Indians vs Jim Bouton and the Yankees – June 1963

I haven't been following the Cleveland Indians Guardians too closely this season, except to note that they're under .500 so far. I guess I lost what little interest I had in the team when they changed their name last year. But I'll always have fond memories of going to see them play at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the late 1960s with my dad and my brothers. 

When I'm doing my blog research at the library, it's fun to read old sports pages to see how the Tribe was doing. And sixty years ago, the Indians were playing the Yankees – with one of my favorite ballplayers pitching for New York: Jim Bouton. His name in the headline above (from the June 1, 1963 Journal) caught my attention.

Unfortunately, Bouton is only briefly mentioned in the story, with no witty quotes or hilarious anecdotes of the kind that ended up in Ball Four. He did end up beating the Indians 5-2, and having a pretty good game with the bat, with 4 RBIs.

Jim Bouton has showed up on this blog before. Back here, I wrote about his second baseball book, which was published in June 1971. And on this post, I wrote about one of his future Seattle Pilots roommates, Gary Bell, when he appeared in Lorain at Jay's Sparkle Market in 1962.

By the way, here's my autographed photo of Jim Bouton. 

Elsewhere on the Journal page is the story of the return of pitcher Early Wynn coming back to the Indians. (He had been traded to Chicago in 1958.) Back with the Tribe, he would get his 300th win on July 13, 1963 – and call it quits at the end of the season. 

Cleveland Indians Players at Jay's Sparkle Market – July 1962

If you've ever read the baseball classic Ball Four by pitcher Jim Bouton, then you might remember how some of his teammates were annoyed at having to make appearances to sign autographs or show up at some event. The players weren't paid very much (sometimes as little as $25) and these types of events usually took place on their day off.

I was thinking about that when I saw the above ad for Jay's Sparkle Market in Lorain, which was promoting the special appearance of two Cleveland Indians at the store, as well as at the Little League Park on Washington Ave. that day. The full-page ad appeared in the Journal on July 2, 1962.

Ironically, one of the Indians was Gary "Ding Dong" Bell, who a few seasons later would be one of Jim Bouton's roommates when both were members of the Seattle Pilots. Gary Bell is quite prominent in Ball Four, and the subject of many hilarious anecdotes. It's also quite poignant in the book when Bell finds out he's been traded to the Chicago White Sox. Bouton wrote, "He sat on the edge of the bed and I could see the thoughts racing through his mind. How do I move? What do I do with my car? Who's on that club? Any friends? It's like, I suppose, when you're wounded. You don't know where you've been hit and you have to sit there a minute and feel around to find out just how seriously you've been hurt."

The other member of the Tribe who was scheduled to come to Lorain that day was Jerry Kindall, who was with the Indians from 1962 - 1964. His Wikipedia entry notes, "Kindall quickly felt at home in Cleveland, where he became the everyday second baseman, a position he held for all of 1962. Through May 11, he was batting .289. Sportswriter Joe Reichler called him "a defensive whiz" in May 1962, observing that he had "steadied the infield" for Cleveland. 

"The greatest offensive moment of his career came that June, when Kindall had eight hits in a four-game series against the New York Yankees. He had four hits on June 16, including a two-run walk-off home run against Jim Coates in the bottom of the ninth inning that turned a 9–8 deficit into a 10–9 victory. The next day, his two-run home run against Bill Stafford in the first game of a doubleheader put Cleveland up 2–0 in an eventual 6–1 victory. The series victory pushed Cleveland past New York into the American League (AL) lead, though they would eventually finish the season in sixth place."

Central Security Bank Ad with Chief Wahoo – June 1972

Fifty years ago, you could reserve your Cleveland Indians tickets at any Central Security Bank office. That's according to this ad featuring Chief Wahoo, which ran in the Journal on June 9, 1972. 

I kind of miss the Chief, although I understand why he had to go. But I think it was a mistake to change the team's name entirely, seeing how other professional sports teams with Native American themes managed to hold on to theirs. 

It's interesting seeing how the business opportunity to be the Cleveland baseball ticket office locally bounced around. In 1953, Richman Brothers was the place to reserve them.

In April 1963, you could buy them at Colony Bar.

Of course, now you can't buy Cleveland Indians tickets anywhere.

From Indians to Guardians

So the new name of the Cleveland Indians is going to be the Cleveland Guardians. 

With all due respect to the Native Americans that were offended by the old name, all I can say is: Ugh. 

