For the Love of the Cleveland Indians

2007 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Why I Love my Indians

By: Kristy Barry

Posted: 10/9/07

My mom once took me and my five siblings out of school early for the Cleveland Indians' Opening Day in 1997, citing "Tribe Fever." And from the moment I entered Jacob's Field, I felt nothin' but love.

I fawned after shortstop Omar Vizquel the way my Mom lusted after Donny Osmond. In middle school, I used to sign my name as Kristy Vizquel and in softball, often tried bare-handing the ball on each play.

Not-so-secretly, I wished his wife would drop dead, that Omar would hear my teenage squeals from the nose-bleed section and launch up a ball with his phone number scribbled on it.

My family attended games regularly and made a special effort to get post-season tickets for my birthday in October.

The most memorable game I attended came in 1997, when the Indians faced off with the Yankees for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

The Yankees were leading 2 to 1 until the bottom of the eighth inning when Sandy Alomar homered to tie up the game.

The 45,000 otherwise dormant fans erupted suddenly and sporadically out of their seats like heated popcorn kernels and stood for the rest of the game.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner in scoring position, Loverboy Vizquel singled to win the game. Fireworks boomed and sparkled over the downtown skyline as the stadium blasted the song "Cleveland Rocks." With blaring car horns and screaming fans, you couldn't hear yourself think within a ten-mile radius of Cleveland.

Nevermind the fact the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins…and that the last year the Indians made it to the World Series, was 1997. We actually haven't won it all since 1948---gas was 26 cents per gallon!

For other Ohio sports, this year has been triumphant and eventually disappointing.

The Ohio State football team made it to the Championship Bowl in January and choked.

The Ohio State basketball team miraculously made it to the championship game in March and lost. The Cleveland Cavaliers fought their way to the NBA Finals in June, only to be swept in the series.

Even the Columbus Destroyers, an arena football team, lost its championship game this July.

So in terms of championships, the Indians really need to take one for the teams.

And for me. I've lost my mind, my voice, and more bets than I care to share.

I cried when they got knocked out of the playoffs, cried when they traded Omar, and despite it all, I'm still a die-hard fan.

The Indians will steamroll the Yankees, turn the Red Sox inside out, and knock out whichever NL team comes swingin'...and I'm willing to bet on it.

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