Thinking about the Cleveland Indians, especially “The Jake,” really sends me down memory lane. It’s Progressive Field now, of course, but for folks like me who remember the buzz when it opened, it’s still The Jake in my head.
Catching a Game Back Then
I remember trying to get tickets back in the 90s, it was tough sometimes, especially when they were good. Felt like the whole city was alive. We managed to get in a few times over the years. One thing I distinctly recall people talking about were those seats they angled down the lines. You know, just past the dugouts, both lower and upper decks.
They tilted them in, maybe 8 or 12 degrees, something like that. The idea was simple: give you a better view straight to the diamond without needing to twist your neck the whole game. Sat there once, way up high, and you know what? It kinda worked. Felt less like you were just staring down the line.
History Right There
It’s wild to think about the history that stadium holds, and Cleveland baseball in general. Before The Jake, they played over at League Park forever, totally different era. But Progressive Field saw some incredible moments. Think about those World Series runs. Cleveland hosted the Series six times, which is pretty cool. Way back in 1920 and 1948 when they actually won it all. Then again in 1954, and those awesome 90s years, 1995 and 1997. And more recently in 2016. Winning only twice out of those six is tough, sure, but just getting there that many times says something.
Reminds Me Of…
Funny thing, those 90s playoff runs make me think of my old gig. Had this boss, huge baseball fan. Obsessed. When the Indians were playing October baseball, productivity just tanked. He’d have a tiny TV hidden in his office, volume down low. I remember one specific time, must’ve been the ’97 Series, we were absolutely slammed. Facing a critical deadline, project was a mess, needed all hands on deck.
Where was he? Glued to the game. Muttering about pitching matchups or whatever. Didn’t lift a finger to help us figure out the problems. Me and two other guys basically lived at the office for two days straight, running on fumes and stale coffee, pulling it back from the brink. We saved the project, probably his job too. He strolls in the next day, team lost the night before, so he’s in a foul mood. Barely even said thanks. Just complained about the bullpen.
I didn’t stay there much longer after that. Just couldn’t deal with that kind of thing. Priorities all wrong.
Times Change
So yeah, when I think about the Indians and The Jake, it stirs up all sorts of stuff. Great baseball memories, sure. But also just life stuff, like that old job. It’s just a stadium, but it represents a chunk of time, you know? Things change, names change, teams change. But you don’t forget the feeling of being there, or the other things happening in your life around that time. Just part of the story, I guess.
