Duff they did spend some money this off season and it shows . they are leading the league in homers . they lowered there concession prices to the lowest in the league .i read that somewhere . i get fans not liking the Dolans but this year they tried and still no support ? . that makes no sense to me .you don't boycott the owner . when you do the team itself suffers . that makes Cleveland fans no better than Bengal fans who hate Mike Brown and don't go the Bengal games and they have a very go0d football team . I wish we had the Bengal roster . this group of players deserve better IMHO .
i have a two game winning streak ..break up Bluez Batz ..i need to get Irish this week .he is having to much fun here . I want the water logged baseball trophy to add to my collection .
The Morning Kickoff ? Don?t forget about him: The Browns? offense this year should be left mostly in the hands of Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson, Josh Gordon and Greg Little. Possibly three-fifths of the starting offensive line also was laid in place by former GM Tom Heckert. But don?t forget about that other Heckert draft pick from 2011 ? Jordan Cameron. Perhaps more than any returning player, the basketball player-turned-tight end stands to benefit from the change in coaches and offensive systems. Head coach Rob Chudzinski, a former college tight end and Browns tight ends coach, and coordinator Norv Turner, intend to develop Cameron into the next tight end to make plays, not just catches. Chudzinski?s tight end prodigies in nine NFL seasons as a position coach and coordinator include Kellen Winslow Jr. (Cleveland), Antonio Gates (San Diego) and Greg Olsen (Carolina). Turner?s in 28 NFL years include Jay Novacek (Dallas), Vernon Davis in his rookie year (San Francisco) and Gates (San Diego). ?This is an offense that has featured tight ends and tight ends have always been a big part of it,? Chudzinski said of Cameron. ?He has the skill set that fits.? It?s time: Cameron attended Brigham Young on a basketball scholarship, then transferred to USC to try football as a wide receiver. That didn?t go well for two seasons. Finally moved to tight end his last college year, Cameron caught all of 16 passes. Heckert took a flier in the fourth round on the 6-4, 245-pound Cameron after he excelled at the NFL combine. Cameron placed in the top three of all the major drills among a not-so-great tight end class in 2011. Based on college production, Heckert probably overdrafted Cameron, but he felt justified because of the presence of Ben Watson and Alex Smith. With the Browns, Cameron sat behind the savvy veterans for two years and learned. ?On and off the field they were great examples for me,? Cameron said. After CEO Joe Banner let Watson and Smith leave in free agency, Cameron assumed the No. 1 tight end spot by default. Banner liked that Cameron had a moderate cap number of $674,350 ? only the 27th-highest on the roster. Even after the Browns added two more tight ends in free agency ? Gary Barnidge and Kellen Davis ? Cameron entered the camp season as the clear favorite to be the next in the Chudzinski-Turner lineage. Add the name of Jon Embree here, too. The Browns? new tight ends coach tutored Tony Gonzalez in Kansas City and Chris Cooley and Fred Davis in Washington. All of which makes this year a huge career opportunity for Cameron. ?Yeah,? he affirmed at the veteran minicamp last month. ?This year, with this opportunity, with these tight ends, and the way they use us in the offense, it?s going to be a big year. It?s a pretty exciting time. I?m ready for the opportunity.? Typically, for him, Chudzinski is understating his hopes for Cameron. ?Well he?s not ready right now,? he said. ?It?s a learning process right now and he has to keep progressing, but we feel good about him and where he is at right now.? The Browns reinforced their faith in Cameron by ignoring the tight end position in the draft. Actions always speak louder than words. Thoughts on Heckert: Shut out from a spate of vacant GM jobs filled by young up-and-comers, the former Browns GM reportedly will be named director of pro personnel for the Denver Broncos. That?s a great landing spot for Heckert ? just like San Francisco was for Phil Dawson and Colt McCoy. Like San Francisco in the NFC, Denver will be a preseason favorite to reach the Super Bowl from the AFC. Heckert?s Browns contract, which has two years to go, will be offset by what the Broncos pay him for a position two notches below that of general manager. It?s a great way for Heckert to keep in the mix for the next round of GM jobs in 2014 and beyond. Heckert left the current Browns? management team a young roster unencumbered by tangled, exorbitant contracts. Besides the integral offensive players mentioned at the top of this column ? which should also include right tackle Mitchell Schwartz -- Heckert brought in defensive players Joe Haden, Phil Taylor, Billy Winn and John Hughes. If the Browns make any headway in the next three years, remember that the foundation was laid by Heckert.
