Ballgame!

From this morning's Ashland Times-Gazette

With the election only ten days away, there’s still plenty to say about what is to come. But I’m not going there today (cheers), because as I write these words, it’s Tuesday, October 25, our forty-first wedding anniversary, and we’ll be celebrating by watching (from our couch, not Progressive Field) the first game of the World Series – broadcast from CLEVELAND, OHIO (starting with the NBA ring presentation at the Q, of course).

Writing a column on a time-sensitive subject is risky, as much can happen between the composing and the printing. Of course, the best case scenario is that we’ve got our brooms out to complete the sweep tonight. But worst case scenario, the Tribe is down a couple of games by the time you read this – and we all know what happened the last time that other Cleveland team was down 3-1. They’re wearing the rings to prove it.

It’s been fun to watch this baseball season unfold. We expected the Cavs to make the finals on the coattails of LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin. But this Indians team has no superstar lineup. Their best player, Michael Brantley, has been out most of the season with a shoulder injury. Their starting pitchers and catcher have been dropping like flies, attacked by broken bones, strained muscles, and even a drone, as pitcher Trevor Bauer stood dripping blood on the mound in Toronto.

And yet somehow, they’ve persevered. They’ve pitched from the bullpen. Ryan Merritt, drafted in the fourteenth round from McLennan Community College, pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings in Game 5 of the ALCS, only his second major league start. They acquired former Indian outfielder Coco Crisp just before the regular season ended, and he’s contributed in a big way. However, I was disappointed the popular Grady Sizemore didn’t return for us girls, but you can’t have everything.

Not only have they persevered, but they’ve had fun along the way. Pity the poor guy who gets interviewed by Andre Knott after the games, because they’re going to get splashed with a bucket of water. And pity the guy with the walk-off homerun, as he’ll be piled on at home plate.

They’ve also been quietly caring for our community. Ace Cory and Amanda Kluber have greeted children with chronic illnesses every week, and young Cleveland Clinic patient Aly and a companion were in the Kluber seats on Tuesday night. The team passed the hat in the locker room and raised a million dollars to kick-start the new Larry Doby fund, to assist the underserved youth of Cleveland. And the ever- grinning rookie Francisco Lindor had his own Smile Squad, welcoming a Miracle League athlete to the game each Monday, providing a unique baseball experience for people with disabilities.

Yes, I know it’s only a game, and I know it’s Big Business as well, with a capital ‘B.’ I can only imagine the mark-up on those championship t-shirts, caps and hoodies flying off the shelves as soon as the Indians won the ALCS. After such a long drought, we’re thirsty fans, and we’ll gladly wear our Cavs and Tribe gear with pride.

But for diehard Cleveland fans and long-time Northeast Ohio residents, the 2016 NBA Championship and the 2016 World Series is so much more than a game, so much more than a big business. Because through both the Cavs victory and the Indians’ World Series appearance, they’ve helped all of us to re-write the Cleveland narrative. The ‘curse,’ if it ever truly existed, is vanquished. We can patch things together. We can overcome adversity. We can come together and believe together. We can come back when we’re down. We can stand tall and proud.

And if we can do that on a basketball court, around a baseball diamond, we can do it in our homes, neighborhoods and cities. The days of the burning river and the mistake by the lake are over. This we believe!

Yes, we know that winning isn’t everything. But we’re going to ride this wave while it lasts, savoring the moment and wearing our colors proudly. To quote Tribe announcer Tom Hamilton, “And once again Cleveland, you will have an October to remember.” Let’s go Tribe!