Tagged: Cleveland Indians
FREE LUNCH!
There is no such thing as a free lunch. That’s what all of my marketing classes used to preach in college. That is a true statement because, no matter how you look at it, there is a cost to your lunch–even if it is given to you for “free.” Possibly, it’s a spicy lunch and that will cost you later in the day when you run to the bathroom every 10 minutes, I don’t know. If you think you found a loophole to this statement and say there is such a thing as a free lunch, I guarantee you I will prove you wrong. So drop it. I’ve already won the argument.
With that being said, there is no such a thing as a free kids club either–but since it sounds better saying that it is free, we are going to call it a free club. The only cost to you is your time filling out a registration form and submittal form, as well as your time doing great in school so you can get rewarded with prizes.
I’m talking about the Cleveland Indians KeyBank High Achievers Kids Club, which is a free (just go with it) club for kids in grades K-8. By performing well in school, members get special rewards including tickets to select Indians home games, chances to meet players, attend batting practice and participate in Signature Sundays on Kids Fun Days and much more. Here is a quick review of how the program works:
- Go to www.indians.com/highachievers to register for the club. You are then sent a membership card, which you will use for redeeming for prizes and for use at Kids Fun Days.
- As a registered member you are eligible to submit your grades, attendance records and three (3) books that you have read over the course of a semester (1st semester=Quarters 1 and 2 and Trimester 1, 2nd semester=Quarters 3 and 4 and Trimesters 2 and 3).
- You will receive one STAR per category with a maximum of 3 STARS per semester (6 STARS total for the year). If you maintain A’s/B’s for the semester, you get a STAR. If you have perfect attendance for the semester, you get a STAR and if you read at least 3 books for the semester, you get another STAR.
- After the grades/reading/attendance is submitted online, qualified members get an email with how many STARS were earned. You then go to a local Team Shop to redeem for prizes. The prize breakdown is:
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- One Star – Two (2) Indians game tickets and entry into raffle to win Batting Practice Experience for four (4) people
- Two Stars – Two (2) Indians game tickets
- Three Stars –Two (2) Indians game tickets and High Achievers Kids Club prize
- Four Stars –Two (2) Indians game tickets
- Five Stars – Two (2) Indians game tickets and High Achievers Kids Club Tee Shirt
- Six Stars – Four (4) Indians game tickets and submission for one (1) of the following Raffle Prizes: Grady Sizemore Autographed Baseball Bat, Batting Practice Experience for Four (4) People, Meet-and-Greet with Grady Sizemore for Two (2) People
So there it is folks. The KeyBank High Achievers Kids Club in a nutshell. For more information, feel free to email highachievers@indians.com or go to the website at www.indians.com/highachievers to register today and start earning STARS to get free tickets to Indians games! And before you even say it, I realize I called them “free tickets” even though it will cost you time and gas to go to the game. Just sign up!
“You gotta keep on keepin’ on. Life’s a garden. Dig it!”
You know how you and your friends used to always talk about how cool it would be to take the grass on your lawn and just roll it up and carry it from one end of the yard to the other? The Cleveland Indians front office had–hold on a second–as I’m typing this entry someone is now informing me that they never once thought that would be a cool thing to do. Regardless, the Cleveland Indians front office had the opportunity to do just that today.
As part of Global Youth Service Day, Indians employees partnered with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities and made their way to the corner of East 9th and Lakeside to put in an urban garden and a brick walkway right next to the giant Free Stamp.
The 5 hours of volunteer work consisted of rolling up what seemed like a couple hundred rolls of sod and then moving them to pallets, planting apple trees, moving bricks so that they could be layed out into a walkway, raking dirt and top soil and everything else that goes along with putting in new landscape!
While there were about 24 volunteers at this particular project, there were over 1,400 volunteers all over Northeast Ohio participating on various other projects to celebrate Global Youth Service Day (GYSD).
Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. GYSD is celebrated each year in over 100 countries.
The weekend of volunteering caps off on Sunday, April 17 with all of the participants enjoying a day at the ballpark. All volunteers were invited (and provided tickets to) watch the Cleveland Indians take on the Baltimore Orioles for the 1:05pm game. They will take part in a pre-game parade around the warning track as well as be recognized on the field in front of the crowd.
So the next time you take your girlfriend or boyfriend on a date to the Free Stamp in Willard Park (do people do that?), or you’re walking back from a Cleveland Browns game–be sure to stop and enjoy the apple trees and the brick path and know that your Cleveland Indians had a hand in making the city look pretty.
