CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In baseball, nicknames once were part of its foundation. "Spoke" was perfect for Cleveland Indians player-manager Tris Speaker 100 years ago.
Speaker's name became the past tense of a verb, coined for the eloquence of his swing. His bat "spoke" the hardest truths to pitchers. He was what he did.
On the 175th anniversary of The Plain Dealer, we are reviewing the memorable moments in Cleveland sports history, the best ones are beSpoke(n).
The Spiders and Naps The Spiders' fortunes shifted when they signed Denton True "Cy" Young, short for "Cyclone.