Arizona alum Terry Francona is expected to take over managerial duties for the Cleveland Indians. Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Terry Francona ended one team’s World Series futility. Now he’s gunning for another’s.

The Associated Press is reporting that the University of Arizona alum will sign on to manage the Cleveland Indians next season. An official announcement is expected Monday.

Francona is somewhat of a folk hero in Boston where, in 2004, he guided the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years. Tito went 744-522 in eight seasons as skipper of the BoSox, the best winning percentage ever among Boston managers. But things turned sour at the end of the 2011 season amid player turmoil and Francona was unceremoniously given his walking papers.

Prior to that, he managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000. All told, he joins the Tribe with a 1,029-915 record.

The Indians haven’t won a World Series since beating the Boston (ironically) Braves in the 1948 Fall Classic. Cleveland finished the season 68-94, despite being in first place as late as July.

Francona’s father — the real Tito Francona — played for the Tribe from 1959-64.

Former Wildcat Shelley Duncan either diving for a fly ball during spring training or doing a celebratory "worm" because he's traveling north to Cleveland to begin the season as the Indians' starting left fielder. Jake Roth - US PRESSWIRE

Spring has Sprung…

The Grass has Ris…

I Wonder Where the Wildcats is?

Turns out, they’re all over the diamonds of the United States as the boys of summer begin the annual trek that stretches from spring for all and - for the best of the best - lasts all the way to the fall.

In simpler terms, baseball is back.

And while 67 former University of Arizona ballplayers have graced the Major Leagues between 1921 and opening day 2012, 15 of them have played for the Cleveland Indians. All told, the Tribe has drafted 25 ex-Cats.

This year’s Indians squad features two Arizona alums, Shelley Duncan and Jason Donald, and will likely see Trevor Crowe rejoin the team when the club deems him Big League-ready after an injury sidelined him for the majority of 2011. Pitchers Preston Guilmet and Eric Berger await in Double-A while Dwight Childs catches for their Single-A Carolina Mudcats’ team. In December, the Tribe sent Cory Burns, who led the Double-A level with 35 saves last season, back to Tucson, where he is now the closer for the San Diego Padres‘ Triple-A squad (also known as the Padres).

The next closest franchise to draft that many Wildcats is the St. Louis Cardinals, who have taken 13 UA alums on draft days.

Perhaps it’s because the Indians once called Tucson’s Hi Corbett Field — the Wildcats’ current home digs — their spring training stomping grounds for 45 years, concluding in 1992.

Or perhaps the UA has a Cleveland talent scout in their back pocket. Most likely, it’s a coincidental luck of the draw.

Some quick Wildcat-MLB tidbits:

- The Houston Astros, Oakland/Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees have each had nine ex-Cats don their respective uniforms.

- Former Wildcats have played for defunct teams such as the St. Louis Browns, Montreal Expos and Washington Senators, but not the current franchise the Tampa Rays. Although, the Rays did try, selecting Joe Little in the 2003 draft.

- Five players have played for both the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

- Kenny Lofton has played for the same amount of Big League teams as Wildcat alums Casey Candaele, Lum Davenport, Chip Hale, Hank Leiber, Trevor Hoffman combined – players who has decent careers.

See this year’s current Wildcats in the Big Leagues and read some more Arizona alumnus opening day quirks here.

Proof I had the perfect confluence of “no life” and “pent-up nervous adrenaline” last night:

WILDCATS WHO MADE THE SHOW

(Scroll down further for Wildcats by team)

