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ericnease84 · 05-30-2024, 05:49 AM

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Best Record: 88-37 (1933)
Worst Record: 53-101 (1945)
Playoff Appearances: 18
Championships: 8 (1933, 1962, 1963, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)

The Cleveland Lions started out in Hartford, Connecticut as the Hartford Lions. They were not very competitive in their beginning years, as it took 12 seasons before they finished over .500. They had a few good seasons and a few not-so-good ones until they finally won the pennant for the first time in 1918. They lost to the Pittsburgh Ironmen. After missing out in 1919, they made it back to the World Series in 1920, this time getting swept by the New York Knights. They were competitive throughout the 1920s, but did not finish in first again until 1927. This led to another matchup with the Knights, who swept them again.
The Lions had another good season in 1928 but finished in second place. The real drama came after the season. The Cleveland Blue Sox and Kentucky Kings had relocated prior to the 1928 season, and the NBL did not like the idea of losing those markets. They expanded the league by four teams, in part to replace the teams that had left those markets. However, they made a very controversial move to not just place expansion teams in Ohio and Kentucky. Along with forcing the Virginia Beach Captains to move to Louisville, the league also forced the Lions to relocate to Columbus, Ohio, and placed two of the four expansion teams in the markets that they had just forced two established teams out of.
The Lions made a good first impression in their new city, narrowly missing the World Series in 1929 before finishing first in 1930. They faced the New York Knights again, and although they went a full seven games, the Knights still defeated them yet again. They finished a game out of first in 1931, a distant second (but still well over .500) in 1932, and then finished first in 1933 to return to the World Series. This time their opponent was the Dover Green Sox, and this time the Lions finally were able to win their first ever championship. THey returned to the Series in 1936, once again facing the Knights and once again losing to them. That would be their last playoff appearance for a while. They remained competitive until 1941, when they fell on some hard times. They lost more games each season until bottoming out with 101 losses in 1945, to date the only season in which they have lost 100 or more games. They also tried and failed to secure a new ballpark in Columbus, and in 1946 they moved from Columbus to Cleveland, where they were able to get a new ballpark. Once they got to Cleveland, they were for the most part irrelevant and mediocre until they reached the 1962 World Series, sweeping the San Francisco Seals in the NBC Championship Series to get there. They then went on to defeat the Baltimore Blackbirds for their second title. In 1963, they returned to the World Series and won it all again, taking down the Toronto Giants this time. After a couple competitive but non-playoff seasons, they made the playoffs again in 1967. This time, however, the Los Angeles Captains knocked them out in the NBC Championship Series.
The Lions had some down years in the early to mid 1970s, but were quietly building what would become a dynasty and by far the most successful run the franchise had ever seen. After losing 95 games in 1974, they improved to 85 wins (but no playoffs) in 1975 and a 100-win season in 1976 with a trip to the playoffs. The Lions swept the Captains in the Championship Series, and went on to face their in-state rivals the Cincinnati Silverbacks, who had just finished with the best regular season record ever. The Lions were unfazed, however, and they swept the Silverbacks to win the World Series. They won 113 games in 1977, but they were taken down in the NBC Championship Series by the St. Louis Tigers. Over the next four years, they won three more division titles and one wild card berth, while that still existed. They parlayed all that into four straight World Series championships, taking down the Toronto Giants in 1978 and then the San Diego Sharks in 1979, 1980 and 1981. In their quest for a 5th straight championship in 1982, they went 94-68 but finished a single game behind both the Detroit Dragons for the division title and the Kansas City Cyclones for the NBC Wild Card spot and missed the playoffs. They won their division again in 1983, but were swept by the Philadelphia Hornets in the Division Series. They came in second in 1984, but with the latest expansion the league now had four divisions per conference, and the wild card was no more, so they missed the playoffs. They won their division again in both 1985 and 1986. The Captains knocked them out of the Division Series in 1985. In 1986, they got their revenge and beat the Captains, and then faced the Washington Eagles in the NBC Championship Series. The Lions took a 3-games-to-0 lead in the series before suffering a "reverse sweep," as the Eagles won four straight to win the series. That choke job led to the firing of manager Seth Bailey. The Lions have now missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Outlook for 1990:
In 1989, the Lions suffered their first losing record since 1974. They fired manager Kevin Sturgill as a result, and now are facing an uncertain future going into 1990. They've been too successful as of late to write them off completely, but they need to prove that 1989 was just a fluke and not a sign of rapid decline.

