By: Malcolm Wyley
This last weekend was The Official Halloween Party Weekend. I’ve never been big on Halloween myself but I’m all in favor of letting people have their relatively harmless fun. One of those people was LeBron James, who apparently knows how to throw a kickass Halloween party, complete with, among other things, a skeleton sitting at a drum set with a bass drum with “3-1 Lead” printed on it, and matching tombstone cookies for both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Very subtle indeed.
It seemed for a moment that Cleveland would have the last laugh. The Warriors might win more championships, but they’re still the only team to blow such a lead in the NBA Finals. That’s not going away.
Across the street from The Q, however, their MLB counterparts face a very different reality. Remember that voodoo that’s been kicking the Indians’ ass for almost 70 years now? It hasn’t exactly gone away, and it’s picked the worst (or funniest, depending on perspective) time to kick in.
Just two days ago, the Indians enjoyed a fairly comfortable 3-1 lead. Only five teams (85 Royals vs. Cardinals, 79 Pirates vs. Orioles, 68 Tigers vs. Cardinals, 58 Yankees vs. Milwaukee Braves, 25 Pirates vs. Senators) have come back from down 3-1 in the World Series. It seems simple enough, win one game and you’re the champions. That’s the whole point of playing the game. If you’re good enough to make it to the World Series and good enough to go up 3-1, it should be cake getting that one last win, especially when two of the remaining games in a 7-game series are in your ballpark, right?
Well…
The most intriguing thing about this series, at least to me, is that it involves two tortured franchises. One of these franchises will finally taste the glory that has long evaded them.
The other team…let’s just say it would be peak “them” for either of these teams to lose. But for the Indians? This could be just what they need to finally realize that naming your team after a group of people still living and then mocking them by using a highly offensive caricature of them as the logo maybe isn’t the best idea. Not because for years actual Natives have been telling them this, but because the jokes will be re-fucking-lentless, and I know I personally will be here for every single one of them. As sad as it might be, it’s at least five times as funny, and in all honesty the Indians (more the team as a whole than the players in uniform) deserve all the bad things in the world to happen to them.
Bet they’re wondering if LeBron would be willing to pinch hit.