Missing player's picture found on his tombstone

Hard to believe, but a baseball researcher found what may be the only picture of a long-ago baseball player on a tombstone.

Here's the text of an email from Bill Hickman, chairman of the Pictorial History Research Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR):

"Fred Worth has come up with a unique method for finding an image of a missing player. He took a photo of the tombstone of John E. Bass in a cemetery in Denver, Colo. It turns out that there's a pretty nice carving of Bass in a baseball uniform on his tombstone. Fred theorizes that the carver was probably working from an authentic photo of Bass. At any rate, I've accepted it as a valid image of Bass."


A picture of the image on the tombstone appears on the website of Out of the Park Baseball with the note "Thanks to SABR for tracking this one down!"

Shortstop, catcher and outfielder John Elias Bass was a major league player from 1871-1877. He played for the Cleveland Forest Citys, Brooklyn Atlantics and Hartford Dark Blues. According to one source I saw, in 1871 Bass led the National Association in triples, with 10.

He died on Sept. 24, 1888 in Denver, Colo. No other picture of him is known.

Bass is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Denver. But who would have thought there would be a picture of him on his headstone?

Fred Worth discussed his latest trip to visit ballplayers' graves at the SABR Day event this year in Arkadelphia, Ark.

The picture is a fantastic find but, as always, you can't convince everyone. My son David points out that there is no proof that the artist who carved the stone knew what Basss looked like. If he had, wouldn't he have included more facial features?

SABR say the primary focus of its Pictorial History Committee is to develop a Player Image Index. The goal of this project is to catalog at least one photo image of every man who has played in the major leagues. That means knowing where it has been published or in what collection it has been seen.

We now know were we can find John Elias Bass.

How we found ball player Fern Bell

Hunting for long-lost ballplayers before the Internet called for real persistence. Back in 1988, baseball researcher Bill Haber advised me that Jack Smalling's address book no longer had valid information on Fern Bell — if still living, if so where.

As his last known address was Los Angeles, I was recruited to find out. Trips were made to past addresses, one as close as one mile from my home. Nothing turned up. His schools, Fremont and Jacob Riis, were contacted; fellow researcher Rick Obrand was contacted, as was Joe L. Brown of the Pirates, along with former teammates such as Chuck Stephans and many ball players who attended dinners such as the Professional Ball Players Association, the Second Guessers meeting and so many more. The Post Office where Fern Bell had once worked refused comment. So it went.

Rick Obrand remarked that he had seen in an LA paper that Fern had a daughter. This clue led me to a Los Angeles Times article found and sent to me by Cecilia Rasmussen, who periodically does a great item called "On The Scene" about old LA.

The article stated "Bell Father of Baby Girl," born at San Gabriel Hospital. This information was sent to San Gabriel and a genealogist went to work to find out more from the hospital records on possible names and locations.

The facts found and relayed to Haber were that a baby girl was born to a Jerome Fern Lee Bell. With this information I had a friend check driver licenses in California. A Jerome Fern Lee Bell residing in Palm Desert, Calif., was found, just a few doors down from the home of the friend who located the license information. A questionnaire was given to the friend to deliver.

After a few weeks of no reply, I called Mr. Bell and had a nice conversation and shortly thereafter received his questionnaire.

He told me some great stories but sort of refused an interview. He was always considered a loner by his teammates. His line in the Baseball Encyclopedia states his birth date as Jan. 21, 1913. His questionnaire states Jan. 1, 1918. In 1931, he played for Jackson, Beckley and Memphis; at 13 years of age?

Anyhow, he was a PGA member for many, many years. He taught golf until his death; he was just a short walk from his home to the golf course — that was his life.

Fern, rather Jerome, would have been a very interesting person to have tell his baseball stories — that is if he would have acknowledged such a request.

He wrote a letter to me saying he hadn't kept much from his baseball career and enclosing an article the local paper did after he was found and deluged with requests for autographs.

'Shorty' Gallagher played in more cities than any other ballplayer I know

Charles "Shorty" Gallagher, Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball player, got around. I firmly believe this individual played baseball in more cities than any other player.

His career was extensive in travel but short at each location. It is hard for me to be concise in his travels, his number of games and performance averages. One highlite of his career was his ability to throw a baseball to long distances and he had to show this talent where ever he went.

Shorty was born in Detroit, Mich. and started playing baseball at an early age. At 16 he was captain of a newspaper delivery boys team and played other such teams in other cities.

Being a Detroit boy, he was picked up by a local semi-pro team then called the Wolverines. From there he was on the road constantly.

Many small articles in the Sporting Life paper of the day mentioned "The little ball player 'Shorty' Gallagher."

The list of cities where I have picked out his name is extensive. Here are some that one will find in the baseball guides with his records: Denison, Ulrichsville, Wheeling, Patterson, Peoria, Rockford, St. Joseph, Chatham, Twin City, New Castle.

And now here are more that I am aware of, although not in the guides: Savannah, New Orleans, Erie, Ashtabula, Flint, Portsmouth, Grand Rapids, Birmingham, and no doubt more.

Charles William Gallagher, born April 30, 1872, died June 23, 1921 in Detroit. He was only 5' 8", an outfielder with a good arm but lousy bat and always on the go as anyone can see.

SABR closes in on missing player pix

Pictures of fewer than 600 ballplayers are needed to complete the pictorial record of the more than 17,000 men who ever played major league baseball.

Chairman William Hickman says the Pictorial History Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has only to find pictures of 593 more players to complete the project.

"Expressed on the positive side, we have been able to catalogue images for 16,558 players, which equals 96.5 per cent of those who have ever played major league ball," he writes.

Here is Hickman's report on formerly missing players found since the committee's February newsletter:

William E. Smith. Found by Lefty Blasco in an 1885 Erie team photo.

Robert M. Gibson. This player was one of the steps backward in the February newsletter when it was thought that he never appeared on an Old Judge baseball card. Thanks to Lefty Blasco, it is now known that he was an "old judge" of another sort. Robert M. Gibson spent his later years as a Federal District Judge. Upon his death, his photo appeared prominently in the Pittsburgh Gazette.

Ernie Diehl. Found by Lefty Blasco in the Cincinnati Enquirer of Sept. 1, 1902. The image is a head shot among the Saturday afternoon League All-Stars.

Charles Hallstrom. Found by Cary Smith in the book History of the Swedes in Illinois, by Ernst Olson and Martin Enberg, published in 1908.

Lester Carrington Dole. Found by Bill Hickman in the 1919 yearbook of the St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H., where he was the school's first athletic director. That yearbook was dedicated to him.

Philip Saylor. Found by Bill Hickman by contacting the town historian of West Alexandria, Ohio. Saylor was the mayor of that town and a prominent attorney there. The historian located the photo in a circa 1900 book of biographical sketches of prominent citizens of Preble County, Ohio. The photo can be viewed on the OOTP Baseball website.

John A. Haldeman. Found by Bill Hickman in The City of Louisville & Glimpse of Kentucky, by Young Ewing Allison. Haldeman was business manager of the Louisville Times. The photo can be viewed on Google Books.

George Henry Knight. Found by Bill Hickman in Taylor's Legislative History & Souvenir of Connecticut: Portraits, 1908. Knight became a noted physician who headed the Connecticut Committee on Public Health & Safety. At the time of his death, he was the superintendent of the institution with the impolitic name of the Connecticut School for Imbeciles. His photo can be seen here.

