One thing that I really noticed about Progressive Field is the new-ness and cleanliness of the stadium.  This is a 17-year old stadium that looks, at most, 2 years old.  The Indians do a great job of maintaining and improving their stadium, and you really come to appreciate that when you go exploring around the stadium.

In terms of the actual game, we saw quite a good one.  The Cleveland Indians had a 2-0 lead against the Seattle Mariners before Carlos Peguero and Justin Smoak (a very impressive looking player, I might add) struck for a couple of HR’s, and after a Jack Cust double and Brendan Ryan single, the Mariners had a 4-2 lead.  That would not hold, however, after Brandon League blew his 3rd straight save opportunity after giving up two doubles (to Michael Brantley & Asdrubal Cabrera) and a walk-off HR to Travis Hafner.

All that being mentioned, lets grade this stadium and really figure out where it stacks up:

Atmosphere:  I really enjoyed the fans throughout the game.  Granted, we saw a walk-off HR, but they didn’t leave at all during the game and were very vocal throughout the game. The stadium was also quite full, though that is pretty expected considering that it was a Friday and the Tribe are 15-4 at home.  Still though, the atmosphere definitely added to the enjoyment of the game.  Here are the views from my seats:

Beer & Food: My Dad had quite a few beers (enough to where I had to drive afterwards), but I had a Strohs, which was pretty solid.  It also was only 4.50, so bonus points for the prices  They also get more bonus points for having Dollar Dog night, which my Dad & I took advantage of several times.

Stadium Design:  As I alluded to earlier, Progressive Field is very, very nice.  I took my obligatory photo in front of the Bob Feller statue, but the sight lines were nice and stadium was very unique and interesting.  All in all, a very enjoyable place to see a ballgame.  Here’s the photo, by the way:

Around the stadium:  This is the part where Cleveland struggles a little bit.  The area around the stadium is OK, but there are quite a few shuttered buildings and mediocre bars.  This is where you really notice the struggles that Cleveland has had as a city, there are definitely some not-so-nice places near Progressive Field.  It actually feels quite strange, as if Progressive Field is an oasis of upper-middle class life, whereas the rest of Cleveland is clearly in decline and turmoil.

Intangibles:   The Bob Feller statue is a must see, and a lap around the stadium is also very cool.  They also have quite a few promotions, and the ushers/attendants are pretty reasonable and accessible.

Overall:  I really enjoyed Progressive Field.  The fans and the stadium are very nice and energetic, the food was very cheap, and we saw a great game.  The grade here is a 91.

[NOTE: I have a lot of photos from the game on my normal camera, but I lost the cord, so all I can post are my Iphone photos for now]

So apparently posting a voicememo from an Iphone into a format that WordPress recognizes (without it costing me 6 bucks a month) is tricky, but consider it accomplished.  This above is the first podcast that my Dad & I did, previewing our trip, where we are excited to go, etc.  Enjoy!

Anyways, this summer, as some may already know, I’m going to be touring all 30 MLB stadiums with my dad!  This is going to be the primary place where I write/blog all about it.  My dad & I are planning a few interesting/cool things, including a pre-trip podcast, podcasts of our experiences at 30 MLB stadiums, comprehensive reviews of each stadium, and plenty of pictures.  Before I post the list of the times/dates of where we’ll be, let me go over the ground-rules that my dad & I came up with:

1. We must drink a beer at each ballpark.
2. We must stay for the entire game (including rain delays.)
3. If a game is an official game, it counts, even if it doesn’t go the full 9 innings.
4. If the game gets rained out, we must return (though we will have the option of flying back.)
5. We will try our hardest to split the driving 50/50.

I tend to think that’s all pretty self-explanatory, so that being said, here’s the finalized schedule.  If you want to meet up at any point, please shoot me an email:

I do have some big changes in store for this blog though, more details later today.

Anyways, apparently the Missouri Democratic Party might want to hire me for some type of internship in the fall.  Now might be an excellent time to say how I love them and how they do a bunch of critically important work around the state.  Yay Democrats!

Despite ESPN’s intention, the network did not have “total editorial control” in the James announcement. Yes, ESPN reporters confirmed on their own when the announcement would take place and the network reported it. Yes, reporter Chris Broussard — quoting what he considered very reliable sources — reported early on the morning before “The Decision” that, barring the unforeseen, James was going to join the Heat. And yes, Michael Wilbon, an ESPN NBA analyst and co-host of “Pardon the Interruption,” conducted a lengthy, straightforward interview with James after Gray had completed his questions.

But even so, if the interviewee also brings along his own interviewer, you cannot protect the integrity of the broadcast. According to ESPN, the understanding with Gray was that he would ask James “a few questions” before LeBron announced his destination. That “few” turned into 16 questions. And on a live telecast, when an announcer who doesn’t work for your network gets to questions 7, 8, 9, 10 … well, there’s nothing the producers can do. They can’t kill his microphone; they can’t come out and pull him out of his chair; they can’t even fire him because he’s not in their employ.

One frustrating aspect is the control that ESPN ceded to James and his handlers.  The reality is that James didn’t have many other places that he could have gone for a program like this, so ESPN could have dictated the questions and the interviewer (along with the actual length of the program.)  Instead, we were left with a lengthy amount of puff-ball questions from Jim Gray.

Its really a shame what has happened to her, especially considering that this speech preaches racial unity in the face of racial animosities.  Needless to say, the Obama administration needs to re-hire this woman (and give her a 2 month paid vacation for her trouble.)

State Sen. Matthew Bartle has spent the past eight years, crusading against what he calls smut shops, places he says spawn prostitution, drugs and other crime. He said that in his perfect world, all the establishments would be out of business.

Bartle’s law bans full nudity and alcohol sales. It forces clubs to close at midnight, keeps customers at least 6 feet from the stage and bans touching between the dancers and the customers.

“I think [the clubs] are places that deepen stereotypes about women and are degrading to women,” Bartle said. “I know there are many that disagree with me, I’ve heard all the arguments, it’s art and this, that and the other. That’s the choice I make. The lawmaking was focused on, what are the ripple effects from having these businesses in our communities?”

I’m more interested in the constitutionality of such a law, which is addressed later in the article:

This bump-and-grind isn’t quite “Catcher in the Rye,” but there is a free speech argument to be made.

“The United States Supreme Court has said in the case of Renton v. [Playtime theaters] that nudity can be free expression,” First Amendment attorney Jon Katz said. “When you require a person to cover themselves from the waist down, when you require them to cover themselves from the breasts down, except for the cleavage, you’re censoring their body. You’re censoring their breasts.”

Dick Bryant plans a lawsuit based not on the First Amendment but on a possible procedural misstep. He said Bartle’s bill did not include an accurate economic impact statement, which the state constitution requires. The argument could get the whole thing thrown out.

Unfortunately for Katz, it appears that the section he mentioned in Renton vs. Playtime has nothing to do with nudity, rather a zoning issue involving an adult theater.  Bryant’s lawsuit about the economic statement doesn’t appear to hold much water either, mainly because these statements don’t necessarily have to be perfectly accurate, as long as they are done independently.

I’m not sure I have too strong of an opinion either way on this lawsuit.  On one hand, I HATED my one experience at Club Vogue in Missouri (thanks AEPi.)  But on the other hand, if people want to waste money being felt up at strip clubs, who’s to stop them?