Another year gone by...

Every time December rolls around I am amazed how quickly the year has seemingly passed by, but here we are. 2014 beckons even though it seems I barely started 2013. It's so cliche, but really, where has the time gone?!? Oh well; 2013 has been quite an interesting year for me, though a tad more stressful and frustrating than I would have liked. As it comes to an end, as rough as times during it were, I feel like I have some momentum heading into the new year and that finally, at long last, this new year might bring about the changes I am hoping for and have been waiting what feels like an eternity for. Though stressful and quite frustrating at times, there have been some big highlights from 2013. Here they are!

This is Kirtland!

Anyone who's been following my blog knows I have something almost every year about This is Kirtland!, but this year, it was a lot more than usual. Since 2004 I've had some sort of involvement in the show every summer except 2008. Beginning in 2005 I was a member of the cast and through the years I've filled a number of roles, but this year I took on the role of director, something I had never done before. It actually started late 2012, but really started into high gear in mid February when we started having production meetings. Auditions started mid April and rehearsals started right at the beginning of May. We opened July 5 and had 8 performances, closing July 20.

While there are certainly many aspects of being a director that I was comfortable with and quite a accustomed to, the whole thing was overwhelming at times, mostly from a managerial aspect. I guess one thing I learned how to do better was delegate responsibilities to others, something I have difficulty doing at times. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so often I just think it's easier to do it myself. I quickly discovered, though, that not only did I not have to do it, but I could count on others to do it better than me. Even so, I still had a role in just about everything whether I wanted to or not. At times it was exhausting.

Another thing I really wasn't expecting were personality conflicts between members of the cast (aka "drama") that somehow ended up involving me. That was especially frustrating given the religious nature of the show. We dealt with them and got through OK, but there seemed to be an ongoing problem here and there that hindered us along with other issues and I felt like some of them lingered past the end of the show, which was disappointing to me. Through it all, and some other challenges (like many late rehearsals despite my best intentions), though, we ended up having a really good run of shows. In all honesty, I never felt like the cast had a show that was as good as they were possibly capable of. That's not to say we didn't have great shows, but, you know, there were things about each show that could've been better. Oh, I also had a brief cameo at the end of the show each night, so I was in the cast too for most of the last scene.

I learned most of all that I much prefer to be on the stage rather than behind the scenes. I am happy with my efforts and how it went, but yeah, being on stage is much more of a thrill for me. Would I do it again? I don't know. I think if I were asked to direct again I would do it, but like my initial endeavor, it isn't something I'd campaign for. The good news is I don't really have to worry about it for 2014 as TIK will go on hiatus after 10 seasons. It's someting that needed to happen for a variety of reasons, but mainly for many of us who have done the show almost every summer. I feel good that our 2013 run was successful in that people really did stop to ask "why?", meaning it was good enough that people seriously wanted to know rather than seeing it and thinking "yeah, it definitely needs a break," which I think it was at prior to this season. Maybe it will spur more people to get involved and take it to the next level. But yeah, that was quite an experience for me, and as much fun as I had, I was definitely ready for it to be over.

Travels

A year would not be complete without some travels. My longest trip was down to Shreveport, Lousiana to visit my old missionary companion Will Graff, who is stationed down there in the Air Force. It was part of a visit I made with my mom to my brother's in Nashville, so a trip within a trip. Of course, as has been customary for me these past few years, I also made multiple visits to my sister's in Valparaiso, Indiana and my brother's in Nashville.  On some of the trips, I took my mom with me for the visit, but also had several solo trips!

