Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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A combined effort from civic boosters and the city manager’s office built the huge stadium downtown, right off the Lake Erie shore. It was their belief that a stadium located a bit north of the business district would be an economic boon for the city. They had no way of knowing in 1928 that the Great Depression was about to paralyze the entire country.

Now, though, the Philadelphia Athletics were in town to christen the new stadium. An incredible crowd of 79,000 was on hand to see Robert “Lefty” Grove match pitches with Cleveland’s curveball wizard, Mel Harder. Special trains brought several thousand fans from as far away as Pittsburgh. Athletics owner Connie Mack had put together a champion club with players including center fielder George “Mule” Haas, catcher Mickey Cochrane, left fielder Al Simmons, right fielder Bing Miller, and slugger Jimmy Foxx at first base. This would be a formidable test for the Indians and their new home.

The pregame ceremonies were well planned. The invited guests included the rarely smiling commissioner of baseball Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, American League president Will Harridge, Ohio governor George White, and Athletics owner Tom Shibe. Governor White threw the first pitch to Cleveland mayor Ray T. Miller. A large number of former Spiders, Naps, and Indians were in attendance. They were introduced by another ex-ballplayer, Jack Graney, now the Indians’ radio play-by-play man. Graney had a long career in Cleveland baseball, starting with the Naps and lasting long enough to retire as an Indian. He became the first ballplayer to climb into the radio booth and describe the action on a full-time basis. He introduced the old favorites one at a time. There was Cy Young, the great pitching star of the 1890s. Young had been a major factor in bringing home the Temple Cup in 1895. He had won a phenomenal 511 games during his long career. His catcher, Charles “Chief” Zimmer, came out, pleased to be recognized some thirty years later. In his day, Zimmer wore the thinnest of gloves on his catching hand, nothing like the mitts worn by the current Indians catchers. One could only imagine how he held on to Young’s fastballs.