Cleveland Indians - The Viet Nam Years (1960-1969)  
   
 
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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L               1960  
        1960 4 76 78   1963 5 79 83   1967 8 75 87               Decade  
        1961 5 78 83   1964 6 79 83   1968 3 86 75               Click  
        1962 6 80 82   1965 5 87 75   1969 6 62 99               on Logo  
                  1966 5 81 81                            
                                                       
   
  Titles:  None Top Indians Players of the Sixties  
     
  BallPark: Municipal Stadium Pitchers:  
    Sam McDowell (30.31) -   60  
  Team Name: Indians Luis Tiant (26.25) -   49  
    Sonny Siebert (19.85) -   38  
  Owner:  Gary Bell (8.63) -   37  
  William R Daley (1960-1962) Mudcat Grant (4.83) -   27  
  Gabe Paul (1963-1966) Jim Perry (3.79) -   27  
  Vernon Stouffer (1967-1969) Steve Hargan (8.31) -   26  
    Dick Donovan (4.54) -   23  
  General Managers: Barry Latman (0.87) -   18  
  Frank Lane (1980-1961) Jack Kralick (6.58) -   16  
  Gabe Paul (1961-1969)  Stan Williams (7.2) -   14  
    Pedro Ramos (3.16) -   12  
  Managers: Tommy John (0.29) -    0  
  Joe Gordon (1960)    
  Jo Jo White (1960) Catchers:  
  Jimmy Dykes (1960-1961) Honey Romano (14.62) -   48  
  Mel Harder (1961-1962) Jose Azcue (10.61) -   37  
  Mel McGaha (1962) Duke Sims (7.52) -   30  
  Birdie Tebbets (1963-1966)    
  George Strickland (1964, 1966) First Basemen:  
  Joe Adcock (1967) Tony Horton (7.23) -   23  
  Al Dark (1968-1969) Fred Whitfield (2.81) -   21  
    Bob Chance (-0.46) -   6  
  No Hitters:     
  Sonny Siebert (1966) Second Basemen:  
    Larry Brown (8.05) -   31  
  Hall of Famers:    
  None ShortStop:  
    Woody Held (15.51) -   47  
  Rookie of the Year: Dick Howser (4.5) -   13  
  None    
    Third Base:  
  MVP Max Alvis (9.21) -   27  
  None    
    Outfield:  
  Cy Young Vic Davalillo (9.07) -   46  
  None Jimmy Piersall (8.12) -   25  
    Jose Cardenal (5.08) -   23  
  Notable Events: Tito Francona (6.65) -   22  
    Leon Wagner (2.89) -   22  
   1960 - After finishing second in 1959 with 89 wins, it appears that Lane is Chuck Hinton (2.54) -   21  
   once again doing his magic. It's a mirage. In reality, he has just gutted the Rocky Colavito (5.45) -   16  
   team's future. Cleveland could have had a lineup with three young sluggers Willie Kirkland (3.61) -  14  
   anchoring the middle of their order in Roger Maris, Rocky Colavito and Hawk Harrelson (1.35) -   8  
   Gordon Coleman throughout the Sixties.  Instead, they had bupkis.  Harvey Kuenn (2.35) -   7  
  When you realize that the Indians kept trading away good pitching to acquire    
   players just like the ones Lane frittered away, you see just how much damage    
   Lane did to the franchise. I might as well add here that Lane also let     
  slugging first baseman Norm Cash slip thru his fingers. Lane had acquired    
   Cash from the White Sox and then turned around and dealt him to the Notable Events:  
   Tigers. The Indians wouldn't have been able to play both Coleman and Cash,     
  but it would have have been nice if he had held on to one of them. 1961 - Gabe Paul buys the club. He's an excellent baseball man but is   
    hamstrung financially. Paul was part owner and General Manager and   
   1960 - The Cleveland farm system that Hank Greenberg had put in place  stayed on as GM thru 1973 even tho' he relinquished ownership in 1967  
   in the Fifties continues to develop high quality pitchers. High quality hitters,    
   not so much, altho' a few pretty good position players do emerge during 1965 - The Indians have a winning season in 1965. Only one of two they will  
   the decade such as catcher John Romano (who is dealt away), outfielder   have in the decade  
  Vic Davalillo and third baseman Max Alvis. At first the Indians fritter away     
   some of their pitching to the Twins in exchange for inferior pitchers  1967 - Vernon Stouffer buys the club. Nothing changes. The Indians are still   
  (surprising that Gabe Paul got snookered so badly in these deals). After  operating on a shoestring  
   that, the Indians are dealing pitchers for good position players because    
   they don't have any. It turns into a vicious cycle of robbing Peter to pay 1967 - Stouffer bought the club vowing to keep it in Cleveland.    
   Paul (so to speak) as Cleveland remains mired in mediocrity gutting their Rumors have been swirliing all decade of the Indians moving to one city  
   pitching to augment their hitting. Here's a rundown of what happened to   or another. Stouffer appeared to be the perfect solution initially. He had  
  the Cleveland pitching prospects throughout the decade.  developed the frozen food company bearing his name and sold to  
  □  Sam McDowell - Lefty came up as an 18 year old in 1961. Him they kept.  Litton Industries for twenty one million in Litton stock options in 1967.  
      He was one of the premier fireballers in the big leagues throughout   Life was good. It became bad in 1968 when Litton stock plummeted  
       the Sixties  and now, instead of having an owner who wanted to keep the team in  
  □  Steve Hargan - Righty comes up in 1965 as a twenty two year old  Cleveland and having deep pockets, the Indians now had an owner   
      fireballer. He is another one that the Indians held onto - this time too   barely keeping his head above water.  
      long as he ends up blowing out his arm while in a Cleveland uniform    
  □  Dick Stigman - Lefty comes up to Cleveland as a twenty four year  1968 -The Indians have their second winning season of the decade  
      old in 1960. Dealt to the Twins in 1962 for aging Pedro Ramos    
  □  Jim Perry - Righty comes up to the Indians in 1959 as a twenty    
       three year old. He is  dealt to the Twins in 1963 in a useless trade for    
      Jack Kralick. Perry would  eventually win 215 games in his career    
  □  Mudcat Grant - Righty came up to Cleveland as a twenty two year old     
      1958. He is dealt to the Twins in a useless trade for pitcher Lee Stange.    
       Grant goes on to win 21 games as the ace of the Twins title winning    
       club in 1965. Meanwhile  Stange would eventually be dealt to Boston    
      for washed up closer Dick Radatz    
  □ Luis Tiant - Righty signed out of the Mexican League - developed into    
      one of the game's top pitchers. Dealt to the Twins in 1970 in an effort to     
      bring in major league bodies - one of them Graig Nettles who the Indians     
      then let slip thru their fingers to the Yankees    
  □ Tommy John - Lefty came up as a twenty year old in 1963. Would    
      become one of the game's top pitchers for almost two decades. He's    
      dealt to  Chicago in a three team trade that brings Rocky Colavito back     
      to Cleveland (too little, too late in Rocky's case)     
  □ Sonny Siebert - Righty is a late bloomer who comes up to the big     
      leagues in 1964 as a polished pitcher at the age of twenty seven.     
      He is dealt to the Red Sox in 1969 in a deal for slugger Hawk Harrelson    
  □ Gary Bell - Righty came up in 1958 as a twenty one year old.     
      Dealt to Boston in 1967 for good hitting first baseman Tony Horton