I really thought that they would go with no mascot – and be known simply as ‘Cleveland.’ It would have been a good solution. The offensive ‘Indians’ name would go away, but it would still be there in our memories. Plus, having no mascot would be unique, and sort of fit in with the minimalist approach of the Cleveland Browns and their plain orange helmets.

My second guess was that the team would go back to an earlier name – the Cleveland Spiders. Although I don’t like spiders (or any kind of insect or bug, for that matter), at least it would have introduced the concept of heritage. It wouldn’t even have needed a cartoon spider logo. The team would benefit from the historical equity of the earlier name, with some old-time lettering in the logo to drive the point home. 

In my mind’s eye, I can see how the team could have creatively transitioned back to the Spiders name, with a special ceremony at the old League Park where they played. The new Spiders could have worn vintage 1920s uniforms for the first season. It would have generated a lot of publicity and goodwill.

One of the stone Guardians
(Courtesy Wikipedia)

But no, the team will be called the Cleveland Guardians, a completely meaningless name. 

The Guardians name has a similar cadence to ‘Indians’ with the ‘-dians’ at the end, so it rolls off the tongue in a familiar way. But what does it honor? Carved stone gods on the Hope Memorial Bridge that very few people in Northern Ohio (much less the rest of the country) even know as ‘the Guardians of Traffic.’

I stopped being an Indians fan long ago, so I’m not too upset. I still root for the team for the sake of its fans. But the fans don’t seem to be too happy right now, judging by comments left on news websites and social media.

Anyway, a ‘guardian’ is defined as a defender, protector or keeper. 

What will the Cleveland Guardians be guarding or protecting? Not their historical legacy, that’s for sure. Maybe home plate?

But I wish the team good luck as they go forward next season with their new name, while the old team name heads off to the Happy Hunting Ground.

Lorain City Club’s Kids Baseball Day – July 19, 1951

Here’s a nice reminder of a different time, a time when Lorain had an active City Club that sponsored an annual trip to take a group local kids to see a Cleveland Indians game.

The full-page ad ran in the Journal on July 18, 1951.

It was a total community effort (not to mention the involvement of the Indians as well). 

The list of local industries and organizations that helped make the event possible included the various ethnic societies (such as Sons of Italy, United Polish Club, Slovenian Home, Saxon Club, etc.), the unions, fraternal organizations (such as the Elks), service organizations (such as Lorain Lions Club, Lorain Kiwanis Club) the veterans organizations, the utilities, the area’s industrial giants (National Tube, Fruehauf, Nelson Stud, B. F. Goodrich Chemical, etc.) and of course the Journal itself.

It was a great game too – the Indians versus the Boston Red Sox. The Indians and pitcher Early Wynn prevailed, winning 5-4.

Get Yer Cleveland Indians Tickets at Colony Bar – April 1963

Tomorrow is the Home Opener for the Cleveland Indians, so it's a good time for this post.

During the 1940s and 50s in Lorain, it seems that Richman Brothers was the place to go to purchase tickets to Cleveland sporting events, including the Indians, Browns and Barons. I'm not sure why.

I've posted several of those vintage Richman Brothers ads here over the years.

But something changed in the early 1960s. Suddenly, Gus Atthanasoff's Colony Bar became the local outlet to purchase Cleveland Indians tickets, as seen in the above ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on April 2, 1963.

Gee, seeing Chief Wahoo's smiling face in this ad reminded me that he's been banished to the reservation. The Chief has been a regular topic here on the blog since 2009.

Chief Wahoo Heads for the Happy Hunting Ground

Speaking of mascots (as I often am), you might be surprised to learn that I’m not particularly upset about the Cleveland Indians’ decision to phase out Chief Wahoo on their uniforms.

And that’s despite the fact that I’m very fond of the Indians' lovable mascot.

To me, he’s a happy reminder of going to Cleveland Indians games at the Stadium with Dad and my brothers back in the late 60s and early 70s.

And strange as it may seem, Chief Wahoo made me think more positively of Indians. Instead of always seeing them as evil savages that needed to be dispatched by John Wayne with a gun, thanks to Chief Wahoo I saw them as friends.

But, if there’s anything I learned after writing this blog for many years, it’s that just because something is old and beloved doesn't mean that it's going to be around forever. Let's face it, it's amazing that Wahoo's lasted this long, seeing as he's not exactly a flattering representation of a Native American.

So it's probably a good time to say goodbye to the Chief. 

He's not really going away, though. You will still be able to buy merchandise with his image locally. 

As for me, I have all the Chief Wahoo souvenirs I need – my baseball cap, my retro bobblehead, and my old baseball program. And most importantly, my memories of going to those games as a kid.

