Chuck Allanson loves baseball. He walks with a cane made out of a baseball bat. His home is covered in Indians paraphernalia. When the Indians play, he is locked to the TV.
Even when it comes to family, the Indians come first.
“My daughter lives in Chicago and I told her this is going to be a turnpike World Series between Chicago and Cleveland and I am going to be making up my will and I want to find out who you are rooting for. I said ‘you have your roots in Cleveland, if you are rooting for Chicago, you are out of the will,’” Allanson said as he chuckled.
Allison is 91 years old and became an Indians fan when he was about six years old. He nearly became a member of the tribe in 1946.
“I played baseball in the service and the manager there called the Indians and I got out of the service and made contact and a couple of the umpires said you have a tryout with the Indians,” he recalled.
He made the first cut but left to pursue his education. Still, his love for the Indians never dwindled. In retirement, he served as a heavy hitter, which was a volunteer that sold tickets for the team. In return, he’d receive perks like throwing out the first pitch.
“I loved being a heavy hitter,” he said. “It was one of the highlights of my life.”
Another highlight is his memory of the Tribe winning the World Series in 1948.
“Terrific because they hadn’t won the pennant since 1920,” he said. “The place was unbelievable.”
But now he is ready for the team to do it again.
“Nobody expected this but Terry Francona has done a tremendous job. Everything he does just works out perfectly,” he said. “I am just so happy.”