Alexander B. Nevin. Found by Hickman in Biographical Record of the Class of 1874 in Yale College. Can be seen via Google Books here.

George W. Noftsker. Found by Hickman in a family photo in the photo archives of the Shippensburg Historical Society, Shippensburg, Penn. Noftsker was the borough treasurer of that town in 1911.

Joseph H. Berry Sr. Found by Lefty Blasco in a Bristol, Conn. minor league photo from the 1902 Spalding or Reach Guide.

Baseball researchers turn to Facebook

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is turning to social networking programs like Facebook and Twitter to accomplish its mission. The non-profit organization obviously doesn't want to fall behind the times, and doesn't mind having some fun along the way.

We learn on SABR's Facebook fan page that Zip Code 20008 has more SABR members than any other (14). Ironically, that Zip Code (it's in Washington, D.C.) also includes my granddaughter Anna. Anna is not a member of SABR but she may know someone who is.

Catch up on what's going on with SABR by checking out the Facebook fan page. Unfortunately, I can't just give you a link because Facebook requires that you sign in to view the page. So, hit the SABR logo here, sign in to your Facebook account, search for "SABR", scroll past all the pretty girls named Sabrina, and there you are.

Or, just take my word for it. It's there.

Orval Overall, greatest name ever

[Orval Overall, Chicago NL (baseball)] (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

Here, from the Library of Congress collection, is the Cubs player with perhaps the best name in the history of baseball. Pitcher Orval Overall won 23 games for the Cubs in 1907.

The right-hander is the only man to strike out four batters in one inning in a World Series (1908). His lifetime ERA of 2.24 is the eighth best in major league baseball.

Larry Corcoran led the early Cubs

Larry Corcoran led the early Cubs to championships in 1880, 1881, and 1882, originally uploaded by guano.

Here's a photo of an early Cubs hero, posted by a fan who provides this bio for him:

"Back before there was an American League, the Cubs were called the White Stockings and the Pennant was the World Series. Lawrence J. Corcoran took the team to Championships in 1880, 1881, and 1882! A THREE-PEAT! This beat the Chicago Bulls two three-peats by 110 years.

"Little Larry was perhaps 5' 3" and 120 pounds, but he threw serious heat. They called him the 'Indian Pony' because of his endurance. He's a real forgotten hero of the early Cubs. "

Chicago Cubs team picture, 1906

Chicago Cubs team picture, 1906, originally uploaded by Boston Public Library.

From the collection of the Boston Public Library, here is the pennant winning 1906 Chicago Cubs National League Ball Club.

The picture is from a postcard of the team. Players are identified as: Top Row, left to right: M. Brown, J. Pfeister, A. Hofman, C.G. Williams, O. Overall, E. Reulback, J. Kling.

Middle Row: H. Gessler, J. Taylor, H. Steinfeldt, J. McCormick, F. Chance, J. Sheckard, P. Moran, F. Schulte.

Bottom Row: C. Lundgren, T. Walsh, J. Evers, J. Slagle, J. Tinker.

Pen annotation on front of postcard: "Tinker-Evers to Chance, 1906" refers to famous poem by Franklin Pierce Adams entitled, "Baseball's Sad Lexicon." The names of the three players have been underlined. Pen annotation on back of postcard: "Miss Alice E. McGreevy, Roxbury, Mass., from mother & father." Alice McGreevey was the daughter of Michael T. McGreevey.

--BPL Collection: McGreevey Collection

Cap Anson: Another great find on Flickr

Cap Anson, originally uploaded by hunter...

Here's a photo from Flickr posted by Hunter of Versailles, Kentucky. He wrote the interesting background on this Hall of Famer:

Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), known by the nicknames "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was a professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball. He played in a record twenty-seven consecutive seasons,[1] and was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era and one of the first superstars of the game.[2]

Anson spent most of his career with the Chicago Cubs franchise (then known as the "White Stockings" and later the "Colts"), serving as the club's manager, first baseman and, later in his tenure, minority owner. He led the team to five National League pennants in the 1880s. Anson was one of baseball's first great hitters, and was the first to tally over 3,000 career hits.

After retiring as a player and leaving the Colts, Anson briefly managed the New York Giants. He ran several enterprises in Chicago, including opening a billiards and bowling hall and running a semi-professional baseball team he dubbed "Anson's Colts". Anson also toured extensively on the vaudeville circuit, performing monologues and songs. Many of his business ventures failed, resulting in Anson losing his ownership stake in the Colts (by then called the Cubs) and filing for bankruptcy.

Anson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Summer school baseball team 1912

Summer school baseball team 1912, originally uploaded by Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections.

There are many team photos on line posted by the Miami (Ohio) University Libraries - Digital Collections. Many features the photos of Frank R. Snyder.

A biography of him on the site says he "was probably the leading Oxford, Ohio, photographer during the early 20th Century. He also worked for Miami University during this period, taking many of the photographs that were used in University publications.

"After his death in 1958, his son Frank King Snyder and daughter-in-law Lois gave the surviving collection of over 4,000 Frank R. Snyder negatives to Miami University.

"In addition to providing a pictorial record of the community and citizens of Oxford, Ohio, the Snyder Collection chronicles buildings, organizations, students, and events at Miami University; Oxford College, which merged with Miami in 1928; and Western College, which merged with Miami in 1973. The Collection spans the years from 1897 to 1955, with the bulk dating from between 1900 and 1930."

Fred Carisch, Cleveland, 1913, just posted to Flickr.com by Library of Congress

[Fred Carisch, Cleveland AL (baseball)] (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

This is a photo just added to www.Flickr.com by the Library of Congress. In addition to books, the Library has photos, maps, databases, movies, sound recordings, sheet music, manuscripts, and information in many other formats. Millions of items are online, and the full array of collections is available in DC, right across from the U.S. Capitol building

What are photographs doing in a library?

They've been acquiring photos since the mid-1800s when photography was the hot new technology. Because images represent life and the world so vividly, people have long enjoyed exploring visual collections. Looking at pictures opens new windows to understanding both the past and the present. Favorite photos are often incorporated in books, TV shows, homework assignments, scholarly articles, family histories, and much more.

The Prints & Photographs Division takes care of 14 million of the Library's pictures and features more than 1 million through online catalogs. Offering historical photo collections through Flickr is an opportunity to share some of its most popular images more widely.

'Cubs Forever' documentary now a book

Here's a link to a video of Cubs announcer Harry Caray explaining where he does his baseball research: in bars. (You may be able to just view it in the player at the end of this post.) It's one of the interviews, apparently from a two-hour WGN-TV special, now out in book form. The book includes a DVD of the television special. This is a description of the book from WGN:

"Broadcasting the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV is a tradition that goes back to the station’s founding itself. It was on April 16, 1948 that WGN Sports carried its first Chicago Cubs game. Sixty years of the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV is the longest consecutive airing in television history. In classic style, the Cubs lost that first televised game. Bob Vorwald, Executive Producer of WGN Sports, compiled interviews and vintage photos in a book, Cubs Forever: Memories from the Men Who Lived Them.

The book is available from Tower books for under $18.

Wanted: Your reactions to this blog!

You have to be pretty sharp-eyed to see it, but if you look at the bottom of each posting on this blog, you'll see that you now have a chance to let me know your reaction to it, instantly!

Did I get a hit? Is it a foul ball? Give it a click and let me know. It's faster and easier than writing a full comment, but I welcome those too, of course.

