Cleveland Rocks

Does it? Well, if Drew Carey says so...it must be true.

http://mlb.mlb.com/team/

I don't actually know that much about Cleveland - I've driven past it more times than I can count, especially on my way to the best amusement park in the world, Cedar Point. The "amazement park by the lake," if I recall their commercials correctly.

I do have some love for Cleveland in the sibling rivalry sort of way. You see, when you're from Pittsburgh, you hate Cleveland because you hate the Browns. But, if anyone else trashes the Browns -- well now, step off, that's MY job.

Wikipedia describes it thus:

The rivalry took a brief hiatus from 1996-1998 due to the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy. When the league was voting on the Browns relocation, Steelers owner Dan Rooney was one of only two owners to vote against the move. In tribute of Cleveland losing the Browns, Steeler fans wore orange arm bands to the final game at Three Rivers Stadium as a sign of mutual respect and sorrow for losing a great rivalry. While Browns fans still consider the Steelers as their main archrival, a small number of Steeler fans consider their rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens the spiritual successor to this rivalry due to Art Modell moving the his franchise to Baltimore and establish the expansion Ravens, even though the recent one-sidedness of this rivalry in favor of the Steelers has influenced this thinking as well. Nevertheless, it is still heated between both teams and one of the most heated rivalries in the NFL.

Ok, I know...that's FOOTBALL, this is a BASEBALL blogging challenge. But considering the source -- that the author of this blog would not by any measure be considered a sports fan although she does love certain football and baseball teams -- the fact that I have some independent knowledge of any sports-type information is really impressive.  And only some of it comes from reading Bill Simmons.

But enough about that -- Cedar Point is fabulous. You should absolutely go there.

Their roller coasters are RIDICULOUS. They are super-high, super-fast, super-twisty, and they're always building new ones that are higher, faster, and twistier than the rest. I used to go there every summer when I was a kid. Bless my father's heart, he used to drive me and my neighbor friend the four hours to the park, ride all day, and then drive home late that night. Amy and I would play War in the backseat until I felt carsick, and then we'd sleep. I went in high school, too, and that was fun, although I spent too much time putting on lip gloss and rolling my jean shorts to really have as much fun as I did when I was little.

I went in college, too, with one of my best friends, and we went on the Raptor, a roller coaster that's connected at the top (your legs dangle down). Right before it was ready to launch, I realized that my super-cute outfit that I had spent at least 20 minutes picking out (white baby doll t, white cotton miniskirt with lemons on it, and white no-back slip-on tennis shoes with a chunky lug heel -- it was 1996) was not the best choice for this ride, as those super fabulous shoes were about to dangle right off my feet and onto the ground 60 feet below. So Beth grabbed them off my feet and shoved them in her pockets.

She was such a good friend. And those shoes were totally hot, in that 1996 kind of way.

http://www.harbors-edge.com/attractions.aspx