| The 1997 World Series moved through South Florida like a warm, cleansing breeze. It arrived to the sounds of salsa music, the scent of rich Cuban cigars and the sight of many nationalities united as one. It said farewell through the joy and tears of the Florida Marlins, a championship team as unlikely as it was fascinating. " You know, the first ballgame I ever saw was in Cleveland, the old Municipal Stadium," said Marlins manager Jim Leyland. " It was the summer of 54. Mike Gareia and Early Wynn were on the mound. The Indians won a doubleheader against the White Sux, and Larry Doby hit a home ran. I ll never forget my dad taking me to that game." The modern-day scene at Jacobs Field is quite unforgettable, probably unmatched in all of baseball. The ballpark and downtown Cleveland have grown as one, transforming a bleak, downtrodden area into a thriving neighborhood since the stadium s opening in 1994. The revitalization has seen the arrival of 31 new business establishments within two blocks of second base, with plans for much more, and wherever you are -- Camden Yards, Coors Field. Fenway Park -- there s nothing like the sight of thousands of fans streaming through town on their way to the ballpark. " Visiting clubs used to come to Cleveland and never get a taste of it," says Manager Mike Hargrove. " You could go downtown on a Sunday night, shoot a cannonball down the street and not hit anybody. Now fans come downtown for the game and they stay, for the restaurants and everything else -- and they come back." If there s one thing that separates Cleveland from the rest, it s the pulsating atmosphere in the stands. Opposing players mentioned it constantly duringthe Post Season, saymg they d never seen anythinglike it. " This is the kind ot place where you talkabout the "tenth man and really mean it." saidIndians pitcher Charles Nagy. " The people here areunbelievable. I think they ve played a huge part inour wins. They just scream and yell the whole time.You feed off that." The Marlins won this one forManager Leyland,the crusty baseball lifer who celebrated his first titlewith childlike exuberance. They won it for veteranslike Bobby Bonilla and Gary Sheffield, and for futurestars like Charles Johnson and Edgar Renteria. Theywon it in just their fifth year of existence, against aCleveland franchise that dates, in various forms,back to 1869. But more than anything, these teamsstaged a championship for Latin America. On thegrand tropical stage of Miami, melting pot forHispanic cultures, the World Series offered untoldinspiration in countries around the world. |
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