Guards Fest and Grief

Investing in the future is overrated, apparently

The Cleveland Guardians announced today that Guards Fest, an annual event where fans can interact with players, coaches and even front office folks, is becoming a tri-annual event:

You’re going to have to listen to me vent for a second.

I have been to Tribe Fest/Guards Fest for five years and it is always a really fun time. It’s great to see so many players and coaches in a relaxed environment and start getting excited about the season ahead. Last season was especially amazing for me because I got to bring my four year-old son and he had a really great time. He only knows Jose and Josh Naylor by sight, but all the players were so kind to him and he enjoyed every part of the event immensely.

I do not believe that fan outreach indicated that fans wanted this event to be held less often. I do not believe that fan surveys indicated a dissatisfaction with the opportunity to see and celebrate their favorite players every January. I think to imply this is the case is a straight up falsehood by the organization foisted on their poor social media staff to communicate to an angry fanbase.

Occam’s Razor tells me this is a cost-saving measure for the Guardians that also makes things easier on their players and coaches. I’d assume most people aren’t clamoring to return to Cleveland in the middle of January, and most would prefer to be spending time with their families or preparing for the season rather than giving up a precious weekend off in the winter. To all those concerns I say: poppycock. Balogna. Short-sighted garbage.

Guards Fest was incredible because of the opportunity it gave the team to grow the popularity of the team and the product they are providing. Guards Fest was remarkable because of the unique access it provided every wide-eyed four year-old who entered those Convention Center doors. Guards Fest was an amazing opportunity for the team to show that this city and this fanbase was worth the inconvenience and expense of a weekend in January once a year. But, ownership and franchise decision-makers have communicated that you and I, and my child, are not in fact worth that inconvenience and expense.

It’s an amazing feeling to have your trust in an organization rewarded, as when Jose Ramirez was extended (in an effort that required him to go 90% of the way toward owner Paul Dolan), as when Andres Gimenez was extended, or when the franchise hired two women in premier positions in the organization. It’s a bitterly disappointing and heart-wrenching feeling to have your trust in an organization broken as it has been today. So, I’ll deal with that grief and learn to trust the Cleveland Guardians a little less and find other things to do in January besides help my four kids get a little more excited for the baseball season.

I’m sure people will read this and say I’m overreacting and that’s fine. But, you didn’t see the look in my son’s eyes when we walked out of Guards Fest last year. You didn’t see it.

I’m not here advocating a boycott. Like a sucker, I’ll be at Guards Fest (Lord-willing) in January 2027, and I’ll probably bring at least three of my kids, including our two year-old who is saying “Baseball!” every time she sees anything Guardians-related. I’ll go to my 10 games in my season-ticket-holder package this season and bring one of my kids to each one, even though it means I get to see about 33% of the game. Why? Because I believe in investing in my kids’ enjoyment of this sport and this team. I believe it will be a joy for them in their lives and something they will look on me with apprecation and affection in the future. I believe they can experience some special enjoyment from knowing players a tiny bit and having personal connections with them. I believe in the importance of things like Guards Fest.

I just wish the Guardians felt the same way.