clvlndr

^Nice to see the momentum continuing. Prospects should be good for this new spot. From the looks of things, the 3-4 restaurants/spots opened so far in FEB have been wildly successful, which is doubly great given that there's so little down there at this point.

^I understand that both Kazmir and Jimenez are free agents this off season. We need to do what we can to hold them, esp. Ubaldo. We'll see what the market dictates and how open the Dolan's wallet is this off season.

Terry Francona's a great manager irrespective of my disagreement about starting Salazar. With TF in place, we should be able to attract that big bat we need. Our pitching, overall, was amazing this season, despite the doubts by pundits early on. Without our pitching staff, starters and relievers, we wouldn't have sniffed the Wild Card this year.

I disagree. In a playoff game, esp. a 1-and-done playoff game, it's a chess match where you want to keep the opponent off balance. But for the entire game, the Indians were playing from behind after the HR Salazar allowed in the 1st. With our fragile hitting line up, especially, we needed to strike 1st. We were obviously pressing, and the Cabrera double play ball deflated any comeback hope we had... Like I said above, had Salazar kept it to one run, maybe just 2, psychologically we would have had a better shot... But I also did not let the hitting off the hook either. However, by playoff time, you've got to dance with the date you brung, and so we know our hitting was shaky -- no sense complaining about it now. Because Francona knew very well of our hitting struggles, putting an inexperienced kid (who'd overcome Tommy John surgery) in that pressure situation, is not putting the Indians in the best position to win. Hold scratch Ubaldo Sunday to make him available, or start Kazmir (World Series start, like Jimenez) or even Masterson... Those would have been wiser moves.

Starting Salazar was a bad gamble, and it came back to hurt us. Of course, 3 runs shouldn't be insurmountable, but a 1 or 2-0 game is psychologically easier than 3-0... But of course, we lapsed back into our terrible situational hitting. I pounded the table when Asdrubal Cabrera swung weakly with the bases loaded into a inning-killing double play. Michael Bourn strikes out in key situations and, well, ... wait til next year... ... we'd better go out and get a scary bat in the off season, or it'll be more of the same.... But it was nice to make the playoffs, and we've got a strong manager and a team to build on.

^I could care less where the money goes if we don't build this road, be it Columbus ... or Timbuktu, if we're building roads just to spend govt. money allotted to Cleveland, regardless if it's as bad and dumb a project as the OC, then we're truly screwed up in our mindset, and we need to shut up the double-talk about the dense and walkable city we allegedly desire.

That's a good thing. I just know in my recent jaunts back n forth to W. 25, including after-dinner Ohio City trips back to TC and the East Side, RTA cops have been about as visible as Sasquatch.

I've noticed, of late, that RTA cops have all but disappeared from stations (other than TC) and Red Line cars. Why is that? About 6 months ago, they were everywhere, including on every Red Line run. So what happened? Was RTA only making a public display after the convictions of those thugs that beat the young man on the Red Line -- which was graphically filmed by surveillance cameras and played on all the news stations? Down here in Miami where I'm vacationing currently, there are several transit cops at each Metrorail station. Yes, Metrorail carries considerably more people than the Red Line and, so, there is no POP like on the Red Line and each Metrorail station is staffed by a guard (carrying heat)... this despite the fact that, like the DC Metro, Miami-Dade's rail system has fully automated fare collection with swipe cards – it’s 10 times better than when I’ve ridden Metrorail before ... the guards, much like station personnel in DC, are mainly there to help riders with the card vending machines (and trust me when I tell you, these puppies are every bit as confusing, if not more so, than RTA’s before the recent simplification by RTA ... But often there are 2 or 3 guards patrolling Miami stations and platforms, including the outstanding Brickell Metrorail/Metro Mover interchange station in the heart of the highly dense, restaurant/retail/condo highrise area, Brickell – btw, this area should be a national TOD model. So Jerry or JetDog, can you tell me what's going on with RTA security? The comfort level is so much higher when these guys are patrolling stations and cars. And once again, the only place where I see them usually, is hanging out around Tower City, which is a busy yet very controlled and safe-seeming environment.

