Category Archives: Baseball

Baseball Playoffs – Game 3

The Marlins’ season came to a close tonight against a very strong Orioles team, who won 24-5. Alan was 0-for-2 but enjoyed putting on the Marlins’ uniform one last time. Grandma Debbie and Papa were there to watch the game and see the presentation of trophies after the game.

Above all else, Alan was happy to close out the season at Sunday Memories with a vanilla ice cream cone. After the ice cream break, he returned to the field, where he played a pickup game late into the night with some other players, including Jackson from the Orioles. Alan was the last to leave the field!

Baseball Playoffs – Game 2

The Marlins notched playoff victory #1 tonight with a hard fought 12-11 win over the Mariners that keeps their season alive.

The Mariners struck first for 4 runs in the top of the 1st, but the Marlins took the lead in the bottom of the 1st and never looked back.  The Marlins’ first 7 batters all reached base and came around to score — including Alan, who hit his first career triple!

Near 90 degree temperatures wore down the Marlins as the game went on, but they were able to maintain the lead throughout.  The Mariners did get the tying run to 3rd base in the top of the 5th, but the Marlins hung on without needing their last at bat.

On the day, Alan went 1-for-2 with a run scored.  He also played left field and had a few balls hit in his direction.

After the game, Alan and De’Onta stayed to watch Xavier’s Brewers and Noah’s Cardinals play in the two late games.  They had their postgame snacks in their usual playground spot.  Alan loves playing the early games so he can socialize at the park all night (or at least until sundown – the unofficial time for ice cream at McDonald’s).

The win keeps the season alive.  Next up will be the Orioles on Wednesday.

Other notes:

-Grandma Debbie and Papa came to see the game.  Alan was glad to see them, as always.

-Alan’s triple came in his first AB with his new bat.  Alan had used the new bat in practice earlier this season, but this was the first time he’d used it in a game.

Baseball Playoffs – Game 1

It’s playoff time, and Alan’s ascent on the diamond this summer led him to being named the Marlins lead-off hitter for this year’s playoff run!

At Saturday’s practice, Alan got the attention of his manager, Coach Mark, by clocking the fastest time of anyone on the team from home to first base (3.42 seconds).  Even so, we were still surprised to learn two hours before tonight’s game, via a text to coaches, that Alan would be featured atop the lineup and playing center field.

Alan responded by going 2-for-3 with a double, run scored, and a career-high 3 RBIs.  Despite Alan’s big game, the Marlins dropped a closer-than-the-score-appears 31-12 decision to the top ranked Cardinals.  The Marlins led 3-2 after 1 inning, were tied after 2 innings, and were only down 12-8 after 3 innings.  But then the flood gates opened in the 4th and 5th innings for the Cardinals.

After grounding out to 1st base to start the game, Alan settled in during his next plate appearance in the 2nd inning.  He came through with a clutch 2-out, seeing-eye single into left field that plated 2 runs and pulled the Marlins within a run at 6-5.  Coach Mark congratulated Alan from the mound, calling him the fastest player on the team after the big hit.

In the 4th inning, Alan hit yet another RBI double and would later come around to score to help keep the Marlins in the game.

In the field, Alan and the other outfielders were busy tracking down deep hits by the Cardinals.  Alan was positioned in center field in the first place due to use his speed to chase down the balls hit by the Cardinals’ murderers row, including Noah.

The playoff tournament is a double-elimination tournament, so the Marlins remain alive and will play the Mariners tomorrow with the season on the line.

Notes:

-Alan & De’Onta and Noah — the All-Stars from Mrs. Harris’ class — exchanged playful grimaces with each other throughout the game.

-Alan spent the afternoon getting ready for the game at the Highland Heights pool.  It might need to be part of his pregame routine.

-Alan got the news about leading off while at the pool.  He was nervous about hitting first, but he had been telling me most of the summer that he was ready to hit near the top of the order.

Indians Game No. 2 of 2019

Today Tyler joined us at the ballpark for the first time this year and second time ever.  It was a rainy day downtown, but a little rain wasn’t going to stop these two from having fun together.

We arrived at the ballpark early and walked Tyler down for a field level view.  We also introduced him to Jim Thome.

Up in the Kids Clubhouse, the boys played on the slide and took a joint photo impersonating big leaguers.  Tyler also tried out the “Hot Corner” game (Alan can be heard in the background providing assistance).  Tyler played this game repeatedly until he reached the “Pro” level!

Out on the Family Deck, the kids tried to top their personal bests at each event.  Both set personal records for highest pitch speed (Alan – 28 MPH, Tyler – 24 MPH).  Alan set a new record in the sprint, recording a run of 5.68 seconds, and Tyler ran a great race too.  Tyler also drove in Alan at Little League Park!

When it came time for souvenirs, Alan opted for an Indians Lego set and Tyler went with a Father’s Day edition Indians hat.  Though the Indians didn’t win the game today, they did give Alan and Tyler something to cheer about with three runs in the 8th and 9th, which they watched from back inside the Kids Clubhouse.  After the game, we got ice cream to cap off a busy 24 hours for the boys.

Last night they went to the Chagrin Falls Blossom Time Festival together and had a sleepover at Grandma Debbie’s.  The carnival excitement, highlighted by riding the big Ferris Wheel, helped them fall asleep by 11 last night.  That gave them just enough energy for a full 5-hour day at the ballpark.

Opening Night

The Highland Heights Mighty Mites baseball season started off with bang tonight!

In the field, Alan — wearing #3 for this 3rd year as a pro — played two innings in right field and two innings in center field.

At the plate, Alan provided a spark for the Marlins, going 2-for-2 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.  In his second at-bat, he recorded the first double of his career on an RBI hit down the left field line! (pictured below).  The clutch performance earned Alan the game ball!

Alan was presented with the game ball during a meeting on the bench.  He later said he was not expecting to be the first recipient, but he’ll gladly take the honor.  The Cardinals may have defeated the Marlins, but it was definitely an Opening Night to remember.  We were both incredibly proud of Alan’s performance!

Note:  This year I’m the bench coach.  I’ll be keeping score for the Marlins at-bats in a scorebook, even though the games are considered exhibitions until the playoffs start in July.

5/25/19 update: Alan showed off the game ball to Tata, Papa, Robbie, Jill, Debbie, Papa, Bobby, Tyler, and Carleigh today as the ball came along with us on our Saturday stops.

Alan’s Favorite Activities

Second grade — Part V — edition of the Top 10:

-Playing with Lulu & Rosie, of course.

-Drawing with chalk on the driveway after school with Cassady, Xavier, and TJ (who also lives on Iroquois).

-Bringing the green turtle stuffed animal into school whenever Blue House wins the weekly competition!  Alan says that Noah and Kennedy especially love seeing it and playing with it.

-“Free swim” at Saturday swimming lessons this spring, which usually involves breaking out the fins.

-Lexia sessions.  Alan officially finished all the levels on 5/6/19!  Alan, Gabriella, Madeleine, Alyson, and TJ were the first to get certificates of completion.

-Playing at the Highland Heights Park.  Alan convinced me to climb up to the slide on the 3rd level and slide down with him.  He loves seeing me in agony on the way down. 😉

-Summer baseball.  When we were practicing hitting at our favorite field (Dragga Field at the Mayfield Community Park), Alan told me he’s glad that outdoor sports season is back!

-Attempting to solve a Rubik’s cube.  After we bought one, Alan now knows it’s harder than it looks.

-Ice cream parties.  We bought an ice cream scooper, vanilla ice cream, and cones and we’re ready for ice cream and Indians games this summer.

-Marble run!

Baseball Practice

Alan’s summer baseball season is now underway!

Alan met his teammates on April 22nd and was thrilled to discover De’Onta is on his team!  Then tonight the boys had their first organized practice.  After a seemingly endless string of rained-out practices, it was great to see the sun again and hear the ping of Alan’s bat!

This year Alan is playing in the Highland Heights Mighty Mite League after transferring over from the Mayfield League.  Xavier made the switch with Alan, and they’ll reunite with other Millridge kids in the league, including Grady, Noah, De’Onta, and others.

Alan’s team this year will be the Marlins.  Play ball!

Captains Game No. 1 of 2019

A night after our first Indians game of the season, Alan and I took in our first Captains game of the season at Classic Park!  Alan received a free ticket to the game through the Captains Reading Program.  Alan also got to participate in a pregame parade around the warning track as a reward.

During the parade, Alan ran into Paige and Noah’s cousin Sean from Millridge.  He also happened to see his baseball coach and teammate Jake in the ballpark.

We had front row seats in Right Field for the game, but we didn’t stay long, as Alan wanted to have his regular Saturday night sleepover at Grandma Debbie’s house.  It was also pretty cold and rainy.  But Alan did have time to eat ballpark food – fries, popcorn, and even vanilla ice cream.  He also got me a hot dog with his food voucher and three Captains baseballs at the team shop with a merchandise voucher.

Before leaving, Alan took a picture of Skipper, who he had high-fived with earlier during the parade.  The Captains went on to beat Kane County 9-3.

Tribe Game No. 1 of 2019

To cap an eventful day, tonight Alan and I made our return to Progressive Field for the first time in 2019!  We stayed until the end and was treated to his very first walk-off victory when pinch hitter Tyler Naquin singled home Leonys Martin with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Mariners 2-1!

Alan started the night by picking up his Tribe Town MVP package for the season, which consisted of a membership badge and lanyard and a duffle bag, t-shirt, socks, and wall banner.  We spent some time in the Kids Clubhouse, where Alan climbed the baseballs and got his customary orange popsicle.

Alan realized that at his age the Kids Clubhouse is beginning to lose its appeal, so we spent a larger proportion of our time outside on the Family Deck.  After growing bigger and faster over the winter, Alan recorded his first set of sub-6 second times, with the fastest coming in at 5.82!

Alan also took advantage of short lines by getting a lot of hitting practice in at Little League Park, where he hit for the cycle and recorded the 2nd and 3rd home runs of his career.  His first home run of the night was hit just fair down the left field line.  At first it was ruled foul, but upon subsequent video review and slow motion analysis, I reversed the call on the field.  His second home run of the night was a no-doubt-about-it blast.  He rounded the bases with a big smile after that one.

Alan and I watched the 9th inning rally from the seats outside the Kids Clubhouse.  Naquin’s famous walk-off inside-the-park home run from 2016 was shown on the jumbotron right before Naquin’s game-winning hit tonight.  It was an exciting finish on a spooky, foggy night at the ballpark.

