Sports

Crushers beat the Otters

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By ZACHARY DZURICK
zsportsmj@gmail.com

AVON – Travis Risser threw seven strong innings and Andrew Davis had three RBIs to pace Lake Erie to a 7-2 win over the Evansville Otters on Saturday night.

Risser, after losing his first two decisions of the year, improved to 5-2. He struck out seven and walked just one. The only runs he surrendered were two solo home runs.

“I threw a lot of change ups,” Risser said. “They are free swinging team. I have found my groove and all three of my pitches are working.”

Risser missed all of 2009 with a back injury. In 2007, he was a relief pitcher for Crusher manager John Massarelli on the Washington Wild Things where he had six saves and a 1.09 ERA.

“This is the Risser I envisioned from the beginning of the year,” Massarelli said. “I knew it would take him time to get in a rhythm because he hasn’t (started) in a while.”

The Crushers used a three run fifth to take control of what was a tight game. Dom Duggan singled off Chad Edwards (0-5) to lead off the fifth and stole second and third for his 20th and 21st steals of the season. Andrew Davis for the second time in the game doubled home Duggan to make it 3-2 Crushers. With two outs, Travis Vetters singled to bring home Duggan. After a misguided pickoff throw, Vetters advanced all the way to third. After a Drew Saylor walk, Lee Huggins hit a ball to short but Saylor beat the throw allowing Vetters to score making the score 5-2.

Duggan’s speed is helping the offense get started.

“That is why he is our leadoff hitter,” Massarelli said. “He is hitting in front my best two hitters. When he is on, it is tough to throw off-speed pitches to Jodam (Rivera) and with Duggan on Base it puts Davis in better situations.”

The Crushers struck early thanks to a pair of ground rule doubles by Duggan and Davis in the first inning.

The Otters did not take long to tie it up. Designated hitter Derek Wiley hit Risser’s first pitch of the second inning over the left field wall.

The Crushers retook the lead with an unearned run in the third. Jodam Rivera reached second on a throwing error and moved up to third on a groundout and scored on Eddie Tisdale’s flyout to right field.

The Otters retied it on Vinnie Scarduzio hit a two-out homer in the fifth.

The Crusher defense was outstanding once again turning three double plays. After Risser struck out Brandon Cohen in the first, Julio Rivera threw out Patrick Rose attempting to steal. Jodam Rivera started a 6-4-3 double play to end the fourth and in the eighth, Drew Saylor leaped high to snag a hit away from Zack Stanton and then doubled off Billy Killian at first.

The Crushers tacked on runs in the seventh and eighth. With two outs and runners on first and second in the seventh, Lee Huggins hit a scorcher off the glove of third basemen Jake Rogers. Eddie Tisdale broke hard from second and attempted to score. The throw beat him but Tisdale avoided the tag. Davis picked up his third RBI of the night with two out single in the eighth.

Alberto Rolon pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to close out the game. He struck out four.

More Articles

It’s all here in Cleveland, LeBron

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

Let’s see if I can get through a column without mentioning LeBron James.

Sorry, it is not possible. We are all tired of hearing about this saga, but it is impossible to ignore. It might quite possibly be the most bizarre offseason story we have ever witnessed in the history of Cleveland sports, and we can’t take our eyes off of it. The most interesting part of the coverage frenzy is watching the “experts” do their little dances as decision time draws near. A few of them said they were hoping LeBron would remain in Cleveland, but none, that I know of, actually predicted that would happen.

And, now as signs point to that as a real possibility, some are starting to say they knew it all the time. If James decides to stay, perhaps he can find a way to keep the soap opera going every year so that Cleveland can continue to become one of America’s great destination cities.

While we don’t know the details of the sales pitches that were given by New York, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago or the Los Angeles Clippers, it is hard to believe any of them can beat Cleveland’s sales pitch. If James, in fact, is only interested in winning, is there a guarantee that would happen with any of those franchises? What have we seen regarding the recent history of the ownership of any of those teams that would indicate they would be capable of doing more than Dan Gilbert has done, putting together NBA-best regular season records two years in a row? What has new Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, Nets coach Avery Johnson, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra accomplished as a player/coach that Cavs coach Byron Scott hasn’t done?

Does LeBron really want to play with Dwyane Wade? Isn’t Michael Jordan’s legacy too big to overcome? Is Joakim Noah that good that he could help LeBron get seven titles? Is Newark the center of the Mecca of basketball? Would he lose his friendship with Jay-Z if he doesn’t go to the Nets? How many more endorsements can he get in New York that he can’t get here? What have these franchises done in recent years other than make salary cap room? Has it been that long since LeBron saw More Than a Game or noticed his own 330 area code tattoo? And, most importantly, if he leaves, can he “really go home again”?

It has been tough to be very positive about what we have seen with the Cleveland Indians this year. Even when there has been something to be hopeful about, there has been a caveat attached to it. Carlos Santana has given us something to look forward to, but it is natural to wonder why he wasn’t here from Day One. Manny Acta didn’t hesitate to put him in the third spot in the lineup, and hopefully he will be just as willing to install Michael Brantley in the leadoff position when he comes back sometime after the all-star break.

Matt LaPorta has been swinging a big bat lately, but all that does is remind us that the organization chose to sign Russell Branyan before spring training began, not seeming to acknowledge, or care, that the already dwindling fan base would totally be turned off by that move. Obviously, the team was worried that LaPorta hadn’t fully recovered from off-season surgery, but there had to be a better backup plan that Branyan.

That being said, there are some bright spots in this otherwise dismal season. Shin-Soo Choo is the obvious all-star candidate from this team, but there is more to him than that. There have been many great players in the game who never earned the reputation as a five-tool player, but it looks like Choo qualifies in that department. A five-tool play can do it all, hitting for average, power, exhibiting speed and baserunning skills, as well as playing good defense, and having a good arm. Choo won’t be a Hall of Fame caliber player along the lines of five-toolers (in their prime) such as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey, Jr, Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez, but it is not a stretch to say he ranks up there with any other Indian player from the past or present.

Grady Sizemore was touted to be a five-tool player but his career average of .272 leaves him short. In addition, his appearance in the leadoff spot for most of his career hurt his power numbers.

Roberto Alomar should be elected to the Hall of Fame next year based on his seventeen year career, but, while hitting .300 in that career and stealing an average of 32 bases a year, he only averaged fourteen home runs per season. Defensively he was the best second baseman I ever saw.

