1.
Cleveland Indians
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The Cleveland Indians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League Central division. Since 1994, they have played at Progressive Field, the teams spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The Indians current World Series championship drought is the longest active drought, the name Indians originated from a request by club owner Charles Somers to baseball writers to choose a new name to replace Cleveland Naps following the departure of Nap Lajoie after the 1914 season. The name referenced the nickname Indians that was applied to the Cleveland Spiders baseball club during the time when Louis Sockalexis, common nicknames for the Indians include the Tribe and the Wahoos, the latter being a reference to their logo, Chief Wahoo, a controversial Native American caricature. The teams mascot is named Slider, the franchise originated in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a minor league team in the Western League. The team moved to Cleveland in 1900 and changed its name to the Cleveland Lake Shores, one of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the major league incarnation of the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Originally called the Cleveland Bluebirds, the played in League Park until moving permanently to Cleveland Stadium in 1946. At the end of the 2016 season, they had a regular season record of 9. In 1857 baseball games were a spectacle in Clevelands Public Squares. City authorities tried to find an ordinance forbidding it, to the joy of the crowd, – Harold Seymour 1865–1868 Forest Citys of Cleveland 1869–1872 Forest Citys of Cleveland From 1865 to 1868 Forest Citys was an amateur ball club. During the 1869 season, Cleveland was among several cities which established professional baseball teams following the success of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team. In the newspapers before and after 1870, the team was called the Forest Citys. In 1871 the Forest Citys joined the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, ultimately, two of the leagues western clubs went out of business during the first season and the Chicago Fire left that citys White Stockings impoverished, unable to field a team again until 1874. Cleveland was thus the NAs westernmost outpost in 1872, the year the club folded, Cleveland played their full schedule to July 19 followed by two games versus Boston in mid-August and disbanded at the end of the season. 1879–1881 Cleveland Forest Citys 1882–1884 Cleveland Blues In 1876, the National League supplanted the NA as the professional league. Cleveland were not among its members, but by 1879 the league was looking for new entries. The Cleveland Forest Citys baseball team was then re-created, the National League required distinct colors for the 1882 season, so the Cleveland Forest Citys became the Cleveland Blues
2.
Minor League Baseball
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All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses. Most are members of the organization known as Minor League Baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, do not have any links to Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams may enter into a PDC for a two- or four-year term. At the expiration of a PDC term, teams may renew their affiliation, or sign new PDCs with different clubs, though many relationships are renewed and endure for extended time periods. Minor League teams that are owned directly by the major league club do not have PDCs with each other and are not part of the reaffiliation shuffles that occur every other year, several more independent leagues operate in the United States and Canada. The earliest professional baseball association, the National Association of 1871 to 1875 and this system proved unworkable, however, as there was no way to ensure competitive balance, and financially unsound clubs often failed in midseason. This problem was solved in 1876 with the formation of the National League, with a membership which excluded less competitive. Professional clubs outside the National League responded by forming regional associations of their own, there was a series of ad hoc groupings, such as the New England Association of 1877 and the Eastern Championship Association of 1881. These were loose groups of independent clubs which agreed to play a series of games for a championship pennant, the first minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League of 1883 to 1884. Unlike the earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization and it also, along with the National League and the American Association, was a party to the National Agreement of 1883. Included in this was the agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league, teams in the National League and the American Association could only reserve players who had been paid at least $1000. Northwest League teams could reserve players paid merely $750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues, over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues joined together to negotiate jointly, in the late 1890s, the Western League run by the fiery Ban Johnson decided to challenge the National Leagues position. Representatives of the different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5,1901, in response to the National–American battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, called the NAPBL, or NA for short. The purpose of the NA at the time was to maintain the independence of the leagues involved, several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, in 1903, the conflict between the American and National Leagues ended in the National Agreement of 1903. The NAPBL became involved in the stages of the negotiations to develop rules for the acquisition of players from their leagues by the National
3.