On our way out of the ballpark, Alan wanted to get on TV.  The ballpark staff had already ushered fans away from the STO set, but we snuck over anyway while STO was airing Francona’s post game comments.  I was able to hit record on my DVR through my phone while Francona spoke.  When STO went back live, I told Alan to look up at the monitor to see himself on TV. 🙂

If Francona, who recorded his 562nd win as Indians manager to break a 5th place tie with Eric Wedge, had spoken 10 seconds longer, we might not have been able to dodge the ballpark staff long enough.  But somehow I don’t think this will be the last time Alan’s tries to get on TV…

 

Tribe Fest 2019

In what’s quickly becoming a favorite winter tradition, Alan attended Tribe Fest today at the Cleveland Convention Center.

The new events this year seemed to be designed just for Alan – particularly the indoor train ride.  We must have gone for a ride five or six different times.  Each time Alan had us ride in the caboose, and he smiled the whole time. 🙂

The other new event was a performance training course.  Alan ran a race against me, then held his own in a race against some bigger kids.  He never misses a chance to show off his speed.

Alan practiced his throwing and batting too.  He continued his tradition of throwing a perfect strike at Tribe Fest not once but twice.

In the game area, Alan had to get in some rounds of darts, air hockey and foosball.  Alan would’ve stayed all day if he could!

Alan’s Favorite Activities

Second grade – Part II – edition of the Top 10:

-Sunday visits to the Mayfield Library – for playing and checking out books.

-Collecting on a new weekly allowance of $1!  Alan’s actually gotten to put his NASA wallet to good use holding his dollar bills, library card, McDonald’s card, and photo ID (2018 summer baseball card).

-“Lexia” sessions (online learning for 2nd grade).

-Ice skating lessons at Gilmour.

-Playing basketball on our Ohio State mini-hoop!  Alan sets the phone alarm and we play 3-minute quarters.

-Playing the dreidel game on the computer!

-Building racetracks, airports, and cities on Grandma Debbie’s coffee table.

-Doing crossword puzzles for kids with Tata.

-Constructing & playing, “Mouse Trap.”

-Setting postseason mini bat matchups!

Alan’s Favorite Activities

Second grade – Part I – edition of the Top 10:

-Attending Indians games at Progressive Field!

-Batting practice at the Mayfield Community Park and racing Daddy around the bases on every 5th hit.

-The Cleveland National Air Show!

-2nd grade birthday parties at Sky Zone (Noah is up next in October after Grady and Alan!)

-Making Lego and train cities.

-Playing with Tyler and Carleigh Saturday nights at Grandma Debbie’s!

-Following Indians games on Gamecast. 🙂

-Setting mini bat “matchups” of MLB teams every Monday and Friday nights during baseball season.

-Playing cards and “Sorry!”

-Playing badminton and tennis with our new rackets.

Tribe Game No. 7 of 2018

Alan kept his birthday celebration going late into the night at the Indians game!

We arrived during the 5th inning, around the time of Josh Donaldson’s 2nd homerun of the night.  Alan headed straight for Little League Park and hit everything in sight.  He legged out a triple in this at bat.

Inside the Kids Clubhouse, we took selfies.  Alan had to have an orange popsicle too.

   

At the team shop, Alan got a ASG mini bat and some AL Central Champs souvenir baseballs and pins.  On our way out of the ballpark, Alan lamented that he’ll “miss this place” during the offseason.

Alan wrapped up another winning season at Progressive Field with a 4-3 record.  He’s 24-10 overall in his Indians career.

Captains Game No. 1 of 2018

Alan and I attended our first Lake County Captains game today at Classic Park!  It was a scorcher, but it was nice to spend time outdoors over Labor Day weekend.

Just like Sundays at Progressive field, Sundays at Classic Park are focused on the kids.  Captains Kids Days feature inflatable games (including hitting), Catch on the Field before the game, and Kids Run the Bases after the game.

  

Alan of course loved playing on all the inflatable games, but he especially enjoyed the playground shaped like a big ship!

We loved how much space there was to move around at Classic Park, especially beyond center field where there are open spaces for fans to play catch.  We also enjoyed sitting underneath a covered pavilion in right field where we could watch the game from our own table.  We played cards in the shade together there while cooling off.

When it was time to run the bases, Alan took advantage of a less congested diamond and showed off his speed around the bases before touching home.

Other highlights of the afternoon for Alan included a very large ice cream cone and buying three mini Captains baseball bats and a foam “Skipper” (Captains’ mascot) from the team shop.  Today happened to be a “Bark at the Park” day as well, so Alan got to see dogs throughout the ballpark!

I think we’ll definitely be heading back to Classic Park next summer.

Tribe Game No. 6 of 2018

Tonight Alan and I made a special Friday night visit to the ballpark to close our school/work week with some baseball and fireworks.  It was a great way to kick off the long Labor Day weekend.

Out on the family deck, Alan dove home safely after a sprint around the bases in Little League Park.

Inside the Clubhouse, Alan got extra turns on the slide with fewer kids in attendance for night games.  He also got his favorite popsicle to eat during fireworks.

  

During the 8th inning of the game (won 3-0 by the Indians over the Rays) we found out the Indians acquired Josh Donaldson!  Alan was concerned for who we had to send to Toronto, but for now at least it is a player to be named later.  The Indians win clinched another winning season at Progressive Field for Alan.  He’s 4-2 with one game left to attend.

Tribe Game No. 5 of 2018

The trip to the ballpark today was a special one, as Tyler accompanied Alan for his very first Indians game!  Alan was very happy to show him around the ballpark.

The first stop was inside the Kids Clubhouse.  Alan showed Tyler the slide, the train table, the model Indians lockers, and the oversized bat and glove.  Tyler liked the slide the most.

Tyler also got a taste of being a major league hitter.  Alan, of course, opted to be a catcher!

  

Outside on the family deck balcony, the boys enjoyed popsicles and watched the Indians take an early 1-0 lead on the Orioles in the 1st inning.

After they were finished in the Kids Clubhouse, the boys tried out the outdoor activities on the family deck.  In Alan’s debut sprint of 2018, he recorded a career-best time of 6.19 seconds.  But that record only lasted until his second run of the day, when he finished with a time of 6 seconds flat!  Tyler also enjoyed the race, challenging himself to run against the pace of Lindor (designated fastest Indian) each time.

At Little League Park, Alan and Tyler shared a baseball field together for the first time!  Both boys circled the bases in their first at-bats; Tyler got a hit on the first pitch he saw and Alan clocked the pitcher.  In their second at-bats, Tyler stopped at second on his hit and Alan drove him in!

Meanwhile the Indians were busy posting a 6-run 4th inning capped by a Melky Cabrera Grand Slam.  To celebrate, we next moved to the team shop for souvenirs.  Tyler bought a Progressive Field baseball, a foam Chief Wahoo, an Indians bottle opener, and a pack of baseball cards.  Alan bought some Indians Legos and a baseball bat pen.  I opted for a 2019 All-Star game ball and pin.

Next we showed Tyler around the ballpark.  First we sat in the upper deck in right-center and watched Andrew Miller throw in the bullpen directly below us.  From there, we also watched the hot dog race – won by Ketchup in come-from-behind fashion.  As Alan put it, while drawing some laughs, Ketchup had to catch-up. 🙂  Then we walked the upper deck from right field to behind home plate, showing Tyler the vantage points of the field along the way.  While we were in the right field corner, Andrew Miller entered and the customary flames appeared on the scoreboard.

We also noted Jim Thome’s recently retired #25 (as of just yesterday).  The #25 will never be worn again by a Cleveland athlete at the Gateway Plaza, as Mark Price’s #25 is also retired by the Cavaliers.

For our next vantage point, we stood on the lower concourse near the season ticket holder lounge area behind home plate.  Tyler heard the singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame for the first time while Slider and some of his mascot friends in town for his 28th birthday party danced on the top of the dugout.  After the song, Slider, the Hot Dogs, Dinger (Rockies), Raymond (Rays) and the Oriole Bird walked past us.

With the Indians up 8-0 (which would be the final score), the rest of the game went by quickly.   The boys only had enough time to swing by the Kids Clubhouse for some snacks and a quick trip down the slide before it was time to line up to run the bases.  Alan got a popsicle to enjoy while waiting in line under the stadium (it gets hot down there), while Tyler opted for peanuts.

When it was time to run, Alan turned on the jets, but Tyler stayed within range.  They passed Rajai Davis on the way to the plate.  Tyler said he never thought he’d be on a big field like this one.

After the run, Tyler got a close up view of the Indians dugout and the camera bay.  On the way out of the ballpark, Tyler said he was sad to leave and wanted to know how many days before we could come back.

The boys had a sleepover together at Grandma Debbie’s house last night, so it was a full weekend of fun together.  Last night they made forts with blankets in the living room and read a funny book called Goodnight Underwear.

After the Indians game tonight, they played even more at Tyler’s house, this time along with Carleigh.  The cousins wanted to play all night, but alas it was a school night — and for Tyler, the night before the first day of 1st grade!

8/20/18 Update:  Tyler wore his new Tribe Town MVP shirt for the first day of school.

2018 MBBL Banquet

Tonight Alan, Xavier, and the rest of the 2018 Mighty Mites Yankees attended the annual Mayfield Boys Baseball League banquet at La Vera Party Center.  Champions from all MBBL age groups were honored and prizes were raffled off.

Alan and Xavier didn’t win a prize, but they entertained themselves all evening by following the Indians-Orioles play-by-play on ESPN Gamecast (Indians won 2-1).  We didn’t know about this event last year, but we’re glad we found out this year and got to be together as a team one more time!

Tribe Game No. 4 of 2018

It was jersey day for our trip to the ballpark today, with Alan wearing Lindor’s #12 and me wearing Miller’s #24.

To make it to the game on time, we had to hurry over to the ballpark from The National Sports Collectors Convention (The NSCC).  When we got to the gates, Alan was handed Indians trading cards in honor of the upcoming National Trading Card Day (8/11/18).  They complemented Alan’s haul of trading cards for the day quite nicely!

Up in the Kids Clubhouse, Alan practiced his leadership skills by managing the train table for the afternoon.  In recent weeks the table had been put in a storage closet due to all the trains having been taken home by kids.  However, Alan decided to bring 3 trains from home (Thomas, Percy and a caboose) so that the table could be set up again.  He took responsibility for accounting for the trains and rotating them among the kids.  He did a great job managing the table!  (Note: The Thomas and Percy trains were the same ones that came with him to his very first ballpark visit in 2013).

After the game, Alan continued his Sunday tradition by rounding the bases and touching home.  Then we met Robbie and Jill in the stands before heading out.  Hopefully it’s not the last time we’ll have a chance to go to a game with them this season!