Joe Carter had a great sixteen year career, averaging 29 homers, 107 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases, but only hit .259.  He did hit .302 with the Indians in 1986, but just anywhere from .243-.275 in his other five years on the lakefront.

Then you have go all the way back to Larry Doby to find another potential five-tooler.  Doby came up as an infielder in 1947, but quickly was converted to being a center fielder. Doby had big power numbers, hitting 20 or more home runs in eight seasons, and had six seasons with double-figure assists. But Doby only had a .283 career batting average, and his biggest stolen base seasons were 1948 and ’49 when he stole 9 and 10, respectively.

But Choo is on his way to a career with very respectable numbers in each of the five categories.  Last year he hit .300, with twenty homers and 21 stolen bases.  Going into last night’s game against Oakland, Choo was hitting .286, with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases.  He has one of the best arms in the game, although he needs to take a better path to balls hit into the gap, and has been known to drop a routine fly ball or two.

Although it will not be reflected in the attendance figures the rest of this season, Choo, Santana, LaPorta, and Asdrubal Cabrera, along with starters Fausto Carmona and Justin Masterson do represent hope for the future.  If Brantley can be the leadoff batter they hope he can be, the lineup has the potential to ‘be stretched out’ to present problems to the opposition.  And if the pitchers received in the Cliff Lee deal with Philadelphia can get here and can produce fairly soon, there might be something worth looking at in the next year or two.

How Come …

• David Stern’s dress code apparently only applied to the guys who were trying to convince the sweats and tee-clad player to accept multi-million dollar offers this week?

•Home town discounts don’t exist in the NBA?

•If LeBron doesn’t go to New Jersey, whose team is owned by a Russian businessman, they may change their name to the ‘Nyets’?

•If Red Auerbach had coached in Dallas, when victory was assured, he would light up a Cuban cigar?

Cavs feel good about meeting

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By Bob Finnan
RFinnan@News-Herald.com

And now the guessing game begins.

LeBron James, the most sought-after free agent in NBA history, has met with all six free-agent suitors. He left the IMG building on Saturday afternoon and will now sit back to make his decision.

Some think his verdict could come as early as Monday, but that might not be the case. But it probably won’t drag out to Tom Izzo-like proportions.

Many think James will sign a three-year deal with the Cavs. But the possibility remains that he could sign elsewhere for fewer dollars. Players rarely leave money on the table.

It certainly appears like he’s leaning toward returning to his hometown team. Of course, it appeared as if Brian Shaw was going to be hired as the Cavs coach just a few short days ago, too, before things broke down. It was at that time Byron Scott swooped in and took the job.

The possible deal-breaker for the Cavs could be the hiring of Scott on Thursday. He seems like a coach who would appeal to James on many different levels. The two-time MVP should flourish in Scott’s up-tempo style.

And he’s not alone. With apologies to Bruce Springsteen, Mo Williams, J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison are born to run.

“We just hired Byron Scott,” Cavs general manager Chris Grant said after their meeting with James. “He’s a proven winner as a player and a coach. We’re very excited about that.”

The Cavs certainly have a lot of work to do reshaping the roster in order to be a contender again. This team probably has one big move in it, and will be making trade offers for players like Chris Bosh and Chris Paul.

“We’ve done some amazing things in the last five years,” Grant said. “We’ve won a lot of games. We’ve gone deep into the playoffs. We’re not satisfied with anything we’re doing.

“We’ll continue to make improvements and make upgrades to our roster as we move forward. This is the time of year we’ll do those things.”

James capped off three days of high-level meeting on Saturday by talking to the Bulls and the Cavs.

The Cavs appealed to his apparent interest in staying in Northeast Ohio, where he’s lived his entire live. He’s also played all seven seasons with the Cavs.

The other five teams gave him reasons why he should leave. What James might have been looking for was a legitimate reason why he shouldn’t stay. Whether he heard that from one of the other teams is not known. James was more of a listener with the other teams and watched some of the elaborate power-point productions.

The Cavs brought owner Dan Gilbert, Assistant GM Lance Blanks, Grant and Scott to the meeting with James.

“We had a very good meeting with LeBron and his group,” Grant said. “It went well. We had a good time. It was fun. It was interactive.

“Obviously, we know LeBron well. I would characterize it as positive.”

Instead of going on an elaborate tour, which was the original plan, he chose to stay in Cleveland.

“We think it’s pretty incredible that LeBron chose to have these meetings in Cleveland, at his home,” Grant said. “We want to thank the fans for the unbelievable turnout and support from our city. I’m very proud of that.”

Scott said he’s learned a lot

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By Bob Finnan
RFinnan@News-Herald.com

CLEVELAND – When he first became New Jersey’s head coach in 2000, Byron Scott was a strict disciplinarian.

That could be one reason he clashed with ex-Nets point guard Jason Kidd.

Through the years, he’s learned from those mistakes. In his mind, has become a better coach. Evidently, the Cavaliers agree, as they signed him to a four-year contract late Thursday night.

“I came in with the Pat Riley attitude and at times we bumped heads,” he said. “I’ll be the first to admit a lot of that was my fault as well. You have to learn from your mistakes.”

He’s grown as a coach. Hopefully, it will help him with dealing with LeBron James, assuming he stays with the Cavs.

“I learned how to deal with those players and still be me,” Scott said. “I know how to push those buttons and to be able to produce on the basketball court and not lose myself in the process.

“I’m going to be who I am. I’ll be honest. I’ll be the first to kick them in the butt, and I’ll be the first to give them a hug.”

Talking head

After being fired nine games into the 2009-10 season in New Orleans, he became a television analyst with ESPN. He admits he liked it, but he wanted to return to his roots.

“I couldn’t lose a game (as an analyst),” Scott said. “I couldn’t get blamed for a loss. I did the second-guessing.

“But I had a burn in my belly. About a month after New Orleans let me go, I wanted to coach. It’s something I love doing. I have a gift.”

One of the characteristics the Cavs were looking for was a strong defensive coach. That doesn’t exactly describe Scott, but he said all the right things the day he was introduced to the media.

“I know defense wins championship,” Scott said. “That will be our focus. There will be nights the offense is not clicking. The effort and tenacity will give you a chance to win every night.”

He wants to run an up-tempo attack on offense. In the halfcourt, they’ll run the Princeton offense. It’s predicated on a lot of player and ball movement. But he runs some Triangle offense, too.

Pressey’s coming

Paul Pressey will be Scott’s lead assistant coach.

