Cleveland celebrates 'Sportsmas' ahead of World Series
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[October 26, 2016]
By Kim Palmer
CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The greatest day
in Cleveland sporting history began on Tuesday with Major League
Baseball's Indians hosting the World Series opener while the
Cavaliers unveiled their NBA championship banner to open a new
season.
For a city often mocked as "The Mistake by the Lake," everything
suddenly seemed perfect as the two teams' giddy fans basked in their
long overdue moment of sporting glory by celebrating what local
media have dubbed "Sportsmas."
Certainly the day took on a holiday vibe as Clevelanders filled pubs
around the Indians' Progressive Field and Cavaliers' Quicken Loans
Arena, which sit adjacent to each other and will be ground zero for
a night of sporting drama.
Matt Messey, 33, of Parma Heights did not have a ticket for the
World Series clash against the Chicago Cubs but was downtown to soak
up the atmosphere just as did for the Cavs' championship run a
little over four months ago.
"It is going to be pretty crazy. Everyone is in a great mood,"
Messey said.
He and his friends came to the outside bar near both stadiums at 3
p.m. ET and planned to spend a chilly evening watching both games on
the bar's outdoor screens.
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Watching on television just wouldn't do it for Jim Schulz, who
grabbed one standing room ticket for $600.
Fans from both cities have said they will pay anything to watch
their teams win a World Series and resale sites are putting that
bravado to the test.
The average price for Game Three in Chicago was hovering around
$6,000 on the resale market while a few prime seats at Wrigley Field
seeking up to $100,000.
Even parking was at premium in Cleveland on Tuesday with lots asking
as much as $100 to park your vehicle.
Having gone 68 years without a World Series win, Indians supporters
had every right to be excited as they look to end their title
drought at the expense of long-suffering Cubs fans who have endured
108 years without celebrating a Fall Classic.
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![](../images/102616pics/sports49.jpg)
A general view during the playing of the national anthem before game
one of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the
Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles
LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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After going 52 years without a major professional championship of
any kind Cleveland is suddenly in a position to celebrate two in
less than five months.
The Cavaliers got the party started when they raised their
championship banner to the arena rafters before hosting the New York
Knicks.
The Cubs are looking to end the longest title drought in major North
American professional sports ― 108 years ― and erase the fabled
"Billy Goat Curse," that dates back to the 1945 World Series when a
Chicago bar owner supposedly placed a hex on the club for kicking
his foul-smelling pet goat out of Wrigley Field
Looking for every advantage they can get, some Indians fans walked
goats around Progressive Field prior to the game in hopes of
extending the team's dry spell.
Cubs fan Rob Huff, his brother and some family friends drove from
Michigan after buying tickets.
"This is what my family does, we spend money on the Cubs." said
Huff. "That is what it is to love a team.”
(Reporting by Kim Plamer; Additional reporting by Steve Keating in
Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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