I woke up early and left Detroit in hopes of making it to Cleveland by 9:30am. On the way, I missed my exit and added nearly 100 miles to my journey. When I arrived, (at 10:45am) I ran to the Indians front offices, and asked where to pick up my media credential. The guard looked at me, confused, and said that media credentials wouldn't be availalbe until 3pm. "Three O'Clock?" I said, "How am I supposed to get in for the 1 O'clock game if I don't get a pass until 3pm?" He looked at me again, still confused, and then explained that the time of the game was 7:05pm. The original schedule released by Major League Baseball had misprinted the time of the game at the beginnning of the season and I had never realized the error.
I met a reporter from the local Fox affiliate (channel 5) and did a quick interview by my van (because the gates weren't open yet). Then I checked into a hotel ( because I won't be able to drive to Chicago after the game as originally anticipated) and walked around the city of Cleveland. I visited the waterfront, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and some of the local shops. After a short rest in my room, and a frantic call to the White Sox to try and reschedule my meeting set before the next day's game, I walked over to the ballpark.
I think I found a ballpark even nicer than Camden Yards. It is very simple in design, very friendly for all fans, and very easily accessible from downtown (a ten minute walk from the heart of the city).
When you arrive, you have the choice of entering behind the stadium or into one of the two courtyards in the outfield. Both areas, one in left field, the other beyond center, give fans a view of the seating bowl and playing field from the street. Unlike Baltimore, fans have an easy time watching the ballgame from the courtyard areas because there is no wall, just a railing to keep fans from falling. The seats are all dark green and stretch all around the stadium (but there is not conformity to the design). There are four levels of seats overlapping in different areas of the ballpark in addition to a level of skyboxes. The outfield bleachers sit beneath a mammoth scoreboard (three different diamondvisions in addition to advertisements) and the bullpens are hidden in two separate cut-out sections of the outfield seats.
The field is beautfiul, a combination of dark green grass and dark black dirt (unusual, but very beautiful). The grounds crew was out when I arrived, cutting the grass in perfectly straight lines to form a checkered patter, and watering everything to keep it fresh and new looking. The dugouts are large and comfortable (with padded seating and astroturf for the players to put their cleats on in the home dugout only), and the home clubhouse (which I took a quick walk-through) combines a lavish playroom full of lockers (and a ping-pong table) with a shower room, weight and excersise room, three rooms for dubbing and watching videos, and an area for press conferences or other meetings.
The concourses in the stadium are wide and open, with most of the food stands and souveneir stands imbedded in the walls. Many of the support beams are visible from the concourses, and some emerge from large stone foundations that sit in the middle of the concourses and rod iron fences (twenty fee high) separate the stadium from the outside world, but allow passers by to look in and admire the design. Escalators are located throughout the concourses to bring fans to the upper levels of the stadium and the bathrooms are plentiful and very clean. It is obvious that the stadium is very new, the floors are still spotless and the fans still look around in amazement, but you get a feeling from the surroundings that the ballpark has a lot of history built into it.
Of course, the stadium is all dressed up for the upcoming All-Star Game. Bunting and other colorful flags are situated on all the gates and doors, All Star logos and other information is posted throughout the stadium, historical pictures and biographies of great players and great games in Cleveland history give fans a history lesson as well as some entertainment, and all the souveneirs (or "novelties" as they are called) sport the All Star logo. There are some special attractions in the stadium includig a batting and pitching cage area for fans to test their abilities, and the All Star FanFest is just down the street (also within walking distance) so there is plent to keep the fans busy as the evening progresses.
I met the reporter from Channel 5 in the stands before batting practice to finish the interview we had started in the parking lot. When we had finished, we both walked down and sat in the dugout to watch the Indians begin their warmups. The reporter, who was friendly with most of the players and coaches, started to introduce me around as "a kid who was traveling to all the ballparks with his parents footing the bill." One of the coaches, responded by saying I must be a "spoiled, rich, white kid" before wishing me luck and talking with me about all sorts of baseball related topics. I spoke briefly with Omar Vizquel, a former Seattle Mariner, and Matt Williams, one of the Indians sluggers about the trip -- both seemed genuinely excited and wished me luck.
When the players took the field, I walked around, took some pictures and watched the local media members clammer for interviews with Indians manager Mike Hargrove and some of the local players (especially those who had been selected for the All Star Game). This batting practice was populated more by national media folks including CBS, ESPN and several national newspaper writers who were in to cover the game and in advance of the upcoming All-Star festivities. Harold Reynolds, former Seattle Mariners second baseman and now ESPN Baseball analyist walked past and I introduced myself as a big fan and talked to him briefly about the trip. He said he would try to mention it on the ESPN coveage of the game. I don't know if he did.
When the Royals took the field, a light drizzle began to fall, and most of the media folks ran to the clubhouses (as if they would melt). I hung around and watched a little more batting practice, some of which was thrown by George Brett, and then walked around the stands looking at the surroundings. A steady rain began to fall and the temperature dropped so I left the field area and went to the press box, only to miss my opportunity as the Royals coaches launched balls into the crowd to excited fans.
