We finally were able to get on the same page and I made it out to Columbus and used that as a base camp to visit the Indians in Cleveland and the Reds in Cincinnati. By the way, when I started this trip, there was no way I was spelling Cincinnati correctly. By now though, I’m a pro. Go me. Also, stanchions. I think I’ve used that word on this blog a good half dozen times and now I know how to spell it!
Game Notes:
HUGE letdown as soon as I got off the highway. I had been so pumped to see “the Jake” (aka Jacobs Field) in Cleveland yet it wasn’t there! In its place I found a cold imposter known as “Progressive Field.” That sucks. If and when I ever own a big time stadium or venue I’ll do my very best not to sell the naming rights to a corporate sponsor. I think we can all agree that “Wladyka Field” doesn’t have the greatest ring to it but I’m creative enough that I’d come up with something good. FYI, Jacobs field was named after the Indians’ former owners and only had its named changed prior to opening day of this season. Crappy start to the day.
Cleveland did something pretty cool by opening the outfield gates at 4:30 for a 7:05 start. However, only the outfield bleachers and one area of concessions were open to fans. The rest of the park did not open until 6:00. This was good and bad. I got to the park around 5:00 but in hindsight that was a bit too early because I was done checking out the outfield by 5:30. Anyways, out there they have “Heritage Park” which is a really nice two-level “park” of monuments and the Indians hall of fame. I found Manny Ramirez’ plaque saying he’s one of the 100 greatest Indians players of all time (1901-2001). They also play up Bob Feller’s accomplishments and have a statue of him out front. If you Google him I bet you’d be impressed too. I liked 1946 when he pitched 378 innings and had a 2.18 ERA.
I noticed a few things while killing a half hour in the outfield bleachers. First, the seats out there are very similar to Coors Field (most likely because the parks opened within a year of each other) and I liked that. Second, the two youngest, cutest kids (two brothers) kept getting ball after ball from the outfielders during batting practice. That makes sense. What didn’t make as much sense was after they each got a ball they started passing the balls off to other kids and even an adult. How’s that for good parenting?! I’m an only child so sometimes I struggle with the “sharing” concept but these kids had it down pat from an early age. That’s good to see.
My last observation was the luxury space at Progressive Field. Wow! I was extremely unimpressed with how much pure physical ballpark space was taken up by luxury boxes, many of which were not even in use! In the right field corner there had to be about 20-25 boxes, hardly any of them open and in use. Then, ringing the entire infield, there were three levels of suites PLUS a nice restaurant. Take a look at this.
I can’t believe it. I know the Indians can make a lot of money with these boxes but what about the common fan? If you can’t afford to sit in the lower bowl you’re damn far away from the action in the upper deck at Progressive Field. Despite this, the fans in Cleveland set a major league record by selling out 455 consecutive games from ’95-’01. I should have taken a picture of the retired number 455 along with all of the other famous Indians. Oh well.
I had flip-flopped between attending the Indians game on Monday the 26th or the next night. If I had gone on Monday I would have taken advantage of $1 hot dog night AND 80 degree weather with a breeze. Instead, I watched the Celtics lose on Monday and ended up paying $4.25 for a hot dog at a game that started at 54 degrees and dropped precipitously. Live and learn I guess, right? Still though, 54 degrees at the end of May?? Ugh.
High Points:
-Much like many teams have a single letter on their hats (i.e. “B” for Boston or “P” for Phillies) the Indians have a cursive “I” on their hats. Well, the concessions sell pretzels in the shape of a cursive “I”! I couldn’t tell at first but it soon became apparent. I didn’t buy one but I thought that was really cool.
-So far the Indians have had the best fireworks display after a home run. I don’t like the idea in general but if you’re going to do it, do it right.
-It was $22 and I only had a couple of hours so I didn’t go inside but I got some pictures of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which is right down the street from Progressive Field. I took about 4 pictures from a moving car and they all came out great!
-I moved about frequently during the game and I was not once hassled by an usher or even asked for my ticket. I LOVE places like that.
-Creepy but cool at the same time: I had heard about and seen on TV the guy who beats the big drum at Indians games. Well, I heard the thing but I could not for the life of me spot him in the bleachers. I could have walked over across the park but I decided it was cooler to let it be a mystery and play up the “drums in the distance” mystique of it all.
-On my FOURTH attempt I finally found an usher to take a semi-decent picture of me. I still had to lighten it afterwards though. Isn’t it just point and shoot? I don’t understand how people can mess up taking pictures. Anyway, here is me and my coffee due to the extreme temperature drop.
Low Points:
-The field itself was in the poorest condition I’ve seen. Granted, outfielders often camp in the same spot and sometimes a patch is worn down but that was the least of the problems with the grass at Progressive field. There were dirt patches in the most random areas and the grass looked like it was cut during amateur hour. Definitely a low point; this is the MAJOR leagues, not the bush leagues.
-This phenomenon occurred in San Francisco as well but it didn’t bother me there for some reason. When I was in the upper deck the seagulls arrived in anticipation of their end of game feast. They were quite the distraction. Obviously this is the Indians’ fault.
-Yet another park with an annoying “host.”
-Despite the fact that “Chief Wahoo” was mentioned and/or shown on the video board on several occasions, he was not the mascot on the field. The Indians had some weird pink spotted character they call Slider. I know there is a big fight about the whole politically correct thing and “Chief Wahoo” is offensive to certain groups. Fine, if that’s the case, shouldn’t his image and any references to him be stricken from the park completely? All or nothing, right? This is Slider hugging someone from the condiment race.
-Both teams played extremely sloppy defense. They combined for 3 errors but it should have been more.
-It was a freezing cold night but the fans were really out of it the entire game. Even when the scoreboard tried to pump them up it didn’t have too much of an effect. All this while the Indians were scoring 8 runs en route to winning the game! (PS, did you know “en route” was two words? MAN I cannot spell!)
-On the second level I thought the Indians had a pretty cool viewing area they called the “party porch.” It jutted out from the luxury boxes and was the only non-luxury space in the middle level of the stands. When I tried to check it out I was turned away, reason being it was only for luxury box people. Damn! This place looked pretty cool.
In conclusion...the full view.
Overall Grade: B-
Game Stats:
Teams: Indians vs. White Sox
Final Score: 8-2 Indians
WP: Aaron Laffey
LP: Mark Buerle
Time: 2:50
Announced Attendance: 25,426
Ticket Price: $8.00
Parking Price: N/A
Trip Stats:
Home team record: 10-6
Best Anthem: Tropicana Field
Miles Driven: 6472
States Visited: 14
Countries Visited: 2
Beds slept in: 21
Highest Gas PPG: $4.19 [4.81 if you count Canada]
Worst Rode Conditions: Michigan
Next Stop: Cincinnati Reds
Favorite Park: Petco Park (Padres)
Stadium Grades:
Marlins: D
Rays: B
Braves: B-
Rockies: B+
Mariners: B
Giants: A-
Athletics: C
Angels: B-
Dodgers: B+
Padres: A
Diamondbacks: B
Rangers: B-
Astros: B-
Blue Jays: C
Tigers: A-
Indians: B-
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