This year’s tour was not set up to include a tour of any of our cities as our two east coast tours were, but rather simply to do six games in a week in six different ball parks in six different cities and visit two great grandmothers.  We’ve done six games twice but those times included multiple games in New York City.  So no opinion here on downtown Cleveland but the skyline does not begin to compare to Pittsburgh.

So we were merely in and out of Cleveland on Sunday.  I have to say that Progressive Field is probably my least favorite of the new era of ball parks we have visited.  First and foremost is the lack of modern food selection.  It is hot dogs and hamburgers at every single concession stand plus an occasional one offering pizza.  So the perfect reason for me to fast at the ball park.

But most of all I think it is the most over commercialized of the over commercialized sports facility era.  The scoreboard is a disaster.  The left field foul pole is sponsored (but not the right).  They play music in between innings that is all about Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and on and on.  And, of course, the endless promotions.

On a day with a forecast of a 60% chance of thunderstorms, we did see a fine game with great weather including getting to see the young phenom Stephen Strasburg pitch a one hitter over his five innings before the Indians prevailed 2 to nothing.

Tomorrow night its Baltimore at Detroit.