News
Ferrell, Alomar Jr. head Tribe Hall class
Former owners Veeck, Jacobs also to be inducted Aug. 1
Sandy Alomar Jr. will be the third member of the Tribe's great teams of the '90s to be inducted. (Getty Images)
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
04/08/09 10:15 PM ET
ARLINGTON -- Having played in different generations, Wes Ferrell and Sandy Alomar Jr. were, of course, never battery mates. But they will go into the Indians' team Hall of Fame together. Ferrell and Alomar have been selected to the Hall at Heritage Park in Progressive Field. They'll be inducted alongside former owners Bill Veeck and Dick Jacobs before the Indians' Aug. 1 game against the Tigers. Veeck and Jacobs are joining the Hall as the inaugural class of distinguished, non-uniformed men and woman who have made a significant contribution to the franchise. Veeck and Ferrell will be inducted posthumously. Alomar joins Charles Nagy and former manager Mike Hargrove in representing the Tribe's 1990s glory days. From 1990 through 2000, Alomar battled more than his fair share of injuries. But he won the American League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1990, and had a memorable '97 season in which he batted .324 with 21 homers and 83 RBIs for an Indians team that reached the seventh game of the World Series against the Marlins. He was a six-time All-Star. Ferrell, who passed away in 1976, pitched for the Tribe for the first seven of his 15 years in the big leagues. He won at least 21 games in each season of a four-year stretch from 1929-32. For his career, Ferrell went 193-128 for the Indians, Red Sox, Washington Senators, Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves. Veeck was the eccentric owner known for his publicity stunts, such as hiring Max Patkin, known as the "Clown Prince of Baseball," as a coach for the Indians. But Veeck also helped integrate the game by signing Larry Doby in 1947 and Satchel Paige in '48. Veeck owned the Tribe from 1946-49. The Indians' last World Series title came during Veeck's ownership. Jacobs, on the other hand, had to settle for coming tantalizingly close. He owned the club from 1986-2000. He took over a team rumored to be moving to St. Petersburg, Fla., hired general manager John Hart and, along with his brother David, urged local politicians to push for the construction of the park that would come to be known as Jacobs (now, Progressive) Field. Indians personnel and selected media members vote on the selections for the Indians Hall of Fame, which will now have a membership of 37.Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
