Alas, old pennant, we hardly knew ye

Less than 48 hours after Cleveland is eliminated from the 1949 American League pennant race, team owner Bill Veeck and his players hold a funeral service 74 years ago tonight to bury their 1948 pennant.

The service – insert sob here – takes place in center field at Cleveland’s old Municipal Stadium before that night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

A Friday night crowd of 29,646 turns out for the burial service and the game, which is just as depressing for the locals as the Tigers win 5-0 on Virgil Trucks’ five-hitter.

Even more depressing for Cleveland fans is that the burial marks the last time they see a championship pennant as the Indians, er Guardians, now have gone without a World Series title since – insert another sob here – 1948.

In perhaps a weird cause-and-effect scenario, no one has seen the original pennant – the actual one made of fabric that once flies at Municipal Stadium – since Veeck’s “funeral” for it 74 years ago tonight.