Mom and me on our way to Nashville in August

Will Graff and I in Bossier City, LA, 10 years after we were missionary companions

On my birthday (March 2), which is also my youngest sister's birthday, my sister Katie and I drove to Valparaiso and totally surprised Becky. It worked perfectly and she had absolutely no idea we were even coming until she opened the door and there we were! I was glad to be able to execute that plan and that it worked out for Katie and me to pull it off (thanks to some help from our brother-in-law David). I made a trip to Valpo in late July, then again in September for the annual Popcorn Festival, and then Becky, David, and I attended an Indians-White Sox game in Chicago (Indians won 7-1!!), which was a lot of fun. I returned to Valpo in November for my nephew's 4th birthday, and Becky, David, and I attended the Ohio State-Purdue game at Purdue (along with several thousand other Buckeye fans). Ohio State rolled 56-0. The game was supposed to be a "blackout" for Purdue, but there was as much scarlet (if not more) in the stands than black. It was Becky and David's first Ohio State football game ever and my first true OSU road game. The only other OSU games I've been to were their 2009 game in Cleveland against Toledo, and two home games: 1996 against Penn State and 1997 against Iowa at Ohio Stadium.

Indians at White Sox...our first visit to US Cellular Field

Ohio State at Purdue...notice any scarlet in the stands?? LOL

New family!

2013 saw the arrivals of two nieces: Olivia was born November 12 (11-12-13) in Nashville to my brother Andy and sister-in-law Heather, and Lorraine was just born December 30 just north of Valparaiso to my sister Becky and brother-in-law David. I'm hoping to meet Olivia ("Lady O") in March when I can visit Nashville again, and am fortunate enough to be here in Indiana for Christmas, so get to meet Lorraine right away!

Olivia ("Lady O"), the day after she was born. I'm hoping to see her in January and/or March!

Me with Lorraine, just yesterday (Dec. 30, 2013), about an
hour and a half after she was born

It's been great getting to spend time with my two nephews this year several times, not only my visits to Indiana, but their trips to Ohio. I've also enjoyed visiting with my niece Evelyn ("Little E"), especially being there for her first birthday in August! All my nieces and nephews are so much fun to be around and make me laugh and smile, a lot!

Niece Evelyn, aka "Little E", age 1

Nephew Ryan, soon to be 2

Nephew Nate, age 4

My sister joined the Peace Corps and left in March for Ukraine, where she'll be until mid 2015. It's been great being able to keep in touch with her so easily via Skype, Facebook, and Instagram, and even Google Voice. I'm so proud of her, though I do miss seeing her! I'd love more than anything to be able to visit her and the school she is working at in Ukraine, but who knows when, or if, that will ever be possible. One can certainly hope!

The day Katie left for DC to begin her Peace Corps training

National Anthem

While I wasn't able to repeat my 5 appearances for the Indians like I had in 2012, I still had several opportunities to perform the anthem, though in different places. I did perform for the Indians again in 2013, singing in May for a game against the Reds. I almost sang again, but it didn't happen. Had the Indians finished in a tie for one of the wild card spots and hosted that game, I was scheduled to sing. As it turned out, the Indians won the first wild card spot, and the singer for that game was determined by Major League Baseball, so someone else did it. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to sing for the tie breaker game (since it didn't happen...it would've had the Indians lost on the last day of the season), but as a Tribe fan, I was glad they won and made the playoffs. Hoping to sing in 2014 for the Tribe, though.

Cincinnati at Cleveland in May

I was able to sing for 3 minor league games. I sang for the Columbus Clippers (AAA team of the Indians) in April, the Akron Aeros (AA team of the Indians) in May, and the Toledo Mud Hens (AAA team of the Tigers) in July. The games for the Clippers and Mud Hens were my first time ever even going to games for those respective teams. I enjoyed each performance and am hopeful to sing for all of them again in 2014.

Aeros game in May

Another first for singing in 2013 was this past November when I sang for the Lake Erie Monsters, the top minor league hockey affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. That was also my first time singing at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. It was a lot of fun! Of course I have continued to sing for Kent State men's basketball games, and did a wrestling match and a women's basketball game this December. It was my first time doing a wrestling match and my first time doing a women's basketball game in a few seasons. Really, it never gets old. Every time I sing the anthem it's as exciting and enjoyable as the first time.

