Wahoo times at the Jake

I have been to all four home playoff games played by the Cleveland Indians at the Jacobs Field this October. I will be going tomorrow night in hopes of going 5 for 5 on the month. I will not stop going until they lose - I am convinced they continue to win at home because I attend so I will do whatever it takes - spend those law school loans ducks, skip that night class, have a beer and some shitty wings at Scorchers - so long as I keep my streak alive.

One thing I have noticed, however, is that the behavior and language used at Jacobs field these past two weeks by my fellow patrons has been rather vulgar - approaching Browns Stadium levels. Tickets have been rather cheap and easy to come by to this point, so locals who usually put a significant portion of their yearly earnings in the Browns season tickets package ( only 8 sundays a year, two preseason games), have been able to scrounge up some money to attend the baseball playoffs. Regardless, our opponents these two first rounds have been the two blue blood franchises of baseball - New York and Boston. They are the free spending big money teams and have had significant representation at home games these past two weeks. Their ideals and sense of fanfare have not meshed well with the blue collar intensity of indian fan. A few incidents (some relayed second hand)

-per usual, t-shirts are being sold outside the stadium saying "F**k Boston" as well as shirts which one vendor kept screaming in a salespitch "Calvin Pissing on the Boston Cap on the Front, Red Sox Suck! on the back" He yelled this on a continuous loop for at least 15 minutes as we tried to walk to our car. Those Calvin Pissing on so and so icon shirts ran their course in 1996.

-yankees series, game two - by all accounts, the bleachers were just a complete free for all. there were a number of yankees fans sitting in the bleachers. This game was on a friday night so everyone was fired up and rip roaring drunk or in the process of getting so. One yankee fan was hassled as he was trying to go down the aisle to get to the concourse. a small scufffle ensued in which this yankee fan, a relatively harmless and adolescent fan, was thrown down the aisle stairs followed by a loud applause by bleacher fan (the image of this made me laugh for a considerable amount of time)

-same game - a drunk couple sitting together in the bleachers got into a huge fight over a completely innocuous gesture - the indians made a huge double play to end an inning and the guy turned around and was giving high fives to fans near him. one high five happened to be given to an innocent person of the opposite sex sitting in the row behind him. this innocent and seemlingly customary gesture set his girlfriend into a rage. she started screaming and yelling at him for giving a person of the opposite sex a high five - this just happened by chance because that was the sex of the person sitting behind the man. the girlfriend burst into tears and was screaming at him. whoaaa, that is some serious baggage but I found it absolutely hilarious. the girl ran out of the stadium crying and into the concourse. she came back a couple innings later and sat there crying for the remainder of the game and fighting with her boyfriend. no one said bleacher t is the most rational of person

-boston series - game one - a man in a crowded bathroom must have said the f word 20 times in a one minute span. correction, screamed the f word. he was t and was drunk. He started off vulgar, but at least relevant by screaming F**K Boston, f**k the celtics, f**k tom brady, f** belichick. he quickly abandoned this relevant but vulgar approach and continued screaming f**k michigan, f**k detroit, f**k the tigers, f**k the pistons, f**k the steelers, f**k the bulls and so on and so forth. he just kept shouting this routine and when someone interjected and said , "but we're not playing detroit" he responded with a yell "i dont care, f**k em, f**k em all!!!" and continued on his teams routine. It appeared he wasnt even showing off for some t comrade but was all by his lonesome and thought this would entertain himself. This was so incredibly stupid but a hilarious capturing of typical cleveland t you find at sporting events. i dont remember this as a youngster growing up

-on a side note, at EVERY single playoff game i have been too, all four, they have played "Hang On Sloopy" and the crowed goes completely nuts and spells with arms gestures. It is not relevant and the red sox and yankees players look on in bewilderment.

The games have been amazing so far and there have been a number of incidents which make you scratch your head but as long as they keep winning, I will put up with it. I will let you know what happens tomorrow, but I am sitting in the Club level so I doubt there will be similar anecdotes but you never know.

Also, give me your vote on our fans painting their faces as cheif wahoos with the redface and big smile and triangle eyes. i think this is a bit much, unnecessary and racist.

Skating away!

Welcome back the Matador! I am really impressed with those Indians. Go THE TRIBE! Upon my senior year one of my older cousins instilled some advice on me that wasn't too necessary, but nonetheless allowed me to grasp the importance of making the last college sprint and doing it the right way. Basically what he told me was there is never more of a time in your life than senior year to live for yourself. This includes the selfish mindset of "making you happy" and not worrying about anyone but yourself. Don't tube your friends and go after their tail but maybe order some drinks on their tab when they aren't looking, date more than one girl, etc, etc. Based on your post I can see you're already living by that mantra which is great.

Per my Birthday plans I would like to throw out some additional watering holes for perspective spots located around Mayfield Heights. I think my close family and friends would truly gel with the loyal patrons that occupy these establishments and share similar views on life, politics, and culture.
-Golden Coins
-The Boneyard
-Rummy's
-Cleats
-Hobnobbers
-BW2

I am not ruling out the Fox and Hound however.
GO TRIBE!
ONE- Roro

Welcome Back Matador!

