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The Cleveland Indians (nicknamed '''The Tribe''') are a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio . They currently are in the Central Division of the American League . FRANCHISE HISTORY The Indians Nickname Contrary to popular belief, the team was not named for 19th century Cleveland player Louis Sockalexis when it assumed its current name in 1915. Rather, when the Naps needed a new name after Napoleon Lajoie was sent to the Philadelphia Athletics after the end of the 1914 Season , Charles Somers , the team owner, asked the local newspapers to come up with a new name for the team. They chose "Indians" as a play on the name of the 1914 Boston Braves , who were known as the "Miracle Boston Braves" after going from last place on July 4 to a sweep in the World Series. The proponents of the name acknowledged that the Cleveland Spiders of the National League had sometimes been informally called the "Indians" during Sockalexis' short career there, a fact which merely reinforced the new name. In any case, the name change was assumed to be temporary, but it stuck. And 34 years later, the Indians went on to defeat those same Braves, 4 games to 2, in the 1948 World Series -- after winning a one game playoff against Boston's other team, the Red Sox . The victory over the Braves was the franchise's second of two world titles; the Tribe had also won the 1920 World Series , defeating the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 2. (Pluto, 1999) Cleveland Baseball Cleveland was a Major League city dating back to 1887. Its first franchise the, Cleveland Spiders , first played in the American Association (then a Major League) before shifting to the National League in 1890. In 1891 the Spiders moved into League Park and led by Cy Young, the Spiders were momentarily a winning team before falling on hard times. The 1899 team finished the season 84 games out of first with a 20-134 record, and are considered by many the worst team in baseball history. Following the 1899 season, the National League disbanded the franchise along with three other teams in Washington, Baltimore, and Louisville. Seeking to capitalize on the public disillusionment with the National League, Ban Johnson changed the name of his minor league Western League to the American League and shifted the WL's Grand Rapids club to Cleveland, taking over League Park . In 1901 the American League declared itself a competing Major League. The Cleveland franchise was among the charter members. With the new league competing for fans, the American League began raiding the older League for players. One of the players that jumped was Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, a Philadelphia Phillies star who signed with the Philadelphia Athletics . When the Phillies got an injunction against the A's, the American League moved Lajoie to Cleveland. In honor of its new star Cleveland assumed the nickname "Naps." 1901-1946: Early to middle history of the franchise Early on, Cleveland finished in the middle of the pack before contending for the championship in 1908, but the retirement of Cy Young , who returned to Cleveland as part of its American League franchise in 1908, and the untimely death of Addie Joss was a harbinger of things to come for Cleveland. Poor pitching was on tap for several years. Despite the strong hitting of Tris Speaker and Shoeless Joe Jackson , the 'Naps' failed to rise above third place for most of the next decade. In 1916 , the team hired a new manager, Lee Fohl , and brought in two young pitchers, future Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski and Jim Bagby . Behind their strong arms, the Indians would rise back into contention at the end of the decade. Tris Speaker took over the reins as Player-manager in 1919 and the team started the 1920s strong. With Speaker Hitting .388, Jim Bagby's 30 Victories and solid performances from Steve O'Neill and Stan Coveleski, the team went on to win the pennant and defeat the Brooklyn Robins 5-2 in the World Series for their first title. However, the season was soured by tragedy. That August, Shortstop Ray Chapman was killed by a pitch to the head from Yankees pitcher Carl Mays . It was the only fatal play in baseball history. To make matters worse, by September, the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal in which eight Chicago White Sox players were charged with throwing the 1919 World Series had begun to unravel. Cleveland and Brooklyn played the 1920 World Series under a cloud of public suspicion. Cleveland won the series 5 games to 2 after shutting out Brooklyn 3-0 at League Park, then called Dunn Field. Following the 1920 championship, the team did not reach the heights they had achieved in and the Home Run . They managed two second-place finishes but spent much of the decade in the cellar. The Tribe, as the Indians are affectionately referred to by Clevelanders, were a middling team by the 1930s, finishing third or fourth most years. In 1936 , Cleveland introduced a 17-year old with a dominating Fastball named Bob Feller . By 1940 , Feller, along with Ken Keltner , Mel Harder and Lou Boudreau led the Indians to within one game of the pennant. The team was wracked dissension with some players (including Feller) going so far as to request that owner Alva Bradley fire manager Oscar Vitt . Reporters lampooned them as the Cleveland Crybabies. Feller, who had pitched a No-hitter to open the season and won 27 games, lost the final game of the season to unknown Floyd Giebell of the Detroit Tigers . Giebell never won another major league game. With a young team, Cleveland was poised for a solid decade. Unfortunately, the nation entered World War II and Feller went to serve in the Navy . 