Submitted photo
Lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, Carmen Roberts Sr. of Niles died May 1 at the age of 97. Because of COVID-19, the family did not have services. However, they honored him with the purchase a cardboard cutout placed in the left field stands of Progressive Field in Cleveland.

NILES — The Cleveland Indians have kept fans, including a late Niles resident, in the game despite COVID-19.

The Indians have scattered cardboard cutouts throughout Progressive Field. Among them is Carmen Roberts Sr.

Carmen Roberts III thought there was no better way to celebrate his late grandfather than by getting him to one of these games — even if in cardboard fashion.

Earlier this year, Carmen Roberts Sr. died. The family couldn’t give him the service he deserved as a result of the pandemic.

“We needed to find the appropriate way to celebrate his life the best way we can,” Roberts said.

The Indians offered the perfect substitution: a cutout in the left field stands for the remainder of the season.

Roberts Sr. was a lifelong Indians fan and supported the team through the good and bad.

“Grandpa used to take my dad and his brother to games in the ’50s,” Roberts said. “He always loved the Indians through good times and bad times. He would have gotten a kick out of it.”

When Roberts stumbled across an article about the process for getting one of these cutouts in the field, he and his sister jumped at the opportunity.

“You need to submit a picture along with a $100 donation to the Indians’ charities and if the picture is of good quality, they can select it. But there’s no guarantee because of the extremely limited number of cutouts available,” Roberts III said.

Roberts and his family view this as the perfect tribute.

“It’s a really nice way of honoring him. I wish we could do more but with the way things are, it’s not viable,” Roberts said.

The cutout went up on Aug. 21 and will remain in Section 172 in left field for the rest of the season.

Carmen Roberts Sr. died May 1 at the age of 97. He was a World War II veteran of the United States Army, according to his obituary. He enjoyed swimming, bowling, dancing and watching sports, especially the Indians and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was employed as a millwright at the National Gypsum Co. in Niles for more than 30 years and was a member of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Niles, his obituary states.

nhawthorne@tribtoday.com