May 21, 2013

Craigslist Weirdness: Own Percy Ellsworth’s Cleveland Browns stadium seat

May 15, 2013 by 6 Comments

Update: The $200 Craigslist chair was originally sold on Ebay for a mere $17.50 and is now being flipped by an enterprising fan. The moral of the story? There are way better deals on Ebay than Craigslist, I guess.

Browns chair story update

———- Original Post ————

Sometimes scouring Craigslist can yield very strange results.

According to one listing, you can purchase a bright orange stadium seat from Cleveland Browns stadium that was presumably never installed in the stadium at all. And it will only cost you $200 if you pay asking price.

Even more strange is that the seller apparently purchased this at a storage locker auction and the locker is alleged to have belonged to former Browns player Percy Ellsworth.

Ellsworth played with the Browns in 2000-2001 and apparently just long enough to acquire a Cleveland Browns stadium seat and enough other stuff to justify a storage locker rental.

Browns Stadium seat

 

Stadium Seat 2

 

[Related: Pat McManamon talks Browns, Chuck Klosterman, AOL FanHouse, new media and Fox Sports Ohio – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-15]

 

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Cleveland Browns Stadium to be named via FirstEnergy

January 14, 2013 by 45 Comments

The news vortex of Twitter is abuzz on Monday stating that the Browns will be handing naming rights over to FirstEnergy, the diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Several outlets are bantering about the likelihood of said scenario while trolling for feedback — one of the more legitimate being WEWS’ Kristin Volk.

Following the completion of the transaction which transferred majority ownership of the Cleveland Browns to Jimmy Haslam III, naming rights to the stadium were one of the first items which many in Cleveland expected to be changed. The stadium had been dubbed “Cleveland Browns Stadium” since its erection prior to the 1999 season, but Haslam — the former CEO of a billion-dollar truck stop business — notoriously sees the stadium as additional means to market the team.

WEWS reports that the Wilson Football plant in Ada, Ohio has already printed and shipped 60 balls with the FirstEnergy mark on them. If the rumor is proved true, what the stadium’s official name will be remains to be seen as “FirstEnergy Stadium” is presently home to the Reading Fighting Phils, the Eastern League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. This, in addition to the stadium that houses the University of Akron soccer programs. “FirstEnergy Field” appears to have some traction.

In 2008, Progressive Insurance (headquartered in Mayfield, Ohio) purchased the naming rights to the ballpark which houses the Cleveland Indians, costing the publicly traded firm roughly $58 million for 16 years of rights. Two months prior, Progressive laid of 340 employees. This past November, FirstEnergy — having eliminated 200 positions in October — announced that it expects to cut up to 400 jobs by 2016 citing ”struggles to stay profitable in a lackluster economy,” one which has led to continued low demand and low power prices. As of 2010, First Energy reportedly employed 10,000 individuals and provided energy sources to 4.5 million customers.

Update: The Plain Dealer has confimed reports that FirstEnergy has purchased naming rights to the stadium.

[Related: Kelly, Chudzinski, & Plan B….Was There One?]

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Browns to alter pre-game introductions against Pittsburgh

November 25, 2012 by 8 Comments

With the Rolling Stones’ “Start me up” potentially on its way out as the team introduction song for the Browns 1 , it is being reported by ESPNCleveland’s Will Burge that Cleveland will now be introduced amidst two ten-foot flame throwers which are to be housed within the confines of Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Jimmy Haslam III, fresh off of his trip to Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, will continue to attempt to improve the in-game experience for those who pay their hard-earned money to attend games on the lakefront. While any business man can tell you that wholesale changes cannot be made overnight — unless it’s the installation of fan-accessible Wifi within Quicken Loans Arena, anyway — that steps undoubtedly need to be made to get the fan experience headed in the right direction.

The flame throwers are obviously similar to those attached to Dan Gilbert’s Q Tube, used during the introduction of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Naturally, as any fan of the Browns will tell you, a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers is also a solid step in improving said experience.

[Related: Browns-Steelers Inactives: Steelers WR Antonio Brown is Out]

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  1. It is, after all, 2012 [back]

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Calling for the “Lakefront Leap”

October 30, 2012 by 26 Comments

As Trent Richardson escaped the warm embrace of offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao en route to a 26-yard touchdown run, the running back ran straight through eastern end zone, heading straight to the Dawg Pound to acknowledge the fans amidst a chorus of cheers from those who braved the elements on that very day. The guitar riff from Queen’s ”We Will Rock You” blared, fans slapped gloved hands. The only problem: So did Richardson.