PLAYERS
BRIAN ANDERSON: Red Sox, White Sox
GEORGE ARIAS: Angels, Padres
DAVE BALDWIN: Brewers, Senators, White Sox
STEVE BARBER: Twins
GREG BARGAR: Cardinals, Expos
TOM BARRETT: Phillies, Red Sox
JASON BATES: Rockies
KEVIN BLANKENSHIP: Braves, Cubs
JORDAN BROWN: Indians
CASEY CANDAELE: Astros, Expos, Indians
CRAIG CHAMBERLAIN: Royals
TREVOR CROWE: Indians
JACK DAUGHERTY: Astros, Expos, Rangers, Reds
LUM DAVENPORT: White Sox
LANCE DICKSON: Cubs
BEN DIGGINS: Brewers
JASON DONALD: Indians
SHELLEY DUNCAN: Indians, Yankees
SCOTT ERICKSON: Dodgers, Mets, Orioles, Rangers, Twins, Yankees
TERRY FRANCONA: Brewers, Cubs, Expos, Indians, Reds
DON GILE: Red Sox
CHIP HALE: Dodgers, Twins
RON HASSEY: Athletics, Cubs, Expos, Indians, White Sox, Yankees
GIL HEREDIA: Athletics, Expos, Giants, Rangers
RICH HINTON: Mariners, Rangers, Reds, White Sox, Yankees
TOMMY HINZO: Indians
TREVOR HOFFMAN: Brewers, Marlins, Padres
LEON HOOTEN: Athletics
JACK HOWELL: Angels, Astros, Padres
NICK HUNDLEY: Padres
WALT KELLNER: Athletics
DON LEE: Angels, Astros, Cubs, Senators, Tigers, Twins
GENE LEEK: Angels, Indians
CRAIG LEFFERTS: Angels, Cubs, Giants, Orioles, Padres, Rangers
HANK LEIBER: Cubs, Giants
EDDIE LEON: Indians, White Sox, Yankees
KENNY LOFTON: Astros, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, White Sox, Yankees
JOE MAGRANE: Angels, Cardinals, White Sox
DAMON MASHORE: Angels, Athletics
MARK MELANCON: Astros, Red Sox, Yankees
JON MELOAN: Athletics, Dodgers, Indians
DAN MEYER: Athletics, Mariners, Tigers
BRAD A. MILLS: Angels, Blue Jays
BRAD MILLS: Expos
JOHN MOSES: Mariners, Tigers, Twins
MIKE PAUL: Cubs, Indians, Rangers
JOSH PEARCE: Cardinals
RYAN PERRY: Nationals, Tigers
TIM PLODINEC: Cardinals
DAVE RAJSICH: Rangers, Yankees
JACK REDMOND: Nationals
DAVE ROHDE: Astros, Indians
DANIEL SCHLERETH: Diamondbacks, Tigers
DAN SCHNEIDER: Astros, Braves
JIM SCRANTON: Royals
CHARLIE SHOEMAKER: Athletics, Royals
DAVE STEGMAN: Tigers, White Sox, Yankees
DWIGHT TAYLOR: Royals
RON THEOBALD: Brewers
CARL THOMAS: Indians
JASON THOMPSON: Padres
ED VOSBERG: Athletics, Diamondbacks, Expos, Giants, Marlins, Padres, Phillies, Rangers
KEVIN WARD: Padres
HAL WARNOCK: Browns
MARK WORRELL: Cardinals, Orioles
BART ZELLER: Cardinals
ALAN ZINTER: Astros, Diamondbacks

WILDCATS BY TEAM

ANGELS (8)
Arias, Howell, Lee, Leek, Lefferts, Magrane, Mashore, Brad A. Mills

ASTROS (9)
Candaele, Daugherty, Howell, Lee, Lofton, Melancon, Rohde, Schneider, Zinter

ATHLETICS (9)
Hassey, Heredia, Hooten, Kellner, Mashore, Meloan, Meyer, Shoemaker, Vosberg

BLUE JAYS (1)
Brad A. Mills

BRAVES (3)
Blankenship, Lofton, Schneider

BREWERS (5)
Baldwin, Diggins, Francona, Hoffman, Theobald

BROWNS (1)
Warnock

CARDINALS (6)
Bargar, Magrane, Pearce, Plodinec, Worrell, Zeller

CUBS (9)
Blankenship, Dickson, Francona, Hassey, Lee, Lefferts, Leiber, Lofton, Paul

DIAMONDBACKS (3)
Schlereth, Vosberg, Zinter

DODGERS (4)
Erickson, Hale, Lofton, Meloan

EXPOS (8)
Bargar, Candaele, Daugherty, Francona, Hassey, Heredia, Mills, Vosberg

GIANTS (5)
Heredia, Lefferts, Lieber, Lofton, Vosberg

INDIANS (15)
Brown, Candaele, Crowe, Donald, Duncan, Francona, Hassey, Hinzo,Leek,Leon, Lofton, Meloan, Paul, Rohde, Thomas

MARINERS (3)
Hinton, Meyer, Moses

MARLINS (2)
Hoffman, Vosberg

METS (1)
Erickson

NATIONALS (2)
Perry, Redmond

ORIOLES (3)
Erickson, Lefferts, Worrell

PADRES (8)
Arias, Hoffman, Howell, Hundley, Lefferts, Thompson, Vosberg, Ward

PHILLIES (3)
Barrett, Lofton, Vosberg

PIRATES (1)
Lofton

RANGERS (9)
Daugherty, Erickson, Heredia, Hinton, Lefferts, Lofton, Paul, Rajsich, Vosberg

REDS (3)
Daugherty, Francona, Hinton

Red Sox (4)
Anderson, Barrett, Gile, Melancon

ROCKIES(1)
Bates

ROYALS (4)
Chamberlain, Scranton, Shoemaker, Taylor

SENATORS (2)
Baldwin, Lee

TIGERS (6)
Lee, Meyer, Moses, Perry, Schlereth, Stegman

TWINS (5)
Barber, Erickson, Hale, Lee, Moses

White Sox (9)
Anderson, Baldwin, Davenport, Hassey, Hinton, Leon, Lofton, Magrane, Stegman

YANKEES (9)
Duncan, Erickson, Hassey, Hinton, Leon, Lofton, Melancon, Rajsich, Stegman

After all, the triumvirate first made a name for themselves at the University of Arizona, some 130 miles south of the Indians’ spring home in Goodyear.

Crowe, Donald and Duncan are among 32 ex-Wildcats playing or coaching professional ball when the boys of summer return to the diamond this week (Japan games excluded).