I recently received a message from RoRo saying that the hours at work go a little faster with more reading material on comestronger. I would like to apologize to the comestronger community for my recent hiatus, but I warn you it may happen again. I am currently a senior in college as many of you know and I am grinding it out. I'll get to that in a minute...

I would like to start of by congratulating the Cleveland Indians advancing to the 2007 ALCS. This team is truly fun to watch. In the ALDS every man played an important role. Solid, fundamental at bats coincided with sound pitching and a manager who gets the respect and faith of his players.
One note my father brought up...He told me those nats that appeared in Game 2 have come in July or the Summer months before. He has witnessed this. However, the last time they came out in October was 1948. Karma.

As I mentioned before I have been working hard my senior year of college. I have had tests and projects which I have done just fine on. But lets take a look at the finer things in life.

The first 3 Friday's of school I enjoyed sitting on a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean. I was usually joined by a few other fine individuals each Friday. Because we dont have class on Friday we would wake up around noon or so after going out the night before. On the way to the beach we would stop at a Dunkin Dicks (Donuts) and a package store to pick up 36 coors light cans that turn blue when they are a cold, and a case of twisted teas. Football was played and beverages were consumed, and then we would come back for a great Friday night in the Boston area. Saturdays have been centered around tailgating for football, because most of our games have been at home.

Throw a great parents weekend in there and my 22nd birthday and thats my September.

This past weekend some of my close friends from a fine Jesuit institution along the East Coast came to visit. All together there ended up being about 15 or so that came. It was a blast. Friday night started out with a bang, as a few of them got in around 2 and the rest coming in the evening. We watched a Tribe playoff game to remember as Fausto Carmona picthed a gem of a game and the end result seeing Travis Hafner with a walk off base hit. We went out Friday night in downtown Boston to Kitty OSheas (Shitty Okays) and after a few of our friends had been kicked out and the group as a hole had been cut off we decided to leave approx 2am. Came back to campus and enjoyed some raucus times in the senior village. Bedtime called at about 4 or so (remember).

So the next day we had to get up at about 930 to start tailgaiting for a noon football game. We went into the game with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and left early to tailgate. After the game we tailgated for a good 3 hours, came back and grabbed a nap. I woke up to my room being completely demolished. There was a stolen pumpkin and about 250 newspapers on my floor spread out to the point where you could not see the floor.

It was about 9 so we started drinkin again and got ready for the night. Ended up at a bar with a nice basement which the 30 of us or so ended up controlling and tearing up the dance floor. Beer showers started within a half hour of being there, and one kid was even buying shots just to pour on people. Got out of there and went back to campus and the senior village again. I was with a guest but my friends had been a little behind me. They eventually met up with me but there clothes were ruined because they had been performing "illegal" chop blocks on each other on a lawn near the front of campus until cops had broken it up. Bedtime was just after dawn.

Sunday was a day of rest. We had a few beers, watched a rough tribe game and went out to a local bar. On Monday the crowd had left after a great weekend.

Monday I didn't have school so I just watched the Indians win the ALDS over the Evil Empire.

Because our football team is now ranked 4th in the country, I am taking a short week and following the team with half of the senior class to South Bend, Indiana for a game against Notre Dame. I am leaving for home on Thursday after having school since Tuesday. And because the Indians are playing Monday night in Cleveland, I will be coming back to school Tuesday morning. A nice little extended weekend in the midwest with two great sporting events.

The upcoming months look promising as well, with a suitcase party on the horizon, visits from other friends, and a trip down Washington DC to go to a football game at Maryland. We will be doing it again with the same group that was just up here, and be joined by 4 of our other friends from home.

Sorry for the length and detail of this post. I just figured I would tell all of you how I am doing and maybe take a little time out of RoRo's day at work.

But I better get to bed, big day of class tomorrow. I got one at 230.

Browns QB's

Here we Go Brownies here we go woo, woo!

Lets put the Pittsburgh loss behind us and carry on. Pictures such as this one capture the demographic backing our fan base. We can't allow a few bad apples to ruin the fun for an entire city. I heard many accounts of outlandish, unacceptable acts committed by Browns fans in the opener. Looking at yesterday's win against the Ravens, there are tons of positives to take from this battle in the trenches. The Browns are just playing just all around strong. Braylon (B Easy) Edwards is finally making some plays and shutting his mouth. In addition, Jamal has truly adopted the Big Ten "run the ball up the throat style" since relocating from Baltimore. Browns fans adopt his no nonsense, hard work mentality as the leader of the squad.
Robert Munch of WKNR may have gotten ahead of himself yesterday on the post-game show by proclaiming as the Season of Dreams for the Browns and I ask Rath to elaborate further on this. However, a Cleveland fan has to relish in this rare victory over the Ravens.