May 24, 2013

WFNY Podcast – 2013-02-10 – Art Modell, House of Cards, Quentin Tarantino and the 2013 Tribe

February 11, 2013 by 3 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoIt was another WFNY Joncast this week after a nice vacation for me last week. This time Jon and I came prepped with an agenda that we made sure to hit along the way. Here are some of the things we discussed.

  • Art Modell missing the hall of fame and how it wasn’t all that jubilant
  • How important are halls of fame anyway?
  • Small hall guys vs. big hall guys
  • The Ravens winning and how they’re just another division rival now
  • The Cleveland Indians’ rotation and how it’s changed
  • Brett Meyers and his youthful Ashton Kutchery
  • Quentin Tarantino and the downside of taking lessons from his films
  • Are the morals of Tarantino’s revenge fantasies immoral?
  • Netflix’s new show House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey
  • Selling a show based on a distribution model
  • The benefits of watching a TV show “marathon” style
  • What does the Netflix business model mean for cable TV and sports?

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-31 – The Art Modell Episode

January 31, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoThe Art Modell talk has been going strong lately, and in this episode Craig and I discussed the former Browns owner’s upcoming consideration for the pro football Hall of Fame.

We tried as much as possible to not rehash all the excellent pieces that have been written on the subject lately, but some of the topics we discussed include:

  • Is it possible to discuss this issue without bias as Cleveland fans?
  • Is the argument against Modell more about Art himself or about the Hall of Fame itself?
  • Ozzie Newsome’s guest column in the Plain Dealer
  • The perspective from neutral observers on this subject
  • Is there any real chance Modell actually gets in?
  • Much much more…

 

 

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Some Browns bits on Alex Smith, Leroy Hoard, Ray Horton, Ozzie Newsome and more

January 30, 2013 by 15 Comments

1986-browns-newsomeThere’s not one topic I feel like talking about today as we endure a week of Super Bowl and Hall of Fame propoganda. The Browns introduced their defensive coordinator Ray Horton yesterday, but even that was putting a cap on old news. With that in mind, I thought I would just combine a bunch of things into one post today…

Alex Smith to the Browns?

So Brandon Weeden thought he dodged a bullet when the Browns failed to land Chip Kelly, I bet. I hope he didn’t spend too much time sighing with relief because the Browns quarterback rumors are flying fast as the Browns are being linked to the 49ers’ own displaced QB Alex Smith. It makes some sense because as we all know, new coaches tend to gravitate toward familiar players, and Google is full of pictures of Alex Smith sitting next to Norv Turner. That’s also why we were treated to a lot of Chud-fueled Derek Anderson news a few weeks back.

So, is it good or bad for Browns fans? [Read more...]

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Art Modell’s Hall of Fame Bid Shouldn’t Pit Baltimore vs. Cleveland

January 28, 2013 by 56 Comments

Modell Browns SI CoverThe Art Modell Hall of Fame story line played out when Modell passed away recently. Now, he’s been made a finalist on the ballot to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That necessitates that we talk this thing over (at least) one more time, but I figured rather than trying to make an obvious and easy plea to the emotional side of the story, it might be interesting to attack the issue a different way. It’s pretty easy to summarize Browns fans’ overwhelming opinions and more importantly their feelings that drive those opinions. It is clear and obvious. The Browns fans are the most obvious and explainable of the stakeholders in this storyline. Now it’s time to deconstruct the proponents, namely Baltimore Ravens fans. Mostly that requires a question that no Browns fans can answer. I want to know the answer, just the same. What motivation do Ravens fans have to induct Art Modell into the hall?

This weekend in the Baltimore Sun and the Plain Dealer, Bill Livingston wrote on behalf of Cleveland and Peter Schmuck 1 wrote on behalf of Baltimore as the two publications pitted Cleveland against Baltimore. While I understand the desire to do that and set it up that way, I’m wondering why Baltimore even cares this much to make the argument. [Read more...]