And while you're at it, don't forget to hit the "Follow This Blog" link at right, if you haven't already. You'll join my followers. You'll be able to see when I've added something new without having to check back constantly. You can follow anonymously, if you want but, if you are a blogger yourself, this is your chance to let my readers know who you are and what you are up to.

Play ball!

The man who never invented baseball

My son visited the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania recently and was surprised to see that signage there honoring Union Gen. Abner Doubleday specifically notes that Doubleday did NOT invent the game of baseball. It is pretty commonly accepted now that no one person invented the game. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Gen. Doubleday:

"The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 was once widely promoted and widely believed. There was and is no evidence for this claim, except for the testimony of one man decades after the fact, and there is more persuasive counter-evidence.

"Doubleday himself never made such a claim; he left many letters and papers, but they contain no description of baseball or even a suggestion that he considered himself a prominent person in the history of the game. His New York Times obituary makes no mention of baseball at all, nor does an encyclopedia article about Doubleday published in 1911.

"Contrary to popular belief, Doubleday was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, although a large oil portrait of him was on display at the Hall of Fame building for many years. The myth of Doubleday’s invention of baseball was itself baseball's invention, in the sense that Al Spalding, a former star pitcher, then club executive, who had become the leading American sporting goods entrepreneur and sports publisher, was largely responsible.

"Debate on baseball origins had raged for decades, heating up in the first years of the 20th Century. To end argument, speculation and innuendo, Spalding organized a panel in 1905. The panelists included his friend Abraham G. Mills, a former National League president.

"Its research methods were, at best, dubious. The Mills Commission concluded that baseball had been invented by Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York in 1839; that Doubleday had invented the word baseball, designed the diamond, indicated fielder positions, and had written down the rules and the field regulations. However, no written records from 1839 or the 1840s have ever been found to corroborate these claims; nor could Doubleday be interviewed (he had died in 1893).

"Further, Doubleday was not in Cooperstown in 1839 and may never have visited the town. He was enrolled at West Point and there is no record of any leave time. Mills, a lifelong friend of Doubleday, had never heard him mention baseball.

"The principal source for the story was one letter from elderly Abner Graves, who was a five-year-old resident of Cooperstown in 1839. But Graves never mentioned a diamond, positions or the writing of rules. Graves' reliability as a witness has also been questioned because he was later convicted of murdering his wife and spent his final days in an asylum for the criminally insane."

At Gettysburg, my son learned that Doubleday was a war hero. His command may have saved the Union Army in the early fighting, but he ended up being unfairly blamed because his outnumbered soldiers had to retreat.

Doubleday was an inventive man: later in his life he took out a patent on a cable car system, still employed in San Francisco.

Be a fan! Follow this blog!

If you read Cubs and Indians Pix please do me a favor and click "Follow This Blog" above the collection of little faces in the sidebar column to the right. By doing so, you'll be updated every time I post a new item here.

You'll be able to choose to follow this blog anonymously, if you prefer. But, if you're a blogger yourself, this is your chance to let me and my readers know what you have to offer. You can stop following this blog at any time with a simple click.

Even if you're not a blogger, there are only a few quick steps to take to activate this feature. You'll be walked through it automatically.

The Follow This Blog widget is a relatively new feature created by Google. It is expected to catch on fast and become the new way that users follow blogs and web pages. I think you'll like it. Click now.

Researchers help Library of Congress

They're identified only as "Chicago players."

Members of the Pictorial History Committee of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) are pitching in to help the U.S. Library of Congress identify old time baseball players in its photo collection.

The Library of Congress has begun uploading photos from the early 20th Century Harris & Ewing Photo Collection to its web site. So far, it has about 3,600 photos from that collection on the web. Search on the keyword "baseball" and you will find 295 photos.

Trouble is, most of the people in the pictures are identified only as "baseball players." Putting names to faces is a huge undertaking. The Library of Congress possesses tens of thousands of photos from the Harris & Ewing Collection. It will upload additional batches of photos gradually, and hopes eventually to have the entire collection on-line.

Photographers Harris & Ewing, Inc. photographed people, events, and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C., during the period 1905-1945. Harris & Ewing gave its collection of negatives to the Library of Congress in 1955.

SABR researchers previously worked to improve the captions of the Bain Collection of photos on the Library of Congress web site.

Was this the mascot, or the lawn mower?

What baseball researchers talk about

Reporter Peter Holehan of the Forum Publishing Group in Florida attended the Oct. 23 meeting of the Society of American Baseball Research South Florida Chapter in Tamarac, Florida. He wrote an interesting story that neatly captures the appeal of the hobby. His story appears on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel web site. Here are a few excerpts:

"Local author Paul Proia, tells the real-life experiences of Rube Waddell, the player who had a learning disability and matured only one year for every three of the average person's life.
And then Proia speaks of how Waddell rose to become one of the game's best pitchers and held the single-season and single-game strikeout records from the early 1900s until 1973 when Nolan Ryan set the bar a few pegs higher.

"Guys in the group such as Raymond Gonzalez have followed the history of baseball so closely and so precisely that record books have been re-written. In one instance, old-time Chicago Cubs slugger Hack Wilson was found to have an extra RBI that was left off the records. Instead of 190 runs batted in, it was revealed that Wilson actually had 191.

"People come in to bring baseball memorabilia such as old-dated cards, autographs and photos. People can even pick up and swing a bat that is over 80 years old. It's all a part of the meeting among a room filled with baseball aficionados. There are stories that are so rarely told and others that remain timeless.

"Founded in 1971, the Society of American Baseball Research has nearly 7,000 members worldwide. SABR representatives include anybody who loves and is interested in the history of the baseball."

Attention fans: Follow this blog

Fans of this blog are starting to notice. Are you interested in pictures of players for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians baseball teams? Let me know who you are by joining the FANS OF THIS BLOG shown in the sidebar at right.

Not only will you be showing your support for what I'm doing, but you'll let my readers know what you're up to. Your icon on the FANS OF THIS BLOG sidebar becomes in effect a link to your own blog. This is a good idea, especially if you too have something to offer baseball researchers or just plain fans.

To join, click the FOLLOW THIS BLOG button. You'll be prompted on what to do from there.

Thanks! And keep your eye on the ball.

Cleveland Indians history

A history of the Cleveland Indians baseball team from the authoritative SportsEncyclopedia site:

1889-1899: Professional baseball in Cleveland pre-dates the founding of the American League. Cleveland had teams in the National Association, early National League, and American Association before the Cleveland Spiders joined the NL in 1889. The Spiders struggled at the start but became a true contender in the NL when they signed Cy Young out of the minors. Young would go on to become the winningest pitcher in baseball history. Despite Cy Young the Indians never manage to win the Pennant and after the 1898 season their owner Frank Robinson buys the Cardinals and ships all the stars, including Cy Young, with him to St. Louis. The remaining Spiders team is so bad no one shows up to watch them play and the team is forced to play every game on the road for a few months. The Spiders finish with an embarrassing 20-134 record, which still remains the worst in baseball history. After the season the Spiders are one of 4 teams the NL disbands leaving Cleveland without a Big League Ballclub.

