Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump

Boston Red Sox fans speak of the Curse of the Bambino to explain why their team has failed to win a world championship since Babe Ruth was traded away in 1919. Pluto ( Tall Tales ) draws an analogy with the Cleveland Indians, who won two pennants and finished in second place six times between 1948 and 1959, then in 1960 traded away their beloved home-run hitter Rocky Colavito and have never again been a top team. The author flags eccentric general manager Frank Lane, who arranged the unpopular trade, plus managers who have been hated by most of the players; talented athletes who were traded away before their full potential was realized and became stars with other teams; athletes who soured on playing for a perennial loser; and, after the advent of free agency, stars with salary demands that the team could not meet. It's a story of gloom and depression that Cleveland fans will probably enjoy. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)