And while seven of the 32 play in the Indians’ organization (Cleveland: Old Pueblo North?) there are former Wildcats spread throughout the country ready to feast on fastballs, over-anxious hitters and the promise that arrives every year with the freshly cut grass and crisp white chalk lines of spring. Baseball is back and ballplayers everywhere are bearing down.

AN OPENING DAY GUIDE TO ARIZONA ALUMS:

THE PLAYERS

TREVOR CROWE

Cleveland Indians, OF

Final year at the UA: 2005

Rich Pilling - Getty Images

Crowe returns to the diamond after shoulder surgery limited him to 15 games last season.

He only saw 13 plate appearances this spring, but made the most of them, hitting .358 and swiping two bases.

Despite limited success, the outfielder will start the year in extended spring training.

Was the final out in Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga’s notorious one-hit shutout in 2010.

R, H, HR, RBI, AVG

2011: 6, 6, 0, .214

CAREER: 76, 160, 3, 55, .245

We’re gonna give this guy an extra million, he really moves the runner over and gets his bunts down. #thingsyouneverhere

— Trevor Crowe (@tcrowe4) March 28, 2012

JASON DONALD

Cleveland Indians, INF

Rich Pilling - Getty Images

Final year at the UA: 2006

Donald, thanks to a .291 spring batting average, made the Indians’ opening-day roster as a reserve infielder.

Although listed as a shortstop, the Tribe will use Donald to fill needs anywhere in their infield, likely seeing the most time at third base.

Was dubiously called safe at first, ending Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga’s perfect game bid in 2010.

R, H, HR, RBI, AVG

2011: 13, 42, 1, 8, .318

CAREER: 52, 117, 5, 32, .273

SHELLEY DUNCAN

Cleveland Indians, OF

Final year at the UA: 2001

Rich Pilling - Getty Images

With 5 home runs this spring, it appears that Duncan has earned the Tribe’s starting left field nod.

He slugged 11 dingers in each of the last two seasons, and could be poised to finally have a breakout year if he can surpass his previous-high of 229 at bats in a season.

Duncan is one of two active former Wildcats, the other being Houston Astros manager Brad Mills to win a World Series ring. Championship jewelry is in no short supply in the Duncan family, however, as Shelley (’09 Yankees) his brother Chris (’06 Cardinals) and father Dave (’72 and ’89 A’s, ’06 and ’11 Cardinals) have all earned World Series rings.

R, H, HR, RBI, AVG

2011: 29, 58, 11, 47, .260

CAREER: 82, 143, 30, 107, .239

Great day today at the ballpark. Was pumped all day having Dad there. Got to see us win with our pitchers having a strong day. #bullpenmafia

— Shelley Duncan (@shelldunc) March 13, 2012

NICK HUNDLEY

Rich Pilling - Getty Images

San Diego Padres, C

Final year at the UA: 2005

He has similar batting stats through age 27 as fellow backstop Jorge Posada, according to BaseballReference.com.

The catcher’s most dubious mark to date came in 2009 when he led the NL with seven passed balls.

R, H, HR, RBI, AVG

2011: 34, 81, 9, 29, .288

CAREER: 111, 257, 30, 126, .255

DUNCAN vs. HUNDLEY: Shelley Duncan and Nick Hundley each have 30 career home runs. The first to go deep this season will become the active leader among ex-Wildcats.

MARK MELANCON

Boston Red Sox, RP

Charles LeClaire - U.S. Presswire

Final year at the UA: 2006

It appears Melancon will get the nod as the BoSox’ closer with Andrew Bailey likely out with a thumb injury. Melancon proved he can pitch at the Big League level in 2011, registering 74.1 innings, nearly double the amount of innings in his first two seasons combined. He finished with an 8-4 record, 66 strikeouts and 20 saves.

The hurler is second all-time on the Wildcats’ career saves leader board with 18, behind Jason Stoffel (29). Ironically, Stoffel’s success in Houston’s minor league system could be a reason why Melancon was expendable by the Astros, despite saving 20 games last season.

His 20 saves and 10-career wins in three seasons, makes him the active leader among Arizona alums in both categories.

Melancon joins Tony Clark as the only ex-Cats to play for both the Red Sox and their rivals the New York Yankees — even though Clark technically played basketball for the Wildcats and not baseball.

W-L, ERA, SO, SV

2011: 8-4, 2.78, 66, 20 

CAREER:  10-5, 3.21, 98, 20

BRAD MILLS

Jamie Squire - Getty Images

Los Angeles Angels, RP

Final year at the UA: 2007

Although they share the same name and Alma mater, Brad Mills of the Angels and Brad Mills, manager of the Houston Astros, are not related.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who drafted Mills in both 2006 and 2007, traded the southpaw to the Angels in December for Jeff Mathis.

Despite allowing just 2 runs and 7 hits in 14 2/3 innings this spring, the Halos sent Mills to begin the season with their Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees.

W-L, ERA, SO, SV

2011: 1-2, 9.82, 18, 0

CAREER: 2-3, 8.57, 45, 0

BRAD MILLS

Houston Astros, Manager

Andrew Weber - U.S. Presswire

Final year at the UA: 1979

Mills begins his third season as manager of the Houston Astros. The rebuilding ‘Stros finished with an MLB-worst 56 wins in 2011, six fewer than the next-to-worst team.

