The definitive book about Clevelandds 20 most glorious and gut-wrenching sports moments. Twenty chapters recount those most remarkable events that Clevelanders still talk about--and will continue to debate, bemoan, and otherwise cherish for generations. Many are known by shorthand: Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. Ten-cent beer night. Game Seven. The Shot. But beyond the immediate groan or smile the memory elicits are great sports stories infused with that curious blend of excitement, hope, and doom that feels just like home to any Cleveland sports fan. A great way to share the local sports legends with the next generation--or to relive them yourself.

Sports talk in America has evolved from small-time barroom banter into a major media smorgasbord that runs 24/7 on TV and radio. With hundreds of billions of dollars generated annually by pro and college teams in major markets nationwide, sports fans across the country are more dedicated than ever to their teams. And when it comes to sports talk—especially all-sports radio—it’s all about entertainment, information, prognostication, analysis, rankings, and endless discussion. Prominent sports-media figures in each of the three target cities—Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.—engage in this phenomenon with a compilation of sports lists sure to delight as well as stir up debate within these already-buzzing sports communities. List topics include: • What were the most lopsided trades in local sports history? • Who were the most overrated athletes to play in our town? • What local athlete had the best appearance in TV or film? • What was the most heartbreaking loss in local sports history? • What was the greatest single play in local sports history? • Who are our team’s most hated rivals? • Plus dozens of “guest” lists contributed by famous local sports and entertainment celebrities. With franchises in three of the four major pro sports—the Browns (NFL), the Indians (MLB), and the Cavaliers (NBA)—plus a dedicated following of the Ohio State University athletics, Cleveland’s fans are some of the most rabid and knowledgeable in the country, and Bill Livingston and Greg Brinda are the acknowledged authorities on Cleveland-area sports.

Cleveland's Finest has in depth, extremely personal interviews with some of the top names in Cleveland sports. Each interview is a no-holds-barred tell-all of the most intimate and sometimes controversial details of the largest impact moments in Cleveland's sports history. This is the first book written from the player's point of view, mixed in with the media that covered it and the fans that watched. This book will change the way the entire sports nation looks at Cleveland. Finally, the true stories are told!

Relive the most memorable and sensational events in Cleveland sports history. Many of them are known by shorthand: Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. Beer Night. Some were gut-wrenching. Some, like the 1964 NFL championship game, were glorious. All are highlight of the shared experience of all Cleveland sports fans.

Cleveland sports history goes well beyond The Shot, The Fumble, The Drive and so many other ignoble moments. Many of the city's most illustrious sports tales are long-forgotten chapters of tribulations and tragedy, of fleeting fame and enduring milestones. There are forgotten firsts, such as football's first pass and the invention of baseball's slider having ties to Cleveland. There are overshadowed tragedies like a fatal crash involving an Indians pitcher occurring the same year two of the team's hurlers were killed in a high-profile boating accident. And then there are the near misses--like George Steinbrenner coming within seconds of owning the Indians and a famous musician who almost became a Cleveland Brown. From basketball to boxing, hockey to Heisman, journalist Marc Bona chronicles more than a century of unremembered tales.

Cleveland shrines, now gone save for League Park's crumbling remnants, hosted American sports heroes and icons, rock legends and hockey stars. Babe Ruth launched his 500th home run at League Park, where Indians great Bob Feller, all cleft chin and leg kick, debuted. A young and seemingly weightless Michael Jordan sunk the Cavs and Craig Ehlo at Richfield. Jim Brown broke the will of opponents at Municipal, where both Larry Doby--the first black American Leaguer--and Frank Robinson--baseball's first black manager--shattered color barriers. Morris Eckhouse and Greg Crouse delve into the city's lost sports sanctuaries, where Clevelanders rejoiced and wept, experiencing moments of jubilation and ineffable sadness that remain glowing and raw.