As this semester comes to a close and Cleveland begins to warm up (and then cool down and then warm up) the summer break brings an end to most Case Western sporting events. This by no means means that sports fans who are still on campus for the summer, or who live nearby, will need to cling to ESPN for their sports fix.

First and foremost the Cleveland Indians are in full swing and will be all summer. The Indians of course are members of Major League Baseball’s American League and are in the highly competitive Central Division this year. Lead by the powerful Detroit Tigers and competing against the up and coming Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox, the division looks set to provide not only a heavy world series favorite but also a wild card team or two, depending on who can climb above the competition. The Indians are looking to clinch their second playoff berth in as many years and the Cleveland community will be rooting them on all summer long.

This summer also will bring two more unique events to the Cleveland area. The first is the 35th annual National Sports Collectors Convention. This annual event runs for a week each summer, moving throughout the country to different cities each year. This year they have chosen to come to Cleveland. The convention, known to hardcore collectors as simply “The National,” brings together collectors, memorabilia vendors and even athletes who come and sign autographs for the fans searching for another great souvenir. This year’s National is
being held at the International Exposition (I-X) Center in Cleveland from July 30 to Aug. 3 and is expected to bring approximately 45,000 sports fans and collectors to the area. The initial list of hall of fame athletes who are coming has been announced and includes former Indians Roberto Alomar, Dennis Eckersley and Frank Robinson.

Other MLB greats slated to appear include current Indians Manager Terry Francona, as well as Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Jackson, Tony Perez, Jim Rice and Cal Ripken Jr, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, David Justice and Pete Rose. These are just a few of the greats who will be present. Football is well represented as well with All-Time Cleveland Brown great Jim Brown headlining a number of NFL greats. Tickets are already on sale and it looks to be an amazing event.

Lastly, this summer the Gay Games, which occur every four years, will be hosted by Cleveland. This is the ninth set of games and the event is open to people of all sexual orientations. The games started in San Francisco and have a similar format to the Olympics. The event brings in over 10,000 athletes, who will compete in 35 sports.