OT: how the Cleveland Indians got their nickname

goodriddance189

interesting story i found in an older issue of Beckett Vintage....

Who Is Louis Sockalexis?

There were tales of his 600 foot homerun, the baseball he threw across the Penobscot River (Maine), his 3 no hitters while pitching for Holy Cross and Notre Dame, his 6 stolen bases in one game and the 400-plus foot throws measured by Harvard professors.

Before there was a Jim Thorpe, there was Louis Sockalexis, a Native American from the Penobscot Tribe who debuted for the Cleveland (Spiders) in 1897. An immediate success, he hit .338 with 8 triples and 16 stolen bases in his first 60 games. He had limited playing time over the next two years because of a severely injured ankle and was forced to retire at the age of 27 in 1899.

And the story that is still debated to this day, goes a little something like this: In 1915, two years after Sockaleis' death, the Cleveland Baseball Club (then called the "Naps" after baseball great Napoleon Lajoie) chenged its team name to the "Indians" in honor of Sockalexis.

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GR - I have heard about Sockalexis before. And as a tribute Cleveland named the franchise in his honour.
Funny thing though, the politically correct people would like the Indians to change their name as they think its insulting to the Native Americans. When in reality its a tribute! ...jay

goodriddance189

Offensive? the logos of old are are pretty suspect

pebblyjack

I wouldn't trust history according to Beckett.

There simply is no evidence that the Indians were named in honor of Sockalexis. That story can be traced to a little bit of revisionist history penned by Franklin Lewis in his 1949 history of the Indians.

When the Western League became the American League (and a major league) in 1901, the Cleveland entry was known as the Blues or, more commonly, as the Bronchos. (At the time, nicknames were more informal and would sometimes change from year to year). Nap Lajoie, star second baseman for the Phillies, jumped to the new American League Athletics. The Phillies sought to enjoin Lajoie from playing for anyone but themselves. After much legal wrangling (and more than a year later), the court ruled that Lajoie was enjoined from playing professionaly in Pennsylvania for anyone other than the Phillies. Because that basically ended Lajoie's career in Philadelphia, AL President Ban Johnson arranged for Cleveland to purchase Lajoie. Lajoie immediately became Cleveland's star player and even managed them between 1905-09. The sportswriters began calling the team the Naps and it became the team's unofficial nickname. (This was not an uncommon practice. The Dodgers were known as the Robins when Wilbert Robinson managed them).

In January, 1915, the injunction having been lifted years earlier, Cleveland sold an aging Lajoie back to Connie Mack's A's. That of course, caused some commotion regarding Cleveland's nickname. They could not be the Naps if Lajoie was playing for the rival A's. So, on January 6, 1915, Charley Somers, the President of the club, convened a panel of Cleveland baseball writers (from all four papers) for the purpose of renaming the club. The Cleveland Plain Dealer dubbed it the "nomenclature committee." The panel was scheduled to meet on January 15, 1915, to select a new nickname. In the intervening days, there was much discussion of the new nickname in the papers. One of papers even asked for input from the fans. The paper received 57 different recommendations. Oddly, at least respect to Lewis' version, none of the reported suggestions included the nickname "Indians."

Then on January 16, 1915, the Plain Dealer ran a cartoon with a number of stereotypical Indians playing baseball with the caption, "Ki Yi Wangh Woop! Their [sic] the Indians!" The story went on to report that the Indians "nickname is temporarily bestowed, as the club may so conduct itself during the present season as to earn some other cognomen which may be more appropriate. The choice of a name that would be significant just now was rather difficult with the club itself anchored in last place." It also reported that "The title of Indians was [the writers'] choice, it having been one of the names applied to the old National League club of Cleveland many years ago." (The Cleveland Spiders were sometimes referred to, derisively, as the "Indians" when Sockalexis was on the team.)

What is telling is that there is no mention of Louis Sockalexis in the story or, in fact, in any of the reports. Moreover, if the Indians were named for Sockalexis, it wasn't much of an honor because the name was to be temporary. The real story is that in 1914 the Boston Braves went from worst to first. Charley Somers, the team President, championed the name "Indians" after the Braves, with the hope that his 1915 club (spurred on by the nickname) might accomplish the same feat. The writers compromised with Somers on the nickname "Indians" by making it temporary, in the event some better name would suggest itself. None did and they have been the Indians ever since.

An aside on Sockalexis. It is clear that Sockalexis was an incredible athlete. While it is unlikely that he threw a ball across the Penobscot or hit a ball 600 feet, it is true that he dominated the competition while at Holy Cross and was a major league talent. Unfortunately, he also was an alcoholic. When his coach left Holy Cross for Notre Dame, Sockalexis followed him. After less than a month at Notre Dame, Sockalexis was suspended from school for public intoxication. He then played semi-professionally where he was discovered by Patsy Tebeau, Cleveland's manager. Sockalexis, despite being treated horribly by the fans, the press, and the players, had a strong start to the 1897 season (even homering in his first at bat against Hall of Famer Amos Rusie). However, at a Fourth of July Party at a brothel, Sockalexis shattered his ankle leaping from a second story window, which for all intents and purposes ended his season and career. He spent most of 1898 suspended for drunkenness and struggling to hit the curve. In 1899, Cleveland and St. Louis were owned by the same person. He transferred all of Cleveland's decent players (and even some that were not so good) to St. Louis. Tellingly, Sockalexis was left in Cleveland. After a conviction for public drunkenness, Sockalexis was released by the team. Sockalexis returned to Maine where he coached youth baseball until his early death from tuberculosis and alcoholism.

Thanks

Randy

helionaut

And if you're wondering about cards, apparently he had none until last year when Topps included him in the Topps 205 set.

goodriddance189

pebblyjack,

wow, i just got Owned. serves me right for believing Beckett

pebblyjack

<<wow, i just got Owned. serves me right for believing Beckett>>

I hope I didn't come across that way. It's a common misconception. I heard the same story and believed it for years, until I got "owned."

Thanks

Randy

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<< <i>It's a common misconception >>


PJ - It sure is, I thought the Indians were named after Sockalexis for years.
Thanks for the info. As a student of the game and its history, it is appreciated...jay