A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

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World Series was memorable, not the “greatest” ever

The World Series that ended wasn’t a great World Series.

Yes, I know, people are talking about how it was one of the best of all time. It wasn’t.

Could it be the most memorable of all time? Now we might be on to something.

See, baseball is a great game. Readers of my blog know I am a massive fan. I won’t say this World Series was awful – it wasn’t. It has some amazing performances. There were great individual and team moments. The two teams with the longest World Series championship drought were battling. But greatest … ? No.

But this World Series isn’t going to be remembered for the play on the field, it’s going to be remembered for the moment that came at the end when the Cubs won the championship for the first time since 1908. That’s a moment. It was a special moment. There are generations of Cubs fans celebrating this championship. And it doesn’t matter to them if it was slick fielding, dominant pitching or something else — all they care about is the end result.

That’s a moment. Moments make for some dramatic times and some great memories. Moments don’t always equate into the best games.

Many might not remember this one – but Game 7 of the 1991 World Series was a great game. Jack Morris (who should be a Hall of Famer) vs. John Smoltz. Amazing. Morris went 10 (yes, 10) innings to win, 1-0.

How crazy is that?

Let’s put that into perspective. Only three times in the 2016 World Series did a starting pitcher reach six complete innings – Corey Kluber twice (games 1 and 4) and Jon Lester (game 5). To me, that means managers overmanaging or there was some awful pitching. For the record, it’s the first choice.

Don’t get me wrong, the World Series was exciting.

But there were as many bad decisions as there were good. There was a full lack in confidence in some players. And seriously … if the World Series comes down to Michael Martinez hitting with the tying run in the bottom of the 10th … and there are no other choices?

I’m a Phillies fan. I know all about Michael Martinez.

In the end, this was very memorable. The Cubs are no longer lovable losers. Both teams could be back again next year.

People will remember the biggest moment in Cubs history when they think of the 2016 World Series. But a great series? Not so much. Most memorable? There’s definitely an argument for that.

Now … how long until pitchers and catchers report?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

1908 vs 1948

Cleveland Rocked!

Cleveland Rocked!

Two teams remain.

The World Series will be decided between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs.

The Indians last won a World Series in 1948.

The Cubs are making their first trip to a World Series since 1947. They last won a championship in 1908.

Who will win? Who knows. Either way a drought will end.

Who’s your pick?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Summer of Baseball: Cleveland rocks

I’d never been to Cleveland before.

Not for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not to visit the Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton. Not for baseball or anything else.

That changed with a trip to Progressive Field to see the Indians face off against the Chicago White Sox.

And though I can’t comment on the city – we basically stayed to the area near our hotel and the stadium – I will say I enjoyed myself and wouldn’t mind going back one day. Especially if a trip to Progressive Field to see the Indians again is involved.

What a great park.

Cleveland from up above.

Cleveland from up above.

Opened in 1994, the home of the Indians has aged well. It’s a great place to watch a game and the sight lines are tremendous. As has been the norm this season, seats were in the upper deck and behind home plate, which gives you a great overall view of the park and the backdrop of the city.

That’s always nice.

OK, so let’s take a look at Progressive.

The views were great. Though I definitely felt like I was upper deck, it wasn’t a bad overall seat. The sightlines were fine and with the massive scoreboard, it was easy enough to keep track of everything. However, the only time a vendor came up to this area was the eighth inning. The area was pretty full, so it would have been nice if one had come up.

Speaking of that side of thing, as I went down in a mid-inning to grab something to eat, the lines were massive. And I’m not saying like 10-12 people deep. But the wrap-around holder went well beyond the limit. I ended up walking down to the lowest concourse and grabbing a couple of hot dogs at one of the smaller, secondary food stands. It was definitely not the best I’ve seen in regard to moving people through, so it did lose some points in that part. When we first arrived, though, the crowd wasn’t big and I did get an ice cream, which was amazing.

The stadium is nice. You can, obviously, walk around the entire concourse, which gives you some nice views. The team store is pretty nice, albeit a bit tight. Prices were decent for major league standards. No lineup board, though. One thing that was cool was the top row of seats has been removed and there’s now a walk-around area at the top of the stadium. At least for part of the stadium, that is. I got out and took some photos, which was cool.

The game we went to was toward the beginning of their big winning streak, so the crowd was hopping. That made the ambiance quite nice. Mike Napoli hit a massive bomb of a home run, which may or may not have landed yet. The crowd was definitely into the game and their team. The Indians won in a rout on this day (the other two games they won by one run… we saw the blowout!), so it was an upbeat crowd for the entire game.

Most of the people I dealt with were nice and easy to ask questions to etc. I can’t speak on parking as we parked at our hotel and took the shuttle down, which was cool. We walked back and it wasn’t a bad trip.

All-in-all, this was a solid trip and stop at this MLB stadium. If you are going to be in the Cleveland area, it’s well worth going, especially if the Indians are playing well at that point. Tickets were reasonably priced and the area was definitely Indian happy.

Not only that, but Cleveland Rocks playing at the end of a win was awesome.

Park Notes:  

Progressive Field
Cleveland, Ohio
Home of the Cleveland Indians
Visited on: June 18, 2016
Opponent: Chicago White Sox

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 9/10
  • Concessions: 7/10
  • Parking: N/A
  • Ambiance: 9/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!