You don't have to be a huge sports fan to appreciate this blog. First thing's first...here's info from the AP wire explaining what I'm super annoyed about:
No more Jake in Cleveland. Cleveland's major league ballpark will be renamed Progressive Field u
nder terms of an agreement between the Indians and the auto insurance company. The downtown stadium has been known since it opened in 1994 as Jacobs Field in honor of former team owner Richard E. Jacobs. It will be rebranded this year.
Ok, a bit of backstory. I'm from Cleveland, OH...born and raised. I saw Dick Jacobs speak at a luncheon when I was in high school. I clearly remember The Jake opening. I remember the summer of '96 when I went to 13 games. I remember the '95 and '97 seasons, when Albert Bell was our homerun king, and we made it further than we had in a long, long time. I remember thinking..."Ya know, Cleveland Municipal Stadium was great, but The Jake really rocks!!!"
So, you can imagine my shock, my dismay, my disbelief, and plain old "Nuh uh!" when I found out The Jake was being changed to "Progressive Field." What?!?!? After the insurance company?
I mean, they already changed "Gund Arena" (where the Cavs play) to "The Q." It may sound cool at first, but not-so-fast...it stands for "Quick-N-Loan"...LAME!!!!!! I'm just waiting for the third ball to drop. What will become of The Cleveland Browns Stadium? "The Prep" (short for "Preparation H Stadium")..."Can you hear me now" (aka Verizon Wireless Stadium).
I'm not dumb...i understand that sports is a business...and that means the place those businesses call "home" are always up for sale. But c'mon, people. How about holding onto the good old days...preserving a bit of history. I mean, couldn't the Progressive peeps just plaster their name everywhere, but keep the Jacobs Field name?
Or, here's a crazy idea...name the darn thing after a famous Indians player. "Feller Field" anyone? There's already a Bob Feller statue right outside the stadium ... and it sounds a heck of a lot better than "Starbucks Stadium."
I'm just saying...
