Krew Kuts

A SAD DAY FOR ME

2008-07-11T06:21:00.002-04:00

When it came across the wire Wednesday morning it kind of caught me by surprise, but I had known this day was going to come eventually. Heck, I was surprised it hadn`t come sooner. It was a day all of us in Cleveland have had to deal with in the past. It was something that just doesn`t seem right.

The demolition of Tiger Stadium began Wednesday. I don`t pretend to be a Tigers fan, but I`m a baseball fan, and to see a place with so much history be hit by the wrecking ball just sucks. In this day and age, where all that surrounds the game is steroids and cheaters, when we lose an old park, we lose what baseball really was. The sights, the smells, Ty Cobb, Mark Fidrych, Sparky Anderson and Kirk Gibson.

The economics and continuing need for luxury don`t allow parks like this to remain open any more. Municipal Stadium, County Stadium in Milwaukee, and this year Shea and Yankee Stadium close. All places that held a number of great events that made baseball the Great American Past Time.

If you would of seen the expression on Wally Mintus` face when I showed him the story, you would have understood right away. Baseball fans are all kids at heart. When you lose a place like Tiger Stadium, it`s like losing your first true love. You have history with it, you`ll never forget it, but you must move on.

I`ll miss you Tiger Stadium.

http://www.savetigerstadium.org/index.htm
http://www.tigerstadium.org/home.html
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20080624&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=806240808&Ref=PH&Profile=1081&Params=Itemnr=1
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/BUSINESS06/80630086
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20080626&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=806240806&Ref=PH&Profile=1048&Params=Itemnr=1

WOBL/WDLW 2008 FOOTBALL COVERAGE

2008-06-24T07:53:00.004-04:00

Oberlin, OH – In 2008 the Lorain County Sports Network will present 32 live football games. The network schedule this year includes 22 live high school football games and all 10 Oberlin College football games featured live on WOBL.
"We’re all excited for the start of football season. The day after the season ends is when we all want to get back at it. So it can’t get here soon enough," said WOBL/WDLW Sports Director Brian Deitz.
"Our schedule gives us the opportunity to get every team in Lorain County on the radio. It’s great for the kids to get that recognition," said Deitz. The Premier Toyota of Amherst pre-game show will begin at 6:30 PM on Friday, and one half hour before kick off on September 18th and October 25th.

WOBL

8/22 FIRELANDS @ BROOKSIDE
8/29 MIDVIEW @ AMHERST
9/5 AVON LAKE @ ELYRIA
9/12 MIDVIEW @ FIRELANDS
9/19 KEYTONE @ OBERLIN
9/26 COLUMBIA @ OBERLIN
10/3 WELLINGTON @ BLACK RIVER
10/10 KEYSTONE @ WELLINGTON
10/17 OBERLIN @ CLEARVIEW
10/24 TBD

WDLW

8/22 AMHERST @ ELYRIA
8/29 ELYRIA CATHOLIC @ SOTUHVIEW
9/5 BEREA @ ADMIRAL KING
9/12 LUTHERAN WEST @ WELLINGTON
9/18 OLMSTED FALLS @ AVON LAKE
9/19 BLACK RIVER @ CLEARVIEW
9/26 AVON @ VERMILION
10/3 ARCHBISHOP HOBAN @ ELYRIA CATHOLIC
10/10 NORTH RIDGEVILLE @ VERMILION
10/17 AVON @ NORTH RIDGEVILLE
10/24 TBD
10/25 SOUTHVIEW @ ADMIRAL KING

Dave DeNatale, Don Vincent and Jason Gibbs return for another season of Oberlin College football on WOBL. The Yeomen finished 2007 at 5-5 (5-2 in the NCAC). The Yeomen return NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, running back RV Carroll. Carroll rushed for 1,038 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in `07. Also returning on the offensive side of the ball is quarterback Greg Mangan, running back Wayne Mundekis and tight end J.J. Hepp.

2008 Oberlin Yoeman Football Schedule The defense will see the return of senior defensive
backs Kris DeVant and Clayton Thurmer.
"Jeff Ramsey and the entire staff at Oberlin College have been great to work with over the last six years. I`m thrilled we can continue our partnership," said Deitz.
" We are excited for another season of Oberlin College football to get here. Yeomen football has
become such an important part of what we offer on the Lorain County Sports Network. Expectation will be high coming off a great finish to last season and we look forward to bringing our listeners all the action this fall," says DeNatale.

Oberlin College WOBL Schedule

9/6 WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON
9/20 CASE WESTERN RESERVE
9/27 @ALLEGHENY COLLEGE
10/4 OHIO WESLEYAN COLLEGE
10/11 @ UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
10/18 @ KENYON COLLEGE
10/25 EARLHAM COLLEGE
11/1 @ WABASH COLLEGE
11/8 COLLEGE OF WOOSTER
11/15 @ HIRAM COLLEGE

*The pre-game show for all ten games begins at 12:30 PM on WOBL.

For more information contact Brian Deitz at WOBL/WDLW Radio.
Brian Deitz
WOBL/WDLW Radio Sports Director
P: (440) 774-1320 x 39
F: (440) 774-1336
http://www.northcoastdailynews.com/

And Then There Were Two....

2008-05-22T10:10:00.003-04:00

Cornerbacks that is. As most may have heard, our Cleveland Browns were hit with a major injury yesterday, as potential starting Corner Daven Holly went down with a serious knee injury. Coming from a person that has had knee surgery for ligament reconstruction and "clean-up", I know its bad when they schedule surgery for 3 days after the injury happened. Not good.

Right now the only two true Corners we have are Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, both entering their second year after being drafted last year. Needless to say, my terrification has already started for next season (Ryan Tucker's broken hip did not help that either). And if you don't recall the schedule, we play quite a few teams that have very strong aerial attacks.

I know Phil has already started to bring in some younger players, but this secondary really needs a veteran who can step in and guide some of these guys, and I just don't know if that person is out there (or affordable...see: Lito Sheppard). It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out, especially as we close in on training camp in 65 days.

Crafton Leads Ohio Brigade into Mansfield with Win in Charlotte

2008-05-20T07:03:00.002-04:00

ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton couldn’t have timed it any better. Driving for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ only full-time Ohio-based team, Crafton drove his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet to his first career victory in last Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. It was the final series event scheduled before it moves to Mansfield Motorsports Park for this Saturday’s Ohio 250.

It has been a long time in coming for Crafton. With the win he ended a winless drought of 177 races dating back to his first start at California Speedway in October 2000.

For his ThorSport team, based just 45 minutes north of Mansfield in Sandusky, Ohio, it was the group’s first win since Sylvania native Terry Cook won at the now-defunct Flemington Speedway in New Jersey in August 1998.

Crafton may have more laps around the Mansfield half-mile that most of the field combined. Before the track was added to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, he and the team turned hundreds of laps in private testing at the track. NASCAR regulations now prohibit private testing at any track currently on the schedule.

“We have some extra laps there that some of the other teams don’t because we were so close,” Crafton said. “They’ve all caught up to us by now. But I would really love to come out to Mansfield and get a win. It would mean a lot. We went down and stole one on all the other teams’ home turf in Charlotte now we need to defend ours and get the win up here.”

Crafton, a native of Tulare, California, spent three years living in nearby Sandusky. The ThorSport team will also field the No. 13 Chevrolet for Greenwood, Indiana’s Shelby Howard.

Other Ohio drivers entered in the Ohio 250 include six-time series winner Terry Cook, Sylvania, driving the No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota; Jack Smith, Elyria, driving the No. 63 Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford; Tim Cowen, Ashland, driving the No. 42 Cowen Logistics Ford; and Gary St. Amant, Delaware, driving the No. 72 Jegs Chevrolet.

Cook, a former late model champion at Toledo Speedway and Sandusky Speedway in Ohio, is the state’s most successful NASCAR driver since Tim Richmond. Richmond, from nearby Ashland, scored 13 Cup Series wins and two wins in the Nationwide Series in his short NASCAR career.

For Cook, racing in Ohio gives him a hometown feel.

“It really does. I spent five years living in Sandusky and have a lot of friends and family that make the short trip down to come and watch,” Cook said. “It is pretty special to run in Ohio, especially since the Truck race is the only national-level NASCAR race in Ohio. It would be pretty big for me personally to win one in the Buckeye State.”

Ohio-based owners fielding entries in the Ohio 250 include Sandusky’s Duke and Rhonda Thorson (No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet and No. 88 Menards Chevrolet); Columbus’s Bob and Stephen Germain (No. 9 Construct Corps Toyota and No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), Ashland’s Bob Cowen (No. 42 Cowen Logistics Ford), and Jeffrey Wyler (No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota).

Germain Racing’s Marks will be making his first-ever appearance at Mansfield and is already looking forward to getting in front of the Ohio fans.

“I’ve heard the Mansfield fans are some of the best in the sport, and I look forward to meeting them on Thursday evening in downtown,” he said. “We've been able to do some good short-track testing and I think the Construct Corps Tundra will be very competitive. The short tracks are wild in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and they are a lot of fun. I think the Ohio 250 will be a good race.”

The Ohio 250 weekend kicks off Thursday May 22 with Race Fest in downtown Mansfield. Several drivers will sign autographs – including 2004 Ohio 250 winner Jack Sprague, 1995 NASCAR Busch Series champion Johnny Benson, former Formula One driver Scott Speed, Matt Crafton, Shelby Howard, Justin Marks, Brian Scott, Tim Cowen and Jack Smith. Other drivers signing autographs include Benny Gordon, Danny Jackson, and Gary St. Amant from the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Charlie Shutlz from the ISMA Supermodifieds, Todd McQuillen from the HOSS 410 Sprints, and Mike Osgar from the ASA Late Model Series. Several display vehicles will be on display as well highlighting each of the racing series that will compete at the track throughout the 2008 racing season. The transporter parade moves into downtown shortly after 5 P.M., the autograph session kicks off at 6 P.M. and it will be followed by a question and answer session with the drivers at 7 P.M.

Practice and qualifying will take place on “Graham Auto Mall Pole Day,” Friday May 23, with the first practice session at 11 A.M. and qualifying runs taking place at 6:30 P.M. Gates open on Saturday May 24 at 9 A.M. with fans allowed to walk on and around the speedway until 10:30 A.M. The driver’s meeting – which fans can watch from the grassy hill in turns three and four – is scheduled for 11 A.M. with pre-race ceremonies at 12:30 P.M. The command to start engines for the fifth annual Ohio 250 is slated for shortly after 1 P.M.

Tickets are still available by calling (419) 525-RACE (7223) or online at www.mansfieldmotorsportsonline.com.

-MMP-

Contact: Charles Krall
Public Relations Manager
Mansfield Motorsports Park
(419) 262-0558
ChasKrall@bex.net

Dink and Dork

2008-05-07T08:51:00.002-04:00

NFL Tight End for the Cleveland Browns Darnell Dinkins and John Godfrey come your way Tuesday nights at 5:30 on the Kool Kat 1380 with the Dink and Dork Show. Call with questions at (440)775-1380, fax questions to (440)774-1336 or email the guys at with questions at dinkanddork@yahoo.com.

A Dark Cloud Over Our Head

2008-05-05T08:20:00.004-04:00

Mother Nature does not want to work with us, as for the second time in the young season, Honda of Avon Race Night was rained out this past Saturday. Rain all day Friday and early Saturday forced Lorain County Speedway to cancel and move things back to this coming Saturday, May 10. The E-MODS will go 50 laps, plus the Sportsmen, Street Stocks, Chargers and Legends will be in action on the 3/8 mile.

Then the following Saturday, May 17 we`ll be back as the M.S.A. Supermodifieds make trip number one into the County.

Honda of Avon Race Night begins at 6:45 for both dates.

Premier Toyota of Amherst Race Series Schedule:
May 10
May 17
June 7
June 28
July 12
July 26
August 2
August 16
August 30
September 27
October 12

www.northcoastdailynews.com
www.lorainspeedway.com
www.loraincounty.com

Lorain County Speedway Update

2008-05-03T13:22:00.002-04:00

The speedway has cancelled this weekends show. The E-MOD 50 lap race for $1,000 will be run next weekend. We`ll be on hand to bring you all the action LIVE on Gold Country 1320. Honda of Avon Race Night begins at 6:45.

www.lorainspeedway.com
www.northcoastdailynews.com

RACE NIGHT!

2008-05-03T13:05:00.004-04:00

Lorain County Speedway will run a regular show tonight. Our coverage of Honda of Avon Race Night will continue next Saturday May 10 at 6:45. Head out to the speedway tonight, and be sure to tune us in next Saturday night.

http://www.lorainspeedway.com/
http://www.northcoastdailynews.com/

HONDA OF AVON RACE NIGHT!