The back who Christened his first NFL touchdown with half-cocked front flip ran towards the Dawg Pound and merely handed out a few high fives before giving way to Phil Dawson and the extra point unit.

Prior to the game, the team announces, one-by-one, members of a given team. Two weeks ago, it was the special teams unit, this past Sunday was the offense with Richardson bringing up the rear, garnering the loudest of cheers. A handful of players then sprint down to the end zone facing the Dawg Pound, take a knee in prayer, and then do their best to rile up the troops. Naturally, this may not be the best time to run full speed and lunge into the beer-holding hands of waiting fans. But after a touchdown? These guys have to do the leap.

The Lakefront Leap.

[Read more...]

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That Sure Was Fun, Wasn’t It?

October 15, 2012 by 25 Comments

There was a time where I truly loved and looked forward to going down to the Browns games. I looked forward to it all week. The vibe in and around the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium was something I will never forget. It was a true “family” event for my family.

To me, there was nothing like a sunny fall Sunday afternoon on the shores of Lake Erie. Days like yesterday were commonplace when I was a kid. Growing up, Sunday Browns Football was my religion. My father and mother both grew up on Browns football, going to the games at Old Cleveland Stadium with their fathers. In a way, The Browns home games brought my parents together. My dad’s father was a season ticket holder in 1946, he had two seats in section 37. Over the years, the family had grown and so did the popularity of the NFL. Two tickets became four, four became eight, and as my father and his two brothers started families of their own, eight became 12. My mother’s father had his two tickets in row one of section 37. My grandfathers knew each other and my dad was checking my mom out at games.

The rest, as they say, is history.

[Read more...]

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Browns Open Thread: Week 6 vs. Bengals

October 14, 2012 by 47 Comments

The Browns (0-5) look to collect their first win of the season today as they host divisional rival Cincinnati (3-2). While the Bengals haven’t been that bullet-proof this season, this looks like a stretch based on their dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Follow along with all of the action here at WFNY. Yours truly will be attending the game cheering on the Brownies, so hopefully they can finally crack the egg in the wins column this afternoon.

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While We’re Waiting… Cleveland Browns Stadium is Lacking “Cleveland”

September 28, 2012 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

Home field disadvantage: “Can it happen here? As in, “Can it happen in Cleveland?” And it pains me to write this, but will new the Cleveland Browns Stadium ever be like Baltimore, where the Ravens took the field Thursday night having won 12 in a row and 20-of-21 games. It’s a loud, hostile, stadium for a night game. I hate to say it, but this stadium is nearly as feared as old Browns stadium was in the late 1980s in the prime of the Bernie Kosar Era.” [Terry Pluto] 

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting … Time for Buffalo and Bad Big Ten

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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.

A final preview of today’s home game against the Buffalo Bills: “While the Bills exploded last week, they were terrible in Week 1 against the Jets. Cleveland hasn’t exactly strung together two consistent games on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball either. I think Cleveland’s offensive line will have a little bit of difficulty at some points with the Bills’ front four, leading to a more lackluster offensive performance than we saw last week. On the same note, I expect the defense to improve — after seeing where the secondary failed last week, Dick Jauron will make the appropriate adjustments. Fitzpatrick is an inconsistent quarterback, and he’ll turn the ball over one too many times against Cleveland.” [Steve DiMatteo/Dawg Pound Daily]

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Is this a must-win game though? Well, I guess so in terms of finding a way to finish with more than 4 wins in 2012, as they don’t come much easier than this. “Last Sunday’s game was another loss for the Cleveland Browns. But it kinda felt like a win. Hey, at least it was a positive performance considering the debacle that was the season opener. Now, at 0-2, the Browns need a win as they play host to the Buffalo Bills (0-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Pat Shurmur said what we’re all thinking a day after his team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27. ‘We have to win this game,’ he said. Agreed. For all the good the offense did last Sunday, it was another loss, which was the team’s 48th loss in their last 68 games dating back to the beginning of the 2008 season.” [Don Delco/The OBR]

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Rare stats, penalties and replacement referees all in one post? Yup, you’ve got check out this theory on how home teams might be benefiting from this chaos: “Last week, I hinted that there may be a bias by the officials in favor of the home team, as these less-experienced referees may be more likely to side with the voices of the crowd. That hypotheses certainly wasn’t disproved this week, as 14 of the 16 home teams won, the first time 14 home teams have won in a week since the league expanded to 32 teams. So far this season, there have been 231 penalties against visiting teams and only 188 penalties against the hosts. That ratio — road teams having to deal with 23% more penalties — is far out of line with historical data, which informs us that road teams had 7% more penalties enforced against them than home teams from 2000 to 2011.” [Chase Stuart/Football Perspective]

