- Lou Brown, the gruff manager of the 1989 season, with cutout of new owner Rachel Phelps
With two outs in bottom of the ninth against the dreaded New York Yankees, aging weak-kneed catcher Jake Taylor brought speedster Willie Mays Hayes home from second base by legging out a surprise bunt to win the pennant, much to the disgust of new owner Rachel Phelps. A moment few Cleveland Indians fans will forget, surely.
Scott Lewis over at thescore.com just published a remarkably comprehensive oral history of the Cleveland Indians’ magical 1989 season. Lewis features former California penal league pitcher Ricky Vaughn, powerful outfielder Pedro Cerrano, broadcaster Harry Doyle, among other characters, to tell the story of the ’89 Indians. Sections include:
—A Foundation Built on Deceit
—Discovering WIld Thing, WIllie, and Jobu
—The Season of Destiny and Defiance
—Game 163
Just go and read the thing, already.
This article appears in Jul 10-16, 2013.
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Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.
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