Summer Sleepover

With his traveling behind him, Alan could finally get what he’s been waiting for this summer – a sleepover with Tyler and Carleigh at Grandma’s house!  In fact it was a true summer weekend from start to finish for Alan.

The sleepover took place on Friday night.  Alan brought the Sea Patroller (from Paw Patrol) as the featured toy of the night.  Highlights included the kids picking out donuts from Dunkin Donuts for their bedtime snack and going on a walk in their pajamas with flashlights.  On their walk, they met a woman with a white dog named Misty that Alan liked.  The kids were excited to explain that they were in their pajamas going on a “midnight” walk with their grandma!

On Saturday morning the kids went to the library to get new books (one of Alan’s favorites pictured below) and play with the kitchen set.  Alan’s doing the summer reading program again, and he earned a raffle ticket for reaching the halfway point on his game board.  The kids read and played some more until it was time to go home.

But the fun didn’t stop there for Alan.  Later on Saturday he went to Josh’s house to play with Josh and Killian.  The boys played outside, including in Josh’s backyard pool.   After I picked Alan up, we played two of Alan’s new favorite games – chess and checkers – on our brand new set.  We could have finished the night playing those games, but Alan wanted to run to the park to hit some baseballs until the sun went down.  We’ve been playing a new game when Alan hits a ball far where he tries to circle the bases before I can get the ball and track him down.  He likes showing off his speed ever since the coach told him he’s fast!

On Sunday Alan got to help Tata shop at Giant Eagle for the first time in several weeks due to his traveling.  He enjoys pushing the cart and helping out very much.  Afterwards we hit baseballs again at the park, despite the heat.  It was a full summer weekend for sure!

Baseball Playoffs

Alan had a pretty sweet playoff debut, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles.  Alan brought his sunglasses to the game just in case he played OF, and he actually did play RF for 4 innings.  The Yankees tried their best but ultimately lost to the Red Sox 9-5 to conclude the season.

Alan was fortunate to get to play this game, as it took two rainouts on July 3rd and 5th to get this game rescheduled to a date after Alan’s trip to Vancouver (June 29th-July 7th).  That also allowed Alan to play in front of Grandma Debbie, Papa, and Lulu tonight.  Alan made sure to tell everyone again that Lulu was his dog.

After the game, the team took a group photo before celebrating the season with some ice cream at Dairy Queen!

At DQ, Alan joined in and ordered a vanilla cone.  While Alan and his teammates were eating, the coach passed out balls and commended each player.  He called Alan a “hitting machine” and said he was the fastest player on the team — a comment that Alan earned by beating out an infield hit in his first at-bat by a whisker.

But the night didn’t end there.  After Dairy Queen, at Alan’s request, we went back to our favorite practice field to keep hitting and running the bases.  The sun may have set on another baseball season, but it’s never too early to prepare for next season!

Tribe Game No. 3 of 2018

Alan made it back from another vacation (to Vancouver from June 29-July 7) just in time to make today’s Indians game — already the 30th of Alan’s career.

Alan debuted his new Jose Ramirez #11 shirt today at the game.  Ramirez — still our favorite following Alan’s Kids Starting Lineup experience last season — has been having another great season.  After Alan wore his number today, Ramirez was then named as the American League’s starting third baseman in the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.

While at the game today, Alan once again opted to stay inside the Kids Clubhouse to play at the train table.  This time we brought an old favorite — Percy — from home to use on the table.  Alan made some new friends at the train table, as well as at the giant glove just before entering the MVP line for the postgame run.  It was a beautiful day for running the bases!

End of Regular Season Update

On 6/19/18, Alan had his first career 3-hit game!  He went 3-for-3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored (career high) in a win over the Red Sox.  Alan also caught three innings for the second straight night and played three more in LF.  He was disappointed that he didn’t get a game ball after the game — that went to a player who broke a 9-9 tie with a 3-run double in the bottom of the 5th — but it made him appreciate last night’s honor even more.  Grandma Debbie, Papa, and Lulu(!) were there to see the Yankees earn their first winning streak of the season.  Alan proudly told his teammates that Lulu was his dog. 🙂

On 6/25/18, Alan went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs (career high) and 1 run scored in a win over the Marlins.  He also caught all 6 innings!  The Yankees spotted the Marlins 5 runs before coming back to win 15-13.  It was a great end to the regular season, made even better by the fact that Tyler, Carleigh, Grandma Debbie, and Papa came for the third straight Monday night.  Alan LOVED having them come this season!

Alan’s cumulative season stat line reads as follows:  17-for-33 (.515) with 8 RBIs and 8 runs scored.  He closed the year on an impressive 10-game hit streak and had multiple hits in six of those 10.

As a team, the Yankees closed the year with three straight victories to end the regular season at 5-6.  That’s good for a third place finish out of five teams.  The order of finish was Dodgers-Red Sox-Yankees-Marlins-Giants.  The Yankees will open the playoffs with a 1-game showdown vs. the Red Sox.  The winner will play a best of three series vs. the winner of Dodgers vs. Marlins/Giants.

Alan’s Big Night

Alan had his best game of the season tonight in front of Grandma Debbie, Papa, Tyler, and Carleigh.  Alan earned his first career game ball and helped lead the Yankees to a win over the Giants!

At the plate, Alan singled in his first at-bat.  In his second at bat, he drove in 2 runs on an RBI ground out.  In his third at bat, he singled and would later come around to score.  Alan was so locked in that he only saw 3 pitches over his 3 plate appearances.  I coached first base for the first time this season (after being at third for all other games) and congratulated Alan each time.

Defensively, Alan caught three innings (on a very hot night) and played one more in LF.  No one on the team enjoys putting on the equipment and catching right now more than Alan.

After the game, Alan and Xavier were each presented with game balls.  The ump originally gave the balls to me following the last out.  When I handed them to our coach, he was consulting with the stat-keeper on the most deserving recipients.  I heard him say Alan, so I had my phone ready to record the video of Alan receiving the game ball.  Alan had been wanting so bad to receive a game ball and tonight he got his wish.  Both he and Xavier really deserved it tonight.

Afterwards Tyler and Carleigh greeted Alan with a big hug.  Alan proudly showed them the game ball, then showed Grandma and Papa too.  It was a very special night for Alan and he was thrilled to share it with his family!

  

At home Alan asked if he can have a case for his game ball, and I agreed.  We’ll be displaying that ball for sure!

Tribe Game No. 2 of 2018/Father’s Day 2018

The Indians were back at home on Father’s Day after a brief 1-year hiatus, and Alan and I celebrated with the Indians for the 4th time in the last 6 years.  We made the day even more memorable by playing baseball on all three sites where professional baseball has been played in Cleveland — thus hitting our baseball trifecta for the first time since August 2014.

The day began for us at League Park, where about 400 people (according to the League Park Twitter account) gathered to play catch between 11am and 1pm (before first pitch of a semi-pro game).  Alan and I parked on Lexington Ave right near the 290′ sign in the right field corner.  We saw there was quite a bit of open space in the expansive outfield, so Alan asked if he could bring his bat and hit.  I only had two balls in the car — one Rawlings “C” ball that I had just bought at Target that morning and a neon, rubberized “C” ball that was in Alan’s equipment bag — but we made it work anyway.

Note:  We actually had a third baseball – an “All-Star Dad” gold ball that Alan had just given me for Father’s Day, but I didn’t want to get that one dirty!

I ended up pitching to Alan in medium deep right-center field, with him hitting towards the wall.  The rubberized ball had some nice roll to it, so Alan was able to reach the outfield wall on his best hit.  We also played catch in addition to hitting.  In all, we played for about 15-20 minutes before heading to Progressive Field — which was no easy task in the record-breaking heat (the high of 94 degrees at Hopkins airport was a record for June 17).  Alan described it as though we were “muffins being cooked in the oven.”

Despite the heat, we still had fun and plan to return to League Park next Father’s Day, when the organizers of the Baseball Heritage Museum hope to set a world record for the largest game of catch!  As original League Park petition-signers back in 2010 and 2012 (to rehab the grounds for baseball purposes), Alan and I definitely want to be a part of that event!

   

When we arrived at Progressive Field, we headed straight for the air-conditioned team shop.  After cooling down from our walk to the ballpark, we went up to the Kids Clubhouse.  The line was long due to the number of families at the ballpark, but Alan wanted to wait it out for the train table.  We spent about three innings in line and four innings inside.

Afterwards, we made our way to Heritage Park to meet with other season ticket holders who had used their points to play Catch on the Field.  We watched Cody Allen work a quick 9th to cap the Indians 4-1 win over the Twins (the first MLB win of Shane Bieber’s career) from the Frank Robinson statue.

When it was time to enter the field, we dodged the sprinklers and set up to play catch in right field.  The rubberized ball skipped pretty well along the outfield grass, so we played from a pretty good distance.  The Indians gave us a ball to play catch with as well (another Rawlings “C” ball, only softer and with a blue panel).  We made it for approximately 15 minutes before Alan sought out one of the sprinklers to cool off.

After we finished playing catch, Alan got in line to run the bases for the first time this season.  Following a photograph by the dugout, we sat in the stands and drank water before trekking back to our car.

  

But of course we weren’t done just yet.  After the Tribe game, we headed to the grounds of Old Municipal and played catch outside the same University Hospitals gate where we played 3 years ago.  This time, though, there was a Jim Brown statue at the gate, and Alan got to read about Brown’s career accomplishments.  Alan commented Jim Brown must’ve been the “LeBron James of the Browns.”

   

So in summary, Alan go to hit, run, and throw where the Indians have played baseball for the past 127 years.  And I got to have another ideal Father’s Day with my buddy!

Midseason Baseball Update

As the baseball season continues to move along, Alan and his team have been making good progress.  Here’s the latest update:

Following a rain-out on 5/22/18, Alan went 1-for-3 in a win over the Marlins – the team’s first victory of the season! – on 5/29/18.  Starting with this game, the team starting playing the same positions regularly.  Alan is the team’s consistent right fielder.

On 5/30/18, Alan again went 1-for-3 in a loss to the Red Sox.  Alan has been learning that when he hits the ball towards the left side of the infield he can usually beat out a hit, but it’s a lot harder to reach first base safely on a grounder to the right side of the infield.  But he’s been doing a great job putting the ball in play all season.

On 6/4/18, Alan went 1-for-3 with a run scored in a thrilling 1-run win over the Giants!  The highlight of the game was when Alan and Xavier manufactured a run by themselves in the middle innings.  With two outs and nobody on base, Alan singled and advanced to second base on an errant throw that only barely got away from the first baseman.  Then Xavier singled home Alan, who hustled home to score on a ball that never left the infield!