Current Manager:
With previous manager Kevin Sturgill just fired after three seasons, George Knox is taking over as the Lions' new manager for 1990. Knox was a catcher for the Ironmen and Bears from 1967 to 1974 before a knee injury led to his premature retirement. He managed the New Jersey Stallions in 1981 and 1982, but after two poor seasons was fired. He has spent the last five seasons as the San Diego Sharks' bench coach, winning two World Series with them in the process.

Hall of Famers:
Tyler Boyer, P, 1914-1934
Tyler Boyer first signed with the Hartford Lions in 1914 and quickly rose to the top of their rotation. He helped lead them to respectability and to multiple World Series appearances, but they were never able to win one. He was on the team when it was force-moved to Columbus in 1929 and was one of the players who fought against the move. However, things went fairly well for him in Columbus. Despite the fact that age and injuries were catching up with him, he was able to be part of the 1933 team that finally won their first World Series. He pitched one more year and then retired after the 1934 season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1943, his first year on the ballot. He died in 1974, just missing out on seeing the Lions' dynasty.

Randy Bender, P, 1923-1940
Randy Bender signed with the Hartford Lions in 1923. It took him a while to get established, but his career took off once the Lions moved to Columbus. He wound up winning 216 games in his career, all of which was spent with the Lions. He was on their 1933 World Series championship team and their competitive teams of the 1930s. He retired in 1940, just before the Lions' descent into the basement. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946. His brother, Steve Bender, was a pitcher for the Green Sox and Captains and worked for many years as the lead scout for the San Diego Sharks. Both Randy and Steve Bender are still alive today, in their eighties. His son, Jesse Bender, was a catcher for the Tigers, Stars and Giants from 1957 to 1968.