“Oh well here, take this extra pair of gloves. My hands are starting to get a little sweaty.”
I remember growing up and getting my first baseball glove. I was in kindergarten and had just signed up for T-Ball. I didn’t know anything about baseball, but my older brother (who is only a year older than me) was playing and I wanted to be on the same team as him. I also knew going in that, because my older brother was left-handed and I was right-handed there was no way that I would get his hand-me-down glove. For once, I could get something new that didn’t belong to my brother first! My mom took us to the store to get my brother some new sweatpants and cleats and a new glove. I was, of course, getting his old sweatpants and cleats that he grew out of.
I was so pumped to go and pick out my glove when I noticed something. My brother, although left-handed for everything…EVERYTHING…picked out a right hander’s glove. It was then that I was informed that he was right-handed only when it came to throwing. We got home from the store and my mom handed me his old glove and that was that. But you know what? That was an amazing glove and it was my glove. I made it my own and took care of it, and it was a part of me as I learned the world of baseball. Plus, I didn’t have a growth spurt for about 3 years after that, so the glove lasted me quite a while.
The Cleveland Indians are partnering with KeyBank on a season long glove drive. The KeyBank Glove Drive started on Opening Day and will run until August 28. Here is what you have to do to participate: Bring a new or gently used glove to the next Indians game with you, take it to our Guest Services booth, and we’ll give you a ticket to the August 28th game as well as a voucher that allows you entry to a post-game autograph session by select Indians players that day! Plus, you’ll be entered in a drawing where you could win the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the game that day!
You can also participate by bringing your glove to a local KeyBank and filling out an entry form. It’s that easy! All gloves will then be donated to Cleveland Baseball Federation and given to local youth to use while learning the game of baseball. So bring a new or gently used glove with you to the next Tribe game and instead of using it to catch foul balls in the stands, donate it to the KeyBank Glove Drive. Who knows? Your glove could get into the hands of the next Grady Sizmore…or the next Justin Sherman: Community Outreach blog writer and former T-Ball player! Either way, you’ll help connect with the next generation of baseball fans in our community!
Fill the House for the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland
I’ve always considered myself a “glass half full” kind of guy when it comes to just about everything thrown at me in life. The rare exceptions are 1.) when I run out of gas and 2.) when I finish a glass of water.
This Wednesday night, April 6, Indians fans can’t be “glass half full” fans. They have to be “glass overflowing” fans. In a very roundabout and confusing way, I’m trying to tell you to come to the game so that we can Fill the House (the house in this case being Progressive Field) because the more people who come to the game–the more money gets donated to the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland. For every paid ticket, the Cleveland Indians will donate $1.00 to the Diabetes Association.
I know what you are thinking, “$1.00? That’s it?” Picture a paid attendance of 43,000 and $1.00 for each paid ticket going to the Diabetes association. That’s a check for $43,000! Let me say that again, that’s a check for $43,000! Are you seeing how I am a “glass half full” kind of guy yet? So let’s get out there and buy a ticket to tomorrow night’s game and help support this great organization!
If you’re feeling crazy, here is a little more information on the Fill the House for Charity program:
For 13 Wednesdays throughout the 2011 season the Cleveland Indians will team up with a Northeast Ohio non-profit organization to provide much-needed funds and the opportunity to raise awareness for their specific cause. Launched in 2009, this program has raised more than $1,100,000 in monetary and in-kind donations for 13 Northeast Ohio non-profits.
The Indians will donate $5 from each ticket sold by the participating non-profit organization back to the charity. Also, $1 from every overall ticket sale for Wednesday games during the 2011 baseball season will be donated to the designated charity.
The Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland’s mission is to ensure that Greater Clevelanders affected by diabetes have the support they need to live well with the disease.
A Celebration of Life
Since December 15, 2010 there have been numerous articles and stories and blog entries telling the life and times of the great Bob Feller. All of those had personal touches by the writers sharing their memories of Bob–whether they were memories from afar (watching him pitch in games), or memories up close with him (interviews, meet and greets, work related, etc.). This entry will start off no different. This is not because I lack creativity, but because I feel a sense of pride and honor that I actually have some up close memories with one of the best pitchers in baseball. Below is just one of them:
My first meeting with Bob was simply as a fan. When I was a little kid, my dad passed down a baseball that was signed by some guy named Bob Feller in 1962 (the date is written under the autograph). Not knowing anything about baseball at the time, I thought it was cool but had no idea who this guy was and why my dad thought it was a big deal for me to put it in a safe place. I did as I was told and forgot about the ball. After growing up and learning the game, I eventually learned who Bob Feller was and the “coolness” of the baseball grew.