On 6/11/18, Alan went 2-for-4 with a run and a 9-4-3 outfield assist(!) in the 1st inning of a narrow loss to the league-leading Dodgers (He helped catch a runner caught between first and second).  The highlight of Alan’s game, though, was Grandma Debbie, Papa, Tyler and Carleigh coming to watch him play.  Alan was very proud to play in front of his family!

On 6/12/18, Alan went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI in a loss to the Dodgers.  One of the Yankee coaches commented to Alan that he must have been practicing because he’s been making good contact at the plate.  It’s true in fact — all week Alan has been practicing in the backyard with his “Nagoon.”  One hitting session in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Despite the loss, the Yankees played well against the league-leading Dodgers for two straight nights and were upbeat after the game.

On 6/13/18, Alan went 2-for-2 with an RBI in a loss to the Marlins.  The team looked worn out from its 3rd game in 3 days, but Alan did his part to bring the energy at the plate and behind it.  He made his debut at catcher and caught all 4 innings of the shortened game (run spread rule).   He enjoyed catching so much that he wants to catch the next game too!

Tribe Game No. 1 of 2018

It took three tries, but tonight Alan and I finally made it to our first Indians game of the season.  The Indians were rained out during our first attempt on April 15th.  Then the Cavaliers Game 7 vs Indiana changed our plans a couple week later on April 29th.  But the third time was a charm — and the Cavaliers were still a big part of the night.

The first Indians game of the year is usually exciting for Alan because he’s interested to see the changes made to the Kids Clubhouse and the Family Deck.  This year he was thrilled to see the return of the train table after a 1-year hiatus!  He ended up playing there all game long and made several new friends.  I told him he was the manager of the train table, as he made sure everyone had a turn and got along.

Fortunately for us, Game 6 of the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference Finals matchup vs the Celtics was on a TV right next to the train table, so neither of us had to move….except of course when I got Alan his big box of popcorn and he took a break to go down the slide!

As luck would have it, at the same time the Cavaliers game ended (with a Cavaliers win!), the Indians fireworks show began.  Alan watched the fireworks from a great vantage point inside the Kids Clubhouse — really making it a one-stop shop for us on this night.

After the fireworks show, we walked through the party on the plaza and then through East 4th Street so Alan could see what a Cavaliers victory party looks like downtown.  When LeBron scores 46 points in 46 minutes to force a Game 7, bedtime is no longer a priority.  😉

Following tonight’s excitement, Alan’s end-of-1st-Grade blowout weekend will continue with a trip to Chicago tomorrow!

Opening Week

The Mayfield Mighty Mites baseball season is officially underway!  Alan’s team — the Yankees — played through a rain-soaked and shortened opener on 5/12/18.  Then they were rained out completely on 5/14/18.  So today’s game (5/21/18) felt more like the true kick-off to the season.

Updates and stats will be shared here all season long.  Here’s the breakdown so far:

On 5/12/18, Alan put two balls in play but was retired on great plays by fielders.  In the field, he played RF and pitcher’s helper, as the coach likes his ability to field ground balls.  The result of the game was a loss to the Giants.

Today, 5/21/18, Alan went 2-for-3 with two singles and a fielder’s choice ground-out.  He was excited to run the bases three times, and even scored from 2nd on a single for his first run scored of the season.  I coached third and waved him home!  In the field, he played RF and LF and got the ball into the infield quickly on a couple hits.  The result of the game was a loss to the Red Sox.

Note: Alan is wearing #2 for the Yankees this year, which he wanted because it’s his second year playing in an organized baseball league.  He wore #1 last year.

Progressive Field Day

Alan’s end-of-year field trip was to a familiar place:  Progressive Field!  Alan, along with the entire first grade, took a school bus to the ballpark this morning for a tour.  Luckily, parents got to join too!

After dodging some early rain drops, the kids started their tour under mostly sunny skies.  The first stop for Alan’s group was the Home Plate Club – a spot Alan had never been inside before.  Then it was onto the elevators and up to the press box, where Alan had a bird’s-eye view of the grounds crew preparing the field for the Indians’ upcoming homestand.

After seeing the Infinity Club and the dining room for the all-you-can-eat club seats, it was back down the elevators to the lowest level of the ballpark.  While waiting for everyone to get downstairs, the kids got a little restless.  So one parent kept them occupied by encouraging them to do wall push-ups. 🙂

Before long,  the kids entered the playing surface from behind home plate.  It was Alan’s first time in that spot since he was in the Kids Starting Lineup last year.  Then it was off to sit in the Indians dugout!  He had walked past the dugout many times but had never been able to go inside previously.  Just as the kids were getting up, there was an Andrew Miller sighting!

     

The final stop on the tour was at the batting cages in between the clubhouses.  It reminded Alan of the batting cages at the Wildcat Fitness Center — only larger.

After the tour concluded, Alan’s class took a group photo and then lined up to board the buses.  Meanwhile I picked up some pencils and pens for Alan at the Team Shop.

But fortunately that wasn’t the end of the field trip!  For lunch, the first graders got to visit Square’s Castle in the Metroparks, where they had a picnic.  The kids ate their lunches on blankets and then played afterwards.  Alan and I played with a kickball for a bit before he went to join a zombie-chasing game at the castle with Grady, Colin, and Brady.

After fun time was over, Alan took the bus back to school.  I picked him up there and drove him to McDonald’s — our customary stop after sharing time together at school.  🙂

Sun and Baseball

This weekend was the first weekend of spring with warm weather and no rain, and Alan took full advantage.  He practiced hitting at the community park on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, with a Saturday morning team practice mixed in between.  After practicing hitting, Alan played at the nearby playground – one of this favorites – each time.

Also, on Saturday night, Alan played outside by Grandma Debbie’s pond with Tyler and Carleigh.  Alan’s favorite part was throwing rocks into the pond.  Alan found it funny when one of Tyler’s throws didn’t go far enough and splashed them both with mud.

It won’t be long until Alan will get to play outside every weekend!

Alan’s Favorite Activities

First grade – Part III – edition of the Top 10:

-Playing MBBL baseball! (Practice kicked off this past Saturday – photo above)

-Texting.  Yes, it’s true.  Particularly with Dad, Mom, Grandma Debbie, and Shane.  Alan loves sending emojis!

-Playing cards with Grandma Debbie, Tyler, and Carleigh

-Hiding rocks in the snow outside the Golden Gate Gardens apartment and creating a “treasure map” to document how to locate them

-Hanging out with friends – Josh, Noah, and Brady in the past few weekends alone

-Championship races on the Super Ultimate Garage racetrack! (still a huge favorite)

-Dancing to Kidz Bop music at school — and later watching the classroom videos that Mrs. Russo posts on Twitter

-Racing cars down our long hallway

-Ice Skating and Swimming

-Building train cities! (photo below)

MBBL Year 2

   

Alan kicked off year 2 of his Mayfield Boys Baseball League (MBBL) career today at the Wildcat Fitness Center.  This season Alan has moved up to the Mighty Mite division (7-8 year olds), after playing in the Instructional division (5-6 year olds) last season.  It’s still a coach-pitch division, but it’s a step up in competition.

Today Alan came in for a talent evaluation.  He started off by fielding grounders, throwing to a coach, and catching pop-ups.

Afterwards, Alan took some batting practice in the batting cages.  He did pretty well for his first swings of the season.

Alan was thrilled to see first grade classmates Logan and Jonah at the Fitness Center.  He also saw two teammates from last season – Chris and Connor.  It figures to be another fun summer on the diamond!

Tribe Fest 2018

Today Alan attended Tribe Fest for the second year in a row – this time at the spacious Cleveland Convention Center.

With the added space came the opportunity for additional activities for kids, including air hockey (our favorite), foosball (where Alan broke into a Happy Dance when he scored a goal), and darts (where Alan scored a bullseye!).

But of course there was still hitting and pitching.  For the second straight year at Tribe Fest, Alan excelled with the accuracy of his pitches.  He threw three straight strikes, capped off by a perfect pitch!  It would appear that he’s going to grow up to be a control pitcher.

To conclude a great day, Alan took a picture near one of his favorite Indians (at least favoritely-named), Cody Allen, as he was being interviewed by Channel 3.

Tribe Game No. 8 of 2017

The magical season for Alan and the Indians came to a close today in style, with yet another win on a beautiful day for baseball.  Alan concluded his perfect regular season at Progressive Field at a sparkling 8-0!

On our way to the ballpark we walked with many Browns fans, who opted for the Browns-Tribe doubleheader.  The walk was also highlighted for Alan by seeing and hearing a firetruck go down Superior.  As the sound of the siren echoed off the buildings, Alan remarked that he’d for sure have to tell Xavier about it tomorrow at school (Xavier’s a big fan of firetrucks).

At the ballpark, Alan checked in at the Tribe Town MVP table and headed for the nearby souvenirs to buy an Indians fidget spinner (he’s got a Cavs one too — four in all that he has in his backpack to share with friends).

We then entered the Kids Clubhouse, where Alan got a beach ball from the Cleveland Clinic Children’s table that we played with.

He also spent time on the big glove and baseball bat-balance beam – his favorite climbing and jumping activities within the Kids Clubhouse in 2017.

      

On the way out, Alan took a picture at the Kids Clubhouse lockers, showing off his 2017 Tribe Town MVP badge.

Next up we went down to The Corner so Alan could see the Indians’ mini team balls on display.  Alan was glad to see Ramirez and Lindor, and he accurately identified the Francona ball.

Then we returned to the family deck I got Alan some popcorn while he ran the simulated race.  He set a new personal best time of 6.60 seconds!

Alan ate his popcorn while we watched the bottom of the 8th from seats in the lower deck between home and first.  An usher actually offered us to enter his section and sit in two empty seats – first time I’ve ever had that happen.

We watched the top of the 9th standing near section 168, where we met with the group set to participate in Catch on the Field (Alan had been selected at random, we think, from the list of Tribe Town MVPs.  We were originally selected for Sept 17th, but that was rescheduled for today due to the Indians clinching that weekend.  We had tickets for both dates anyway).

We helped salute the Indians as they walked off the field after celebrating the win.  Alan enjoyed watching the high five line in person.  He’s stayed up to see it on TV on Friday nights, but had never seen it in person on a Sunday, since we’re normally under the stadium waiting to run the bases).

After the Indians left the field, our most fun began.  We entered the field down the third base line and walked across the warning track all the way to right field.  On the walk there, Alan commented that he was passing the scoreboard where they showed the flames he saw when Andrew Miller entered the game in the 8th inning.

When we got out to right field, the Indians handed us a specially-marked, soft core baseball to play catch with.  And play catch we did.  We had a blast throwing the ball around.  Alan and I took selfies and also had an Indians employee take our picture (shown at the beginning of the post).

