It's the end of the 19th century and the basepaths are alive with legendary players such as John McGraw and Honus Wagner. Cy Young is on the mound and King Saturday (the Cleveland Indian) is at bat. The kranks, or fans, are rooting for action. The Cleveland Indian brings to life the bawdy, often sinister, final days of the Gay Nineties. Against this panorama, the author fields an authentic 1897 Cleveland Spiders lineup, a team as colorful as its era. King Saturday, modeled on real-life baseball legend Sockalexis, the Indian outfielder who gave the Cleveland ball club its name, is a con man, a drunk, a brawler, a hero, a schemer, a murderer, and possessor of the most talent any baseball man ever saw.