Cleveland Indians: New documentary highlights ups and downs of 1990s

A new documentary airing tonight highlights the excitement and the heartbreak Cleveland Indians fans witnessed during the 1990s.

The way the 2016 season ended had Cleveland Indians fans feeling as if they had been sent back in time. World Series losses are always painful, but Indians fans know just how brutal a Game 7 loss can be.

The excitement currently surrounding the 2017 Indians is due to last season’s success, but the franchise as a whole was floundering for decades and may have never turned around if not for the success in the 1990s.

The decade is the focus of a new documentary airing tonight on MLB Network titled The Dynasty That Almost Was. It airs at 7:30 p.m. ET.

I was lucky enough to get an advance screening of the documentary, and although fans may not want to relive the heartbreak, I recommend checking it out.

The documentary isn’t like most of the others where it solely focuses on Cleveland misfortune. It begins with some background on just how awful the Indians were since 1954 until 1994, and how John Hart came in and decided to build a winner.

The film does a great job of presenting Hart’s decisions objectively. Those who thought some of his moves were insane, such as trading Kenny Lofton, are countered with the reasoning for Hart’s decision-making.

There is also a great deal of attention on Albert Belle and his interesting career path, although it is hard to get mad at Hart for letting Belle walk. The team couldn’t afford him and even though he was talented, his attitude was something fans remember as problematic.

None of the information covered in this documentary is new or groundbreaking, but it is a well-constructed look back at the greatest stretch in Indians history. It is especially helpful for the younger generation of Indians fans who hear their parents talk about the golden years, but don’t have a personal connection to the time period. I am in this group, and even I found myself getting emotional for games I never witnessed live while seeing them in this film.

The thrill of finally seeing winning baseball in 1995 leads into the disappointing postseason exit in 1996, followed by a 1997 season in which the underdog Indians made it so close to winning it all. They obviously didn’t, but exciting moments from the season gave fans something to hang on to.

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No one wants to relive painful moments, but the film does a great job of highlighting the positives more than the negatives. Ultimately, fans want to win a World Series. But as with most things in life, the journey to a certain goal is often greater than the actual destination. And even though the team never brought home a title, the 1990s were an amazing time to be an Indians fan.