Monday, July 2, 2007

Cleveland

Day 4
Jacobs Field
Jacobs Field, 2007
Question: How bad are the Devil Rays?  
Answer: Worse than you imagine.
Date: Monday, July 2, 2007, 7:05 PM
Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Cleveland Indians
Jacobs Field
Cleveland, OH
Major League Baseball, American League
Promotion: Fireworks night


Stadium & Fans:
The Jake is another new old ballpark that is pulled off quite well. There's not a bad seat in the place, you can get concessions while still watching the game, and everything was laid out for maximum efficiency. They did still have some trouble with the scoreboard.

When you took a walk into the Indians team store, you get the impression that the team ownership looked at the MLB merchandising catalog, which no doubt listed out all the items you can order with your team's logo on it, and said, "Give me the lot." They even had Indians TVs. My favorite, however, was the odd recycling of their racist mascot as a candy bar.

Mmmm, social injustice never tasted so good.

As with the games before, this was a near sellout, with an enthusiastic and supportive crowd for the home team. However, the wave is alive and well in the Midwest.

Every single game I went to in the flyover states had at least one wave, and usually multiple ones. Someone needs to come and rescue these people from the time-space anomaly that has them trapped in the late eighties.


The Game:
It was a 3-2 game in the top of the eighth, but it ended a 10-2 blowout an inning later. Indian center fielder Grady Sizemore had been looking for his 500th hit for most of the game, but struck out twice and grounded and flied out in his first four at bats. He redeemed himself with a grand slam in the 8th inning, a memorable 500th hit to be sure.


Scorecard:
Devil Rays vs. Cleveland, 07-02-07
Devil Rays vs. Cleveland, 07/02/07. Cleveland wins, 10-2.
$1 for a cardstock scorecard, but it was the first that was not customized for the series. Even with a full-page card for each team, it was still a little cramped, but adequate for an AL game.


Miscellanea:
Those of you who remember last year's trip know that I tend to run into some "baseball firsts" on these trips. The one in this day's game was an AL pitcher being forced into the batting order. For the uninitiated, the American League has the Designated Hitter rule, which states that a player can hit in place of the pitcher's slot. But this only remains the case as long as the DH doesn't play the field. If that is the case, then the pitcher has to bat. I knew the Devil Rays were among the worst teams in the majors, but I did not realize the depths to which they plumbed. In the eighth inning, they replaced their first baseman with a pinch runner to try and get back into the game. However, it seems the only other first baseman they had left on their bench was their DH for that night. And this meant that their pitcher would have to bat if the batting order went around again, because once a DH is out, there is no replacing him.

And while they did close the game to a one-run deficit by the end of that half inning, the Indians came back with seven in the bottom of the inning, making the move pointless, although, to be fair, the pitcher never did have to bat.


The Stadium Race:
The race was the Hot Dog Derby, and it was won by Ketchup.


Travel & Other Non-Game Activities:
Cleveland was a pleasant surprise. We got in early and had the entire afternoon to mull around, and preconceived notions notwithstanding, Cleveland (or at least the bit I saw of it) was outstanding. We popped into the library to grab some Internet access, and I was impressed with the well-appointed marble structure and the gorgeous view it afforded. They even have just opened up a little baseball museum in the shopping arcade where we had lunch.

We hung out down on the waterfront before the game, which, as you may know, means the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

The incongruity of trying to make a tribute to "rebel music" into a tourist attraction was not lost. And I went into the experience with eyes wide open for disappointment. And the disappointment did not disappoint.

On the one hand, the people who made the place clearly got it. They were all fans of the music who didn't want the experience to be lame. They tried different things and filled the place with exhibits that other fans would find cool. However, it ultimately turned rock and roll, for which they were celebrating its vibrancy and meaning, into another big box that parents dragged their bored children through on vacation. There was a special exhibit on The Clash that was open during my visit, and it was filled to the brim with insanely cool things that fans would appreciate and lust after, such as the typewriter that Joe Strummer used to write most of his songs, rare stuff from the 101ers and other precursor projects, and passes from many of their tours. But as I was sitting there watching video of a live performance of "Clampdown," one of the songs most likely to be the soundtrack for a revolution, a catatonic grade schooler was tugging on his mom's leather jacket asking when they were going to get luuuuuununch, over and over again.

And their celebration of revolution and social change was also slightly undercut by a certain jenes se Disney. Sure, you got a free trial subscription to Rolling Stone with your admission price, but it was $20 to begin with. And talk about expressions of freedom are a little ironic when you are largely hand-led through the museum experience, given unbreakable rules on behavior throughout about not taking pictures and other strictures, and then are dumped out after your tour of the history of wild abandon and artistry in an overpriced gift shop.


The Hotel:
Super 8, Columbus, OH
Super 8, Columbus, OH.
Under cover of the fireworks display, we quickly exited Cleveland to get in as much road time as possible to our far-off next destination of Louisville. While we got out of town easily enough, and the drive to Columbus went without incident, our choice of hotels left something to be desired. We had called ahead to book our room for the night with hotel sight unseen.

The Super 8 in Columbus is right next door to a strip club, and it may come as no surprise that there were cleanliness issues with the room. But, it was 2 AM, it was only for one night, and we just needed to get some sleep and then take off early for the rest of the drive to Louisville. However, at around 5 AM, the battery died in the fire alarm, and it started an intermittent beeping that would wake the dead, not to mention my cranky, half-asleep person. A quick call to the front desk established that the night attendant did not have the authorization nor the technical know-how to fix the issue, but she would be happy to move us to another room. Although we were moved to a slightly clearer room, it is safe to say that a pleasant night's rest was not had by all.



2007 The Midwest

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