Day 12: Cleveland Rocks (the Twins)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Louisville to Cleveland
By Jamie

Since we got into Louisville rather late, we didn’t have much time to do the daytime-type stuff. A tour of the Louisville Slugger factory and museum seems like an obvious must-do. They even have a batting cage, so CP and I both take ten swings. It takes a little getting used to catch up with the 40 mph hardball heat, but we held our own. The factory tour is interesting. Most non-MLB bats are made of ash. Most MLB bats are maple. Ideal number of grain lines per inch: eight. The logo should be facing up when you make contact. There’s no crying in baseball.

It’s almost six hours from Louisville to Cleveland, so that takes up most of our day. Pretty uneventful drive.

We’re a little road-weary by the time we hit Cleveland, but we’re ready to cheer on the Twins. I was reminded earlier in the trip how lucky we are with our local music scene. I’ve also been reminded how crappy we have it with the Metrodome. I love going to watch the Twins play, but that stadium is sorely lacking. Jacobs Field is great. Of course it helps that it’s outdoor. The game doesn’t quite go the way we were hoping. Boof gave up a couple dingers and the Twinks get themselves into a 6-3 deficit. The ninth inning rally falls up short. Cleveland wins 6-5. We did see a couple spectacular plays by Denny Punto and Torii. (OK, we didn’t actually see Torii’s catch live as it was blocked by the wall, but we were there for it.) Even in a loss, it was still fun.

Time for a brief pit stop on the walk to the hotel. That’s about it. An early evening is in order. Our batteries need a little recharging.