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  1. Ha! His name is Schmuck! It’s not really funny, people. It’s his name. Don’t think you can make that joke in the comments and be funny. It’s so obvious that it voids any potential humor that might otherwise exist. Trust me. Google “Low-hanging fruit” [back]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-25 – Cleveland Frowns in a two-part podcast

January 25, 2013 by 31 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoPeter Pattakos is a guy that many at WFNY have come to know over the years in person. He never shies away from controversy and he serves a rabid, loyal fanbase at his site Cleveland Frowns. There’s so much backdrop to Peter and his site that it makes what he does at his site somewhat stark for newcomers. Jim Rome has inside jokes that his “clones” all are aware of kind of like junior historians of the program. Frowns has a trail of perspectives and causes that serve as a basis for his website and I thought it would be interesting to explore it a bit in a long-form manner. Perfect for a podcast.

Peter insisted on doing it in person, which was cool by me. He showed up with a bottle of wine that we crushed as we did a two-part podcast talking about Peter’s website, the Browns, Mangini, Modell, Grossi, Wahoo, the Cleveland media and even his recommendations for what he might do to change this very website. I didn’t anticipate taking them to heart, but he likes our site, so I was curious what he might say.

Hopefully this is the first of many podcasts with the Frowner. Also, he had one plug. Make sure you go to his Super Bowl party at the Map Room in Cleveland. And of course you can also follow him on twitter. [Read more...]

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“Cleveland ’95: A Football Life” will be mandatory viewing for me

October 2, 2012 by 62 Comments

I’ve read countless tweets from Browns fans saying they won’t watch this documentary about the 1995 Cleveland Browns. Tony Grossi wrote about it and likened it to reliving a family member’s funeral. While those scenes depicting the stadium being torn apart might cause me to shed a few tears, after seeing the sneak preview, I think I’ll have to watch it because there is so much more there for someone like me born in 1979. I wasn’t anywhere near maturity as a football fan by that point in my life.

I know all the names of the guys in and around the Browns, but to say that I have vivid memories of Bill Belichick as Browns’ head coach would be a lie. It makes this story almost mandatory viewing for NFL fans when you consider that names like Bill Belichick, Mike Lombardi, Nick Saban, Kirk Ferentz, Scott Pioli, Eric Mangini and Ozzie Newsome were all at least partially built during this time period. Yes, it hits hardest for Browns fans who lost their team and in many ways still don’t have it back. Even still, part of being a Browns fan is understanding and wanting to explore the rest of the ecosystem that they exist in in the wider NFL view. 1 [Read more...]

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  1. One of the most difficult adjustments for Browns fans since the team has been back has probably been missing out on five years of game evolution in terms of on and off-field culture. In many ways, I think Browns fans are still fighting many of the changes that happened while we were… ahem… “away.” [back]

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A Cleveland Sports Fan’s Guide To Opposition

September 15, 2012 by 6 Comments

Art Modell is dead. LeBron James has been in South Florida for over two years now. I begin with these two because when some throw around the term “hatred”, these will forever be at the forefront of the minds of Cleveland sports’ fans. They’re not the first, and they certainly won’t be the last to take something incredibly close to the hearts of Ohioans. But, why do so many of us expend so much energy to hate those that have wronged us? Having these same feelings myself far too often, I decided to dig a little deeper into our collective sports state of mind.

Certainly, there’s more names than these two. Just in my 24 years, I can make quite a laundry list. When you think of teams, the Braves, Marlins, Red Sox, Celtics, Heat, and Magic come to mind, primarily as the road block to a title that would’ve ended our championship drought. When we talk about players from those teams, there’s Tom Glavine, Edgar Renteria, Josh Beckett, Boston’s Big Three, James, Dwight Howard, and Hedo Turkoglu. Then, there’s our own who have left for brighter lights and greener pastures. Just in my time, there’s Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, James, and the inevitability that was C.C. Sabathia had he not been traded. Then, there’s the owners. Of course, Modell, but there’s plenty who would add the Dolans to this list now given the past several seasons. Truly, the enornmity of the list I could generate just off the top of my head is baffling. Think of it this way. If you transplanted a foreign exchange student into Northeast Ohio and were assigned with teaching them Cleveland sports past and present. The number of explanations required for the “Why do we dislike this person/team/owner?” would be overwhelming. It’s as if most of us (myself included) carry around this little encyclopedia with all of the sports figures that have done the city of Cleveland wrong. [Read more...]