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I wrote about it yesterday, but here’s the first of a couple of posts I’m going to share that lament the sadness that is the Big Ten in 2012: “The overall OOC record for the Big Ten is not terrible, but what the conference has shown us thus far is that every week is Mighty Ducks week. Because apparently any band of misfits from crappy conferences can unite under the auspices of a drunken has-been coach and give a team from the ol’ Bee One Gee a run for their money. This week was no different.” [Johnny Ginter/Eleven Warriors]

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So really, why is the conference so bad? It’s not like their NFL Draft losses were that much more significant than others: “After almost four weeks of games, which Big Ten teams have impressed you? The list has to be painfully short. At one point in the early games Saturday, Ohio State led UAB 21-15, Wisconsin led Texas-El Paso 23-16 and Iowa led Central Michigan 24-23, with all three of the Big Ten’s opponents holding the ball with a chance to take a fourth-quarter lead. Ohio State and Wisconsin escaped with victories. Iowa wasn’t so lucky. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Big Ten struggled early Saturday, because the conference has underwhelmed all season.” [Frank Schwab/Dr. Saturday]

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Love Paul’s point here about how the Indians starters might just always have been overrated, and this decline isn’t really a drop-off, but simply their actual, depressing talent level: “As frustrating as it is to watch the Indians in terms of stalled development and regression, the appearance of a team that’s going through the motions and is either ill-prepared or ill-equipped to compete at the MLB level is what gnaws at most of the fanbase…at least those that are still watching. Whether that goes back to the coaching staff or the Front Office that assembled the ‘talent’ for said coaching staff to put into the lineup and into the pitching staff is a question that’s been asked before in this space (and in others); but it’s the MAIN question facing this organization going forward. Because it goes back to the “’Nature vs.Nurture’ argument from a month ago in that it has to be asked whether these players are simply flawed and were overrated in expectations for them or if the players (seemingly the whole lot of them) can regress this quickly and this profoundly.” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]

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Jimmy Haslam Exploring Options for Retractable Roof on Browns Stadium

September 19, 2012 by 55 Comments

In a meeting with Cleveland city council, soon-to-be-official majority owner of the Cleveland Browns Jimmy Haslam III said that he would like to explore the logistics behind adding a retractable roof on the crown of Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“We are open-minded,” Haslam said on Wednesday. “We want to use that facility as much as we can.”

Though it is by no means a certainty and would likely not occur for many years if at all, the exploration process will reportedly begin once the league approves the sale of the Browns, hopefully by the much-discussed date of October 16. At this point, Haslam will bring in several stadium architects to decide what, if any, options exist.

Haslam also said that the discussion surrounding the faciltiy’s naming rights will begin to take place after the completion of the 2012 NFL Season. This meeting marked the first time that the owner of a Cleveland sports franchise was invited to speak in front of city council.

[Related: Jimmy Haslam won’t have to rebuild these Browns]

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Browns Fan Claims He Was Ejected for Standing in Dawg Pound

August 28, 2012 by 78 Comments

After the Cleveland Browns scored a touchdown in their preseason game this past Friday, a Browns fan named Jim Becker claims that he was reprimanded for standing in celebration and subsequently removed from the stadium, ultimately subjected to the league’s new conduct policy.

Becker’s first-person account states that, with the Browns trailing the Philadelphia Eagles 24-3, a fan roughly five rows behind he and his wife began getting restless when the Browns were on the verge of scoring, demanding that he remain seated. After the fan failed to obtain his desired outcome on his own, he sought the assistance of stadium security and the party in question was removed from the premises.

“Then the Browns scored a touchdown, so we all stood up to cheer and high five each other,” writes Becker. ” Big mistake.  Immediately, three police officers and 2-3 Tenable security guards came up to our seats to kick us out (all of us!), telling us that we had already been warned and that ‘fans’ had complained.”

Following the ejection, amidst a chorus of boos from those in the stands, Becker claims that his entire party were forced to hand over their tickets as well as identification for reporting purposes. It is not clear whether or not the reports were forwarded on to the team for any additional ramifications, including, but not limited, to a reported $150 fine and a class merely to retain ticket rights.

