665 -- Odds and ends, 1/11/08

You don't mess with a successful brand name. You don't want to alienate your good customers.

Unless you can make a lot of money.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The field known as “The Jake” is no more. The home of the Cleveland Indians now will be called Progressive Field.

Car insurance company Progressive Corp. and the American League team have come to terms on a 16-year naming rights deal for the 42,000-seat downtown ballpark.

The park had been known as Jacobs Field since it opened in 1994, named when the team had been owned by Cleveland-area businessman Richard Jacobs. Progressive will pay $3.6 million a year for the rights.

I have no particular love or hate for the Indians. I root for the Reds on the rare occasions when they field a major league team. But this is too much.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Congress is giving West Virginia an extra $41 million in federal highway funds in the next fiscal year.

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd says the additional funding includes $15.7 million for Corridor H, $3.9 million for the Coalfields Expressway, $7.8 million for State Route 9 in the Eastern Panhandle, and $7.5 million for State Route 2 in the Northern Panhandle.

Byrd says West Virginia will receive a total $356.1 million in federal highway funds in the next fiscal year.

Whatever happened to improving Route 2 between Huntington and Point Pleasant? It has the bad luck of being in two Congressional districts, two House of Delegate districts and two Senate districts. In each case, the representatives of one district aren't friends or allies of the other. On top of that, the demand for improvements waxes and wanes.

Maybe my grandchildren will see a better road up there, one that will attract private investment. Or maybe their grandchildren.

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Speaking of which, we don't need as many new four-lane roads in this area as people think we do. I mean, has anyone seen the money that's being wasted on four-laning Route 10 between Logan and Man?

I would be content if the state would dedicate some money to widening some existing two-lane roads and straightening some curves.