We also wrote Alan’s name in the warning track dirt.  After all it’s Alan’s ballpark; the Indians just play in it!

We’re sad to see the regular season end, but hopefully Alan can at least get back during October for another playoff watch party.  In the meantime, how’s this for an impressive season in review, for both Alan and the Indians:

Alan finished the season with a perfect 8-0 record.  It started with his MLB debut in the Kids Starting Lineup in April and ended with Catch on the Field in October.  In between, there were personal bests set all throughout the family deck.

Meanwhile the Indians won 22 games in a row on the way to 102 overall, won the AL Central by 17 games, led MLB in ERA, had five all-stars – including two MVP candidates in Ramirez and Lindor and the likely AL Cy Young winner in Kluber…and the list goes on!

Let’s go Tribe this postseason!

Tribe Game No. 7 of 2017

Alan’s perfect record continued at Progressive Field today, as Alan moved to 7-0 on the season.  Alan & Corey Kluber continue to be an unstoppable combination, dating back to Alan’s very first Indians game in 2013, when Kluber shut-out the Nationals 2-0.

There was a lot to celebrate at the ballpark today following the recent 22-game win streak and the Indians clinching of the AL Central late last night (not to mention it was Alan’s annual birthday game!).  Alan and I enjoyed watching the Indians raise the AL Central Division Championship Flag during pregame while the fans applauded the team.  Alan is aware of what has been going on this week, as he watched the recording of the walk-off for win #22, as well as the ovation after the win streak ended.

During the game, Alan enjoyed the big slide in the Kids Clubhouse and recorded his second career sub-7 seconds time in the simulated race.

Alan didn’t get to run the bases postgame (it was cancelled so the Indians players could salute the crowd), but that was okay for Alan.  He wanted to get home and put together the lego seaplane that he received from Grandma Debbie at yesterday’s party!

Before we left, we bought an’ AL Central Champs’ pin to go along with the Indians poker chip magnets I bought while attending game #20 of the streak.  Alan plus good luck charms could spell doom for the Indians competition during the playoffs…

Tribe Game No. 6 of 2017

Alan’s favorite month of the year is in full swing, and he’s got that ’16-straight wins kind of feeling’ going on after watching the Tribe blank the Orioles at the ballpark tonight!

Alan went the distance tonight, continuing his perfect record at Progressive Field this season (6-0 this season; 18-7 lifetime).  The night started well, as Encarnacion greeted us at the gates with a  3-run first inning HR.  It was the second time this season he homered as we entered the ballpark.  And it ended well, too, as the Indians extended their team record win streak.

In between, Alan’s highlights included participating in Hang On Sloopy (middle of the 5th inning), trying Twizzlers for the first time (Daddy’s go-to ballpark candy), watching guest-Hot-Dog-Race-participant Relish’s 2nd-ever appearance and 1st victory, buying a “C-logo” mini bat (held by Alan in the picture above), and enjoying the shorter lines in the Kids Clubhouse — especially at the slide — due to the evening start time.

Tonight’s game was a late add to our season schedule after Alan requested one more September night game.  I’m glad he asked for this one!

Alan has continued to gradually increase his interest in the Tribe this season.  In addition to the memorable moments we’ve witnessed at the ballpark (captured in these posts), he’s tuned in for the last inning of quite a few Indians games over the summer. The most notable game-endings he caught include the Encarnacion walk-off Grand Slam vs LAA on July 25th and the Gomes walk-off 3-run HR vs COL on August 8th.

Alan loves seeing the Indians players throw water on each other after a walk-off (dating back to watching replays of the Naquin inside-the-park walk-off last season), so he was really fortunate to catch those.

Tribe Game No. 5 of 2017

Alan continued his perfect season at Progressive Field today, as the Indians improved to 5-0 with Alan in attendance following a 12-0 victory over the Royals. To Alan’s delight, we opted to take the transit downtown, and Robbie and Jill — our generous season-long ticket providers — came to the game with us.

Alan was showing off his balancing skills on the large wooden bat in the Kids Clubhouse while the Indians scored a season-high nine runs in the 2nd inning. The scoring came via a 2-run HR by Lindor, a 3-run HR by Santana, and finally a Grand Slam by Gomes — with the latter drawing quite a few families out of the Clubhouse and onto the balcony to join in the cheering!

Out on the family deck, more records were set as Alan beat his personal best race time of 6.89 seconds!  Alan was thrilled to see his first sub-7 seconds time and excitedly reported the news to Robbie.  The new record time must’ve been due to the pre-race popcorn he requested beforehand.

We didn’t have time to hit today as lines were extra long (due to a standing room only crowd at Progressive Field) and the game went fast (no scoring after the 2nd inning).  So we opted not to risk losing our place at the front of the MVP line for running the bases, and lined up during the 8th inning.

I ran with Alan today, while Robbie and Jill watched from the stands.  You could tell which one of us was the record setter, as I quickly fell behind Alan and never caught up, despite the usual log-jam between 3rd base and home plate.   After running, Alan took the camera for selfies and photos from his perspective, including this close-up of Robbie, Jill, and I.

Alan was in a silly mood with the camera out, as evidenced by the following photo that we took behind the dugout.

For the Tribe, today’s win capped a weekend in which the Indians outscored the Royals 20-0 over three games.  It was the first time since 1956 that the Indians shut-out a team for an entire series.

For Alan, it was another great Sunday afternoon at the ballpark with his family!

Tribe Game No. 4 of 2017

 

Today was a hot one at the ballpark, and it was quite crowded.  “Alan the blur” ran a great time in his race and hit the first pitch he saw in Little League Park.  He played a new game he made up in the Kids Clubhouse where he ran and jumped on the oversized glove over and over again.  There I was a able to snap a nice photo of Alan showing off that “missing tooth smile.” 🙂

Alan also asked to sit in the upper deck above the family zone – with a box of popcorn – and watch some of the game.  Alan’s starting to enjoy doing that more and more.  Before long, it was time to run the bases!

  

Tribe Game No. 3 of 2017

With the Indians on Sunday night baseball this weekend, Alan and I opted to head to the ballpark for a Saturday night ballgame – Alan’s 1st night game of the season.

Alan had a blast staying out late and made it all the way to the 9th inning of the game (he’d ultimately be up past midnight for the first time).  Among the highlights of the evening were the following:

-Alan recorded a career-best sprint time: 7.08 seconds.  Alan loved the “human blur” picture below. 🙂

-Alan hit his first career home run at Little League Park!! Really, he did.  He wacked the whiffle ball just above the yellow line in left field.  It was awesome to see the HR, which came with a man on.  That was definitely the moment of the night.

-We bought “Mick,” a rally monkey named by Alan, at the team shop.  Alan loved the long arms and had to have it.  Mick’s hands have Velcro on them so Alan could wear Mick while we watched some of the game from the Kids Clubhouse.

Note: before we left the Kids Clubhouse, Alan wanted to take a “serious catcher” photo.  😉

-Alan was more interested in watching the game than he has been previously.  He wanted to check out the view from different seats in the ballpark, and asked if we could sit in the RF upper deck.  I said yes, and while we were up there, we watched Jose Ramirez hit.  Alan has been taking an interest in Jose, who became an All-Star this year for the first time after meeting Alan on April 30th.  Alan roots for him, even if he isn’t quite sure why “Jose” doesn’t sound like it looks.

End of Season Baseball Update

Alan has wrapped-up his rookie year in the Mayfield Boys’ Baseball League.  Here’s a recap of the second half of the season:

6/9 – Alan goes 3-for-3 and plays 3B and P.  He makes his mark fielding from the pitcher position, and is established as a regular there – a prime fielding position for this league.

6/16 – Alan goes 3-for-3 and plays 2B and P.  After the game, Alan discovers that I’m the one who has been bringing the marker board for the lineup to each game.  He proceeds to borrow it and write notes — including his own version of the team’s batting order. 🙂

6/23 – Game rained out.

6/30 – Alan goes 1-for-1 and plays 2B before the rain comes and postpones the game after one inning played.  Alan finishes the season batting 1.000!

It was a great debut season for Alan in MBBL play.  I loved coaching third, managing the lineup for the kids, and standing in the field with Alan.  Next summer Alan will move up to the league for 7 & 8 year-olds.  He’s ready!

Tribe Game No. 2 of 2017

Today Alan and I kicked off the summer season of Sunday afternoon Indians games.  We came straight from Alan’s baseball practice, so we didn’t arrive until midway through the game.  Alan had only enough time for his favorite activities, which he decided were batting and sprinting.

We did stop inside the Kids Clubhouse for the quick photo opp below (Alan’s idea), two trips down the slide, and popcorn — which seems to have replaced the soft pretzel as Alan’s go-to ballpark food item.

Before long it was time to run the bases!  Alan also took the photo below outside the Indians dugout.

In addition to getting our fill of baseball on this hot, sunny day, we also turned our attention to the Cavaliers.  Both before and after the game we stopped for a few pictures with the NBA Finals signage.  Go Cavaliers!

Note 1: Upon our arrival at the ballpark, we were greeted by a 443-foot foul ball off the bat of Encarnacion that landed about 15 feet from us outside the left field gate.  We watched it sail overhead and land outside the ballpark.

Note 2: The NBA Finals games have been on too late for Alan to watch, but he’s aware the Cavs have reached the championship round once again.  During the Eastern Conference Finals, Alan did watch the Game 2 massacre in Boston with me when the Cavs won 130-86 over the Celtics on May 19th.

Mid-Season Baseball Update

We’ve reached the midpoint in Alan’s rookie year in the Mayfield Boys’ Baseball League.  Here’s a recap of the games to date:

5/13 – Alan goes 2-for-2 and plays 2B.  He gets a big kick out of me waving him home for the first time (it was the first time he’s seen the motion of a 3B coach).

5/19 – Alan goes 3-for-3 and plays 2B and 3B.  At 2B, he fields a hot shot grounded on a real nice play.

5/26 – Game rained out.

6/2 – Alan bats leadoff and goes 4-for-4 with his whole family in attendance.  He plays SS and P, where the ball finds him on several occasions.  Alan continues to field the routine grounders.  He’s also commended for helping up players off the ground, including his new buddy and teammate, Tommy.

Summer Baseball

Alan made his Mayfield Instructional League debut today in the 5 and 6 year-olds “coach-pitch” division.  He played great, getting two solid hits to left field and splitting time at pitcher’s helper and second base in the field.  Alan was excited to receive quite a few grounders from the pitcher’s helper position.  And he encountered best friend Grady while covering second.

