Jacobs Field

They used to make fun of the ballpark, the town and the team, not necessarily in that order.No more.Jacobs Field has replaced the "mistake by the lake," the common nickname for Cleveland Stadium. Spurred by a park that is a mirror image of Camden Yards and the recently dedicated Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, the city has enjoyed a remarkable rebirth.And the Cleveland Indians have become the best baseball team money didn't have to buy. Did all of this start with the release of the movie "Major League" and escalate with the filming of the sequel at Camden Yards?

CLEVELAND - Mark Shapiro won't forget his visit to this city in November 1991. It was cold and wet, and the cab driver took him by the site where Jacobs Field was to be built. "He told me that someone had just gotten car-jacked there," Shapiro said. "I was wondering what I was doing there." His interview with the Indians was at Municipal Stadium, a vast facility built in 1932. In 1991, when the Indians lost 105 games, the official average attendance was 12,985. But there were many times when only several hundred showed up. No, Cleveland wasn't the top choice for Shapiro.

CLEVELAND -- OK, if you expected this from David Wells when he walked away from the Orioles two years ago, please raise your hand.Be honest. If you expected Wells to go 34-14 over two regular seasons, throw a perfect game in Yankee Stadium and become baseball's best postseason pitcher, raise you hand.Hello? Anyone out there?Of course not.No one expected Wells to do this. Not even Wells himself.After going 11-14 with a 5.14 ERA for the Orioles in 1996, Wells hardly seemed a candidate for a miraculous career leap.

CLEVELAND -- Orlando Hernandez knows about pressure. H faced it less than 10 months ago when he and seven others defected from Cuba and were eventually picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard on a tiny Caribbean island. Confronting a different kind of peril last night, Hernandez rescued the New York Yankees with the calm of a man who has been places far more dangerous than Jacobs Field. Hernandez and relievers Mike Stanton and Mariano Rivera combined for a 4-0 shutout of the Cleveland Indians that evened the American League Championship Series at two games apiece.

CLEVELAND -- Indians fever ran high here all week and only got worse yesterday as Clevelanders congregated in their shiny new stadium and cheered on their team to victory -- with hardly a bad word to say about Baltimore.Symptoms of the epidemic are wearing red socks pulled up to the knee, wearing feathers in one's hair and hoarseness induced by a general euphoria."The whole city's been bubbling, just waiting for this series," said Eric Hooper, a 39-year-old sausage-maker, as he stood outside Jacobs Field before the game.

Except for the hamstring that won't unwind, Eric Davis feels pretty good for a guy only recently back from the career-dead.The time has passed when the Orioles right fielder was ranked as the game's greatest "tool player," but he is still capable enough to be named American League Player of the Week and still intimidating enough to transform a lineup when his body allows.He's a little heavier, maybe, but still possesses one of baseball's most chiseled physiques and one of its quickest sets of hands.

On deck -- White Sox@Indians--Jose Contreras looks to improve to 6-0 tonight as Chicago takes on divisional rival Cleveland at Jacobs Field.

Opponent: Cleveland Indians Site: Jacobs Field, Cleveland Time: 7:05 TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WBAL (1090 AM) Starters: Orioles' Sidney Ponson (1-1, 6.75) vs. Indians' C.C. Sabathia (0-2, 3.32)

Astros: Craig Biggio stole three bases to give him 291 in his career, moving him ahead of coach Jose Cruz Sr. for second place on Houston's all-time list. Cesar Cedeno is first with 487.Cardinals: Mark McGwire hit his eighth homer at new Comiskey Park. He had hit four at old Comiskey Park.Indians: Attendance was 43,068, the 238th straight sellout at Jacobs Field.Pub Date: 6/09/98