Lake Erie Monsters game in November, my first performance at the Q

Teaching

No progress on teaching, though 2013 was another year of change for me as far as subbing goes. I started the year out subbing in Stow, Tallmadge, and Maplewood, and ended up dropping all three for various reasons. This fall I renewed my teaching license and added the Streetsboro and Rootstown districts as well as the Bio-Med Science Academy in Rootstown, that's attached to the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). So far I have really enjoyed my time at these new places and have worked with some really great students and teachers. Still looking for that elusive full-time job somewhere out there, but in the meantime, subbing will hopefully fill that gap.

First day subbing in Streetsboro in November...was the first time I had worked since
late May.

As 2013 ends, though, I do feel momentum heading into 2014 and that good things are in store. Obviously a new year doesn't solve problems, but it does give us a way to gauge progress and compare periods of time. I've also learned to really look at what I have that is positive and know the difference between being content and being complacent. Content doesn't mean I'm not trying to improve or make positive changes, it simply means I find the good in the current situation and build on that instead of focusing on what's wrong. That in itself has been a huge help in my outlook and motivation. Here's to the experiences in 2013, the lessons learned, and the excitement for a better 2014.

Would the Indians Move?

Every once and awhile I see Indians fans make remarks about the team's attendance that if they continue, the team could eventually move. While the fears are certainly justified here in NE Ohio with what happened to the Browns back in 1995, is it very realistic to think that the Cleveland Indians would move if the attendance stayed where it currently is? In short, the answer is no, and here's why:

1. Attendance

Game this past May against Seattle I went to

Professional sports teams derive their income from a variety of sources, including ticket sales, but television rights, advertising, and corporate clients (suites) are the main sources of income. Sure, it's not like ticket sales are unimportant or don't supply any money at all, but a team not doing well at the gate doesn't necessarily mean it's losing money or not doing well financially. The Indians during the 1990s are a great example of this in that they were sold out from 1995-2002, yet did not rank at the top in terms of revenue. That's not to say the sellout streak didn't help them financially, but in the end, the power of TV is what reigned supreme, followed by the major increase in suite revenue from moving into Jacobs Field from Cleveland Stadium, not attendance.

If attendance were that important of an issue, then the Tampa Bay Rays would've moved years ago. Their attendance has never been good and currently ranks LAST in the Major Leagues despite the Rays being in the chase for both the East Division title and a Wild Card spot. This is also a team that went to the World Series just a few years ago and has been in the playoff hunt for the last several years now. While the Indians are still technically in the playoff chase here, they're a long shot. The team has made the playoffs once since 2002 (2007) and the last 3 years has started out very well only to fizzle by the middle of the season and finish below .500.

2. Market size

Downtown Cleveland in May 2013

One thing people seem to overlook is the market size of existing teams and potential new markets. One post mentioned Charlotte as a place the Indians could move or San Antonio. Portland, Oregon is another city that has actively tried to get a Major League Baseball franchise. Cleveland, even with its own population loss and growth in other cities, still ranks as the country's 18th-largest media market. There are sports from 3 of the 4 major sports leagues here (no NHL team). I've noticed a lot of times people will look at actual city populations as opposed to metro and/or media market size. Yeah, Cleveland (396,000) is a smaller city by population than Charlotte (775,000), San Antonio (1.38 million), and even Portland (583,000), but in terms of market size, Cleveland is larger than all 3. Portland is the closest at #22 and is the 3rd largest market without a Major League Baseball team (after Orlando, FL at #19 and Sacramento, CA at #20). San Antonio, despite being the largest city of this group, is actually the smallest market (#36) and if it had a Major League Baseball team, would be the smallest market in all of MLB (Cincinnati is currently the smallest market at #35). Charlotte is #25 and actually isn't even the largest market in North Carolina. That would be Raleigh-Durham, which ranks 24th and is home to the NHL team. Charlotte, of course, is home to the NBA Bobcats (soon to be renamed Hornets!!) and the NFL Panthers. Both Portland and San Antonio are NBA-only markets.