1947-1959: Bill Veeck and the 'Big Four' In 1946 Bill Veeck formed an investment group that purchased the Cleveland Indians. A former owner of a minor league franchise in Milwaukee, Veeck brought to Cleveland a gift for promotion. At Cleveland he began the innovative Major League career that would bring him fame among many and infamy to others. Among Veeck's less memorable decisions, however, was moving the Indians into massive Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Built in a failed bid for the 1932 Olympics, the City was desperate for some kind of revenue generating tenant. Prior to 1947 the Indians played at League Park , an 1891 facility with no lights, and occasionally played several weekend games at Municipal Stadium. Veeck agreed to move the club out of League Park and into Municipal Stadium permanently. Dubbed the "mistake on the lake," the cavernous Cleveland Municipal Stadium was so huge that even large crowds seemed small. Worse, the dimensions of the park were unfit for baseball. The center field fence was 480 feet from home plate. With an eye toward loopholes in the rule book, Veeck tried to turn the venue to the Indians advantage. He had a moveable center field fence installed which moved in or out depending on how the distance favored the Indians against its opponent. The wall moved as much as 15 feet between series opponents. Following the 1947 season, the American League countered with a rule change that fixed the distance of a outfield wall for the duration of a season. The massive stadium did, however, permit the Indians to set the all-time one game attendance record in 1954 at over 84,000. Veeck hired rubber-faced Max Patkin , the "Clown Prince of Baseball" as a coach. Patkin's appearance in the coaching box was the sort of promotional stunt by Bill Veeck that delighted fans and infuriated the front office of the American League. Under Veeck's leadership, Cleveland's most significant achievement was breaking the Color Barrier in the American League by signing Larry Doby , formerly a player for the Negro League's Newark Eagles in 1947 , eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers . Doby battled racism on and off the field before posting a .301 batting average in 1948, his first full season. A power-hitting center fielder, Doby led the American League twice in homers. In 1948, needing pitching for the the stretch run of the 1948 pennant race, Veeck turned to Negro League again and signed pitching legend Satchel Paige amid much controversy. At an official age of 42, Paige became the oldest rookie in Major League baseball history, and the first black pitcher. Paige ended the year with a 6-1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 2 shutouts and 2 base hits. In 1948 , veterans Boudreau, Keltner, and Joe Gordon had career offensive seasons, while newcomers Larry Doby and Gene Bearden also had standout seasons. The team went down to the wire with the Boston Red Sox , winning a one-game playoff, the first in American League history, to go to the World Series . In the series, the Tribe defeated the Boston Braves four games to two for their first championship in 28 years. In 1949 Cleveland again contended before falling to third place. On September 23, 1949, Bill Veeck and the Indians buried their 1948 pennant in center field before a game, the day after they were mathematically eliminated from the pennant race. In 1949 Veeck was forced to sell the Indians during a difficult divorce, but left behind a competitive team that continued to contend through the early 1950s, featuring Feller, Early Wynn , Bob Lemon , and Mike Garcia (also known as the Big Four). However, Cleveland only won a single pennant in the decade, finishing second to the New York Yankees five times. In 1954 , Cleveland won a then-record 111 games and returned to the World Series against the New York Giants . The team was upset by the Giants in a sweep and the 1954 Series became famous for Willie Mays amazing Over-the-shoulder Catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1. 1960-1993: The curse of Rocky Colavito '' "Indian Uprising" cover]] Frank 'Trader' Lane was an early culprit in the construction of what became a running joke in baseball for three decades. However, the team's ill-advised trades under a number of General Managers would haunt fans for years to come. A 30+ year slump began for the Indians with the club's most infamous trade; which involved slugging right fielder and fan favorite, Rocky Colavito . Just before opening day in .'' In the 1960s, the team also sent Tommy John , Luis Tiant , and Lou Piniella packing, receiving little in return. The 1970s were little better as the team traded away players Graig Nettles , Chris Chambliss and Buddy Bell . Without any strength in their Farm System to nurture, the team fell deeper and deeper into a slump. The Tribe had consecutive losing seasons between 1969 and 1974. The nadir was the ill-conceived Ten Cent Beer Night promotion at a 1974 game against the Rangers . The next year the team featured Frank Robinson as MLB's first African American manager, but he was fired in 1977. From 1959 to 1993, the Indians managed one third-place and five fourth-place finishes but spent the rest of the time in the American League cellar. Also, in 1989 , the Indians became the central part of the movie Major League , starring Tom Berenger , Charlie Sheen , and Corbin Bernsen . The slide continued until the Tribe's inaugural season at Jacobs Field in 1994. 