While Iron Eyes Cody, who portrayed Native-Americans in films, was actually not a member of that demographic, the commercial was very well-done, hit all the right heartstrings, and I'd even go as far as to say that the PSA played a crucial role in getting the environment movement moving into the mainstream.
And yet for all the personal memories that I have of the Cleveland Indians baseball team from the actual team and games to the memories that the Indians are just a part of a bigger memory when I woke up from yet another long sleep (I did not watch one snap of football on Sunday) when I saw a DM from Ryan informing of the official decision of the Cleveland Indians dropping the Indians half of the team name- my first thought was Iron Eyes Cody.
It's not like I didn't see this coming and it's not like I am furiously upset either.
It's actually a relief.
It just became old that every year Opening Day arrived in Cleveland and here come the protestors.
I understood (I have a small percentage of Native American in my heritage) and for as much I like Chief Wahoo as the logo for the franchise, I was understanding of why the time had come for Wahoo's departure- even with all the memories of the Big Chief that I recall fondly.
It'll be nice to finally have the focus on baseball and not a name or a cartoon and while I am a bit disappointed to lose the history behind the name, I'm not against a new start- Especially if the team would decide to use the Crooked C cap as a nod to the past that doesn't cause any uproar.
Using that cap would be a very nice touch.
I've always thought that the Indians name was tolerable but understood why people had issues with Wahoo, while with the Washington football team, it was the nickname that was the issue more than the logo.
Rob Manfred has pulled so many scams among his three-card monte game that he continues to play to this day that one that he pulled early in his reign of terror is often forgotten.
Manfred threatened the team with pulling the 2019 All-Star game from the city if they didn't remove Wahoo from the jersey sleeves, and remove the logo from any part of the park except (of course) the team store where they could continue to sell Wahoo items with the flimsy reason that if they didn't eventually Wahoo would slip into the public domain, where unscrupulous folks could make money off Wahoo and by golly only MLB is going to make money off a banned logo.
Supposedly, Larry Dolan, the owner of the Indians, had made a deal with Manfred that the team would remove Wahoo if the league would not push for a name change- that unwritten agreement lasted less than three years.
As I wrote, while I'm not thrilled, it's hard to be mad as well.
The key now is what is the new name? And the sinking feeling that I have is this isn't the end of controversy with baseball in Cleveland- it may be only the beginning.
I wouldn't rule out a "perfect storm" scenario- A team that lost money during a pandemic, could lose more this season, is about to trade a homegrown superstar that is the most popular player that the Indians have had in years, is going to change its name, who knows what they'll rename it, and the kicker- the lease of Jacobs/Progressive Field is ending in 2023, with the team asking for stadium improvements as people need help from the pandemic.
The result of that perfect storm?
Well, I'm not predicting this, but I found this interesting a few months ago- Nashville looking to bring Major League Baseball to their town.
It's not the entertainers that make this interesting, it's the heavy hitters from inside baseball- Dave Dombrowski, Dave Stewart, and until he was hired to manage the White Sox (which could be short-term) Tony LaRussa.
When you have those types of insiders, you have a leg up on the average "we want a team" group.
I'm beginning to think that the worst-case scenario has a small chance of happening and I wonder when the threat of moving the team will begin.
And why do I worry about a move?
After all, MLB has the anti-trust exemption to control such things, which the NFL, NBA, and NHL lacks.
Tsk Tsk- They might not have that exemption much longer.
Thanks to Rob Manfred's cutting of minor league franchises, something that might have been blocked had Covid-19 not appeared when Covid-19 is finally part of the past, some of these congressmen and senators just might need an easy issue to get into the good graces of their constituents.
What better way to do that than to go after the people that took baseball away from your town?
And the best way to do that?
Revoking baseball's anti-trust exemption.
Without that exemption, teams can move where they wish without the league having the power to block them.
I'm sad about the loss of the name, not for what it represents in the name, but for what it means in memories.
Still, a name change can't change those memories and I only hope that the first name of the Cleveland Indians doesn't change in a few years.
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