Cleveland
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Cleveland is a city in the U. S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the states second most populous county. The city proper has a population of 388,072, making Cleveland the 51st largest city in the United States, Greater Cleveland ranked as the 32nd largest metropolitan area in the United States, with 2,055,612 people in 2016. The city is the center of the Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, the city is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border. Clevelands economy has diversified sectors that include manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, Cleveland is also home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Residents of Cleveland are called Clevelanders, Cleveland has many nicknames, the oldest of which in contemporary use being The Forest City. Cleaveland oversaw the plan for what would become the downtown area, centered on Public Square, before returning home. The first settler in Cleaveland was Lorenzo Carter, who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the Village of Cleaveland was incorporated on December 23,1814. In spite of the swampy lowlands and harsh winters, its waterfront location proved to be an advantage. The area began rapid growth after the 1832 completion of the Ohio, growth continued with added railroad links. Cleveland incorporated as a city in 1836, in 1836, the city, then located only on the eastern banks of the Cuyahoga River, nearly erupted into open warfare with neighboring Ohio City over a bridge connecting the two. Ohio City remained an independent municipality until its annexation by Cleveland in 1854, the citys prime geographic location as a transportation hub on the Great Lakes has played an important role in its development as a commercial center. Cleveland serves as a point for iron ore shipped from Minnesota. In 1870, John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in Cleveland, other manufacturers located in Cleveland produced steam-powered cars, which included White and Gaeth, as well as the electric car company Baker. Because of the significant growth, Cleveland was known as the Sixth City during this period, by 1920, due in large part to the citys economic prosperity, Cleveland became the nations fifth largest city. The city counted Progressive Era politicians such as the populist Mayor Tom L. Johnson among its leaders, many prominent Clevelanders from this era are buried in the historic Lake View Cemetery, including President James A. Garfield, and John D. Rockefeller. In commemoration of the centennial of Clevelands incorporation as a city, conceived as a way to energize a city after the Great Depression, it drew four million visitors in its first season, and seven million by the end of its second and final season in September 1937. The exposition was housed on grounds that are now used by the Great Lakes Science Center, following World War II, the city experienced a prosperous economy. In sports, the Indians won the 1948 World Series, the hockey Barons became champions of the American Hockey League, as a result, along with track and boxing champions produced, Cleveland was dubbed City of Champions in sports at this time
4.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
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Bowling Green is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. The city was the inspiration for the 1967 Everly Brothers song Bowling Green and it is the home of numerous manufacturers, including General Motors and Fruit of the Loom. The Bowling Green Assembly Plant has been the source of all Chevrolet Corvettes built since 1981, Bowling Green is also home to the states second-largest public university, Western Kentucky University. In 2014, Forbes magazine listed Bowling Green as one of the Top 25 Best Places to Retire in the United States, the first Europeans known to have reached the area carved their names on beech trees near the river around 1775. By 1778, settlers established McFaddens Station on the bank of the Barren River. Present-day Bowling Green grew out of homesteads erected by Robert and George Moore and General Elijah Covington, the Moore brothers arrived from Virginia circa 1794. In 1798, only two years after Warren County had been formed, Robert Moore donated 2 acres of land to county trustees for the purpose of constructing public buildings, soon after, he donated an additional 30 to 40 acres surrounding the original plot. The city of Bowling Green was officially incorporated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky on March 6,1798, some controversy exists over the source of the towns name. Some historians dispute this, however, and credit Bowling Green, Virginia, early records indicate that the city name was also spelled Bowlingreen. By 1810, Bowling Green had 154 residents, growth in steamboat commerce and the proximity of the Barren River increased Bowling Greens importance. Canal locks and dams on the Barren River made it more navigable. In 1832, the first portage railway connected the river to the location of the current county courthouse, mules pulled freight and passengers to and from the city on the tracks. Despite rapid urbanization of the Bowling Green area in the 1830s, Bowling Green declared itself neutral in an attempt to escape the Civil War. Because of its location and resources, however, both the Union and Confederacy sought control of the city. The majority of its residents rejected both the Confederacy and the Lincoln administration, on September 18,1861, around 1300 Confederate soldiers arrived from Tennessee to occupy the city, placed under command of Kentucky native General Simon Bolivar Buckner. The citys pro-Union feelings surprised the Confederate occupiers, surrounding hills were fortified to secure possible military approaches to the valuable river and railroad assets. In November 1861, the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky chose Bowling Green as its capital and they destroyed bridges across the Barren River, the railroad depot, and other important buildings that could be used by the enemy
5.