The coach teamed up with former Wildcat teammate Terry Francona as a bench coach from 1999 to 2000 with the Philadelphia Phillies and again with the Red Sox from 2004 to 2009.

He finished 6th in Manager of the Year voting in 2010

PLAYER

(4 Seasons)

R, H, HR, RBI, AVG

CAREER: 11, 43, 1, 12, .256

MANAGER

W-L

2011: 56-106, 6th NL Central

CAREER: 132-192

I decided to make Brett Myers our closer this season. What??? Theres alot of closers who run it up to 89 on the gun… #Astros

— Brad Mills (@Not_Brad_Mills) February 28, 2012

Brad Barr - U.S. Presswire

RYAN PERRY

Last year inTucson: 2008

After three seasons in Detroit, the Tigers shipped the hard-throwing Marana native to the Washington Nationals in the off-season. Perry will start the season with the Nats’ Triple-A farm team, the Syracuse Chiefs.

W-L, ERA, SO, SV

2011: 2-0, 5.35, 24, 0

CAREER: 5-6, 4.07, 129, 2

PERRY vs. SCHLERETH: Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth appear to be mirroring each other’s careers. Teammates at the UA, the bullpen duo were selected five picks apart in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft — Perry No. 21, Schlereth No. 26. They teamed up once again in Detroit for the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. Both hurlers enter the 2012 season with identical 5-6 career records, Perry has the edge over Schlereth in career saves 2-1 and strikeouts 129-85. Schlereth has the better ERA 3.87 – 4.07.

DANIEL SCHLERETH

Detroit Tigers, RP

Derick Hingle - U.S. Presswire

Final year at the UA: 2008

Schlereth went 2-1 after joining the Tigers’ bullpen in July of last season and will provide depth for a Detroit squad looking to repeat as AL Central champs. He appeared in three postseason games in 2011, yielding 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.

Daniel is the son of ESPN personality and former Denver Bronco All-Pro Mark Schlereth.

Fifteen Wildcats have been drafted since the Arizona Diamonbacks made Schlereth a first-round pick in 2008, but none of those ex-‘Cats have yet to make The Show.

W-L, ERA, SO, SV

2011: 2-2, 3.49, 44, 0 

CAREER:  5-6, 3.87, 85, 1

Gotta get going rolling to Lakland! GO TIGERS!!!!!

— mark schlereth (@markschlereth) March 9, 2012

FORMER WILDCATS IN THE MINORS

* Independent League in 2011

** With Cleveland in 2011

*** Last time in MLB in 2009

KEEP AN EYE ON: 

CORY BURNS: Led the Double-A Minor Leagues with 35 saves in 2011 pitching for the Akron Aeros of the Cleveland Indians organization, before the Tribe sent him back to the Old Pueblo to close games for the Tucson Padres, San Diego’s triple-A afiliate

JETT BANDY: Drafted in June by Los Angeles, rose though the Angels’ ranks and finished the season in Triple-A

DAN BUTLER: Was a finalist for the Arizona Fall League’s Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award in November

Day 4 of #SpringTraining done and learned a lot today! Tomorrow we get to throw to bases!

— Dwight Childs (@DCLaserShow4) March 9, 2012

WHO KNEW? A COLLECTION OF UA-MLB STATS

The MLB All-Star Game has featured a former Wildcat 17 times:

Trevor Hoffman, 7

Kenny Lofton, 6

Hank Lieber, 3

Scott Erickson, 1

.

From Brian Anderson to Alan Zinter: a total of 67 ex-Wildcats have appeared in a Big League game.

.

Ex-Wildcat pitchers have a combined 504-589 win-loss record and a combined 4.61 ERA in the Show.

.

Arizona alums have slugged 740 total home runs — 22 less than Arizona State alum Barry Bonds and 585 fewer dingers than Bonds and his cousin and former Sun Devil Reggie Jackson combined.

.

Arizona hitters have struck out 5,897 times in the Majors with 1,016 of them belonging to Kenny Lofton. In Lofton’s defense, he’s tops among UA alums in every major offensive category except for OPS and SLG.

MLB PLAYERS WITH TUCSON ROOTS

Scott Hairston, New York Mets – Canyon Del Oro High School

J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles –Sabino High School

Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers – Canyon Del Oro High School

Tom Wilhelmsen, Milwaukee Brewers –Tucson High School

Tim Wood, Pittsburgh Pirates –Sabino High School

Kenny Lofton is out of baseball, but his legend lives on…on Twitter

“@terrym0516: @Kenny_Lofton7 Tell all these people you can still play centerfield for the Tribe.”Hahathey all know it already;0)

— Kenny Lofton (@Kenny_Lofton7) March 25, 2012

@Kenny_Lofton7 When you came back to CLE in ’07 I paid a co-worker $50 to come take my shift so I could see your debut. That was a fun year!

