Lorain/Elyria, OH
BULLETIN: The Jake no more?
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CLEVELAND — Jacobs Field will be renamed Progressive Field under terms of an agreement between the Cleveland Indians and the auto insurance company, a newspaper reported Thursday night.
The downtown ballpark has been known as Jacobs Field since it opened in 1994 but will be rebranded for the 2008 season.
A formal announcement was expected today, the newspaper said.
Former team owner Richard E. Jacobs had held the ballpark’s naming rights, but his contract expired at the end of the 2006 season, and the club hired sports marketing firm IMG to find a new naming rights partner.
The Associated Press left a phone message seeking comment with an Indians spokesman late Thursday night.
Progressive, based in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Village, is the nation’s third-biggest auto insurer, ranking behind State Farm and Allstate.
Keep visiting chroniclet.com and see Saturday’s edition of the Chronicle for the latest developments.
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False. The sign outside might say Progressive Field, but every Cleveland Indians fan will always know it as the Jake.
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Come on people, we all know that money talks and BS walks.
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Everyone thought renaming the Gund to The Q was ridiculous too. You’ll all get over it.
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It’s a sad, sad day in Cleveland sports.
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Who cares what it’s called. We watch them on TV or if you lucky enough to live close, you go to the Park to watch them play. I’ve been an Indians fan since 1955, and I just want to see them play baseball and WIN ! Well , they do it most of the time anyway !!!!! Maybe this will bring them GOOD luck !!
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So many of our playing fields are bought out by corporations and take on these idiotic names- “Progressive Field”, “The Q”, “5/3 Field”. I don’t understand why it’s so important to the incoming buyers to change the names. If they want prestige or recognition, they might think to do it in a way that doesn’t kill the spirit of the fans.
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Bogus that there is no loyalty to history and tradition. Even though Jacobs originally paid for the naming rights when the ballpark was built, the ballpark should remain Jacobs Field, IMO. I can’t stand these corporate names on playing fields and areans. Is nothing sacred anymore? I guess, if you’ve got money…
Besides, what a slap in the face to the hundreds of Progressive employees who were laid off in November to see that their employer has now paid millions to put a name on a ballpark. That money could have been better spend on the 300 unemployed folks. Priorities people!
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