2008-04-29T17:03:00.002-04:00

Be sure to join us this Saturday for our second broadcast of Honda Of Avon Race Night. We`ll hit the air at 6:45 to bring you all of the nights action from Lorain County Speedway. This weekend the E-MODS will go 50 laps in their feature with $1,000.oo on the line. Plus Sportsmen, Street Stocks and Chargers. It all comes your way Saturday at 6:45 on Gold Country 1320.

www.northcoastdailynews.com
www.lorainspeedway.com
www.loraincounty.com

Wish I Had A Pit Crew

2008-04-23T12:13:00.002-04:00

Less than one week after our first Honda of Avon Race Night broadcast, my car broke down today in the parking lot of the radio station.

Oh yeah, the true reason for this blog post. Join us for the Dink and Dork Draft Day Party Saturday at the Harry Buffalo at the Midway Mall in Elyria. We`ll be broadcasting live on the Kool Kat from 3 - 5. Come join us as we`ll talk NFL Draft, play trivia and much much more.

That`s this Saturday at the Harry Buffalo at the Midway Mall in Elyria.

Come join us.

Take Two

2008-04-18T15:12:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow night we`ll try again to get our first "Honda of Avon" Race Night broadcast in.

Modifieds, Sportsmen, Street Stocks, Chargers and Legends will be on hand at Lorain County Speedway. Honda of Avon Race Night starts at 6:50 on Gold Country 1320-AM and Lorain County Dot Com. The first green flag drops at 7.

http://www.northcoastdailynews.com/
www.loraincounty.com
www.lorainspeedway.com

2008 Browns Schedule

2008-04-15T15:29:00.002-04:00

The 2008 Browns schedule was released this afternoon. This years schedule features 3 Monday night games and a Thursday night game. Other games of note: Week one the Dallas Cowboys will
come into Cleveland Browns Stadium, then week 13 the Indianapolis Colts make a trip to the Stadium.

Sept. 7 Dallas Cowboys 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 14 Pittsburgh Steelers 8:15 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Baltimore Ravens 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Cincinnati Bengals 1 p.m.
Oct. 5 Bye
Oct. 13 (Mon.) New York Giants 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Washington Redskins 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 2 Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m.
Nov. 6 (Thurs.) Denver Broncos 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 17 (Mon.) at Buffalo Bills 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 23 Houston Texans 1 p.m.
Nov. 30 Indianapolis Colts 1 p.m.
Dec. 7 at Tennessee Titans 1 p.m.
Dec. 15 (Mon.) at Philadelphia Eagles 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 Cincinnati Bengals 1 p.m.
Dec. 28at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m.

Be sure to tune into the Dink and Dork Show tonight at 5:30 on the Kool Kat 1380, with NFL Tight End for the Cleveland Browns Darnell Dinkins and John Godfrey.

Rained Out!

2008-04-12T09:06:00.002-04:00

Honda of Avon has been pushed back a week due to the weather. Rain during the week and late last night flooded the pits and parking areas at Lorain County Speedway, forcing the track to push opening night back to the 19th. Join us as we bring you all the action on Gold Country 1320, Honda of Avon Race Night begins at 6:50 -pm.

For a complete look at our Premier Toyota of Amherst Race Series schedule, visit www.northcoastdailynews.com

"GOLD COUNTRY" 1320 WOBL ANNOUNCES RACE COVERAGE FROM LORAIN COUNTY SPEEDWAY

2008-04-06T08:26:00.001-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2008
Brian Deitz
Sports Director
1-800-229-9625 (Ext. 39)

Oberlin, OH ~ Starting this Saturday April 12th, WOBL Radio will carry 12 select nights of racing from Lorain County Speedway. Coverage will start with opening night on April 12th, and last throughout the summer and conclude in October. “It’s just another way for us to get out into the community. The Lorain County Sports Networks goal is to cover Lorain County athletes, and this is just another way for us to do that.” said Brian Deitz, Sports Director for WOBL/WDLW Radio.

This year’s schedule features 12 exciting dates. After opening night, the E-Mods will be featured May 3rd when they go 50 laps. Then May 17th, WOBL will be on hand when the M.S.A. Supermodifieds make their first trip to the 3/8 mile of Lorain County Speedway. “It was hard to narrow the schedule down to 12 dates, but I think we picked some pretty good shows to bring our listeners.” said Deitz. WOBL`s broadcast schedule will conclude October 12th with the Halloween Festival of Speed.

Elyria native, Jeff Baker, will join Deitz in the booth. Baker, a former driver and announcer will add a lot of technical and personal knowledge to the “Honda of Avon Race Night” broadcasts. “We were real honored to get Jeff to join us. He brings a lot of knowledge to our coverage. He’s a guy that’s won around 25 feature races. He can bring his driving experience to the broadcasts, as well as his knowledge of local drivers.” said Deitz. Rob Trautman and Matt Florjancic will split time pit reporting.

“I`d like to thank everyone at Lorain County Speedway. Terry Adams and the rest of the staff have been great to work with so far, and we’re excited to continue that great relationship through the summer. The speedway, along with all of our sponsors have been tremendous, we can’t say enough about them.” Deitz said.

The Premier Toyota of Amherst Race Series begins April 12th. Honda of Avon Race Night hits the air at 6:50 on Gold Country 1320. For more information visit www.northcoastdailynews.com or contact Brian Deitz at WOBL/WDLW Radio.

"Dink and Dork"

2008-04-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Last night on the Kool Kat, “Dink and Dork” made its debut. NFL tight end for the Cleveland Browns Darnell Dinkins, and good friend and sidekick John Godfrey will bring you this show every Tuesday night from 5:30 – 6:30. Be sure to tune in on Tuesdays, because you never know what might happen. The guys will cover any subject, take calls and even have special guests. Last night we had some guy named Brady Quinn on the phone.

Call in questions for the guys at (440)775-1380 during the show. Or send a fax to (440)774-1336, attention “Dink and Dork.” This is a way for you to reach the guys if you can’t get in touch but can listen.

We look forward to hearing from you, and be sure to join us on Tuesday nights from 5:30 – 6:30 on the Kool Kat 1380AM WDLW.

It`s Almost Here

2008-03-28T18:24:00.002-04:00

With opening day just two days away, I thought it would be a good time to look over this year’s club and give my prediction on how I think things will go. The core of last year’s team that was one win away from making it to the World Series is all back. Excited, you bet I am.

Starting pitchers: The only question was who was going to win the final spot. Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey all went into camp in contention. It was announced earlier in the week that Lee had won the job and Sowers and Laffey will start the year in Buffalo. Listening to Tribe GM Mark Shapiro talk earlier this week, both he and Eric Wedge were real happy with how Lee threw the ball this spring, and said he continued to get better. Between the 2005 – 2006 season Cliff Lee went 32 – 16. Let’s hope he returns to form and we don’t see the guy that went 5 – 8 last year and got demoted to triple – a. Oh yeah, lets not forget that C.C. Sabathia won the Cy Young award last year.
Grade: A

The bullpen has a couple new faces this year as the Tribe heads north. Set up man Rafael Betancourt and closer Joe Borowski are still in the back end of the pen. This year they are joined by Masahide Kobayashi. He should give the Tribe some help in the back end. He`s a guy that’s had 20 plus saves in 7 years in Japan. Jensen Lewis and Rafael Perez both break camp for the first time with the big league club. Both pitched very well last year after being called up from Buffalo and should continue to help this year. Aaron Fultz was just terrible this spring and was designated for assignment. He’s replace by Craig Breslow, a guy the Tribe claimed of waivers this spring from Boston. Jorge Julio was a pleasant surprise this spring and beat out Scott Elarton for one of the final spots in the pen.
Grade: B+
Reason: Let’s see what Kobayashi can do in the bigs. Plus as I mentioned, it’s the first time for Lewis and Perez to break camp with the big league club.

This year’s line up looks a lot like last years, the only difference is second base, right field and the utility spot. Asdrubal Cabrera will start the year at second base. At this time last year I think we all new it was a matter of time before we would see this kid, I just don’t think we all thought he would make the impact he did. Just don’t count out Josh Barfield just yet.
Trot Nixon was the starting right fielder last year, and let’s face it, he couldn’t even move. Franklin Gutierrez got called up and made an impact. He had some big hits down the stretch and has the best arm of all the outfielders. I think Franklin has a huge year in 2008.
I still don’t like the left field situation. Personally I think Ben Francisco would be just as good in left as the platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels. That being said Andy Marte is out of options and Mark Shapiro isn’t ready to admit he made a mistake. Francisco will be back before the year is over and he will make an impact in one way or another. Jamey Carroll will be this year’s utility man.
Victor Martinez is a lock to hit .300, Travis Hafner should return to form, even thought last year wasn’t that bad, and Grady Sizemore just needs to cut down on the strikeouts from the leadoff spot.
Grade: B+
Reason: I still don’t like the situation in left field. Casey Blake leaves to many men on base and the Tribe needs to be more consistent. You can’t win 14 – 10 then come back and waste a great performance from a starter and lose 1-0.

I think the Indians can repeat and win the Central Division. Obviously the big key is health. If guys can stay off the DL and produce, the Tribe should be fine. If there are a couple of guys that go down, there are guys in Buffalo that can step in. That’s one reason I pick the Indians over the Tigers is because of the depth in triple – a.

It should be fun, I can’t wait.

One Week On The Job!

2008-03-22T09:45:00.003-04:00

I can’t tell you how excited I was while driving into the radio station Monday morning. Trust me; it wasn’t because it was 4:45 in the morning. It was the start of a new beginning for me, Sports Director at WOBL/WDLW Radio Inc.

With this new start we will continue to cover all the great high school athletes in Lorain County. From the gridiron to the hardwood to the ice, we offer a wide variety of high school sports coverage. I’m proud to say that it will continue along with our coverage of Oberlin College football and LCCC basketball.

Now next month we launch something new. The Premier Toyota Of Amherst Race Series. Starting April 12th we will broadcast 12 nights of racing from Lorain County Speedway. This is another way for us to showcase more great local athletes in Lorain County. The Lorain County Sports Networks focus since I’ve been around has been to focus on local athletes and talk to them. That will be the case three weeks from tonight when we hit the air from the speedway at 6:50. Racing is something in Lorain County that is very popular and we at WOBL/WDLW are proud to bring this coverage to those great drivers and fans.

Racing, football, basketball and hockey, the WOBL/WDLW Sports Krew will now be at work year round. I’m proud to say that’s the case.

I want to thank all of you in Lorain County that tune us in on Friday nights in the fall, through out the winter for basketball and hockey, and hope that you’ll join us on April 12th when we launch the Premier Toyota Of Amherst Race Series.

Thank you for listening as we will continue to provide our coverage of the many great athletes here in Lorain County.

Be sure to visit the Lorain County Sports Network link on http://www.northcoastdailynews.com/ to see our complete Premier Toyota Of Amherst Race Series schedule.

What's left to say...

2008-03-19T20:25:00.002-04:00

... about Coach Walsh. You can't add to the legend. You can't write or say anything that will say more that the championships and adulation of players. To not say anything, however, would be less than honest about his impact. Very few times in my life have I been in awe of someone in athletics or any other part of my life. Granted I've never met the sports heroes of my youth (Dr. J, Ozzie Newsome and Wilie Stargell), but I'm fairly confident that I'd be happy just to talk to them and move on. I've sat down to lunch and dinner with Judges, Representatives, Senators, Mayors, Bank Presidents, and Bishops. No big deal. They're all wonderful people, but simply people just the same. Recently Bob left me in awe.

It wasn't about his win total. It wasn't about experience. Cross off ranting, drawing up a play, substitutions and taking a time out at the right time. It was about understanding the game, but even more than that.

So why the reaction? Let me add a little background info. My first interaction with Coach Walsh, I believe, was the summer between seventh and eighth grades. I attended a basketball camp hosted by then Lorain County Community College Coach Steve Bankson (the Head Coach at Baldwin Wallace College since 1980). I remember the guy that ran the defensive station. The two things that I remember most about that station are 1) you were always dead tired after going through that workout, and 2) we never had a basketball at the station. Never. It was about footwork, body position, angles, stamina, focus, rotation, help... As a young guy really just learning the game, it made no sense to me - basketball without a ball, no shooting, no dribbling. What's this guy smoking? Of course it all became clearer years later. And it served me well as I moved through my high school career playing for another guy that believed in tough man-to-man defense - Larry Stark. The point here is that it took me a while, but I got it. I understood. He got me to buy in.

Before I elaborate, let me set the stage. February 28, 2008. I was sitting in the press box at Midview broadcasting (with my partner that night Dave DeNatale) as Elyria and Strongsville went at it again. Can't tell you how many times over the last few years I've watched this game - it's always entertaining. Not a bad deal to watch Walsh battle his friend/nemesis Joe Lynch. Elyria's playing OK, but nothing special and the Mustangs are on cruise control. Somewhere around the 5 minute mark in the third quarter, the game changed. The Pioneers came out with a renewed energy/intensity/desire. It took them to about the 6:00 minute mark in the forth to truly get back in the game. The forth quarter was all Elyria and they won a tight one by four having been down by 18 a quarter and a half earlier.