Charleston, West Virginia
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Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U. S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County, as of the 2013 Census Estimate, it had a population of 50,821, while its metropolitan area had 224,743. It is a center of government, commerce, and industry, early industries important to Charleston included salt and the first natural gas well. Later, coal became central to economic prosperity in the city, today, trade, utilities, government, medicine, and education play central roles in the citys economy. The first permanent settlement, Ft. Lee, was built in 1788, in 1791, Daniel Boone was a member of the Kanawha County Assembly. Charleston is the home of the West Virginia Power minor league team, the West Virginia Wild minor league basketball team. Yeager Airport and the University of Charleston are also located in the city, West Virginia University and the WVU Institute of Technology, Marshall University, and West Virginia State University also have higher education campuses in the area. Charleston is also home to McLaughlin Air National Guard Base of the West Virginia Air National Guard, after the American Revolutionary War, pioneers began making their way out from the early settlements. Many slowly migrated into the part of Virginia. Capitalizing on its resources made Charleston an important part of Virginia. Today, Charleston is the largest city in the state and the state capital, Charlestons history goes back to the 18th century. Thomas Bullitt was deeded 1,250 acres of land near the mouth of the Elk River in 1773 and it was inherited by his brother, Cuthbert Bullitt, upon his death in 1778, and sold to Col. George Clendenin in 1786. The first permanent settlement, Fort Lee, was built in 1787 by Col. Savannah Clendenin and this structure occupied the area that is now the intersection of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard. Historical conjecture indicates that Charleston is named after Col. Clendenins father, Charles Town was later shortened to Charleston to avoid confusion with another Charles Town in eastern West Virginia, which was named after George Washingtons brother Charles. Six years later, the Virginia General Assembly officially established Charleston, on the 40 acres that made up the town in 1794,35 people inhabited seven houses. Charleston is part of Kanawha County, the origin of the word Kanawha, Kanawha, derives from the regions Iroquois dialects meaning water way or Canoe Way implying the metaphor, transport way, in the local language. It was and is the name of the river flows through Charleston. The grammar of the hard H sound soon dropped out as new arrivals of various European languages developed West Virginia, the phrase has been a matter of Register
6.
Columbus, Georgia
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Columbus is a city in the U. S. state of Georgia and the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it is consolidated. According to the 2013 estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau, Columbus has a population of 202,824 residents, with 316,554 in the greater Columbus-Phenix City metropolitan area. The metro area joins the nearby Alabama cities of Auburn and Opelika to form the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika Combined Statistical Area, Columbus is directly to the east across the Chattahoochee River from Phenix City, Alabama. Situated at the heart of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus is Georgias second-largest city, Columbus lies 100 miles southwest of Atlanta. Fort Benning, home of the United States Army Infantry School, Columbus is home to museums and tourism sites, including the National Infantry Museum, dedicated to the United States Armys Infantry Branch. It has the longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world constructed on the Chattahoochee River and this was for centuries and more the traditional territory of the Creek Indians, who became known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast after European contact. Those who lived closest to white-occupied areas conducted considerable trading and adopted some European-American ways, the city was named for Christopher Columbus, its founders likely influenced by the writings of Washington Irving. The plan for the city was drawn up by Dr. Edwin L. DeGraffenried, the citys commercial importance increased in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroad. In addition, textile mills were developed along the river, bringing industry to an area reliant upon agriculture. By 1860, the city was one of the important industrial centers of the South, earning it the nickname the Lowell of the South. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the industries of Columbus expanded their production, during the war, Columbus ranked second to Richmond in the manufacture of supplies for the Confederate army. In addition to textiles, the city had an ironworks, a factory. Wilson attacked the city and burned many of the industrial buildings, john Stith Pemberton, who later developed Coca-Cola in Columbus, was wounded in this battle. After becoming addicted to morphine, Pemberton sought out a replacement for his addiction, after creating Coca-Cola, he carried it to Atlanta before he died in 1888. Col. Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar, owner of the last slave ship in America, was killed here. A historic marker has been erected in Columbus and it notes that this was the site of the Last Land Battle in the War from 1861 to 1865. Reconstruction began almost immediately and prosperity followed, factories such as the Eagle and Phenix Mills were revived and the industrialization of the town led to rapid growth, the city outgrew its original plan. The Springer Opera House was built on 10th Street, attracting such notables as British writer Oscar Wilde, the Springer is now the official State Theater of Georgia
7.