— Mr. Warmth(@pronk00) March 25, 2012

@Kenny_Lofton7 Was awesome seeing you at the game in Goodyear tonight. Will always be one of the all time great Indians & fan favorite.

— Chris Butts (@cab0305) March 24, 2012

They sit like a singing elephant on a street corner. No one really wants to acknowledge it. And when they do, they often do so in self-deprecating tones.

These bombs — the pent-up frustration of a metropolis’ insufferable championship drought — have been known to flip over a car or two upon detonation.

And yet, they cannot be defused by simply snipping the red wire. Or is it the blue?

The fallout of the 2004 bomb the Red Sox set off in Boston rained fallout of widespread relief, divine thankfulness and a newfound tidal wave of chowdah-accented arrogance.

Bombs such as these lie just beneath the psyche of a city and fester until a guy — a bayou-born-and-bred boy, really — like New Orleans Saints’ cornerback Tracy Porter sneaks up from behind one of these weapons of mass deprivation and uses all 186-pounds of his 5-foot-11-inch frame to smack it with a ball-peen hammer.

And a city explodes.

“I never saw the (French) Quarter like that,” said Saints believer Marc Hoppe in February, who observed the fallout of Crescent City’s first professional sports title from a perch near Vieux Carré.

Porter’s interception runback for a touchdown late in Super Bowl XLIV sealed the first-ever world championship for the city and set off a party that’s still trickling out of the Big Easy.

“The whole place was insane, and anytime anything happened, everyone was going bonkers,” Hoppe recalled.

“That said, when Porter intercepted that pass, the Quarter erupted. During the run back and touchdown, the whole city just totally exploded.

“People were waiting to be able to let loose and celebrate, but I think we were all sort of reserved until that interception.”

Dynasties are great. They’re the goal of any self-respecting franchise.

But you never forget your first time.

The city of New Orleans waited 43 years for its first title in one of the four major sports leagues — MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL.

Ryan Dempster of the Cubs hoists the Stanley Cup before June 13 game against the White Sox. The Cub may be going on 100-plus years without a world title, but the rest of Chicago, including the Blackhawks, keeps the fans placated. Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

This month, the Chicago Blackhawks catered a 49-year famine with a Stanley Cup. Tears were shed. Fathers hugged sons. Lines were penciled across many a bucket list.

But the Blackhawks’ championship didn’t deliver Chicago to its knees.

After all, the White Sox won a World Series in 2005. Let’s not forget about that Bulls dynasty of the 90s.

And while a World Series title has eluded the Cubs — 100 years and counting — Chicago, as a city, has lifted its share of championship banners among the Windy City’s rafters.

That’d be 18 banners, to be precise.

There are plenty of cities with a depravity of titles that spans multitudes of generations.

San Diego and Buffalo have never won a Super Bowl, but did win AFL titles in 1963 (Chargers) and 1964 and 1965 (Bills).

The Indians’ World Series void began during World War II. Since then, neither the Tribe nor the Cavaliers (just like the Padres in San Diego and the Sabres in Buffalo) have been able to deliver Cleveland to the apex of their respective leagues.

You’d have to poll an Ottawa octogenarian to chat about the Senators’ last Stanley Cup win. The Sens haven’t hoisted the hallowed hardware since 1927 — granted there was a 58-year hiatus (between 1934 and 1992) of NHL hockey in the Canadian capital.

Starting around the start of the 20th century, the Senators won a staggering 11 Stanley Cups. Four of them came after they joined the NHL, including winning the first Stanley Cup in NHL history.

The point is: in spite of their droughts, cities such as Buffalo, Cleveland and San Diego have experienced the euphoria of being crowned best in show.

To find the ultimate championship-starved fan base, however, a city can never have hoisted championship hardware; never watched its players poured champagne down the backs of their fellow teammates; never thrown a tickertape parade.

Fans of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant attend the 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers championship parade on Figueroa Street. Unlike 11 North American cities, Los Angeles has plenty of title experience. Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

There are 11 cities that have never done any of the aforementioned.

The driest of them all is a city that annually gets an average of 44 inches of rain: Vancouver.

Between the Canucks and the Grizzlies, the good folks of Vancouver have spent 39 years and 45 seasons pining for a trophy.

The Grizzlies have since started a new streak of futility in Memphis.

Perhaps the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2010 Winter Games to Vancouver out of pity.

The Canucks have only reached the Stanley Cup finals twice. They lost both times to teams from New York (Islanders and Rangers), a city that could spare a title or two.

All told, New York teams have won 55 major championships.

Vancouver’s dearth is nine years older than the Jazz’s fruitless stay in Salt Lake City and 10 years longer than the drought inflicted on Sacramento by the Kings.

The middle of the list is populated by former expansion teams, such as Orlando, Jacksonville and San Jose, who are quickly aging before our eyes.

Each passing year brings more despair. Every extinguished season shortens the fuse of a fan base’s patience.

Clock’s ticking.

IN NEED OF SOME (CHAMPIONSHIP) RAIN

There are 11 cities with franchises in the four major sport leagues — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — that have never won a championship.

