THE CLEVELAND INDIANS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES – WFNY Podcast No. 543 (with TD)
October 19, 2016The Ryan Merritt Game, Indians to World Series: Ball Played
October 20, 2016For entirely too long, the Cleveland Indians have spent much of the last 20 years reminding current day fans about the players who patrolled Jacobs Field back in the mid-1990s. Whether it be through jersey giveaways, bobbleheads, or—gulp—premature statue erection, the Tribe marketing folks have deemed it “connecting generations,” a means to celebrate the teams that had Cleveland buzzing while simultaneously subjecting fans to the detritus of a Jason Michaels-David Dellucci platoon in left field. You know, as if that would make you forget about the fact that that spot used to be manned by Albert Belle and Albert Belle alone.
The marketing ploy itself made sense, and it was one that fell right in line with Mark Shapiro’s now-infamous “don’t come” line. All it takes is one quick look around The Jake on a chilly night and you’ll see more than enough ’95 or ’97 crewneck sweatshirts, the graphics a little more faded than the day they were purchased, to know that Cleveland loves nostalgia. But as we have written here many of times, the issue was never that the team was attempting to sell us all on the past being a reason to enjoy the present as much as it was their infuriating willingness to admit it—that there were years that they were not going to be competing for a playoff spot, but that there was a plan in place to do so. And while they have no one but themselves to blame for the attendance numbers that have become national story lines for much of the last decade, the 2016 Cleveland Indians, at least for the next few weeks, are suddenly the hottest ticket in the city despite going square up against a Cavaliers team that won a championship just months earlier.
Yes sir #TRIBE
— Kenny Lofton (@Kenny_Lofton7) October 19, 2016
“Our team has been pushed around a lot [over the years], and now they’re starting to push back,” said Tribe manager Terry Francona following the team’s Game 5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Those men pushing back may not have the entire AL All-Star roster listed as their mid-summer home as the team of the ’90s did, but they have more than earned the adoration of an entire city. They clap back at lazy beat reporting, hang pictures of teammates in the clubhouse, wear shirts of each others’ likeness, and rub the head of Andre Knott as if a genie is going to pour out of his nostrils and grant them a borderline called strike.
Where Indians fans adored Mike Hargrove when he was steering the ship on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, what Terry Francona has done with this squad—this squad—shouldn’t be possible. Cleveland as a city tends to embrace the Us Against the World mentality, born through years of watching playoff series from our couch, always vying to topple larger markets or exponentially larger payrolls. Francona has taken a Ziploc-tight budget and made magic happen. And while injuries are supposed to be the stick in the spokes of smaller markets who can’t afford the depth, it’s this squad that has fought through each of them—MVP-caliber outfielder, Silver Slugging catcher, two Cy Young candidates, the Game 1 ALDS starter—and punched the entire country of Canada square in the nuts just weeks after sending David Ortiz home with a premature retirement.
World Series here we come!! Congrats Boyz!! @Indians #RallyTogether
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 19, 2016
Where the Cavaliers were at the forefront of Believeland, it’s this Indians team that has changed things up a bit and brought us Relieveland. With one of the most dominant bullpens in the history of postseason baseball, this Indians relief unit is one that makes that of the ’90s look average at best. Sure, Jose Mesa was a flame-throwing, red glove-wearing closer who exuded years of dominance, but even he has to be amazed by what Andrew Miller (your ALCS MVP), Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, and the rest of the Tribe late-inning arms were able to accomplish to this point.
The Toronto Blue Jays scored just eight runs over the five-game series against the Tribe, five of which came in their lone victory in Game 4, zero of which came during a Game 3 which featured just 2/3 of an inning pitched by starter Trevor Bauer. Miller, with a fastball that touches 98 and a slider that touches the tops of right-handed hitters’ feet, pitched in four games of the series, including an incredible 2 2/3 innings in the decisive Game 5. He tossed 7 2/3 innings in total, allowing zero runs on three hits while striking out 14 and walking none. As a bonus: all three hits were singles. That not enough for you? For the 2016 postseason run to this point, Miller has thrown 11 2/3 innings. In them, he has allowed five hits, struck out 21 batters, and walked only two. His ERA is a Mr. Blutarski-like 0.00.
Cody Allen, with his 32 regular season saves, refused to give up a run through his 4 2/3 ALCS innings. The entire bullpen in all? Twenty-two innings, four earned runs, twenty-seven strikeouts, three walks, thousands of lost voices, even more minds blown. While WFNY has been trying to get folks to understand just how special this bullpen has been for much of the entire 2016 season, it took their outright dominance of the home run-hitting Toronto Blue Jays for the rest of the world to wake up. Hey—whatever it takes, right?
Before this year, the Cavs & the Indians combined to win 2 titles in 156 tries.
They now could win 2 titles in four months.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 19, 2016
And this isn’t to discredit the characters on the offensive side of the ball. While the ’90s had their share of shirsey-worth players, Francisco Lindor’s work in the playoffs has launched him from a player who is adored by the entire city of Cleveland to one who is dropping jaws across North America. Jason Kipnis’ role as the take-no-shit second baseman—”That’s why you don’t say dumb shit,” he would say when asked about the bulletin board material provided by the mouths of various Blue Jays—is finally being embraced by national media. Mike Napoli’s storybook season, one in which his likeness raised over $100,000 for the Cleveland Clinic’s Children’s Hospital, added another chapter with his work at the plate in crucial moments of the game. Coco Crisp’s return is impossibly crucial, making huge plays in left field in addition to an array of key bunts and clutch home runs. Jose Ramirez went from a player who was sent to Triple-A a season ago to the team’s MVP—all while dying his hair freaking orange.