Russell Branyan
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Russell Oles Branyan is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He throws right-handed, bats left-handed, and primarily played first base, but was capable of playing third base, Branyan began his professional career in the Cleveland Indians minor league system. His major league debut was with the Indians on September 26,1998, dubbed Russell The Muscle, for his ability to hit long-distance home runs Branyan does not typically hit for a high batting average and strikes out frequently. However, he consistently draws walks and hits home runs, Branyan has been given the nickname 3TO, which stands for three true outcomes, for his propensity to either draw a walk, strike out, or hit a home run. One of the three occurred in 50. 5% of his plate appearances during his major-league career. Because of this, players such as Jack Cust have drawn comparisons to Branyan, Branyan was a 1994 graduate from Stratford Academy. His high school fostered such athletic talent like professional football player Le Kevin Smith, Branyan was selected as an All-Georgia State player in both 1993 and 1994. He was drafted out of Stratford Academy in the 1994 Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians in the seventh round, Branyan began his professional career with the rookie-level Burlington Indians of the Appalachian League in 1994. He batted.211 with 10 doubles, five runs and 13 RBIs in 55 games. The next two seasons,1995 and 1996, Branyan played with the Class-A Columbus RedStixx of the South Atlantic League and he was named the South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player in 1996 after he set a league record for most home runs in a single season, with 40. The previous record was held by Mike Simms who hit 39 home runs in 1987 and he was second in home runs and ninth in RBIs in all of minor league baseball in 1996. He was named the Indians 1996 Minor League Player of the Year, in 1997, with both the Class-A Advanced Kinston Indians and the Double-A Akron Aeros, he led all minor league baseball in home runs with 39. Russell Branyan was once considered a top prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization, in 1998 a strained tendon in his right wrist kept him on the disabled list for most of the season. In 1999 for the Bisons, he batted.208 and hit 30 home runs, Branyan was first called up to the Cleveland Indians in 1998. In his major debut on September 26,1998, Branyan went 0-for-4. The next season,1999, Branyan played 11 games with Cleveland, batting.211 with one home run, Branyan got his first hit on July 23,1999 off of New York Yankees pitcher David Cone. In 2001, Branyan continued his struggles, hitting.238 with 16 homers, after the 1999 season, Baseball America named Branyan as the Indians top prospect. On June 1,2000 he hit two home runs in one game, the first two home run game of his career, in 2001, an injury to Travis Fryman moved Branyan to third for a good part of the season
8.
Jhonny Peralta
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Jhonny Antonio Peralta is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. The Cleveland Indians signed him as a free agent from his native country in 1999. He made his Major League debut for the Indians four years later and has played for the Detroit Tigers. Known as an offensive and capable defensive shortstop, Peralta is a three-time MLB All-Star selection. Buffalo were also the International League champions that same season, since 2005, Peralta has reached double figures in home runs and 27 doubles each year. He has set single-season home run records for shortstops for two franchises – for the Indians in 2005, and the Cardinals in 2014, while a member of the Tigers in 2013, he served a 50-game suspension for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. He is signed with the Cardinals through the 2017 season, the Cleveland Indians signed Jhonny Peralta as an amateur free agent in 1999 and assigned him to the Dominican Summer League Indians that season. Peralta batted.303 with a.398 on-base percentage and a.514 slugging percentage and those figures were boosted by an unsustainable.373 batting average on balls in play. Nevertheless, the Indians promoted him aggressively, in 2000, the 18-year-old Peralta played for the Columbus RedStixx, the Class A affiliate of the Indians in the South Atlantic League. He batted.241 in 106 games, playing all but one game at shortstop, the following season he advanced to the Kinston Indians, the Cleveland Indians High-A affiliate in the Carolina League. In 2002, Peralta moved up to the Double-A Akron Aeros, in 2003, he batted.257 in 63 games with the Buffalo Bisons. After his 2003 call up to the leagues, Peralta began to draw widespread attention for his hitting with the Aeros. In 2004, he batted.326 with 15 home runs and 86 runs batted in and he also scored 109 runs and stroked 44 doubles, the most ever in the Bisons modern era, followed by 39 for Kevin Pillar in 2014. This offensive leap helped him win the International League Most Valuable Player Award that year and he also received the Lou Boudreau Award as the Indians 2004 Minor League Player of the Year. Peralta made his Major League debut with Cleveland on June 12,2003 and he finished with a.227 batting average with four HR and 21 RBIs. Peralta became Clevelands full-time starting shortstop early in 2005 and batted.292, on July 3, he became affixed in the Indians third slot in the batting order. Cleveland then won 23 of their next 33 games to put them one game behind the New York Yankees and he joined Woodie Held as the only shortstops in Indians history to hit at least 20 HR. His 24 HR and 78 RBI set records for an Indians shortstop, on March 10,2006, Peralta agreed to a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year to stay with the Indians until the 2011 season
9.
