Indians fans see Game 7 loss on Jacobs Field's big screen
By M.R. Kropko
Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- The bubble has burst for loyal Cleveland Indians fans. The Boston Red Sox are going to the World Series.
Boston's 11-2 win Sunday night completed the three in a row the Red Sox had to have to overcome a three games to one Cleveland advantage in the American League Championship Series.
Indians backers made one more trek to Jacobs Field, even though the final game was at Boston's Fenway Park. They could only hope that the Lake Erie port city which has often experienced disappointing outcomes with its pro sports teams might somehow be able to celebrate.
But the Tribe offered little cause for optimism early in the game for the Cleveland crowd of about 5,000 -- about a third of the Saturday night turnout at Jacobs Field.
"They pulled it out in Game 2, and that was in Boston, So they have a chance," a still hopeful Derek Wells, 20, of Fremont, Ohio said halfway through the game.
A few hundred fans stayed at Jacobs Field until Casey Blake made the final out shortly before midnight.
"I'm bummed," said fan Bruce Bertolo, 54, of Cleveland. "They've just lost three straight. I guess it doesn't surprise me at all. I'm a Cleveland sports fan, so I've been through a lot."
"It's disappointing," said Ann-Marie Daykin, 36, of suburban Eastlake. "They should be proud. They've had a tremendous season. But it hurts."
Looking tired and drained, Indians players chose not to offer any comments when they arrived home in Cleveland at around 4 a.m. Monday, though some mustered smiles and waves at Barb Kovalski, a fan who waited up at Hopkins International Airport so she could cheer them on.
"I was so keyed up. I know I couldn't sleep, and so I just had to let them know that we love this team," Kovalski told WEWS-TV.
Cleveland could have won the American League title at home Thursday night, when leading the series three games to one, but the Red Sox beat the Indians 7-1. Then, Saturday night in Boston was also one-sided, a 12-2 Red Sox victory.
Indians fans enjoyed ALCS triumphs in 1995 and 1997, only to see the Atlanta Braves and then the Florida Marlins grab the glory in the World Series those years.
Some controversy was also in the air Sunday. Cleveland pitcher Paul Byrd, whose win in Game 4 of the ALCS moved the Indians within one victory of the World Series, bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from 2002 to 2005 when he played for other teams, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Byrd joined the Indians as a free agent for the 2006 season.
"Unfortunately, sometimes that stuff is true," said Diane Buchs, 46, of Painesville, another Indians fan who came to watch the game on Jacobs Field's big screen. "But it's the kind of thing we hear about when an athlete does well."
Had the Indians had the home field advantage, the unseasonably warm weather in northeast Ohio on Sunday would have been perfect for a major showdown.
The Indians had captured Cleveland's imagination by defeating the New York Yankees three games to one in a first-round series. Across the city, Indians caps and T-shirts were common during the work week, and Go TRIBE signs appeared on some buildings.
The prideful mood was similar to what Cleveland sports fans displayed in June, when the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time in that team's history advanced to the NBA Finals, only to be swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.