CLEVELAND – From high school ball players to downtown businesses, Cleveland Indians fans are excited about Opening Day. The Tribe’s 2012 season starts at 3 p.m. Thursday at Progressive Field.
“I’m excited. I love the Indians,” Tiffany Block said. According to her dad, Tiffany’s been watching the Indians since she was 2 years old. Now, at 15, she’s the catcher for the Rhodes High School Lady Rams softball team.
“It means the world to me,” she said Tuesday during a game against Max Hayes High School. “I love softball and if I can be, I’m going to become professional.”
The Cleveland Indians provide financial support for the high school baseball and softball programs in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. For Tiffany, that means a lot.
“It just makes me think more of them,” she said.
Downtown businesses are just as happy as Tiffany to see the Indians return, but for different reasons.
The Clevelander Bar and Grill on Huron Road is expecting a full house Thursday.
“Opening Day is our biggest day of the year,” owner John Granzier said. “It’s bigger than St. Patrick’s Day for us and the Indians are the biggest part of our business. So we all love when they come back to town.”