Baseball is a sport that can be sliced and diced and analyzed until the numbers look like wingdings, but no amount of math can explain why this group of men has been able to defy every odd put in front of them, punching their ticket to the World Series. The pitching staff that was supposed to be the bedrock of the organization is decimated. Instead, Francona has invented the “bullpen game.” The offense was supposed to be carried by just a few folks, forcing others to doubt whether or not they would score enough runs to consistently compete. Instead, they’ve gotten production from way-too-old prospects like Tyler Naquin and way-too-old veterans like Napoli and Rajai Davis. This team may not have the star power that lined the mid-’90s rosters, but if any unit will allow Cleveland baseball fans to live in the present as opposed to romanticizing those who have long retired, it’s these guys—odds defying, base stealing, strike throwing, and game winning. While there have been plenty of entertaining players and teams to take to The Jake since 1997, it’s this group who will be able to come back to Cleveland two decades from now and still be met with open arms.
Celebrate this, Cleveland. It may have taken 19 seasons, but the dreams of October Baseball are about to trickle into November. No longer are we forced to look back. The present is pretty damn great.
So who want's to hear Hammy call the final out of the ALCS? pic.twitter.com/wjeTs98w03
— Scott (@WFNYScott) October 20, 2016
26 Comments
Just say NO to Relieveland.
Otherwise this post made me misty-eyed 🙂
Honestly, I am afraid to say too much on the chance that I get my hopes up too far. But *family friendly*, this is fun.
Scott, certainly you mean Jason MICHAELS platooning with Delucci in the OF. Jason Donald was mostly in the IF, I believe.
Crappy Cleveland OF platoons. Never forget.
Oh it’s gonna leave a mark.
Too high, too high.
Whaddya mean too high?
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J9VOlO374KZa_lWbQ-zkYBx0r04=/800×0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4018456/Two_man_wave.0.gif
Nice writing, and agree with everything, with the exception of calling Hoynes’ piece “lazy beat reporting.” It was logical and gutsy from a beat writer whose livelihood depends on interacting with the guys whose fate he doubted. There was no lack of effort in his piece, and it wasn’t snarky to be snarky.
We celebrate this team today precisely because it beat the long odds Hoynes described. No need to pretend we are on the team and highly offended. Hoynes attempted bold objectivity, without fear of angering the players, and I agreed with his analysis that evening. Ultimately, he was wrong and has apologized. It wasn’t lazy, and he’s been a fair observer for decades. I appreciate what he was trying to do.
Latest episode of I told you so……
Mrs jpf and I were talking to couple at the bar during the game. Salt of the earth Clevelanders. He looked over at me and said, “this is incredible, at the beginning of the year, did you actually think this was possible?”
Wifey got a big ear to ear grin and looked over at me on cue: “Yes, actually last August I thought this team would be a legit WS contender.” And she chimes in with the spouse I’ve heard it way too much inflection: “Yes he did, belieeeeeve me.”
This team has been an absolute blast to follow this year. They just consistently made rock solid decisions that translated directly to wins on the field. The game experience at Progressive is first rate. And the story lines, Major League has nothing on this team.
This is a great read, I wanna tweet about 15 different lines. Thanks Scott.
In my mind, anything that is rooted entirely in opinion and absolutism is lazy when it comes to sports reporting. While I appreciate and understand your point of view, he should have attempted to get quotes from said players or executives that either supported or were contrary to his take. Nothing is certain. To pretend like it is disingenuous at best. That he didn’t show up to the park the next day made it that much worse.
Too many crappy Jasons. Will fix.
It was reactionary and alarmist, and even more importantly, dead wrong. Hoynes deserves the lumps.
I agree. It felt more like HOT TAKE HOYNES than it did like real writing. I think he could have conveyed the same ideas in a way that wasn’t as clearly click-baity.
The five pieces that followed “LOOK AT THE REACTION TO PAUL HOYNES’ COLUMN” did him zero favors.
Jason Davis
Monsters, Stipe, Cavs and potentially the Indians all in the same year. Unbelievable.
Well, one of those five was a reaction to the Hoynse column from Paul Hoynes
Oh, and another was ensuring everyone knew he was doing a Facebook Live to talk about the column and all the reaction pieces
Jason Campbell.
Fail. That’s elite Jason’s.
Jason Johnson.
#InningsEater #NeverForget
No one is happier about this development than Sashi Brown, that’s for damn sure.
“it beat the long odds Hoynes described”
If only he had described long odds, then there would be no issues with the story. He assured us, in no uncertain terms, that the season was over.
“Hoynes attempted bold objectivity”
Exactly, except the problem was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, his objectivity was wildly incorrect. To boil the issue down as basic as possible – there simply are no such thing as sure things in sports. He wasn’t ultimately wrong, he was wrong from the very first word.
Who?
this should have gotten way more upticks.
Meh on Hoynes and his objectivity. But i agree with everything else you said.
Jason Michaels-David Dellucci-UGHHHHHH
I’ll never forget his first start of the only half season we had him…something like 6 innings 1 run? WE WERE HYPED