Alternative Timeline 1983: Donald Trump buys the Cleveland Indians.
Trump soon upstages George Steinbrenner as baseball's most meddlesome owner.
He lashes out at Dominican Republic-born shortstop Julio Franco for making nine errors in April. He orders him sent down to the minors. Luis Quiñones is promoted from AAA and ends up making 43 errors by the time the season is over.
Franco gets traded to Texas for a couple prospects and ends up hitting .285+ for eight years in a row, winning a battle title in 1991 while hitting .341.
Trump fires manager Pat Corrales on May 27th after the team gets swept in a four game series in Toronto.
Interim manager Johnny Goryl only lasts to until the trade deadline.
Trump complains to club president Gabe Paul, "Why can't my managers be like Detroit's manager?" (The Tigers are running away with the AL East under Sparky Anderson at the trade deadline, 45-16.)
Trump puts on a uniform on June 16th, saying "No one can manage a baseball team better than me." The Angels pound Cleveland at Anaheim Stadium, 7-2, and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders Trump to get the hell out of uniform and get the hell out of the dugout. Trump sues the Commissioner in federal court - and loses.
Paul quits in disgust, stews for a few months and then is hired by the California Angels to become their GM on September 1st.
Reporters begin panning Trump's ordering of pitcher Rick Sutcliffe's trade to the Cubs (Sutcliffe would go 16-1 the rest of the way as a Cubs in rout to the club's NL East division title.)
With dwindling crowds, Trump demands that the city of Cleveland build him a new stadium with taxpayer funds or he is going to move the team to Florida.
The Milwaukee Brewers overtake the Indians when Cleveland ends the season with a 16-game losing streak and finishes with the worst record in the league.
The day after Detroit wins the World Series, Trump announces that he is moving the club to Miami. New Commissioner Pete Ueberroth calls for a vote. American League owners reject the move, 13-1. Trump files a lawsuit in federal court, which tells him to get lost. Trump calls the judge all sorts of names and says the judge is prejudiced against the Indians because the judge's daughter works for the Cincinnati Reds.
Two days before opening day in 1985, Trump announces a "tariff" on visiting clubs for use of the visiting club's locker room facilities. American League president Bobby Brown tells him that's not allowed. The same day the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Trump's appeal of the federal court ruling that says he can't move the Indians without the league's approval.
Trump sues in federal court, asking that Brown's decision be overturned, and again attacks the judge when the ruling goes against him.
The week after the Kansas City Royals win the World Series, American League owners vote to strip Trump of his ownership of the Indians. Trump sues - and loses.
In January 1986, Richard E. Jacobs is awarded the Cleveland franchise.
Trump runs for President in 1988. Lee Atwater, campaign manager for Vice President George Bush, produces an ad showing headline after headline of Trump's bumbling times as owner of the Indians and a running tally showing the mounting losses: "Donald Trump. He wants to do for America what he did for the Cleveland Indians. America can't afford that risk."
Trump gets 2% in the Iowa caucus and drops out of the race. He never runs for political office again.
He lashes out at Dominican Republic-born shortstop Julio Franco for making nine errors in April. He orders him sent down to the minors. Luis Quiñones is promoted from AAA and ends up making 43 errors by the time the season is over.
Franco gets traded to Texas for a couple prospects and ends up hitting .285+ for eight years in a row, winning a battle title in 1991 while hitting .341.
Trump fires manager Pat Corrales on May 27th after the team gets swept in a four game series in Toronto.
Interim manager Johnny Goryl only lasts to until the trade deadline.
Trump complains to club president Gabe Paul, "Why can't my managers be like Detroit's manager?" (The Tigers are running away with the AL East under Sparky Anderson at the trade deadline, 45-16.)
Trump puts on a uniform on June 16th, saying "No one can manage a baseball team better than me." The Angels pound Cleveland at Anaheim Stadium, 7-2, and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders Trump to get the hell out of uniform and get the hell out of the dugout. Trump sues the Commissioner in federal court - and loses.
Paul quits in disgust, stews for a few months and then is hired by the California Angels to become their GM on September 1st.
Reporters begin panning Trump's ordering of pitcher Rick Sutcliffe's trade to the Cubs (Sutcliffe would go 16-1 the rest of the way as a Cubs in rout to the club's NL East division title.)
With dwindling crowds, Trump demands that the city of Cleveland build him a new stadium with taxpayer funds or he is going to move the team to Florida.
The Milwaukee Brewers overtake the Indians when Cleveland ends the season with a 16-game losing streak and finishes with the worst record in the league.
The day after Detroit wins the World Series, Trump announces that he is moving the club to Miami. New Commissioner Pete Ueberroth calls for a vote. American League owners reject the move, 13-1. Trump files a lawsuit in federal court, which tells him to get lost. Trump calls the judge all sorts of names and says the judge is prejudiced against the Indians because the judge's daughter works for the Cincinnati Reds.
Two days before opening day in 1985, Trump announces a "tariff" on visiting clubs for use of the visiting club's locker room facilities. American League president Bobby Brown tells him that's not allowed. The same day the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Trump's appeal of the federal court ruling that says he can't move the Indians without the league's approval.
Trump sues in federal court, asking that Brown's decision be overturned, and again attacks the judge when the ruling goes against him.
The week after the Kansas City Royals win the World Series, American League owners vote to strip Trump of his ownership of the Indians. Trump sues - and loses.
In January 1986, Richard E. Jacobs is awarded the Cleveland franchise.
Trump runs for President in 1988. Lee Atwater, campaign manager for Vice President George Bush, produces an ad showing headline after headline of Trump's bumbling times as owner of the Indians and a running tally showing the mounting losses: "Donald Trump. He wants to do for America what he did for the Cleveland Indians. America can't afford that risk."
Trump gets 2% in the Iowa caucus and drops out of the race. He never runs for political office again.
36-40, F
