Cleveland Rocked: The Personalities, Sluggers, and Magic of the 1995 Indians by Zach Meisel (review)

The year was 1948. World War Two had ended three years prior. The suburbs were starting to take shape by returning servicemen. And the Cleveland Indians won the World Series, beating the Boston Braves four games to two. The city of Cleveland had waited twenty-eight years since their first championship in 1920. While parades and celebrations broke out all over the Cleveland area in ’48, Tribe fans of multiple generations could not fathom that another World Series Championship would be so far away. As of the writing of this book, it has been seventy-two years since a championship has arrived at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario Avenues. In his book, Zach Meisel takes readers through the 1995 Indians season, which nearly ended in a championship. Even though the series went to Atlanta and their Hall of Fame pitching staff, fans, and writers from around the league debate whether the ’95 Indians were one of the best teams in baseball history.

In Cleveland Rocked, The Personalities, Sluggers, and Magic of the 1995 Indians, Zach Meisal revisits that season in great detail. His account of that season is vivid, well researched, and framed by his own love of the Indians. He digs deeply into the numbers to show the Indians batting, pitching, and fielding percentages of ’95 rank right up there with some of the best baseball teams ever . . . yes, ever. Meisal shares that the lineup included Sandy Alomar Jr. (HOF), Kenny Lofton (HOF), Omar Vizquel (HOF), Carlos Baerga (HOF), Albert Belle (HOF), Eddie Murray (HOF), Jim Thome (HOF), Manny Ramirez, and Paul Sorento. That makes seven of the nine players in the lineup who were bound for Cooperstown.

But the ’95 Indians almost didn’t happen! Cleveland Municipal Stadium, with whom the Indians shared with the football Browns was old, dangerous, and simply decrepit. In fact, in the early 1990s Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, while visiting the stadium, stated that if a measure for a new stadium didn’t pass on the May 1990 ballot, “he could not guarantee the major league team would remain in Cleveland” (16). Fortunately, the measure passed and a new stadium, Jacobs Field, was opened in 1994 and quickly became “the place to be” in downtown Cleveland. As the number of sellouts continued, the revenues grew, which allowed the Indians to sink money into the players that made ’95 and so many other seasons, playoff-worthy.

Besides being thoroughly researched and statistically accurate, Meisal includes off the field stories that really make the book a fun read.

Case in point, Jim Thome once told the team a story about Sean Casey when he was with the Cincinnati Reds, who were in Chicago. It was the end of the 2004 season and the Reds were out of the playoff run. However, they beat the Cubs, eliminating them from the playoffs. On the bus leaving the ballpark, they got stuck in traffic. Casey demanded that the driver open the door. He ran into a corner bar yelling, “Hey, all you Cubs fans! The Cincinnati Reds just kicked your ass! Like they say in Chicago, better luck next season!” This may have seemed a good idea until he saw people in the bar running towards him. Casey yelled ‘Jesus!’ and ran as fast as he could, screaming, “Open the door to the bus!” As the Chicago fans beat on the bus, Casey got on, sat next to [Barry] Larkin, who observed, “God damn, Casey, I’ve been in the big leagues for 19 years. I’ve seen a lot of things. That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.”

If you grew up during the 1970s and 80s in Cleveland, you were hungry for a winner. The Indians’ championship drought was approaching forty years in 1988. Meisel paints the picture of what it was like to live through those lean years. He shares stories of players, coaches, and front office personnel...