Cleveland Pit Stop

Wow.  All I can say is wow.  After hundreds of miles of anticipation, the trip is turning out to be everything we dreamed of and then some.  Parking the RV in Cleveland was no small task, but thanks to our wheel man, all went well.  We (or should I say I) had the complete baseball tourist look going on complete with Gibbon Reds (www.gibbonreds.com) apparel and my backpack.  We made our way through the hot pavement to the House of Blues and found a nice community safety fella on a bike that reminded us of Chris Rock that hooked us up with a 'friend' that we purchased our tickets from.  He wanted $40 for each ticket though they all said $10 on each stub.  We threw caution to the wind and bought 6 of them for $200.  What the heck, we just wanted an in to the game.  From there we went to the Winking Lizard and sampled large mugs of LaBatte's Blue and Magma Hot Wings.  They were up there on the 'hot scale' though we hadn't been to the other establishment yet that also sold them, The Harry Buffalo.  We had doubts about the game while at the Winking Lizard because the sky's opened up to hurricane-like weather.  It fortunately blew over.  Once we arrived at the Harry Buffalo, a round of drinks were ordered and we ordered up some more hot wings.  These wings made me want to cry and I have now sworn off hot wings (at least until Pittsburgh).  After crying a little bit and asking for my mom, I was served a nice glass of milk in a kiddie cup that the fellas say I must now use the rest of the trip.  OK, fine.  Pat, our waiter, was great kid from Cleveland and shared in our good times.
Now it was time to get to the main venue of the day, Progressive Field.  It rained some more during the pregame beach party but it felt great considering we followed the massive heat wave east out of MN.  The stadium was great, not Target Field great, but great.  Staffers and attendants were not near as friendly as the ones back home but they loosened up as the game went on.  My mission was to have my picture taken with John Adams, the guy that beats the drum at every Indians game, and to catch up with Jesse Crain, a relief pitcher that was with the Twins and has since moved on to become a member of the White Sox.  I have taken a liking to Jesse Crain because we chatted a long while back about his one time dream of becoming a history teacher.  Pretty cool ambitions for a young guy in the majors.  I found that ironic because I am a teacher that dreamed of being a major league ball player.  To make things short, I never caught up with him at the game because A.J. Pierzynski wouldn't cooperate with me.  No surprise.
Though our tickets were for lower left field, I wanted to see what other seats I could land in since Wade means wonderer, first crosser of the river.  During this time, I was humbled at a few speed pitch machines that my pals, Greg and Mike, both beat me in.  I guess 67 MPH just isn't quite fast enough for a fastball.  lol  I then picked up a couple of bobbleheads for me and my buddy that couldn't make the trip, Ryan Kachelmeier.  He has a bobblehead army second to none so I couldn't pass it up.  Once I made my way to the 3rd row in lower right field foul territory, I made friends with some fellas from Chicago and a few others from Cleveland. We talked solid baseball for 5 innings which at that point I figured I better up and move to complete my 'To Do List'.  First I found John Adams, the drummer.  He was super.  I even got to bang the drum.  Then I made my way to the top of the stadium behind home plate in the highest point of the upper deck. Great view.  Then I made my way down to the field along the left field foul line, 2nd row seats.  Sweet.  It only took two batters before an unbelievable thing happened, a foul ball from Matt LaPorte began rolling our way.  Since my first MLB game back in 83', I've always dreamed of getting a ball in the stands.  I have been so close many times and even had gotten a little bitter about it, but today was different.  I scurried to the guard rail, leaned over the rolled up rain tarp, and used TWO hands and my Gibbon Reds hat to secure what I had been longing for.  I got it.  I turned around with the ball in my hand and jumped for joy like a little girl getting a pony on her 5th birthday party.  Then I yelled 'Twins are the best!' and ran.  Juvenile, yes.  Memorable, yes.  My phone was on the brink of being dead so I quickly congregated with the fellas again and we made our way out of the stadium.  Lots of pics were taken at Progressive Field which will forever be cherished.  Though I hadn't gotten to talk with Jesse Crain at the ballpark, it was good.
After the game we walked down past the Harry Buffalo and shared our stories with Pat, our waiter.  He loved it.  Then we went to the Cadillac Ranch.  Oh my, they had a mechanical bull!  Didn't see this coming.  We each paid $3 and mounted saddled up.  Chris LeDoux would've been proud.  The long necks kept coming and we danced on the dance floor.  There's nothing wrong with 6 guys from MN trying to dance together in a very culturally diverse crowd, but we continued to dance.
Our wheel man was ready to go, but while making our way outside, who did we find?  Jesse Crain and his lovely wife with some friends.  He remembered our conversation about teaching and was very great to talk with.  I guess a middle reliever in an away town can relax a bit more and not worry about being swarmed, except by 6 guys from MN.  I introduced the fellas to Jesse and his wife and they told us about his new life in Chicago and the pending arrival of their 3rd child in November.  MLB Baseball is a business, but we all expressed our MN love for him and shared some drinks.  Knowing we were probably beginning to annoy them, we decided to gather the troops and head back to the RV.
The RV ride was a bit heated since we didn't really know our way out of town, but we ended up Dundee, Ohio at Evergreen RV Park.  Nice facility.  I've been told I smell funny and must now go shower.  This RV has begun to stink like sour feet and man.  lol
Canton, OH next for the Football Hall of Fame, and then off to Pittsburgh, PA.  Stay tuned.