At times, especially when I was still in school, sports were a major part of my life. My interest in NFL football came from my mom, my former obsession with the NBA was courtesy of Mark Price's brilliance, and my enduring fondness for baseball grew due to my older sister.
Showing my team pride by purposely gathering all of my team gear for a photo. I thought it was cool.
So cool in fact, that I took another one decked out in my CAVS gear.
I don't remember how old I was when I first attended a MLB game, but probably somewhere between 10-12. (The red bat in the photo above was a give-away at one of my first games, which I got signed by Jerry Browne. I'm pretty sure they don't give bats away anymore!) Once my older sister got her driver's license, we started going to Indians games on our own. In the years before old Cleveland Municipal Stadium closed, you could buy the cheapest ticket and pretty much sit wherever you felt like. With a sea of empty seats around you, you could slam the seat down on the chair next to you to "bang" along with "We Will Rock You." We liked to arrive super early if we could, just for the heck of it. One time, we walked around the concessions perimeter hours before the game was set to start. There was hardly anyone around. As we walked, I saw a guy wearing an Indians shirt that I thought was so neat because it looked just like a real jersey. (This was in the early 90s, before the majority of people were able to afford replica jerseys.) Then it hit me. This guy's jersey looked so real because it WAS real. The guy was Albert Belle, and he just so happened to be on the cover of the program we bought when we entered the stadium. We asked for his autograph, and he was nice. (Yes, Albert Belle was nice!) I have no idea why he was hanging out in the concessions walkway prior to the game, but it made our day!
No photo of the program because I believe my sister has it. But here's a hat I have that's signed by him, which I think happened a different day after a game at Municipal Stadium. Side note: We also liked to hang out after the games to try to get autographs as the players left the stadium. Yes, we had no life. The hat is courtesy of another game give-away.
Then in 1994, a new ballpark was built, Jacob's Field, and the team actually got really good! (The park sold out for 455 consecutive regular-season games from June 12, 1995 to April 4, 2001.)
June 28, 1998 - My former hero Manny Ramirez in right field. The sell out streak count at this game was 252. (In the yellow circle above.) Side note: See that angled section at the end of the bleachers. That section did not exist when the ballpark was first built. It was added on to accommodate more fans, due to the sell-out crowds. Also, Hills and Stop -n- Shop no longer exist.
At "the Jake," my sister and I typically sat in the bleachers and attended night games. On one such night (likely in 1994), the game went into extra innings and the Indians won, I believe. When the game was over, everyone who was left in the bleachers was cheering. All of a sudden, a ball thrown by a pull-pen pitcher or coach came flying into our section. Without thinking of bodily injury, I raced after the ball. As I grabbed it, someone else grabbed it at the same time. We played tug of war with it for a few seconds, but the man ended up pulling it away. I was so sad, and pissed. A few seconds later though, after probably realizing what a jerk he was for taking a ball from a little girl, he gave the ball to me. Granted, this ball was probably not actually in play during the game, but I was still excited about my souvenir.
This is that ball. Unless I have it confused with the other ball below.
I've been to too many games at this park (now known as Progressive Field) to count. It's still one of my favorite things to do when I go back home for visits.
May 2008. (Pretending to be a fan more than being an actual fan, since I probably knew the names of only 2-3 players at that time.)
My first excursion to an away game was either in Boston or Baltimore - I can't remember the order.
Baltimore - Oriole Park at Camden Yards (circa early/mid 1990s)
During a family vacation, my older sister and I went to the game by ourselves. I thought the stadium was nice, since it had that retro-new look to it. The game itself is a blur to me. The one thing that I took from this experience is that Baltimore sucks. (Let me explain.) My sister and I were seated in the upper deck, basically by ourselves except for a large group of kids from camp. At the 7th inning stretch, my sister and I were shocked that singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was not part of the stadium's rituals. So, we stood up and sang it anyway, and got the camp kids to sing with us. We were having so much fun and all smiling and happy until a security guard came over to us, mid-song I must point out, and made us stop. Yes, we were prohibited from singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at a ballgame. This might be my first experience with realizing that sometimes life makes absolutely no sense. I have no idea if the Orioles now incorporate "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" into game day festivities, and I really don't care. I won't be going back.
Back in Baltimore in Sep 2002. I did NOT go to a game.