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I've written quite a bit about Chief Wahoo and the Cleveland Indians over the years on this blog, including a post about the 1949 Cleveland Indian Sketch Book, my vintage ticket collection, Wahoo's appearance in a 1958 Hickory Grill ad, and my 1968 scorecard.

Cleveland Indians Home Openers – 1947 & 1957

Well, today is the Indians’ Home Opener – so I thought I’d better prepare something appropriate.

At the top you see my genuine Twins Enterprise, Inc. Collectible MLB Bobbing Head Chief Wahoo Doll fron the 1990s. It was inexpensive, and not a bad facsimile of the type of bobble heads that my brothers and I used to ogle down at the old Municipal Stadium souvenir stands in the 1960s. Those same original nodders now run about 300 clams on Ebay (that’s a lot of wampum), so this one will have to do for now.

Anyway, I went back to see how the Indians did on two other Home Openers – 70 years ago and 60 years ago.

In 1947 the Indians were still a year away from the season which ended with them winning the World Series. Bob Feller took the mound against the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1947. Unfortunately, he was “trumped” (very appropriate now) 2-0 in front of a record crowd of 55,014 fans.

Here’s the story from the April 16, 1947 Lorain Journal.

In the 1957 Home Opener, the Indians played – who else? – the Chicago White Sox. On April 16, 1957, the day of the game, the Lorain Journal ran this article featuring great illustrations of Cleveland Manager Kerby Farrell and Chicago White Sox Manager Al Lopez.

Unfortunately, the Tribe lost this one as well, 3-2. Herb Score pitched all 11 innings of this three hour and 28 minute game.

Let’s hope the Indians make out better against the Chicago White Sox today.

That’s the Ticket! Cleveland Indians Tickets!

Illustration scanned from a Brilliant Electric Signs ad from a 1968 scorecard

The Cleveland Indians clinched the American League Central title this week. So naturally, I’m feeling kinda nostalgic about going to see the Indians play down at the old Municipal Stadium back in the 60s and 70s with Dad and my brothers.

I first wrote about going to those games back here.

Since that post, I discovered that I had a bunch of ticket stubs from those games.

As I explained before, the tickets were free as part of a Cleveland Press promotion that rewarded students who received straight A’s.

The seat locations of the free tickets were usually kinda crummy, but you could upgrade the tickets to better ones, which Dad always did.

It looks like we saw at least one game each year from 1968 to 1971, when we saw two.

The games were:
• August 29, 1968 – Indians vs Minnesota (a loss, 3-2)
• July 26, 1969 – Indians vs Minnesota again (a win, 6-3)
• August 29, 1970 – Indians vs California Angels (a win, 14-1)
• July 31, 1971 – Indians vs Oakland Athletics (a loss, 9-1)
• August 21, 1971 – Indians vs Chicago White Sox (a win, 9-4)

It turns out that the tickets from the August 29, 1968 game versus Minnesota correspond with the battered Indians scorecard that I saved all these years.

I scanned in a bunch of ads from the scorecard back here, here, here, here, and here.

But the best ad is still the one from radio station WERE that includes this illustration (below), in which Chief Wahoo apparently used a player from the opposing team for batting practice.

For more Chief Wahoo fun, you can revisit my post about the 1949 Cleveland Indians Sketch Book.

Cleveland Indians Hickory Grill Ad – 1958

Although it's the Cavs that are on everybody's minds today, here's an ad with a Cleveland Indians theme. It's for the long-gone Hickory Grill, which was located at 929 Chester Avenue in Cleveland. The ad ran in the Lorain Journal on July 3, 1958.

The ad's kind of interesting in that it includes several different renderings of the transitional Chief Wahoo, including one with a bizarre arm/wing.

A similar ad for the restaurant with a Cleveland Browns theme ran in the Mansfield News-Journal in October that same year.

Unfortunately, there's not much information to be found about the Hickory Grill. The online Encyclopedia of Cleveland History states that it was owned and operated (along with Kornman's Restaurant) by William Sydney Weinberger.

On the clevelandmemory.org website, it was included on a list of the oldest and best restaurants in Cleveland that were "bulldozed out of business."

I was hoping that the restaurant was still around, but perhaps with a different name. It looks like it must have been a great place.

The Bing Map below shows the approximate location of the Hickory Grill on Chester between E. 9th and E. 12th. I used to work just a few blocks away on E. 9th back in the mid-1980s, but I'm sure it was gone by then.

