Everywhere The Indians Go, Their Fans Are Sure To Follow Now That Cleveland Has A Winner, Partisans Show Up On Road Trips

So many Indians fans jammed the lobby of the Stouffer Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore 12 days ago, Indians players were forced to check in through a basement loading dock and take a freight elevator to their rooms.

The frenzied gathering of partisans, most of whom had come from Cleveland to watch the three-game series against the Orioles, were less than thrilled that the team decided to elude them.

“I’m calling WKNR about this,” one indignant woman told her companion.

But the incident hardly put a dent in the fans’ enthusiasm. Some trimmed the doors of their hotel rooms with likenesses of Chief Wahoo and other insignia as proof of their fidelity to the team.

“A little kid asked me what room I was staying in,” Manager Mike Hargrove said. “Fortunately, I couldn’t remember.”

Indians fans have stalked the club in numbers wherever they have played this year, substantiating that winning is everything.

Northeast Ohio aficionados by the score have been there to greet the team in Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit and Toronto. It is economical to fly or drive to these cities, and many fans have found it easier to buy a seat in a foreign ballpark than at Jacobs Field.

Even former Clevelanders who left their Rust Belt homes 20 years ago remain loyal to the Indians. Literally thousands of these fans turned up for games in Anaheim and Oakland.

Earlier in the week, Indians followers flocked to Toronto. Until this year, it was difficult to latch on to a ticket to a game at the SkyDome, but this season empty seats routinely number 10,000-12,000.

After each game, the team found that the lobby of the Westin Harbor Castle was crowded with well-wishers. At 11:30 Monday night, Albert Belle, not noted for his kindnesses to autograph seekers, sat in the lobby and patiently signed his name to various objects to the delight of at least 100 people.

All of this attention is both good and bad news to the Indians. The players love to be cheered in a visiting ballpark, but they could do without hordes of pen-wielding fans blocking the path to the hotel elevators.

“I think it’s fantastic that the fans have this kind of interest,” Hargrove said. “But it’s bothersome to go out of your room to lunch and not be able to get to the restaurant. But when you think of the alternative, you would rather have it this way.”