Alan plays for the Village Vet Clinic team and the opener was against the Mo Vaughn Trucking team.  Yes, that Mo Vaughn – the former Red Sox, Angel, and Met first baseman who slugged 328 home runs between 1991 and 2003.  Alan and I both shook his hand in the handshake line following the game.

Final score:  A 16-16 tie.

Kids Starting Lineup – Behind the Scenes

A behind the scenes look at Alan’s MLB debut:

The day was made possible by Robbie and Jill winning an auction that allowed Alan to be in the Kids Starting Lineup.  We found out the great news on April 17th.  Alan was thrilled when I told him over the phone that day.  I can still hear the happy sound in his voice while saying “Whaat!?” when I told him the Indians need him on the field before the game.

On April 19th Alan created artwork which depicts his family driving to Progressive Field to see him on the field.  In the drawing, there’s a Hyundai (Daddy), Honda (Robbie and Jill), and Mercedes (Grandma Debbie and Papa) clearly marked on Alan’s highway.

On April 22nd Alan wrote a thank you note to Robbie and Jill and a separate letter to the Indians (pictured above), which we mailed to Progressive Field that day.  Also on the 22nd, we bought his very first Indians jersey for the occasion — which he wanted to model with Tyler!

On April 24th Alan and I practiced finding all 9 positions on a baseball field diagram.  We also reviewed throughout the week.

On April 30th Alan’s big day went off without a hitch.  It was warm and sunny at game time, despite a forecast calling for isolated thunderstorms.  It had also rained for most of the previous two days.  Alan’s cheering section saved the day, since I was not positioned as close to Alan as I thought I would be.

On May 1st I received the following email reply from Chris Antonetti, after having sent him a scan of Alan’s letter & artwork and a recent photo:

“Thanks for the note, the letter from Alan, and the picture.  It’s cool to see Alan sporting his Tribe gear and be so engaged with the team.  I hope Alan enjoyed the Kids Starting Lineup experience yesterday.  All the best, Chris”

On May 2nd Mrs. Feldman shared the photo of Alan running the bases with Alan’s kindergarten class!  When I asked Alan how he felt about that, he smiled and commented “the whole class was looking at me!”  I asked if that made him proud and he said “yes.”  We also joked together that Alan must’ve left a cloud of dust behind him because it looks like he’s running so fast (Alan loves when we say that).

Other notes:

-Alan received two complimentary tickets for the game, which he and I used to enter.

-Alan found out he was assigned to 3B and Jose Ramirez upon arriving at the Terrace Club (the designated meeting area).  Alan was very excited to be assigned to 3B because it was a position he had played during spring baseball.  He told me that 3B was the position he was hoping he’d get.

-Alan and I entered the field from the third base line seats next to the Indians dugout.  I exited the field from the door directly behind home plate.  The kids left the same way they came onto the field.

-Parents had to leave the field a little early (before the kids) so Tomlin could start his warm-up pitches on the mound. The Indians’ field team thought we were at risk of being hit by an errant throw.  However, just before the National Anthem, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager played catch right next to us.

-After Alan’s photo reached the Indians website on Sunday evening, it was also posted to Indians Facebook and Twitter the next day.

-When I asked Alan to share how he felt about the Kids Starting Lineup experience overall, he said he was both nervous and excited.  And, oh yeah, he’d like to do it again sometime.  🙂

Tribe Game No. 1 of 2017 – Kids Starting Lineup

On April 30th, 2017 Alan made his major league debut at Progressive Field, playing third base and batting 4th in the Kids Starting Lineup!  Here’s the timeline and recap of Alan’s eventful day:

11:09 –11:39 – Alan and his traveling party ride to the ballpark aboard the RTA Green Line. When Alan arrives at Tower City, he eats his pregame meal: A soft pretzel (his favorite baseball food).

12:10 – Alan enters the ballpark and meets up with the other 7 kids in the starting lineup at the Terrace Club elevators.  A few minutes later, the kids (and parents) head down to the field level and set up on the track behind home plate.

12:20 – Mickey Calloway rolls baseballs to the kids from the Indians dugout.

12:30 – Alan’s cheering section finds him behind home plate; many photos are taken.

12:53 – The kids line up in order and head down the left field line for the National Anthem.  Alan’s cheering section shifts with him.

12:57 – The Hot Dogs and Slider greet the kids while they wait to take the field.

1:03 – The Kids Starting Lineup is announced by Sara Shookman of Channel 3 News and Alan runs out to third base!  Video of the action was captured from the third base seats and from behind home plate (Jumbotron in view).

1:08 – The Indians take the field, and Alan meets Jose Ramirez!  Alan gets an autographed ball from Ramirez before heading off the field.

1:10 – Josh Tomlin throws the first pitch and the Indians game is underway.  The temperature at first pitch is 76 degrees, though it feels much warmer in the sun.

1:20 – Alan and I are reunited under the stadium, and we return to the main concourse to meet up with the family.

1:35 – Now on the family deck, Alan picks up his 2017 Tribe Town MVP souvenirs and enters the Kids Clubhouse.

2:00 – The Indians begin an 8-run rally in the bottom of the 3rd inning – their highest scoring inning since May 2015.

2:10 – Jose Ramirez, likely inspired by Alan, tags and scores on a shallow pop-fly to RF with an incredible tag-avoiding slide.

2:15 – Alan orders the largest box of popcorn either of us has ever seen.

2:20 – Brantley caps the Indians’ 8-run outburst with a 2-run HR to right field.

2:40 – Alan returns to the family deck activities after eating lunch.  He climbs the Lofton wall and hits at Little League Park.

3:10 – Alan beats [simulated] Slider in a footrace and tests his pitching accuracy.

3:40 – This picture is taken:  🙂

4:00– Alan enters the “Kids Run the Bases” line and moves towards the front with his Tribe Town MVP badge.

4:08 – Indians record the final out and beat the Mariners 12-4.

4:15 – Alan circles the bases in record time!  He also coaxes me out of retirement, and I struggle to keep up.  Later a photo of Alan appears on the Indians website in their game recap photo gallery. 🙂

4:20 – Alan stops for some finals photos. He also plays photographer and takes a few photos of his traveling party – plus some selfies – to wrap up the day at the ballpark.

5:04 – 5:32 – We return home on RTA.  Afterwards, Alan wants to watch the train until it leaves the station, which we do because it’s his day.

Hitting Drills

Alan worked on his hitting skills in more depth tonight at baseball practice.  The class started with a race to get warm, then moved to hitting soft toss with a whiffle bat into a screen.  Alan was first in line to hit, then he helped Daddy (the soft tosser) gather the whiffle balls while the other kids took their turns.

At the next station, Alan went first again when the class instructor held out the training stick.  This drill required an aluminum bat, and  Alan was proud to volunteer his personal bat for the class to use.

Fielding Grounders

Tonight Alan put in work [smoothly] fielding grounders, catching pop-ups, and hitting some soft toss at baseball practice.  He made me really proud when he volunteered to hit in front of the class with the instructor at the start of batting practice!

Alan used a brand new 10.5 inch Rawlings glove for the first time tonight, after I surprised him with it earlier this week.  We did our best to break it in as soon as possible, and even put it through a steaming process, which was new to me.

We retired his 9 inch Rawlings glove, which Alan picked out back in early 2014 when he was 3 years old.  Back then Alan didn’t know yet what baseball was, but he knew he wanted that glove when he tried it on for the first time.

Tribe Fest 2017

Today Alan attended Tribe Fest for the first time!  We went straight for the kids activities — Lego building, a pitching accuracy game, and balloons!

At the Lego table, Alan built an awesome airplane with his imagination. At the pitching activity, Alan picked up 2 bullseyes and many more strikes! Once we finally found the balloon station, Alan requested a baseball hat and a sword…and he played with them all night long afterwards.

Can’t wait for the return of baseball season!

11/17/17 Update: When Robbie went to purchase tickets for Tribe Fest 2018, he found a photo of Alan playing with Legos in last year’s gallery! Turns out this photo was actually Alan’s debut appearance on the Indians website.

World Series Game 3 Watch Party

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The Year of Cleveland has continued with the Tribe now in the World Series, and Alan and I took advantage by venturing to the Game 3 Watch Party at Progressive Field tonight!

Alan was thrilled to learn that he’d be able to see Progressive Field again after I had previously told him that the end of the regular season would be our last chance to see the ballpark together this season. But with the Tribe extending its season deep into October, the Dolans opening the ballpark for a watch party, Robbie getting us Club Level tickets, and Game 3 of the World Series falling on a Friday night, things set up perfectly for us.

I waited until Thursday night to give Alan the good news about our Friday plans, and he was excited for them all day on Friday. He loves that turning 6 meant that he’s permitted to go to night games. And he was thrilled to hear that we would meet Robbie and David at the ballpark!

We got downtown about 15 minutes before first pitch, snapped some photos on our walk, and headed into the ballpark.  We picked up rally towels at the gates, and then Alan picked out a World Series bear at the souvenir stand.

After leaving the team shop, we found Robbie and David on the Club Level and watched the game on the scoreboard from some great seats. To Alan’s delight, we had access to unlimited free soft pretzels — Alan’s favorite ballpark food!

It was quite significant that Alan sat and watched a few innings.  Even though he’s gone to a lot of games with me, usually he’s participating in the kids activities and not necessarily following the game.  Tonight, however, was geared for the adults (the Kids Clubhouse was closed), but that did not deter Alan from enjoying the night.

He loved waving his rally towel with the crowd, and happily took some photos with Robbie, David, and I.  Due to the late start time for the game, we could only stay  through about the 6th inning.  But fortunately Alan did get to watch the hot dog race — his favorite gameday experience outside of running the bases — from the Home Run Porch on our way out.

The fun did not stop there, though.  Alan [unexpectedly] stayed awake the whole car ride home and we listened to the Tribe grab a 1-0 lead on the radio. When we got home — with Alan still wide awake — we built with Tinker Toys while watching the last couple innings on TV.

Alan stayed up all the way through the last out of the 1-0 Tribe victory — which came on a Cody Allen strikeout and was followed by us exchanging high fives.  When we were sitting on the couch, Alan’s ears perked up each time he heard the announcer say “Cody Allen.” It was the first time he recognized an Indians player by name.  As Jill later pointed out (via text), between Cody Allen and Andrew Miller, Alan’s name is covered by the Tribe. 🙂

I’m not sure if any night can top watching the Cavs win Game 7 of the NBA Finals with Alan on Father’s Day, but tonight at least enters the discussion.  What a night!