05-30-2024, 05:49 AM	#11
ericnease84 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 144	Cleveland Lions Best Record: 88-37 (1933) Worst Record: 53-101 (1945) Playoff Appearances: 18 Championships: 8 (1933, 1962, 1963, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981) The Cleveland Lions started out in Hartford, Connecticut as the Hartford Lions. They were not very competitive in their beginning years, as it took 12 seasons before they finished over .500. They had a few good seasons and a few not-so-good ones until they finally won the pennant for the first time in 1918. They lost to the Pittsburgh Ironmen. After missing out in 1919, they made it back to the World Series in 1920, this time getting swept by the New York Knights. They were competitive throughout the 1920s, but did not finish in first again until 1927. This led to another matchup with the Knights, who swept them again. The Lions had another good season in 1928 but finished in second place. The real drama came after the season. The Cleveland Blue Sox and Kentucky Kings had relocated prior to the 1928 season, and the NBL did not like the idea of losing those markets. They expanded the league by four teams, in part to replace the teams that had left those markets. However, they made a very controversial move to not just place expansion teams in Ohio and Kentucky. Along with forcing the Virginia Beach Captains to move to Louisville, the league also forced the Lions to relocate to Columbus, Ohio, and placed two of the four expansion teams in the markets that they had just forced two established teams out of. The Lions made a good first impression in their new city, narrowly missing the World Series in 1929 before finishing first in 1930. They faced the New York Knights again, and although they went a full seven games, the Knights still defeated them yet again. They finished a game out of first in 1931, a distant second (but still well over .500) in 1932, and then finished first in 1933 to return to the World Series. This time their opponent was the Dover Green Sox, and this time the Lions finally were able to win their first ever championship. THey returned to the Series in 1936, once again facing the Knights and once again losing to them. That would be their last playoff appearance for a while. They remained competitive until 1941, when they fell on some hard times. They lost more games each season until bottoming out with 101 losses in 1945, to date the only season in which they have lost 100 or more games. They also tried and failed to secure a new ballpark in Columbus, and in 1946 they moved from Columbus to Cleveland, where they were able to get a new ballpark. Once they got to Cleveland, they were for the most part irrelevant and mediocre until they reached the 1962 World Series, sweeping the San Francisco Seals in the NBC Championship Series to get there. They then went on to defeat the Baltimore Blackbirds for their second title. In 1963, they returned to the World Series and won it all again, taking down the Toronto Giants this time. After a couple competitive but non-playoff seasons, they made the playoffs again in 1967. This time, however, the Los Angeles Captains knocked them out in the NBC Championship Series. The Lions had some down years in the early to mid 1970s, but were quietly building what would become a dynasty and by far the most successful run the franchise had ever seen. After losing 95 games in 1974, they improved to 85 wins (but no playoffs) in 1975 and a 100-win season in 1976 with a trip to the playoffs. The Lions swept the Captains in the Championship Series, and went on to face their in-state rivals the Cincinnati Silverbacks, who had just finished with the best regular season record ever. The Lions were unfazed, however, and they swept the Silverbacks to win the World Series. They won 113 games in 1977, but they were taken down in the NBC Championship Series by the St. Louis Tigers. Over the next four years, they won three more division titles and one wild card berth, while that still existed. They parlayed all that into four straight World Series championships, taking down the Toronto Giants in 1978 and then the San Diego Sharks in 1979, 1980 and 1981. In their quest for a 5th straight championship in 1982, they went 94-68 but finished a single game behind both the Detroit Dragons for the division title and the Kansas City Cyclones for the NBC Wild Card spot and missed the playoffs. They won their division again in 1983, but were swept by the Philadelphia Hornets in the Division Series. They came in second in 1984, but with the latest expansion the league now had four divisions per conference, and the wild card was no more, so they missed the playoffs. They won their division again in both 1985 and 1986. The Captains knocked them out of the Division Series in 1985. In 1986, they got their revenge and beat the Captains, and then faced the Washington Eagles in the NBC Championship Series. The Lions took a 3-games-to-0 lead in the series before suffering a "reverse sweep," as the Eagles won four straight to win the series. That choke job led to the firing of manager Seth Bailey. The Lions have now missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. Outlook for 1990: In 1989, the Lions suffered their first losing record since 1974. They fired manager Kevin Sturgill as a result, and now are facing an uncertain future going into 1990. They've been too successful as of late to write them off completely, but they need to prove that 1989 was just a fluke and not a sign of rapid decline. Current Manager: With previous manager Kevin Sturgill just fired after three seasons, George Knox is taking over as the Lions' new manager for 1990. Knox was a catcher for the Ironmen and Bears from 1967 to 1974 before a knee injury led to his premature retirement. He managed the New Jersey Stallions in 1981 and 1982, but after two poor seasons was fired. He has spent the last five seasons as the San Diego Sharks' bench coach, winning two World Series with them in the process. Hall of Famers: Tyler Boyer, P, 1914-1934 Tyler Boyer first signed with the Hartford Lions in 1914 and quickly rose to the top of their rotation. He helped lead them to respectability and to multiple World Series appearances, but they were never able to win one. He was on the team when it was force-moved to Columbus in 1929 and was one of the players who fought against the move. However, things went fairly well for him in Columbus. Despite the fact that age and injuries were catching up with him, he was able to be part of the 1933 team that finally won their first World Series. He pitched one more year and then retired after the 1934 season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1943, his first year on the ballot. He died in 1974, just missing out on seeing the Lions' dynasty. Randy Bender, P, 1923-1940 Randy Bender signed with the Hartford Lions in 1923. It took him a while to get established, but his career took off once the Lions moved to Columbus. He wound up winning 216 games in his career, all of which was spent with the Lions. He was on their 1933 World Series championship team and their competitive teams of the 1930s. He retired in 1940, just before the Lions' descent into the basement. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946. His brother, Steve Bender, was a pitcher for the Green Sox and Captains and worked for many years as the lead scout for the San Diego Sharks. Both Randy and Steve Bender are still alive today, in their eighties. His son, Jesse Bender, was a catcher for the Tigers, Stars and Giants from 1957 to 1968.