ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Crawford called it. When he was in Cleveland to cover the NBA Finals in June, he made sure to let people know he would be making a return appearance to the city for the World Series. At the time, the Cleveland Indians were in the midst of a 14-game winning streak.
“I told everybody I would be back in October,” says the Sandusky native, who became a Tribe fan at age five after watching the team shut out Detroit at Municipal Stadium. “I remember the date — June 18, 1971. Ray Fosse charged the mound and was ejected,” says Crawford. “So he immediately became my favorite player. It took 20 minutes to restore order and the next batter, Chris Chambliss, hit a home run.”
Crawford, who made three appearances as a minor league pitcher in 2005, believes the Indians can continue their post-season magic against the Chicago Cubs. “Cleveland in 7 is my official call,” he says. “Terry (Francona) is 8-0 in World Series games and (Chicago’s) Joe Maddon is 1-4. I can’t stress enough how impressed I’ve been with Terry. He just keeps coming up aces. This will be baseball on the field and chess in the dugout."
The Bowling Green State University graduate concedes that the Cubs have a potent lineup but feels Cleveland’s bullpen will make the difference. “If you’ve got that slam-the-door bullpen, you’ve got the advantage.”
The Tribe’s front office has also impressed Crawford. “As big a move as it was to get Andrew Miller, lost in all of that was the late move to get Coco Crisp,” he says. “He can run, play defense and move runners.”
Crawford will be on the SportsCenter set tomorrow morning, but tonight he will watch Game 1 at Progressive Field in the company of his wife, son and a special friend — Bernie Kosar. “How jazzed am I? It will be an absolute surreal moment.”
ESPN’s Jay Crawford Calls For a Tribe World Series Win
The Northeast Ohio native sees the series going seven games, but thinks pitching may win the day.