In addition to market size, market saturation is another issue that has to be taken into consideration, not only for attendance, but TV viewership, something the Indians typically do very well at. If there are too many sports/entertainment options for a market, one or many of them suffer. That's why you likely won't see an NHL team in Cleveland anytime soon or an NBA team in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are smaller markets than Cleveland, plus both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have major college athletic programs in addition to their pro sports teams. Columbus, Ohio has a similar situation because of Ohio State. Not only is Columbus between two cities with professional sports, but Ohio State controls a significant amount of attention and fan interest that would hurt a parallel professional sport like football or basketball. Hence, Columbus has an NHL team and a Major League Soccer team, neither of which are present in Cleveland or Cincinnati and don't directly have high-interest counterparts across town at Ohio State.

3. Stadium

Summer 2012 on a ballpark tour I took

If this were happening at old Cleveland Stadium, there might be cause for concern, but it isn't. Progressive Field, despite being nearly 20 years old now, is still in excellent condition and is very well-maintained and updated. Even with all the new parks that have been built since Progressive Field opened in 1994, it is still right up there with the best in terms of services, amenities, and appearance on top of a solid number of revenue-generating suites. The Indians lease at Progressive Field runs another 10 years and while a lease is no guarantee a team will stay in a city, it's a good sign. In other words, if the team got offers from other cities, they would hardly be able to give the Indians anything far ahead of what they currently have in terms of their ballpark.

When Art Modell threatened to move the Browns in 1995, his biggest grievance was that Cleveland Stadium was outdated. That meant more than it was just old; he meant it lacked a good number of suites (Cleveland Stadium had some suites, but they were added much later and there weren't that many), and it needed tons of money just to maintain it. That was on top of fan amenities and services it lacked because of the era it was built. Because of that, Modell claimed he was losing money. Attendance-wise, the Browns were doing quite well and always have. It certainly wasn't an issue of fan support here, it was a belief that the county (which owned Cleveland Stadium) wasn't supporting the team, especially in light of the Gateway Project that had opened the year prior for the Indians and Cavaliers. I could go on about how Modell was a pretty lousy businessman and him losing money was much his own fault, but those were his reasons for getting a stadium deal with Maryland and ultimately establishing the Baltimore Ravens.

Why is that important? Because the stadium did and can play a major role in a team relocating, but only when a team is faced with having an outdated stadium that lacks suite revenue and/or presents other financial liabilities. The Indians have no such complaints with Progressive Field, nor would they be able to justify in any way that they need a new ballpark for the financial health of the team, which they did when Progressive Field was built. The last MLB team to move was the Montreal Expos when they moved to Washington, DC to become the Nationals. The Expos had horrible attendance (far worse than the Indians have had even this year), had an outdated stadium (Olympic Stadium had hardly any suites and multiple maintenance issues), and Washington, DC represented a top-10 market (#8) without a baseball team (despite the objections of the Baltimore Orioles), meaning MLB could easily justify moving the Expos there because they would generate far more money in DC than Montreal, in ticket sales, suite revenue, local TV coverage, and advertising.

Fireworks in May 2013

So, the Indians moving to a market like San Antonio, Portland, or Charlotte would likely, at best, be a lateral move financially if not even lower. You might have some initial excitement about a new team, but if the team struggles for periods of time (which is more than likely for a small-market team), you'll have a team bleeding money in worse shape with a marginally newer stadium with not only low attendance, but low local TV ratings and little fan attachment. And since the Indians would remain a smaller-market team by going to an even smaller market than Cleveland, they would most likely continue to be a team that has to make smart moves and develop talent vs. just going out and spending lots of money. The Indians, while they have struggled at the gate the last several years, have a largely stable financial situation, good local TV ratings, a modern and well-maintained stadium, on top of over 110 years of history in Cleveland. While nothing is set in stone as far as any team staying in an area, and we certainly shouldn't take it for granted, it's a good bet the Tribe will be in Cleveland for generations to come. The real concerns should be the long-term health of this region. If  NE Ohio continues to lose people or stagnate in growth, these current smaller markets could become more attractive if they also continue to grow.

Big news for Kent!

