Classic Tribe: The 50 Greatest Games in Cleveland Indians History

by Jonathan Knight

A countdown of the Cleveland Indians’ greatest games It’s far too easy to allow the national media and disparaging fans to undermine Clevelanders’ views of their professional sports teams. While the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers have certainly caused more than their fair share of frustration and heartbreak over the past century, there are countless moments of glory in the fertile athletic history of Northeast Ohio that receive little notice east of Shaker Heights or west of Rocky River. Jonathan Knight’s Classic Cleveland Series sets out to combat this trend, bundling together the most memorable moments of Cleveland’s beloved athletic clubs. In three separate publications, Knight ranks the fifty greatest games in each franchise with entertaining accounts of each contest, properly placing them in the broad landscape of civic history. Regardless of what the current editions of the Browns, Indians, and Cavs accomplish, every contest played is another chapter in an epos connecting each generation of fans to the ones before it. The Classic Cleveland Series colorfully illustrates that regardless of today’s final score, the simple continuation of the saga is reason enough for reflection and celebration. Classic Tribe counts down the fifty greatest Cleveland Indians games, from wild ninth-inning comebacks to dazzling pitching performances to spellbinding playoff encounters. The storied history of Cleveland’s endearing baseball franchise is sprinkled throughout these tales, from weekday matinees at cozy League Park at the dawn of the twentieth century to unforgettable autumn nights at Jacobs Field. Knight ranks World Series masterpieces alongside incredible individual performances and historic two perfect games seventy-three years apart, the most memorable of the 1954 Tribe’s record 111 victories, and the greatest comeback in baseball history. Included in these pages are the heroics of Tribe legends like Stan Coveleski, Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Rocky Colavito, and Omar Vizquel to name just a few. Whether played on a balmy summer night on the lakefront or on a golden October afternoon at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, each game included in Classic Tribe is worth remembering and revisiting. Sure to spark interest and debate, Classic Tribe will appeal to Indians fans everywhere.

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kurt · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading about one of my favorite subjects, like the Cleveland Indians in this case, I want it to be well-written. I want it to draw me in and keep me turning pages! What a wonderful subject with which to do this! Mr. Knight fell far short of that.

Granted, it is difficult to report on a baseball game that happed 100 years ago (#3 of "the 50 greatest games in Cleveland Indians history" was played October 10, 1920), but somehow Scott H. Longert was able to do it throughout his "The Best They Could Be" published in 2013.

But, Knight would tell the story of the games, each with some fasinating accomplishment or tribute, and leave out significant details. For instance, he may begin by describing the starting pitcher and what they were facing in the opponent and all their skillful batters, and later in the chapter, forget to tell us that the starter was pulled for a reliever when this that and the other thing happened.

It was fun to read about games I enjoyed watching during my lifetime and other stories about games of which I had no previous knowledge. Thank you Jonathan Knight for your book about the team we both love.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably would have loved it except for the fact that the author seems to think one of the greatest games was the 7th game of the 1997 World Series. Well, an eyelash away from winning the World Series, it all got away. Nope, not a great game.
Fun to read about some of the amazing games over the years and to realize I was at 4 of them, not bad since some of them happened long before I was born.
Vignettes are short and sweet, it's the perfect bathroom book. Read a game or two at a time.
Loving chronicle of the hometown team over the years.