NOTE: another nail in Downtown's retail coffin Steelyard Commons phase two construction will start soon, after Cuyahoga County OKs bond issue Site work will start within weeks for the second phase of Steelyard Commons, a large shopping center in Cleveland's industrial valley. Developer Mitchell Schneider plans to add 90,000 square feet of stores, including a Burlington Coat Factory set to open by late October 2014. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)Print By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on September 30, 2013 at 10:40 AM, updated September 30, 2013 at 1:31 PM Email CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Developer Mitchell Schneider expects to start construction next month on the long-stalled second phase of Steelyard Commons, a large shopping center in Cleveland's industrial valley. On Tuesday, Cuyahoga County Council agreed to issue $5 million worth of taxable economic development bonds -- the last critical underpinning for the $20 million project. Schneider expects to close on his financing in mid-October and start work right away, with hopes of finishing buildings for Burlington Coat Factory and other retailers just over a year later. Anchored by a Walmart Supercenter, Target and Home Depot, Steelyard Commons opened in 2007, just as a brutal recession set in. Since then, Schneider has inked deals with freestanding restaurants but has struggled to bring phase two to fruition. "The recession basically killed the growth of every national retail chain in the country," Schneider said Friday. "Burlington had expressed interest, and they were one of the few stores that were growing. The economics of the lease are not very strong economics. We decided it would be worth it to get this thing moving, even though the economics wouldn't be justified on a totally privately financed basis." http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/09/steelyard_commons_phase_two_co.html#incart_river#incart_m-rpt-2

That's a cab signal which is tied in with the train's operating controls (called automatic train stop or ATS). All signaled rail lines are divided into "blocks" with signals protecting each block. When a train equipped with ATS enters a block with a yellow signal preceding it, the ATS will beep -- notifying the train's operator to slow the train. If he/she does not respond within a few seconds, then the train is stopped automatically. If a train enters a block protected by a red signal, the ATS will beep longer/more loudly, stop train and usually pretty quickly. That's a good explanation... I see mrclifton's point, those cab signals can seem hyper sensitive at times. They've always had some issues since RTA installed them in the late 80s. And you'd think that new Blue/Green cars would have to come to a dead stop at E. 79, so driver's would have to use a skelton-like key to switch over from the new to old system that controls the eastern sections of these lines.

agree about Francona. Managing a group of guys for that long and inspiring them to give their best every day is not an easy task and he does as good as anyone. Because of him, you have to believe that the sky is the limit for the tribe. Not saying they are going to win, but i honestly believe we have the leadership to do it. Regarding Salazar. I like it. Kid has an aura about him and I think he will embrace the moment. I think he has been prepared for this start with some of his big ones over the year (detroit, last wednesday in front of 30K). I think it gives us best chance in a one game series. One thing's for sure: I'm just some opining shlub at a keyboard, while Terry has 2 rings, and was the helmsman of the team that broke the Bambino's wicked curse over the Sawks... Translation: the gum-chewin' guy knows what the heck he's doing... If he has an inkling the kid can handle the pressure, go with it. Jaret Wright did the same for us vs. the Yankee's in playoffs of 1997.

The Browns and other big downtown events clearly shows that Clevelanders will turn to the trains if they perceivve a driving, parking hassle. This hasn't changed for decades.

I'm the biggest Terry Francona fan. He is THE difference in this team. His calm, 1-game-at-a-time/don't panic/been-there, done-that mentality is the biggest reason why we're in the playoffs (and going in as the hottest team in baseball to boot)... ... that said, I question starting Danny Salazar, an untested rookie, who's barely pitched half-a year, in a one-and-done playoff game. Obviously, I pray it works, but I'd have gone with Kazmir, who started in the 2008 World Series for the Rays... I'm just sayin'...

