Indians vs Cubs

[Patrick Wadden]

The 2 best words in all of sports? GAME SEVEN. Bring it. Cleveland will not lose tomorrow.

[Dan Alaimo]

The 2 best words in all of sports? GAME SEVEN. Bring it. Cleveland will not lose tomorrow.

I'm very optimistic and, although I wish they had put it away earlier, I'm thrilled about a Game 7.

However, I can't resist a counter to your two words. Two words: Jose Mesa. Sorry about that..

[Dan Alaimo]

Two words: Jose Mesa.

Except for the outcome, I was close: Chapman played the Mesa role.

[Patrick Wadden]

My good friend, Brad Grant, is the head of scouting and player development for the tribe. I couldn't be more proud of him, he started as an intern under John Hart, and we are a better team because of him and his decisions. He lobbied for Lindor instead of Javier Biaz in the 2013 draft. We are positioned for great seasons for the next 5 years.

Not sure why but this loss hurts less and stings less than the 1997 loss.

Go Tribe.

[Amy Martin]

Time to retire Little Red Sambo, the Curse of the Indians

[Kate McCarthy]

Time to retire Little Red Sambo, the Curse of the Indians

YES!!! I wished they would have worn the block C caps.

[Matthew Lee]

Time to retire Little Red Sambo, the Curse of the Indians

Have to agree. Love the Indians. Hate Chief Wahoo.

[Gary Rice]

A Background Behind The Curse...

Good Friends in Lakewood Land:

What a ride for Cleveland baseball, was it not? Indeed, both teams in the World Series played well, as we all know. Great baseball, great theater. Congratulations to both Cleveland and Chicago for a well-played series.

I thought this morning might be a good time to provide a little historical background for you concerning the Cleveland cartoon mascot situation, and how it came to be the concern that it continues to be for many people.

I'll reveal my bias up front here, of course. I've strongly favored retiring that mascot, as I was involved in working with a Native American group for many years, and heard that side of the story, in no uncertain terms. At the same time, I have remained friends with the Cleveland ball club's spokesperson, Bob DiBiasio. (fellow LHS grad) Bob's parents and mine bowled together on Lakewood faculty teams and we've known each other since we were kids, and (I hope) that we have continued to have great respect for each other. I also know that the Cleveland ball club has done many wonderful things for our community, and is comprised of many terrific people. I also understand the strong traditions of Cleveland baseball, and totally "get it" that many fans do not consider our team name and logo to be in the least bit racist. After all, they say, we never had any complaints years ago. Why do we have to deal with all of this year after year, and what is all this about a "wahoo curse"?

Well, first things first....we all know about how the Native Peoples were pushed off their lands onto reservations, officially beginning with the INDIAN REMOVAL ACT of 1830. Ohio's last tribe, the Wyandots, (several spellings exist for that tribe) were finally forced from their lands in Upper Sandusky about a decade later. They were force-marched from Upper Sandusky down to Cincinatti, where they were put on river boats and sent out West, in Ohio's own version of the "Trail of Tears". Their church, the Wyandot Mission Church, in Upper Sandusky, has been rebuilt, and still stands as a Methodist shrine.

With the exception of a few eastern reservations, the Removal Act forced all tribes west of the Mississippi River, where they encountered poor dust-bowl lands, disease, and starvation, as well as hostility from tribes already residing there. When gold was discovered in California in 1849, their lands became highways for covered wagons, as America expanded westward. Tensions and conflicts ensued, finally erupting in the horrible battle/massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890.

As far as most people know, that was the end of the Native American story. Not true, of course. Forced onto reservations, strong opinions are offered that short rations and alcohol became weapons to control the Native population. Some reservations apparently became virtual concentration camps. Native children were sent to "Indian Schools" where children were forced to abandon all of their Native traditions and language. They were forced into uniforms, had to cut off their traditionally long hair, and forced to conform to the "white man's world"; supposedly for their own good.

Through all of that, the United States government continued to actively push for the destruction of tribal ways, well into my own lifetime. The INDIAN TERMINATION POLICY (look it up)was a series of programs by our government, even going on after WWII, to destroy and de-fund the tribal identities and lives of Native Americans.

How this relates to Cleveland and the "wahoo controversy" likely began in 1956, with public law 959 (THE INDIAN RELOCATION ACT) This law offered financial inducements to Native Americans to leave reservation life and settle into the cities. At the same time, the government terminated recognition of many tribes, and withdrew financial support for them. Thousands of Native Americans flooded cities like Cleveland, hoping for work, while the government hoped they would assimilate, and the "Indian problem" could be forgotten.

Even in the cities however, Native Americans continued to maintain their tribal allegiances and identities, and form mutual-aid groups. About 30 years ago however, much of the aid for Native Americans was once again cut off, and their troubles continued. At the same time, now that the Native Americans had returned to cities and schools that had Native American logos, protests erupted over the usage of these logos, and continue to this day, as does the struggle by tribes, to have their tribal identities and dignity recognized. (Fortunately, many tribes have succeeded in that regard)

As the Cleveland baseball team, time and again, continued to fall short of winning the bigger prizes in baseball, a rumor came up about a "wahoo curse" that the Cleveland Indians would never be number one until the name and mascot were retired. So far as I'm aware, that alleged curse was never officially offered by any Native American group. No one seems recall its origin, as far as I am aware.

What I do believe is, that in Native Tradition, Grandfather (a Native American reference to Diety) is intimately involved with our lives, and makes sure that evil cannot ever ultimately prevail. Grandfather knows that all things are connected, and that a wrong can never be made right for any of us in life. Grandfather also knows, and tries to teach us, that wrong things can never win the battles of life. For this reason, I honestly believe that Cleveland COULD not win it all on the ball field this year, no matter how hard they tried.

While I believe that our ball club's heart is good and strong, I also believe that their logo is very wrong.

A possible compromise in my own mind might be for the Cleveland team to purchase naming rights from a tribal group that had once inhabited Ohio...Perhaps they might become the "Cleveland Iroquois" or perhaps the "Cleveland Wyandots"? At that point, the Native American group could at least have money, perhaps for scholarships for their children. The logo could change, perhaps to something Native-appropriate....I, for one, like the peace pipe.

At that point, we could REALLY start to look to next year...

Back to the banjo...

[Dan Alaimo]

Not sure why but this loss hurts less and stings less than the 1997 loss.

Go Tribe.

Short term, this one stings quite a lot - not sure about comparing it with '97. They were way down, came back an tied it, rain delay, Cubs score two, Indians score one, and strand one on base. Maybe I'll be able to hear all the stuff about it being a great World Series game in a few days, but for now I'm in shock.

I was walking the dog listening to Tom Hamilton when Davis hit his home run, so my attempt at a high-five didn't quite work out.

To all the comments about Wahoo, I personally won't wear the symbol and I wish they'd retire it. Meanwhile the C cap is just boring - how many teams have C caps? A lot. I've been wearing a Mets cap (the team of my youth) all summer.

[m buckley]

Time to retire Little Red Sambo, the Curse of the Indians

Have to agree. Love the Indians. Hate Chief Wahoo.

It was a great run by a team of overachievers. In sports there is nothing better than that.
Game 7 World Series/World Stage, they should have come out wearing the block C caps.
Mr. Lee has it right. Love the Indians. Hate Chief Wahoo.