Jacobs Field- Beyond Centerfield

Jacobs Field- Centerfield View
Originally uploaded by jmharper

Jacobs Field sits on the south edge of Downtown Cleveland. Freeways sit to the south, behind the first base stands. A few parking garages, the Quicken Loans Arena, and buildings like this are on the other three sides. This view looks east.

A ballpark neighborhood has sprung up around Jacobs Field, with many bars and restaurants within a couple of blocks of the park for your dining pleasure before or after the game.

Jacobs Field- Big First Inning

Jacobs Field- Big First Inning
Originally uploaded by jmharper

I've been to many games at Jacobs Field, at least one a year since it opened. I've sat in all kinds of seats, from the bleachers, to the nosebleed seats, to a luxury suite once, but had never seen anything like this!

This is a shot of the scoreboard on August 13th, 2006. take a good look now...

The score is 11-0 Indians, and there is ONLY ONE OUT in the bottom of the first. A Travis Hafner grand slam and nine other hits helped the Tribe get to this point. Shin Soo Choo is batting for the second time.

Jacobs Field- Upper Deck View

Jacobs Field- Upper Deck View
Originally uploaded by jmharper

This is a view from far left field in the upper deck. The club seats are along the first base side- nice seats if you can get-em! The mezzanine in right field is similar, and a nice place to see a game.

Cleveland Flats

Cleveland Flats
Originally uploaded by jmharper

And this is the view to the west from the upper concourse. it really shows off the industrial character of Cleveland, with the Cuyahoga River winding through the picture.

This is looking towards the Flats, an area along the river on both banks just west of Downtown. It used to be an awesome place to go after a game, but has seen some harder times lately, as the party tastes of Clevelanders have changed.

There is a complicated network of drawbridges and a few high-level bridges in this area. A few different railroads serve the businesses along the river, and the street network is confusing to the uninitiated. the river was here first, and still seems to be the best way to get around!

Jacobs Field- Tall Grandstand

Jacobs Field- Tall Grandstand
Originally uploaded by jmharper

One thing I really don't like about Jacobs Field that few people mention is the height of the upper deck above the field. It seems the park was built at the height of the luxury suite boom around the majors. That's THREE leverls of suites between the lower and upper decks. It can be great to sit in the upper deck, and some of the best fans in Cleveland sit there, but it kind of feels like you are detached from the rest of the game and park. From the lower deck, it feels like this huge wall is sitting above you.

But, it probably isn't any higher than the upper deck was at the old stadium!