1994-2001: A new beginning ]] Indians General Manager Indians ended their era at Cleveland Municipal Stadium , 76-86, which was last in the American League East Division. The team opened the 1994 Season with a new stadium, Jacobs Field , and with it came the success and the spirits of their movie counterparts. The 1994 MLB Season ended prematurely, with a Players Union Strike ; on the day the strike began, the Indians were one game behind the Chicago White Sox -- their newly-formed AL Central rivals-- with 49 left to be played. The strike, which extended into the 1995 Season , hardly dampened the teams newly found success. Without losing a step, the 1995 Indians went 100-44 in a shortened season. The team went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox in the Divisional Series ; and the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS , reaching the World Series for their first time since 1954. Although the Tribe went on to lose to the World Series four games to two against the Atlanta Braves , 1995 was still a remarkable year for the Indians; besides winning 100 games, they also led Major League Baseball in Batting Average and led the American League in team ERA . The Tribe took the AL Central Crown again in , who is largely blamed by Tribe fans for the loss, gave up the run. The Marlins went on to clinch the title in the bottom of the eleventh, with Edgar Renteria driving the game winning RBI just past the glove of leaping Indians second baseman Tony Fernandez . In his 2002 autobiography, Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel directly blamed Mesa for the loss. In 1998 , the Indians fell short of returning to the World Series for a third time in four seasons, being beaten by the New York Yankees in the ALCS . In 1999 , the Divisional Series was the stage for one of the biggest collapses in MLB postseason history; the Indians, who were in command with a two games to none lead going into game three, gave up three consecutive games to the Boston Red Sox. The debacle cost Indians manager Mike Hargrove his job. In 2000 , the Indians got off to a mediocre start, going 44-42 at the break. They soon caught fire and went 46-30 the rest of the way to finish 90-72. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as they ended up five games behind the Chicago White Sox in the Central division and missed the Wild Card by one game to the Seattle Mariners . In 2000, Larry Dolan bought the Indians for $323 million from Richard Jacobs, who, along with his late brother David, had paid $35 million for the club in 1986. 2001 saw a return to prominence for the Indians. After losing Manny Ramirez and Sandy Alomar Jr. to free agency, the Tribe signed former- MVP Juan Gonzalez , who arguably had one his best years in 2001, and reclaimed the Central division with a 91-71 record. One of the highlights of the season was a game televised nationally on ESPN on August 5th, where the Indians erased a 12-run deficit to the Mariners and won the game in extra innings, now known as The Impossible Return . The playoff run was short lived, however, as they were eliminated in the First Round by the juggernaut Mariners. 2001-present: The Shapiro years In the 2001 offseason, GM John Hart resigned and his assistant Mark Shapiro took the reins. Shapiro decided that the Indians team was aging, and needed to be rebuilt with young minor-league talent. This sent Cleveland fans in an uproar, and the Indians struggled through 2002 and 2003 , posting losing records both years. in 2002, Shapiro traded fan favorite pitching ace Bartolo Colon for then-unknowns Brandon Phillips , Cliff Lee , and Grady Sizemore . He also acquired Travis Hafner in a trade with the Texas Rangers involving Ryan Drese and picked up Coco Crisp from the St. Louis Cardinals for aging starter Chuck Finley . In 2004 , the young talent finally started to hit its stride, and the Indians were a terrific offensive team. Unfortunately, the Bullpen was a major Achilles heel. They blew more than 20 Save s that year, and the Indians finished with an 80-82 record. In early 2005 , the offense was anemic, and couldn't score runs like the year before. However, the offense soon picked up, and the Indians began a 9-game winning streak in mid-June, going over .500 for good. After a brief July slump, the Indians caught fire in August, and they cut a 15.5 game deficit in the Central Division to the White Sox down to 1.5 games. However, the season came to a heartbreaking end as the Indians went on to lose six of their last seven games, five of them by one run, and missed the playoffs by only two games. During the 2006 offseason the Indians traded the popular Coco Crisp along with David Riske and Josh Bard to the Red Sox for reliever Guillermo Mota , third base prospect Andy Marte , catching prospect Kelly Shoppach , a player to be named later and cash, and Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels . Many fans saw the trade of Crisp for a package of prospects as a rebuilding move. Shapiro defended the move, citing the inclusion of Marte, regarded as one of the game's top prospects, and Mota, whom Shapiro feels can be the Tribe's setup man. The Indians also decided not to keep Kevin Millwood . Despite having a 9-11 record he led the American League with the lowest Earned Run Average at 2.86. The Texas Rangers signed Millwood to a four-year, $48 million deal (with an option for a fifth year). To replace Millwood and Scott Elarton (who signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals ) Shapiro signed Jason Johnson from the Detroit Tigers and Paul Byrd from the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim . TRIVIA
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