Cleveland in Wonderland

Cleveland (USA): When it rains in Cleveland it pours. From no title in 52 years in a major sport, the city could well make it two within a year. After Cleveland Cavaliers’ maiden national championship in basketball four months ago, Cleveland Indians are only four matches away from winning their first baseball crown since 1948. It’s all happening in Cleveland, as the city in Ohio state is firmly in the grip of sports fever.

An hour after the Cavs receive their NBA championship rings on Tuesday, the Indians will launch their World Series title bid with Game 1 against Chicago Cubs in the best-of-seven Finals. What’s more, the Indians and the Cavs are next-door neighbours here.

Although the basketball team’s home, Quicken Loans Arena, has around 20,000 seats and the Indians’ citadel, Progressive Field, can accommodate about 35,000 fans, more than one lakh people are expected to congregate in the vicinity of the two venues that have lifted the spirit of the city in recent times. Pubs and restaurants in the locality are bracing up for unprecedented business.
Never before had the city’s teams played simultaneously as defending champions and potential champions.  

From superstar LeBron James to the common man, everyone here is buzzing with excitement about Super Tuesday. “It’s a historic day for our city. No Cleveland guy will ever forget it. I’m happy to be part of it,” said James, who was instrumental in the Cavs’ incredible triumph over Golden State Warriors in June.
Cabbie Robert Baselock, 62, can’t wait for the World Series to get under way. “I played baseball in college. I hope the Indians will follow in the footsteps of the Cavs. I can’t afford to go to the match because the lowest price of ticket that is available now starts from $700. I have learned that a seat up close to the field goes for up to $9,000.

Tuesday is an unforgettable day for the city, for it has never hosted two meaningful matches in the same evening,” he said. The Indians, who have reached their first World Series Finals since 1997, haven’t won the ultimate prize in baseball in 67 years. Chicago Cubs, their opponents on Tuesday, have an even more acute drought, as their last triumph came in 1908. As Baselock rightly said, the battle of two desperate teams would be decided by “heart”.

Cleveland Browns are the most successful sports franchisee in the city with eight titles in American football. Their success in the National Football League in 1964 was Cleveland’s last major silverware in any sport before James and Co. ended the 52-year-old curse in some style this June.

“I attended the Browns’ title decider in 1964 with my father. I remember the match as if it happened yesterday. Football is the most popular sport here. The Browns sell out their 70,000-seat stadium regularly. Clevelanders would do anything to win the football title,” Baselock said.