OK. So what's the big deal.

In our post game interview on WDLW, Coach Walsh told us that he wanted to hold off on the big pressure until the forth quarter. The plan, according to coach, was to hold back and make one big run at the end, to actually concede three quarters. My jaw, and I mean this literally, dropped open. It took me a second to recoup. I understood the strategy straight away. Pretty impressive. More impressive that he pulled it off against an opposing coach as good as Lynch.

Here's the reason for the reaction, though. He got them to buy in. These guys, who weren't even born when he won his last state title, who's fathers could have played for Walsh, got it. Walsh - gray haired, crusty, old school, mean old #$%&* - connected with this group of teenagers and taught them about what it means to play beyond their individual skill sets. And they understood, ultimately, that if they did it his way, they could win. Think about it again. A bunch of street ballers running a half court, set offense (when they had to) and team defense. And they respected him for it.

I had a chance to talk to Bob at the All-Star game last weekend. Even in retirement, he wanted to make sure that I understood it was about the kids. I always knew that. Nobody commits to coaching a high school sports team if it's not about the kids. I guess the difference is that now I truly understand how impactful one individual can be on those kids.

Thanks Bob.

Time to Say Goodbye....sort of

2008-03-16T23:46:00.002-04:00

I knew I was in for an adventure from Day 1.

Upon being hired at WOBL in July of 2000 as Co-Sports Director, I had my first meeting with the guy I would come to know quite well for the next seven plus years. His name: Don Vincent.

I was a slightly cocky 25 year old who thought he was above needing a "co" for anything when it came to doing sports on the radio. And he'd probably tell you that he thought he didn't need this punk kid around to help him run the Sports Krew.

But instead of imploding, we got along rather well. In fact, we traded barbs on our first meeting. He called me Junior...I called him Gramps.

It was on.

And for the next eight seasons, Don, myself, and the rest of the Sports Krew would embark on many adventures together. From the Final Four in Columbus, to back to back State Football Championship games in Massillon, to countless shows, Oberlin College Football games, and even that day when the Associated Press gave us the "Outstanding Sports Operation" award.

It's been quite a ride. But now, I will be taking my leave. Sort of.

On St. Patrick's Day I'll be starting a new chapter in my career as a Sports Anchor for Metro Networks based out of Independence. My primary job will be to deliver the sports updates on ESPN 850 WKNR every afternoon.

To say I have mixed emotions would be a huge understatement. This is a big break in my career and I'm extremely excited to see where this takes me. On the other hand, it's been the greatest honor of my life to be the Sports Director of WOBL/WDLW and I'll miss all of the things that made broadcasting in Lorain County so much fun.

I'll miss the coaches. The bleacher chats in Wellington with Matt Stoll. The humor of Jim Baker. The class acts like Alan Januzzi, John Szalay, Dave McFarland, and Kurt Russell. The coaches who I could listen to for hours talk about their sports, like Bob Walsh or Dave Dlugosz.

I'll miss the athletes. A lot. One of the things I've cherished the most in my eight years is the relationships I've made with the kids I've covered. Two of them, Nick Mezlak and Ross Rybarczyk, are now on the Sports Krew. I've also had the chance to follow the likes Dan Gundert, Jordan Beard, Tom Port, and Chris Schubert from high school to the college level. I recently received an email from former Open Door guard Tony Madalone who has gone on to graduate from Ashland and is now coaching there. Stories like that make me smile. By the way, I'm also grateful for the relationships that I've made with the parents of many of the above student athletes. Your support of me and the Sports Krew over the years is truly appreciated!

And of course, I'll miss my Krew. I can't imagine ever working with a better group of people anywhere else. So many stories. So much fun. It's been a truly wonderful experience.

Thankfully, it won't be my last experience at WOBL/WDLW. I'll be back this fall with Don Vincent and Jason Gibbs to call my seventh season of Oberlin College football. So I'll certainly be looking forward to that.

I'd just like to say thanks to Doug and Lorie Wilber for all of their support of me and the Sports Krew over the years. I couldn't have worked for two better people. Thanks also to all of my co-workers, past and present, for all of their efforts in behalf of the sports department and for their friendship. Finally, thanks to all of the Athletic Directors, coaches, and players for eight years of great memories on and off the field.

Good luck to my successor Brian Deitz. I know you'll do a great job B!

And of course, thanks to all of you out there. For tuning in. For reading our blogs. For coming up and talking to us at games and shows. You're the reason why we do what we do. And I'm so grateful that you allowed me in to your homes to bring you the excitement local sports for eight years. I hope you'll come and find me down the dial every now and then.

Until then, my best wishes to you all and thank you Lorain County!

And Then There Were Two.....

2008-03-04T23:56:00.003-05:00

I love it when I'm right!

Remember this prediction a little more than a month ago? 'Virtually every boys and girls district involving Lorain County teams is wide open. Wide open enough where we could have more than one team make it to the regionals.'

How about three teams?

First things first, belated congratulations to Cheryl Bansek and her Admiral King Lady Admirals for winning the Medina District and advancing to the Regionals for the first time in a quarter century. Bansek was recently named Division I Co-Coach of the Year by the Associated Press after leading the Admirals to a sparkling 21-3 record including 19 straight wins.

On the boys side, Vermilion and Elyria both overcame plenty of adversity and will both get their shot at the Sweet 16 starting on Wednesday when Elyria faces St. Edward at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center.

Five weeks ago, I didn't think Elyria had much of a shot to get this far. I saw them surrender a big lead to Strongsville largely due to a 31-10 fourth quarter by the Mustangs. They couldn't hit their free throws and seemed to lose their poise. Actually, Elyria had trouble all year long putting teams away and as we moved closer to the tournament, the Pioneers were not firing on all cylinders.

That was before Bob Walsh's team found themselves on Senior Night and beat Brunswick. Then they survived a challenge from Medina to open the tournament at Midview before their rematch with Strongsville last Thursday.

Understand that Elyria had lost to Strongsville in the District Finals two years in a row. The Pioneers often allowed things like officiating and questionable calls to rattle them. And the script was playing out exactly that way for the first two and a half quarters as the Mustangs built up an 18 point lead.

Then, late in the third quarter, Bob Walsh called for the press. "It was a question of when to do it, but we needed time to overcome where we were. If we run out of gas, we run out of gas," Walsh told Don Vincent and I after the game.

The defensive intensity keyed Elyria's remarkable comeback as they outscored the Mustangs ironically by a 31-12 margin on the way to a 68-64 victory. Another 31 point quarter two nights later would propel the Pioneers to the District title in a win over Olmsted Falls.

And now, Elyria gets their shot at Ed's.

Thursday Night, Vermilion will head to my alma mater of Bowling Green State University for a matchup with the Lexington Minutemen. I hadn't seen the Sailors at all this season until I called their championship game with Bay on Friday. It turned out to be one of the most memorable games I've broadcasted in a very long time.

The Sailors are a very unique team. They don't have one truly dominant player. They don't have a ton of depth. But they play incredibly well together and have completely bought into Kurt Habermehl's system. Watching this team, you just have the sense that the guys truly care about each other and have adopted a refuse to lose mentality.

In back to back games at the districts, the Sailors found themselves down by double digits in the second half, plus they had a key player foul out. But yet Vermilion found a way to get past both Holy Name and Bay in overtime to advance to the regionals for the first time in school history.

Can one, or maybe even both teams advance to the Elite Eight?

I'd make a prediction, but I'm still patting myself on the back. You'll have to tune in and find out.

One other note: Just a quick reminder about Cavaliers Night Out on Wednesday Night as we'll be broadcasting live from Bootlegger's Grille in Columbia Station from 7-9:30. WOBL will carry the show in its entirety, while the Kool Kat will join up in progress after the Elyria-St. Edward game. Scheduled to join us for the show:

Cavaliers President Len Komoroski
Members of the Cavalier Girls Dance Team
Moondog the Mascot
Cavaliers Vice President Tracy Marek
Brent Kelly and Wes O'Neill from the Lake Erie Monsters
Lake Erie Monsters Play by Play Voice John Michael
The Monsters "Mon Squad"

Now it really gets fun!

2008-02-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

"Good Night from Elyria!"

With that line from our Don Vincent, the Lorain County Sports Network officially wrapped up the High School Basketball regular season on Friday Night. From here on in, the hysteria of tournament play begins!

I can't remember being more excited for a postseason to get here than I am for this one. Virtually every boys and girls district involving Lorain County teams is wide open. Wide open enough where we could have more than one team make it to the regionals. It's been a long time coming for the boys teams in our area. While we've watched the girls from Amherst and Elyria make it out of district play over the last couple of years, you have to go back five years to 2003 to find the last time a boys basketball team in Lorain County advanced to the round of 16.

Go back to that year of 2003 for a moment. Three boys teams from the county (Avon, Elyria Catholic, and Open Door) all advanced to the Sweet 16, as did Southview on the girls side. It was a magical four weeks of tournament play that took us from Lorain County all the way to the Schottenstein Center in Columbus where we watched Open Door play in the Final Four. Since then, several teams have come close to getting out of districts (most notably the boys from Elyria) but none have cut down the nets. That may change in a matter of weeks.

So let's look at the tournament field starting in Division I at Midview for what should be an absolutely fantastic district. Among the teams that will be there:

1. Elyria--the second seeded Pioneers capped off the season with an emotional senior night victory over the top seeded Brunswick Blue Devils on Friday. To me, it was a statement that the Pioneers are ready to take the final step and win the district after two straight runner up finishes.

2. Admiral King--I came away impressed with the Admirals after seeing them at the Q last week against Euclid. They have a great floor leader in Chris Kimbro and a talented big man in Adrian Casey plus a ton of speed and depth.

3. North Ridgeville--The West Shore Conference Champions have Drew McGee. Enough said.
(oh by the by, they have a lot of other guys that can beat you, too.)

4. Southview--You have to love how they bounced back from a poor performance against AK and upset Elyria on Tuesday Night. Andy Bastock will have the Saints ready for the tournament.

Waiting for those four county teams will be four juggernauts: Brunswick, Olmsted Falls, North Olmsted, and Strongsville. Uhh, yeah, I'm impressed.

In Division II at Westlake, Vermilion and Avon are the second and third seeds respectively in a field where really there is no dominant team. The Sailors are intriguing because of the return of Andy Pena. They match up awfully well with top seed Holy Name in a potential district semifinal. Avon and Keystone could also make noise at the bottom half of the bracket.

Lutheran West is back in Elyria trying to defend their Division III district crown. To get to Bowling Green and the regionals, the Longhorns will likely have to beat both Wellington and Clearview. The Clippers were beaten by Lutheran West twice during the regular season but you know John Szalay will have his bunch ready for another shot. And maybe this is the year Wellington can finally overcome years of coming so close but falling short of a district title. Tom Eibel has a balanced squad led by of Erick Saunders, Cory Kidd, and Chris Huelsman.

Oberlin will have to overcome a layoff of more than three weeks when they play at the Division IV district in Strongsville. The Phoenix are an exciting team led by Morgan Jones and Kris Robinson along with one of the brightest young coaches in the area in Kurt Russell. I loved their performance against Lutheran West a few weeks back when they rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter despite only suiting up six. They may have to go through Open Door and Lutheran East to get a shot at Chanel, who will likely be waiting in the District Finals. Open Door has had a terrific year in their own right, led by first year coach Jason Penley and Brendan McNabb, who averages nearly 23 points per game.

On the girls side, you have to think that someone will come out of the Medina district from Lorain County. Elyria and Amherst have already guaranteed that at the very least, someone from the county will play for the title. But Admiral King comes in playing the best basketball of any team in the field. If they can overcome a bit of a layoff, their chances of at least advancing to the district championship game seem awfully good.

Keystone gets their shot at a Sectional title this weekend at St. Joseph Academy in Divison II play. Scott Terry's Wildcats finished the year as Patriot Athletic Conference champions with a sparkling 11-2 record in the conference. They'll lock up against Fairview, who were also 15-5 in the regular season.

Congratulations to Coach Larry Babics and the Columbia Lady Raiders for capturing the sectional title at the Division III tournament this week in Lagrange. Their reward in the district semifinals? A date with Regina, quite possibly the best team in the state in DIII. On the bottom half of the bracket, Oberlin and Elyria Catholic will get their shots at sectional titles Saturday in games you'll be able to hear on WOBL.

So that's how it all shapes up. Make sure you stay in touch with the progress of the tournaments and view our broadcast schedule on our brackets sections here at northcoastdailynews.com. We'll be bringing you close to 20 live games over the next seven days, ensuring you'll get more games featuring more of your favorite teams than from any other source.

To quote Don again.....It's GAME TIME!!