YEARS WITHOUT A TITLE               CITY               TEAM(S)

 

39     VANCOUVER* Canucks & Grizzlies

30     SALT LAKE CITY Jazz

29     SACRAMENTO Kings

20     CHARLOTTE Bobcats & Hornets

20     ORLANDO Magic

18     SAN JOSE Sharks

14     JACKSONVILLE Jaguars

12     NASHVILLE^ Titans & Predators

10     COLUMBUS Blue Jackets

9       MEMPHIS Grizzlies

2      OKLAHOMA CITY Thunder

*45 seasons

^24 seasons

They sit like a singing elephant on a street corner. No one really wants to acknowledge it. And when they do, they often do so in self-deprecating tones.

These bombs — the pent-up frustration of a metropolis’ insufferable championship drought — have been known to flip over a car or two upon detonation.

And yet, they cannot be defused by simply snipping the red wire. Or is it the blue?

The fallout of the 2004 bomb the Red Sox set off in Boston rained fallout of widespread relief, divine thankfulness and a newfound tidal wave of chowdah-accented arrogance.

Bombs such as these lie just beneath the psyche of a city and fester until a guy — a bayou-born-and-bred boy, really — like New Orleans Saints’ cornerback Tracy Porter sneaks up from behind one of these weapons of mass deprivation and uses all 186-pounds of his 5-foot-11-inch frame to smack it with a ball-peen hammer.

And a city explodes.

“I never saw the (French) Quarter like that,” said Saints believer Marc Hoppe in February, who observed the fallout of Crescent City’s first professional sports title from a perch near Vieux Carré.

Porter’s interception runback for a touchdown late in Super Bowl XLIV sealed the first-ever world championship for the city and set off a party that’s still trickling out of the Big Easy.

“The whole place was insane, and anytime anything happened, everyone was going bonkers,” Hoppe recalled.

“That said, when Porter intercepted that pass, the Quarter erupted. During the run back and touchdown, the whole city just totally exploded.

“People were waiting to be able to let loose and celebrate, but I think we were all sort of reserved until that interception.”

Dynasties are great. They’re the goal of any self-respecting franchise.

But you never forget your first time.

The city of New Orleans waited 43 years for its first title in one of the four major sports leagues — MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL.

Ryan Dempster of the Cubs hoists the Stanley Cup before June 13 game against the White Sox. The Cub may be going on 100-plus years without a world title, but the rest of Chicago, including the Blackhawks, keeps the fans placated. Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

This month, the Chicago Blackhawks catered a 49-year famine with a Stanley Cup. Tears were shed. Fathers hugged sons. Lines were penciled across many a bucket list.

But the Blackhawks’ championship didn’t deliver Chicago to its knees.

After all, the White Sox won a World Series in 2005. Let’s not forget about that Bulls dynasty of the 90s.

And while a World Series title has eluded the Cubs — 100 years and counting — Chicago, as a city, has lifted its share of championship banners among the Windy City’s rafters.

That’d be 18 banners, to be precise.

There are plenty of cities with a depravity of titles that spans multitudes of generations.

San Diego and Buffalo have never won a Super Bowl, but did win AFL titles in 1963 (Chargers) and 1964 and 1965 (Bills).

The Indians’ World Series void began during World War II. Since then, neither the Tribe nor the Cavaliers (just like the Padres in San Diego and the Sabres in Buffalo) have been able to deliver Cleveland to the apex of their respective leagues.

You’d have to poll an Ottawa octogenarian to chat about the Senators’ last Stanley Cup win. The Sens haven’t hoisted the hallowed hardware since 1927 — granted there was a 58-year hiatus (between 1934 and 1992) of NHL hockey in the Canadian capital.

Starting around the start of the 20th century, the Senators won a staggering 11 Stanley Cups. Four of them came after they joined the NHL, including winning the first Stanley Cup in NHL history.

The point is: in spite of their droughts, cities such as Buffalo, Cleveland and San Diego have experienced the euphoria of being crowned best in show.

To find the ultimate championship-starved fan base, however, a city can never have hoisted championship hardware; never watched its players poured champagne down the backs of their fellow teammates; never thrown a tickertape parade.

Fans of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant attend the 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers championship parade on Figueroa Street. Unlike 11 North American cities, Los Angeles has plenty of title experience. Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

There are 11 cities that have never done any of the aforementioned.

The driest of them all is a city that annually gets an average of 44 inches of rain: Vancouver.

Between the Canucks and the Grizzlies, the good folks of Vancouver have spent 39 years and 45 seasons pining for a trophy.

The Grizzlies have since started a new streak of futility in Memphis.

Perhaps the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2010 Winter Games to Vancouver out of pity.

The Canucks have only reached the Stanley Cup finals twice. They lost both times to teams from New York (Islanders and Rangers), a city that could spare a title or two.

All told, New York teams have won 55 major championships.

Vancouver’s dearth is nine years older than the Jazz’s fruitless stay in Salt Lake City and 10 years longer than the drought inflicted on Sacramento by the Kings.

The middle of the list is populated by former expansion teams, such as Orlando, Jacksonville and San Jose, who are quickly aging before our eyes.