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11/3/16 Update

A few notes to add on this year’s World Series

-I attended Game 1 with Robbie (after watching the Cavs raise the championship banner earlier that night), the watch party for Game 4 with Robbie, the watch party for Game 5 with Shane, and Game 7 with Robbie, David, Therese and my Dad.

-Alan and I watched the beginning of Game 6 together at home. Prior to first pitch, we took advantage of the 70+ degree weather and played catch and hit balls at the park.  Alan used his new metal bat. 🙂

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Tribe Game No. 8 of 2016

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Tonight Alan closed out his 2016 MVP season with his first ever night game!  Someone is very happy that 6-year olds are allowed to stay out later. 🙂

Alan found out the best part about being a big kid and going to a night game was the shorter lines for kids activities. Alan barely had to wait to hit, throw, jump, and run!  It was a short night at the ballpark, though, as Alan was in a hurry to meet up with Tyler at Grandma Debbie’s for their sleepover (tomorrow is the big family party!).

Before leaving we tossed a ball around for a bit and said our goodbyes to Progressive Field.  Sadly, tonight was our last game of the season.

Thanks to Robbie and Jill for supplying our tickets this year!  The 2016 season was our favorite at the ballpark yet.  Can’t wait for spring 2017!

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Tribe Game No. 7 of 2016

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Today Alan set a new career high by attending his 7th Tribe game of the season (17th overall).  All went according to plan: The skies were clear, the temperature was comfortable, and the Tribe won the rubber match with the Blue Jays by a score of 3-2 — thanks to a late 2-run Home Run by Jose Ramirez in the 8th!

Alan played his usual activities inside the clubhouse, then surprised me by asking to watch some of the game.  He was mainly interested in seeing the Hot Dog race, but I’ll take it.  We caught the whole 5th inning from the Kids Clubhouse viewing deck, before watching Mustard (Alan’s favorite) win today’s race.

Afterwards, Alan went to the family deck to practice hitting, running, and throwing.  I took a video of today’s sprint from a new angle.

Then it was time to run the bases and take pictures with Robbie and Jill, who drove down to the ballpark with us.  Alan was extra excited to have Robbie and Jill there, and he asked all three of us to run the bases with him.  We did our best to keep up, though Alan was ahead of the pack the whole time!

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Tribe Game No. 6 of 2016

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Another Sunday; another fun day at the ballpark.  A pregame rain delay gave Alan an extra 35 minutes or so at the train table inside the Kids Clubhouse. In addition to playing with his usual toys inside the Clubhouse, Alan also posed for the pictures above and below for the first time — something I had been trying to get him to do all season. I thought they turned out pretty well!

Out on the Family Deck, Alan beat ketchup in a simulated race, hit in the Little League Park (pictured below from a new vantage point this time), and climbed the Lofton wall (which I caught on video for the first time). Alan finished off the afternoon by circling the bases!

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Tribe Game No. 5 of 2016

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Today Alan and I watched the Indians close out the unofficial first half of the season at Progressive Field.  Alan had a surprisingly quick stay inside the clubhouse, as he was in a hurry to get to the big kid activities on the Family Deck!  Alan got to pitch to simulated batters, hit in the Little League Park (pictured above), jump at the Lofton wall, and run a simulated race (pictured below).

Thanks to a 46-minute 5th inning, Alan was finished with his activities well before the game was over.  So we sat and ate in the Right Field District, then got in line early to run the bases.  Alan was first in line and got to lead all the kids onto the field.  Alan loved being the line leader!  He brought me out of retirement to circle the bases with him this time. 🙂

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Just look at that form!!

Tribe Game No. 4 of 2016 / Father’s Day 2016

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Father’s Day 2016 was simply perfect.  It featured great moments with Alan and it may very well go down as the best day in Cleveland sports history.

The day started with Alan giving me a card and making me coffee, and it continued with Alan accompanying me to an Indians game.  As we approached the ballpark with other Indians fans, we passed Browns Backers who were tailgating on surface lots (just because). We also saw Cavaliers fans already claiming their Watch Party seats for Cavaliers-Warriors Game 7 in the parking garage across from the Q.  There was definitely a festive Cleveland sports atmosphere that encompassed all of our teams.  I had to stop and take a picture of Alan in the Cavaliers fan zone outside the Q (pictured below).

On the way into the ballpark, I took a picture of Alan next to the Jim Thome statue (pictured below).  Once in the Kids Clubhouse, Alan played with his usual favorite red car, the trains, and the roller coaster toy — which he rode approximately 15 times. But he also added a new green tractor to the playing rotation (pictured below).

We had some extra time to play because not only did we arrive early, but also the game went into extra innings.  So Alan ventured back to the big kids area of the Family Deck, after getting his feet wet there last time.  Alan took swings in the caged mini-field and hit a double in his only at-bat (pictured below).  He also ran a simulated race four times.  The fourth run came immediately after the ballpark erupted on Jose Ramirez’s GW single in the bottom of the 10th, which gave the Indians a 3-2 win.

After the exciting finish to the game – and the customary playing of “Cleveland Rocks” – Alan ran the bases on his own.  Afterwards, we stopped for our annual Father’s Day photo/seflie (pictured above). Alan was his happy and silly self as usual.  🙂

On the way home we made a quick stop to see Robbie, Tata, and Papa so that Alan could play his rescue game. After exchanging some well wishes for the Cavaliers, Alan and I went back home to watch our team in Game 7 of the NBA Finals (How awesome is that to write!).  With Alan watching and cheering by my side, of course the Cavaliers delivered a long-awaited World Championship back to Cleveland!

What a day and night with Alan – the best kid a dad could ever ask for and the true reason I got to celebrate today. Father’s Day is my favorite day of the year, and this one may very well go down as the best I’ll ever have.

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Little Sluggers Part II

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Tonight Alan’s first season of baseball came to a close after a very successful six weeks.  Alan really showed improvement in hitting (both with and without a tee), throwing, and – most especially – catching balls in his glove.  He also learned the “ready position” for fielding and started to pick up the rules of the game.

Most importantly, his interest and enthusiasm for the game has continued to grow.  Alan got to hit leadoff the past two games because he was the quickest to get in line to hit.  He also got to pick his position in the field by always being the first one to run out of the dugout.

I personally loved getting to play the field and run the bases with Alan during games.  We’ll continue to practice together this summer, but I already can’t wait for next season!

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Note 1: Just over Alan’s shoulder you can see his fan club: Debbie, Papa, Tata, Papa, and Lulu.

Note 2: Pictures were taken 6/9/16; Video of handshake line recorded 6/2/16.

Tribe Game No. 3 of 2016

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Alan and I went to the ballpark today for our third Indians game — and first win! — of 2016.  Alan followed his normal routine at first, as he drove his favorite red car and played with the trains for a couple hours.  But the routine changed as the afternoon went on thanks to a 3+ hour rain delay.

Alan took advantage of the extra time in the Kids Clubhouse — and diminishing attendance in the room — by repeatedly taking a turn on the slide (we’re talking 12-15 consecutive times) and racing on the mini roller coaster (probably 10-12 times).

But he didn’t stop there.  He also ventured outside the Kids Clubhouse to the area of the concourse where the older kids play.  There Alan tested his vertical jumping ability on the “Circus Catch” wall (think Kenny Lofton) and tracked his pitch speed (16 MPH) on the Pitching Simulator.   He was pretty good!

Alan told me that next time he’ll be ready to participate in a game with other kids on “Slider’s Field” (also located on the Family Deck).  He’s definitely become more confident in his abilities after being on a baseball team this spring.

Alan did not get a chance to run the bases postgame due to the lengthy rain delay, but that did not phase him.  He still had a blast with his car, trains, power tools, and interactive games!

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Tribe Game No. 2 of 2016

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Today it snowed, rained, and hailed, but at the end of the day, Alan ran the bases at Progressive Field like always following a Tribe Sunday home game.  It was Alan’s 12th Indians game of his life, and despite the unusual weather, it may have been his favorite trip to the ballpark.

Alan was thrilled to take the rapid downtown for the first time — and with Robbie and Jill no less!  The boy who marvels at all forms of transportation finally was able to add ‘riding the rapid’ to his personal resume.  Based on how much he enjoyed it, I think it will become our go-to method of getting to the ballpark from now on.

Once in the Kids Clubhouse, Alan spent the majority of his time at the train table once again, with some time on the slide and driving a car mixed in.  When it was time to run the bases postgame, Alan continued his drive towards independence by asking that he run alone and meet me at home plate.

While I’m sad to announce my retirement from running the bases, I’m definitely happy to see Alan take another step forward on his own!  And besides, this will save me the embarrassment of not being able to keep pace with him on the basepaths. 🙂

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Little Sluggers

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Tonight Alan kicked off his Little League baseball career at the first practice for Mayfield’s “Little Sluggers.”  Alan had a blast practicing hitting off a tee, catching pop-ups, taking grounders, running sprints, running more sprints, and ending practice with a cheer!

Alan is a member of the Tigers, which he got a kick out of since that’s his favorite animal.  His best friend from preschool, Joshua, is on the White Sox and his neighborhood friend, William, is on the Royals.  Alan was thrilled to find out they were playing in the league this summer!

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Tribe Game No. 1 of 2016

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After a long winter hiatus, Alan was thrilled to get back to watching Indians baseball at sunny Progressive Field today!  He was so excited that he could barely wait all morning.

We parked farther away from the ballpark than normal, since the Cavs were opening their playoff series against the Pistons at home today.  The bright side was that it allowed Alan to see more of downtown Cleveland.  And later, when we left the ballpark, we watched some of the Cavs game on the big TVs at the Cavs Fun Fest out on the plaza.

Once inside the ballpark, Alan checked in at the Kids Clubhouse to kick off year number two of being a Tribe Town MVP.  Alan’s haul today, in exchange for his $20 membership, included a “C” logo baseball, a script “Indians” shirt, an Indians lanyard and MVP badge, an Indians pen, a Jason Kipnis card, a Francisco Lindor fathead, a drawstring MVP bag, and a $10 gift shop credit, which Alan used to purchase an Indians Lego trainer’s cart (We put it together after we got home from the game and Alan loved it).

After loading up on gifts, Alan and I checked out the new additions to the Kids Clubhouse.  Most everything looked the same, except for one notable addition — a toy train set.  It was as if the Indians read Alan’s  mind.  He was content to play with the trains and a couple friends he met there all afternoon, but as the game wound down, I had to remind Alan how much he also enjoys the big, twisting two-story slide.  He took a couple turns down the slide, and then it was off to lead the line for running the bases as an MVP.

Down on the field, Alan hit a new milestone running the bases: he legit ran them. I tried to take a photo of him running but I could not.  I had to put my phone in my pocket and book it to keep close to him.   He can really move now!  Seems like just yesterday he was holding my hand on the bases and not knowing to follow the dirt path, but times have changed.  It seems odd to write this, but I have watched Alan grow up on the Progressive Field basepaths.