1949 Cleveland Indians Sketch Book: A Tale of Two Wahoos

Cover of the 1949 Sketch Book
(Courtesy of Gene Biros)

A pal from work recently loaned me a copy of the Cleveland Indians 1949 Sketch Book (above), which came out the season following the team's triumph in the 1948 World Series. For me, the book was a lot of fun to look at – both as a graphic designer and an Indians fan.

What's interesting is that the book contains illustrations of both the earlier version of Chief Wahoo, as well as the modern design that is beloved by Indians fans today. I've scanned some samples from the book to show this transition in progress.

Here's an example. Despite the presence of what we now consider to be the modern Chief Wahoo on the cover of the 1949 book, the title page has the earlier, large-nosed version (below).

That same version of the Chief is found in a great Vernors ad (below) that also features multiple appearances of the iconic soft drink's gnome mascot. 

Here are some more examples of the earlier Chief Wahoo design (below) from the book.

Lastly, here's a unique, head-on view of the more "modern" Chief Wahoo atop a totem pole (below).

If you're interested in learning more about the history of Chief Wahoo, be sure to read this fascinating piece by Brad Ricca.

Casey's Drive In Ad Featuring 1969 Cleveland Indians

Here's kind of a neat Lorain Journal newspaper ad for local hamburger chain Casey's Drive In, one of the topics (here) from the first year of this blog.

The ad dates from late June 1969 and features upcoming in-store appearances from some of the Cleveland Indians that year. (Give it a click so you can read it.) Looks like Luis Tiant was at the Casey's by me on 21st Street.

We were big into the Indians about that time, thanks to the free tickets we used to get from the Cleveland Press for getting straight A's on our report cards. It was a nice deal. We saw a lot of free games that way.

Back here I explained how I got Dave Nelson's autograph in 1968.

The Casey's deal shown above sure was a nice promotion for the kids. I highly doubt that any Major League ballplayers would be doing that sort of thing today on their day off – which helps explain why some kids, while growing up, never bond with the local team and root for other teams (like the Yankees) instead.

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 6

A few blogs ago I mentioned how after Cleveland Indians games in the 1960s, my brothers & I would follow ballplayers up to Public Square, trying to get their autographs. It was kind of cool that a few of them cooperated, since I'm sure they just wanted to get the #$!* out of there.

The scorecard that I've been blogging about for the past few weeks included three players whose autographs I was able to get: Dave Nelson, Vern Fuller and Tony Oliva (from the Minnesota Twins.)

After their Cleveland Indians days were over, both Nelson and Fuller had nice careers. Dave Nelson is still involved in the game as a TV broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers and Vern Fuller has had a successful career in the hospitality and hotel business.

Tony Oliva spent his entire career with the Twins and was inducted in the initial class of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2000 along with Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew.

Did you notice the other names on the autograph pages? They belong to my boyhood chum Jeff Malek and another classmate, who thought it'd be fun to sign their names on the same page as Major League Ballplayers!

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 5

Here's an ad for the Illuminating Company from the 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard, featuring one of my all-time favorite advertising characters: Reddy Kilowatt.

Reddy is one of the most famous and beloved advertising mascots of all time. He was created in 1926 by Ashton B. Collins, general manager of Alabama Power Company, as part of a marketing effort to promote electricity as a safe and reliable servant. According to legend, Collins was trying to think of a mascot when he happened to look out the window during an electrical storm, and witnessed two lightning bolts merge and strike the ground as one. To Collins, the single bolt reminded him of the body of a man – and Reddy Kilowatt was born.

With jagged red lightning bolts making up his torso and appendages, a light bulb for a nose and light sockets for ears, Reddy was the perfect spokesman for electricity. Reddy became so popular that in 1934, Collins decided to leave the Alabama Power Company and start his own company, the Reddy Kilowatt Service. This new company offered to license Reddy to other power companies and eventually more than 200 enrolled.

Reddy appeared on billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, company stationery and signage, electric bills and many promotional products. By the 1970s, however, electric consumption began to exceed the supply and Reddy was no longer needed.

Happily, Reddy eventually found a new home. In 1998 his exclusive use was purchased by Northern States Power Co., which is now part of Xcel Energy. Click here to visit their website and find out more about Reddy.

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 4

Here's another ad from the 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard: an ad for the gone-but-not-forgotten Kon Tiki, a Polynesian restaurant that was located on Public Square as part of the Sheraton Hotel complex. (Click on it for a larger view.)