1901: During the winter of 1900 Ban Johnson, president of the Western Baseball League decided the country was large enough for two major leagues. Johnson decided to make his league a major league, changing the name from the Western League to the American League. Feeling strongly that a team in Cleveland would help boost the league's reputation as a major league, he moved the Grand Rapids franchise to the shores of Lake Erie. However, their first season would not be a success as the Blues finished in 7th Place with a 55-82 record.1902: Now using the name Bronchos, Cleveland's AL team experiences its first winning season with a 69-67 record good enough for 5th Place.1903: The Bronchos continue to improve finishing in 3rd place with a solid 77-63. However they would still finish 15 games out of 1st place. 1904: The Bronchos continue to raise their win total despite finishing in 4th place posting a solid 86-65 record while coming with in 7 and half games of first.1905: The team undergoes another name change this time becoming the Naps, in honor of their best player Napoleon Lajoie, who was called Nap for short. The Naps would not find much success finishing in 5th Place with a 76-78 record.1906: The Naps get their first taste of pennant fever finishing 5 games back in 3rd Place in a 3-team race with a solid 89-64 record.1907: The Naps continue to put together solid seasons finishing in 4th place with an 85-67 while finishing 8 games out of first.1908: The Naps, who posted a record of 90-64, lose what was the closest pennant race in baseball history, being defeated by the Detroit Tigers by only a half a game for the American League pennant. The Naps had played one more game then the Tigers, who failed to make up a rained out game and it, was a loss. Following that season, a new rule was instituted requiring teams to make up any rained out games that might affect the pennant race. The highlight of the failed charge for the pennant comes on October 2nd when Addie Joss tosses a Perfect Game, while throwing just 74 pitches.1909: After barely missing a trip to the World Series the Naps struggle all season finishing with a disappointing record of 71-82.

1910: Cleveland Spiders great Cy Young who returned to Cleveland in 1909 to pitch for the Naps, wins his 500th Career game cementing his record for career wins, which he would end up at 511. However, the Naps would not fare as well finishing in 5th Place with a 71-81 record. However, the story of the season was the strangest race for the batting crown in Baseball history. The race saw Cleveland's hero Nap Lajoie battle Ty Cobb until the final day of the season. What added spice to the race was that the Chalmers Automobile Co. had pledged to give one of its cars to the winner. In early October, thinking he had the car already won, Cobb skipped the Tigers final two contests to protect his average, claiming an eye ailment. However, driving away his new Chalmers would not be as simple as Cobb expected. On October 9th the Naps played a double header in St. Louis against the Browns. Jack O'Connor Manager of the Browns had his infielder play back and told his pitchers to give Lajoie hittable pitches so he could beat Ty Cobb who was universally hated through out the AL. In the 2 games Lajoie gets 8 hits in 9 ABS the only blemish is when he reaches base on an error. When the official averages were announced, The Sporting News cleared the controversy by naming Cobb the winner with a .3850687 average to Lajoie's .3840947. In a great public relations move, Chalmers made both Cobb and Lajoie fans happy by awarding each player a car.

1911: Tragedy strikes the Naps when Addie Joss contracts tubercular meningitis and passes away prior to the start of the season. In a forerunner of today's All-Star Game, stars gathered at League Park for an exhibition against the Naps to benefit the Joss' family on July 24th. The All-Stars cruise to a 5-3 victory, but the goal of the event is accomplished, as $12,932 is raised for the Joss family. The Naps would go on to have a solid season finishing in 3rd place with a respectable 80-73 record.1912: The Naps struggle all season as first year Manager Harry Davis is fired late in the season with a 54-71 record. Under his replacement J.L. Birmingham the Naps would close out the season in strong fission winning 21 of 28 games to finish in 5th place with a 75-78 record.1913: The Naps play solid baseball all season finishing in 3rd place with a respectable record of 86-66.1914: On September 27th Nap Lajoie becomes the first player to reach the exclusive 3,000 hit mark in a Cleveland uniform. However, it would be Lajoie's last season with Naps, after the team finishes in last place with a 51-102 record, and decides to rebuild with youth.

1915: With the departure of Nap Lajoie, the team needed a new name, so it decided to revive a name the old 1890's NL team had once use, Indians in honor of Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian, who played for the team in 1897. In their first season known as the Indians the club finishes in 7th Place with a 57-97 record.1916: The Indians rebound off 2 terrible seasons by climbing back to the .500 mark at 77-77 while finishing in 6th place.1917: The Indians continue to improve finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 88-66, climbing to with in 12 games of the AL Pennant.1918: The Indians drive of the pennant is short-circuited by a reduced schedule, as the team finishes in 2nd Place with a solid 73-54 record. However, at 2 and half game out the Indians were left to ponder if they could have caught the Champion Boston Red Sox under a full schedule.1919: The Indians fight their way into the pennant race again, but fall just short with a solid 84-55 record.

1920: The Indians experienced possibly the worst tragedy in baseball history on August 16th. In the 5th inning of the game against the New York Yankees, pitcher Carl Mays hit Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in the head with a pitch. Chapman got up, walked to first, and then collapsed. He was taken to the hospital but never regained consciousness and died the next day. This is the only time in Major League Baseball that a player has died from an incident on the playing field. To replace Chapman the Indians called up Joe Sewell from their New Orleans farm club. Sewell who said he played that season with Chapman's spirit would go to have a Hall of Fame career. The rest of the Indians must have played with Chapman's spirit too, as the Indians beat out the Chicago White Sox, and Yankees to capture their first ever AL Pennant with a 98-56 record. That year the World Series was a best 5 out of 9 affair and the Indians faced the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Tribe won the first games of the series 3-1 as pitcher Stan Coveleski threw a 5-hitter. However, Brooklyn would bounce back by winning the next 2. The series went back to Cleveland with the Indians trailing 2 games to 1, as Coveleski had Brooklyn's number again as he won Game 4 to tie the series up, setting up a crucial Game 5 that was a memorable contest. Elmer Smith hit the 1st World Series grand slam, and Jim Bagby hit the 1st homer by a pitcher in the World Series. However, Bill Wambsganss outdid those performances by making the only unassisted triple play in World Series history. With 2 runners on, "Wamby" caught a line drive, stepped on 2nd base for the 2nd out, and then tagged the runner from 1st base to end the inning. Cleveland went on to win the game 8-1., and would go on to win Games 6 and 7 with Shutouts to win their first ever World Championship.1921: The Indians follow up their Championship, by challenging for the AL Pennant again. However, they would fall 4 and half games short of a return trip to the Fall Classic with a 94-60 record.1922: The Indians struggle with mediocrity all season finishing in 4th place with a 78-76 record. 1923: The Indians finish in 3rd place with a respectable 82-71 record.

1924: The Indians struggle all season as suffering their first losing season in 9 years while finishing in 6th place with a poor record of 67-86.1925: On May 17th Indians player-manager Tris Speaker collects his 3000th career hit at League Park. Speaker would end his career with 3,516 hits, and would be part of the second group selected for the Hall of Fame in 1937. However, the season was not as successful for the Tribe as the team finished in 6th Place with a 70-84 record.1926: The Indians would battle the New York Yankees down to the wire, for the AL Pennant before finishing 3 games back with a solid 88-66 record.1927: After coming with in 3 games of first place the Indians suffer a horrible season and finish more then 43 games out, posting a record of 66-87 while placing 6th.1928: The Indians struggle all year and narrowly avoid finishing in last place with a disappointing 62-92 record.1929: The Indians rebound nicely, and finish with a solid 81-71 record, but finish in a distant 3rd Place.1930: The Indians drop a spot to 4th place while posting a similar 81-73 record. 1931: The Indians hover around .500 all season finishing in 4th place with a record of 78-76.1932: The 1st game at the new Cleveland Municipal Stadium was one of Cleveland's great sporting events with a reported total attendance of 80,184. Initially, Municipal Stadium split time with League Park as home to the Indians, but it took over full time duties in the 1947 season. It would remain the home of the Tribe until 1993. However in its final years bad Indian teams, and small crowds would earn the park the nickname of the "Mistake by the Lake." However, a good Indian team took the field in the stadiums first year, finishing with a solid 87-65 record, while finishing 4th in a competitive AL.

