Cleveland Indians: Trying to buy into the importance of the Ohio Cup

The Cleveland Indians dropped last night’s game to the Cincinnati Reds in a series of four games known to fans as the Ohio Cup.

The Cleveland Indians gave fans an exciting weekend, but followed it up with a dud of a game Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

One single run was all the Indians could muster in the first of four games making up this year’s Ohio Cup. Not a great start for what is only a four-game series.

Mentions of the Ohio Cup have been featured on Indians.com, although some fans may not even know that the annual series against the Reds are supposed to be for honor and glory. The series even has a trophy and an MVP.

But the frustration over last night’s loss has nothing to do with the Cup, and no one will be thinking about the trophy if it goes back to the Reds.

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The Indians and Reds may play in the same state, but there isn’t much sense of a rivalry between the two teams, making the Ohio Cup seem like one of those far-fetched college football rivalries where a trophy is handed out that no one really wants.

The lack of a rivalry feeling comes from the fact interleague play wasn’t established until 1997, which still only allows anywhere from four to six games between the two teams each year.

The only way for this series to become a true rivalry would be for the two teams to meet in the World Series, but the rebuilding Reds may be missing out on the Indians’ current window of being a perennial contender.

Maybe there are fans out there who find pride in the Indians holding the Ohio Cup, but it is hard to imagine the players treat these four games any differently.

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Rivalries cannot be created just by handing out a trophy. Two teams must play meaningful games and the fans must truly loathe each other. And for now, a fight between and Indians and a Reds fan in the stands would be a confusing sight.