Cleveland Indians: Reflecting on the past year of Tribe baseball

The Cleveland Indians 2017 season has officially come to an end much to the dismay of the fans and the team. After much thought and time to process, I reflect on the last almost 365 days.

I remember it well. Game 7 was going all in the Chicago Cubs’ favor and the series seemed to be all but lost. In steps Rajai Davis to make what will be my most memorable moment as a Cleveland Indians fan for some time.

After that home run, I possessed total confidence the comeback was on and in just moments Cleveland would be celebrating on the field as World Champions.

Mother Nature had other ideas as she caused a rain delay and the eerie feelings started to creep in. As everyone knows, those feelings were verified and the Indians were eliminated from the World Series after holding a three to one lead.

Now, here I sit almost one year later and, believe it or not, this one hurts worse. The team had big expectations for themselves and from the fans in 2017.

What that team accomplished last year as depleted as they were was nothing short of amazing. I did not expect a run of that magnitude after all that happened in 2016.

This year was different, however. This year had the feel of “our year”.  As the year went on, it seemed more and more possible.

As a lifelong fan, lowered expectations have become a sad reality over the years. “This year is going to be different,” is the thought that has been with me the last 24 hours.

I have had that thought the entire season. After seeing the Indians start as slow as they did, I began to question whether it really would be any different.

I continued to support and watch this team grow into the juggernaut they slowly became. From the streak to the chase for a number one seed, I watched as the confidence in both myself and the team grew.

This team had a purpose. The team had a fire in its eyes and everyone watching them could tell they had one goal in mind: get back to the World Series and finish their business.

After going up 2-0 on New York in what was one of the best comebacks I have seen all season, I thought to myself: “This team will win it all.”

After that night, the team just fell apart. The team I had watched win 22 games in a row was not the team that took the field the rest of the series.

Looking back on a season that had its ups and downs is tough. A season filled with extreme confidence and expectations abruptly ended on a Wednesday night in mid-October.

I found myself in a state of shock as the Yankees celebrated. I stared into the screen not believing what I was seeing or hearing. The pure stunned feeling resonates now more than it did after Game 7.

Going into this postseason the Indians had, for the most part, a healthy roster of players. They rode a hot streak into the postseason and the confidence was at maximum capacity.

It will likely take me, as well as most of the fan base, an entire offseason to process what happened Wednesday night. This team feels it more than any of us but I know they know we hurt with them.

The mourning process is only beginning and it will take time to heal. Sports are a way of life for fans and the loss feels as though your heart is literally broken.

I know the team will use the feeling they carry with them now in 2018 to better themselves. The fans will come back in 2018 and they will be right there cheering once again.

For now, however, we must look back on a great and fun season. It will sting until March when baseball returns, but the best thing about sports is there is always next season.

Next: The danger in expectations

This team is resilient and will bounce back. All we can do as fans is cope with this loss and return next season and support another run.