Each passing year brings more despair. Every extinguished season shortens the fuse of a fan base’s patience.

Clock’s ticking.

IN NEED OF SOME (CHAMPIONSHIP) RAIN

There are 11 cities with franchises in the four major sport leagues — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — that have never won a championship.

YEARS WITHOUT A TITLE               CITY               TEAM(S)

 

39     VANCOUVER* Canucks & Grizzlies

30     SALT LAKE CITY Jazz

29     SACRAMENTO Kings

20     CHARLOTTE Bobcats & Hornets

20     ORLANDO Magic

18     SAN JOSE Sharks

14     JACKSONVILLE Jaguars

12     NASHVILLE^ Titans & Predators

10     COLUMBUS Blue Jackets

9       MEMPHIS Grizzlies

2      OKLAHOMA CITY Thunder

*45 seasons

^24 seasons

But these days, it seems that it’s becoming easier to go unblemished on the pitching mound.

Baseball prides itself on its imperfections, the anomalies unique solely inside its diamond-shaped heart.

It’s a place where flawlessness is usually reserved for myth.

So, when a pitcher tosses a perfect game, it’s considered entry into an elite fraternity — presumably Epsilon Tau Alpha or ERA to the non-Greek-speaking layman.

It’s a caste of 20 players dating back to 1880 that’s about as privileged as it is fickle when it comes to its enrollment.

Despite the discretionary company, it appears, in an age caricatured by hulking hitters, that it is now easier to toss a perfect game — AKA 27 batters up, 27 batters slink back to the dugout without reaching base. 

There have been 11 perfect games thrown since Len Barker, a man known around the Cleveland Indian clubhouse as “the Big Donkey,” got stubborn with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981.

That’d be a dozen perfectos, had Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga not been fleeced by Jim Joyce. The first-base umpire incorrectly ruled what would have been the final out of Galarraga’s June 2 bid in Detroit to become the fraternity’s 21^st member.

Conversely, MLB only witnessed the feat nine times in the 100 years prior to Barker’s perfect game.

That’s an average of one every three years in the post-Barker era, as opposed to one every 11 years dating back to the 19^th century.

Perhaps MLB’s new steroid-testing policy has done to the long ball what debit cards did to the panhandling industry — that is, systematically destroy a once-profitable market.

Maybe it’s the pitchers who are much stronger? Of the 65 players suspended by MLB since 2004 for using performance-enhancing supplements, 34 of them were pitchers.

None of them — it should be noted — are members of the perfect game fraternity.

While it can’t be determined whether or not science is being used to gain perfection, we can use science to predict the next one.

Of the 20 perfect game thrown, seven of them have been thrown in May — the most of any month by far.

None have ever been tossed under the humidity of August.

Chalk it up to fresh arms, colder weather and chillier bats.

PERFECT GAMES BY MONTH

April – 1

May – 7

June – 3

July – 4

August – 0

Sept. – 3

Oct. – 2

It also helps to be pitching on the Lord’s Day to trap a little divine mound magic. Seven of the 20 perfect games occurred on a Sunday afternoon — the most of any day of the week.

Also a mere six of the 20 have been thrown on the road.

Does a foreign city plus the lure of performance inhibitors equate to perfection?

Only one has been thrown on a Tuesday. Monday’s only perfect game was the biggest anomaly of them all: Don Larsen’s call to perfection in the 1956 World Series.

Saturday has played host to two bouts with history. They happened 130 years apart in 2010 (Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies) and 1880 (Lee Richmond, Worcester Ruby Legs).

PERFECT GAMES BY DAY OF THE WEEK

Sunday – 7

Saturday – 2

Friday – 3

Thursday – 3

Wednesday – 3

Tuesday – 1

Monday – 1

All of these pitchers in this class of perfection have proven to be fallible.

One of Cy Young’s MLB-record 511 career wins was perfect; but the former Cleveland Spiders is also credited with the most losses (316) in history.

There are as many pitchers with losing career records (five) in the perfect game frat as there are hall of famers.

As Joyce, Galarraga and the rest of baseball were painfully reminded last week:

Nobodie’s perfekt.

PERFECT GAME NOTES

 

The Florida Marlins are selling roughly 13,000 of the unsold tickets to Roy Halladay’s perfect game on May 29 in Miami. Tickets are going for face value and are selling faster than Halladay shut the Marlins.

…

Dennis Martinez (1991) and Kenny Rogers (1994) threw perfect games three years to the day on July 28.

…

Eight of the perfect games thrown have come from left-handed pitchers.

…

The combined record of pitchers who have thrown perfect games is 3,351-2,424.

