The Treasures of My Life

A number of things have happened recently. I feel compelled to capture some of them.

Some people place value on exotic cars, immaculate homes or other "things." Sure, those "things" are nice but pale in comparison to the people in our lives.

Yesterday, there was a very dangerous natural gas situation in a nearby town - population of about 3,000. I know people that live there. One friend in particular came to mind. I went to high school and college with her. I panicked and ended up finding her family's phone number. I was able to establish contact with her. Her and her family are fine. A nearby home was badly burned though.

I have been thinking about another group of friends as the Tribe's Home Opener Day approaches. Somehow I found myself hanging out with a bunch of pharmacists...not that there is anything wrong with that...lol. I met these "gentlemen" through my former appreciation of craft beer. We traded some stellar beers, partook in some Fantasy baseball and have hit a number of Home Openers the past several years.

Our Home Opener experience always includes spending way too much time (and money) at one of my fave Cleveland locales - Great Lakes Brewing Company. We have had some memorable experiences the past few years. One year, 12 or 13 adults "tetrised" themselves into a mini-van (video of that is available.) The van rode the rear axle for the short journey. Another year, we bummed a ride from some complete strangers. It turns out one of the older women in the vehicle had brain surgery just months earlier. They became part of our "story" as we did theirs.

My thoughts drift to another friend from high school that re-located to Colorado last year. I relish the fact that we have become closer friends over time and across greater distances. Friendships can overcome any temporal or spatial limitations if we let them.

I think of another friend I am getting to know in Italy. I don't exactly know how/why our paths have crossed. To be honest it doesn't matter. Across the span of the Atlantic Ocean, I feel like I stumbled upon a kindred spirit.

As for my family, I need to borrow a line from Lou Gehrig's farewell speech:

"I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth."

They have been with me through everything. Each member of my family is truly a blessing. I would not be here today if not for their love and support. Words cannot express how much they mean to me.

I may not be in constant contact with everyone in my life. It will never mean I care an iota less about them. There are countless other things that could be recounted here. The important thing to note is that I would not be the person I am without each and every one of these people in my life.

My family and friends are the platinum, gold and silver in my life. I will leave desiring/appreciating chunks of metal to others. As for me...no thanks.

To my fellow Cleveland sports fans...this wall's for you!

I haven't posted lately. Things have been busy with the Holidays and what not. We also moved into a condo a couple of months ago. That is a lead-in to the rest of this post.

I was given the "nod" to do some decorating in our office. I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.

I have been a fan of Cleveland sports teams the past few decades. Through the years I have also collected sports cards and memorabilia. I set aside cards from the Indians, Browns and Cavs. I would tell myself I was going to do something with them...well...I finally did something with them. This is dedicated to all of the Cleveland sports out there.

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Do you know recognize who Beau Allred, Lloyd (World) B. Free or Chip Banks are?

Does the mention of Jerry Dybzinski, Tree Rollins or Hanford Dixon bring back any memories?

How about Len Barker, John Bagley or Don Cockroft...anything???

What about "Gentle" Ben Poquette, Joe Charboneau or Brian Sipe?

If you recognize even half of these names...well...please accept my apologies...you are a Cleveland sports fan.

Are there any Michael Jordan cards on the wall? No. How about Dan Marino? He isn't on the wall either. Derek Jeter...ummm...no.

You might wonder "Who made the cut to be included on the wall?" The requirements were simple...the players were in a Cleveland jersey OR the card contained a logo from one of the Cleveland sports teams. Most of the 1,000 plus cards are Indians players. There are some Brown and Cavs mixed in as well. There are original cards from the 1970s and on. There are also reprints of cards for some of the "Old School" Tribe.

The first picture captures the "mosaic" look of the wall:


There are some close-ups of random sections below. The following pictures may take a moment to load after clicking on them -

All together now..."There is always next season."

Another Indians team dismantled

Cleveland sports fans were once again put through the wringer over the past weeks (and years for that matter.) An Indians team that once demonstrated such great promise has been systematically dismantled at the direction of team ownership. This is becoming a recurring event with team ownership.

Over the past year, the Indians have been able to add depth to their Farm System. LaPorta and Brantley were key parts of the C.C. deal last summer. The emphasis this season has been on acquiring young arms. That depth has been at the expense of fielding a competitive team in the Majors, for the near term, though. So many solid players have been "re-located" since this time last season:

+ C.C. Sabathia
+ Rafael Betancourt
+ Mark DeRosa
+ Ryan Garko
+ Cliff Lee
+ Ben Francisco
+ Victor Martinez

The thing that makes these deals tough on all involved is that many of the players involved came up through the Indian's Farm System. Cleveland isn't the only sports city that experiences this. One would think ownership would make an effort to try and keep a core together as long as possible though.

It is easy to want to lash out at Mark Shapiro. Shapiro has done a great deal for the Indians though. A good example is the great value resulting from the Colon deal. Some of that benefit was traded away in the form of Cliff Lee, just as he has came in to his own. Tribe fans can only hope that the talent received in the various trades pans out.

There has been one tactic put forth by the Front Office that simply failed to hit its mark in my opinion. Shapiro spoke with the STO team during last night's game against Detroit. He insisted this isn't a period of re-building for the team. My only question is...if this isn't a period of rebuilding, how should it be characterized then?

The Front Office of the Indians is put in a difficult spot by team ownership. Many of the deals have been pro-active out of necessity. Like in the case of C.C., the Front Office staff knew they weren't going to be able to sign C.C. for the long haul. Instead of losing him outright, the team got as much for him as they could. The same could be said in the case of Lee and Martinez. It was disappointing that certain key players weren't required as part of the Lee (Happ or Drabek) and Martinez (Buchholz) deals though.

