Saturday, June 23, 2007

Reason #91 - Sin Tax

A "sin tax," on smoking and alcohol, helped build Jacobs Field. In "Sin City," they would have had more than enough money to add a retractable roof, but not in Cleveland, where the sin is to have used public money multiple times, on the Indians and Browns facilities, and not had the foresight to add a retractable roof.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Reason #90 - Attendance

The Indians have one of the lowest attendance totals in Major League Baseball, despite being in first place and having a great ballpark. How could that be? It has to be the weather - sometimes bad, always uncertain - that is keeping wary fans away. A roof would solve many problems.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Reason #89 - The Seasons

It's the first day of summer, and I'm still here, reminding you that this year's baseball season - actually many seasons - started with a snowstorm, and may end in a snow or ice storm, or with frostbite, especially if the Indians can break through and make the playoffs. Then we will have the exercise in frigid futility that is Browns football.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Reason #88 - Ryan Howard

Phillies slugger Ryan Howard hit a "moon shot" home run that traveled 451 feet last night. If we had a roof at Jacobs Field, the ball might have hit it and Howard would have been held to a ground rule double. On the other hand, maybe he would have put a hole in the roof.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Reason #87 - Weather and Economics

Bad weather, actually just the threat of bad weather, keeps baseball fans away - and that hurts sales of tickets, hot dogs and everything else. And that hurts team revenues, which are needed to be able to afford good players, who are needed to be competitive, which is necessary for a team to remain viable. You see, a roof is an economic necessity.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Reason #86 - Charlie Manuel

Former Indians manager (and current Phillies manager) Charlie Manuel is in town this week. If there were a retractable roof on Jacobs Field, he would probably describe it like this: "Well, uh, um, it's, uh, uh, like a roof." You don't get that kind of insight every day.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Reason #85 - Solar Power

How's this for irony? The Indians are the first MLB team to add solar panels to its ballpark to generate some of the park's electric power. Given the biting winds off the lake in spring, why not wind power, too?