You may be about to learn two things about me. First, while many of you know this already, I’ve never made my provenance entirely explicit. I was born in St. Louis, MO and spent most of my childhood there. This made me (and still makes me) a fairly die-hard Cardinals fan. It also makes me a fan who has reveled in–depending on how and whom you count–anywhere from two to four World Championships. That, I suppose, is not all that interesting.
Second, you’re about to learn that my wife, Ann, is a much better writer than I. She also happens to be the great-grand-daughter of former Cleveland Indians manager Lee Fohl. What follows is something she wrote about him. And me. And you.
Explaining Cleveland Fanhood to My Husband
My husband is baffled by this question – why do Cleveland fans so desperately want a championship?
He’s a transplant from St. Louis, where they’ve won it all four times (three World Series and a Super Bowl) in his lifetime. What does he have to show for these wins? A blue Cardinals cap with a 2006 World Series patch on the side and a new red one sporting a 2011 patch, as well as a general feeling of optimism about his hometown team (without “hopeless” or “foolish” thrown in as a modifier). To his four championships, I have four heartbreaks – the drive, the fumble, 1995 and 1997 – and a creeping sense of foreboding whenever things look like they might be going Cleveland’s way. [Read more...]
