Say Sayonara to the Cleveland Indians

Say Sayonara to the Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland fans have waited 65 years for a championship. They last won a World Series in 1948, one of only two World Series victories in a team history as old as the American League itself. How long ago was 1948? Lou Boudreau was their manager, and also their star player and the league MVP. Boudreau was the last man to manage a World Series winner while playing on the field.

That's some old-timey shit right there. We haven't seen a player-manager in a quarter of a century. Pete Rose was the last one in 1984-86. Pete actually did a pretty good job in the skipper role, finishing second in each of his two full years as player/manager, but by then he was no longer a superstar player. He had no pop in his bat in 1985, but he did manage an excellent .395 OBP as a regular first baseman, which is pretty impressive for a 44-year-old man. He even stole eight bases in nine attempts, and did retain his batting eye, amassing 86 walks and only 35 Ks in more than 500 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no gas left in the tank in 1986, when he was a part-time player with a negative WAR. He had enough sense to realize his run as a player was over and benched himself forever in mid-August.

(By the way, the Indians' other World Series victory was back when Tris Speaker was still patrolling their outfield in 1920. They lost the World Series three times: in 1954, the year of the Mays catch; and in 1995 and 1997, when they had two young stars named Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez.)