The Cleveland Indians plan to turn Progressive Field into a money-making winter wonderland in the off-season. Best feature: A snow ramp for innertubes from the top of the bleachers to the field.
The Indians Web site carries this promotional flier with an artist's rendering of the new winter wonderland.CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians don't have a snowball's chance in you- know-where of making the playoffs this year. But the snowball has a great chance in Progressive Field after the regular season ends.
The team is set to roll out a new plan to put Progressive Field to good use during the cold off-season in Cleveland. They're calling it "Snow Days" and the plan is to turn the ballpark into a winter theme park. Instead of sitting vacant for four months, the ballpark will be outfitted with an ice rink that loops around the warning track, a fire pit on the home run porch and -- Tipoff will be first in line for this -- an innertubing hill that descends from the bleachers and onto the field.
And, of course, there will be concession stands open. The winter wonderland would open Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving.
The team has made no announcements but posted an artist's rendering in the fan forum section of its website with the promise that further details, presumably hours and ticket prices, will be announced Sept. 23.
A Tribe spokesman simply said the team has big plans and will make them known on the 23rd.
We're hoping those plans include an appearance by Albert Belle, "Mr. Freeze" himself, the man who once took a bat to the clubhouse thermostat because someone turned up the temperature.
The other guy: County Commissioner Tim Hagan got a chuckle on a dark day after former Auditor Frank Russo resigned via fax. Carbon copied on the letter: Commissioner Tim Hagen.
Hagan has complained that voters now lump all elected officials together as crooks.
"I can say nobody ever offered me a dime in my life," he said.
And as further proof he wasn't in Russo's inner-circle: Hagen.
Fightin' words: Ed FitzGerald, the Democratic nominee for Cuyahoga County executive, didn't take long after Tuesday's election to rally the troops. He had a press conference with his opponent, Terri Hamilton Brown, and her supporters – notably U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson – pledging their support on Wednesday. He also sent out an e-mail to supporters warning that attack against him was imminent. He gave coded reference to the attackers
"This campaign is about the people who ride the bus and drive the bus, not the person who has the money to put his face on the side of the bus," he wrote, referring to Independent Ken Lanci's campaign ads on RTA buses.
"This campaign is about the Indians fans who root for the home team no matter what, but yearn for a winning season, not the family who spends money on a campaign rather than a star reliever," he said, referring to Republican nominee Matt Dolan and his Indians-owning family.
PolitiFact ought to get on that last one. A star reliever wouldn't have helped the Tribe. What they need is a Cy Young Award winner. Now where can you find a couple of those?
Vote late, vote often? Julian Rogers was so diligent in reminding his supporters to get to the polls that he sent out an e-mail at 8 a.m. urging them to vote. That's 8 a.m. Wednesday, the day after the election.
No matter. Rogers won his Democratic primary race for Cuyahoga County Council District 10.
He explained that he'd sent the e-mail on a timer to be sent and must have scheduled it twice.