The Cleveland Guardians announced on Monday they would be removing the bricks outside of Progressive Field that were located by the Bob Feller statue.
Those bricks serve as a significant piece of history to some fans.
For Pat Akosi, having the bricks removed from near the stadium is close to her heart. Her father was an avid Cleveland fan, and she still remembers the day he got the brick.
“The way I remember it, he has always loved the Cleveland Indians. After he retired at Nordson, his group of workmates got together and bought him the brick and a Cleveland Indians jacket and a T-shirt and tickets to the Indians game. And you would have thought he won the lottery,” Akosi said.
Akosi said her father would always have the game on the radio or on the television at home and would never doubt his team, even if they were doing poorly. Akosi said she still remembers how excited her father would get every time they visited the stadium and saw the brick.
“He was so excited, and I can remember him going there. We took him there, and I remember him looking at his brick and just smiling from ear to ear.”
Although Akosi does not remember exactly what the brick said, she does know that her father’s name, “Fortune Frenchie Choate,” was inscribed on the brick. “He was Frenchy because he was from Louisiana and he spoke French. So that was always his nickname was Frenchie” she said.
Akosi is sad to see the bricks go but hopes that they can still be saved and put towards a remembrance at the stadium.
"I’m sad, but I also know that it has to be. They're just disintegrating, and they have to do something. I understand that they're also going to maybe make a mural or a picture wall of bricks, which I think is amazing. I think that will be a steal away. And my dad would just really appreciate that to know that he's still up there," she said.
RELATED: Bob Feller bricks reach end of their useful life, Guardians say
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