“He’s a great guy,” Scott said. “He played in this league and had a lot of success. I consider LeBron as a point forward. Pressey was a point forward at Milwaukee. Don Nelson coined that phrase because of the way he played the game.

“He’s a great communicator. He’s great with players. He’s a great workout guy. He’s very good at delivering a message on certain things. I have a lot of faith in him and confidence in him. He’ll be great here. The players will love him. He has a great sense of humor.”

Scott said he’ll talk to Chris Jent about being on the staff. Melvin Hunt said he hasn’t talked to anyone about remaining on staff. He’s under contract for this season.

The ringmaster

Scott was asked what the difference was between James and Kobe Bryant.

“Five rings,” he quipped.

“I don’t think there’s a big difference as far as talent is concerned. In fact, I think LeBron is more talented. Kobe was put in a great situation. LeBron is going to get there. I’m telling you, he’s going to win a championship. A few of them.”

Information for the NBA notebook was gathered by personal interviews and from other beat writers around the league. Finnan can be reached by e-mail at: RFinnan@News-Herald.com. Follow Finnan on Twitter at: bobcavsinsider.

Avon Lake’s stadium gets a makeover

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By COLIN WILSON
mjsportseditor@gmail.com

Four years ago, Avon Lake City Schools ran into a predicament as the fall sports season wound down.

The football team had a Mud Bowl type of game with Amherst on Friday night, and the girls soccer team had a home playoff game with Magnificat the following day.

The school had no choice but to move the game to Rocky River High School, essentially swinging the game’s home field advantage to the Blue Streaks because of elements out of its control.

The Shoregals won the game, clinching their first district title in school history, but that opened up a lot of eyes around the community, and athletic director Tom Barone knew something had to be done.

“That of course got a lot of people excited in a not-so-good way,” Barone said.

“It shined a brighter light on the fact that we needed to do something that a lot of communities around us have done.”

That being FieldTurf. The artificial surface popping up at college and high school stadiums all over the country.

The process wasn’t easy for Avon Lake. It started with a stadium committee which included Barone.

The committee worked night and day to raise money for stadium renovations, but was only able to come up with about $100,000. A large sum of money in most cases, but renovating a stadium is a very costly process.

The committee more or less disbanded after a while, and the money was used in part to replace the school’s track.

“They put a lot of time and energy and just got tired,” Barone didn’t give up on stadium renovations, though. And when the federal government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he knew there was a chance that the funds for a renovation could be made available.

With a total of $90.9 billion being made available nationally for education, Avon Lake’s school district could see more money than usual.

Known for being a educationally wealthy district and one that has little trouble passing levies when needed, state funding isn’t plentiful in Avon Lake.

“School districts like Avon Lake are thought of as ‘well off’ by the state. We don’t get a lot of state funding,” Barone said.

“Avon Lake doesn’t’ have a lot of opportunities to take advantage of financing like what the stimulus package was going to do for us.”

So that’s the pitch the school and the athletic department went with.

“We kind of presented it that way: If we’re ever going to do it, this would be the time to do it because we’re never going to see something like this again,” Barone said.

And in a $5.5 million bond issue that included a new bus garage, the school was allowed the funds to renovate its stadium.

What it includes

The bond issue was couple with the bus garage, and meant new FieldTurf, but it was a full renovation of the stadium, which meant adding seats, a new press box, new bathrooms, more ticket windows and a concessions building with additional restrooms on the visiting side.

Though its facilities were not necessarily ancient, they weren’t quite as modern as a school like Avon Lake might come to expect.

“It’s going to kind of get it up to date,” Barone said.

The additional seating was a big issue, as the bleacher capacity on the home side was driving some fans over to the visiting side while others chose to stand.

That shouldn’t be a problem any longer with a 4,500-seat capacity.

Locker rooms are another addition the Shoremen will enjoy on the home side. They will also accommodate larger teams visiting the stadium.

The additions will allow a proud program put another notch in its belt with the premier stadium in the area.

“It is beautiful, probably one of the best in Lorain County if not the best,” head football coach Dave Dlugosz said.

Who it benefits

There were 57 fall events that used the field at the stadium last year, and the five home football games being played there weren’t the only ones affected by a rainy fall season.

“I’m a big supporter of all our programs not just football and we just needed it,” Dlugosz said. “The last few falls we’ve had 57 events on our field in the fall and near the end, you couldn’t see the real quality of what our athletes were capable of doing. It’s going to be an asset for our whole entire community.”

The band, soccer teams, football team and all parties involved are happy with the changes. And restraints will be much fewer on who can practice when.

“We’re looking forward to being able to have our marching band march when they want to march and our soccer team play when they want to play and have our football team play in conditions that are better than three inches of mud,” Barone said.

Often times when FieldTurf is installed, football is the main focus from the outside perspective. But often times the soccer team is one of the biggest benefactors of having an all-weather surface.

“It’s better for soccer and the game,” Avon Lake girls soccer coach Kiko Lopez said. “You can’t hide the skill and the technical part of the game.”

Without the prospect of a muddy field, a soccer team does not have to worry about adjusting to conditions as much.

“We don’t have to worry about the mud any more,” Lopez said.

It will also allow the soccer programs to host more top notch competition than they have in the past.

“It means a lot. We can get tournaments there, state sanctioned tournaments,” Lopez said. “We can always get better teams to play us like Strongsville and Medina. They want to play people with good fields.”

Neighborly advice

Barone said he sought advice for the stadium renovation within his circle of local athletic directors.

Avon, Fairview, Rocky River and Bay all have installed artificial field surfaces and it’d be hard to find a single athletic director who doesn’t enjoy the benefits of the surface.

Erich Frombach, who is the athletic director at Avon, served in the same position at Amherst and experienced plenty of stress with grass football fields before Avon installed FieldTurf in 2007.

“I can remember there would be a Wednesday soccer game and have a downpour and you’d be thinking ahead to Friday and wonder how you were going to play a game on Friday,” Frombach said.

Both Barone and Dlugosz, though, said they were heavily influenced by their experiences at Don Paul Stadium in Fremont.

The Shoremen have made playoff trips to Fremont over the past few seasons and liked what they saw.

“You’re going to see some pretty big similarities with what Fremont did with their field,” Dlugosz said.

Community support

The city’s voters had a bond issue on the ballot already for more classrooms and the stadium renovations and bus garage construction were tied together on another.