The ’08 NASCAR Season Just Days Away

2008-01-28T13:34:00.000-05:00

As the Daytona 500 approaches, we will finally get our first look at all the changes that have taken place over the past couple of months. A new Series Sponsor, the COT (Car of Tomorrow), Toyota’s second year and numerous driver changes amongst teams make things very interesting this year.

Storylines:

Let’s start right at the top. This year NASCAR welcomes Sprint to the Cup Series. The Nationwide Series replaces the Busch Series and Craftsman will end its run in the truck series at the end of the season.

This year will also mark the first full season for the car of tomorrow. After the first round of testing during preseason thunder, drivers appear to be happy with how things feel in the COT. Bump drafting in the new chassis design should be better and make racing better. We’ll find out soon as the Daytona 500 roles off on February 17th.

The 2008 season will also see Toyota attempting to make more of an impact in its second year. After the 2007 season that saw Michael Waltrip get penalized for a fuel additive at Daytona, and most teams struggle to make races in 2007, 2008 presents new opportunities. Joe Gibbs Racing, along with Hall of Fame racing has made the move to Toyota. With a proven team joining Toyota, with the likes of Michael Waltrip Racing, Team Red Bull and Bill Davis Racing already in the fold, this should be the year Toyota scores its first victory in the Sprint Cup Series.

Finally, the revolving door that was driver changes will close. And boy, some big names made some big noise. Let’s start at the top with the biggest name, Dale Earnhardt Junior. He left his father’s company due to power struggles with his stepmother, and if that wasn’t enough he joined the most successful team in the series, Hendrick Motorsports.

That leads us to the departure of Kyle Busch. To make room for Junior, Busch was the odd man out, but will join Joe Gibbs Racing and round out their trio with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. That moved J.J. Yeley out of the #18 at Gibbs and into the #96 at Hall of Fame Racing, run by Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach.

Michael Waltrip Racing will see a rookie join the team after Dale Jarrett retires after race five. David Reutimann will move from the #00 and replace Jarrett in the #44 and last years ARCA REMAX Series rookie of the year Michael McDowell will jump into the #00.

Mark Martin, Aric Almirola and Regan Smith will see seat time with DEI. Jacques Villeneuve will run the full schedule with Bill Davis Racing.
Also from the open wheel ranks, Dario Franchitti replaces David Stremme at Chip Ganassi and Penske Racing will add a third member to it’s stable with Ohio native and Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Junior.

Travis Kvapil replaces Ricky Rudd at Robert Yates racing and Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs will pilot the two Haas CNC Racing entries.

It should be an interesting 2008 season. I can’t wait for it to get started. Be sure to tune into my show, weekdays from 3 – 6 on the Kool Kat 1380 the week of February 11th when we will preview the upcoming season with interviews all week long, and go over local track schedules.

Dates of interest:
Bud Shooutout: Saturday February 9th
Cup Series Qualifying: February 10th
Gatorade Duel: February 14th
Daytona 500: February 17th

Predictions:
Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Toyota Win’s: Four (Don’t be surprised if they all come from Gibbs)

Give it a rest.

2008-01-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

I'm tired of political correctness. I'm tired of the sensitivity police. I'm tired of headline seekers. And I'm tired of minor mistakes being turned into major offenses. I also realize that these are the signs of our times and opinions to the contrary of the common(?) wisdom are often attacked. So understand that it is with at least a bit of timidness that I offer the following:

I was watching the Golf Channel when Kelly Tilghman let go with the "lynch" comment. I winced. I thought, "What was she thinking? Well there goes her career." I know the comment was offered as hyperbole. I know that Tilghman didn't intend for anyone to take the comment literally. It was intended to be a joke. A bad one to be sure, but a joke just the same. And I knew what was coming.

Anyone short of the biggest idiot appreciates all that Tiger has done. He, like other great sports figures (think Michael, Favre, Wilt, Theismann, Kareem, Ripken, Lebron) transcends racial lines. Everybody wears their jerseys. Nobody cares what color their skin is. They belong to all of us.

So does anyone really think that Tilghman meant any harm? Hell, in truth, Tiger probably pays a good bit of her salary simply by being as good as he is. Think she doesn't know that?

Here's another take. She's Tigers friend. Maybe not "Come on down and spend the weekend with the family" friends, but close enough that they talk. Tiger doesn't care. He didn't have to move on, he wasn't stuck in the first place. It's the aforementioned sensitivity police that are making the most noise.

By the way, the magazine cover with the noose... dumb, really dumb. You deserve what you get for the sheer stupidity of that decision.

Tilghman made a bad decision. Suspend her...OK. Fire her...too harsh. So let's all be grown up boys and girls. Let's stop looking for reasons to get pissed off. Let's start realizing that all of us sometimes make mistakes. This is sports for Pete's sake. And it 2008. I can't think of another area where race simply doesn't matter. As a former athlete, I don't remember ever judging someone on their ethnicity. I knew who was good and why they were good, how fast they were, how high they could jump, what number they wore and what I needed to do to be better against them. And I don't remember being judged based on my skin color other than the fact that white men can't jump.

Oh wait...was that racist?

Brady Quinn Is Worth Our 2008 First Round Pick

2008-01-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

I decided to write this blog after reading a comment from one of the readers thinking we sold the farm for Brady Quinn, not having a first rounder is gonna cost us, we don't have any money for free agents, etc. And similar conversations have come up with other people I know, and to my surprise, a lot of people thought the same things. So I felt a post was in order to help enlighten the masses that Brady Quinn was the right pick and to answer all the other issues Browns fans are currently feeling.

First, the Browns did not spend a ton of money on Brady Quinn. $7.75 million guaranteed, $20 million reachable by playing incentives, another $10 million (unlikely to get) by performance incentives. In comparison, the 49ers gave Manny Lawson (the 22nd pick the year before) a contract with less incentive bonuses but still $5.9 million guaranteed. Last I checked, QB's cost more in this league.

Second, what happens with a capable QB and your starting quarterback goes down? You can go to the tape in 2002 when Kelly Holcomb started his 4th career game in Pittsburgh in the playoffs and dropped 429 yards and a 107.6 QB rating. If we could have actually ran the ball that day, we would have won. That, however, is why you need a good backup, because you cannot depend on one QB being able to start 16 games + playoffs. Especially if his name is Tim Couch. And before anyone makes the Kelly Holcomb jokes, go ask a Vikings fan who they'd rather start, Holcomb or Tavaris Jackson...go ahead, I'll wait...mmhmm, I thought so.

Third, the Browns have $30.31 million in cap space, plenty to land a big fish (or two), 8th most in the NFL. I know we will pursue a few free agents, and a few on the defensive side of the ball I want us to go after are listed below.

Fourth, we traded up to 22 last year, and that is where our pick would be this year. I don't know if there is a game breaker at 22, that won't be there or a similar player in that mold in the second round. Savage has already said if there is someone in his top 15 that slips to the back end, he'll trade back in.

Fifth, the reader that commented said the Browns would be better if they drafted Troy Smith in the 5th round. I disagree for two reasons. Reason 1, we drafted Brandon McDonald in round 5, and I think he turned out to be a great surprise to many fans out there. Reason 2, Troy Smith is not a good NFL quarterback. I watched Troy Smith play for the Ravens at the end of the year. I love Troy and sentimentally wanted him on the Browns, but he is NOT a quarterback in this league. He's a band-aid, and there is no way I could depend on him down the stretch or to win a game. Sorry. He should give Josh Cribbs a call asap.

And I disagree with the general point of drafting a QB in the later rounds, who is cheaper, to just hold the clipboard if you honestly feel you have a chance at getting someone special. Berea could be a very interesting place when Training Camp opens this year.

Free Agents to Chase:

Defensive Ends

Jared Allen - Kansas City
Justin Smith - Cincinnati
Bobby McCray - Jacksonville

Linebackers

Chaun Thompson - Re-sign
Terrell Suggs - Baltimore
Lance Briggs - Chicago
Na'il Diggs - Carolina
Victor Hobson - NYJ
Demarrio Williams - Atlanta

So hopefully, Browns fans can start worrying a little less and start looking towards the potential in the draft and for next season, because there are a lot of positives going on right now for this ball club.

A Look Back

2008-01-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! With the holidays and winter sports season in Lorain County up and running, the Sports Krew has been a little busy lately so we've been slacking on the blog. We'll make the resolution to try to make a new post at least once a week. For today's post, I thought it would be fun to look back at the year that was.

2007 had to be one of most exciting years in sports we've had in Northeastern Ohio in quite a long time. In case you're still suffering from a hangover, consider what took place over the last 12 months or so:

The Browns pulled off a draft day coup by getting both Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn, and thanks to a new-look offense won 10 games and narrowly missed the playoffs.

The Indians won the Central Division title and came within one win of a trip to the World Series.

The Cavaliers captured the Eastern Conference Championship and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Ohio State played for the National Championship in both football and men's basketball (we won't mention what happened the other night in New Orleans!)

Lorain County had three teams advance into the playoffs in High School Football after a year's absence. We saw teams like Vermilion and Keystone take huge strides, along with some much needed pride returning to Oberlin with the arrival of Dave McFarland.

I had the privilege to announce many exciting games in 2007. There was the 'was his foot on the line or not?' boys basketball tournament game between Wellington and Clearview, the Avon Lake-Avon shootout by the lakefront at Browns Stadium, and Oberlin College's redemption win against Allegheny that came down to a hail mary in the back of the end zone. Speaking of the Yeomen, special congratulations goes to R.V. Carroll for being named the Offensive Player of the Year in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

So what awaits us in the New Year? Will the Indians or Cavaliers make that one deal that will help put them over the top? Will C.C. Sabathia stay an Indian? Who will be the starting quarterback for the Browns when the season returns in September? All questions that will be answered here in 2008.

Locally, I am very much looking forward to this year's high school basketball tournaments. Lorain County has not put a boys team into the 'Sweet 16' since Open Door, Elyria Catholic and Avon all made it in 2003. There are several teams to keep an eye on, including Elyria, Admiral King, and Avon Lake in Division I, Vermilion and Avon in Division II, Wellington, Keystone, and Clearview in Division III, and Oberlin in Division IV. All of those teams could be in position to make a run come late February. On the girls side, Elyria's off to a fast start, as is Oberlin, Keystone, and Admiral King. We'll see how things shape up when the tournament draws for the girls come out a week from Sunday.

In the meantime, keep it tuned to the Lorain County Sports Network all this winter for our coverage of High School Basketball, Hockey, and Lorain County Community College Basketball. You never know when a memorable moment will come your way!

Division 1 College Football, It's A Joke

2007-12-05T14:29:00.000-05:00

Once again college football proves it's a joke. Another year, and another team is
unbeaten and not playing in the National Championship game. I read a heading
in one of the local papers this week stating, "BCS GOT THIS ONE RIGHT, OHIO ST.
AND LSU MOST DESERVING." That couldn't be more WRONG.
I hear all these people say, "Ohio St. can't control how strong the Big Ten is.
So basically Ohio St. doesn't deserve to be in the BCS Championship game either,
correct? All I'm trying to say is Ohio St fans, face it, you got lucky this time. I could
care less whether you win or not. All I'm saying is until the BCS is no more, college
football will continue to be a joke.

No matter who wins on January 7th, in my mind your not the true National Champion
especially if Hawaii beats Georgia.

If you got something to say post it, and don't be a chicken and not use your name.
If you can give some reasons how this is right I would love to know. This once again shows
why college football in my opinion blows, and why I have not interest in D1 college football.

And for the record, I hope Hawaii beats the TAR out of Georgia.

Say It Ain't So Andy

2007-11-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

Now you talk to anyone that knows me, I was one of the most critical people when it came to the contract discussions with the Cavaliers and Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao. I saw this as another potential Damon Jones...spending too much money on someone that has done some decent/good things, but isn't a cornerstone. I could throw Larry Hughes into that mix too, but I drank that kool-aid when we signed him, and I'll be happy to make the first batch if he actually can stay on the friggin' floor.

But I digress. When I stumbled on to an RSS feed before the home opener that said we signed Sasha, I thought we made a panic move because of our pitiful preseason. We just threw cash at him to come back. But then I saw the deal, 3 years for $11 million and some incentives and I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought Anderson was worth a bit more than that, but I also thought it would make him come around. It's hard to be on an island all alone like that.

But the days kept going by, the season began, and aside from Lebron James playing out of his mind (and hopefully saving something for March and beyond in 2008), we've looked pretty terrible. Does anyone think its a coincidence that we are giving up 102.7 points a game and we've given up 100 points 9 times in 14 games with Anderson soaking up the sun in Brazil? Last year we gave up 93.5 points per game over the same time period. It was January 19th before we had given up our 9th 100 point game last year and we gave up 18 all season. At the pace we are one, we are going to give up 52 100 point games defensively. Now I understand that Hughes being out hurts, but it doesn't hurt that much!