I was at the Tribe game Saturday, and I was wondering why the place was less than half full....It's not good. Beautiful weather. An exciting, young, hard hitting baseball team....and yet, where the hell are the fans? If everybody is just assuming that Detroit is going to walk away with the division, they are wrong. The Indians aren't going away....We have a better bullpen. We play better defense. And right now, we've got the hottest bats in the league.....Granted, the weather was horrible in April. I sure hope the fans start showing up now that summer is approaching. It's a shame that this team has such poor attendance. They deserve better. It's an exciting team to watch... That blast Reynolds hit last night was just epic. Loved the glare he gave the Oakland pitcher that dusted him in his first at bat....Classic stuff. GO TRIBE!
Thoughts on Heckert: Shut out from a spate of vacant GM jobs filled by young up-and-comers, the former Browns GM reportedly will be named director of pro personnel for the Denver Broncos. That?s a great landing spot for Heckert ? just like San Francisco was for Phil Dawson and Colt McCoy. Like San Francisco in the NFC, Denver will be a preseason favorite to reach the Super Bowl from the AFC. Heckert?s Browns contract, which has two years to go, will be offset by what the Broncos pay him for a position two notches below that of general manager. It?s a great way for Heckert to keep in the mix for the next round of GM jobs in 2014 and beyond. Heckert left the current Browns? management team a young roster unencumbered by tangled, exorbitant contracts. Besides the integral offensive players mentioned at the top of this column ? which should also include right tackle Mitchell Schwartz -- Heckert brought in defensive players Joe Haden, Phil Taylor, Billy Winn and John Hughes. If the Browns make any headway in the next three years, remember that the foundation was laid by Heckert.
I took the family to the Red Sox game on a Thursday. McCallister was going against Lester. It was in the mid 70's. The only time Boston comes here but there was only 8,000 people there. It was in April but man. Being 37 now I can remember standing room only at the Jake. I also remember 5,000 at the stadium. So I've seen both ends of it. I still go to about 5 games a year. But I think the fans are just tired of Dolan. Crap or get off the pot. They could give away hotdogs and fans still wouldn't go. Besides that them sugar dale hotdogs are terrible. At least mine were. LOL. I played baseball at CCC. So I'm a baseball fan anyway. If the Indians keep winning I still don't know if fans will go. Yes its reasonable cost wise but you have to compete. They cant be out of it after May. They say winning cures all ill's. I like the daily line-up but I'm only so-so on the starting rotation. I like the bullpen. I also think that Bauer has nothing to prove in AAA. Every magazine this year said the kid is a top 10 prospect. Something we haven't had since Sabathia. I say let him pitch in the big league's. I know he walks a lot of batters but he doesn't give up a lot of hits. He'll keep you in the ball game. With our hitter's and bullpen that's all you can ask for. Pitching and defense will in you championships. Look at the 90's teams. A lot of hitting but no true #1. if the Indians can find that #1 they will be tough to beat. Maybe that's Bauer. Plus I have him on my FBB team. Him and Santana.
When was the last time a MLB team led the entire league in home runs, and yet was dead last in attendance? It's baffling....I doubt that that's ever happened.
