Looking back on the Tribe

Remember March 23, 1993? You should, it may have been the most important date for the Indians' success in the '90s. It's the day the team came together and created a bond so strong, so significant, that the feeling was almost palpable. Unfortunately, such a bond couldn't be created through on field success or accomplishment, rather it was rooted in incredible tragedy.

The night before, March 22, newcomers Tim Crews and Bob Ojeda and fan favorite Steve Olin were out fishing on Crews' boat past dark on Lake Nellie in Florida. Responding to a signal to come in and join their friends and families, the boaters sped towards the parking area, never seeing an unlit dock lurking ahead. In an instant, lives were lost and 6 children were left without fathers.

Olin died on impact, as the boat slammed into, and raced under, the dock. Crews survived the initial crash, only to succumb to his injuries at the hospital, while Bobby Ojeda would be the only survivor. Fernando Montes, who should have been on the boat but went back to Crews' house to get something, was among the first to reach the boat.

The press conferences over the next couple days would be as painful as any sports related moment imaginable. Players and coaches openely wept and lamented the loss of their friends. Team VP Bob DiBiasio tried his best to execute his role in wake of the accident, exhausted and teary, he dutifully spoke when he could. Kevin Wickander, Olin's best friend was as devastated as anyone - his face red with anger and distraught, it was obvious he was deeply affected as he slumped in the arms of teammates, crying. Even Carlos Baerga couldn't contain himself. To me, it was a day when professional athletes seemed more human than ever before.

During the following season, the team kept lockers for Olin and Crews, even on the road, and hung their jerseys in the dugout. Wickander wore a shirt of Olin beneath his jersey and the team wore commemorative patches for the year. More than empty PR handlings, the displays were genuine and heartfelt, one needs only look at the faces of teammates and front office members in the days after the accident for proof.

So why the ties between this occasion and the team's later success? Nearly 20 players (including the major corps - Nagy, Lofton, Belle, Baerga, Thome, Ramirez and Alomar), plus much of the coaching staff & the trainer, Montes, from the '93 squad were still around when the team clinched the AL Central in 1995. These players had been through such a traumatic situation and were there for each other when life truly called for it, they knew who they could count on. Did Jason Grimsley hesitate to switch Belle's bats for him, when it looked like he'd been caught corking? The celebrations following the many comeback wins were incredibly joyous and lacked a pretentiousness now present among many teams.

When many fans complain that the current team just doesn't feel like the ones in the 90's, well, there may very well be reasons for it. Everything has changed; these players haven't had the experiences that the others did, the kinship forming through real life troubles, the support of each other, etc. But really, would they want to sacrifice what it would take to achieve this?