I've Passed This Way Before...

On his third time around with the Cleveland Indians, hot-hitting left fielder Kenny Lofton can share some playoff and world series memories, as well as tips with this young Indians team. He also wants everyone in and out of Cleveland to be engaged in what is happening on the shores of Lake Erie.

Interviewed after the game on Tuesday night, Kenny made the following comments and observations;
"Since I've been back, we 've only had a couple of sell-outs at Jacobs Field. It's not like it used to be. Guys have caught a glimpse of it, but they don't understand what it was like. It was unbelievable. The fans were so loud, that they scared me at times. I'd say, 'Wow, these people are going crazy.' It was awesome...awesome! The guys now will come back to the dugout and say, 'Wow, it's loud.' I tell them, 'Man, you just don't get it. It was loud like this almost every night, from the first inning through the ninth.' I think the other teams would come to Jacobs Field afraid. The fans came out in bundles, and they were loud and rowdy. I've seen glimpses of it, but it's not like it used to be. Hopefully, we can get that back on our last home stretch. Hopefully, the fans can really show the support for what the guys are trying to do on the field. It would be fun to see that again. Players feed off that. It can be a difference maker for our team."

Well said, Kenny. The "Home Stretch" that Kenny is referring to is a nine game home stand beginning on Friday, September 14th, and ending on Sunday, September 23rd. They will host Kansas City, Detroit, and Oakland, three games each.

The air waves and print media are full of popular and positive conversation about our Cleveland Indians. Afternoon radio host Mike Trivisonno is trying to get a theme song for the Tribe. What song did he pick? He chose "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty. Good choice, Mike! He played it all afternoon along with the Indians' radio play by play announcer Tom Hamilton's comment at the final out of today's game:
"The Indians continue to steamroll to the Central...Division Championship!"

Everyone is talkin' Tribe. The Indians are the hottest team in baseball just in time for their drive to the pennant!
Let's follow Kenny Lofton's wish and fill the Jake!
It's time to pick your seat!

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=cle
or 216.420.HITS (4487)

Be loud...Be proud...See ya there!

Disneyland?!

Tonight's game, well, actually last night's game now, had all of the makings of a Disney movie. Laffey was facing Slowey. Because the game started at 8 PM Cleveland time and went past midnight into 11 innings, you may have become Sleepy. Getting up for work tomorrow, you may be Grumpy. Heck, even Doc was needed as Victor Martinez went down hit by a pitch (but he's OK) and Mike Redmond was removed from the game after re-injuring his left thumb pinch hitting. Casey Blake played Dopey as he ran from 1st to 3rd on a no out, deep fly ball by Grady Sizemore in the 7th inning that was caught and Casey was doubled off 1st. Blake's miscue probably cost some runs as the Indians continued to rally and load the bases with 2 outs but failed to score. Still, this game was nothing to be Sneezy about as the Tribe continued their never quit style of baseball. Travis Hafner certainly was not Bashful tonight as he hit 2 home runs (one tying the game in the 9th inning) and a game winning sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to make all Indians fans Happy!

Eric “Swami” Wedge

Perhaps Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge is hiding a crystal ball in his office. After all, he professed that the 5-week offensive slump his team just got over was a “concern” but not “critical” at the time. How were we supposed to know that he knew that the Tigers would fold? How did he know that Seattle would stumble in their quest for the Wild Card spot, that Minnesota would fail to put another stretch run together? While his team was “finding” themselves, the Tigers, Mariners, and Twins were "losing" themselves.
Here is to manager Eric Wedge. Though he hasn’t won anything yet, he certainly maintained nerves of steel and the patience of Job during his team’s 5-week offensive zoning out.
So with 4 weeks left, what are the chances that the Indians can win the division?
The Indians are 78-58 @.574 with 26 games remaining.
The Tigers are 73-64 @.533 with 25 games remaining.
If the Indians play .500 for their remaining games (not likely), the Tigers would have to win 18 of their 25 games to catch them. That would be a .720 clip…(not likely at all).
The Indians have 9 home and 17 away games remaining.
The Tigers have 16 home and 9 away games remaining.
The Indians are .620 at home and .556 away.
The Tigers are .523 at home and .563 away.
If those percentages hold true over the next 4 weeks, the Indians would finish at 92-70 and the Tigers would finish at 88-74, 4 games behind the Indians…(much more likely, not a lock but more likely).
If Eric Wedge were standing in front of me at the ticket window at Northfield Park or Thistledown horse racing tracks, or at the grocery store buying lottery tickets, I would be paying very close attention!

Natural-ly!

41,131 delirious fans watched Paul Byrd pitch a complete game, 4-hit shutout tonight at Jacobs field. Then, after catcher Kelly Shoppach served up a cream pie to Byrd during the post-game interview, those fans were invited onto the outfield grass to view the movie "The Natural" on the center field scoreboard.

The crowds are back at the Jake as the Cleveland Indians extended their current and longest winning streak of the season to 8 games and stayed 5.5 games ahead of the Tigers in the American League Central.