In college, we went down to Winter Haven, Florida (apparently we thought Winter Haven was the spring break capital of the world instead of Daytona Beach–we were quite mistaken)! I heard that Bob Feller was signing autographs, so after a while I made my way down to his picnic table. He was just getting up and had finished signing. As polite as I could, I said, “Mr. Feller…can I please get your autograph on this ball?” He quickly replied, “I’m done signing for the day. Next time get here on time,” and he walked away. It was quickly made clear that Bob did what he wanted and if he was done…he was done.
Years later, I began working with the Indians and worked a few months down in Spring Training (Winter Haven) and Bob was a frequent visitor. Since I had met him a few times before at the front offices, I thought I would take a chance and bring up the story of when I had first met him (and how he denied my autograph request). Once he heard me tell the story, he said without cracking a smile, “I don’t remember that, but hopefully that taught you to get to places on time.” The next day, he stopped in the office and left an autographed photo on my desk of him pitching to Joe DiMaggio. I have it kept right next to the ball my dad gave me years before.
Today, there was a special ceremony held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights to celebrate the life of Robert William Andrew Feller. The ceremony was open to anyone. Chris Perez, Shin Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Sandy Alomar Jr., Manny Acta, Mike Hargrove, are just some of the Indians front office staff/players that attended.
Governor John Kasich, Jeff Idelson (President of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Bill Tunnell (representing the Battleship USS Alabama) and Larry Dolan all spoke at the ceremony. Sports Time Ohio filmed the event and will air it tonight at 6:00 pm.
At 92 years old, there is no doubt that every Cleveland fan has a memory that involves Rapid Robert. He was a local icon, a baseball legend and a national hero and everytime we watch a baseball game, he will always be in our hearts.
Round Up For Charity? Giddyup!
In my younger years, I always wanted to do stand up. Not for a living, but just one quick gig. I was smart enough back then to know that I would eventually run out of funny, so it was one gig and done. I even thought of ideas that I could put in my act.
I thought it would be funny to talk about how my girlfriend at the time would pay for things. If something was $14.76, she wouldn’t just pay with a $10 bill and a $5 bill–or even easier–a simple $20. She would give the cashier a ten, four singles and sit there and count out 76 cents. Digging through her purse, she would count as she put the change on the counter, “50, 60, 70, 71, 72, 73…Justin, do you have 3 pennies?”
“No. I don’t. I have a $20, use that.”
“I want to get rid of my change. Oh, here we go! 74, 75 and 76 cents!” She would say as she pulled out a second change purse.
Sometimes she would take it a step further and give the cashier a $10 bill, a $5 bill and a penny so she could get an even quarter back. It was an endless fight on how to correctly pay. I always wondered how she ever got all that change if she always paid the exact amount. Nowadays, I just use a debit card and that’s the end of it. And nowadays, she is married and I’m not, so who was the real winner in that argument?
My story has two points. The first is that I was a comic genius when I was a younger lad. The second is that this story is a great lead in to talk about the Cleveland Indians “Round Up For Charity” program.
The idea is simple, you go to an Indians Team Shop and buy something. Whatever the total amount of your purchase is, you are asked if you want to round up for charity. Of course, being the good people you are, you agree. The total purchase is then rounded up to the nearest dollar and that extra money goes to charity. Example: If your bill was the same as my old girlfriend’s bill of $14.76 and you agree to round up–your bill becomes $15.00 and the 24 cents you rounded up on goes to charity. Fantastic, but what charity?
The four charities that will split the end of the year donation will be Cleveland Indians Charities, Flashes of Hope, The Gathering Place and Stewart’s Caring Place. So the next time you go buy a Carlos Santana jersey, or a good old foam finger; try your best to make it an uneven bill so that you can “Round Up For Charity.”
These Colors Don’t Run
This past Friday, the Cleveland Indians Front Office volunteered at the USO care package facility down in North Canton. There were about 11 of us that made the trek down 77 South and it was quite possibly the farthest Indians in the Community event we’ve ever done. But you know what? It was worth it.
We arrived at the facility, which is a lot smaller than I had pictured, at about 10:00 and were welcomed with open arm(y). Get it? Open arms, but since it is the USO I put Army in there instead. Moving on…
We got a quick background on the USO and all that they do for the soldiers–which this particular facility handles pretty much all of Northern Ohio. An amazing distance considering how many soldiers there are from Ohio. That should probably be a statistic I have handy for you, but you’ll learn it better if you look it up for yourself.