1933: The Indians unveil a new logo created by a local newspaper columnist. The logo is named Chief Wahoo, although the Chief has changed his appearance since, but it is still the name of the smiling Indian on the Tribe's hats and logo. The Tribe would go on to finish in 4th place with a disappointing 75-76 record in their first year with Chief Wahoo at their side.1934: The Indians climb to 3rd place posting a solid record of 85-69 along the way.1935: The Indians finish in 3rd place for the 2nd straight season over coming a slow start as Manager Walter Johnson is replace by Steve O'Neal to post a record of 82-71.1936: Bob Feller makes his Major League debut as the Indians finish in 5th Place with an 80-74 record.1937: The Indians continue to reside in the middle of the pack as they post a record of 83-71 while finishing in 4th place.1938: The Indians put together a solid but unrewarding 86-66 season finishing in 3rd place, but a distant 20 games back of the New York Yankees.1939: Despite posting a solid record of 87-67 the Indians finish more the 20 games out of first while landing in 3rd place.1940: Bob Feller who was all ready established as one of the era's most dominate pitchers kicks off the season in style by no hitting the White Sox in Chicago on Opening Day. It is the first and still remains the only No Hitter tossed on Opening Day. The Indians would battle the Detroit Tigers all season for the pennant but would fall 1 game short with an 89-65 record.1941: Indians pitching combines to end Joe DiMaggio streak on July 17th. However, the Indians would struggle down the stretch posting a disappointing record of 75-79 while finishing in 4th place.1942: With many key players departing for service in World War II, including Bob Feller the Indians struggle and finish in 4th Place with a disappointing 75-79 record.

1943: The Indians post an 82-71 record while finishing in 3rd place. 1944: The Indians struggle all season finishing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 72-82.1945: With the war wrapping up Bob Feller returns, but the Indians can only muster a 5th Place 73-72 record.1946: The Indians struggle all season finishing 36 games out of first place while landing in 6th place with a record of 68-86.1947: In July, only a few months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and became the first black player in the Majors in 60 years, Larry Doby becomes the first black player to play in the American League. Doby who had previously made a name for himself with the legendary Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues would go on to have a Hall of Fame Career with the Indians. In Doby's first season the Tribe would finish in 4th Place with an 80-74 record.1948: The Indians battle the Boston Red Sox all season for the AL Pennant and at the end of the 154 game season found themselves in a flat-footed tie at 96 wins and 58 losses. To decide the Pennant a one-game playoff was played at Boston's Fenway Park. The game ended up being no contest as Indians rookie knuckleballer Gene Bearden handcuffs the Sox all day while Lou Boudreau ended hopes of an all Beantown World Series with 2 Home Runs. In the World Series, the Indians found themselves staying in Boston as they faced the Braves. After the losing Game 1, Bob Lemon shutdown the Braves 4-1 in Game 2 to send the series to Cleveland knotted at a game apiece. The Indians would take the next 2 for a 3-1 series lead as AL Playoff hero Gene Bearden hurl a shut out in Game 3, and Game 4 on Larry Doby's HR. However, the Braves would hammer Bob Feller to take Game 5. Heading back to Boston Game 6 rested in the capable hands of Bob Lemon who combined with relief efforts from Bearden to give the Indians a 4-3 win, and landed the Tribe their 2nd World Championship.

1949: The Indians follow up their World Championship by finishing in 3rd Place with a solid but unrewarding 89-65 record.1950: The Indians finish 4th in a 4-team race with a impressive 92-62 record, while finishing a tantalizing 6 games out of first.1951: The Indians fall 5 games short of a return trip to the World Series posting a record of 93-61.1952: The Indians battle to the bitter end of the season falling just 2 games short of the AL Pennant with a record of 93-61.1953: For the 4th year in a row the Indians eclipse the 90 win mark with one of baseball best pitching staffs, but can't catch the New York Yankees for the AL Pennant.1954: The Indians pitching staff puts together one of the strongest performances in baseball history as they win a, then AL, record 111 games to snap the New York Yankees streak of 5 straight pennants. Early Wynn, and Bob Lemon each win an AL high 23 games while Mike Garcia wins the ERA crown at 2.64, and leads an entire 5 rotation who's highest ERA belongs to Art Houtterman at 3.35. In the World Series the heavily favored Indians face the New York Giants. The Series would turn in the First Game when Vic Wertz hit a 440 Ft fly ball towards the deepest part of the Polo Grounds. Willie Mays would run down the ball in perhaps the most famous catch in baseball history, as the game remained tied into extra innings. In the 10th the same fates that cursed the Indians on Wertz 440 bomb smiled on the Giants as Pinch Hitter Dusty Rhodes won the game on a line drive HR to the shortest part of the ballpark. The Tribe would not recover from their stunning Game 1 defeat and would go on to be swept, forever diminishing their great regular season.

1955: Rookie Pitcher Herb Score bursts upon the American League scene, leading the league in strikeouts with 245, establishing a rookie record that would stand nearly 30 years, While winning the Rookie of the Year award. However, the Tribe found themselves 2nd Place again, with a 93-61 record.1956: Herb Score was even better in his second season Winning 20 games. However, the fates would not be kind as late in the season, as Gil McDougal of the New York Yankees lined a pitch that hit Score right in the eye. Score would never be the same and over the remaining 5 years of his career would not manage to even win 20 games total. The Tribe would go on to finish the season in 2nd again with an 88-66 record.1957: With the Score feeling the effects of the injury, and their great pitching staff showing its age, the Indians see their 10-year run of winning seasons come to an end with a 6th Place 76-77 record.1958: The Indians play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 4th place with a 77-76 record.1959: Highlighted by a 4 Home Run game in Baltimore on June 10th, Indians OF Rocky Colavito Wins the AL Home Run crown with 42 HR. However, in a tight race for the AL Pennant the Indians come up short again losing out to the Chicago White Sox, despite a solid record of 89-65.

1960: Just prior to the start of the regular season Indians GM Frank Lane shocks baseball and Tribe fans by dealing away defending HR champion Rocky Colavito for Batting Champion Harvey Kuenn. Colavito would go on to have a few more stellar seasons with Tigers while Kuenn would spend just one season in Cleveland before witnessing his career fade quickly. The controversial trade would mark the beginning of the worst period in Cleveland Indians history, as the Indians finished in 4th Place with a 76-78 record. The Indians would not contend for the next 35 years, and the trade would eventually be known as" the Curse of Rocky Colavito."1961: The Indians remain in the middle of the pack as they finish in 5th place with a record of 79-83.1962: The Indians continue to play mediocre baseball finishing in 6th place with a record of 80-82. 1963: Early Wynn who the Indians dealt after the 1957 season returns to pick up his 300th and final victory on July 13th. The win, would come on Wynn's 9th attempt at the Hall of Fame milestone. The Tribe would not be as successful finishing in 6th Place with a 79-83 record.