Barone admitted that they weren’t sure they could pull it off, so when it did pass it was a relief.

“Fortunately for us, the community passed both bond issues,” Barone said. “Obviously the classroom one did a little better than the stadium one. The stadium one is going to be viewed a little differently.”

Though the renovations are meant to benefit everyone, Avon Lake’s tenacious football support base certainly played a role in passing the bond.

“Football especially on Friday night in Avon Lake is a big deal. The success of our program helps as well,” Barone said. “Since our community is so supportive, they have been here and they know that things needed to be done here and the timing was right for it.”

Dlugosz isn’t surprised by the support, but the lifetime Avon Lake resident has never been short on admiration for his community.

“The biggest thing is that we are extremely appreciative of the community,” Dlugosz said. “Bond issues are extremely difficult to pass in this economic time.”

Arguments and rebuttals

When The Morning Journal asked for reader reaction on Facebook, it got plenty. Among the dissenting was Connie Bockwich, who said, “maybe use all those dollars for EDUCATION?”

To which Ken Kayle responded, “I believe Avon Lake carries a reputation for Excellence in Education, that more school districts in this area need to use as their model.”

Avon Lake is typically thought of as a great school district. And since it was put on a bond issue, the money was already designated for the stadium renovation, which was a more up front way of asking voters what they wanted out of their money.

“The people of Avon Lake voiced their approval for the issue,” Jim Brady said via Facebook. “Education is the least of our worries in Avon Lake.”

The biggest downside to the FieldTurf surface is injury rate.

According to an NFL study, the rate of Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries was 88 percent higher on FieldTurf.

Bob Doering commented, “Sure, if they don’t have to pay for the additional injuries,” regarding the school’s willingnes to write a big check for FieldTurf now if it saved money in the future.

FieldTurf’s rebuttal on ESPN.com on June 19 was confident, though.

FieldTurf spokesman Chip Namias told the Web site “The people who run NFL teams are ultra conscientious, and there’s a very good reason why 21 of the 32 member clubs use FieldTurf.”

The study has not yet been peer reviewed nor published, Namias said.

Postseason impact

One of the big effects the artificial turf will have on the Shoremen is that postseason games will be able to take place on their field.

In football it means that the team will be eligible for a first-round home game if it’s on the top half of the bracket.

“Part of the asset to the community is when we start hosting playoff games,” Dlugosz said. “Just not for what it does for Avon Lake High School but what it does for the businesses.”

Meaning that most teams travel well for playoff games, and the town will have hundreds of consumers inside its borders that normally won’t visit Avon Lake.

“It gives us an opportunity for people to see Avon Lake and what we have to offer,” Barone said. “It keeps our reputation out there as a good school district and maybe even a place where people might want to come or even live.”

By the numbers

$5.5 million — The bond amount that Avon Lake voters passed in November for stadium renovations and a bus garage.

4,500 — The approximate amount of seats available at Avon Lake after the bleacher renovation.

32 — The number of rolls of turf needed to resurface the playing field.

4 — The number of years it took to get FieldTurf installed after the initial movement.

Section 113 is full of devotion

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

Their group includes a man who was ready to buy tickets before the Lake Erie Crushers even had a sales staff and a woman who didn’t even like baseball.

It wasn’t forced but rather grew organically.

They are the Super Fans of section 113.

And the embodiment of a dream that Crushers general manager Ryan Gates had before the team was formed.

“It is about more than baseball. It is about community. It is about the social aspect and the relationships that you make,” Gates said.

“It is about being out here with your family, co-workers, business associates, church group, Boy Scout group, Girl Scout group, it is so many things to so many people out here. I am just so glad what I preached a year and half ago has truly happened at All Pro Freight Stadium.”

The season ticket holders of 113 have become a part of the Crushers family.

“They really have,” Gates said. “The fact we are designating one section says it right there. They stand alone. They are Super Fans. I think every ballpark has them. They are unique no matter where they go but it is that group that is putting together their own t-shirts. They know the guys on the team, and the guys on the team know them. That is an important aspect of it as well. There is that personal connection that goes both ways.”

The Super Fans were part of a group that travelled to Missouri for the fifth and deciding game of the Frontier League Championship last year.

“We filled a bus with 75 people to take a 10-hour bus ride to St. Louis for a championship game,” Gates said. “That in itself is amazing, but even more amazing is they did so in 24 hours. It wasn’t that we had a week to plan. We were down 2-0 came back and won two at home and all these people who work and have jobs dropped what they were doing for two days to come cheer the Crushers on to a championship. That says something special right there.”

None of the Super Fans ever imagined at the start of last season they would get on a bus to follow the team.

The group so bonded together over the Crushers that they met four times in the off-season just to keep that special feeling alive.

“We actually had four different parties in the off-season just to keep in touch,” Mike Chapman said.

Many members of the group were drawn to the Crushers because of a frustration with major league sports.

“I worked five years for the Indians, but they are plain boring now,” Howard Baker said. “This is just plain more fun because these players aren’t playing for cash. They are playing because they love the game.”

At All Pro Freight Stadium nearly every seat is within 50 feet of the field, and the players aren’t
millionaires the common fan can’t relate to; they are young players out playing for the love of the game.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that the food and beer prices are a fraction of what they cost at Progressive Field.

“The best part about coming here is it is affordable,” Eric Baker said. “These guys are killing themselves for the game. The players for the most part are really friendly guys. You get to know them and they almost become a part of your extended family. It was heart-breaking to see some of the guys go and some of the new guys are kind of fun to talk to and hang out with.”

Bob French was on board as soon as the Crushers were announced.

“I like college ball and everything else,” French said. “Professional ball doesn’t seem to relate to the fans like they do here. They will talk to anybody. They will sign anything you have. They are just a great bunch of kids.”

French however had to convince his wife, Jane, who wasn’t a baseball fan. He wasn’t sure how often Jane would come with him.

“I was surprised she only missed four games last year,” Bob French said.

Jane French fell in love with the team almost instantly.

“All these young kids are so exciting,” she said. “They are a pleasure to watch. They are so friendly and loving. I feel like I am a grandma to all of them.”

The players return the affection.

“It is almost our adopted families for the summer,” said second baseman Drew Saylor. “They are always with us – win, lose or draw; whether you win 4-0 or lose 0-4. They are tremendous caring people and I’ll do anything for them.”

Jerry Oliver was the one calling for tickets before the Crushers were ready to sell them. He said he doesn’t go to the Indians games but he was sure the Crushers would be fun. He wasn’t disappointed.

