Football in Cleveland has changed a lot since Cubs’ last World Series

Yesterday we looked at all the ways life has changed in the mere 19 years since the last time the Cleveland Indians won the American League pennant to qualify for the World Series.

Here’s one that stands out from the last time the Cubs made the Fall Classic by claiming the NL pennant: Cleveland had the best football team in the world in 1945.

It wasn’t the Browns, though. They hadn’t played a game yet.

Nope, this lakeside franchise that ruled the NFL was the Cleveland Rams.

After a 9-1 regular season, the Rams beat the Redskins 15-14 in the NFL championship game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Bob Waterfield threw two touchdown passes and kicked the extra point that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

That was the last game the Rams played in Cleveland as the home team. They moved to Los Angeles the following season, at least in part because they had no interest in competing with former Ohio State/Massillon Washington High School coach Paul Brown's new franchise set to start play the following season.

And as far as times changing, well, the Rams are 3-4 so far in their first season back in LA after roughly two decades in St. Louis.

The Browns? Well, that’s another story…

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