The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Nostalgia, bitterness highlight ’90s Tribe film
MLB Network’s ‘The Dynasty That Almost Was’ chronicles beloved era, plus ill will felt by Belle, Mesa
Love affairs and grudges are on display in MLB Network’s upcoming documentary on the 1990s Indians.
Love affairs can last for generations. So can grudges. That and more are on display in MLB Network’s upcoming documentary on the 1990s Indians, which debuts on July 12.
The film chronicles the rise of a long dormant franchise and the construction of arguably the most beloved era in team history.
Its title, “The Dynasty That Almost Was,” is spot on, and any Indians fan — young or old — should appreciate the look back at the near-misses during trips to the World Series in 1995 and 1997, especially the latter. More on that later. Current Indians fans who have marveled at the way the Indians have constructed the current team with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis and more will marvel at the success rate of John Hart and Dan O’Dowd as the decade of the 1980s was ending.
The front office determined slugger Albert Belle was the only prospect in the minors worth building around, so it went to work. The results were incredible. Trades brought in catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., second baseman Carlos Baerga, shortstop Omar Vizquel and centerfielder Kenny Lofton.
Draft picks Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez paid off big time and – poof! — a juggernaut was about to be unleashed onto Major League Baseball.
The result was a lineup — and later a pitching staff — that throttled teams, especially the ‘95 team that went 100-44 in the strike-shortened season.
“To say that team had swagger doesn’t do swagger justice,” said Indians radio announcer Tom Hamilton in the film.
The Indians, however, could never break through. The reasons are varied, but a big one was the team’s inability to reward its stars with huge contracts as they approached free agency.
One by one, many either left for free agency or were traded.
They included veteran Eddie Murray, Baerga, Lofton – and the biggie — Belle, who signed with the White Sox for a then-record $55 million after the 1996 season.
Hart and O’Dowd did their best to keep the replacement parts in constant motion, and the result in 1997 was the closest the team had been to a championship since last year’s Indians took the Cubs to seven games before losing.
Most of the individuals involved with the ‘90s Indians participated in the film, including Hart, O’Dowd, Thome, Lofton and former manager Mike Hargrove.
Manny Ramirez did not, but his absence isn’t glaring. The big one is Belle, long-known for his moodiness. Many who were interviewed talk about how they walked on eggshells when Belle was in the locker room. With Belle, talent won out, and his antics were tolerated.
There is a scene at the end of the film involving an off-camera MLB Network interviewer who explains to Hart that Belle did not want to be a part of the film other than a voice message he left for the network. In a nutshell, Belle blames Hart for not keeping the nucleus of the team together, and “ruining the Indians dynasty.”
The coldness of the scene is a bit jarring, but shows the bitterness that remains for Belle, who rarely returns to Progressive Field for Indians functions. Hart took the shot in stride, saying in the film, “You can’t make everybody happy.”
The Belle-Hart scene is just the appetizer. Jose Mesa provides jaw-dropping lines in the film (although his English is choppy, so subtitles are included, but viewers will get the point). The former ace closer still carries bitterness from the fallout of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, and then some.
Mesa doesn’t hide his feelings about the ninth, especially the way it was handled by Hargrove.
Mesa said the manager was calling pitches from the dugout to Alomar. That upset Mesa, who wanted to pitch to Marlins catcher Charles Johnson on the outside of the plate. Hargrove called for pitches on the inside.
Johnson helped rally the Marlins from a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth with a single to right — on an outside pitch by Mesa.
Mesa also bashed Vizquel, who after 1997 penned an autobiography and was quoted saying Mesa appeared scared in Game 7.
The film is a fine effort by the MLB Network chronicling an era and a franchise that now has baseball’s longest draught since it last won the World Series in 1948.
The 1990s Indians were a partial-dynasty, just not a full one. The word “Almost” in the film’s title is so appropriate.