I think you hit the nail on the head L.E. Els. If the Tribe keeps winning, the fans will show up. And then Dolans will have to continue putting money in the team to keep them a winner for more than just this year. A good bit of spending and some lower priced concessions doesn't make Dolans sincere. If they're out of it by the trade deadline, will he once again trade off some of his best talent yet again? What'd we get for trading off 2 Cy Young winners, again? I think it was a half a bag of chips, some used-up or never-will-be talent, a pre-chewed stick of gum, and a losing lotto scratcher. I'll believe Dolans means it when I see more proof. In the mean time, good seats are easy to come by.
I could probably find you some perennially bad team who hit 5-6 home runs on opening day with forecasted rain/snow so nobody showed up, but we have one SAS enough already
lol! I don't even know if SAS likes baseball.....but I could definately see him sifting through those stats to find the power hitting team that got no love....thats funny.
WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) -- Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam addressed the crowd at the Northeast Ohio chapter of the National Football Foundation's annual scholar-athlete dinner on Tuesday night. He addressed the media, too, but he didn't take questions because of the ongoing FBI investigation into Haslam's company, Pilot/Flying J. The comments were Haslam's first in Cleveland since the FBI and IRS used warrants to enter Pilot/Flying J headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 15. "I apologize to the city of Cleveland, Northeastern Ohio and all Browns fans because the last thing we ever wanted to do as a new owner was detract from football and the Browns and just what a great football area this is," Haslam said. "So, I apologize for that. We feel badly about it and we're very comfortable we'll work through this situation. I did want to say that publicly." Haslam said he did not address the situation while in Berea for the draft two weeks ago because he did not want to detract from the Browns and the draft. He expressed regret to all potentially affected by any illegal activity that may have occured and vowed to repay -- with interest -- any amount that was unlawfully kept. Haslam expressed confidence in his own people and re-outlined the steps the company has vowed to take to clean things up. "I've been out calling on trucking companies, first of all apologizing and second of all asking for a second chance," Haslam said. "Because like I said, this is not how we act, not how we treat people and we're going to begin to rebuild our reputation. We understand it will take a long time to do, but hey, we're big boys. We've been in business 54 years and I hope we're in business another 54 years, candidly." As for the business of the Browns, he addressed that, too -- and again without taking questions. He seemed sensitive to criticism of the Browns draft but excited by what he's hearing from those in the building. While addressing the crowd he called new Browns coach Rob Chudzinski "one of the bright young minds in pro football" and said he likes the attacking style that both coordinators, Norv Turner and Ray Horton, plan to employ. "I went to practice the other day," Haslam said, "and we're not throwing 3-yard dinks." Decide for yourself whether that was a shot at ex-head coach Pat Shurmur or not. Here's what else Haslam said about the Browns and their football business... **"I think we'll have a better football team this year, as I've said on several occasions. We're going to do this the right way. It's not going to happen overnight. You don't go from winning 14 games in three years to winning 14 games in one year. But we will have a better team this year and we'll be better in 2014. I think Joe (Banner) articulated it very well after the draft. here's no throwing this year away. I think it's very important we have a good team. We've put together a really coaching staff. The intensity in the building, several players have remarked to me that the intensity in the weightroom and on the practice field is definitely amped up and the result of that will be a better football team." **"I'm very excited about the guys we picked up. I'm going home (to Knoxville) tonight. I'm going to be calling on trucking companies for the next couple days, then I'll be back up here for practice. We'll have everybody here (for rookie minicamp) Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm real excited about our schedule as I remarked in there. I think we have a great home schedule opening up with the Dolphins at home and having a Thursday night national TV game which I don't think has happened in Cleveland since '09. It will be great for our fans." **"I had the privilege of sitting in the draft room Thursday night, Friday night and all day Saturday. There were periods where it's really boring but there are periods where it's really interesting. I had the opportunity to watch Ray (Farmer) and Mike (Lombardi) and Rob and Joe (Banner) interact, and I know there have been some comments that maybe it's not great teamwork but I've never seen four people work together in a positive manner better than those guys did. It was great to see it. And it wasn't all agreeement. There was a lot of disagreement, a lot of conversation going back and forth. I'm very excited about the draft we had. I think people forget we got Davone Bess, who I think is a hell of a player and the kind of player that makes a big difference -- the kind of guy who knows how to get first downs on third down." **During his address to the crowd he said, "?I think we had a good offseason, and if you look at the teams that have been good in the NFL for the past few years ?you?re talking about the Giants, the Ravens, the 49ers, the Steelers, etc., ? all of them begin with those guys up front on defense. I think that was already a pretty good part of our team, and I think when you add in Paul Kruger, you add in Desmond Bryant, you add in Quentin Groves, and then our No. 1 draft pick who you?re going to love in KeKe Mingo, who'?s not only a great player but a great guy. I think we?ve got some real studs up front."