1964: The Indians continue to sit just below the .500 mark as they finish in 6th place with a record of 79-83.1965: The Indians post their first winning season since the Rocky Colavito trade, finishing in 5th Place with an 87-75 record.1966: The Indians play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 5th place with an 81-81 record. 1967: The Indians struggle all season falling to 8th place with a record of 75-87.1968: The Indians coming off 2 mediocre seasons, post a solid 86-75 record, but finish in a distant 3rd Place.1969: The Indians don't take to Divisional Play well, losing 99 games while finishing in Last Place, with a worst record the American League's 2 expansion teams.1970: The Indians rebound off their last place season by finishing in 5th place with a record of 76-86.1971: The Indians fall from grace continues as they lose 102 games while finishing in last place for the 2nd time in 3 years.1972: Despite Gaylord Perry winning the Cy Young with a 24-16 record and a 1.92 ERA the Indians finish in 5th place with a 72-84 record.1973: The Indians finish in last place for the 3rd time in 5 years while posting a record of 71-91.1974: Desperate to draw fans to watch the struggling Indians, promoters decide to have a Nickel Beer Night. During the promotion beer would be offered for a nickel apiece. This would lead to one of the largest crowds at Municipal Stadium in years, and would be the recipe for disaster the fans ended up getting drunk on the cheep beer, and began to riot. This would lead to the Indians forfeiting the game against the Texas Rangers as players had to be rushed off the field to escape the flying beer bottles. The whole fiasco would end up in the cancellation of all future such cheap beer promotions throughout baseball. The Indians on the field were not much better as they finished in 4th lace with a 77-85 record.1975: April 8th marks a great stride for not only the Cleveland Indians, and baseball, but for all of America as well when Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in Major League history. At the same time Robinson continues his Hall of Fame playing career, and he enters the ranks in grand style, hitting a homer in his 1st at bat. However, the joy we be short lived, as the Indians suffer another losing season at 79-80.

1976: In Frank Robinson' s 2nd season as Manager the Indians post their first winning season in 7 seasons with an 81-78 record good enough for 4th Place.1977: In the middle of a disappointing 71-90 season Frank Robinson' historic reign as Manager comes to an end as he is fired, and replaced by Jeff Torborg.1978: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 69-90.1979: The Indians post just their 2nd winning record of the decade finishing in 5th place with a record of 81-80.1980: Joe Charbonneau becomes an instant sensation winning the Rookie of the Year, despite playing on an Indians team that finished in 6th place with a 79-81 record.1981: In Perhaps the brightest moment in the dark days of the Indians Len Barker pitches a Perfect Game in front of a small but ruckus crowd in a light drizzle on May 15th against the Toronto Blue Jays at Municipal Stadium. However, in a strike interrupted split season the Indians fail to be a factor for the Divisional Race finishing around .500 in both halves, with a 52-51 overall record.

1982: The Indians finish in a tie for 6th place with a disappointing record of 78-84.1983: The Indians come crashing down into last place posting a horrible record of 70-92 as Pat Corrales takes over as Manager in the middle of the season.1984: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 75-87. 1985: The Indians losing ways continue as the Tribe loses 102 games on the way to finishing in the cellar of the AL East, nearly 40 games behind the first place Toronto Blue Jays.1986: Led by young players like RBI Champion Joe Carter, and Corey Snyder the Indians give fans reason to hope. The Indians were in 1st Place as late as May; the latest they achieved the top spot in 25 years. However, the Tribe would eventually fade finishing in 5th place with 84 wins, 11 games out of the top spot. However, there was finally reason for hope that the Tribe were about to turn things around.1987: After the Indians encouraging season there was no reason for fans no to be optimistic about the Tribe's future. Sports Illustrated even went as far to put Joe Carter, and Corey Snyder on the cover of their baseball preview issue. Saying there would be "An Indian Uprising" as the magazine would pick the Indians to reach the World Series. This would end up being one of the most historic examples of the SI Jinx. Not only do the Indians fail to contend, but they also lose 101 games and finish in the AL East cellar.1988: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 74-88.

1989: Indians fans finally get to see their team victorious again. However, it is not on the field. Instead it is on the Big Screen. In the movie "Major League" a band of rag tag Cleveland Indians put together an amazing run and defeats the New York Yankees in a one game playoff for the Division Title. The producers selected the Indians because over the past 30 years no team has been consistently worse. It also serves as a painful reminder that a whole generation of Indian fans has grown up without ever seeing the Indians play an important game for the pennant, as the team suffers another poor 73-89 season.1990: Sandy Alomar Jr. acquired in a trade with San Diego Padres for Joe Carter makes an instant impact winning the Rookie of the Year as the Indians finish in 4th place with a 77-85 record.1991: The Indians finally hit rock bottom with a franchise worst 57-105 season. However, despite the struggles the seed were being planted for better days in the future as Mike Hargrove took over as Manager, and young players like Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, and Carlos Baergra started to become regular parts of the Tribe's lineup.1992: The Indians begin to show signs of life with a 19-win improvement as they finish in 4th place with a record of 76-86.1993: Prior to the final season in Municipal Stadium, Tragedy strikes the Cleveland Indians again. After a spring game on March 23rd Steve Olin the Indians up and coming closer, Tim Crews a middle, and Bob Ojeda a Left Handed Starting pitcher both of whom were recently acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers went out on an early evening fishing trip. The speedboat they were driving in crashed into a low-lying pier. Olin was killed instantly, and Crews died during surgery a few hours later. Ojeda the lone survivor also suffered serious head injuries, but would recover fully and would even comeback to pitch for the Indians in July. The tragic accident over shadowed a promising season where the Indians young talent began to show signs the Indians were about to rise again before finishing in 6th Place with a 76-86 record.

