The Cleveland Buckeyes was the name of the 1945 championship team in the Negro Leagues. It appears the name “Indians” is on its way out in Cleveland, for which part of me feels sad. The team started using Indians as a nickname in 1897 when Louis Sockalexis, a native American outfielder, began a three-year stint with the team. Sockalexis was not a good player and took part in only 96 games over those three seasons, but he inspired the crowd with his antics and local sportswriters began referring to the team, actually named the Spiders, as the Cleveland Indians. The name stuck, but in recent years stirred controversy mostly because of its grinning emblem, Chief Wahoo, which was dropped in 2018. Now that Terry Francona is supporting a new name for the team, it looks as if it will happen. Several names have been suggested, including the Cleveland Buckeyes, which…
Continue Reading: Kevin Cuneo: If ‘Indians’ are out, Buckeyes a good alternative
