Tonight I finally got to go to an Indians game. I was afraid I was going to miss the season all together - this weekend is the last home stand and it was my first game of the year. I was really excited when I got free tickets from a friend AND they were for Jim Thome Appreciation Night!
I started going to games when the Tribe moved to Jacob's Field - not because I was jumping on the bandwagon of fair weather fans but because an ex-boyfriend loved baseball. Once I went and figured out what was going on, I was hooked!
Jim Thome was always a great guy to have on the team (in spite of his CONTANT "adjustments") and I was sad when he left. I thought I would never see him in an Indians' uniform again. When the Tribe picked him up late in the season, I was itching to see him one last time.
When we entered the stadium, they handed out posters honoring Thome and his incredible record. I was hoping that it would stay dry and not have to serve as an umbrella later that night. I made sure I got a picture of it just in case.
We were very worried with a rainy forecast and black clouds overhead. It did end up raining..a lot! There was a rain delay but even the weather would not rain on Thome's parade tonight. Braving the weather and holding tight onto umbrellas, old teammates like Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar, and even Mike Hardgrove showed up to wish him well. During the ceremony they unveiled a rendition of a statue that will be put up in his honor.
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| blurry pic of Carlos Baerga |
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| Thome Appreciation Ceremony |
That combined with a walk off home run by Carlos Santana made the night extra special. It was topped off with Fireworks.
