GAME 8: Twins vs. Indians at Progressive Field

I took in a game on Wednesday night at the ballpark formerly known as Jacobs Field. And I was very impressed.

Before I got to the ballpark, though, I had to drive all the way through Pennsylvania. I drove from Parsippany, NJ to Cleveland, OH, which meant I drove I-80 all the way right through the middle of Pennsylvania. As my Cleveland buddy, Bob, told me when he called, "Its like driving through the middle of Tennessee." Indeed. But the scenery from the highway was nice. Lots of tree-covered, rolling hills in PA. It is especially beautiful near the state line of western NJ & eastern PA -- some rivers cutting through & between hills. It was pretty.

The downside of driving on an interstate road in the middle of Amish country, however, is that no one is willing to take the highway route. I must have passed 300 semi trucks on Wednesday over the course of 450-or-so miles. It was rather annoying, especially when one semi wanted to pass another semi while going about 2 MPH faster than the slower semi.

When I bought my tickets to this game on indians.com, there was an option to purchase parking (as there was with other ballgames, including Washington). It was $12, and since I wasn't familiar with the Cleveland downtown area, I went ahead & pulled the trigger. Boy I'm glad I did. This was the best parking ticket ever! It is a parking garage that is connected to the ballpark. The entrance to the ballpark from the parking garage was about 50 yards from my car. And for the entire game, I was no more than two or three hundred yards from my car. It was incredibly convenient. And I even saw people charging more for parking in the street -- what a rip off!

Bob also told me about the Cleveland phenomenon known as "stadium mustard." When I got my hot dog I put some on with ketchup & it was fantastic. The hot dog itself was well-done, too -- soft bun & a good weiner. I had begun to wonder if ballparks cared about the quality of their hot dogs since it had all been downhill since my first game in Baltimore. But this was a quality hot dog. I give the Cleveland dog an 8.5 out of 10.

There is plenty of seating these days in Cleveland. The team is awful. Which is sad, because they were so close to the World Series last year. Myself & others thought they might come back with a vengeance and get back to the World Series this year. But they won't come close. Anyway, since there is plenty of seating, I sat exactly where I wanted in the outfield seats instead of climbing to the upper reserve level. Also, I noticed that there are TONS of luxury box seats at Progressive Field -- more than I've noticed at any other stadium I've visited. And about 80% of them were empty for this game. It was the kind of luxury box where you can sit inside with the air conditioning, or step outside of a sliding glass door & sit in your own personal stadium seats -- that is definitely the best way to make luxury boxes. If ever I'm through Cleveland again, and the team still stinks, then I may look up & see if I can pick off some of those tickets.

Indians lost. Grady Sizemore tried to bring them back late with a 2-run homer that brought them to one run back. But that's as close as they got.

And a big thanks to Bob & his parents for hosting me at their home in Amherst, OH. It was very comfortable & I enjoyed my stay.

On to the tab!

Gas in Pennsylvania
$29.67 @ $3.999/gal.

Lunch @ Wendy's in Pennsylvania
$5.65

Gas in Cleveland
$37.59 @ $3.8999/gal.

Soda, Hot Dog, & Cracker Jacks at Ballpark
$13.00

Ticket + Parking
$12.00 (Ticket
+ 4.25 ("Total Convenience Charge")
+12.00 (Parking)
+ 3.35 ("Order Processing Charge")
+14.50 (UPS Shipping)
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$46.10

Pilgrimage Tab now stands at $1,745.75.