Boston - Fenway Park (summer 1995)
Doesn't every family plan their vacations around baseball schedules? On a trip to New England, my mom, sisters, and I caught a game in Boston. We arrived super early so we could watch the Indians during batting practice. I was very disappointed when entering the park because I was told no signs were allowed, and I had brought a huge sheet to hold up in hopes of getting on TV back home. (Strike one for Fenway.) Our seats were out in right-center field, so we had a great view of Kenny Lofton during the warm up. A small group of Tribe fans gathered in the area, and we were chanting Kenny's name in the hopes of scoring a ball from him. He decided to throw a ball while still standing with his back to the crowd. He's very talented, but not talented enough to get the ball over the outfield wall without looking. He was awfully embarrassed by this fail. So he threw it again, this time throwing way past the Indians cheering section into the empty seats behind us. All sense of safety went out of my brain momentarily and I dove over seats to get to the ball. Somehow, I came out unharmed and most importantly, I got the ball!
Watching our guys warm up.
Kenny, and my ball flying through the air!
My ball.
Side note: We drove from Ohio to Massachusetts on this trip, plus a couple surrounding states. We were confined to our car and small hotel room for many hours at a time. Yet somehow I came down with strep throat and no one else in my family did. I guess it isn't as contagious as it seems.
Toronto - SkyDome (May 1997)
It is tradition where I'm from for Seniors to get away for the weekend after Prom. Typically, most of my classmates went camping. I wasn't one to go with the crowd though and opted to plan something better. My sister, my future brother-in-law, my prom date (friend and co-worker), and I took a road trip to Toronto. The main objective, to watch an Indians game, of course! This was my first time attending a game inside a dome. I thought it was a little weird. To me, baseball is meant to played in the great outdoors. The fake grass and hotel over looking the field just seemed tacky and took away from the spirit of the game.
Prom formalities.
Don't think I took a picture inside the stadium, because I'm stupid, so here's the best I got.
Seattle - Safeco Field (July 2008)
After an 11-year hiatus, my return as an away-game Indians fan occurred in the days prior to an Alaskan cruise with my mom and younger sister. It's a miracle we were actually able to get into this game though. I bought the tickets online from Ticketmaster and had them mailed to me at home. Our hotel was within walking distance of the stadium, which was fantastic. On our elevator ride down to the hotel lobby, it dawned on me that I did NOT include the tickets when I packed for the trip! We walked to the stadium anyway in the hopes that we could still get in, though I figured it was a long shot. At the ticket window, I explained my dilemma. I was asked to show my ID and credit card, and shockingly they re-printed my tickets like it was no big deal. I was elated. Big thumbs up for the Mariners' customer service!
View from behind the Indians bullpen.
Phoenix - Chase Field (since moving here)
Attending a baseball game or any major league sporting event in Phoenix is just weird. No matter which game you attend, at least 1/3 of the fans in the stands are for the opposing team. And if the away team is the Cubs or Dodgers, it's more like 2/3. This makes for a very confusing game, because you can never tell when to cheer or boo just based on the crowds' reaction, since both are happening at the same time. I am a proud supporter of the D-backs...except when the Indians are in town, which happily seems to occur at least once every other year. I still feel a little awkward wearing my Tribe gear in my adopted home town's ballpark, but once the game starts, I'm an Indians fan all the way.
I must say this park is pretty cool. It has a retractable roof, real grass, and is the only one with a pool in the outfield. (Water sprays when the D-backs score a home run.)
Note: If you attend a game here and will not be drinking alcohol, go to one of the designated driver kiosks. If you enter your driver's license, you get a voucher for a free soda. Nothing beats FREE anything at a ballpark!
Attending a game as a Diamondbacks fan.
I've attended games at a few other ballparks around the country (DC, San Francisco, Denver), but not when the Indians were playing. I get easily distracted while watching baseball, so it's difficult for me to get into a game if I don't care about either team. At any game, I've learned that it's very important to get a seat from which you have a clear view of the scoreboard, to help keep you informed on what's going on in the game. I now understand why so many old guys watch a game at the ballpark while also listening to it on the radio. Maybe I'll give it a try.
Summer 2008 - Phillies vs. Nationals in DC. Only game I've attended alone. I was in town for work, decided to take a walk from my hotel, saw lots of people in team shirts (mostly Phillies) walking in the same direction, so I followed them. I ended up at the park, and figured I might as well catch a game.
Since I now live in Phoenix, I have been lucky enough to be able to attend Spring Training games without having to fly across the country. The Indians share a Spring Training ballpark with the Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear, AZ. This is the ONLY reason that I ever spend any time in Goodyear. The stadium is small, as are all Spring Training stadiums, and compared to the other ballparks in the area, its concessions are lacking. But its nice to check out the team shop for special Spring Training T-shirts and hang out with some other peeps from Ohio for a few hours.
Goodyear Ballpark's inaugural season - Spring Training 2009
Side note: I don't know if all of you are finding my posts enjoyable to read, but I am sure having fun reminiscing about the past and looking through old photos!
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