Day 4: Major League Baseball Trip

DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 2013. Day 4.
LOCATION: Cincinnati to the Hilton Garden Inn in Cleveland.

We ate breakfast at the Embassy Suites in Cincy and by 10:30 we were on the road to Cleveland to visit our fourth stadium. We arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn around 3:30 - the Hilton is located right next to Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. In fact, we could see the stadium from our hotel window. We went to Progressive Field at 6 P:M - walked around the stadium concourse and viewed many of the posters and statues of famous Indians. We spent the most time viewing the Bob Feller stuff. Why? BECAUSE BOB FELLER IS AN IOWA BOY. IN 1936 he signed with the Indians as a 17-year-old right out of his Van Meter, Iowa, High School. He was in his prime when, unfortunately, World War II started and he spent probably the most productive four years of his baseball career in the military from 1942 to 1945. He came back in 1946 and pitched another ten years retiring in the mid 1950s.

At Progressive Field we were treated as if we were VIPs. Brad's Boston friend, Dave Eaton, was born and raised in Cleveland. Dave's dad had had a very successful public relations firm and was well acquainted and very influential with the movers and shakers of Cleveland. His dad was on some kind of board with the Indians and always had club seats with Mr. Jacobs, the owner of the Indians. His dad passed away several years ago but Dave has taken his place on this Indians board. Anyway, when Brad told Dave we were going to be in Cleveland for an Indians game Dave told him, "I'll take care of things." So Dave got us tickets for the club section which meant we got to eat in the club restaurant - the food was free and delicious. However, we had to buy our own booze. All three of us marveled at the brown sugared sweet potatoes plus the chicken, thin sliced beef and vegetable salad. John liked it so much he had two humungous helpings of everything plus ice cream and peanuts. I did have two helpings of the sweet potatoes plus ice cream. And I did have a slice of pizza in the later innings. It is pretty easy to figure out why I gained 10 pounds on this trip. And it is also pretty easy to figure out why brother John is a little heavier than his brother Pete.
Our seats were in the club section where only club members can sit - I felt pretty special - like a VIP is supposed to feel - I guess. We saw the Indians win the game by beating Baltimore.

My Rankings of Progressive Field. I don't think the stadium is over 20 years old. I'm adding "wide concourses" to my ranking system because they make it so much easier to walk to the concession stands, the restrooms and getting into and out of a stadium.

1. restrooms - A
2. wide and deep steps -  A+
3. railings - A+
4. friendly help - A
5. wide concourses - A
6. price of beer - B

Miller Park would get an A+ for wide concourses.
Wrigley would get an F for wide concourses.
Great American in Cincy would get an A+ for wide concourses.