Once the background was over, we learned how to package things up. They take those US Postal Service “Flat Rate Boxes” and fill them as much as they possibly can. And just when you think you can’t fit anything else in there, they will find a little air pocket that you missed and make you fill it even more. It was amazing how much you could get in there to make it way 10 pounds. We put in DVD’s, CD’s, toothpaste, deoderant, soaps, contact solution, hand lotion and sanitizer, books, dryer sheets, anything you could think of that had to do with health and wellness. Then, in other boxes, we crammed canned foods, jerky, cereal, candy, chips and a whole bunch of other food.
All in all, we ended up filling up and packaging 137 care packages, which I’m pretty sure is some sort of record. We also had Slider come and visit/help out/destroy the facility. Plus, we got some face time on Fox 8 News and Newschannel 5.
Well I wear this net on my head, ’cause my red hair is fallin’ out…
Today was the first Indians in the Community event of 2011 and it went pretty well. We started off small for the first event and had about 11 volunteers help out at St. Augustine Hunger Center in Cleveland. The volunteers were members of the Cleveland Indians front office and their job was to prepare and serve lunch to the needy.
Upon our arrival, we were told that we weren’t just going to assist preparing the food–but instead we were going to make it all ourselves! The normal cook said she was going to “trust” us to prepare whatever we wanted. She gave us about 15 tubes of ground beef (yes, they came in wrapped tubes) and a ton of sauce. What else could we make, but some good ol’ spaghetti and meatballs. We also added some potato soup, garlic bread and salad.
Below is a picture so you can see that we actually were there with our hair nets on and everything! I now know what the Lunch Lady felt like in Adam Sandler’s song “Lunch Lady Land.” I didn’t hear any complaints on how the food tasted, so we must have done okay.
The blog will take a small break before our next big Community Outreach adventure, but I may still post some Tribe-type things up here just to keep you all on your toes.
Welcome To Fantasy Island…I mean Camp! Fantasy Camp.
We have begun day one of the Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camp, where all proceeds go to Cleveland Indians Charities. The campers arrived to the hotel (Renaissance Hotel in Glendale) late last night and had a quick welcome banquet. They were greeted with warm welcomes from the Pros–which are Indians alumni. It’s fun to watch how excited these grown men are to play baseball for a week. Of course, it is even more fun on day two to watch how sore and slow moving they are because they realize how out of shape they are!
Throughout the week, I will be updating this blog and hopefully have some exciting stories to tell. So far today, they arrived at the complex, found out where their lockers are (the campers use the visitor’s locker room) and have started some clinics. This afternoon they will be playing two games so that the Pros can get a look at how they play. The Pros will then hold a secret draft, picking players that they think could win a championship by the end of the week. It gets pretty competitive!
While here, the campers will live as close to how real ballplayers live as possible. When they are driven to the camp they will have all access to the visitor’s clubhouse and have the Cleveland Indian’s clubhouse staff take care of them…just like the big leagues. Their uniforms will be washed everyday, they have breakfast and lunch prepared by our in house food service staff and can even have as many sunflower seeds as they can handle.
Once the campers find out what team they are on later tonight, they all go out to dinner as a team with their coaches (the Pros). After dinner, we’ll have a quick meeting and a bull session or two and then bed. Tomorrow, I will have a break down of what Pros we have here and what teams they are coaching. The “season” games start tomorrow morning right after player photos take place. I’ll keep you all posted!
This is every man’s FANTASY!
Look at this! Two entries in a week(ish)! I feel like I’m already on a roll.
Starting up this Saturday in the Cleveland Indians Charities world of the Cleveland Indians is our annual Fantasy Camp. The camp runs from January 13 (campers fly in to the Indians Spring Training Complex in Goodyear, AZ) and finishes up on Friday, January 21. All proceeds raised from the camp go straight to Cleveland Indians Charities.
Basically, what you get are a bunch of guys who live out their dreams (or fantasy, if you will) of being a major league ballplayer. For the entire week, these guys are treated just like the pros and compete in games, practices, drills, workouts, etc., all of which are led by Cleveland Indians alumni. If you have never witnessed this camp, it is quite entertaining. Some games get pretty intense and you really want to get out there and play baseball after watching them go at it all day. Plus, hanging out with former pros is pretty cool too.
Luckily, yours truly will get to travel down to Goodyear this year for Fantasy Camp (to work, not play) and I’m hoping to give some blog updates as the week goes on. Until then, be sure to check out our community page on www.indians.com You’ll be able to see what fun things we have planned for 2011.
Indians Off the Field 