I went to practice the other day," Haslam said, "and we're not throwing 3-yard dinks." Decide for yourself whether that was a shot at ex-head coach Pat Shurmur or not.
For a team with lots of question marks, it's kind of ironic that they were littered everywhere throughout that article.... ...and yes.....that was absolutely a shot at Pat Shurmur. and a well deserved one.
The Morning Kickoff ? Brother, can you spare a B?: According to Forbes, there are now a record 1,428 billionaires in the world. Which isn?t a lot, considering the current estimate of 7 billion people on this planet. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam ranks 831st on the most recent Forbes list of world billionaires. His net worth of $1.8 billion ties him with 36 others. Haslam?s inclusion on this exclusive list is the result of his truck-stop and diesel fuel company, Pilot Flying J, doubling in size since 2008. Haslam, a Knoxville, TN, good ole boy, is running in the same circles with, among others, world bankers, a European cable TV scion, a Russian real estate developer, a Chinese plastic pipe manufacturer, a Peruvian miner of copper and tin and gold, a Canadian homebuilder, a Brazilian cosmetics king, a Malaysian timber tycoon and the creator of Slim-Fast. Also in the $1.8 Billion Net Worth Club are, coincidentally, two other NFL team owners ? Steve Bisciotti of the Baltimore Ravens and Bob McNair of the Houston Texans. They happen to be among the top 10 best team owners in the NFL, in my opinion. When I think of the perfect owner of the Browns, a combination of Bisciotti and McNair would be fairly ideal. Bisciotti is young, vibrant, passionate, demanding. McNair is well-reasoned, involved, patient yet not overly so, and ever conscious and sensitive of doing the right thing for his team and community ? a master of public relations without being manipulative. And their teams are first-class operations. Bisciotti just celebrated his second Super Bowl championship since bailing out Art Modell?s financially bungled franchise in 2000. McNair?s expansion organization was born three years after the new Browns in 2002. McNair has developed the NFL?s 32nd franchise into a relevant AFC contender with legitimate Super Bowl expectations. We need Haslam to do that in Cleveland as Browns owner. For if that would happen, if Haslam could resuscitate the moribund Browns into a dynamic NFL player, the whole Northeast Ohio region would explode economically. No other team owner in town has that potential. Why? Simply because it?s a football town, region, state. And that will not change. The FBI probe: For Haslam to realize his potential as Browns owner, he has to be proved innocent. Yes, in this country you are innocent until proved guilty. But in the court of public opinion, unfortunately, the opposite is true. And Haslam has suffered some substantial losses in credibility, trust and confidence. The FBI probe into charges of defrauding smaller trucking companies of thousands of dollars -- in some cases, millions -- in promised rebate payments reeks of corporate greed and white-collar crime. The callous disregard of human decency described in a damning, 120-page FBI affidavit that contained secretly tape-recorded conversations of high-level sales executives is galling. Haslam addressed the ?embarrassing? allegations with reporters Tuesday night after a six-minute speech at the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation's 25th annual scholar-athlete banquet in Westlake. As he has done two other times in Knoxville since the unsealing of the FBI affidavit on April 18, Haslam declined to answer questions. ?It was really sickening to me,? Haslam said of the contents of the affidavit. ?? The apparent behavior of some of our sales people, behavior that's not characteristic of how the 20,000 employees of PFJ act and behave towards anyone. We don't talk that way. We don?t act that way.? While the ominous FBI investigation has reverted back to secrecy, a half-dozen civil lawsuits have added to Haslam?s crises. The civil suits present potentially severe financial damages. Haslam?s company can buy its way out of the lawsuits, through restitution and