Drew Pomer-who?? We've got Ubaldo, baby!! So who got the better end of the deal? GO INDIANS!!!!!

Really? Too many undesirables?

I'm a little concerned about starting Jimenez today since, at this moment, we've secured a wild card slot. Yes, today is important to try and secure home field for the WC game, Wednesday, but I see today as somewhat less important than games that come after today … Ubaldo is our ace right now, and I think I'd rather TF pull him and save him for Wednesday ... assuming, of course, we don't lose and have to play a tie-breaker tomorrow night ... in which case, I'd use Jimenez then.

I just saw this on Twitter and came here to ask what is going on with all of these "shut down 75% of the rail system" closures. It's really annoying to feel like you can't rely on the rapid running on the weekends. This continues to rankle me. With due respect to Jerry and JetDog, it still smacks of a cavalier, F-you attitude RTA management displays toward rail and rail riders…. I’ve seen bigger ODOT highway projects (note: I’m not talking about the entire Innerbelt bridge project, but just those much shorter/smaller bridges over the RTA tracks) where ODOT works entirely at night, sometimes over several nights. I wonder whether RTA ever made a serious pitch to ODOT for a more agreeable timetable that would be less disruptive to rail service… Given the frequency of these rail closures, and the generally perceived feeling management has toward rail, I don’t think that doubt would be an unfair conclusion.

Its several days old, but I still listen to it... and get Goosebumps. If there's a more exciting play-by-play baseball announcer than Tom Hamilton, I haven't heard him (or her).

Re: the Norristown High-Speed Line (Route 100)/Norristown Regional rail (formerly the R6), I recently passed through there after a friend & I attended the U.S. Open in Merion earlier this summer. We took 100 to the old R6 and headed for drinks in Manayunk -- everybody took to the rails because cars couldn't park anywhere near the golf course... It appears that the Norristown connection has been improved; I just recall going down a couple flights of steps and onto the R6 platform... ... I agree, though, that SEPTA is a mess generally connectivity wise -- and maybe someday some genius will put a regional rail (and possibly Amtrak) station at the spot where the NEC, SEPTA Chestnut Hill West and Trenton lines about 100 feet from the entrance of the hugely popular, oldest Zoo in the nation (Philly's, of course).

You're joking, right? The Secaucus station is a monstrosity, and a huge step away from making transit appealing. It's more airline terminal than rail station, complete with anti-TOD design. That station's in the middle of rail yards and swamp land. It's not developable in the sense of what you're thinking.

^^Boy, this would be a perfect development for those parking lots.... Refresh my memory, is RTA still interested in this and doesn't have the financing or have they passed on it completely?... Seems I recall reading that they were still interested.

^Seems SEPTA could learn a thing or 2 about connectivity from it's NJT neighbors. Also consider the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus commuter rail transfer center, as well... New Jersey does transit right.

Btw, Ari Maron stated that their developments were specifically located to be near Red Line stations. So if study states, for example, that Uptown was generated by the HL, it's a lie.

I tend to agree. I'm not saying that none of these projects were influenced by the HL, but I think it is way less than HL supporters like to tout. As for the above “study”, I'm highly skeptical. For one thing, it mixes LRT and streetcars, which absurd. This ignores the fact that a number of cities have developed LRT and streetcars: Seattle, Dallas, Charlotte, to name a few. The two are NOT the same and, as the article notes, streetcars lack the speed performance of true LRT (think Cleveland's Blue/Green lines) or HRT. Also, BRTs are widely different as well. Cleveland's HL is much different, and slower, than Pittsburgh's Martin Luther King/East busway, which is totally grade separated with limited stops along a RR ROW. I wonder if these glitches in the "study" are not manipulative attempts to tout BRT while downgrading true LRT. Seems like there's an agenda here.

^^ So LI's getting a new Red Line station while planning to demolish a key structure on its core Main Street strip in favor of surface parking... 1 step forward, 2 steps back...