Eighteen Crazy Nights—Looking back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians

Each week during the 2012-13 offseason DTTWLN will take a look back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians season—specifically the 18 thrilling games of the postseason as the Indians made an improbable run to game seven of the World Series.

PART ELEVEN:  ALCS GAME 2—GRISSOM RIPS ‘EM

By Steve Eby

If the 1997 Cleveland Indians taught the baseball world anything, it was to always expect the unexpected.  All season long the Tribe had underperformed and not met expectations and the poster boy for the Indians lackluster play was centerfielder Marquis Grissom.

Grissom was acquired at the end of Spring Training with David Justice in a blockbuster deal that sent Indian legend Kenny Lofton and relief pitcher Alan Embree to the Atlanta Braves.  The trade was largely unpopular at the time, and over the course of the season only Justice’s All-Star performance allowed General Manager John Hart to show his face around Cleveland as Grissom continually failed to impress. Read More