One thing did happen, though, to remind me of when Alan was a toddler:  He fell asleep in the car on the way home.  He had too much fun at the ballpark today. 🙂

Alan’s already told me he wants to go to every Sunday game this season, so we’ll be back again soon…

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Tribe Game No. 6 of 2015

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Alan wrapped up another fun baseball season today at Progressive Field!  The Indians beat the Red Sox and improved to 4-2 with Alan in attendance this season.  Alan drove his favorite car (video) in the Kids Clubhouse and led the line again during the postgame run around the bases (video).  This was Alan’s 10th career run!

Thanks to the Indians, Alan had a summer to remember.  He looked forward to Sundays for the chance to see the Tribe and regretted when the team had a Sunday road game.  He told me several times, “the Indians need me,” since he was a Tribe Town MVP this year.

Hopefully the winter flies by so Alan can get back out on the field in 2016!

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Tribe Game No. 5 of 2015

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Alan celebrated his 5th birthday a day early at the ballpark today, as we watched the Tribe beat the White Sox 6-3!

As an MVP, he led the line again and was among the first to get out on the field following the game.  Alan runs the bases so well now that I think Francona might want to use him as a pinch runner with the expanded rosters in September.  Aunt Jill and I had to really motor around the bases just to keep up with him!

In addition to participating in our usual Kids Clubhouse activities, we also had baseball cards made of ourselves for the first time – one with both of us and one of just Alan. I love how they turned out!

Alan also enjoyed driving a new red truck in the clubhouse…and pretending to crash it into other red cars. 🙂

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Tribe Game No. 4 of 2015

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Today Alan “led the line” running the bases postgame following the Indians win over the Angels.  We lined up early, during the 8th inning, and Alan got to skip to the front of the line since he’s an MVP.

It worked out pretty well that Alan finished playing in the Kids Clubhouse early and we tried out that perk for the first time.  Getting a head start in the line allowed Alan to have enough space to fly around the base paths.  And he had an audience while he ran, since not all of the fans had left their seats yet.

Alan left the ballpark today with an “Onion” souvenir toy, to go along with the “Ketchup” and “Mustard” hot dog mascot toys that we picked up last time.  He was happy to pick it out himself!

Conversation with Chris Antonetti

This week I decided to reach back out to Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti and we had the following email exchange.  He’s still a good guy:

Hello Chris,
My son Alan and I met you outside the ballpark on a non-gameday about three years ago when Alan was 2 years old.  I just wanted to write tonight to say hello and let you know that 5-year-old Alan is growing up to be quite the Indians fan.  Back then you gave us tickets for Alan’s first ballgame, and fast forward to now, he’s a Tribe Town MVP and we make sure to go to at least one Sunday home game per month.
Alan absolutely loves the new slide in the Kids Clubhouse and loves running the bases after the game.  I think it’s great what you and the front office have done for young Tribe fans.  I would have loved to have these experiences as a child, but I’m so glad to experience them with Alan now.  We sign up for playing catch on the field at every chance we get, so I’m joining in the fun as well.  Thank you so much for the opportunities that the Indians give families to create memories at the ballpark!
Attached is a photo that I took of Alan on the day we met you, as well as a photo that Alan and I took on Father’s Day this summer.  It’s now our tradition to go to a game every year on Father’s Day when the Tribe is in Cleveland.
Thanks again and Go Tribe!
Scott Miller

Chris’ reply:

Hey Scott.  Thanks so much for the note and for sharing the photos.  Very cool to see them.  I’m thrilled to hear that you and Alan continue to create new memories and traditions to share around Tribe games.  Hopefully, I’ll bump into you at a game soon.  In the meantime, all the best and go Tribe.  Chris

Tribe Game No. 3 of 2015

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Alan and I went to our third Sunday afternoon Tribe game of the season today!  Alan, per usual, had a blast in the Kids Clubhouse and ran the bases after the game (and fell asleep on the way home).  It’s always a good time when we head to the ballpark together.  And today Alan also got to see Robbie and Jill at the ballpark!

Tribe Game No. 2 of 2015 / Father’s Day 2015

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The Indians were playing at home today, so Alan and I spent a perfect Father’s Day together at the ballpark!  The weather was spectacular (despite a forecast of rain) and we got to play catch together on the field as part of the Indians Father’s Day tradition.

The MVP pictured above [admiring a blimp overhead] got a new “Block C” hat as a giveaway, played in the Kids Clubhouse (video), ran not-one-but-TWO laps around the bases (video), and showed-off his arm in the outfield.  Alan and I played catch from a pretty good distance because the ball scooted so well along the finely-cut outfield grass.

Today it hit me all of a sudden that Alan is almost five now, and he really looks and acts like it.  He ran the bases today by himself for the first time, while I waited for him at the end.  That was a big step for him!

Today was such a nice day for us both.

P.S.  Special thanks to David Murphy, whose game-winning sac fly in the 9th gave the Indians a 1-0 victory over the Rays and kept Alan’s wait time for going on the field at a minimum!  Sure helped all the parents out right there.

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Tribe Game No. 1 of 2015

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You’re looking at the newest member of the Tribe Town MVP Club!

As a proud new MVP attending his first Indians game of 2015, Alan got a souvenir baseball, drawstring bag, jersey, and badge w/lanyard.  The badge allows Alan to move to the front of the line not only at the Kids Clubhouse, but also at the lineup for running the bases!

The first thing we did today after picking up Alan’s gear was head to the redesigned Kids Clubhouse.  Alan’s favorite addition was the two-story slide, which he tried out several times.  He loves it!

Video:  Kids Clubhouse Slide

In addition to playing on the slide, Alan drove his favorite cars and played in the walk-in houses.  After a couple hours in the Kids Clubhouse, Alan did his job, which he takes seriously as an MVP, and ran the bases!  I ran with him this time, but pretty soon he’s not going to need me out there anymore.

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Things Alan Does

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Lately, in addition to enjoying going to preschool, Alan has been enjoying the following pastimes:

  1. Playing baseball in the house.  This includes playing catch and hitting off a tee (I don’t mind).
  2. Making coffee (for me).  I have a Keurig, but Alan prefers the powder/mixing method.
  3. Taking my phone and running with it while shouting, “You can’t catch me!”
  4. Related to 3), taking pictures of his cars and his favorite TV shows with my phone.  Sometimes the pictures are in black & white, as somehow he figured out how to change the settings!

Cleveland Professional Baseball Grounds

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To cap off our exciting baseball weekend together, Alan and I made a quick stop at the site of Cleveland Municipal Stadium (now Cleveland Browns Stadium) immediately following the Indians game.  Since we had already visited League Park yesterday and Progressive Field today, we decided to complete the trifecta and visit all three Cleveland professional baseball grounds in the same weekend.

Since Alan had his glove and a ball at each venue, we also completed  a goal of mine and played catch together at all three sites.  At League Park, I caught one pitch from Alan next to the grandstands behind home plate.  At Progressive Field, I caught one pitch from Alan on the dirt track near the Indians dugout.  And at the Municipal Stadium site, I caught one pitch from Alan outside the University Hospitals Gate of Cleveland Browns Stadium.

When we played catch, Alan had me wear his glove and he threw me three strikes in three tries.  He also let me snap a photo of him before or after each toss (pictured below).  In the pictures he’s proudly wearing his Kipnis #22 shirt, which he debuted this weekend.  I was wearing a Lofton #7 jersey (pictured above).  Alan liked that we were both “in uniform.”

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Tribe Game No. 3 of 2014

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Today Alan and I were back at Progressive Field for another Tribe game!

Following the game, in his 4th career ‘Kids Run the Bases’ event, Alan had a true break-out performance.  Without any hesitation, Alan sprinted around the bases and finished with his fastest time by far!  It was the first time he did not want to hold my hand, and I had to run too just to keep up with him.

Prior to the main event of running the bases, Alan and I saw the new Jim Thome statue (pictured below), and also spent an hour in the Kids Clubhouse.  Alan patiently waited for his favorite ride-in police car, then had a blast with it until the game ended.  After Cody Allen nailed down a tight save for the Tribe, the race was on!

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League Park Rededication

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Today Alan and I ventured to the long-awaited re-opening of League Park!  It was a special day for Cleveland baseball and I was very glad to share it with Alan.

During the on-field ceremony, we toured the grounds and took pictures.  We sat in the grandstands, visited the Baseball Heritage Museum (located in the original 1900s ticket booth that still stands at the corner of Lexington & E 66th — pictured below), walked the perimeter of the field, and climbed the outfield fences (at least Alan did).

It was great to see the field back in use after so many years of neglect.  Shortly after I visited the League Park site in 2010 for the first time, Alan and I both signed an online petition (Yes, Alan too) and made a donation to the restoration project.  At that time there was not yet support from the local government for a restoration project, but in mid-to-late 2011 the idea of a community field took shape and $7M of funding was committed towards preserving Indians history — which led us to today.

Following its rededication as a community baseball field, League Park now officially becomes the oldest existing Major League ball grounds in the country(!), dating back to its original opening in 1891.

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Tribe Game No. 2 of 2014

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My little ballplayer returned to Progressive Field to run the bases again today!

As soon as we arrived at the ballpark, Alan asked to go down on the field.  It took some negotiating, but I was able to convince him to wait until after the game…

In the meantime, we bought an Indians car at the team shop, took some pictures from the centerfield bridge to the parking garage, and played at the Indians play area.  Then when Yan Gomes sent the Tribe home a winner on a homer in the 8th, Alan got to run on the field.

This was Alan’s best performance in three career outings running the bases.  He held my hand until he was midway between 2nd and 3rd, and then he took off by himself and sprinted for home!

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First Tribe Game of the Year

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My future pro ran the bases following the Indians game this afternoon!  He was excited to get down on the field at “the baseball place” for the first time this year, as evident in the picture above.  He ran with a big smile on his face and a new Indians car in hand (purchased earlier in the day at the Indians Team Shop).

It was the first of at least three, maybe four, times that Alan and I will head to the ballpark for a Sunday afternoon home game this season.  Definitely one of our favorite things to do together.

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Alan’s First Career Swings

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Over the winter Alan picked out his first baseball glove and baseball.  This week we bought a tee ball stand and bat.  And tonight Alan took his first career swings!

Needless to say, I was very proud.  Once the weather warms up, we’ll move outside onto the grass.  It’s going to be a fun summer!

Pictured above: Alan’s ferocious swing; Not pictured above: Daddy getting hit by the ball.