“It is a beautiful park,” Oliver said. “The people who work here are great, friendly. It is just family orientated. You don’t run into trouble. There is no trouble here whatsoever.”

Attendance was slow at the start of last year’s inaugural season. Winning helped, but Gates knew that the atmosphere would win people over.

“I always say what we can control happens in foul territory and that’s the promotions, that’s the giveaways, that is the atmosphere. We are trying to create every fan as a super fan,” Gates said. “The Super Fans in 113 is truly a special group. My whole goal is to have people come out here and experience it once because I am confident they will want to come back a second time and hopefully from there it continues to build.”

Locals still have love for local gridiron

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By CORY SCHUETT
coryschuett@gmail.com

After the lights are shut off for good on Friday and Saturday nights, the vast majority of high school and college football players cease being athletes and become regular members of society.

Despite the fact that a tiny percentage of athletes play competitive, organized sports into their mid-20s, the Lake Erie Panthers offer such an opportunity.

The Panthers, in their first year of existence, are a minor league football team dedicated to creating a highly competitive, professional atmosphere along with providing a positive influence in the area.

“Obviously first thing with any team is that you want to win,” head coach and team co-owner George O’Hamill said, “but we want to give our young men a chance to play football and something constructive to do.”

The Panthers play in the Heartland Football League, which consists of 24 teams located throughout Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Last year, the HFL entered its inaugural season with 10 teams.

Athletes have to be at least 18 years old and graduated from high school. There is no age limit for the league. Most players are in their mid-to-late 20s, and two are in their 40s. All of them pay to play.

“We all get along really well,” said defensive lineman James Hamilton, who graduated from Southview in 2001. “We all share our love for football, so we have that in common. You don’t know how much you miss the game until you stop playing.”

Playing their home games at Fairview High School, the Panthers are the only minor or amateur football team on Cleveland’s West Side. O’Hamill and his coaching staff have combined for over 300 wins at the high school, college and minor league level.

The team is 0-5 with losses to the Northeast Ohio Disciples (Warren), the North Coast Vikings (Eastlake), the Lake Erie Invaders (Perry), the Mansfield Marauders and the Lima Warriors.
With two practices a week, Panthers look to keep improving.

“We are a first-year team, so they are learning to play together,” O’Hamill said. “We’re taking some of those first-year lumps, but we are becoming more and more competitive each week.”

A main objective of the team is to help support the community. In the past months, the Panthers have assisted with fundraisers and youth football camps.

“It’s great to be able to help out using the game of football,” Hamilton said. “It’s a good experience for everybody.”

Financial problems doom many small sports organizations, and the HFL has been set up to try to avoid them. Power is divided among the teams, which name spokespeople to vote on issues. The league’s Web site lists all its financial information for anybody to look up.

“The league is run the right way,” O’Hamill said. “The rules are set up so there’s no one person who runs anything. It’s all the owners. Everything is upfront.”

Players took look out for are linebackers Delmar Cunningham (North Ridgeville) and Lee Frank (Elyria). Defensive end Charles Smith and linebacker John Levoy played collegiately at LSU and Akron, respectively.

Wide receivers Joe Reaves (Marshall) Boobie Parker (Elyria) and quarterbacks Scott Phillips (Ohio State) and Fred Peters (Glenville) lead the offense.

“We have a very exciting offense, and our defense plays pretty solid,” O’Hamill. “It’s an exciting brand of football. It’s family oriented and some pretty good, cheap entertainment.”

The next game for the Panthers will be on Saturday against the Stark County Thunder. The team will be honoring military veterans for the game with an ID and a part of their uniform or medals.

Bonk’s Cafe pioneers of Lorain baseball

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By STEVE WALKER
swalker.mj@gmail.com

The 1950’s have often been called “The Golden Age” of sandlot baseball in Lorain and the pioneers of that era was Lorain’s first ever state champions — Bonk’s Café, who had great success.

Bonk’s, made up of 17 and 18-year olds, won two Lorain City Class “C” championships, and a state championship, while also playing in two National Tournaments in 1951 — under the name Pulaski’s — and 1952. The state championship won in 1952 put Lorain on the map.

“Small town America, Lorain, Ohio, most of the players had never left town other than going to these tournaments out of town, which was a period of growing up for us,” Jim Yurman said. “It was a time in our life to see if this type of baseball would be a stepping stone to the minor leagues for some of us. It was a great door opener. I enjoyed it immensely. I would do it again.”

The team was put together by the former Lorain Chief of Police Frank “Hawks” Pawlak, and managed by Joe Godlewski. They combined to win 56 wins and suffered just eight losses. They were ranked No. 2 in the state of Ohio by the NABF in 1951, earning them a selection to play in their first National Tournament, against teams from Georgia, Tennessee and several other states.

There were a lot of followers of the team with U.S. Steel on strike that summer. In June, 12,000 employees went on strike for eight weeks and used local baseball games as their entertainment. The games were mostly played at Oakwood Park, the old City Field, Ehrart Field in Elyria and drew about 300-400 fans a game.

“I remember that Bonk’s Café team,” said Mike Trbovich, who was inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. “There were good backers, because all through the war years, you had nothing to do, but play ball all summer long. All through the war years, you couldn’t get appliances, you couldn’t get automobiles, refrigerators, washing machines, and so forth. There was a great interest in baseball, because there wasn’t much else to do.

“There were a lot of good athletes, mostly coming out of Lorain High. Your interest was sports back then. I played three sports in high school — baseball, basketball and I was on the track team.”

On Aug. 15, 1952 Bonk’s Café advanced to the state championship game in Toledo, with a win over heavily-favored Dayton, 3-2 in extra innings. Dayton had three bus loads of fans and were expected to play that evening in the championship. Bonk’s Café made sure that wouldn’t happen.
Bonk’s Café, who many expected them to be on their way back to Lorain, then came back that same hot night and played a powerhouse team from Canton-Timken, who they hammered 17-2 under the lights to claim Lorain’s first ever state championship.

“They told me ‘Jim Yurman, you’re pitching the night game’,” Yurman said. “I had a great game. We won the game, won the state tournament … We came back (to Lorain) late that night, because Leo Bonk didn’t want to spend any more money for overnight stay. He didn’t think that we would win the tournament. We drove right back to Lorain. In those days, they didn’t have the freeway. It was two-lane Lake Road from Toledo to Lorain. There were no freeways.”