Then I got mad at Anderson, thinking he wasn't right to be demanding so much money. And then reading this little diddy by Terry Pluto just made me even more mad. After reading that, I started thinking, who does this Anderson Varejao think he is? We made him a fan sensation in Cleveland, he became the quintessential "Wild Thing" we had searched for on the baseball field for so long, and now he thinks he's to good to play with LeBron? I was with Terry Pluto the whole way...until Chad Ford from espn.com made me set down another glass of kool-aid.

Read this article that is on Cleveland.com attached to the Associated Press about Anderson's recent requests for a sign and trade. If I had read that first, I'd be furious. Anderson demanding a $60 million contract? Spurning Danny Ferry who would go to his home in Brazil to show his support for him? And how could you say you love the fans but no longer want to play here? Now, read this article from Chad Ford, the one that was chopped up for the Associated Press article. Now the real picture is starting to come clear. And in reality, I think if I was Anderson I'd probably be angry and frustrated as well. Lets look at a few things:

The Cavs low-balled him out of the gate with the $1.2 million qualifying offer to keep his rights.
They followed that up with a $4 million a year option which was "fair" yet they weren't afraid to raise up to almost $6.5 million a year later in negotiations.
A team (The Grizzlies) is ready to make him an offer and the Cavs big-time them into backing down. If the Grizzlies offer $9-10 million a year, has Anderson been playing this entire season so far? The Grizz went on to sign un-restricted free agent, Darko Milicic.
Ferry shows up unannounced at his home in Brazil with a contract in hand? Thats not only presumptious, it's boderline illegal according to NBA rules and disrespectful to Anderson and his agent.
LeBron doesn't like the fact that Anderson isn't there. It's not dependent on how good Anderson is, it just shows LeBron that the Cavs aren't committed to surrounding him with anyone and thats not really the message you want to send him.
My favorite stat: "His adjusted plus-minus numbers last season said he was the 22nd-best player in the league"...do we even want to know where Hughes, Sasha and Damon Jones fall on that list?

The other thing this says to me, is I can't trust the Plain Dealer any farther than I can throw Ted Washington. I have to wait for the World Wide Leader (who's done a despicable job covering the Sean Taylor tragedy by the way) to put out a story before I hear about this? AND then, it's not even the full story, but the slanted version to put the Cavs in the best light possible. Look I understand you do your best to keep the big boys happy and your reporters in the locker room, but step it up a little bit PD before more incidents of choice reporting become evident.

I sincerely hope this gets worked out and Anderson does decide to stay and realize, hey I do have LeBron, and Z who's giving all he's got left in the tank and young upstart guys in Sasha and Gibson, and who knows, maybe even a healthy Larry Hughes for a quarter or two. But I hope they show him the money, because to see Wild Thing in a Cavs uniform again, it's gonna take $8.5-10 million a year now. And if you ask me, I think that might money well spent.

UPDATE:

Anderson Varejao has agreed to a 3-year offer sheet with the Charlotte Bobcats reportedly worth $17.4 million. For the full story, click here. The Cavaliers have one week to match the deal, or lose Varejao.

For All Those People That Say.....

2007-11-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

That Ohio State doesn't deserve to play in the National Championship game because they don't play in a conference championship game, shut up. You can't blame them for something they have no control over.

For those that don't know, the SEC is the one that started the conference championship business back in 1992. In 1996 the Big 12 thought what the SEC was doing sounded super and jumped on board. The ACC was the last major conference to jump on the bus and that happened in 2005 when they expanded (The MAC and Conference-USA also play conference championship games but they won't be considered for the rest of this blog). But in 1999, to try to finally settle a true champion, the #1 vs. #2 debate each year, they created the BCS. And the real debate began.

Now, the first question we need to answer is, how do they decide to play a conference championship game? The Big 10 doesn't do it, the Pac-10 doesn't, Big East doesn't. But why do the other 3 big conferences do? Well a bunch of Athletic Directors get together and take a vote. If they want a conference championship game they play it. If they don't, there isn't one. Oh by the way, don't forget the money that is involved either, because, really that's what its about. Look at the areas that play them...the south, south eastern coast, and the Midwest. Areas that don't have the same professional sports draws and factors that areas like the north/north east and the west coast has. And honestly if you've been to those areas, college sports is held on a much higher level, with football elevated well above anything else.

Okay so lets look at some numbers. Here is how many teams from each conference that have played in the BCS title game since 1999. All years reflect year the game was played.

Big 12 - 5 (Oklahoma '01, '04, & '05, Nebraska '02, Texas '06 two wins, three losses)
SEC - 3 (Tennessee '99, LSU '04, Florida '07 all champs)
ACC - 3 (Florida St. '99, '00, '01 one win, two losses)*
Big East - 3 (Virginia Tech '00, Miami '02 & '03 one win, two losses)**
Pac 10 - 2 (USC '05 & '06 one win, one loss)
Big 10 - 2 (Ohio State '03 & '07 one win, one loss)

*Pre-Conference Championship game
** Virginia Tech and Miami are now both members of the ACC

So lets take a look together. The two conferences that I hear complaining about the most are the ones that lead this list in championship appearances and champions. The ACC and Big East stat is an anomaly because those programs, sans Va. Tech, have lost an immense part of their luster in the last 5 years. So what does this tell us? I think a few things.

First, it says the Big 12 and the SEC know how to win when they get there. A combined 5-3 record (3-0 for the SEC) is impressive. Aside from 2000 and 2003, a member from at least one of the conferences have played in the title game.

Second, I think it says the Big 10 and Pac 10 are good, but have few teams in the way of championship contenders. It doesn't mean an Illinois can't beat an OSU or an Oregon can't make a run, but the jury is still out if they can have the non-perennials make runs. There are 5 teams from the ACC, Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10 combined in the championship games while the Big 12 and the SEC sent 3...each!

Third, and most importantly, I think it shows this conference championship business might be blown out of proportion. I mean look at the stats that are there and it shows that chastising OSU is unnecessary. It's not their fault how the system is set up, and for those that say they play cakewalks, I'll give you partial credit. Do we forget the Texas home and home? What about the USC home and home the next two years? And Miami after that and tentative schedules for Cal in '12 and '13, Va. Tech for '14 and '15 and then Oklahoma in '16 and '17. Give all those schools credit for taking the chance, but keep it in mind for the Buckeyes for the next 6 days or so.

And as Ohio State gets put down and slammed in the media this week, and they wait to see if Missouri or West Virginia even allows this conversation to matter on Saturday night, keep in mind what they did and what they are going to do. 11-1 this year, the Rose Bowl no matter what, and waiting for an opportunity to go to New Orleans for some redemption, if it happens. But don't blame them for doing what was asked and what was on their schedule. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride...it's really the only thing you can do with the BCS anyhow.

Its Been a Crazy Month Buckeye Fans

2007-11-19T16:50:00.001-05:00

A few Saturdays ago, I found myself in the not so friendly Happy Valley with my girlfriend, holding two tickets for the much hyped battle that night between THE Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State. It was an early birthday present from her, and I couldn't have been more pumped, looking at Beaver Stadium as one of those rare places that is just special to see a game. What happened that day set the stage for exactly how I felt two weeks later, and set the course for my journey as a fan this past month.

After getting into State College and getting parked, we chose to walk around to see the area and take in the whole experience. Don't get me wrong, I expected to be heckled, screamed at, and called many names. But what came more was just obscenities being used instead of our team name (I'm sure you can figure it out), groups of people literally running up to you and screaming in your face, and yes having people throw not just beer, but half to 3/4 full beer cans at us and any Ohio State fans. I've been to quite a few games in Columbus, and some big ones, but I had never seen people treated in such a way before. It made me mad, angry, frustrated and downright disappointed to see other fans/students/people treating each other that way.

I would learn afterwards that the reason the band didn't make the trip was because the last time they went to Penn State they had "blood and urine bombs" thrown at them in the stands. Disgusting and disgraceful. (And for any one that says the beer throwing incident was isolated, it wasn't. I saw the video of it being at a party, and I saw it happen right on the main street across from the stadium. And it happened in 2005 too. That university needs to get some things straightened out over there before someone gets hurt.)

Needlessly to say, the result went the right way, and it was a privilege to sing Carmen Ohio with the players after the game and having a group to answer our "O-H" with a very big "I-O". That day started with me being angry, frustrated, disappointed and ending with me being excited, thrilled, and full of National Championship dreams.

Fast forward two weeks.

Stunned. Thats the only way to describe the crowd walking out of Ohio Stadium. I walked into the stadium that day feeling the same way I walked out of Beaver Stadium, excited, thrilled and full of National Championship dreams. I walked out angry, frustrated, and disappointed...shocked that Ron Zook got us again, shocked that it happened inside the Shoe, shocked that just like that, it was all over. It was a long drive home, where I explained the..."finer" details of the BCS to my girlfriend when she couldn't understand why it was fair that we'd be ranked lower than LSU, when they lost to a now unranked Kentucky team, and we lost to a now ranked Illinois team. I had to tell her that we needed a "Tiny Tim" miracle to have a chance at a National Championship. And after that most of the 2 and a half hour ride home was spent pretty quiet.

Fast forward 9 days.

2 down (to Arizona and Texas Tech no less!), 3 to go! And folks, its not so crazy anymore. LSU has to deal with Darren McFadden and an SEC championship game that will have to go through Georgia (hopefully) or Tennessee, which is no easy task. Kansas-Mizzo play Saturday so one is gone, and the winner of that game will most likely have a very angry and non-concussed Sam Bradford and Oklahoma. West Virginia has to play an upshot UConn team and then a rivalry game against Pitt to end the year. There isn't a cakewalk for anyone. Except the Buckeyes that is. They finished their job, securing a spot in Pasadena no matter what, and left themselves an open window at a title shot. Is it likely? Maybe not, but it is certainly possible.

We still need breaks, but being a Buckeye fan these past few weeks made me reminisce back to the 2002 title team. It wasn't easy at any point that year, and at times it looked like it was gonna end. But they persevered and got their shot in Tempe. And when no one said they could do it, no one said they could beat Ken Dorsey and the Hurricanes, they found a way. If this team gets a shot, catches some breaks, and gets their opportunity...they will find a way. It's not over yet, and while it's not how I thought things would be walking out of Beaver Stadium 3 weeks ago, it's all I could ask walking out of the shoe last week.

So Buckeye fans, break out your UConn Huskie shirts, Oklahoma Sooner hats, Darren McFadden Jerseys, and start nicknaming your dogs Smokey and Uga...we're gonna smell like roses no matter what...but let's see if we can cheer our boys to the Bayou instead.

5 Questions with Deitz

2007-11-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

It's time to put the man who is synonimous with the line, "EVERYBODY HATES ME, DAVE!" on the hot seat. Today we check in with Brian Deitz, the afternoon drive host on the Kool Kat in addition to his duties as a member of the Sports Krew. Brian is never shy about 'keeping it real,' especially when it comes to the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers. So without further adu, here are the thoughts of one Brian Deitz....

1. Give me your favorite moment from this 2007 season of High School Football.

Favorite moment, well I have to say watching how the schools that have struggled the past couple of years improved. Oberlin under the direction of Dave McFarland winning 4 games. Rock Farlow who hasa state championship to his credit was able to lead the Firelands Falcons to a victory, and even thoughSouthview did not win a game, Todd has that program heading in the right direction. Should be very exciting next season, I can't wait.

2. I'll ask you the same question I asked Don....who were your surprise teams/disappointing teams?

Well Dave, my surprise team is Vermilion. I was really impressed with what the Sailors and CoachHorvath accomplished this season. Beating Midview, who made it to the playoffs and being able tohang with Rocky River like they did shows what Frank and his staff have been able to accomplish overthere. As far as disappointing, Admiral King, Amherst and Avon. There was a buzz around the Admiralscoming into this season, and even thought they finished with a winning record for the first time since1987, I think the expectations where higher. I know Amherst and Avon had new head guys, but Amherstbrought back a senior quarterback who had been the starter since he was a sophomore, and a juniortailback who ran for 1,000 yards as a sophomore. After watching Avon week 1 at the stadium, I thoughtthey could make a little noise in the WSC, but they struggled and had some growing pains.

3. Let's turn to the Browns now, how realistic are their chances to make it to the postseason?

If the Browns didn't have to play defense, I would say they get in. But this team has trouble stopping the run. To be a playoff team you can't have those problems. That being said, the schedule plays in their favor and if they can find a way to outscore everyone, they may be able to find a way into the playoffs.