As the playoffs draw closer, the Indians are gaining momentum and the attention of the media across the country. They are the hottest team in baseball and their hot streak couldn't have come at a better time!

Fans across the country are starting to believe that the 2007 Cleveland Indians are the real deal!

Jeremy from the St. Petersburg Times dons his Tribe cap!

All in all, the Cleveland Indians appear to have put it all together at the right time. It still is no cakewalk to the playoff and the division championship because the Tribe still has some tough teams to face as they proceed through September. Minnesota, Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, Oakland and Seattle all await to give the Indians a true test of their mettle down the stretch. With the pitching they are enjoying, combined with the rediscovered potent offense, strong defense, and a great sense of fun and camaraderie that surround this team, They are steamrolling into October with a swagger!

Indian Summer!

COWABUNGA!

The Tribe is on Fire! They have won their season best 7 in a row, 8 out of 10, 12 out of 15, and lead the Central Division by 5.5 games!
The attendance tonight at the Jake was 38,225 faithful and they were treated to a fabulous pitchers duel that turned into 5 runs for the White Sox and then 8 unaswered runs by the Tribe!

Once again, Kenny Lofton came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs. What did he do? He walked again for the second consecutive night in the same situation! This time, he tied the game and then scored on Casey Blake's game-winning, 3 run double! (The 2-out rally was kept alive when Ryan Garko received a little help when his sure-out-grounder-to-short hit the lip of the infield grass and jumped into left field for a single!)

Baseball Fever is alive and well once again in Cleveland, Ohio.

The 38,000+ fans went home happy and were also treated to a fabulous fireworks display after the game! Ninth Street was rockin'!

The only tense moment
was when umpire John
Hirschbeck went down
with a foul tip off of the
upper right leg above the
shin protector.
John shook off the injury
only to suffer another foul
ball to the right shoulder an
inning later.
He will be sore but back on
the field again tomorrow
evening.

Fausto Carmona was again denied win #15 as he was embroiled in a tense pitcher's duel with Mark Buehrle. The Sox scored 5 runs and knocked Fausto out of the game but his teammates returned the favor with 8 runs and a hard fought team victory! Sterling plays in the field by both teams robbed many a batter of hits and extra bases. This was truly an enjoyable game as the Tribe never quit attitude enabled them to score often with two outs!

Don't look now, but Indian Summer is upon us...soak it up!

Where's Waldo, The Indians' Fan?!

A few of the faithful in attendance at the Jake last night.

"In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, the Indians have managed to win a few ball games, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar." Bob Uecker as broadcaster "Harry Doyle" in the movie "Major League."

Where are the fans?
Granted, last night's game vs. the Mariners was a make-up from a snowed-out date of April 9th but still, where are the fans? The Tribe is four and a half games ahead of Detroit in the American League Central and only 25,000+ fans came through the turnstiles! This is a town that filled up and sold out Jacob's Field 455 consecutive times for a major league record in attendance.
So, where are the fans?

Former Indians and Mariners manager Mike Hargrove was in attendance last night!

Is it the sputtered offense over the past two months that has the fans skeptical of their first place team? The broadcasters in the Cleveland area believe that may be the case as they felt that the fans were too critical of their team during their scoring drought. Now that the Tribe is 4.5 games ahead and owners of a 6 game win streak, those broadcasters are just falling short of telling the fans, "I told you so!" It was great to see STO broadcasters Rick Manning and Matt Underwood get "Pied" last night along with Jason Michaels!

Tribe manager Eric Wedge became a spectator last night after vehemently questioning a no-call on a balk! Yeah!

The fact is that nothing was being done for about 45 days to snap the Tribe out of their funk until about a week ago when manager Eric Wedge shook up the line-up and the team. Look for this town to regain confidence and flock to the Jake this weekend as the Tribe hosts the White Sox. The nerve-wracking, come-from-behind, one-run victories are back! Will they stay?

You bet! This team just got hot at the right time and that heat wave should carry them right into the playoffs so, hang on for a wild ride!

Kenny Lofton is mobbed by his teammates after his bases-loaded, two-out, walk-off walk to win the game last night!

Why Is Cleveland So Unique?

Cleveland is not only unique, the town prides itself on being different. We have a river that caught on fire, a mayor who caught himself on fire, and a mayor's wife who turned down an invitation to the White House from First Lady Pat Nixon because it was her bowling night.

We have the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame.

We have been nicknamed "The Best Location In The Nation."

We have a diverse culture with many nationalities and races coming together...visit the West Side Market to see it first hand.

This town has gone into default and come roaring back.

Our Lake Erie was almost pronounced "dead" and it was resuscitated back to become the Walleye Capital of the World!"

Art Modell broke our hearts and took our Browns to Baltimore but we kept the name and reincarnated the team.

We almost lost our Cleveland Indians only to breathe new life into them with the construction of Jacob's field.

Our Cavs will no doubt return to the NBA finals in '08.