First, if any of you have been watching my blog and noticed some random posts coming up and then disappearing, it's because I was moving all my old posts from my old MySpace blog to here and would occasionally forget to put the original date in. I was doing it to create a book of all my blog posts and couldn't find a place that would make a book using MySpace blogs; only Blogger, WordPress, or the other major blogging sites. I had to hide some of my first posts at this site to create the book of just my MySpace posts (as they briefly overlap) but now everything is done. It was fun to re-read all my old posts and realize I've been blogging now to some degree for almost 4 years!

Anyway, Kent got some big news Wednesday that I was very happy to find out about! The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) was awarded a $20 million grant for construction of the Kent Central Gateway, better known as the "multi-modal facility" I blogged about way back in April 2008 and an idea that has been around for close to 10 years. If you do check that blog post, the facility proposed at that time was considerably larger than the one that was finally approved yesterday. This new facility will only take up about 1/3 the footprint that the initial design had and will occupy land along the north side of East Erie Street between South DePeyster Street and Haymaker Parkway. It will not involve properties along East Main Street.

Any time a large grant is received for something like this it's big news, but especially so here in Kent which has seen so many "plans" for downtown development come and go with no results over the past few decades. Of all the grants handed out, Ohio as a state only got $50 million and $20 million of that was to Kent, so this has already drawn some comparisons to Kent winning the state normal school in 1910 (which became Kent State University) in terms of surprising and landscape-changing events. Obviously a structure like this will change the look of part of downtown, but the biggest reason for excitement is the fact that this project promises to be a linchpin for even more development which, if it all actually happens, will affect most of the southeastern quadrant of downtown bordered by Haymaker Parkway, East Main, and South Water Streets. At long last, we know one of the major projects WILL happen after so many have amounted to nothing and downtown has continued to struggle. With the recent completion of the Phoenix Project last year and now this, it finally seems like downtown is turning a corner from the doldrums that it has seemingly been in since the 1970s.

As I've read the various articles online about this news and the accompanying comments, there are some major misunderstandings and false ideas out there. The most surprising are comments that basically lead me to believe the reader thinks this grant has been won to establish a bus system in Kent through this new facility. PARTA was established in 1975 and has been steadily growing the last decade, so it is hardly anything new. This facility is merely centralizing the already existing bus system, similar to what most transit systems already have. Along those lines, many commentators have wondered about the "multi-modal" moniker that is commonly used to describe the facility. It is "multi-modal" because it will provide a center for four forms of transportation: bus, car, bike, and walking. Bus transportation is obviously the biggest reason for the center, but it will also have a parking deck, which is a huge reason behind it being a "linchpin" for other downtown development as parking has long been a problem there. It will also be a stop on the Portage Hike and Bike Trail, so people can park their car and/or their bike there to access the trail. In addition to the regular local PARTA lines that will use it, PARTA will also operate their Cleveland and Akron express routes from the building and there are at least hopes to someday have a Greyhound stop there. On top of that it will have commercial space, so not only will there be additional activity besides bus traffic, but tax revenue-generating activity as well so this building is far more than just a glorified bus shelter.


One concern, though, I've thought a lot about is the fact the funding comes from the controversial "stimulus" bill, which I have hardly been short on criticism for. I think here, this could actually be a case where the funds stimulate a local economy by creating a structure which not only improves transportation, but spurs other development. So much of the "stimulus" has been to projects that improve something, but do little to stimulate actual economic growth beyond temporary construction jobs. Indeed, only time will tell if this project actually does stimulate any economic activity in Kent beyond the construction jobs to build it, but from the looks, it would appear at least headed that way. And while I still have a problem with the massive amount of debt Congress is piling up, in the end, these grants would've been given out whether I liked them or not, so it's nice to see some of it come back to Kent for once. It is also refreshing to see leadership in Kent that sees the bigger picture of town-and-gown relations and is actually doing something to help Kent and KSU mutually improve for the benefit of both. I've always thought there was so much potential here and now it seems we're finally seeing it. Go Kent!

