[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       WHAT ABOUT THOSE INDIANS!

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. JONES of Ohio) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud sports fan 
from the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Yes, I have said it. What about those 
Indians? It has been years since Clevelanders can stand up and say they 
are proud of their professional sports teams and can actually point to 
success. Yet just this year the Cavaliers made the NBA finals for the 
first time in franchise history and on the back of our young superstar, 
Lebron James. After a strong draft in the spring, the Cleveland Browns 
looked competitive for the first time since the franchise returned in 
1999, save one season.
  But the main reason I stand today is to congratulate the Cleveland 
Indians for their first trip to the ALCS since 1998. Cleveland fans 
have been through a lot of disappointment in our sports history. Two 
losses for the Browns in the 1980s in the AFC championship by a drive 
and a fluke fumble. Losses to Michael Jordan's Bulls by the Cavs in the 
Eastern Conference finals in the early 1990s, and most recently in a 
heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series in the 9th inning 
to the Florida Marlins.
  As a lifelong Clevelander, it has been difficult to live through so 
many near misses, and it makes you yearn for the days of Jim Brown and 
Bob Feller. The Indians displayed such a consistent level, failures 
during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, that the movie ``Major League'' was 
made depicting a fictional Indians team that was supposed to be the 
worst ever in baseball. However, all this disappointment changed in the 
1990s when the Indians moved to their current home, Jacobs Field.
  It was not so long ago that the Indians were competing for the World 
Series every year. Throughout the 1990s, the Indians made the World 
Series twice, in 1995 and 1997, and made the playoffs 5 straight years 
from 1994 to 1999. After a few bad years, the Indians were rebuilding 
through the early part of the 2000s, and I must credit General Manager 
Mark Shapiro for putting together a young, talented team that looks 
poised to become the class of the AL Central for years to come.
  This year, the Indians won the AL Central crown and tied for the best 
record in baseball with the Boston, what are they called? Boston Red 
Sox. I must say, this team is exciting to watch. We have a rising star 
in center fielder Grady Sizemore, the best one-two pitching punch in 
baseball with CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona.
  I want to give a special shout out to veteran outfielder Kenny 
Lofton. Kenny is the only player on the roster who played with the 
Indians during their playoff runs in the 1990s. Kenny has played for 11 
teams in his 17-year baseball career, including nine different teams in 
the last seven seasons. He played nine of those seasons with Cleveland, 
and I was so happy to see him return during this season. He provides 
veteran leadership in the Indians lineup, and his performance in the 
ALDS is one of the main reasons the Indians have moved on to the ALCS. 
Cleveland is proud to have him back, and hopefully he can help lead the 
Tribe to the World Series victory he has worked for.
  The Indians have been very impressive so far this postseason, 
defeating the vulnerable--veteran, excuse me, vulnerable now, New York 
Yankees in four games and closing out the series this past Monday in 
New York. I can't wait to see them take on the Boston Red Sox this 
Friday and hopefully win the series to get into the World Series.
  It has been a tough few decades for Cleveland sports fans, but this 
year is providing hope for success in the future. This success is so 
wonderful and cherished by a community that has experienced so much 
economic loss. So I am grateful that our sports serve as a beacon of 
pride for Cleveland. I want to thank the owners, the management, and 
most of all the hard-working, young players, the Browns, the Cavs and 
the great Indians. And I want to say they do a good job in representing 
the City of Cleveland.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak 
today, and I just want to close with one more thing. Go Tribe! Go 
Indians! Go Cleveland!

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