PERFECT GAMES 

Roy Halladay, R*

May 29, 2010

Saturday

Dallas Braden, L

May 9, 2010

Sunday

Mark Buehrle, L

July 23, 2009

Thursday

Randy Johnson, L*

May 18, 2004

Tuesday

David Cone, R

July 18, 1999

Sunday

David Wells, L

May 17, 1998

Sunday

Kenny Rogers, L

July 28, 1994

Thursday

Dennis Martinez, R*

July 28, 1991

Sunday

Tom Browning, L

September 16, 1988

Friday

Mike Witt, R*

September 30, 1984

Sunday

Len Barker, R

May 15, 1981

Friday

Catfish Hunter, R

May 8, 1968

Wednesday

Sandy Koufax, L

September 29, 1965

Wednesday

Jim Bunning, R*

June 21, 1964

Sunday

Don Larsen, R

Oct. 8, 1956

Monday

Charlie Robertson, R*

April 30, 1922

Sunday

Addie Joss, R

Oct. 2, 1908

Friday

Cy Young, R

May 5, 1904

Wednesday

John Montgomery Ward, R

June 17, 1880

Thursday

Lee Richmond, L

June 12, 1880

Saturday

 *Road Game

The former University of Arizona shortstop made his Major League debut on Tuesday after getting the midnight call that every Triple-A player dreams about.

Donald, 25, got the start at shortstop for the Cleveland Indians after the Tribe placed Asdrubal Cabrera on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured arm.

The Clovis, Calif., native — who was hitting .277 as second baseman for the Columbus Clippers — didn’t waste the opportunity, reaching base in his first three at-bats. 

After singling in his first plate appearance, he added another single, a walk and scored a run.

Unfortunately, Cleveland lost the afternoon game, 6-2.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Donald 97^th overall in the 2006 amateur draft out of Arizona, where he hit .377 in his final year as a Wildcat.

He joined Cleveland last summer as part of the deal that sent former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee from the Tribe to the Phils.

At Columbus, Donald was teammates with former Canyon Del Oro High School and University of Arizona standout Shelley Duncan.

In front of the hall-of-fame pitcher stands yet another not-so-worthy opponent, wallet in hand.

Today, the cantankerous, 91-year-old’s battery mate is a surly octogenarian, who sits to the right of Feller’s moneymaker with his arms crossed and barks “$10!” when all you want to do is steal a peek at the Cleveland Indians’ icon.

Apparently the current recession doesn’t preclude living legends who are old enough to recall the greatest depression of them all. Instead of kicking his feet up on a barkalounger, Feller is spending his March afternoons in Arizona on the concourse of the Goodyear Stadium, spring home of the Tribe.

Recession or not, it seems that autographs simply don’t hold the same conotation as they used to. Feller’s signature on eBay currently fetches anywhere between $0.99 and $50 for rare items. His John Hancock is all over the poor-man’s auction house, yet you only need one hand to count the amount of live bids. The median price for the hall-of-famer’s autograph is $10 – or roughly less than $.04 for each career win.

Blame the dilluted pool on a backpack-wearing army of middle-age men pounding the streets in pursuit of autographs. It’s the very same flooding that befell the baseball card industry.

You have to sign your name as Joe DiMaggio or Tom Brady to crack four-digits on eBay – guys you won’t find readily available, pen in hand, on the concourse of Goodyear Stadium.

SOUND OFF:

What’s your most prized autograph? Mine belongs to Yogi Berra and not because he’s among my favorite players. Rather, because the hall-of-fame New York Yankee catcher inked a golf ball for me. It trumps my Leon Johnson autograph, in which the former New York Jets’ running back signed a paper plate. Let me know yours and we’ll post them here. 

Find more writing from Christopher C. Wuensch by visiting the blog “Still In Progress At Press Time.”

In front of the hall-of-fame pitcher stands yet another not-so-worthy opponent, wallet in hand.

Today, the cantankerous, 91-year-old’s battery mate is a surly octogenarian, who sits to the right of Feller’s moneymaker with his arms crossed and barks “$10!” when all you want to do is steal a peek at the Cleveland Indians’ icon.

Apparently the current recession doesn’t preclude living legends who are old enough to recall the greatest depression of them all. Instead of kicking his feet up on a barkalounger, Feller is spending his March afternoons in Arizona on the concourse of the Goodyear Stadium, spring home of the Tribe.

Recession or not, it seems that autographs simply don’t hold the same conotation as they used to. Feller’s signature on eBay currently fetches anywhere between $0.99 and $50 for rare items. His John Hancock is all over the poor-man’s auction house, yet you only need one hand to count the amount of live bids. The median price for the hall-of-famer’s autograph is $10 – or roughly less than $.04 for each career win.

Blame the dilluted pool on a backpack-wearing army of middle-age men pounding the streets in pursuit of autographs. It’s the very same flooding that befell the baseball card industry.

You have to sign your name as Joe DiMaggio or Tom Brady to crack four-digits on eBay – guys you won’t find readily available, pen in hand, on the concourse of Goodyear Stadium.

SOUND OFF:

What’s your most prized autograph? Mine belongs to Yogi Berra and not because he’s among my favorite players. Rather, because the hall-of-fame New York Yankee catcher inked a golf ball for me. It trumps my Leon Johnson autograph, in which the former New York Jets’ running back signed a paper plate. Let me know yours and we’ll post them here. 

Find more writing from Christopher C. Wuensch by visiting the blog “Still In Progress At Press Time.”