Below I included a link to a map of the area now for reference. The marker "A" is the end of Erie Street where it currently dead-ends at Haymaker Parkway. The new building will be to the left of the marker on the north side of the street. The other pictures I included came from PDF files of PARTA's presentation materials to get the grant, which were included on Kent city manager Dave Ruller's post "Beating The Drum" on November 11, 2009. I cropped and labeled both pictures with street names and the red oval on the conceptual map and captions on the building renderings.


View Larger Map

Life's simple pleasures

It's nice to sit back and enjoy the little things once and awhile and really appreciate them. Those things have really been on my mind a lot these past few days. I'm especially thinking about this after just having enjoyed a lemon creamslush from Sonic...mmmmmm. A Sonic recently opened in Streetsboro just a few weeks ago, so on my way back from the Cleveland area tonight, I stopped there. I have no idea where the closest Sonic had been before this one opened, but it isn't close wherever it is. I love Sonic...so many choices and the prices aren't bad, so it's definitely one of life's simple pleasures. We have had several other "little" things happen this week that I've been enjoying too.

First and foremost, we finally got the livingroom in a presentable manner, just in time to host some visitors from Idaho who were here to pick up their missionary who has just finished her mission. Now, since Dad has officially moved out, we suddenly have some extra space not only in what had been his room, but also in the basement. For anyone who has been to our house recently, you know that the livingroom was bordering on chaotic. Not only did we have furniture in there, but much of Mom's stuff was also in there since there wasn't anywhere else to put it, like some of her shelves and her computer desk among other things. With Dad moving most of his stuff out the last two weeks, we were able to move most of Mom's things into what had been his room and return the livingroom to something a little more like, well, a livingroom. It was getting to the point where there wasn't much room at all to do much of anything and it was certainly a place I didn't feel comfortable having guests over in. I spent much of the week slowly moving out Mom's things and organizing the various things left in there, and dusting and vacuuming of course too. I finished the main cleaning not too long before our guests arrived, but I still need to put some pictures on the wall for the finishing touches. It's nice to have it so clean and organized-- I've found myself just standing in there just admiring it-- but even clean, it still has some cosmetic problems. Our furniture is a nice sample of several decades, our two unmatching, hand-me-down couches in particular. One is a nice 1960's couchbed and the other is a dark, too-big-for-this-room sofa from the 1980's or 1990's that our cat had a nice time shredding. I've actually never had new couches in my life as we have always had someone else's cast-off, whether they be from friends or relatives. The couches go right along with our ancient piano (dates back to at least 1916) with a 1950's kitchen chair in place of the piano bench as well as our 1980's entertainment center in between two cheap particle board shelves, most likely from the late 1990's. Let's not forget our 1980's tuner and the paint job from the late 1990's! One day, once things stabilize with the house and me having a job, I really hope to be able to get nice furniture that not only matches, but is something we picked out ourselves and actually fits in the room! Despite that, right now just having it clean and respectable is a welcome change, though I remarked to Mom yesterday that it's funny how when we clean our house, it tends to still look awful! The floors need redone and pretty much every room except mine needs repainted (mine was painted in 2006) as most haven't been painted in well over 10-15 years. But first things first: get the house organized and make sure we are going to be staying here longer than just another year.

Of course the other simple pleasure has been watching the price of gas fall. Since gas has been as high as it has, I've basically been getting whatever $25 can get me. Last time I got gas, the $25 got my tank full. This time, I didn't even have to spend the full $25 and my tank was full! That's what happens when gas is $2.10/gallon. No sooner did I get gas then I went past another station where it was listed at $1.99/gallon and on the way to the Cleveland area I passed a station in Streetsboro where it was listed at $1.97/gallon. Yes! Having gas prices finally fall has been nice to see since rising gas prices, in my opinion, played a large role in bringing the economy down. Think about it: gas prices went up, so people had to spend more on filling their cars and heating their homes and then prices went up at the stores because things cost more to transport. What it resulted in has been people cutting back and spending less, which leads to a slowdown and/or recession. Gas prices going down so far (don't forget, just after Hurricane Ike hit in September, gas prices were over $4 here and even higher in other parts of the country) gives me hope that the economy will start to rebound soon as long as prices stay down. I know it's helping me be able to spend more on other things already!