Heroes, Scamps, and Good Guys: The Most Interesting Characters in Cleveland Sports History

A veteran sportswriter’s favorite short profiles of the most interesting athletes who have played in Cleveland—stars, bench-jockeys, and everyone in between.

It takes all kinds to fill out the sports pages. Heroes, like Jim Brown and Rocky Colavito. Scamps, from “Shoeless” Joe Jackson to Albert Belle. Good guys, like Bernie Kosar and Mark Price. And a few special cases like Gaylord Perry, who were a little bit of each.

Sportswriter Bob Dolgan wrote about them all while covering the sports beat for The Plain Dealer during six decades. This book collects his best short profiles of the most interesting athletes ever to grace the fields, courts, and rinks of Cleveland.

Most of the big names are here. But Dolgan also shares the tales of some special people who deserve to be remembered as more than just a few statistics in a record book. Kevin Rhomberg, for instance, the Indians outfielder best known for his extraordinary superstition about being touched. And Eddie Klep, the only white player in the Negroe Leagues. And jovial Honest Yockim, diminutive denizen of Cleveland’s notorious Short Vincent sports gambling scene.

These stories will rekindle memories in any Cleveland sports fan and introduce some remarkable characters from the past who are worth getting to know. Look back on any era, and dozens of wonderfully memorable people stand out, sparkling like diamonds in the grass.