the payment of any future fines or penalties. There also will be exorbitant legal costs, as Haslam has hired a team of the finest and most expensive lawyers. These costs should not be minimized. The financial livelihood of Pilot Flying J is the single biggest determinant of whether Haslam survives as Browns owner. As embarrassed as it may be that one of its club owner?s companies is federally accused of white-collar crime, the NFL won?t revoke Haslam?s ownership of the Browns ? unless he proves incapable of financing it. In 1999, the league essentially ordered Modell, a former beloved league kingpin, to find a buyer for the Ravens because Modell was near bankruptcy and couldn?t finance the team any longer. As much as the NFL liked Haslam as a person, the most attractive thing about him was his net worth. If that plummets as a result of this scandal, the NFL will turn on him as if he were a running back with two broken knees. Haslam has been consumed with repairing his company?s obliterated reputation since the incriminating affidavit was unsealed. At the onset, Haslam said the alleged fraudulent rebate program under investigation represented an ?insignificant? number of Pilot Flying J?s 3,300 trucking customers. On Tuesday, he said he has talked ?to literally 250 to 300 trucking companies in the last three weeks? and has written ?several checks? to correct underpayments. Haslam also has instituted sweeping changes to his company, including suspending ?several members of our sales team? and appointing an independent investigator to report to his company?s board of directors. Through the ordeal, Haslam has unflinchingly projected personal innocence of wrongdoing, abject disgust that some rogue employees would cheat customers, and steely determination to restore his company?s once-lofty reputation. ?We're going to begin to rebuild our reputation and we understand that it's going to take a long time to do,? Haslam said. ?But, we are big boys, we've been in this business for 54 years and I hope we are in business another 54 years, candidly.? What about the Browns?: Until now, all of Haslam?s pronouncements have addressed his company?s and his family?s influential standing in the Tennessee community. On Tuesday, he turned his apologies to Cleveland. ?I apologize to the city of Cleveland, Northeastern Ohio and all Browns fans because the last thing we ever wanted to do as a new owner was to detract from football and the Browns and just what a great football area this is,? Haslam said. ?I apologize for that, we feel badly about it, and we're very comfortable that we'll work through this situation.? Haslam then delivered a positive speech about the highly-criticized draft completed by his new management team and talked excitedly about the coming season. ?I think we'll have a better football team this year,? Haslam concluded. ?As I've said on several occasions, we're going to do this the right way. It's not going to happen overnight. You don't go from winning 14 games in three years to winning 14 games in one year. ?I?m convinced we will have a better team this year and we'll be better in 2014. I think Joe (Banner, CEO) articulated it very well after the draft. We stand very accountable for what happens this year and we are not at all throwing this year away. I think it's very important. I think we?ll have a good team. ?I think we've put together a really good coaching staff. Several of the players have remarked to me that the intensity in the building, in the weight room and on the practice field is definitely amped up and I think that will result in a better football team.? I was never more excited for the Browns? future than when Haslam burst onto the scene in August. Cleveland needs Haslam to prevail in this federal case and be completely exonerated. There are only so many Bisciottis and McNairs on the world billionaire list.
he would have screwed that up as well . shoot himself in the foot or something or maybe used a " short round " that would have missed the target . IMHO the reason Weeds had so many batted balls was that Shurmur ran so many three yard crossing patterns teams knew what was comming and just put there hands up .