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Awaiting the Fallout of the Off-Field Fracas

September 7, 2012 by 39 Comments

The week leading up to the start of the NFL regular season has provided Cleveland with a stark juxtaposition in terms of words, delivery and ultimate reaction. As a handful of our nation’s best orators take to the stage in Charlotte, North Carolina 1 , amidst the pomp and circumstance and Springsteen, those sequestered in Cleveland, Ohio have felt words, albeit more regionalized, reverberate though the airwaves and jump off of the pages.

Indians closer Chris Perez kicked things off by providing his latest fact-based hay-maker, responding to a reporter in search for the quotable goldmine that has been the non-filtered right-hander, attacking the economics of the game which he plays while managing to two-hand toss both his general manager and ownership team into the fire as their lakefront Rome continues to burn.

“Different owners,” said Perez of the difference between the small-market Indians and small-market Detroit Tigers.  “It comes down to that. They (the Tigers) are spending money. He (Ilitch) wants to win. Even when the economy was down (in Detroit), he spent money. He’s got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don’t. But most of the time you do.”

Just days later, we find ourselves dealing with the passing of the most polarizing man in the history of Cleveland sports; Art Modell’s passing provided such a wide range of emotion and analysis that it’s more than a day later and people are still waxing on about what his legacy means to them and them alone.

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  1. This is by no means a political admission, it just fits in the time frame being used. Save it. [back]

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Jim Brown: Art Modell Should be in the Hall of Fame

September 6, 2012 by 13 Comments

First of all, I send out my condolences to his family. I’ve known his son David since he was a little boy. I have a lot of respect for Art. I always considered him a friend. He was a great visionary for the game of football. He should be in the Hall of Fame. [...] It was very tragic how he broke the heart of Cleveland fans, but that’s the reality and nothing can be done about it. We had our differences. I was fighting him all the time because of racial issues going on at that time. But overall, you could talk to him and reason with him. We all have to respect differences if you can relate and deal with your logic and deal with someone else’s.

[Related: Art Modell and National Media Revisionist History]

(Source: Branson Wright, Cleveland.com)

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Browns Release Statement on Passing of Art Modell

September 6, 2012 by 20 Comments

Here is the complete statement from the Cleveland Browns on the passing of Art Modell-

“The Cleveland Browns would like to extend their deepest condolences to the entire Modell family.”

Neither the league, nor the Browns have made any announcements as of yet about plans to honor Modell on Sunday.

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Seattle… We Feel Your Pain

June 7, 2012 by 90 Comments

There are very few cities that understand what the fine people of Seattle are feeling this morning. The anger. The bitterness. The anguish. The pure disgust and hatred for the carpet-bagging owner that ripped your heart out and stomped on it. We all know how that feels here in Cleveland. Watching the Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA’s Western Conference last night is one last kick in the gut to the Pacific Northwest.

Back in 1995, Art Modell stood all smiles with the Governor of Maryland, Parris Glendening and told the world “I leave Cleveland, Ohio after 35 years, I leave a good part of my heart and soul there. I will never forget the kindness of the people, the fans that supported the Browns for years. But frankly, it came down to a simple proposition. I had no choice.” [Read more...]

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LeBron James vs. Art Modell Is An Easy One

May 17, 2011 by 27 Comments

I did a segment for a sports radio show called The Sports Insiders out of Buffalo this weekend on WECK 1230.  They wanted me to talk about Cleveland sports in general, specifically the Cleveland Indians and what LeBron James is doing in the playoffs.  The host, Joe Major, read the name of this website to the delight of his two co-hosts who noted that it could easily be a Buffalo Bills website as well.  We talked about the Indians’ start and how it is mostly tied to pitching and that will be the only path for it to continue.  This was obviously before I saw the huge outburst of runs the Tribe offense put up last night.  Eventually, the question came of who scored higher on the Cleveland hate scale between LeBron James and Art Modell.