Bonk’s exploded in the state championship game with 17 hits, led by Bob Armstrong, Yogi Berens and Tom Johnson, who had three hits apiece. Yurman just missed a shutout and struck out 13 batters in the seven-inning game.

The championship then earned them one of seven invites to the Junior ABC World Series in Niles, Michigan. They went 2-2 and placed sixth in the National Tournament. The invitees in the tournament were the sole survivors of more than 350 teams from the Midwest.

“It meant a lot to us,” Bonk’s Café co-captain and second baseman Skip Witkowski said. “It was great to win the state championship. The biggest thrill we got was being picked out of 350 teams to qualify and play in the Junior World ABC Tournament in Niles, Michigan. Going down there and playing in front of some nice crowds, it was awesome.

“Most of us players stayed together since high school and we played some pretty good teams. One of our biggest rivalry was Galion, who would shut the town down to watch us play.”

Soon after, Del Bastock, Tom Johnson, Steve Matesick, Bill Mihalik, Dick Ridenour, Doug Swartz and Yurman signed minor league contracts, while others became members of the Class “A” team of Lorain Nation Tube and Ed Molnar’s Ed’s Indians.

“It didn’t hit us until it was all over,” Yurman said. “It was an important game, but all the games were important as kids you want to win each game.”

One of the Yurman’s biggest memories was the practices they held at Oakwood Park and the old City Field, now known as Pawlak Park.

“Practices with all the guys was the best,” Yurman said. “I loved Oakwood Park, I lived at Oakwood Park … I even stayed after practice to pitch batting practice. I loved being part of something we never realized, at the time, was so special.”

Witkowski also remembers those practices.

“(Coach Pawlak) really worked us hard,” Witkowski said. “Maybe that’s how we became better ball players.”

Baseball has been very special to Lorain County for many years and according to Trbovich, it stems back even farther.

“It truly started in the late 20’s, South Lorain had the most talented athletes in the city of Lorain,” Trbovich said. “Those kids were hard-nosed kids who played. They were meat and potatoes kids. You never saw tougher kids. A lot of these guys went on to play pro ball, but only played one or two years. What happened? There was a great depression in the nation. People were in bread lines, begging for a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread. You could make $65 a month playing minor league baseball compared to making $140-$150 a week working the steel mill.”

Trbovich, who was a three-sport star at Lorain High, attended a Chicago White Sox tryout camp and was the only one extended a contract out of 102 players. After a year of minor league ball, Trbovich decided to attend Bowling Green to further his education. While in college, he played for a Toledo sponsored team that went on to win the Ohio AAU Championship. He then was offered a scouting job by the San Francisco Giants, where he scouted for 13 years before shifting to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last 35 years. His most notable recommendations and signings have been Orel Hershiser, Steve Stone and Bob Brenly.

Several memebers of the team have passed away. Bob Armstrong, Nick Dugovich, Dave Glaser, Dan Jones, George Reichlin, Dick Ridenour and Steve Perkovich are deceased. Yurman, Bastock, Berens, Tom Johnson, Gordon Kachur, John Lachowyn, Steve Matesick, Bill Mihalik, Bo Richards, Doug Swartz, Bob Tomanek, George Van Neil, John Witkowski, Bob Zelina and John Zwald round out the Bonk’s Cafe roster.

Sports round table with MJ beat writers

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

Morning Journal beat writers Bob Finnan, Jim Ingraham, Jeff Schudel and David S. Glasier discuss the hot topics surrounding the Cavaliers, Browns and Indians.

CAVALIERS

QUESTION: If you were Dan Gilbert, what would be your sales pitch to keep LeBron in Cleveland?
FINNAN: Gilbert has to convince James that all these other teams might be attractive, but they all have problems and holes, too. It’s more of a known vs. the unknown. Gilbert will say this is still the best option for James.

INGRAHAM: I would emphasize the three biggest advantages the Cavaliers have in signing him: 1. He was born and raised and still lives here; 2. If, as LeBron has said, winning is what’s most important to him, there is no team in the league he could sign with that has won more regular season games the last two years than the Cavs; and 3. The Cavs have shown they are willing to spend whatever it takes to surround him with a championship-caliber roster. I’d also mention to him that nothing he, as a hometown boy, could do at any future point in his career would ever be able to match bringing a championship to his hometown, which hasn’t won one in anything over 40 years.

SCHUDEL: If I’m Dan Gilbert trying to persuade LeBron James to stay in Cleveland I quote Joshua Cribbs: “LeBron will be a fantastic, talented athlete wherever he plays, but he can be the King only be in Cleveland.” Gilbert doesn’t have to tell James he can make more money in Cleveland than elsewhere. He already knows that. He should tell James the Cavs have done everything they could to find a supporting cast to make help him earn a championship as proof they will continue to do so if he stays.

GLASIER: For the moment, forget about money. You’ve made plenty of it already and you’ll make a lot more before your playing career is over. This is about your legacy and not burning bridges. I forced out Danny Ferry because he had plenty of time to build a team around you and didn’t get the job done. Chris Grant is a smart guy, too. Help us attract another free-agent superstar, and I’ll pay top dollar to the both of you. There is no place like home. And, last but not least, I can give one more year and $30 million more than any other owner.

Q: If he leaves, your prediction as to where he ends up?

FINNAN: I thought going into this process, New York would be the most serious threat. The Knicks have fallen by the wayside. The Bulls are the most serious threat now. They have the most attractive roster that boast star power.

INGRAHAM: Chicago. Because the Bulls have the best nucleus of players already in place, including a completmentary superstar in Derrick Rose. To go anywhere else would be strictly because of the money, not because of having a better chance to win, which would go against everything he has said is important to him.

GLASIER: If he walks away from NE Ohio, he can play in Timbuktu for all I care.

SCHUDEL: If James leaves I think he’ll end up in Miami, unless the Cavs do a sign and trade. I don’t think he’ll go to Chicago because he won’t match Michael Jordan’s six titles. He doesn’t want to be second to Jordan in the same city. James could go to the Nets, but not the Knicks. The New York media would rip him if every played a playoff game there like he did in Game 5 vs. the Celtics.

Q: If LeBron stays, do you anticipate an overhaul of the roster?

FINNAN: I’m hearing that Shaq won’t be back, but I’m not ruling it out. He played with new coach Byron Scott for a year with the Lakers. They are supposedly good friends. It could happen. Conventional wisdom is that they’ll use Shaq in a sign-and-trade. The Cavs might have one big move in them this summer. They will take a shot at Chris Bosh and Chris Paul.