The management of the Indians was pleasant at times and more difficult at others. When I first contacted the team to announce my trip, I received a letter from General Manager John Hart welcoming my visit and confirming a meeting. However, when I called to confirm a time for the meeting, I was informed that he would indeed not have time to meet with me. At the same time, his office did secure tickets for me to purchase (as the stadium has been sold out for over a year) and offered me the support of the Media Relations office.
The Media Relations department was very pleasant to deal with. Director of Media Relatios, Bart Swain personally called me to confirm my press pass, they gave me my credential ahead of time so I could arrive at the stadium when I wanted, and offered me support and information throughout my visit -- both on the field and in the press box. It was another professional group to deal with and they certainly were in complete control of the entire situation.
The press box at Jacobs Field is an immense and beatiful series of rooms that stretch across the back of the field equal to the 400 level of seats. Mixed in with the skyboxes, the press room has four levels, three permanent and a fourth moved in for the All-Star Game. Across the hall is a work room equipped with lockers and copy machines and a cafateria that offers free hot dogs and related items after 7pm.
There are hundreds of spots availalbe in the box, each with two electrical outlets and two phone jacks. Each space is desginated by a little number and assigned to an individual reporter (as identified on a daily media layout sheet). I was issued spot number 101.
The press box is separated from the field by a series of sliding glass doors (really big windows) that can be opened when the weather is nice (some of the writers openened it tonight -- perhaps a bit prematurely). The carpeting is new and very attractive, televisions are located on each level of the box, and a wonderful old man tends to all your needs and is happy to answer any quesitons.
As for the reporters, they all seemed pretty quiet on this evening -- no wagering, no joking about the players. Insead, they all seemed to be in awe of the performance of the players on the field and spent most of their time talking about how great the team was. There was one instance in the top of the third inning when a local reporter let out some type of war cry (obviously a tradition) and the other members applauded. There was some contest associated with the chant and most of the regulars were inovlved. Needless to say, it was a very different environment than the other parks.
THE FOODIt's hard to say whether Jacobs Field has the best food in baseball, or just the most food. In addition to the regular fare of hot dogs and soda, the REGULAR concession stands offer ribs, fried chicken, hamburgers, garden burgers, pizza (four differnt kinds), and nachos. There is a deli stand where fans can get sandwiches and salads, a candy concession where fans can purchase sweets by the pound, several windows where ice cream (hard pack in seven different flavors and soft serve in the standard chocolate and vanilla) is sold on cones and in packs, and a bakery that makes fresh cookies, brownies, and cinnamon rolls. Of course, you can't forget the snocones and espresso stands.
The regular concession pretzel was quite good, although significantly smaller than the other stadiums I have visited. It did not have the plastic taste that comes from sitting in a heating oven for too long -- perhaps they just kept their ovens cleaner than other parks. There was the option to purchase hot cheese (I passed) and an extra spicy mustard was offered in large containers located near the stands. Also, at the bakery, (located behind first base) warm (though slightly harder) pretzels were offered, one topped with Parmesean cheese and the other with Cinnamon and sugar. The pretzels were coated in butter before being dipped in their topping (making them very bad for you) but were both very tasty.
The fact that it was July 4th didn't seem to keep fans away from the ballpark. Thousands waited patiently outside the gates and then ran to the outfield walls to watch batting practice before the game. During the game, there was little movement in the councourses as most of the fans stayed in their seats to cheer on the home team. The crowd was not yelling or trying to distract the opposing team -- seeming quite polite in general -- but were very loud in cheering on the Indians and their offensive and defensive accomplishments. The crowd did react loudly to foul balls and the efforts of the fans to retrieve them and gave Sandy Alomar, Jr. a standing ovation in the second inning when he extended his hitting streak to 29 games (only two shy of the Indians record). And, they even managed a wave that incorporated all levels of the stands.
I decided to sit in the stands beginning in the fourth inning. The seats the Indians provided for my purchase were just to the left of home plate and all the way back in the first level. A very intimate area, only a few hundred seats around me, the seats provided a good view of home plate and the infield but the overhanging section above me prohibited me from seeing where fly balls and pop ups were headed. The folks around me, almost entirely famillies with children, were very quiet. The kids were still learning the game and the parents were trying hard to keep them focused so as not to purchase any more cotton candy (one parent I saw was visibly frazzled as her son went for his third sugar rush on a stick). Nobody seemed to want to interact in the few innings I sat in the section, so I took some pictures of the field and went back to the press box.
As for the game, the visiting Royals jumped out to an early lead with some clutch hitting and agressive baserunning. But, the Indians battled back and tied the game in the sixth. Jim Thome blasted his 23rd homerun of the season and the Indians scored three in the eight inning en route to an 8-7 win. The win extended the Indians domination of the Royals to five straight games and extended the mid-season woes of the Royals to six games.
After the game, fireworks lit up the sky as the crowd ooed and aahed in celebration of Independence Day. As I walked back to my hotel, I could hear the loud explosions as the whole city shook from the massive display. I went back to my hotel room and fell asleep watching the Mariners face the Angels on ESPN.
The scoreboard at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.
The view from my seats at Jacobs Field.
This is me on the field in Cleveland.
