It ain't easy being me, babe....

by northstar at 07:46 PM on July 20, 2002

OK, so I’ve been incommunicado for awhile. These things happen when your company sends you off to the hinterlands- Cleveland, in this case- for two weeks of training. I didn’t particularly enjoy being away from home for two weeks, but hey, someone's got to do it. Sure, the hotel was nice, but hotels anywhere generally have a few things in common- the rooms are always too cold, the pillows are always too hard, and it’s not home. Of course, it IS nice having someone pick up after you every day. I still haven’t managed to convince my wife of that, and frankly, the prospects aren’t looking good.

In between the work, which there was a lot of, and the stress, of which there was also no shortage, I did manage to have some fun. Last Saturday, I drove 3½ hours from Cleveland to Niagara Falls, and explored both the American and Canadian sides. Niagara Falls is one of those places I’ve always wanted to see, but never thought I’d have the opportunity to go to. Now I can cross another destination off my list.

On Sunday, I went to a AA baseball game in Akron. I’d forgotten how much I love, and miss, watching minor league baseball. It’s wonderful to be able to walk up to the ticket window, tell them you want the best, most expensive seat they have, and then pay $9.00 to sit six rows behind the first base dugout. Try doing THAT in Yankee Stadium.

On Wednesday, I went to Jacobs Field in downtown Cleveland to watch my beloved Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 8-5. Of course, this being Major League Baseball, I paid $20 for a seat in section 541. I don’t think that the supplemental oxygen was necessary, but I was definitely NOT in the front row.

It was rather sad to watch the Indians fans, who clearly have resigned themselves to the fact that their team is mailing in the rest of the season. After the Twins took the lead early, the crowd took on the sort of mien you'd normally see at a wake. I suppose you could make the argument that was exactly what we were witnessing.

So, all in all, it was a good trip. Since I grew up in Minnesota, it was nice to be someplace where I spoke the language. I could walk into a restaurant and order a “pop” without getting the blank stares I do here in Texas. Cleveland may be a nice place in some respects, but I couldn't wait to get the hell out of town. It may not be the dump it was 15 years ago, but Cleveland still doesn't have much to offer.

Three weeks from now, I get to do this all over again, this time in Phoenix. Woohoo!! Phoenix in the middle of August. Another hotel. More fast food and hard pillows. Well, no one ever said it was going to be easy being me….