CLEVELAND, Ohio – Early Wednesday morning, I received this text from Steve Colavito. He wanted me to know what he wrote about his father – Rocky Colavito – who died Tuesday at the age of 91.

After he was traded in one of the most infamous deals in Cleveland’s history, the team floundered and “the curse of Rocky Colavito” was born.

Rocky Colavito, the beloved Cleveland baseball slugger, died Tuesday at 91. Why it matters: Colavito is among the franchise's greats, hitting 190 home runs across two stints with the team through the 1950s and 1960s.