4. You're Mark Shapiro.....what are your priorities with this Indians roster for the offseason?

Our beloved Tribe. Well Dave, it's no secret how I feel on this topic because it's what I've been sayingfor two seasons now. This club needs a right handed power bat to play left field, and the same type bat at thirdbase. This platoon garbage that we have to put up with every season makes me sick. I look to deal Jhonny Peralta,Adam Miller, Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers or Aaron Laffey and try to fix these problems. I also look in a deal to try to acquire another power arm in the bullpen. I along with most everyone else don't think the Indians can out bid another club, so making moves is how this team will get better. That being said, I don't know what I'll do if we do sign someone like a David Dellucci to a three year deal. I'm sick of the nice guy stuff, I want guys that are proven run producers.... I want a World Series. Most of the pieces are here, you just have to finish the puzzle before you frame it and put it on the wall. Oh and by the way, Andy Marte couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

5. Give me some hope that the Cavaliers can come close to duplicating what they did a season ago.

I don't know that I can do that Dino. They made no improvements over the offseason. Larry Hughes was a mistakeand everyone in this town seems to think a role player/6th man AKA Sasha Pavlovic is Scottie Pippen, WRONG. He's not close. If the Cavaliers get into the playoffs, the are in the bottom, a 6 at best. I always thought the goal in the offseason was to get better. The Cavaliers didn't do anything and I think we will see that. The Celtics are better, the Pistons are the Pistons and I like what I see in Orlando. Plus there are a couple other teams like the Bulls and the Raptors who have gotten off to slow starts. The East isn't the East anymore. Talk to me sometime in the summer when the marathon NBA regular season is winding down and I actually start to care.

5 Questions with Don

2007-10-31T23:21:00.000-04:00

This is an exciting time of year to be in our business. Three Lorain County High School Football teams have made it to the postseason. The Indians won the Central Division and advanced to Game 7 of the ALCS (ugh!). The Buckeyes are number one in the nation for now and the Browns are generating excitement not seen in this area since the late 80's. So it's fun to be us!

And on the eve of Midview vs. Avon Lake and Elyria Catholic's trip to Eastwood, I thought it would be interesting to pick the brain of WDLW Play by Play Announcer Don Vincent for some insights. The man we lovingly refer to as "Grandpa" also has been my partner for the Oberlin College games on WOBL since 2002. So I asked questions and he gave some interesting answers......

1. You've mentioned on the Showcase that you think this Avon Lake team is as good as (and perhaps better than) the State Championship level teams of 2003-04. What does this team possess that makes them so strong?

Coming into this season there were a couple of concerns about this team: The defense was a little suspect and there were no legitimate stars – good players with solid numbers last year, but no one you could point at a say, “He’s the guy.” Other than that great O line, experienced QB, solid running back core, good D line. So what’s different?

The defense has been pretty darn good. In week one I talked to Dave Dlugosz about his pass defense and questioning its ability to contain other teams. It took about a week for Dave to get it where it needed to be. Giving up a big play once is not the end of the world, how many teams can do that repeatedly? The Shoremen gave up 126 points this year, not quite two TD’s a game (including extra points). That will win you a ton of games.

As for the lack of stars, that is actually where I’ll hang my hat on my earlier statement. This team is so deep, it’s ridiculous. Look at it this way: You start the game with Mike Haddad and Jeff Tell in the offensive backfield. Both legitimate All-Conference and All-County Selections, perhaps other awards on the way for both of them. If for some reason they are unavailable (injury, illness, need a break) you replace them with Kevin Mansnerus and Scott Shaffer, both of whom would likely start on almost any other team. When your 2’s are legitimate 1’s, you’re pretty darned good. And don’t forget, they practice against each other.

And then there’s Dave Dlugosz…

2. I give you a vote for county Coach of the Year. Who does it go to?

Tough call this year. So many candidates. Frank Horvath leads the Sailors to a 6-4 season after several disappointing years, including a huge win over eventual playoff team Midview. Bill Albright led the Middies into the playoffs and an 8-2 record and did so with a number of injuries to key players. Ben Malbasa comes into a program and immediately takes them to the playoffs, in impressive fashion having to rebound from a couple of tough losses. Rob Clarico at Keystone bumps it up a few notches and leads his ‘Cats to 8-2.

But I guess my vote goes to McFarland at Oberlin. The history was against him, the numbers sucked, the attitude was lacking and no one believed there was hope for this program, except Dave. Takes a team that doesn’t know how to win and wills them to victories. What a great job!

3. What was the most memorable game you called this year?

Middie fans won’t like this, but Vermilion’s win over Midview was huge. It was a great back and forth battle, both teams displaying prowess offensively and defensively. It even ended on a big play. Sign me up for next year!

4. What teams surprised you/disappointed you this fall?

I don’t suppose the Tribe is a topic for conversation.

Surprised by Keystone and Columbia. Thought they would do well, but not that well. Avon and Midview brought a passing attack to Lorain County – I like the balanced offensive approach to things because it will lead to more post season success.

Disappointed – Wanted the Saints to get a win (they’ll get there) and I still don’t understand Brookside. All the success they’ve had over the last couple years on both the gridiron and on the power lifting platforms, I expected a more cohesive unit.

5. Gonna put you on the spot: How far do the Shoremen go in this postseason?

Gee, no pressure here with a Lorain County matchup in round one, huh?!?

Not to suggest that any team that they will play can’t beat them, but I think the path to the Semifinals presents limited obstacles for the Shoremen. There are a couple potential matchups at the semi’s and finals that I wouldn’t mind seeing. Columbus De Sales and Cincinnati Turpin both intrigue me. Both are perennially tough teams. Another, although I don’t think we’ll see it, is a game with Warren Howland – North East Ohio v. North East Ohio.

I’ve already Mapquested Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Bonus Question: Can the Yeomen win out and finish 5-5?

I’d love to answer that question, but I can’t. The problem is that I would have to predict how the Yeomen will play and they’ve been a bit too inconsistent. Ask me if they can – easy answer. Sure. Here’s what needs to happen. Greg Mangan will have to play loose and easy. Have fun utilizing all that talent in the receiver corps. R V Carroll and his O-line will need to have great games (140+ yards per). Someone on defense will have to commit to putting QB’s on their butts and the DB’s will have to remember to stay deeper than the deepest receiver. Do those things and you can put two more tallies in the win column.

Double Super Secret Bonus Question: Will there actually be anyone left watching our TV/Radio simulcast on SportsTime Ohio when they see what you, Jason, and I look like?

Would you?

Yeomen can make history

2007-10-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

I have to apologize first and foremost...it's been a while since we've posted a blog up here. We're in the midsts of a busy stretch of the football season and of course, we all have a vested interest in what's happening at Jacobs Field.

I'm not going to talk much about the Tribe on this post. I'll let Terry Pluto set the stage for Game 5 here.

Last weekend was one of the best sports weekends as a fan that I've had in a while. The Browns won to go to the bye week at 3-3. The Indians split in Boston after a memorable extra inning win in Game 2. Ohio State has climbed back to the number one ranking in college football. And Oberlin College remained undefeated in NCAC play after their come from behind win over Earlham.

What a long, strange trip it has been for the Yeomen. They were left for dead after three rough non-conference losses to Case, Heidelberg, and Washington and Jefferson (whose records are a combined 14-4, by the way). Now, they are very much alive and have a chance to shock the Division III college football world this weekend in Crawfordsville against the Little Giants from Wabash.

Understand what you face when you take on the Little Giants: A team that has won two straight NCAC titles and three of the last five. They have a potent offense and bring probably the best defensive football player in the nation to bear in senior linebacker Adrian Pynenberg. They possess a swagger that comes from knowing that they're still on top of the conference mountain until someone knocks them off. Wabash also happens to play in the most hostile environment in the league at Hollett Little Giant Stadium, where the fans are almost on top of you and frankly....they don't care for the opposition too much.

That being said, there's something out there that makes me think the Yeomen are ready for this challenge. Maybe it's a hunch, maybe it's just wishful thinking. But I like what I see from Jeff Ramsey's squad heading into Saturday. The offensive line has played extremely well over the past four games coinciding with R. V. Carroll's return to form as the conference's best rusher. The move of Chase Palmer to strong safety has resulted in the Utah native playing his three best games as a Yeoman.

These guys are hitting people. Hard.

To beat Wabash is a lot different from beating Earlham, Denison, or Hiram however. Oberlin must protect the football. They can't allow anything close to the nine sacks they gave up a year ago when the two teams met at Savage Stadium. And they must avoid special teams breakdowns which always seem to haunt them in matchups like these.

It's a very, very tall order. But as this college football season has taught us, anything is possible.

ALSO: Just a quick note of condolences to our good friend Brent Harris, the Sports Information Director at Wabash. Brent had a death in the family and will not be at the game on Saturday. They don't come any nicer, or more talented than Brent and we'll miss seeing him at Hollett.

Critical Thinking

2007-09-26T01:42:00.001-04:00

Did you happen to see the recent rant of Oklahoma State Football Coach Mike Gundy?

If not, take a look at this

While Gundy's meltdown may be of great entertainment value, it offers up an interesting topic for me and everyone else who works in the sports media to consider: Just where do we draw the line as to when we in the media can criticize student athletes? When they graduate from high school? When they turn 21? When they go pro?

To be fair, it's important to read the column that started this whole debate. Gundy was targeting a columnist from The Oklahoman named Jenni Carlson. Read for yourself and make your own assessment.

Personally, I think Carlson's work is rather amateurish. I have a hard time taking seriously any journalist who uses the term 'word is'. That being said, as the columnist for The Oklahoman, it's Carlson's job to give her opinion and frankly she feels that Bobby Reid is getting literally and figuratively spoon-fed. You can agree, disagree, or whatever.

Gundy's gripe is that Reid, as well as the rest of his players, are off limits to that kind of criticism. I'm not so sure I agree, but it's gotten me thinking about the way I broadcast games and how I treat the athletes that I watch play week in and week out.

I first joined WOBL in the summer of 2000 as a Co-Sports Director with a total stranger. Some bald-headed guy named Don Vincent. My first assignment was to be Don's color commentator for our high school football coverage, and the one thing he stressed to me above anything else is that 'we don't criticize the kids under any circumstances here.'

We don't talk about who missed the block, who got burned for the touchdown, nor do we harp on the fact that he or she is missing free throws or getting beat off the dribble. Just doesn't happen. That was the rule then and we still adhere to it as part of our moniker of the stations that 'speak to the athletes that play the game.'

But college athletes are different. They're young adults and I've always felt that they should be treated as such. Of course, I take every opportunity to praise the Oberlin College players when they perform well on the field. But, as I found out when listening to my call of a recent game, I also don't hesitate to point out the mistakes. Am I wrong?

I decided to go to a very reliable source, former John Carroll tight end Don Vincent.

Yup, same guy.

Don's philosophy as an ex-player turned critical broadcaster is simple: If it's something that he would have rode his teammate about after the game, then it's fair game on the air.

Simple as that.

Oh and you better believe that Don and his ex-Blue Streak teammates would have absolutely hammered Bobby Reid for getting spoon fed his chicken!

Maybe the answer is, we all as adults need to grow up a little bit. Mike Gundy needs to get a grip on the fact that he's the coach at a high profile Division I school that gets daily media coverage. Bobby Reid's Mom needs to let her son feed himself. And Jenni Carlson needs to get harder information the next time she chooses to write some tell-all column.

In the meantime, I hope you continue to listen to our coverage of high school and college sports on WOBL and WDLW. We may not always say what you want to hear, but I can guarantee you that we'll always cover the athletes and their endeavors with respect.

Playoff Run!

2007-09-12T13:52:00.000-04:00

As one that has been critical of the Indians for most of the season, it appears I will have to eat my words and give the Tribe the credit they deserve. If they can get through the final two weeks off the season without a collapse, they will indeed make the playoffs.
I have ripped this club all season, mainly due to the lack of production at the corner outfield positions as well as the pitching. Plus, when they tried to address it at the trade deadline, they acquired 40 year old Kenny Lofton. I was not happy with that either.
Since that time they have turned things around and for the last 2 months have been playing good baseball.
Since the all-star break, the Tribe has gone 33-24. They are 8-3 heading into toady's game with Chicago, and finished August at 17-11.

A couple of reasons for the turn around.

1. Pitching: Who would have thought Fausto Carmona would have had a year like this. 16-8 with an era at 3.20. I feel he is the team MVP. How dare we leave C.C. out of the picture. 17 wins, his best season since 2001, the last year the Tribe made the playoffs.

2. Bullpen: Though they have had some ups and downs, you still have to be happy. Joe Borowski has saved 40 games in 46 chances. Consider Keith Foulke retired the day before spring training. Betancourt has been great in the 8th. Rafael Perez has been great in the 6th and 7th. Since being called up, Jensen Lewis has been good in the middle innings.

3. Asdrubal Cabrera: Since taking over at 2B for Josh Barfield, Cabrera is hitting .314 with 3 HR and 16 RBI.

The only thing that worries me are the one run games. Since the all-star break the Tribe is 9-10 in one run games. Not as bad as two years ago when they were just terrible, but when in the playoffs, you have to win one run games.