INGRAHAM: I don’t know that they need a roster overhaul. The overhaul will be in the head coach. A new one, which I think will make a huge, and very positive, difference. Watching James’ body language in the last playoff game vs. Boston he looked to me like a player that was disgusted with the way the team was being run, from a strategic standpoint. For example, Mike Brown refused to let the Cavs become a running team, even though they had the two most important elements in place to be a team that fast breaks: good rebounders, and the best finisher in the game. I think the new coach will bring a new approach to how the Cavs play offensively, which , by the way, would be another strong selling point I would make to James for staying in Cleveland.

GLASIER: Shaq is washed up. So is Z. Cut ties to both of those guys and Delonte West. I have an ominous feeling about West and the direction of his life. There won’r be a whoesale overhaul of the roster whether LBJ stays or leaves.

SCHUDEL: The roster will be tweaked if James stays, but to improve the team dramatically would take some creative management of the NBA’s ridiculously “soft” salary cap, which is impossible to understand if you do not work in or cover the NBA. I think there is an exemption if you have one player with red hair and another that has a pet iguana, but I’m not sure. The Cavs should move on without Shaq. He will be even slower in the playoffs next year and would wear down before the Cavs got to the Finals. If they don’t get to the Finals he isn’t much use to them.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how tired are you of hearing about the LeBron sweepstakes and why?

FINNAN: Well, it’s been dominating my life for some time now. Let’s say it ranks up there with Bo Derek.

INGRAHAM: I’m as tired as you can be of hearing about it, but I also understand why it’s all LeBron/all the time. This is an unprecedented situation, where the greatest player in the game, maybe ever, is debating whether or not he will change teams. That decision will impact the league as a whole, and almost every team in the league, either directly or indirectly. And if the decision is to leave Cleveland, it could potentially be a knockout punch to the Cavaliers’ franchise for years to come, because they would go from being one of the elite teams in the league to total irrelevancy.

GLASIER: 100. No basketball player is this important.

SCHUDEL: I grew weary of the LeBron rumors by June 15 because nothing could happen for 16 more days, but now that he is finally a free agent it is an exciting time. In the meantime Bob Finnan and his competitors were obligated to write stories when there was no news to report.

Q: Byron Scott is the Cavs next coach, and brings more experience than Brian Shaw. Good decision picking Scott over Shaw and why?

FINNAN: It’s a move that James might wholeheartedly endorse. The Cavs are going to transform into a running team. They might want to keep Mo Williams in that offense because he could thrive.

INGRAHAM: Yes. I like Scott over Shaw because Scott has previous head coaching experience. Hiring Shaw would have been a repeat of the hiring of Mike Brown, who also had never been a head coach before. That didn’t work. It was time to hire a coach who actually has a track record and a resume of success.

SCHUDEL: I like Byron Scott as the Cavs coach. He was successful with the Nets, although he did not win a championship. A coach with prior head coaching experience can deal with James and the egos in the Cavs locker room. The Cavs need a head coach that runs the team rather than a team that runs the head coach.

INDIANS
Q: Any reason for optimism in the second half for this mostly sorry bunch of ballplayers?

INGRAHAM: From a team standpoint there is no reason for optimism. This is a bad team and it will remain a bad team for the rest of the season. The only question mark is how bad they will be, and how high will their first round draft pick be? The second half will be an extended, glorified spring training in which the Indians will try to develop and evaluate as many young players as they can, while trying to trade as many of the veterans as they can. I think it will be fun to watch the continued emergence of Carlos Santana into a star, who could someday win a batting title and/or MVP Award. It will be interesting to see if Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley, once he’s recalled, will become good enough players to prevent the Sabathia trade from being labeled a total failure. And we’ll see if they can acquire any players of value for some of the veterans they may wind up trading.

FINNAN: Not really. They need to get Michael Brantley up here.

GLASIER: There are some mediocre players on this roster, but there also are some interesting young players who could have bright futures. Given the length of a major-league season, I alway opt for optimism over fatalism.

SCHUDEL: The Indians are coming of a five-game winning streak and might have a couple more streaks in them. Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana could use 2010 as a summer of on the job training.

Q: Who’s the Indians All-Star representative and why?

INGARHAM: Choo will be their All-Star. He’s been their best all-around player in the first half, and there really aren’t any other candidates. Had Santana been on the roster all season, as he should have been, he would have been their all-star.

FINNAN: I would think it would be Choo. Why? They have to have one representative.

GLASIER: Shin-Soo Choo, hands down. He’s been the best, most consistent everyday guy.

SCHUDEL: Shin-Soo Choo should represent the Indians in the All-Star game. He is hitting .285 (as of Thursday night) with 13 home runs, 43 RBI and 48 runs scored. His numbers would be better if he had better players around him.

Q: Players the Indians should try to trade and which should they keep to build around?

INGRAHAM: They should, and I’m sure they are trying to, trade Wood, Kearns, Peralta, and Westbrook. All of them are in the last years of their contract, and all of them are too expensive for the Indians to keep. They wouldn’t have much trouble plugging younger, and cheaper, players into those roster spots next year. Let’s face it, the Indians won’t be contenders again until 2012 at the earliest, more likely 2013. Even if they decided to keep Westbrook they probably wouldn’t give him more than a two-year deal, which means he’d be gone before they got good again. I think it’s time for them to quit trying to rebuild AND win games at the same time. They need to commit fully to their younger players.

FINNAN: Austin Kearns, Jhonny Peralta and Jake Westbrook are the most likely to go in my mind.

GLASIER: Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood could bring some promising young players into the fold.

SCHUDEL: Maybe the Indians could get prospects for Jhonny Peralta, Jake Westbrook or Kerry Wood. The prospect of being traded to a contender before the deadline seems to have inspired Wood of late. Choo will be 28 later this month. The Indians could build around him, Santana and LaPorta. Grady Sizemore is in limbo given his injury situation and inevitable free-agent status.

BROWNS

Q: Scenario No. 1: LeBron leaves, Indians continue their downward spiral. Could the Browns, with Mike Holmgren the top man, become the most stable sports franchise in town?

