Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Eastern USA Road Trip 2016, Day 1: MLB, Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians.



"Bungle in the Jungle"? We heard it while enjoying pre-game drinks, prompting a rumination on "classic rock" and the way it has become the Muzak of our age, which is a shame. Of course, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, so perhaps it's all part of the municipal contract.   

Our eastward swing began with the easy drive to Cleveland, and a baseball game at Progressive Field. With the hotel just blocks away, downtown Cleveland walkable and perfect weather, it was a memorable evening.

The woebegone Twins were competitive, but the Indians staged a comeback and remained in first place in the AL Central. Coverage the following day centered on the dismal Tuesday evening attendance. Why only 14,000 paid attendance for a division-leading team?

It's a question I can't answer, although as modern ballparks go, this one's a beauty. Our $40 seats were down the third base line, coincidentally (yeah, sure) located only seconds away from the best beer selection I've ever seen at a major league game, albeit at $12 for a 19-oz pour.

Helluva beer selection at Cleveland's Progressive Field; the price is high, but I can live with that (at the Potable Curmudgeon)

The food was good, too. The Italian sandwich dispensed by Fat Head's was ridiculously large. It could have fed three adults at $13.75, though as a trained professional, I ate the whole damned thing.





I apologize for the absence of ballpark photos of the missus. As we departed for vacation, my iPhone lapsed into terminal illness. It was being held together by rubber bands, and it died before I could shift the trip photos to the cloud. Not much was lost, but a couple of husband-and-wife selfies were among them.

Meanwhile, you already know I'm a baseball fan. Here's the rundown of 56 years watching games.

I've seen a game in these major league parks currently in use: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Seattle

I saw games in these major league parks, now demolished: Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, Chicago Comiskey Park, Cincinnati Crosley Field and Riverfront Stadium, Detroit Tiger Stadium, Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium, Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium, St. Louis Busch Stadium

I looked through the locked gate but couldn't enter because it was the off-season: Denver and Oakland (both currently in use) and San Francisco Candlestick Park.

Next: Brattleboro, Vermont and feeling the Bern during three Green Mountain days.

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