Jake Westbrook is finally pitching like Jake Westbrook, which now gives the Tribe three solid starters heading into post season play. Travis Hafner's average has picked up over the last couple months and they are not losing series after series. It looks as if this team is playing the quality baseball they can, and are doing it when it matters the most...in the final month of the season as they march towards their first playoff berth since 2001.

High School Football Thoughts

2007-09-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

Some random musings:

1) Absolutely impressed with the Avon Lake Shoremen. Not sure who might match up with them well. Whoever it is better have one heck on a "D" line. (Kevin - best thoughts. Hope you're doing well)

2) Avon and Wellington - Thank you for bringing an air attack to Lorain County. It's been one of my complaints over the last several years: Lorain County teams seem content to run the ball. Balanced attacks seem to do better in the post season. That and it's just more entertaining.

3) Oberlin - Nice job. Keep it going, there's a lot more work to do. Southview and Firelands - You're due next. Let's get one.

4) Brookside - What is up with the injuries? This is probably one of the stronger (as in big muscles) teams in the county. The last two years have seen the Cards brutalized by bumps, bruises, breaks and blown ligaments. It sucks.

5) Dino, Gibbs and I (and I think a few other Sports Krew members are on this page)were talking on the way to Tiffin this AM to cover the Yeomen, and this point was brought up. There are 6 (Midview, EC, Avon Lake, Keystone, Oberlin, North Ridgeville) undefeated local teams. That's amazing. And quite a few of those wins are against out of county teams (7-2 this past week). Very nice!

6) Praise to the Guys in Stripes this year. I haven't heard one complaint about one call or no-call this year. We're all too eager to give them crap when they make a mistake. They deserve a pat on the back when they do well.

The Simple Answer....I don't know what happened!

2007-09-07T01:41:00.000-04:00

I got a reprieve this week. My bout with the flu prevented me from being grilled by friends, co-workers, etc. about what happened last Saturday at Savage Stadium. About how or why Oberlin could have possibly been sliced and diced by Case Western Reserve to the tune of 37-15 in one of those 'the score doesn't really tell you how bad it was' type of games.

The truth is, had I been asked, I really wouldn't have had an answer. I'm still trying to figure out what I saw Saturday. Was Oberlin just guilty of having a bad day? Or is there something deeper going on?

The numbers themselves are just plain ugly. The Yeomen were outgained to the tune of 403-181 with four turnovers. They were just 2 of 13 in third down conversions and were dominated in the field position battle. R.V. Carroll was held to just 38 yards on 17 carries while Greg Mangan probably had his poorest outing as a collegiate quarterback.

Defensively, the Yeomen seemed to know what was coming from the Spartans...but couldn't stop them anyway. Mike Evans provided the only excitement of the day with a 60 yard interception return for a score. That was pretty much it. The rest of the day was spent trying to find a way to slow down Cory Checkan or to get to Dan Whalen.

I give the defense a break because they had two new starters at linebacker in Austin Richards and Max Helzberg and lost three year starter Clayton Thurmer early in the game to a torn knee ligament. The senior safety from Cleveland Heights will unfortunately be out for the rest of the season.

But even without Thurmer, what happened on Saturday...frankly can't happen.

This is a better team than that. What we saw on Saturday resembled the rebuilding 1-9 team from three years ago. Or the Yeomen teams prior to the end of the 44 game losing streak.

Speaking of losing streaks, Oberlin's opponent this Saturday is in the middle of a BIG one.

The Heidelberg Student Princes of the Ohio Athletic Conference have not won a game going back to October 4th of 2003. If you're scoring at home, that means they have gone 36 in a row without a "W."

Somewhere in Tiffin, new head coach Mike Hallet has circled this game down as THE ONE. This is the one that in their minds could finally end the drought. Because the 'Berg sure isn't going to beat Mount Union, or Capital, or John Carroll, Baldwin Wallace, or Ohio Northern for that matter. But they can play with the Yeomen as evidenced by last year's 48-34 shootout at Savage Stadium that Oberlin didn't really wrap up until the fourth quarter.

So now the focus shifts back to Oberlin. Can they get the offense untracked? Can some of the youngsters on defense grow up in a hurry? And can Jeff Ramsey get this season back on course?

Lots of questions. Let's hope we have some answers come Saturday!

It's Time!

2007-08-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

After what was surely the longest offseason in history, we finally play some college football today as the Yeomen open the 2007 season at Savage Stadium against the Case Spartans.

For months, the Oberlin coaching staff has been keeping track of the days, hours, minutes and seconds leading up to kickoff with a countdown clock hanging above the office. For weeks, it seemed like the clock was locked at 100 days, but finally...we're here.

There's never been the anticipation for a season quite like there is for 2007. Having 20 starters returning will do that for you. As will having a talented corps of players including R.V. Carroll, Chase Palmer, Chris Pisani, Greg Mangan, Chris Schubert, and on and on. Bringing in 21 freshman will help the optimism as well.

Now all that's left for Oberlin to do is win. Simple as that.No one should be content for the Yeomen to simply be 'the best of the rest' in the NCAC. They've been there and done that. Twice. The next step in the process is beating the Wabashes, the Wittenbergs, and the Alleghenys. And then this team becomes legitimate conference title contenders.

As I look at this season, it comes down to two keys: First, be able to run the football against everyone on the schedule, not just against half the teams. R. V. Carroll had a record setting 2006 and looks in great shape for this fall. But if you look closely at his stats, it brings up a glaring point:

Against Case, Heidelberg, Hiram, Earlham, and Kenyon: 1,083 yds (217 per game)
Oberlin's Record: 4-1

Against W&J, Denison, Wabash, Wittenberg, and Allegheny: 197 yds (39.4 per game)
Oberlin's Record: 1-4

The other key for the Yeomen is stopping 'the big play' on the defensive side of the ball. In 2006, Oberlin allowed eight passing touchdowns of 30 yards or more plus another three scoring runs in excess of 30 yards. Now, as Don Vincent likes to remind me, during the course of a season...you'll have occasional breakdowns. The trick is to contain the damage and not let it become a recurring issue.

One way or the other, this promises to be a memorable season. It's an honor to return for my sixth season as the Voice of Oberlin College football. I hope you'll tune in either on the radio or on the web throughout the season for all the action with yours truly, Don Vincent and Jason Gibbs.

It all starts today! See you at Savage Stadium.

Are you ready???

2007-08-22T23:53:00.000-04:00

Less than five minutes after Brian Deitz and I left the WOBL and WDLW studios this afternoon bound for the Lorain County Fair, it hit us like a ton of bricks:

There's that smell. It's football season!

The smell was actually the ever-present scent of the manure coming from some of the local farms. But because this is Fair Week, it seems more prevalent than at any other time of the year. And because it's Fair Week, that also means it's time to buckle up the chin straps and play a little High School Football.

Are you ready?

This is shaping up to be one of the most interesting seasons of High School Football that we've had in Lorain County in quite some time. There are several compelling storylines as we head towards Friday Night:

Eight schools have new coaches, including perennial county powers Amherst and Elyria.

Speaking of the Pioneers, Elyria is moving into a brand new conference along with old friends Brunswick, Strongsville, and Medina. In addition, the Pioneers also have a new Athletic Director.

2006 saw Avon Lake's reign over the Southwestern Conference end. It also saw no teams from Lorain County make it into the postseason. That can't happen two years in a row, can it?

Can Oberlin, Firelands, and Southview rebound from 0-10 seasons? Can Admiral King duplicate its terrific stretch run from '06? And who might sneak up on everyone this fall?

It's going to be a fun ride this fall. And our two stations, WOBL AM 1320 and The Kool Kat WDLW AM 1380, will be there to bring you 23 exciting live matchups beginning with three games this weekend. Brookside at Firelands on OBL and Elyria hosting Midview on the Kat this Friday. Then on Saturday, we'll greet you from Cleveland Browns Stadium for Avon vs. Avon Lake in the Charity Classic.

The season is finally here. It's time to stop talking and start hitting.

Are you ready??

Hey Danica, Just Shut Up!

2007-08-09T09:45:00.000-04:00

I can't help but laugh at Danica Patrick. A chick in a race car who has won nothing,but all she does is whine and complain. This is the second time Danica Patrick has complained about the driving style of Dan Wheldon. I'll be honest, I don't watch the Indy Racing League, not many people do, but I'm not as dumb as I appear either. Lets take a look at some numbers shall we...sure.

Here are Danica's career IRL number.
43 starts, NO WINS and an astonishing 71 laps led.

Dan Wheldon on the other hand,
in 76 career starts he has 13 wins and has lead 2,581 laps.

And oh yeah, Wheldon won the INDY 500 in 2005. Last time I looked that's kind of a big deal. I don't care how many laps you lead, all that matters is the last one. Danica hasn't been in front for that yet and till she has, she won't get any respect from me until she shuts up.

When you say something like, "Dan drives really aggressively out there. He said it himself on pit lane at Milwaukee that he's tougher. I don't know if tougher means rougher, because he doesn't play completely fair out there. I even said that on my radio, 'Dan better play fair today. I'm serious because he likes to drive up and intimidate you.'

Hmmm. Dale Earnhardt didn't become one of the best by playing nice. NO HE INTIMIDATED people. That's how he became "The Intimidator."

Hey Danica, if you can't be tough and don't want to be intimidated, go wash hair for a living, and JUST SHUT UP!

Just a Reminder....

2007-08-08T12:15:00.001-04:00

Hope to see you out at Quaker Steak and Lube tonight for our first Showcase of the new season. We'll be on the air at seven o'clock on both of our network stations (WOBL and WDLW) with two hours of high school and college football talk.

Scheduled to join us live at the Lube are: Brookside Coach Mike Akers, Elyria Catholic's Ben Malbasa, Southview's Todd Auvil, Clearview's Mike Collier, and Columbia's Jason Ward. Plus, our buddy Jeff Ramsey from Oberlin College will be on hand to preview the 2007 Yeomen season. And you never know who else might make an appearance.

Best of all, Quaker Steak and Lube is offering a $5 gift card to all fans who are there between 7 P.M. and 9 P.M. Just tell your server that you're there for the show and they'll hook you up.

Should be a lot of fun. With just about everyone on the Sports Krew there, I can guarantee it won't be boring!

That's a load of crap...

2007-08-05T22:57:00.000-04:00

Why is it that there are a lot of people in the media that want to molly coddle the guys that break the rules? Poor, "down and out" Ryan Tucker - huh? This is the guy who, a few years ago on Cleveland talk radio, talked about the fact that he'd do 'roids if they were legal. So he made his decision. Live with it. I get the need to compete. I get the need to excel. I also get that if you don't play by the rules you get penalized. Deal with it. He's fortunate that he's only getting four games off - I'll explain in a minute.

Same goes for Bonds. Please don't ever try to convince me that he's not juiced. At the start of his career he looked like the guy in the old comic books getting sand kicked in his face. A few years later and it's "Olive pass the spinach. " Anyone believe he didn't know the rule? If he did, and he most certainly did, he chose to either 1) ignore the rule, or 2) believe that the rules didn't apply to him. In either case, it's the same behavior you see from criminals and drug addicts.

Add to the list the following: Tour d' France bikers, Pete Rose, Tim Donaghy (NBA official), Ronny Thompson at Ball State, and you can fill in the rest. No sympathy. No excuses. No BS.

Here's a departure from the status quo (and why I think Tucker is fortunate) - as long as you benefit from your illegal activity (think muscle mass from steroids) you shouldn't play, get paid, or aid your team in any way. If you commit an ethical violation (gambling), you're done. And don't expect your name to show up in the history books except under knucklehead.

Look, sports are one of the last bastions of what is good about living a good life. We expect our athletes to be honest and pure in terms of their athletic performance. They don't have to be great people (role models should be parents and preachers, not sluggers and slammers). Pro and big college sports are polluted with money and politics. The athletes themselves have to rise above and excel in competition. The rules say that the field is 100 yards long, the basket 10 feet high and the mound is 60 feet 6 inches from the plate. The players have to conform too.

The Road to Respectability

2007-08-03T12:51:00.000-04:00

It's not easy being Jeff Ramsey.

That's what kept telling myself during our two hour drive together from the NCAC Media Day in Granville this past week.

It's not just the demands of being a coach who goes through the everyday grind of practice, game preparation, film study, etc. That's tough enough for anyone. But to have to do it at Oberlin College is a challenge all its own.

First things first, many people in and around Lorain County and Greater Cleveland aren't even aware that there is an Oberlin College football team. Remember the scene in the movie "Major League" when Tom Berenger's Jake Taylor character gets stuck at a party with a bunch of strangers who ask him what he does for a living. When he tells them he plays for the Indians, he gets my favorite line in the movie:

"Here in Cleveland? I didn't even know they still had a team!"

That's about how it is for Ramsey most times when he tries to go out and sell the program. If people know anything about the Yeomen, it's that they once got national attention for a 44 game losing streak between 1997 and 2001. That was six years ago and Ramsey still has to occasionally answer questions about it.

