The 2021 Cleveland Baseball Organization

[Anglefan]

So glad to have the new name. Long overdue. Looking forward to rooting for the team the same as I have been since I heard my first game on the radio sitting in a hot non air conditioned car waiting on my Dad to finish up buying some sheep feed from some farmer in Medina in I think 86 or 87(just remember that we were facing Chuck Finley when he was still a youngster with the Angels)

I love a very specific memory like this!

Chuck Finley pitched 1.1 innings against the Indians on June 8th, 1986 in garbage time to close out a 11-4 Angels loss in Cleveland. This was a Sunday and a day game, so it's possible. But would the feed store be open on a Sunday?

He pitched 2 innings at the end of a 14 inning game on Wednesday September 10th, 1986. This wouldn't be it since he pitched late at night and the feed store wouldn't be open then.

Monday September 22nd 1986 was a doubleheader. Chuck Finley relieved Don Sutton for one inning in the first game, which WAS a day game. Indians lost 4-3. This was in California, so would have started 3-4PM our time, making it questionable whether the feed store would be open by the time Finley came into the game with one out in the 7th inning. The game did only last 2:38, so if the store closed at 6, it could have been possible either way. Plus you would have been out of school for the day by the time the game started.

Sunday September 27th, 1987. Day game started by Chuck Finley. He went 3.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits while walking EIGHT. Was relieved by Don Sutton, who didn't do that great either giving up 3 runs in 4.1 innings. Indians still lost 11-8. This is the only time Finley faced the Tribe in 1987. If the feed store was open on Sundays, this is probably the one. One problem though, how hot would it have been on September 27th?

I did find it odd that your dad would be listening to an awful Indians/Angels game on a Sunday afternoon in September when the Browns should be playing, so I looked that up too. Turns out the Browns were not scheduled to play on this day, they were the Monday Night game that week at home against Denver. This game was cancelled due to the brief NFL strike. The prior Sunday, we had blown out the Steelers at home 34-10.

Edit: I just realized there is no feed store (there never was). He bought it from some farmer. Could be anytime and the Sunday thing wouldn't have mattered, nor the specific time of the day.

 

[MirORich]

I love a very specific memory like this!

Chuck Finley pitched 1.1 innings against the Indians on June 8th, 1986 in garbage time to close out a 11-4 Angels loss in Cleveland. This was a Sunday and a day game, so it's possible. But would the feed store be open on a Sunday?

He pitched 2 innings at the end of a 14 inning game on Wednesday September 10th, 1986. This wouldn't be it since he pitched late at night and the feed store wouldn't be open then.

Monday September 22nd 1986 was a doubleheader. Chuck Finley relieved Don Sutton for one inning in the first game, which WAS a day game. Indians lost 4-3. This was in California, so would have started 3-4PM our time, making it questionable whether the feed store would be open by the time Finley came into the game with one out in the 7th inning. The game did only last 2:38, so if the store closed at 6, it could have been possible either way. Plus you would have been out of school for the day by the time the game started.

Sunday September 27th, 1987. Day game started by Chuck Finley. He went 3.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits while walking EIGHT. Was relieved by Don Sutton, who didn't do that great either giving up 3 runs in 4.1 innings. Indians still lost 11-8. This is the only time Finley faced the Tribe in 1987. If the feed store was open on Sundays, this is probably the one. One problem though, how hot would it have been on September 27th?

I did find it odd that your dad would be listening to an awful Indians/Angels game on a Sunday afternoon in September when the Browns should be playing, so I looked that up too. Turns out the Browns were not scheduled to play on this day, they were the Monday Night game that week at home against Denver. This game was cancelled due to the brief NFL strike. The prior Sunday, we had blown out the Steelers at home 34-10.

Edit: I just realized there is no feed store (there never was). He bought it from some farmer. Could be anytime and the Sunday thing wouldn't have mattered, nor the specific time of the day.

Yeah, no feed store. At the time, my parents were sort of moonlighting as farmers even though in reality there backgrounds were in law and speech pathology. But we lived on 100 acres and had some sheep and chickens so they belonged to something called the Farm Bureau which had monthly gatherings that seemed more social(at least from my under 10 year old memories) than official. But through that, they had a lot of acquaintances who were legit farmers and would often go to them directly for animal feed and supplies.

It being a weekend game makes sense, since I was school aged at the time, although if it was June-late August, that wouldn't matter.

It definitely could have been that June 86 game. Something about him being a rookie lefty hits a chord. It's weird that I even have the memory. My dad wasn't even a huge sports fan. Browns games of course because that is so ingrained and only 16 games. He only really started showing interest in Indians and Cavs games once I started listening them as a way to satisfy my ADD(well before that was a thing) and be a distractor. I remember one year listening to at least half of all 162 games.

As far as this story, I didn't really want to tag along and listen to the grown ups talk endlessly, so staying in the car makes sense to me and one of us probably flipped to it as something I could listen to while he was doing business.

Anyways, I'm not trying to tell anyone else how to feel, just saying that for me(and I know that these memories go back WAY, WAY further for some of the board), while the name is a part of the indentity, its always been about the experience, memories, listening, and location. Cleveland. North East Ohio. Birthplace. One time home. None of that lessens or changes for me.

 

[Anglefan]

Yeah absolutely! I do find it sad that the Indians are going away since so many wonderful memories surround that nickname, but the name of a team isn't what makes sports worthwhile, it's the sense of community that you get from it, which is not changing.