG @SInow That was 28 years ago.
The 2 guys in this photo were 1 year old (Kluber) and not born (Brantley).
Embrace this team!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) March 24, 2015
21 Comments
If it takes an injury for us to win “the whole f’ing thing,” then so be it! I love seeing our teams on the cover! Relevance!
By the way, how did they get Klubs to crack?
Seasons over forget it now. Reminds me of the Joe Carter & Cory Snyder cover way back in the day.
So, since there seems to be four regional covers, how does that affect the jinx?
http://images.fanforum.com/smilies/facepalm.gif
https://jsportsblogger.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/cleveland-indians-si-cover.jpg
The Twins win it all, obviously.
Dagum…
Subscribers and newsstands on the East Coast will receive the Nationals cover.
Subscribers and newsstands in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois,
Western Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota
and Nebraska will receive the Indians cover.
Subscribers and newsstands in Missouri, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado,
Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico will receive
the Royals cover.
Subscribers and newsstands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California,
Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska will receive the Mariners cover
Looks like I will be getting Nationals whereas Mgbode will be getting the Royals
Just ask Grady Sizmore how well SI worked out for hm!
it is the year 2015. the Cubs are to win the World Series.
Oh God, they double-jinxed my teams. Not only are the Indians going to flame out now, Sparty is going to fall to Oklahoma. This is why we can’t have nice things, Sports Illustrated!
So, if I live in St. Louis – I can just get the Indians edition in Illinois 5 minutes away? Or do I have to be out of the St. Louis-market area?
The SI site mentioned states, not market areas
Nope not yet but they are getting warmer.
are you telling me that Marty McFly is a liar?
Maybe it’s just because I’m accustomed to our teams (generally) being overlooked most of the time, but this makes me incredibly uneasy. Add in the Cavs being a popular Finals choice and the Browns possibly doing Hard Knocks? I have zero confidence that things end well. Just let us toil here in our little corner of the world and maybe sneak up on everyone with a title (or a .500 season in the case of the Browns). Don’t put the evil of expectations on us.
Sorry…that’s not Kluber. I don’t know who that guy is.
http://josemesa.cleveland.morethanafan.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kluber-smile.jpg
It is Kluber. SI used the same air brushing technique that they utilize for their swimsuit edition to make it appear that Corey is smiling.
Buckeyes favorites in 2007, 2008 = fail. Buckeyes severe underdogs in 2002, 2015 = win.
So which has the greater track record of carnage, the SI cover jinx or the Madden cover jinx?
The whole first paragraph of this article is false. The last time the Indians were on the cover of the SI baseball preview issue was 1996 when Manny Ramirez was on it. They won the division that year.
No, take them off!
Is that ESPN’s new baseball analyst?