“I have never considered not being a Browns fan in my life until this past Friday,” writes Becker.  “I have been stupidly giving thousands of dollars away to a team that seems to have a mission to make it harder and harder to do so.  There is really no reason I can find to shell out hard-earned cash to attend the games in person.  The atmosphere has been subdued, the food and beer is incredibly overpriced, you can’t get cellular service at the stadium, and there is little to no information about other games (or stats about the game that is happening right in front of you) displayed in stadium.

“And oh yeah, god forbid you do something crazy like standing up and cheering.”

[Related: Browns Preseason Game #3: Winners and Losers]

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While We’re Waiting… Browns Begin With Win, NFL Stadium Security, Omar Vizquel Wants to Manage

August 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

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.

Quickly recapping the GLC victory: “Come on, Browns fans — don’t tell me I was the only one who had a goofy smile on their face when Jeff Wolfert’s 45-yard field goal sailed through the uprights to give Cleveland a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions in the Great Lakes Classic? The final score in preseason games usually don’t mean squat for judging the regular season, and the case was no different here.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature] [Read more...]

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Cleveland Browns should build a roof and plan for Super Bowl L

April 15, 2012 by 81 Comments

According to PFT, the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys will both be bidding to host Super Bowl L in 2016. For those who aren’t good with Roman numerals, that means Super Bowl 50. We all know that the Browns have never appeared in a Super Bowl or hosted one. While we can’t guarantee that the Browns will ever compete in a Super Bowl, recent history with Indianapolis and Detroit hosting Super Bowls tells us that we could host one if we had a roof on the stadium. Much like Browns fans proved with Peyton Hillis’ Madden cover, we are a powerful group of people. Is it time that we finally controlled our own destiny and got a Super Bowl hosted in the city of Cleveland by building a roof?

I know this is always a controversial idea because Browns football is rooted in history of playing outdoors. Then again Browns football is also rooted in the history of the late 80s that also never produced a trip to the Super Bowl. As hard as we’ve rooted, the Lerner family hasn’t been able to deliver more than a single playoff game. So maybe it is time to take control of our own destiny and at least get in the running to host a Super Bowl. [Read more...]

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Report: City of Cleveland to Give $5.8 Million to Browns

February 7, 2012 by 15 Comments

The Cleveland Browns have reportedly received word that the city of Cleveland will forward the team $5.8 million for requested stadium renovations. Thomas Ott of The Plain Dealer reports that Cleveland’s city council has approved a plan that will help provide an advance to be used to fix specific areas of the 12-year-old open air venue.

In a hearing, the Browns reportedly came armed with a detailed breakdown of money that has been spent on similar endeavors since the stadium’s erection back in 1999: $74 million contributed to the construction; $50 million paid for items such as escalators, a restaurant and team shop; $30 million spent on cleaning and other everyday maintenance; $2.9 million donated to community programs and sports facilities.

The city of Cleveland confirmed the need for renovations, but in their agreement of providing the advance, will rid the city of such obligations for the next seven years. At this point, the city would have to dip into sin tax funding (alcohol and tobacco) for an immediate needs.

The team’s initial request was met with plenty of disdain as the Cleveland Browns had just finished a 4-12 season, their worst since 2008. Following the initial release, it had been made public that the team was not asking for immediate funds as much as letting the city know that such repairs were in fact needed. At the very worst, it was merely another line item on the team’s never-ending list of public relations blunders.

[Related: Fair or Foul? City Of Cleveland Giving $5 Million to Renovate League Park]

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WKYC: Chances of Cleveland-hosted Super Bowl Improving

February 6, 2012 by 23 Comments

Whether the argument against the city of Cleveland hosting a Super Bowl are rooted in weather or amenities, WKYC’s Eric Mansfield writes that the outlook for Cleveland Browns Stadium hosting the NFL’s annual big event may not be as bad as some say.

High marks for Indianapolis as the host of Super Bowl XLVI — a first for that city — may set the stage for other cities to have a shot at the NFL’s biggest prize. [...]

The league’s decision to host the 2014 game in New Jersey — a first with an outdoor stadium in a cold-weather town — could mean cities like Cleveland will eventually get stronger consideration.

Mansfield adds that the city’s accoutrements have increased handedly and will continue to do so with the construction and opening of the riverfront casino. Factor in attractions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the recently opened aquarium, and those within the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission feel that Cleveland could be a legitimate hosting city.

