Ballpark Review: Progressive Field

Following the theme of this trip accidentally tracking with my interest in the Negro Leagues, the next stop being Cleveland was another happy coincidence that fit perfectly. The Indians, when they were still called that, were the first American League team to integrate when they signed Larry Doby in 1947. They were also the first one to field a Black pitcher, Satchel Paige, and pitch him in a World Series. Then, more than a generation later, they became the first Major League franchise to hire a Black manager, Frank Robinson.

So I was quite happy to see them acknowledge that legacy with a mural of the three men on the wall at Progressive Field.

Before going further, let’s quickly cover the differences in how ballparks are named. I can live with it when a baseball park is called “Field.” My preference is “Park” or, even better, “Ballpark,” but Field is a decent second option. I’m not a fan of “Stadium,” which is more fitting for football in my view. Of the four ballparks we’re seeing on this extravaganza, they’re equally divided between two Parks and two Fields, which seems about right. Of the 26 that preceded them, they broke down as follows:

• Park/Ballpark: 12

• Field: 7

• Stadium: 5

• Coliseum: 1

• Centre: 1

These are the current naming iterations. Some have changed a few times over the years, flipping from a Park to a Field or something else. Remember Bank One Ballpark, which was shortened to the initials Bob? It’s Chase Field now. And Enron Field is now Minute Maid Park, and Rogers Centre was SkyDome, and so on.