"My hope: Red Sox win 3 and the AL East, Indians win 3 and get the wild card and the Yankees get an early vacation."
That's my wish as well. However, as a lifelong Cleveland sports fan, my expectations are quite different. I expect the White Sox to beatup the Tribe, thereby ending a magical run. (Watch the umpiring in the Cleveland-Chicago games. Who do you think the networks want in the playoffs?)
Putting my well earned cynicism aside, I'll be watching, go Tribe!
As another lifelong Cleveland sports fan, I understand and share somewhat your cynicism. Good to see the Tribe bounce back last night against the D-rays. They looked worn out in the first two games against Tampa Bay. With the ChiSox having wrapped up the division, the Indians should be in a good position from a mental standpoint to sweep, or at least take 2 out of 3. I'm sure you're right about who the networks want in the playoffs, and it ain't Cleveland.
One of the spectators was a pitcher after WWII for a brief period (took a factory job that paid more). For Cleveland, iirc.
His story was he's throwing strikes at Ted Williams, and the umpire is calling balls. He complains to the ump, and
the ump says "Look around. See all these people in the stands? They didn't come here to watch you pitch,
they came here to see Williams hit."
And so it goes.