I answered quickly and easily.  Without a doubt, it is Art Modell by a landslide.  I know we’ve talked about this a few times already since “The Decision,” but it bears repeating as we continue to gain distance from LeBron toying with the city of Cleveland.  LeBron James for all the negative feelings he implanted in us by handling his business in such an awful fashion can never ever do to us by taking himself away from us what Art Modell did by moving the Browns to Baltimore.  Never. [Read more...]

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95 Browns Draft Class Considered Worst Ever and Other Draft Thoughts

March 29, 2011 by 15 Comments

This morning on Twitter, Tony Grossi linked to a website talking about the all-time 1st round flops in the NFL draft. As he noted, the Browns didn’t crack the list, surprisingly enough. As is often the case with the Internet, I found myself on a different page that listed the worst draft classes in modern history.  Modern history is considered 1994-2004.  1994 is when the draft was cut to seven rounds.  They cut it off at 2004 because they don’t feel the story has been told on a draft class until seven years have passed.  The other considerations are the number of years the class played, the number of years they were starters, the number of five year careers, five year starters, career starts, pro bowls, and all pros.  Congrats Cleveland Browns 1995, you are the worst.

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LeBron’s Departure Could Look Like Art Modell’s

June 29, 2010 by 68 Comments

LeBron James may be a Dallas Cowboys fan, but he lived through the disappearance of the Browns at the dastardly hands of Art Modell. The one factor in LeBron’s continuing free agency saga that continues to pop up occasionally is how difficult it would be for LeBron to leave the Northeast Ohio sports community, particularly with the way the Cavs exited the playoffs this season. I don’t know LeBron, so I can’t say for sure, but all the talk seems to indicate that he understands that if he leaves Cleveland now, that his legacy, at least partially, will always include that embarrassing failure. Whether this makes Northeast Ohioans great fans or just really bitter people, he knows for a fact that he will always be remembered for that here where he lives. The naming of our sports tragedies is getting a little old, admittedly, but the point is that as a passionate sports fanbase, we never forget.. We can’t. While LeBron hasn’t been a fan of Cleveland sports, necessarily, he has lived here and he definitely knows. He has seen Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome leave the Indians. Most importantly, he has seen Art Modell move the Browns and leave Cleveland feeling hopeless. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… LeBron James Ruined the NBA Draft

June 25, 2010 by 35 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

“This was the way LeBron James fantasized the free-agent frenzy playing out, the hijacking of a sport unfolding over the NBA Finals and draft. Now the arms race for basketball’s biggest soap star has transformed into the most fascinating free-for-all this sport’s ever witnessed. Tampering is out of control, side deals promised everywhere, and James and his inner circle have the NBA where they’ve always wanted it: on its knees, bowing down to the King. [...]

LeBron’s title chase is lurching closer and closer, the Ego Championship of the NBA. All hell is breaking loose, broken rules and broken promises ruling the day. Somewhere, James was smiling on Thursday night. All these kids getting a dream fulfilled, all these picks walking to the podium, and it was still all about LeBron James on draft night. On your knees, people. Bow down to the King. Bow to the chaos.” [Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! NBA]

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While We’re Waiting…Browns Memories, Masterson adjusts, Cap space primer, Cavs centers

June 13, 2010 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

Recommended read, great trip down memory lane: “When thinking about a more modern Browns’ history, the 1994 playoff squad seems to get forgotten.  Perhaps the main reason for this exclusion is because the team was dominated by the Steelers, and of course respectively owned and coached by the two biggest public enemies to be found in the city.  Of course, the Art Modell connection is easy.  Less than a year after the Browns advanced to the second round of the playoffs, the franchise was headed to Baltimore.  Volumes could be written here regarding Modell’s complete lack of business sense, but of course this story has been better told – in equal parts venom and logic.  But enough about that.  The other inconvenient anchor of the 1994 team is no doubt Bill Belichick, who despite having the popularity levels of a BP executive, had quietly built the Browns into one of the league’s most physical and sound units.” [DK/Cleveland Reboot]