1994: A new era of Cleveland Indians baseball begins on April 4th when the brand new Stadium Jacobs Field opens up in a revitalized part of downtown. The Indians playing before a sell out crowd of 41,459 fans win the game against the Seattle Mariners in 11 innings 4-3. The move not only revitalizes downtown Cleveland, but the long-suffering Indians as well. The Indians find themselves right in the thick of a race for the top spot in the newly formed AL Central from the start. However, the season would end abruptly on August 12th because of a player's strike with the Indians just 1 game out of first with a 66-47 record, and in Wild Card position.1995: After a strike stopped their first run at a title, the Indians went out and put an emphatic end to 40 years of frustration. The strike which end the previous season limited the season to 144 games, which was not enough to stop the Indians from reaching the century mark in wins, as the team finishes in 1st with an impressive 100-44 record. The Indians are so dominant that they finish 30 games better then the rest of their division the largest margin in baseball history. Albert Belle who hits 50 HR and 50 Doubles and Eddie Murray's 3000th Career hit also highlight the season. In the Indians 1st Playoff series in 41 years the Tribe find themselves matched up against the Boston Red Sox in the first ever ALDS. The Indians get things kicked started in grand fashion as Tony Peña delivers a Game Winning HR to win Game 1 in 13 innings the Tribe would go on to sweep the deflated Sox. Next up for the Indians was the Seattle Mariners, who after 3 games of the ALCS held a 2-1 series lead. However the Tribe would not be denied as they won the next 2 games at Jacobs to head back to Seattle leading 3 games to 2. In Game 6 they faced an opposing challenge as Randy Johnson who dominated them in Game 3 tries to even the series and force a Game 7. The game would turn suddenly when Kenny Lofton scores from 2nd on a passed ball and Randy Johnson gives up a Homer to the batter during the PB, Carlos Baerga this would earn the Tribe their first trip to the World Series in 41 years. The Indians World Series opponents would be the Atlanta Braves, who were looking to end years of postseason frustration themselves. The Braves stellar pitching would handcuff the Tribe in the first 2 games as they jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. The Indians would win Game 3 in Cleveland thanks to timely hitting from Jim Thome, and Eddie Murray. However after being handcuffed again in Game 4 the Indians were backed against the wall down 3 games to 1, and would be facing Greg Maddux who shut down them in Game 1. This time the Indians would gain a measure of revenge and would beat the dominant Cy Young winner to send the series back to Atlanta. In Game 6 pitching was again the story as Indians Orel Hershiser matched the Braves Tom Glavine zero for zero. However, Orel was removed for a pinch hitter, and reliever Jim Poole was victimized by a solo homer from David Justice, and the Indians great season would come to a bitter end 1-0. 1996: The Indians would follow up their first AL Pennant by winning 99 games and cruising to their 2nd consecutive Central Division Title. However, in the Division Series the Indians would get caught napping, and would lose to the Wild Card Baltimore Orioles 3 games to1. 1997: The Indians would struggle most of the season and would wind up with an average record of 86-75. However, it was good enough to win a weak Central Division for the 3rd consecutive year. In the Division series the Tribe faced their historic archrival New York Yankees, who were expected to sweep the Indians. However the Indians managed to steal Game 2 in Yankee Stadium and sent the series to Jacobs Field knotted at a game apiece. After the Indians lost Game 3 they found themselves down 3-2 in the 8th Inning of Game 4. However, Sandy Alomar Jr. would then revive the Tribe by homering off Mariano Rivera to tie the game. The Indians would go on to win the Game in the bottom of the 9th, and the deceive 5th game behind the dominant pitching of Jaret Wright to advances to the ALCS. In the ALCS the Indians faced the same Baltimore Orioles who stymied them in the year before in the ALDS. After being dominated in Game 1 the Tribe were in danger of falling behind 0-2, trailing in the 9th inning of Game 2. However, Marquis Grissom gave the Indians a stunning victory by homering of the Orioles hard throwing closer Armando Benitez. The Indians would go on to win the series by winning 2 extra inning marathons in Games 3 and 6. In the Game 6 victory that won the series 4-2 the Tribe won on Tony Fernadez's 12th Inning Line Drive Homer to break a scoreless tie. The Indians who had struggled for 40 years were on their way to their 2nd World Series in 3 years. In the World Series the Indians would face the NL Wild Card Florida Marlins who were only in their 5th year of existence. The Series went back and forth with Marlins going back to Florida leading 3 games to 2. The Indians would then force a 7th and deciding game thanks to the dominating shutout pitching of Chad Ogea. In Game 7 the Indians took a quick 2-0 lead and Jaret Wright kept the Marlins off the board for 6 innings. After a Bobby Bonillia HR shaved the game 2-1 the Indians went to the 9th leading 2-1. However it was not meant to be as the Marlins would scrap to tie the game and send the game into extra innings. The Indians would wind up heartbroken again in the 11th when ALCS hero Tony Fernandez booted ball and helped the Marlins win their first ever World Championship.

1998: The Indians continue their Central Division dominance by cruising to their 4th straight division title with an 89-73 record. In the Division Series the Indians defeat the Boston Red Sox in 4 games to advance to the ALCS against the New York Yankees. That year the Yankees dominated the entire AL and broke the Indians 1954 AL record for wins in a season with 114. The Indians would steal Game 2 at Yankee Stadium in extra Innings to send the series to Cleveland knotted at a game apiece. In Game 3 the Indians hammered Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite, and looked primed for the upset. However, once again it was not meant to be as Orlando Hernandez, and David Wells dominated the Tribe to send the series back to New York with Yanks leading 3-2 in the series. The Yankees would go on to close out the Indians in 6 games. However, Indians fans could pride themselves with the knowledge that the 2 games the Indians won against the Yanks would be the only 2 the Yankees would lose that entire postseason. 1999: The Indians win the AL Central again with a 97-65 record, and appear to be heading for a rematch for the New York Yankees in the ALCS after taking the first 2 games of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox. However, the Tribe's pitching would fall apart and the Indians would lose the final 3 games. The Indians would go on to fire Manager Mike Hargrove who was triggered as the scapegoat for the Indians postseason collapse.2000: The Indians get off to a slow start and fall out of 1st Place early in the season. Despite a strong finish the early struggles prove too much to overcome and the Indians 5-year reign as Division Champs come to an end despite a solid 90-72 record. Despite failing to make the playoffs the Indians Infield defense continues to sparkle as 2B Roberto Alomar, SS Omar Vizquel, and 3B Travis Fryman each win Gold Gloves, and set an AL records for fewest errors, and best fielding percentage.2001: Despite losing Manny Ramirez to free agency the Indians, reclaim the top spot in the AL Central with a 91-71 record, as Manny's replacement Juan Gonzalez drives in 140 RBI. During the season the Indians would see an end to their incredible run of 455 sellouts at Jacobs Field, which began in 1995. It was quite an amazing turn around when you consider that at one time the Indians would play in front of 50,000 empty seats at the cavernous Municipal Stadium. In the ALDS the Indians would face the Seattle Mariners who tied a Major League Record with 116 wins during the regular season. However, through out the season the Tribe proved to be a pesky challenger for the Mariners, including comeback from a 14-2 deficit during a Nationally Televised Sunday Night Game on August 5th. In the ALDS the Indians would prove pesky again splitting the first games in Seattle. The Indians would then push the M's to the brink with a 17-2 rout in Game 3. However, the Mariners would bounce back to take the next 2 games to advance to the ALCS. 2002: Despite selling out almost every game over an 8-year period, Owner Jim Dolan claims the Indians are losing money, and begins to sell off players. The sell off began before the season as Roberto Alomar is traded to the New York Mets, while Juan Gonzalez and Kenny Lofton are allowed to sign deals as Free Agent. After playing mediocre baseball the first 3 months the sell off would continue as Bartolo Colon is traded to the Montreal Expos. The Indians struggles would continue as the Indians changed managers, on the way to finishing in 3rd place with a 74-88 record that end a string of 8 consecutive winning seasons. Following the season the purge would continue as Jim Thome who hit 53 HR is allowed to sign a Free Agent Deal with Philadelphia Phillies.