What's worse, High School coaches often tell their players not to take Ramsey's calls during recruiting. "You don't want to go to THAT school!" As if there was something wrong with one of the nation's finest institutions of learning that features a world-renowned Conservatory of Music. Apparently 'THAT' would be a bad place for said-recruit to visit. It's a mindset that Ramsey must combat every day. He also has to constantly arm-wrestle to try to get prospective student-athletes through a rigorous admissions process.

Yet, with all of the above working against him, Ramsey is quietly turning around the Yeomen. They have posted a pair of 5-5 seasons twice in the last four years and are poised to finish above .500 for the first time since 1974 and post the most number of wins in a season since 1963. At least 19 starters from a season ago are back to team with a freshman class of 21 for one of the deepest rosters in recent team history.

Running back R.V. Carroll, who ran for a school record 336 yards against Kenyon is back. So is signal caller Greg Mangan and explosive wideout/specialist Chris Schubert. All five members of the offensive line return. So does preseason All American safety Chase Palmer. And on and on.

The geniuses in the NCAC Media as well as Ramsey's fellow coaches apparently don't think as highly of O.C. as I do. The Yeomen were predicted to finish sixth in the league in both polls during the Media Day festivities. It's not a surprise. The Yeomen must cross the threshold and become a winning program before they receive the respect that is given to conference powers like Wabash and nearby Wooster.

This year could be that year. And maybe then, the jokes will stop.

Another October At Home

2007-07-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

I said Monday on my show that the Cavs off season has been as
eventful as my love life the first 21 years, uneventful. As the MLB trade
deadline comes and goes, I can`t but be disappointed with the Cleveland
Indians, as the only acquisition was a 40 year old outfielder. A power bat and
bullpen help is something this team has needed since the off season. Sure
Keith Foulke ending his career the day before spring training didn`t help, and
if Rafael Perez didn`t step up, who knows where this club would be right now.
Looking at the final two months of the campaign, the Indians play a bunch
of games that mean everything. In August they play the Twins 7 times, 4 in
the Homer Dome, Detroit 5 times, 3 of which are in Motown and 3 at home
against the Yankees.

Looking at September they play in the Homer Dome 3 more times,
host the Tigers for a 3 game set, and head to Seattle the last week if the season.
The Indians need to win just about every series from here on out, to get into
October. Do I think they can do it? Sure. Will they? I doubt it. They didn`t add
what they needed and we`ll see what happens.

Just remember, when you're watching baseball this October, there`s always next year. The Tribe enters play tonight a half game behind Detroit in the Central, and now just a game and a half ahead of Seattle in the Wild Card, and oh by the way, the Yankees are coming, the Yankees are coming.

The Dog Days of Summer

2007-07-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

Thoughts while waiting for the Browns to start Training Camp and
the Cavaliers to actually do something in the NBA Offseason....

**Add my name to the list of people who aren't buying the concept of David Beckham revolutionizing football...err...soccer here in America. Look, this was tried more than 30 years ago by a guy named Pele', who frankly was ten times better than the Beckster. Don't believe me? Go rent "Victory," which is one of the most underrated sports movies of all time. But even the great Brazilian import was unable to turn soccer into a major sport in the late 70's. Then, I remember hearing that Indoor Soccer was going to be the next big thing in the 80's. And for a time here in Cleveland, it was. At one point, I'm sure there were more people going to the Coliseum in the early 80's to see the Force as opposed to the Cavaliers. But it wouldn't last. And now, a 32 year old Brit will try to become the Messiah of Soccer to millions of American youths?? Nope, don't think so.

Look, it's not that I'm a soccer hater. Not at all. In fact, I actually played soccer as a kid for a year. I played fullback for the Canton YMCA's "Blue and Red Team." I think the only thing I liked about it was the postgame snack that featured orange slices, ho-ho's, and Hi-C. But seriously, my buddy Nate has tried to convince me for years that soccer players are among the finest athletes you will ever find. And he's right. But in a sports culture that is dominated by the NFL, college sports, baseball, NASCAR, and the NBA, there is simply not enough room in our attention spans for 'The World's Game' as a major presence.

Soccer will continue to be one of our premier participation sports so you'll still see plenty of minivans out there with plenty of soccer moms taking the kids to practice. That won't change. But I just don't think that Posh Spice's husband will do anything more than be a really good player for a really mediocre team in a second rate league.

In the meantime....pass me a ho-ho!

***Ho-Hum is pretty much how I would describe this Cavaliers offseason. Except for a day's worth of trade rumors involving Drew Gooden to Sacramento for Mike Bibby, the Cavs have been dormant since being swept out of the NBA Finals. No movement into the Draft. Very little movement apparently in the progress to re-sign Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. And most importantly, no real movement towards improving the ballclub. Sure, Danny Ferry is working the phones. Sure, they are talking trades with other clubs. So fine, I'll be patient and wait and see. One thing is for certain, the Cavs cannot simply just wait out the agents for Varejao and Pavlovic, make the deals, and call it a summer. This team needs more than that to return to the Finals next year.

***Across the plaza at Gateway, the Indians management deserves high marks for its two moves over the last week. Maybe the Dolans will finally be cut some slack by the haters after signing Travis Hafner to a long term deal. Well, probably not. But to get Hafner and Jake Westbrook locked up in the same year is a major achievement. And I like the contract extension for Eric Wedge as well. It's all about stability both in the clubhouse and in the front office right now and that can only lead to success now and in the future. That said, General Manager Mark Shapiro needs to try to hammer out one or two trades in the next 13 days. The back end of the bullpen has to be bolstered and another bat for the outfield would be helpful too. How about former Indians David Weathers and Kenny Lofton perhaps?

***Circle Wednesday August 8th on your calendar: That's the day that the Sports Krew will be hosting our Countdown to 2007 High School and College Football Show live from Quaker Steak and Lube in Sheffield from 7-9 on AM 1320 WOBL. We'll talk to area coaches and get their insights as we preview what should be a very fun season.

He can't really be that good...can he?

2007-07-12T21:32:00.000-04:00

So if you check out the FedEx leaders board, it shouldn't surprise you that Tiger Woods is on top of the list of a point system that seems strangely tailored to suit his approach to tournaments. But here's the thing. Look closely at the number of FedEx Cup events played. 10. That's it. A dime. Of those ten appearances, Tiger racked up 3 victories and 7 top tens. Vijay Singh (aka the Road Warrior) has played 19. Almost double. Yet Singh sits in second with 2 wins and 5 top tens.

He also leads the money list, and sits on top the of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Call him a gamer. Call him clutch. Call him the best.

Yep. He's that good!

But check this out... according to his web site, Tiger's only currently scheduled for one of the four events that make up the final four that will determine who takes home the fine crystal. To be fair, he's only posted his schedule through the end of August and two of the events are in September. But it's pretty clear that he's not going to tee it up at The Barclay's in New York on August 23. So he'll sit out one of four for the championship of the entire civilized world...

He can't really be that good...can he?

Where is Everybody?

2007-06-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

Yogi Berra used to say 'if fans aren't going to come to the ballpark, then no one's going to stop them!' That kind of thinking seems to typify the current situation at Jacobs Field. For despite the fact that your Indians are hovering near first place in the American League's Central Division and also leading the race for the AL Wild Card spot, attendance is near the bottom again in all of baseball.

Coming into this series with the Oakland A's, the average attendance was 23,778. Last season at the same point it was 23,675. Using my favorite scoreboard graphic at the Q...the DIFF between this year and last year is just 103 fans. Keep in mind, by this time last year the Indians were already out of the race in the Central and were preparing for a July fire sale.

So why are there more green seats than people at the Jake? I've heard lots and lots of explanations from the Indians as well as from the fans over the years since the glory days between 1994-2001. Three explanations seems to be the most prevalent:

The economy now is not nearly as good as it was ten years ago. This one I get. I don't need to remind anyone in Lorain County about how difficult our local economy is right now. There's simply less disposable income for families to spend on trips to the ballpark. My only complaint is that people seem to have no problem shelling out huge bucks to see bad football on Sundays at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Nor did people have a problem paying for basketball at the Q once a certain Chosen One began to turn the fortunes of the Cavaliers around.

Larry Dolan is cheap. He'll never 'spend the money' to bring in a winner. The Tribe owner will probably never get a break in this town. Ever. Yes, he's said some things that he'd probably like to take back in regards to spending money only when the fans start showing up. But please people, no one buys a ticket to see an owner. This year's Indians are a fun team to watch and Dolan deserves credit for "spending the money" on shoring up the Tribe's farm system that had been run into the ground by John Hart in the late 90's. Players like Victor Martinez, C.C. Sabathia, Jhonny Peralta, Fausto Carmona, and Ryan Garko are all products of a terrific minor league operation that was supplemented by shrewd trades by Mark Shapiro that brought in Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Travis Hafner. The days of Omar, Manny, and Thome are over. Accept it. Move on. And enjoy this new generation of talented young players who are worthy of your appreciation.

(One note...if the Indians have the chance to bring in a stud reliever or outfield bat at the trade deadline and Dolan vetoes a deal due to cost considerations, then disregard everything written above and feel free to send me "I told you so" messages.)

Omar Vizquel is gone. I'll never forgive them for not keeping my Omar. Serioiusly, I've heard that from fans. It's like the Indians alienated every soccer mom the day they decided not to re-sign the Gold Glove shortstop and go young with then-International League MVP Jhonny Peralta after the '04 season. Listen, I love Omar. He was part of the best double play combination in recent baseball history when he paired with Robby Alomar for three seasons. We all loved to watch the barehand grabs, the bunts, the clutch hits, etc. etc. But again, we need to grow up and move on. The Indians made a judgement based on Omar's age, his injured knees, and Peralta's emergence that it was not good business to give Vizquel a long term contract. Simple as that. And by the way, try looking at Omar's stats this season versus Peralta's. Not even close.

In all fairness, it seems like the poor attendance trend is getting better. The last few weekends have seen crowds of better than 30,000 for teams like the Reds, Tigers, and Braves. But the Indians also do a great job of filling the weekends with giveaways and fireworks. It's been the weeknight games that have been the disappointment. And no, bad weather no longer works as an excuse.

The bandwagon awaits at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Saddle up and enjoy a great summer of baseball!

LeBron on Team USA

2007-06-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only hoops fan that's happy to hear that King James is playing FIBA ball for the good ol' US of A!. I'm not too sure that a lot of folks will share my reasoning though. Sure, the USA team will be better with him. No doubt that it further establishes his reputation as a role model (he made a commitment and honored it). I can't imagine that he won't get a good amount of PT, something he didn't get last time.

But really, won't it be nice to see him play in a system that isn't full of holes? No more guys sitting on the bench for a quarter when they should be on the court. No more lapses after halftime. Just won't happen with Coach K (no, it's not all Mike Brown's fault). Just Lebron having fun playing the game - he's much better when he's smiling.

Here's hoping that Team USA regains the dominance that they demonstrated 20 years ago.

U...S...A...U...S...A...U...S...A...U...S...A...

Thomas Needs To Be In Camp On Time!

2007-06-26T17:51:00.000-04:00

First off, let me just say I`m not the best speller or writer, so keep that in mind as you read my posts.

As the NFL season approaches, the Cleveland Browns desperately need to get their first three draft picks in camp on time. What is arguably the best draft since the franchise returned in 1999, these are three picks that can make a difference NOW! Most needed in my opinion, offensive lineman Joe Thomas.

Since the Browns returned in 1999 they drafted a total of 9 offensive lineman before the 2007 draft. Only two of those picks came before the third round. Melvin Fowler was picked in the third round(76th overall) in 2002. Jeff Faine was picked (21st ) overall in 2003. Bottom line, Faine couldn`t stay healthy and both have since been traded. On a team where running the football and protecting the quarterback has been a huge issue, it`s about time the Browns addressed this need.

Now the focus is on the money. Thomas, along with quarterback Brady Quinn have said they can’t wait to play for the Browns and make an impact on the town and the
organization. Make an impact right away.
Get a deal done and get in camp on time.

Welcome Aboard!

2007-06-25T15:24:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the "Official" blog of the Lorain County Sports Network. We've finally gone 21st Century and fully embraced the wonders of the internet! So with the improvements made to northcoastdailynews.com, we thought it was time to upgrade the sports site as well.

The purpose of this blog is two-fold: we give you an opportunity to get insights on local sports from myself and the rest of the award winning Lorain County Sports Network members. We'll talk about everything from who's going to be the best team in Lorain County this high school football season, to whether or not the Browns can get Brady Quinn into camp in time, to how well Oberlin College will do on the gridiron this fall.

But we also look forward to hearing from you, the fan as well. Please feel free to post your comments and thoughts. Keep it clean and be nice to your fellow posters. Let's have a lot of fun with this site and thanks as always for your support.

Thought for the day.....we are less than nine weeks away from High School Football!

Dino