Poll: Cleveland Indians Fans Debate Who Should Throw Out First Pitch of World Series

CLEVELAND, OH - The World Series doesn't start until Oct. 25 and the Cleveland Indians don't yet know who they'll be playing for the championship. As the team studies both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, fans have been eagerly debating who should get the honor of throwing out the first pitch of Game 1.

Many fans want to see actor Charlie Sheen run out from the bullpen dressed as Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn from the movie Major League. Unfortunately, the club has already said Sheen will not be throwing the first pitch.

Tell us who you think should get to throw the ceremonial first pitch in the poll below. If you think of someone else we forgot to mention, write in the comment section or email Patch's Ohio Editor Chris Mosby at chris.mosby@patch.com.

Here are the candidates that have been offered by fans:

First, let's look at Sheen.

Even though the team has already said that Sheen isn't eligible to throw the first pitch, saying they pre-selected "former franchise greats" to throw the ceremonial pitch, social media is still stumping for the actor. It's understandable. For decades, the greatest sports accomplishment for Clevelanders was the movie 'Major League.' Sheen was the fire throwing, scene-stealing Ricky Vaughn in the film and his (at least in The Mistake by the Lake) iconic performance has embedded the Troggs' Wild Thing jam into the region's collective consciousness.

Clevelanders have happily thrown the "Wild Thing" label onto any player that sort-of fits the mold. Most notably, Cavaliers' center Anderson Varejao, whose frilly curls became a favorite wig for children in Northeast Ohio. Whenever Varejao dove on the floor, for a loose ball or to draw another foul, Quicken Loans Arena would instantly cue up Wild Thing and for a few fleeting seconds the arena would sway as the fans sang the song.

But there's no replacing Sheen's performance in that movie, particularly in another sport. Even if the team denies him the honor of the first pitch, they should consider bringing him to the club to do the 7th inning stretch.

Plus, Sheen seems grateful for the recognition.

Another popular choice on social media is John Adams, the famous bleachers drummer who leads the Tribe's rallies.

Adams would make sense. He's certainly a team legend and a regional treasure. For years, Adams paid for two seats, one for him and one for his drum. He's been around the team in up years and down years, his rhythmic drumming guiding fans through dismal seasons and playoff trips.

Another non-player that's been bandied about as throwing out the first pitch is announcer Tom Hamilton.

Hamilton has been the voice of the Indians for 26 years. His booming homerun celebrations have become the stuff of Cleveland legend, with many fans choosing to mute their televisions and listen to "Hammy's" call of postseason games. He has called all 69 of the Indians' postseason games since 1990, including their 1996 and 1997 trips to the World Series.

The player who has been mentioned most frequently on social media channels as deserving of the honor is Jim Thome.

Thome would certainly make sense. The team built a statue of the slugger in 2014, despite some local protests about the way Thome departed the team. Some fans have even lobbied against his throwing out the first pitch because of "disloyalty." That said, Thome was perhaps the most famous face on the '96 and '97 teams that made back-to-back World Series.

This one was just fun. If the opponent is the Chicago Cubs, some fans have lobbied throwing a hard brushback at the Cubbies by bringing Steve Bartman to Progressive Field.

Poor Steve Bartman. The guy just wanted to go see a ball game and he ends up the subject of years and years of Chicago baseball angst. This would be a masterful head game to kick-off the World Series, though. I think it would definitely sour the nation against Cleveland, so maybe we pass on this one. Although, the goat would be a nice choice.

Photo by Rick Uldricks, Patch