2003: With the departure of Jim Thome the Indians had one of the youngest teams in the Majors, as they took their lumps early winning just 13 of their first 40 games, on their way to a terrible 68-94 record which landed them in 4th place reminding fans of the days when the Indians went 40 years without being in a true pennant race. However, there was plenty of reason to hope as OF Jody Gerut had a solid rookie season with 22 homers and 75 RB, as the young Tribe stars played more competitively as the season wore on playing .500 ball between May and August before fatigue set in and the Indians in September with a 7-18 record.2004: The young Indians would get off to a slow start as they sat with a record of 18-26 on May 26th. However, as the season wore on the Indians began to improve as several players had breakout seasons including Catcher Victor Martinez who blasted 23 homers and drove in 108 RBI, and Travis Hafner who hit 28 homers with a team leading 109 RBI. While on the mound Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook each won 14 games. The Indians would steadily climb their way over .500 and even made a run at the Central Division Title, before a 9-game losing streak in August ended their playoff hopes. The Indians would end up finishing the season in 3rd place with a record of 80-82.2005: After their strong finish the Indians were a trendy pick to win the AL Central at the start of the season, but another slow start would but them in an early hole as they sat at 9-14 at the end of April. After spending all of May just to reach .500 the Indians found themselves 15 and half games behind the Chicago White Sox in June. The Indians would begin to make their move in June as they won 12 of 13 during a stretch of Interleague games, as they headed into the All-Star Break with a 47-41 record. Coming out of the break the Indians were hit with a cold dose of reality as they were swept in a 4-game series by the White Sox who would win 15 of 19 games during the season against the Tribe. Still 15 games behind the Sox and hovering around .500 as August started the Indians would suddenly become the hottest team in baseball, and make a run at the playoffs as they ran off a stretch of 44 wins over their next 60 which included an 18-2 stretch in September that saw them cut the White Sox lead to a game and half heading into the final week as they were 1 of 4 teams battling for 3 playoff spots. However, the young Indians would fall under the sudden spotlight as they lost 3 straight games to the lowly Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays to cost themselves the division title. Still with a chance at the wild card the Indians with 1 win could have forced a playoff with themselves the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for the last 2 spots. However, their struggles against the White Sox continued as they are swept in 3 straight at home, ending the season with 93-69 record.2006: After the Indians strong finish there we high hopes on the banks of the Ohio when the new season began, and the Indians lived up to that as they won six of their first seven games. However, it would be the only time all season the Indians lived up the hope as they soon found themselves in a season long rut of mediocre baseball. While players like Grady Sizemore who became just the second player ever to hit 20 homers, with 50 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 stolen bases, and Travis Hafner who tied a Major League record with six grand slams in one season had super seasons, the rest of the Indians fell well short of expectations. One area where the Indians suffered was in the bullpen that blew 18 save opportunities led by Fausto Carmona who blew three 9th inning saves in one week following the trade of Bob Wickman to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline. The Indians would go on to finish the season in 4th Place with a disappointing record of 78-84.2007: Hoping to rebound off a disappointing season the Indians concentrated on building a veteran bullpen Aaron Fultz and Joe Borowski to replace Bob Wickman, as Fausto Carmona who struggled in the bullpen was made a starter. The later move would be an unexpected boom as Carmona excelled as starter with a 19-8 record and a solid ERA of 3.06. The only Indian pitcher who had a better year was C.C. Sabathia who finally achieved to potential the Indians had expected for years as he posted a 19-6 record with a 3.21 ERA and 209 strike outs, as he would go on to win the AL Cy Young. However, when the season started it looked like neither would happen as the Indians spent much of the first week of the season waiting out the weather as unusual April snow storms wiped out the first home series against the Seattle Mariners and forced the Indians to play three home games in Milwaukee's domed stadium. Despite the weather the Indians had a strong April ending the month at 14-8, with the only blip coming at the hands of a three game sweep by the New York Yankees on the road, as Joe Borowski and the Indians bullpen imploded in the finale allowing a 6-run 9th Inning rally capped by a walk off home run by Alex Rodriguez. The Indians continued to play well in May as they battled the Detroit Tigers for first place in the Central Division. Coming out of the All-Star Break the Indians stumbled a bit as they posted a losing record in July. The struggles continued into August, despite the return of Kenny Lofton who was acquired in a deadline deal from the Texas Rangers, as the Indians were swept by the Yankees again this time at home. After dropping the next game against the Tigers at home 6-2, the suddenly reeling Tribe turned to the young Carmona to get themselves back on track, and the 23-year old fireballer did not let them down striking out a career high ten batters and the Indians won 5-2 to tie the Tigers for first place in the Central. That win would be the boost the Indians needed to get back on track as they closed August on a roll winning 12 of their last 15 games. In September the Tribe continued to cruise winning 8 of their first 11 games in the season's final month, as they prepared to face the Tigers one more time with a chance to close in on their first division title since 2001. The Indians would grab the Tigers by the tail and not let go sweeping the defending AL Champs, as they went on to win the division with a record 95-66. In the playoffs the Indians would face another hurdle as they were matched up against the New York Yankees in the ALDS, during the regular season the Indians lost all six meetings with the Yankees. However the Indians would come out swinging as they roughed up Yankees ace Chien-Meing Wang, led by Kenny Lofton who had four RBI in a 12-3 win in Game 1. The next game would be a pitcher's duel as Fausto Carmona kept Yankees bats off balance allowing just a 3rd Inning homer by Melky Cabrera. However, the Indians failed several times to capitalize leaving men on base almost every inning, as they trailed 1-0 entering the 8th Inning facing the Yankees new bullpen phenom Joba Chamberlain, when a funny thing happened at Jacobs Field as a swarm of insects known as Mayflies invaded on the unusually warm Cleveland night, while Carmona was unfazed by the infestation the Yankees were unnerved, as Chamberlain, hurled two wild pitches for the Indians to tie the game. Form there the Indians bullpen continued to handcuff the Yankees, as the Tribe won the game 2-1 on Travis Hafner's RBI single in the 11th Inning. After dropping Game 3 in the Bronx 8-4, the Indians again jumped on Wang again as Grady Sizemore led the game off with a homer as the Indians held a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning, as they advanced to the ALCS with a solid 6-4 win. Game 1 of the ALCS featured a match up of Cy Young hopefuls as C.C. Sabathia faced Josh Beckett, however, it was not Sabathia's night as the Red Sox won the opener 10-3. Game 2 would be a battle of the bullpens as the game was tied 6-6 after nine innings; finally it was the Indians who exploded in the 11th Inning as they scored seven times led by former Red Sox Trot Nixon, whose RBI single ignited the Tribe's offense. As the series shifted to Cleveland the Indians remained in control as Jake Westbrook kept the Sox off balance in a solid 4-2 win. The Indians would use a big inning again in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead with a 7-3, as they scored seven times in the 5th Inning, highlighted by a three run homer from Jhonny Peralta, as Casey Blake started the rally with a homer, and ended the rally with a RBI single. However, with a chance to close out the series in Cleveland, Sabathia struggled again as Josh Beckett kept the Indians off balance in a 7-1 win for the Red Sox. It would be the last gasp the Indians would take as they blown out in the final two games as the Sox advanced to the World Series by out scoring the Tribe 30-5 over the final three games to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Death of a baseball researcher

Who devotes their life to researching little-known facets of a game most consider just a "pastime"? An obituary on the web site of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, gives us a look at one such man. Here's an excerpt:

"John Pardon, one of the 16 founders of the Society for American Baseball Research, died Sunday, Oct. 19 of cancer. He was 70.

"Born in East Meadow, New York, John was a former sports writer in Ossining and Asheville, North Carolina. John loved to be punny as possible. After he had a portion of his colon removed to combat his colon cancer, he enjoyed talking about having a semi-colon.

"A life-long bachelor, John held many leadership positions in SABR, including vice-president, secretary and director. He chaired the Minor League Committee. He was named as a Bob Davids Award winner in 1998 and was a recipient of the SABR Salute in the 1997-98 SABR membership directory. He was also awarded the Casey Stengel Chapter's Meritorious Service Award in 1995.

"John was a strong proponent of SABR's archives, always insisting that SABR's historical papers be preserved. He also kept tabs on SABR's Endowment, contributing something to it on an annual basis. A member of SABR's Legacy Circle, John made provisions for SABR in his estate planning.

"He attended 32 SABR conventions.

"Minor league baseball research was John's main focus and expertise (he and Jerry Jackson put together "The Cities of Professional Baseball"), but he also was a member of a dozen other research committees.

"John will be missed."