Cleveland Indians president of business operations Brian Barren announces the change from the Indians to the Guardians in Cleveland, July 23.

Cleveland Indians president of business operations Brian Barren announces the change from the Indians to the Guardians in Cleveland, July 23.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

‘Cleveland is a city that has been ravaged by financiers and industrialists . . . its population abandoned to their fate, left to freeze their ass off, standing in the dirty winter slush, waiting for a bus that is a long time coming. Somehow they go on living,” wrote the artist Robert Crumb.

On Friday the Cleveland Indians announced that, starting in the 2022 season, they will be known as the Guardians. It’s a name that would look good on the side of a Brink’s truck. My cousin George said, “It sounds like an insurance company softball team.” I prefer Cleveland Rocks. George likes Cleveland Grays.

I was born and raised in the dirty winter slush. I still live here. I’ve been to some Tribe games. I’ve seen three no-hitters (Stieb, Bauman and Siebert). Bob Feller was once in my house. In the old days, ballplayers held regular jobs in the off-season. Feller sold us some insurance. My dad was thrilled to have Rapid Robert in our living room.

I remember Municipal Stadium, which was knocked down in 1996. It was cavernous and nearly always empty. You just had to tell the usher you were going to the bathroom and you could upgrade your seat right up to the first-base line.

Guardians—the name—refers to some massive Art Deco statues, called the “Guardians of Traffic,” which grace the pylons at the Hope Memorial Bridge in central Cleveland. The “Hope” is for Bob Hope and his father, one of the stonemasons who carved the “Guardians of Traffic” statues. Bob was born Leslie “Les” Hope. He grew up funny, fending off taunts of “Hope Les.” Let’s call the Tribe the Cleveland Hopes.

“Is there a groundswell of disgust in Cleveland about the Guardians?” asked a family friend who now lives on the West Coast. Not really. There’s hate, but it isn’t extreme. Plain Dealer sportswriter Terry Pluto called the new name “safe and rather boring.” He wanted the Cleveland Walleyes.

The Tribe hasn’t won it all since 1948. My dad said he’d take me to the World Series. Never happened. The team was mediocre for decades. I took my sons in 1995 when the Indians played the Braves. The Tribe dropped that one, as they did in 1997 against the Marlins and 2016 against the Cubs.

Somehow we go on living here on the banks of the Cuyahoga. Go Guardians. The real question is will the Browns be Super Bowl contenders this fall?

Mr. Stratton is author of the blog Klezmer Guy: Real Music & Real Estate.

The week's best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson and Dan Henninger. Photo: Getty Images The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition