Progressive Field Dixieland Band, Including 95-year-old Bandleader, Ready For Playoffs

The Progressive Field Dixieland Band played their last gig of the regular season yesterday. But if the Indians make the playoffs, they’ll be back, performing in the food court outside the team shop, as they have for 19 seasons.

The band, led by 95-year-old clarinetist Andy Veres, romped through a set of Dixieland jazz standards yesterday. Their signature song: “When the Tribe Goes Marching In,” a slight rewrite of a New Orleans classic. They added another twist to the lyrics yesterday: “I want to be in that number/When the playoffs go marching in.”



Veres also led the band through “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” the Browns fight song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and a few polkas so the accordionist could shine.

Veres and a rotating cast of musicians have played stadium home games since 1995. But if you usually get to the gate just before the first pitch, you may have never seen them. They play from a half-hour before game time until the National Anthem at Friday, Saturday and Sunday home games – and at all home playoff games.

Hot Diggity Dog

Why should carnivores have all the fun? Faced with classic baseball fare, there’s not a lot that vegetarians can stomach. Enter Field Roast Grain Meat Co.

Progressive Field began offering the company’s vegetarian franks on July 5. It’s the third major-league baseball stadium to sell the Seattle-based company’s veggie Frankfurter, along with Safeco Field in Seattle and AT&T Park in San Francisco.

“The veggie dog category is pretty old in terms of being established in the industry,” says Field Roast’s president, David Lee. “Those products were very kind of pasty, heavily emulsified, and they really, I thought, gave vegetarian products a bad name.”

Field Roast makes its veggie dogs from grains, tomato paste, paprika and fresh onion and garlic. Thanks to the tomato paste and paprika, the dog has a reddish-orange tint similar to a flavored kielbasa. It costs $9.50, or 75 cents more than a traditional hot dog.

Lee started Field Roast 15 years ago to provide meatless products for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Its vegan Italian sausage is the hot dog alternative at the Happy Dog in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

“There are a lot of people out here who are veggie-friendly, not necessarily vegetarian, but who enjoy vegetarian products and know it’s a healthy way to eat,” says Lee.

Instead of fueling up before games, Cleveland vegetarians can come hungry to Progressive Field.

“I never knew there were any veggie options here [at the stadium], so I would just drink beer and eat pretzels,” says Cody Pike, 29, from Euclid. He’s a volunteer for Veggie Happy, an advocacy group that encourages baseball stadiums to offer vegetarian and vegan food.

“I think it’s very impressive that we are included with San Francisco and Seattle as the only three [offering Field Roast’s veggie dogs],” says Pike, who is raising his 8-month-old son vegan. “It’s a pat on the back that we’re paying attention.”

Indians Celebrate Opening Day, Remember a Legend

The boys are back in town. While fan favorite Grady Sizemore might spend the first few games on the DL, there's plenty of other reasons to be excited for the Cleveland Indians' opening day this Friday.

Fausto Carmona will take the mound for the Indians during the sold out game against the Chicago White Sox. Though its the first opening day start for the young pitcher, he will be surrounded by the memories of baseball legend, Bob Feller, who passed away last December. Feller holds the club record for opening day starts with seven.

In addition to a video tribute and special banner presentation, Feller's wife Anne will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Progressive Field. All Indians players will be wearing No. 19 jerseys during pregame ceremonies in memory of Bob Feller. A No. 19 tribute patch will be on all team uniforms and batting practice jersey.

For the Love of the Tribe

So what if the Indians are in last place? So what if I cried when they traded C.C.? When it comes down to it I still love the Indians — the excitment of seeing Grady Sizemore make a diving catch, the hot dog races, Casey Blake's beard. I will never be able to throw away my Kenny Lofton jersey or not turn on a game — no matter how bad it gets. With 24 home games left, the Tribe returns tonight to Progressive Field for the first time after the All-Star Break to take on the Minnesota Twins. Even if we aren't chasing the pennant this year, there's still plenty of questions left to answer: Can Grady keep hitting home runs to stay on top of the AL league leaders? Will Victor and Pronk ever return? Will Cliff Lee have a second half just as impressive as the first? I don't know about you, but I will be watching.