The 2016 Super Bowl (L) is widely speculated to be destined for one of the NFL’s founding cities — a list that includes Cleveland, OH.

[Related: Video: Betty White picks the Browns for Super Bowl XLVII]

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Many Dynamics at Play for Browns and Stadium Finances

January 20, 2012 by 14 Comments

After a Thomas Ott story on Cleveland.com yesterday, the world was abuzz about how bad the Browns are at public relations.  At this point, I don’t really think that criticism can be disputed very much.  The Browns are a huge business that isn’t always expected to run like a business.  Exhibit A would be the various number of years of service Randy Lerner has paid for so that people could talk on ESPN (Eric Mangini,) sit at home for a year (Romeo Crennel,) broadcast on the Crimson Tide network (Phil Savage,) just to name a few.  As those millions have piled up while more untold millions are spent desperately trying to turn the team around with Mike Holmgren and his multi-layered organization the team appears to nickel and dime the city of Cleveland with their general counsel Fred Nance.  Let’s unwrap this thing a bit, shall we?

First of all, since the story came out, Fred Nance has disputed that the Browns wanted their money up front.  He claims that the team was just letting everyone know that they are going to spend $5.8 million right now and that it is designating these repairs as the same ones that they will be re-imbursed $850,000 a year according to their lease contract with the city.  If that is the case, then the Browns are getting a raw deal with the media report. [Read more...]

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Report: Browns to Ask for $5.8 Million from City of Cleveland

January 19, 2012 by 17 Comments

Cleveland Browns Stadium, recently deemed the Factory of Sadness, is allegedly in need of repairs due to the city’s inclement weather and the team would like to repair it sooner than later.  In addition, the Browns would like the city of Cleveland to help foot the bill to the tune of $5.8 million.

Thomas Ott of The Plain Dealer reports that the original 30-year lease for Cleveland Browns Stadium calls for the city to put aside $850,000 per year for major repairs.  The team, led by chief counsel Fred Nance, is hoping that Frank Jackson and the city of Cleveland can advance the NFL franchise this year’s amount plus that of the next six seasons. 

The request has been met with some friction from specific councilmen due to the perception that tax-paying citizens are funding a billion-dollar industry. In 1995 following the departure of the Art Model-owned Browns to Baltimore, Cuyahoga County voters agreed to dedicate the sin tax to help build the stadium, which ended up costing more than $290 million, and eventually to cover $29 million in repairs.

Per Ott, in addition to the repair of concrete walkways in and outside of the stadium, the Browns would refurbish club seats on the north and south sides of the stadium and at the east end zone with another $750,000 going towards waterproofing the concrete under said seats.

[Related: Pro Sports Can’t Black Out the Future]

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1938 Cleveland Stadium Proposal

January 16, 2012 by 17 Comments

I’m not sure exactly where or when this stadium was purported to show up in time or geographic location, but the picture was taken in 1938.

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Randy Moss Trade, Craigslist Love and Haden’s Improvement

October 7, 2010 by 8 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

Sam the Savior: “The Browns’ top two receivers on their depth chart have six receptions in four games, but the front office did not explore a trade for Randy Moss. [...] “It’s not a function of us not looking at receivers,” Mangini said. “We look at players every day. We brought Sam Aiken in [as a free agent on Sept. 25].” [Tony Grossi] [Read more...]

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NFL Fan Conduct Policies Stretch Outside of Cleveland

September 6, 2010 by 13 Comments

Fan conduct within Cleveland Browns Stadium had been a hot topic of discussion heading into the preseason.  With the Browns looking to become more apt to enforce rules that have been in place for several seasons and delaying the opening of one of the city’s most popular tailgating spots, an article in the most recent edition of the Sports Business Journal presents an ideal that appears to be envisioned outside of Cuyahoga County.

“I think what we’re driving to is a cultural norm within our stadiums,” said Jamey Rootes, President of the Houston Texans.  ”You’re talking about the 1 percent jerk factor. In any place you go, 1 percent of the population is going to be a jerk, so we as a league and as individual teams have to make it clear that this type of behavior is not [okay].”

[Read more...]

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A Record-Breaking Season for Browns Fans

December 19, 2008 by 14 Comments

Though the Browns still have one more home game remaining, you all can take pride in the fact that you actually topped last year’s production!  While the win total may not have exactly - you know – improved, one metric of team “success” did: fan arrests. 

Last season, Cleveland Browns stadium saw a vast increase in arrests and ejections as opposed to 2006.  Check out these numbers: [Read more...]

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