It looks like Indians fans will have to continue rooting for the Chief Wahoo logo that has come to mean so much to so many. As soon as fans embrace a player or "team," thing are just turned upside down again. Current ownership doesn't seem willing to commit to a championship-caliber team. This continued approach will leave ownership with plenty of empty seats. As for fans, they get to enjoy another sub-par team. Ownership knows they have gotten accustomed to it.

Tribe Home Opener - 2009 Edition

This will have to fall under the category of "Better Late Than Never."

The Cleveland Indians Home Opener was on April 10th this year. Each year, friends come together from near and far to frequent a couple Cleveland institutions - Great Lakes Brewing Company and Jacobs Field (it will always be Jacobs Field to me.)

Once again, Mother Nature intervened to make things interesting. Not even the "Lucky Poncho" could hold back the rain this year. A side note - one of the crew has a poncho that is still in its original packaging. To be honest, the chemical composition of this thing has probably changed over time. In the past, the presence of the poncho was able to ward off rain. It didn't work this time around.

The day began at Great Lakes Brewing Company. A total of 12 of us spent a few hours there before game time. There were a couple of us that didn't drink. After some great appetizers, food and copious amounts of fermented water, the total (with tip) came to about $500...nice. I don't remember all of the specifics but recall six pitchers of Burning River Pale Ale (known as BuRPA by some), a couple pitchers of Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, close to a dozen snifters of Blackout Stout, etc.

So...it was time to catch the Great Lakes Brewing shuttle over to the Jake. The shuttle is called the "Fatty Wagon" because it is powered by vegetable oil. For $1, the shuttle will take you to the Jake and bring you back. Unfortunately, the Fatty Wagon didn't appear to be in service that day. Instead, a boring, extended-length van was used.

Here was a little banter while waiting for the van:

The substitute transportation didn't offer the same capacity as the Fatty Wagon. For that reason, the line for the shuttle was longer than normal. Never fear, where there's a Miglin there's a way. Most TV commercials for mini-vans boast seating capacities of 5 - 6 - 7 people. Not this mini-van - 12 adults made the short journey to the Jake (insert your best sardine cliche here.) The videos don't do this justice:

Once we arrived near the Jake, we climbed out of the mini-van. It had to look like numerous circus clowns getting out of a small car. A small group walking by took note of the number of people. They were impressed when we told them 12 of us were in there.

We made our way to our seats and settled in amidst shaky weather. One thing of note - a couple members of our crew fell asleep during the game. I won't mention any names but wonder if some sanctions should be levied against the culprits?

The game entered a delay in the fifth inning. We stayed up until that point. The weather wasn't looking very promising so we headed on to Painesville to visit family.

Needless to say - a few pints of Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream were re-located to Dublin.

The Indians would end up losing 13-7 after 7+ hours (including the delay.)

It was great seeing the gang again. I look forward to doing it all again next year.

I Am A Fan...

I am a fan of buying an over-priced hot dog to serve as a delivery mechanism for Stadium Mustard.

I have become a fan of getting together with the crew each year for Opening Day at the Jake.


I was a fan of heading to Municipal Stadium during some afternoons my Senior year of high school and walking up to the gate and getting seats behind the dugout.

I am a fan of watching towering fly balls and wondering whether they will carry over the outfield fence.

I am a fan of plays like seeing a ball bounce off Jose Canseco's head over the fence for a homer.


I am a fan of players that do the little things well.

I am a fan of players, managers and base coaches that have the brass to attempt to steal home.

I am not a fan of the Evil Empire (or other teams that outspend a strong majority of the league each year.)

I am a huge fan of seeing the Evil Empire sitting at home when the playoffs roll around (or better yet - being beat by a small market team in the opening round of the playoffs.)

I was a fan of the Buffalo Bisons but am now a fan of the Columbus Clippers.


I am a fan of players that play the game straight-up.

I am not a fan of players that felt it was necessary to cheat the game, the fans and themselves.

I am even less of a fan of those who lie about the fact they cheated.

I am a fan of the name of a former player - Razor Shines.

I am a fan of the game of baseball.

It has been awhile...

I haven't posted for awhile. I figured I would get one out there.

Right now, I am watching a movie [Cold Prey] that is in one of the Scandinavian languages with English sub-titles. We'll see if it was worth renting or not.

As for other things, I have felt like @#$%^ this week. I finally went in to see the doctor today and now have some meds to help with the bronchial stuff going on. Hopefully things will improve over the weekend.

Last weekend, Julie and I got to catch a Buckeye Hoops game. We had seats 5 or 6 rows from the floor...it was pretty cool. The Buckeyes held on for the win against Minnesota.

I'm looking forward to April rolling around. The Indians and Clippers will be starting new seasons. That being said...baseball is a mess right now. I still enjoy the game and truly appreciate the players that have played the game straight-up through the years. It is a shame that the biggest names in the game have forever marred their legacies and the game itself.

Tribe AAA Team in Columbus!

My blog is going to contain a bit of everything.

I am a big fan of the Cleveland Indians and have been since growing up in the Cleveland area. Something that seemed imminent came to fruition recently. The Columbus Clippers are now the AAA team for the Indians!!!

I would go to a Clippers game now and again. To be honest, I really don't care for the past couple Major League teams that were affiliated with the Clippers though [Yankees and Nationals.] I have been waiting for the day when the team would move from Buffalo to Columbus. It finally happened.

We are contemplating getting a partial season ticket plan to support the Tribe's farm club. It will be a big year as the Clippers will also be opening their new stadium next season.