Bedfordtimesregister.com - Front Row Seat : Tribute to Herb Score highlights rainy Indians home opener

by Stow Sentry Associate Editor Mike Lesko

The most memorable pitch thrown during the Cleveland Indians home opener April 10 was by Nancy Score, widow of Herb Score, the team's former star pitcher and longtime broadcaster.

Standing on the pitcher's mound, she underhanded the ceremonial first pitch to the current voice of the Indians, radio announcer Tom Hamilton, who stood about 20 feet in front of home plate at Progressive Field.

Hamilton was Herb's partner for the final eight years of his 34 years doing Indians broadcasts -- four years on TV and the last 30 years on the radio.

Hamilton caught the pitch and hugged Mrs. Score as the fans roared.

Herb -- fans rarely refer to him simply as "Score" -- died last November at age 75. This season, the Indians are wearing an insignia on their jerseys to honor him. It features his uniform No. 27, a replica of a microphone and the name, "Herb."

Younger fans likely cannot grasp what Herb meant to the team when he broadcast during three decades of dismal baseball.

"I still miss listening to Herb," a friend told me several days before the home opener. Herb retired after the seventh game of the 1997 World Series.

My friend talked about how Herb's energetic, up-beat voice made the games enjoyable to listen to despite season after season of losing.

"Herb was unique," my friend said. "If you just tuned into the game and didn't know if the Indians were winning or losing, you couldn't tell by his voice. He just made the games sound fun."

Before Mrs. Score's pitch, a scoreboard tribute showed photographs of Herb's career including pictures of him with Tribe standouts Bob Feller and Mel Harder along with family photos.

Also shown was film footage -- with Herb's voice in the background -- of the final out of Indians pitcher Len Barker's 1981 perfect game which Herb broadcast on radio.

The pre-game ceremony was one of my most vivid memories during my streak of attending 38 consecutive Indians home openers.

Moments earlier, Hamilton, standing in front of a wooden podium at home plate, introduced the players from the Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.

Among the players was Indians left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee, the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner. Lee, the best pitcher on the planet the previous season, received a thunderous ovation.

His picture was shown on a new series of panels that hung from the facing of the upper deck. Other current and former Indians stars were also featured throughout the upper level, as well. The sharp-looking drawings highlight the team's history.

Before the game, I asked my 10-year-old son, Michael, if he wanted me to buy him a Cliff Lee T-shirt if I could.

"Yeah," Michael said as a wide smile crossed his face.

I ended up with three Lee items for him -- a blue Indians T-shirt featuring Lee's No. 31, a pennant and a drinking cup.

On this chilly, cloudy day, though, another left-hander -- rookie Scott Lewis -- was the Indians starting pitcher.

It was ironic that Lewis, who attended Ohio State, warmed up as the Ohio State University spring marching band played the Buckeye Battlecry.

It was an unusual sight -- band members wearing scarlet OSU shirts huddled behind home plate. Yet their up-tempo music matched the enthusiasm of the more than 42,000 fans who packed the ballpark.

As the trumpets and tubas blared, an usher who resembled former OSU football coach Woody Hayes looked on from the stands near home plate.

"Hey, Woody, where's your Ohio State cap?" yelled one wise-cracking fan.

The usher just smiled.

The Indians jumped out to a lead, but the Blue Jays rallied. The rainy drizzle in the early innings continued. In the fifth inning, the game was delayed for nearly four hours with Toronto leading, 4-3.

When the game finally resumed after 9 p.m., only a handful of fans remained. The Blue Jays pounded out a 13-7 victory.

As I walked out of the ballpark, I thought about the memorable pre-game ceremony and about how a fan stood up behind home plate holding a 2-foot by 3-foot banner featuring a Chief Wahoo drawing at the top. Beneath it were the words: "Miss you, Herb."

The sign epitomized the thoughts of an entire baseball community.

E-mail: mlesko@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3917