Cleveland's Finest. Vince McKee

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ had never been anything like what we were all experiencing. That entire season, the crowd response was just unbelievable. Those things don’t happen anymore because of the artificial commercial atmosphere produced at arenas now.

      As fate would have it, game seven would be an even more intense game than the previous six thrillers that the fans had witnessed. Local Cleveland fans were unable to watch the game due to an NBA blackout, but as Matt Morino shared, fans were still able to listen to and watch snippets of it:

      My whole family gathered around our radio at home to listen to Joe Tait call the biggest basketball game in Cleveland history. The TV news stations also had something called “Action Cams” that were stationed at the game and would interrupt TV programming for short snippets of film from this huge game. It was hard to hear Joe’s voice at times—the crowd was deafening. The game was tied at 86 with just seconds to go, and the Cavs had the ball and had called time-out to set up for the last shot again. We watched—yes, watched; even the NBA couldn’t keep their blackout for these last few seconds—as the Action Cams had interrupted all Cleveland TV stations to show this final, fateful play.

      Just like in previous games, it came down once again to the final shot. Dick Snyder was called upon to take the final shot with just under 5 seconds remaining. As his running 5-foot bank shot hit off the glass and went in, the Richfield crowd came unglued. The city had just witnessed the completion of a miracle.

      Although they would fall short in the next round of the playoffs, losing to the highly touted Boston Celtics in six games, no one could take away the pure joy Cleveland fans felt during game six of the Bullets series. Many believe that if starting center Jim Chones hadn’t broken his foot in a practice between the two series, taking the steam out of the red-hot locomotive engine that had become Cleveland basketball, the Cavaliers might have even upset the Celtics. The Cavaliers did manage to win two games in the series with outstanding plays at home in front of rabid fans. Backup center Nate Thurmond did his best to fill in for Chones, but the Celtics’ John Havlicek was too much for him. Joe Tait gave his firsthand account of what happened during those games against Boston:

      Nobody expected the Cavaliers to beat Boston at that particular time, and the fact that they came back in that series got people pumped up to an even higher level. People began to think that even without Chones this team could still be a team of destiny. It was in the fans’ minds that they could pull off one of the all-time greatest upsets. It was easy for the fans to get swept away in it. The problem was that Thurmond had to pick up extra minutes for the hurt Chones, and it was simply too much to ask. Despite their best efforts, we fell short in six games.

      North Olmsted native John Rehak, a noted child psychologist and youth basketball coach for many years, also shared his memories of the series:

      It is my honest opinion that if Jim Chones didn’t break his foot, that the team would have won the NBA Championship. It was a magical time for our city, and one that I will never forget.

      Bruce Rice of North Olmsted, a retired mailman and an avid Cleveland sports fan, recalled:

      We brought a banner to each game with a giant rear end on it that said, “Hey Cowens, Stuff This!”

      The truth, however, was that Cleveland sports teams were in the middle of a miserable run. The Browns hadn’t been good in years. The Indians never made it back to the playoffs after getting swept in the World Series in 1954 against the San Francisco Giants. The Cavaliers had been terrible until this magical run. They gave the city some desperately needed hope. It didn’t matter if it was the clever nicknames or the colorful uniforms—Cleveland fans were just happy to have a winner.

      CHAPTER THREE

      Super Joe

      The Cleveland Indians had suffered through some very lean seasons for three straight decades. They were in need of a change, in need of a player with so much talent and charisma he could singlehandedly change the face of Cleveland Indians baseball for the better.

      In the spring of 1980, a player came out of nowhere to do just that for one unforgettable season. He was more than just an average Joe—he was super!

      Joe Charboneau grew up in California with his single mother in search of a dream. He was taught the game of baseball by his older brother, Rick. Six years older than Joe, Rick had an extreme passion for baseball. A great athlete in baseball and hockey, Rick spent a lot of time with Joe, molding him as a young man both on and off the field. The older Charboneau trained his younger sibling in the weight room as well. The brothers were so close that Rick helped Joe in weight training from the age of fourteen all the way through his playing days in the major leagues. The guidance Joe received from Rick helped prepare him mentally and physically to reach the professional level.

      Joe Charboneau meets with a fan.

      Joe Charboneau would be the first person to say that the main trait of a good hitter is to be tenacious. It isn’t just an hour-a-day thing, but rather a skill that needs daily practice for hours at a time. During an interview at his Cleveland-area home, Charboneau described what he thinks it takes to be a good hitter:

      I didn’t have a lot of natural talent, so I had to work every day to groove my swing and keep everything in order. It’s a constant, ongoing project to be a good hitter. You have to imagine yourself doing a lot of it as well, hitting doubles, triples, and home runs. You have to picture yourself succeeding so when you’re not physically doing the work you still have to do it mentally.

      Charboneau’s insight provides further evidence that any good ballplayer is blessed not only with physical tools but mental ones as well.

      Growing up with his older brother constantly watching baseball, Charboneau had many heroes. He fondly recalled having a Carl Yastrzemski poster in his room, next to a Raquel Welch poster. Not only did he look up to Yastrzemski, but he also idolized both Al Kaline and Stan Musial. His fondness for Musial was so great that he used his bat model to hit with in the majors.

      In 1976, after playing ball at Brooksville High School in California, the Minnesota Twins drafted Charboneau. Minnesota had a good program that also had produced major league pitcher Mark Langston. When scout Lee Irwin showed up at Charboneau’s house to sign the contract, it was predetermined that the signing bonus would only be $500. Joe was still trying to take care of his single mother and could not take such a small amount of money, so instead he asked for $5,000—an amount that was promptly denied by the Twins. The Philadelphia Phillies took a chance by drafting Charboneau later that same year. During his time with the Phillies organization, Charboneau met Cal Emery, the last player to hit .400 in Triple A. Charboneau developed his skills further by working with Emery in the Phillies Instructional League. He also had the chance to work with Tony Oliva and Willie Stargell, both great major-leaguers in their own right.

      1980 American League Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau

      Charboneau was traded to the Cleveland Indians before the 1979 season began after having a very good 1978 season at the minor league level. He had the fourth-best average in the minor leagues in 1978, a record that caught the attention of the Indians. The team was able to acquire him by trading pitcher Cardell Camper. Charboneau continued his minor league dominance in 1979 by hitting .352 for the Indians’ Double A team—and seemed destined to arrive at the Indians’ Triple A Charleston, South Carolina, affiliate—when he was called up to the majors sooner than anyone might have thought possible. Regular left fielder André Thornton was sidelined with an injured knee, СКАЧАТЬ