Eastlake, Ohio
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Eastlake is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2010 census, dennis Morley is the current mayor of Eastlake. The city was named for the fact it is northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, Eastlake is the site where Akron-based FirstEnergys Eastlake Generating Station shut down at 1, 31pm EDT on August 14,2003, leading to the infamous 2003 North America blackout a few hours later. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 6.53 square miles. Eastlake is about 19 miles northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, along the shore of Lake Erie,94. 3% spoke English and 2. 9% spoke Croatian. As of the census of 2010, there were 18,577 people,7,841 households, the population density was 2,902.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 8,280 housing units at a density of 1,293.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 95. 9% White,1. 4% African American,0. 1% Native American,1. 0% Asian,0. 3% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 4% of the population. 29. 7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 20. 6% of residents were under the age of 18,8. 3% were between the ages of 18 and 24,24. 4% were from 25 to 44,31. 3% were from 45 to 64, and 15. 4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49. 3% male and 50. 7% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 20,255 people,8,055 households, and 5,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,166.5 people per square mile, there were 8,310 housing units at an average density of 1,299.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97. 44% White,0. 54% African American,0. 16% Native American,0. 97% Asian,0. 01% Pacific Islander,0. 15% from other races, and 0. 73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 70% of the population,17. 1% were of German,16. 4% Italian,15. 1% Irish,7. 5% Polish,6. 1% Slovene and 5. 7% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 26. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city the population was out with 23. 8% under the age of 18,8. 1% from 18 to 24,30. 3% from 25 to 44,25. 7% from 45 to 64. The median age was 38 years, for every 100 females there were 95.3 males
10.
Chris Archer
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Christopher Alan Chris Archer is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He attended Clayton High School in Clayton, North Carolina, Archer was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut on June 20,2012, Archer was selected to the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. Archer attended Clayton High School in Clayton, North Carolina, where he played for the baseball team. He signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Miami, Archer pitched to an 8–3 win–loss record with a 1.75 earned run average during his senior season at Clayton. Archer was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He joined the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Indians after signing and he also pitched in one game for the Burlington Indians of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. Archer remained with the Gulf Coast Indians to start the 2007 season, in 2008, Archer had a 4–8 win–loss record in 27 games started for the Lake County Captains of the Class A South Atlantic League. On December 31,2008, he was traded with John Gaub, Archer pitched for the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League during the 2009 season. In 2010, Archer had a 15–3 win-loss record with a 2.34 earned run average between the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and Tennessee Smokies of the Class AA Southern League. With Daytona, he had a streak of 41 innings pitched without allowing an earned run. He was named the Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year, after the season, he pitched for the United States national baseball team in the qualifying tournament for the 2011 Pan American Games. Defeating the Cuban national baseball team, USA Baseball called Archers game the International Performance of the Year. In January 2011, the Cubs traded Archer to the Tampa Bay Rays with Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos and Sam Fuld for Matt Garza, Fernando Perez, at the start of the season, he was rated the 27th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. Pitching for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League, Archer had a 5.85 ERA through the first two months of the season and a 5.27 ERA at the end of the first half of the season. In the second half, he made a turnaround, going 5–4 with a 3.45 ERA. He received a promotion to the Durham Bulls of the Class AAA International League, Baseball America rated Archer the Rays third best prospect and the 89th best prospect in baseball before the 2012 season. Archer pitched to a 4–8 win–loss record with a 4.81 ERA in 14 games started for Durham to start the 2012 season and he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on June 20, starting in place of the injured Jeremy Hellickson