The Cleveland Indians not only represent a great come back city with many wonderful people and traditions, they also represent a town of fabulous firsts and prominent personalities!

Cleveland Firsts:

1862- Free home delivery of mail and first mailman's uniform - Joseph Briggs

1879- Electric Streetlight and electric streetcar - Charles F. Brush

1890- Indoor shopping center (The Arcade)

1891- LifeSavers candy is created by chocolate maker Clarence Crane

1898 -"Scientific America" carried the first magazine automobile ad. The Winton Motor Car Company of Cleveland, OH, invited readers to "dispense with a horse".

1916- Gas mask - Garret A. Morgan

1921 -Automatic windshield wiper - Fred & William H. Folberth

1923- Traffic signal – Garret A. Morgan

1933 -Superman - Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

1947- First African-American baseball player in the American League - Larry Doby, Cleveland Indians

1952- First Rock n’ Roll concert is held in Cleveland on 3/21/1952, the Moondog Coronation Ball.

1967- African-American mayor of a major city (Carl Stokes)

1970- The first NFL "Monday Night Football" game was played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium with the Cleveland Browns defeating the New York Jets, 31-20

1975 -First African-American manager in Major League Baseball – Frank Robinson, Cleveland Indians

1993- Cleveland named All-American City for fifth time. Prior awards in 1949, 1982, 1984, 1986.

Favorite Sons & Daughter, those who were born and/or lived and prospered in Cleveland:

Halle Berry - (born August 15, 1968) - Actress/Producer

Drew Carey - (born May 23, 1958) - Creator/Producer

Ben Curtis - 2003 PGA British Open Champion

Dorothy Dandridge - (born November 9, 1922) - Actress - First African American woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress

Phil Donahue - (born December 21, 1935) - Talk show host and winner of 19 Daytime Emmys

Alan Freed - (born December 15, 1922) - D.J. who coined the phrase "Rock n' Roll" and created the very first Rock n' Roll concert

Arsenio Hall - (born February 12, 1955) - Comedian/Actor - The first African American host of a national televised late night talk show

Bob Hope - (born May 29, 1903) - Actor/Comedian - Winner of 5 Special and Honorary Oscars

Sammy Kaye - (born March 13, 1910) - Band leader - Kaye had more than 100 hit records from 1937-1953 and helped a generation get through World War II

Don King - Boxing promoter

Henry Mancini - (born April 16, 1924) - Composer of "Moon River," "The Pink Panther" and many more memorable melodies. Winner of 20 Grammys and four Oscars

Toni Morrison - (born February 18, 1931) - Winner of 1993 Nobel Prize for literature

Paul Newman - (born January 26, 1925) - Actor, director, race car driver and Oscar Winner for Best Actor in "The Color of Money"

The O'Jays (Eddie Levert & Walter Williams) - Popular R&B group

Jerry Siegel - (born October 17, 1914) & Joe Shuster (born July 10, 1914) - Creators of Superman

Molly Shannon - (born September 15, 1965) - Actress and cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live

Joe Walsh - (born November 20, 1947) - Singer, songwriter, guitarist and member of the "James Gang" and the "Eagles"

Ray Anthony - Musician

Jim Backus - Actor

Jim Brown - Football Player/Actor

Traci Chapman - Singer/Songwriter

Tim Conway - Comedian Actor

Wes Craven - Film Director

Ruby Dee - Actress

Mike Douglas - Talk Show Host/Actor

Joseph Eaton - Founder Eaton Corp

Bob Feller - Baseball Player/Hall of Fame

Dorothy Fuldheim - Reporter/Newscaster

James A Garfield - 20th US President

Lillian Gish - Actress

Joel Grey - Dancer/Actor

Margaret Hamilton - Actress

Steve Harvey - Comedian & Actor

Patricia Heaton - Actress

John Heisman - Heisman Trophy

Anne Heche - Actress

Langston Hughes - Poet

Ross Hunter - Movie Producer

Burgess Meredith - Actor

Jesse Owens - Olympic Track Star

Monica Potter - Actress

John D. Rockefeller - Standard Oil Founder

Henry Sherwin - Founder Sherwin Williams Paints

Don Shula - Football Coach

Tris Speaker - Baseball Player/Hall Of Fame

George Steinbrenner III - Owner NY Yankees

Carl Stokes - First African American Mayor

Vernon Souffer - Founder Stouffer Foods

Archibald Willard - Artist, Painted Spirit of '76

Tom Wilson - Artist, Ziggy/Calvin & Hobbes

Debra Winger - Actress

Cy Young - Baseball Player/Hall of Fame

Lights, Camera, Action!
Did you know that Greater Cleveland is a location for major motion pictures?

Numerous movies have been filmed in Cleveland, including The Deer Hunter, A Christmas Story, Light of Day, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Major League, Shawshank Redemption, Men In Black, Air Force One, Proximity, Welcome to Collinwood, and Spiderman 3.

So here is hoping we can hang another star above this great city…

Come on Tribe, this is our year!