They Built It… Where Was the Crowd?

Perfect sports afternoons are not easily achievable. They require multiple contests involving one’s favorite teams, the ability to watch every contest, the motivation to pair the athletic visual with another activity, friends with which to share said activity, and scrumptious weather (seriously can a phrase really have the word perfect in it and snow in the forecast?)…

Upon my arrival for the Huntington Bank Park Premiere, every aforementioned requirement was present… From Front Street to Park Street to Vine Street, clutches of colleagues and companions were everywhere. The weather surpassed scrumptious. Every venue was open (thus the sports related activity, in this case drinking, was secured)… And the sporting events included the NBA Playoffs (Cavaliers vs. Pistons and Bulls vs. Celtics), the Indians vs. Yankees, and the Clippers vs. the Toledo Mud Hens…

For all of the pomp and promise of the home owner (which this season featured a new stadium, did we mention that), the pre-game crowd was scattered… Lodge Bar’s red room bar was encircled…. A stream of arrivals improved the crowd every few minutes… Still, the most intriguing aspect was what the crowd was guzzling their alcohol from…

Is there a sports themed item in this city which has not been converted into a beer tower and if so, why not? On this afternoon, the spackle of pre-game patrons sat slugging their alcohol from large Clippers colored baseballs… (That’s right, you can now add baseballs to the Buckeye and Blue Jacket helmets)… I applaud creativity, but seriously? A baseball beer tube?

Speaking of creativity, I arrived at the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and observed a fabulous fashion showcase… The inside and outside bartenders, bar assistants, and servers clad in unique ensembles… Chick Diesel batting practice shirts for the bar bunnies… Cock Diesel baseball jerseys for their counterparts… Whoever chose this attire merits recognition… The menagerie was adorable…

The Frog Bear and Wild Boar also merits recognition for their pre-contest crowd… The crowd did not equal the Blue Jackets crowd from Thursday and it would be completely negligible by evening’s end… However, the sun splashed patio scenery, with virtually every table occupied made the walk across the bricks (the first of about a thousand I would make on this day) well worth the walk itself…

For three weeks, everyone discussed Huntington Bank Park… Upon the park’s premiere, the venue turnout resembled an afternoon opening round contest between Illinois and Charleston Southern… I cannot comprehend why the venues were not crushed… I can simply hope that as the park’s reputation spreads, the pre-contest crowds will arrive…