Let's Play Ball!

I love baseball. I'm happy to watch just about any game, but of course, my absolute favorite team is the Cleveland Indians. I'm not sure that Shawn understands my obsession with the Tribe, but he humors me.

I remember watching baseball with my grandpa when I was really little. I distinctly remember watching a game on TV (probably the Detroit Tigers) and being thoroughly confused by the fact that three pitches had already been thrown, but the batter was still at the plate. I understood the "three strikes, you're out" rule, but I had yet to grasp the concept of balls versus strikes.

I became a fan of the Indians in the 80's...yes, the same terrible teams that served as the inspiration for the movie Major League. Because I got good grades, we were able to buy tickets to the games for something like $4 each. Of course, that was in the old Municipal Stadium, or, as it was affectionately called, the "Mistake by the Lake." There was no guarantee that your seats weren't going to be located directly behind a large cement post.

Fortunately, I remained an avid Tribe supporter through the worst of times...and my devotion finally paid off in the 90's. Granted, we have yet to win a World Series, but at least I've had my chance to watch some phenomenal baseball and see some great players (my favorite of which is still Omar Vizquel).


As I said, Shawn humors me. Last summer, when we were in Ohio visiting my parents, Shawn had his first visit to Jacob's Field (sorry...I refuse to call it Progressive Field). Unfortunately, Jhonny Peralta seemed to think that he was supposed to be playing for the Yankees that day, so we watched a heartbreaking loss. But I'm an Indians fan...there's always tomorrow.

We're off to a good start so far! We won our first two games against the White Sox, but lost the game today, 2-1. Tomorrow, the Tribe begins a series in Oakland. Had I realized that, I may have suggested to Shawn that we go visit his brother and sister-in-law for the weekend!