When Mike Hargrove and his wife, Sharon, address Cleveland baseball fans July 13 in Akron, memories from 30 years ago could provide plenty of talking points.
The couple will headline the RubberDucks Hot Stove Banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn Akron . The event will benefit the West Akron Baseball League.
The Hargroves' daughter Missy Dies is the office manager of the RubberDucks . Her husband, Mike Dies, is a former WABL president who's still a board member. Their daughters and the Hargroves' granddaughters, Madison and Ashley, played in WABL. The Hargroves reside in Richfield when they aren't wintering in Arizona . Three of their five children live in Northeast Ohio (Akron, Copley and Fairlawn).
"We certainly love this part of the country and Ohio especially," Mike Hargrove told the Beacon Journal last month by phone. "I've found that the people around here for the most part are a lot like the people in Texas where we grew up, that they have opinions, they believe in what they believe in and they're not afraid to let you know. But the big reason that we stayed in the area, other than the fact that it has become our home, is that all our grandkids are around here.
"When I got let go by [ Cleveland after the 1999 season], I came home and asked Sharon, I said, 'Well, you want to move back to Texas?' And she said, 'No, I'm going to stay here with the grandkids, but you can move back if you want to.' So I said, 'Well, I'd like to stay with you if that's OK.' And she said, 'Sure.' So that's what it is."
Hargrove, 74, has a knack for incorporating a comedic element into his stories. Just consider how he describes the old Cleveland Stadium.
"I can remember every time I walked into that place — it was so dank and dark and musty — that I immediately felt like I needed to go take a shower," Hargrove said. "That feeling never left me."
Hargrove played and managed at the stadium commonly known as Cleveland Municipal. As a Texas Rangers rookie in 1974, he experienced Cleveland for the first time during the infamous 10-cent beer night . After the San Diego Padres traded Hargrove to Cleveland in 1979, the lakefront stadium became his home venue for the final six-plus seasons of his playing career.
Hargrove worked as the organization's first-base coach in 1990 and was promoted to manager during the 1991 season. He guided the team for eight-plus seasons, including through a welcome change of scenery.
On April 4, 1994, the first game was held at Jacobs Field, which was renamed Progressive Field in 2008.
"It was such a stark contrast to where we had been, and it was fun," Hargrove said. "It was neat to feel good about where you played. The facility was so nice, especially underneath. A lot of people haven't seen it underneath.
"The ability to be able to work out when the weather was bad and you couldn't get outside, your pitchers could throw, we had mounds set up and batting cages, so we got our work done, which I think was a major boost. But I think people perform better when they feel good about where they're performing."
Legendary Cleveland catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. said Jacobs Field brought a "new energy" to the team and its fans.
"The ballpark was filled every single night," said Alomar, who now coaches first base and catchers for the Guardians. "We felt a responsibility to perform in front of a big crowd, so it's almost like you were in the postseason every single day."
Hargrove said he viewed the transition from one stadium to the other as a franchise-saving move.
"I don't know that it was ever stated," he said. "I'm not sure exactly what [late owner] Mr. [Dick] Jacobs was thinking. But I got the feeling from everything I heard said and [saw] done that had that sin tax not passed [in 1990], 'cause we were in Minnesota playing when that thing was being voted on, had it not passed, we probably would've been the Tampa Bay Rays . So all of us were really, really glad that the thing passed and we were able to do what was done."
Although Jacobs Field opened in 1994, its gates closed prematurely the same season.
Only four teams in Major League Baseball had a better record than Cleveland's 66-47 when the players went on strike amid a labor dispute with owners. Hargrove's team had won seven of its 11 games in August 1994, with the last one held on Aug. 10.
"The staff and everybody had flights arranged and paid by the [organization] back home," Hargrove said. "The players had to fend for themselves. I remember going into the locker room and watching guys pack their stuff up in black trash bags to leave."
The strike didn't surprise anyone, Hargrove said, but its 232-day duration did. Hargrove explained Cleveland had made a concerted effort to push for the top spot in the American League Central standings before the work stoppage.
"We were feeling good," Alomar said. "This is the first time we felt that we turned the corner and we felt like we could beat good teams."
Yet, Cleveland's effort to position itself for a playoff spot in case the postseason was salvaged went for naught. The postseason was canceled. A game behind the Chicago White Sox (67-46) for the division lead, Cleveland would have earned a wild-card berth.
"We knew we had a good ballclub," Hargrove said. "We knew we were going to be even better the longer it went on."
More on Cleveland baseball: Meet Stephen Vogt, the new Guardians manager who replaced Terry Francona
Hargrove said he is convinced the 1994 season provided a springboard for a legendary era in club history, highlighted by World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997.
"Without a doubt, I think it did," Hargrove said. "Nobody left there with a good taste in our mouth because the season ended. But on the other hand, we left with a good taste in our mouth realizing that we had something special going on and we needed to continue that."
Jacobs Field became the setting for a magical run.
When Hargrove was asked to identify his favorite aspect of the 30-year-old stadium, he said, "It was all the fans that came out. It was a blast playing in front of so many people every night."
He and his wife will soon reunite with some of those Cleveland baseball enthusiasts in Akron.
When: Saturday, July 13. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for cocktails and silent auction. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. with program Q&A to follow.
Where: Hilton Garden Inn Akron (1307 E. Market St.)
Ticket info: To purchase tickets, call 330-253-5151 or visit www.milb.com/akron/tickets/theme-nights .
Guardians Q&A: Broadcaster Tom Hamilton on Terry Francona's tenure as Cleveland's manager
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mike Hargrove's Akron baseball event 30 years after Jacobs Field debut
