Bill's Journal Entry #19

Jacobs Field

Date: August 28, 2002

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Opponent: Detroit Tigers

Travel companion: My dad, Marv Verkuilen

Link to my photos

Game Result: Final score: Thome 2, Peña 1. It was also Cleveland 2, Detroit 1. The only runs to cross the plate in this game were Jim Thome's two solo homeruns for the Tribe, and Carlos Peña's Tiger homer. C.C. Sabathia pitched seven solid innings for Cleveland. The sixth innings saw two great catches in centerfield. Cocoa Crisp made an impressive grab in the top half of the inning, but Hiram Bocachica stole the show with his outstanding diving snare in the bottom half.

Stadium Summary: "The Jake" is a truly outstanding park-but it is very different architecturally than most of the other great parks around the Majors. Unlike the dark-brick-and-wrought-iron of so many others, especially of the other newer parks, Jacobs Field's primary colors are white and stainless steel. If Pac Bell, Wrigley, PNC, and Fenway, as works of art, belong in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, right next to Rembrandt, then Jacobs Field belongs in the Museum of Modern Art, next to Picasso. This truly is a one-of-a-kind park-at least, it is until next year, we'll see if that changes once the Great American Ballpark opens in Cincinnati. The extremely high, vertically aligned light standards echo the artistic theme of the stadium below, with its crystal-like cubic sky box restaurant windows, cylindrical white support pillars, and skylights in the roof over the upper deck. Not only is this an extremely impressive venue, but it's also a very welcome change of pace when touring stadiums.

Possible Finales: With a possible strike impending two days after this game, and both teams having an off day on August 29, this could have been the last game of the season for these squads. If that had happened, this would have been the last game in Tigers' radio announcer Ernie Harwell's storied career. Also, just before the game, Indian (and former Tiger) Travis Fryman announced that he would be retiring at the end of this year. Fortunately, two days later, the strike was averted, allowing both of these careers to continue for another month.

Worst Billboards: The main scoreboard at the Jake is massive. But it's difficult to determine which parts of it are actually the scoreboard. There's a color video screen in the center, and black-and-white screens on each side. But these three appear to take up less than one-fourth of the overall area of the scoreboard. The rest is dominated by large billboard ads. Any time you look at the board to try to determine what the count is, it takes several seconds to determine where that would be found. This board not only is visually jarring, but it obstructs much of the view of downtown Cleveland.

Most Unusual Infield Dirt Color: All of the stadiums I've been to have had infield dirt (be it a full infield, or just sliding pits) that is some shade of tan or brown. Some is darker, some is lighter, but they're all basically brown. Not Jacobs Field. The infield here is a completely different color--the best way I can describe it is ash gray. I'm not sure what the reason for this is. Maybe it's a desire to use a local product, and that just happens to be what's available locally. Maybe they're trying to have the dirt color fit more into the overall stadium color scheme, which it does. But it's noticeably different.

Best Tribute to a Visiting Team's Radio Announcer: Before the game, Ernie Harwell threw out the first pitch, and was presented with a plaque that was later affixed to the radio booth door, naming it "The Ernie Harwell Visiting Announcers Booth." A very classy touch, that was echoed by the appreciative Indians crowd.

Ball #3: As mentioned in previous reviews, I had managed to get two baseballs at previous stadiums-a ball tossed by the ballboy in Arlington, which I gave to a kid, and a foul ball hit by Benito Santiago in Denver, which I kept. In Cleveland, during batting practice, it was my dad's turn. While we were in the left field home run terrace area, he managed to grab a batting practice homer. He immediately declared that it would be a Christmas present for Ben, my nephew and his grandson. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it's not Christmas 2002, so that Ben is old enough to appreciate it, rather than use it as a puppy chew toy.

Stadium grade: A  A classic park, of non-classic design.

Overall grade of my experience at the game: A-  The limited offense made the game pass way too quickly, but the good pitching, great catches, and tribute to Ernie Harwell made this a great night.