Kenny Roda will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the entire Cleveland sports universe. Check back often for his updates!
Are Cleveland’s sports teams cursed? I’m going to lay it out for you dating back to 1920. After reading this, you decide if curses exist and, if so, what did the city of Cleveland do to warrant such a thing. If you don’t believe in curses, then please explain to me in the comments section of this blog how all these things could happen to one city without there being a curse!
8-16-1920: Cleveland’s Ray Chapman is hit in the head by a pitched ball from Yankees hurler Carl Mays and is killed. It remains as the only on field death in MLB history.
1954 World Series: “The Catch” by Willie Mays. The Tribe wins 111 games during the regular season and ten gets sep in the Fall Classic.
5-7-1957: Indians pitcher Herb Score is hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Gil McDougal.
4-17-1960: The Indians trade Rocky Colavito to the Tigers. Thus the official “Curse of Colavito”. The Tribe would get Colavito back and then trade him a second time in 1967.
1961: Browns running back Ernie Davis never gets to play a game for Cleveland as he dies from Leukemia.
7-14-1970: MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati ends with the Reds’ Pete Rose crashing into Indians catcher Ray Fosse at home plate to score the winning run for the NL in a 5-4 win in 12 innings. Fosse broke his left collarbone and would never be the same.
6-4-1974: “10 Cent Beer Night”
1976: The Miracle of Richfield season comes up short when Jim Chones breaks his foot.
1-4-1981: “Red Right 88”
1983: This is the year that Indians 1980 Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau was out of baseball.
1986: Former Browns #1 pick, safety Don Rogers, dies at the age of 23.
1-11-1987: “The Drive”
1-17-1988: “The Fumble”
5-7-1989: “The Shot” (The first of three buzzers beaters by Michael Jordan)
11-16-1989: The Cavs trade Ron Harper for Danny Ferry
3-22-1993: Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed, while teammate Bobby Ojeda is seriously injured, in a boating accident during Spring Training on Little Lake Nellie in Winter Haven, Florida.
1994: Center Brad Daugherty plays his last season for the Cavs and then has to retire in his prime due to a back injury.
10-28-1995: David Justice hits a solo home run off Indians pitcher Jim Poole in Game 6 of the World Series to give the Braves a 1-0 win and a World Series title.
11-6-1995: Browns owner Art Modell announces he will move the Browns to Baltimore.
12-17-1995: The last Browns home game is played is played at Municiple Stadium.
1996-1998: No NFL football in Cleveland.
10-26-1997: Edger Renteria singles off Charlie Nagy, scoring Craig Counsil in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series to give the Florida Marlins a 3-2 win and a World Series championship.
1999: Browns return to the NFL and lose their first game 43-0 to the Steelers on national TV.
12-19-1999: Browns tackle Orlando Brown is hit in the eye with a penalty flag thrown by referee Jeff Tripplet, seriously injuring his eye and ending his career with the Browns.
12-12-2001: “Bottle Gate”.
1-28-2001: Owner Art Modell and his Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV.
Bill Belichick: Leaves Cleveland after helping to destroy the franchise and goes on to win three Super Bowls with New England.
Cavs’ 1st round flops: Dajuan Wagner, Trajan Langdon and DeSagana Diop.
2004: Carlos Boozer stabs the Cavs in the back and leaves through free agency for Utah.
Cavs’ injuries: Z’s feet, Luke Jackson’s back and Larry Hughes’ finger.
Expansion Browns disasters:
Dwight Clark and Carmen Policy
Butch Davis
Owner Al Lerner passes away during the 2002 season.
1-5-2003: Browns blow a 17-point lead in a playoff game at Pittsburgh and lose 36-33 to the Steelers.
1999 #1 pick Tim Couch is out of football due to injuries.
2000 #1 pick Courtney Browns suffers major injuries, now in Denver
2001 #1 pick Gerard Warren is the nicest guy Pittsburgh police ever arrested, now in Denver.
2002 #1 pick Wille Green allegedly stabbed in the back by his girlfriend, has off the field problems and is suspended by the league.
2003 #1 pick Jeff Faine has injury problems and is traded.
2004 # 1 pick Kellen Winslow Jr. breaks his leg in the second game of his rookie season covering an on-side kick and is out for the year. Then, before his second season starts, he tears his ACL in a motorcycle accident and comes down with a staff infection and misses the entire season again.
2005 #1 pick Braylon Edwards tears his ACL in game 12.
2005 free-agent signee Gary Baxter tears his pectoral musclein the fifth game of the season and is lost for the year.
2006 free-agent signee LeCharles Bentley tears his patella tendon on the first play of 11-on-11 drills and is lost for the season.
WHAT’S NEXT?
