I can verify it.

You know how announcers sometimes say things like, “Maybe Greg Maddux gets that called a strike, but not [insert non HOF pitcher here].” ? Well, it was like that. For six games.

Kenny’s spot on. It was every bit as bad as Hernandez in ’97 if that helps.

I thought he had great, straightforward answer to that and Bartman.

He’s no Sowers.

This book is a quick, entertaining read and I’d love to see something like this about the 1995 team. (he says, wondering why, as a journalist, he doesn’t just get off his ass and write it himself)

I’m sure one of the Sorrento-types is going to need money in the next few years, be patient, I bet we see this book sooner rather than later.

my favorite all-time Indians play

I’m frustrated with the internet’s inability to show me this play.

I always loved the way he flipped his bat after a walk. If he were on the opposing team, I would have wanted him beaned for it. But for us, on that cocky team…it was great.

posted this in a gamethread a few days ago.

When I saw a youtube link below MikeCP’s plea, I was hoping it was Lofton, though.

I’ve had to have seen it but it’s been a while.

I automatically assumed that getting Kenny back was a sign of regret by the FO. Not sure about the reasons for the inital deal, though.

Because we also got David Justice in the deal.

Grissom was arguably a better fielder, and he did steal 70 bases several years prior. He played CF real shallow and seemed to a lot of bloops that Kenny wouldn’t, but he wasn’t nearly as sensational. Hart seemed to think that Grissom was underrated, and buying low on Justice was the key. It was a very good trade, but it was a painful one at the time, especially because I despised the Braves back then.

We had to replace Belle somehow. The Kenny trade was all business. I had wanted us to keep Kenny and play Giles and possibly Herb Perry in left instead, but it was a pleasure to watch Justice play. He was a great hitter. Justice’s injury-plagued career falls a little short, but he played like a HOFer, as did a half dozen or so other players from those teams.

Kenny is the man.

This is Simmons-level conspiracy theory, but I heard a long time ago that he and Jim Thome got in a fight late in 1996 in the clubhouse, over postgame music or some such nonsense. According to the story, Thome made his point forcefully enough that Lofton missed a few games with bruised ribs. In the offseason, with the team transitioning from a clubhouse where the dominant personalities were Belle, Baerga, and Murray to one in which they envisioned Thome, Vizquel, and Matt Williams becoming the leaders, they started looking for ways to get equal value back for Lofton, using his impending free agency as a cover. It took them until the last week of spring training, of course, to find the right deal.

In support of this theory, you have a few choice pieces of evidence. First—and this is strictly from the memory of a 14-year old kid gobbling up Indians-related tidbits (read: no link)—a few days before he signed, it was reported that he was spotted having dinner with Thome and Hargrove in Cleveland. Presumably, according to myth, to ask Thome for forgiveness, or his blessing to sign, or whatever. Second, you can see a little gap between September 4th and September 8th where those bruised ribs would have come into play.

True? Probably not. I certainly did not hear it from someone who would be in the know. But it’s an interesting little narrative behind that trade if you’re into that sort of thing… frankly, I am. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that we don’t know about. And most of my favorite stories are apocryphal anyway. After all, even Yogi never said half of the things he said.

That would be incredibly cool.

This squared

rec

Why a one-day contract? Sign him for 2 months to finish out this season.

Did you notice Lofton didn’t play from Nov. 1st -Nov. 5th that year?

Anything interesting, or just your basic “Weren’t those ’90s teams great?!” kind of reminiscing? I once interviewed Hammy and he said the scoring-from-second-on-passed-ball play was his favorite call of his career. So I’m sure that came up?