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While We’re Waiting…Kobe vs. LBJ, Braylon will win AFCCG, History of Modell’s Move

January 23, 2010 by 4 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Kobe Lebron

Fair to compare Kobe and LeBron?:  “Maybe the comparison persists not because the two are roughly equivalent to each other, the “two best in the league,” or, as much I hate to say it, the most likely heirs to Jordan. In his own way, Kobe is no less unique.  With all apologies to Duncan, Melo, maybe Kevin Durant, and last year’s Dwyane Wade, no two players can take over a game like James and Bryant. They aren’t the same player, but they’re the only players in that league who exist on this plane of dominance.” [Bethlehem Shoals/Fanhouse]

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While We’re Waiting… The Curse of Art Modell, LeBron and JJ, and Kory Wiita’s Fight

November 16, 2009 by 28 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

Browns Fans Art Modell

“The Ravens play the hapless Cleveland Browns on Monday night, but these struggles aren’t new to the Browns. From the time the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, they have been a cursed franchise. There have been bad first-round picks, crushing injuries and widespread illnesses.  So, what could be the cause of all of these troubles? My theory is the curse of Art Modell.  The Cleveland fans’ hatred of Modell, the owner who relocated the team from Cleveland to Baltimore, has placed bad karma on the current Browns team. Until they let their anger go and welcome Modell into the Hall of Fame down the road in Canton, the Browns will continue to languish at the bottom of the league with quarterback controversies and questionable coaches.” [Jamison Hensley/Ravens Insider]

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Now This Is More Like It

July 28, 2008 by 16 Comments

In a day in sports age where it is commonplace to make fun of any mid-to-small market town simply because it is not New York/Boston/Los Angeles/Chicago, WFNY reader MoBot passes along something that should make your day.

Most of you may know that Peter King was in living color last week for the first day of Browns camp.  The official site caught him for an interview, so head there if you’re intrigued.  But what is even better are the things that King had to say in his most recent column.

The other night I dined with Cleveland GM Phil Savage on the outdoor patio of the Moosehead Café, a pleasant tavern with Moosehead Beer (God, how long has it been since I had a Moosehead?). The cafe is on the border of Westlake and Bay Village on the west side of Cleveland, and we were at the table on a cool, breezy, clear night for a couple of hours. [...] [Read more...]

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On The Cover

March 26, 2008 by 9 Comments

LeBron on the cover of Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated Opens Their Vaults

Not sure how many of you guys have seen this, but if you haven’t, this is well worth checking out. After all, you’re already going to spending much of the day listening to classic Joe Tait calls, so why not spend some more time looking into the history of our beloved teams through the eyes of Sports Illustrated?

Sports Illustrated has finally decided to share their vaults with all of us. Honestly, this is one of the most incredible sports websites you’re gonna find. They have put all of their articles, covers, videos, etc….. basically, EVERYTHING they have ever done into a neatly designed searchable database. You guys gotta check this out. Want to see all the covers LeBron has been on, or read any of the 402 articles that mention him, or watch any of the 1,000 videos? No problem at all. Trying to find that cover with Andy Katzenmoyer on it, or the one with Art Modell punching the Browns mascot, or the now infamous 1987 cover with Corey Snyder and Joe Carter where the Indians are predicted to win the American League? It’s all in there. Or maybe you really want to go back into history and find the cover with Bob Hope in an Indians uniform, or the one with Hopalong Cassady on the cover, or when SI declared Terrell Brandon “the best point guard in the NBA” (ok, that one’s not ancient history, but man does it feel like it).

Have some fun with this and search around for things and see what crazy items from SI’s past you can find. Feel free to give us links in the comments sections with any notable stories, covers, images, or videos you find.

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