The Kon Tiki was part of a chain of restaurants founded by Stephen Crane. According to the book The Book of Tiki by Sven A. Kirsten, Crane had opened his restaurant The Luau on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1953. Later, the Sheraton corporation enlisted Crane to recreate The Luau in Montreal, where it opened as the Kon Tiki in 1958. Kon-Tiki locations in Portland and Cleveland followed. Other locations with a similar theme (but different name: Ports O' Call) included Chicago and Dallas.

(Above) a Cleveland Kon-Tiki menu and a photograph from the menu showing (from left to right) a South Sea Cooler; a Zombie; and a Taal.

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 3

Here's another ad from the 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard for the Brilliant Electric Sign Company. (Click on it for a closer look.) They are, of course, the designer and manufacturer of the great Chief Wahoo sign that stood atop Gate D of the old Municipal Stadium for many years.

Kids love Chief Wahoo and my brothers and I were no exception. There was something exciting about seeing his huge grinning face, brimming with confidence and fun. It's a pity that the ol' Chief didn't make it over to the new stadium.

Where he is now? Here's a link to a nice article by Jim Vickers that explains the Chief's new home at the Western Reserve Historical Society. (Photo at right courtesy of the Western Reserve Historical Society.)

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 2

Here's another ad from the 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard that is a bit of Cleveland history: Carling's Black Label beer.

According to the book Cleveland Food Memories, the Carling Brewing Company started out in 1933 in Cleveland as the Brewing Corporation of America. As the popularity of its Black Label Beer and Red Cap Ale grew, the brewery expanded beyond its original northern Ohio market to become a national powerhouse.

The memorable "Hey Mabel" campaign, created by the Cleveland advertising agency Lang, Fisher & Stashower, greatly contributed to the Black Label brand's popularity and ran for almost twenty years. (I only remember the jingle from the radio.)

Unfortunately, the Cleveland plant was closed in 1971, just a few years after this ad ran in the scorecard. The local plant was sold and became part of C. Schmidt & Sons Brewing Company.

Click here to visit a website that is a nice tribute to this great brand of beer. ("Mabel' image at right courtesy of www.tvacres.com.)

1968 Cleveland Indians Scorecard Part 1

One of the fun things about saving old programs, newspapers, etc. is looking at the old ads in them. As I am employed in the advertising field (sort of), I am particularly fascinated by old ads, especially when they bring on a feeling of nostalgia.

Here's a few from the 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard. There's one for the Red Barn chain of fast-food restaurants, one for the Open Pantry convenience stores and one for radio station 1300 WERE. (Click on each of them to view a larger image.)

According to its Wiki entry, the Red Barn was a restaurant chain founded in Dayton, Ohio that at its peak had 400 locations. (Click here for a great website devoted to the Red Barn.) I remember that the Red Barn's advertising mascots were puppets shaped like a chicken leg, a fish and a hamburger. I also remember saving an old greasy Red Barn barn-shaped container and keeping my bottle cap collection in it!

Open Pantry was a chain similar to Lawson's. I did a little online research and found that there is still an Open Pantry chain operating in Wisconsin, although I'm not sure if it is the same company.

WERE 1300 was the radio home of the Cleveland Indians for many years. (I like their ad with Chief Wahoo, with its Laugh-In inspired headline, although it is sad that the mascot is rarely used in such a creative fashion any more.) WERE is still around, although it no longer has Indians games and it's no longer at 1300 AM. Click here to visit the station website.

Get your 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard, here!

Okay, so the Cleveland Indians aren't so hot this year. Here's something to take your mind off their lackluster performance: a Cleveland Indians scorecard that I saved from a 1968 game against Minnesota.

Back then, my Dad would take my brothers and me to at least one Indians game each summer. That's because we used to get free tickets from the Cleveland Press for submitting school report cards with all A's. Then we would exchange the crummy freebie seats for some better ones. (We got a lot of mileage out of those report cards, because we also took them to Manners for a free Big Boy!)

It was pretty exciting for us to go to an Indians game back in the 1960s. First there was the novelty of the drive on US 6 to Cleveland. Then, once we got past Clifton Blvd., the excitement would build as we watched the old Municipal Stadium loom into view from the Shoreway.

The biggest thrill was inside the stadium as we ran up the ramp and caught a glimpse of the inside of the stadium. Wow!

We always brought our baseball gloves, hoping to catch a foul ball. But we never did.

After the game, we would loiter, hoping to see a ball player, any ballplayer, and get some autographs. We got a few that way: Vern Fuller, Tony Oliva. We would chase the players all the way up to Public Square. Thinking about it now, it seems kind of quaint.

Anyway, stop back at this blog next week as I rip the cover off this 1968 scorecard (not literally, of course) to show you some of the goodies inside!