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Cleveland Indians: LeBron Wants a Title and He Won’t Take No for an Answer

By Steve Contursi

Apr 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view of a Cleveland Indians on a hat in the dugout at Comerica Park. The Indians won 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view of a Cleveland Indians on a hat in the dugout at Comerica Park. The Indians won 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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LeBron James is having the time of his life in the city that has a special place in his career and his heart. The greedy little thing that he wants is another championship, and not just the one he earned playing for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. And who’s going to tell him he can’t have it?

A week ago, I felt it necessary to scold the city of Cleveland for its lack of support for its hometown Cleveland Indians, who had played an entire season before crowds that averaged a mere 17,000 fans.

Bolstered by the presence of manager Terry Francona, the young and athletic Indians were walking through a season that saw them outplay the defending world champion Kansas City Royals and stave off challenges from the Tigers and White Sox while on their way to the AL Central Division title.

Unheralded and with no sign of panic, they pretty much entered the playoffs with no fanfare as a “also ran” to the Boston Red Sox and the power-happy Toronto Blue Jays. Quietly though, they were a powerhouse in the clubhouse and all the hoopla seemed to just bounce off them. To put it another way, this team was primed and ready from the get-go and they didn’t need a spark to ignite their fire because it was already burning.

Cleveland fans, however, remained another matter. In fact, Vegas was reported to be considering posting odds on whether or not Progressive Field would be sold out when the Indians hosted their first playoff game. (It was.)

LeBron, The King of Cleveland Takes Over

Enter “The King”. And who knows if LeBron James was maybe a bit bored when he summoned his entourage to Progressive Field to root on the Indians for Game 2 of the ALDS against the Red Sox. Getting into the spirit even more, he took to an on-field microphone telling the stunned crowd, “You guys are unbelievable. Cleveland, let me hear you! On behalf of myself and my teammates right here, we are here for these guys over here.”

LeBron James knows a thing or two about what it takes to win at this level. And if nothing else, he brought the fun into high-pressure baseball. Because as fans, maybe we forget that sometimes. And we sit there on the edge of our seats yelling at the TV forgetting that your team is playing baseball in the middle of October and 26 other teams are not.

The Cleveland Indians understand that and they joyfully go about their pregame routines as though they were about to take the field for a game on July 23. Derek Jeter knew a thing or two about winning too. And he would always say (paraphrasing), “Soak it all up, guys, and enjoy the moment. Because that’s all it is and you never know if it will ever come again.”

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So LeBron James is only telling the Indians fans what he knows best. And that’s to soak it up, enjoy it, and have fun while your team takes care of business on the field. Because if anyone had told the Cleveland players who played on that championship team in 1948 that decades would elapse before another chance would come about, they wouldn’t have believed it either.

By all appearances, LeBron James wants this title as much as he wanted his own… and he won’t take no for an answer.

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