SCHUDEL: The Browns are heading toward stability. Eric Mangini should keep his job if they win eight or nine games. Of course, they could crash if Jake Delhomme plays like he did last year when he threw eight touchdown passes and 18 interceptions with Carolina, and then you can flush stability down the commode. I’m still not convinced Jerome Harrison is a star just because he rushed for 561 yards in the last three games last season. Again, it will all come down to Delhomme. The Browns did not make dramatic improvements on offense in the draft, with the possible exception of running back Montario Hardesty. He looks like the real deal in shorts, but he has to stay healthy.

INGRAHAM: If LeBron leaves, the Cavs become a non-entity. The Indians are in the early stages of a total roster rebuild, so you can forget about them for the next couple years. By default, then, the Browns, should LeBron leave, instantly become the most interesting team in town. Their biggest problem since their return to the NFL was a total lack of credibility. They have that now with Holmgren. They still don’t have a lot of talent, but at least we know they finally have a man in charge who knows talent and how to build a football team. They aren’t any closer to making the playoffs than the Indians, but at least they should be more interesting to watch. Let’s face it, if LeBron leaves, Cleveland as a sports town becomes one of the bleakest outposts in the country.

GLASIER: Fans are so blindly devoted to the Browns, I believe LeBron’s actions will have no bearing on their continued if mystifying love affair with the Browns.

FINNAN: You could make a case for that. The hiring of Holmgren was solid. He immediately brought stability to the franchise. The team is being run by someone who knows what they’re doing. I couldn’t say that for quite some time.

Q: Scenario No. 2: Browns open the season 2-0 after wins over Tampa Bay and Kansas City? Buying your playoff tickets then?

SCHUDEL: Playoff tickets? No, but a 2-0 start would sure beat the way last year started – a 34-20 loss to Minnesota followed by a 27-6 loss in Denver and a 34-3 loss in Baltimore. If the Browns take that path against Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Baltimore, and Delhomme gets benched in favor of Seneca Wallace as Brady Quinn was benched last year in favor of Derek Anderson fans will mutiny.

FINNAN: They are not yet a playoff team. But they could win 7 or 8 games.

INGRAHAM: No. Tampa Bay and Kansas City might be the only teams in the league WORSE than the Browns. If the Browns don’t win those two games, they are even farther away from respectability than we thought.

GLASIER: Uh, no. Talk to me in late October. The Browns will be better this season. How much better, we won’t know until them. As for the playoffs, that is a bridge too far at this point.

Cleveland loves its fireworks … me, not so much

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By JIM INGRAHAM
jingraham@MorningJournal.com

Full disclosure: I am not a big fireworks fan. Not even on the Fourth of July.
Not because I’m unpatriotic. I’m just unfireworks.

The big bang does nothing for me. Giant, cascading ribbons of spiraling, flaming, colors?
Yawn!

A thunderous cacophony of booming boomers booming high and deep into the night with boomerific bombasity?

How about if I go pull the car around?

Flaming, shrieking missiles rocketing skyward and igniting into exploding fireballs that rattle large buildings and illuminate 38 states and half of Canada?

Hey, I’m going to the concession stand. You want anything?

Call me a party pooper. A deadbeat. A bump on the log. But fireworks are everything I’m not. Loud. Showy. Dangerous.

Maybe that’s why I’ve never been a big fan. For my money if you’ve seen one ka-boom you’ve seen ‘em all.

Unfortunately for me I live in a metropolitan area in which fireworks are not just enjoyed by the masses, they are worshiped.

You want to draw a crowd in Cleveland? Shoot off some fireworks.

You want to draw an even bigger crowd? Announce beforehand that you intend to shoot off some fireworks, and then shoot them off.

You want to draw the biggest crowd? Announce beforehand that you intend to shoot off some fireworks, and that you intend to keep shooting them off until they become so loud that people’s brains will start squirting out of their ears.

Then you’ve got yourself a party.

Cleveland sports fans are so maniacal about their love of fireworks that the Cavaliers found a way to shoot them off INDOORS.

I’m no fire marshal, but is that even legal?

The Browns have been known to lob celebratory explosives into the air on occasion and to call it a show. But no Cleveland sports team does the big bang with a bigger bang than the Indians.

Fireworks and baseball are made for each other.

Baseball, of course, is the only sport that publicly admits – it’s boring “and now everybody, let’s get up and stretch!” – so maybe the fireworks are baseball’s way of saying, “We may have put you to sleep so far, but wait until you get a load of this.”

The Indians’ fireworks shows have, through the years, evolved from sporadic shows on selected holidays to regularly scheduled and promoted shows following every Friday night home game.

The first fireworks show after a major league game is believed to have taken place after the very first major league night game – at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on May 24, 1935.

The promotion never really caught on in the sport until the 1960s. For a time during that decade after every Friday night home game the Indians would have a fireworks show and they would give away a car.
Bill Veeck, perhaps the sport’s most energetic and creative showman, had fireworks shows at Comiskey Park, following White Sox games. And many other teams would have periodic fireworks shows during the baseball season, usually pegged to certain holidays, the Fourth of July being the most common and obvious one.

It didn’t take long for the teams to realize, particularly the team in Cleveland, that the crowds on the fireworks nights tended to be bigger than on non-fireworks nights.

The San Diego Padres once did a study that examined 50 factors that impacted attendance at major league games, and the conclusion was that the biggest factor of all was fireworks.

Fireworks not only typically attract larger crowds to baseball games, but they keep them there. Since the fireworks shows come after the games, the fans are less likely to leave before the end of the game.
Keeping them at the game, obviously, also increases the chances of them buying more food and souvenirs while they are there.

The Indians have done studies on how much the fireworks shows increase attendance, and, not surprisingly, it’s a significant increase.

Last year, for example, the Indians had 13 fireworks’ nights, and the average attendance on those nights was 27,968. The average attendance on non-fireworks nights was 20,784. That’s an average increase of 7,184 on big bang nights over non-big bang nights.

The people have spoken and what they have told the Indians is that the noisier the home games, the better. They like their fireworks in Cleveland, Ok?

Although those particular nights are promoted as having “post-game fireworks,” I’ve always thought, given Cleveland’s insatiable appetite for them, that a more accurate labeling would be to call the event a “pre-fireworks game.”

Because on those nights the star of the show isn’t baseball. The star of the show is pyrotechnics, which for a bad baseball team is the ultimate diversionary tactic.

You don’t like the team? Fine. Come see the boom-booms.

You’re not a big fan of the game of baseball? No problem. We’ve got man-made explosions coming up after the game. Stick around.

I guess what we’ve learned through the evolution of fireworks in this country, and particularly in this city, is that noise sells.

Even when baseball doesn’t.