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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the month “September, 2012”

17 Sep 2012

Innovation reshaping the landscape of Northeast Ohio

We generally don’t delve into non-sports related topics here, but since we love Cleveland this is one time that it is warrented.

Sunday’s Plain Dealer had an article about how private companies in the area have attracted nearly $1 billion in investment capital over the last five years, in large part because of the growth of cutting-edge science and technology start-ups in the region. According to the article, Cleveland-area businesses attracted $961 million from venture capitalists between 2007 and 2011 – a 26 percent increase over the previous five-year period. In addition the region had a 133 percent increase in the number of investments in area companies.

We’ve known about the growth in the region for a couple of years, thanks to our day job where we’ve had the opportunity to talk with Baiju Shah, CEO and founder of BioEnterprise, a group that works to form, recruit and accelerate the growth of bioscience companies in the region; John Dearborn, president of JumpStart, a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization that works to increase the economic impact and sustainability of Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem; and Dr. Lorry Wagner, president of the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, which is working on a wind turbine farm in Lake Erie.

(Now if we could just get some of the innovation going at Progressive Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium and Quicken Loans Arena, we may be on to something).

These stories are important because too often all we hear is doom and gloom about the economic outlook of Northeast Ohio. Yes, manufacturing jobs are not what they once were, which is unfortunate, but there are still a lot of good things going on in the region – don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If you are a Cleveland fan and want to let other people know there is more going on here than the downtown casino, share the stories and let people know.

It’s Cleveland, after all, what’s not to like?

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17 Sep 2012

Browns come up short on the road vs. Cincinnati

It was a day of big plays and big mistakes as the Cleveland Browns took on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

In the end, however, the Browns made a few too many mistakes to overcome and lost to the Bengals, 34-27, to fall to 0-2 on the season. It was the Browns fourth consecutive loss to the Bengals and the 13th time in the last 16 meetings they have dropped the game to Cincinnati.

For the rest of the story, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo by The Associated Press)

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16 Sep 2012

Browns vs. Bengals – Week 2

The winless Cleveland Browns travel to Cincinnati today to take on the winless Bengals in the 78th meeting of the so-called Battle of Ohio.

While much has been made of the fact that the Browns are 1-12 in opening games since 1999, they have actually been respectable in Week 2, going 6-7 in the same span – with four of those six wins coming against the Bengals. However, the Bengals have won three in a row in the series and six of the last seven meetings.

For the full preview of today’s game, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com)

 

Posted in Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns, NFL, Trent Richardson and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
13 Sep 2012

Tribe wants Ubaldo to focus on the here and now

The Cleveland Indians, desperate for any kind of starting pitching, are doing what they can to try and boost Ubaldo Jimenez’s confidence as another disappointing season winds its way down.

Rather than focus on the big picture – one that reveals Jimenez as a 1-9 pitcher with an ERA of 7.13 since the All-Star break – the team is working on a more micro level, trying to get the right-hander to focus on the fact that he has struck out an average of 9.31 batters per nine innings since Aug. 9. He has also improved his strikeout-to-walk rate, which is 3.08 since Aug. 9, quite an improvement over the 1.29 mark he had prior to that date.

Read more…

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12 Sep 2012

James Haslam steps down as CEO of Pilot Flying J

James Haslam III – incoming owner of the Cleveland Browns – stepped down from his position Tuesday as CEO of Pilot Flying J, the company his father built into a nationwide series of truck stops.

Haslam, who has been CEO of the company since 1994, will now take on the role of chairman, with PepsiCo President John Compton taking over as Pilot’s CEO, according to knoxvillebiz.com.

And in newsrooms and on bar stools all across Cleveland, people started reading the tea leaves because this has to mean SOMETHING.

Perhaps Haslam is out shopping for bubble wrap and duct tape to help team president Mike Holmgren pack up, as people have been insisting for weeks now that Holmgren is packing up his office, even as we speak.

Or he could be shadowing coach Pat Shurmur, attending every meeting and press conference with Shurmur. Reports after Sunday’s game had Haslam sitting in the back of the room during Shurmur’s press conference, perfecting the knot on a noose (we may have made that last part up).

Or maybe he’s doing what we’ve been told he would do all along – listen, observe and learn about the Browns operation in particular and the NFL in general. The last thing he needs to do is start making changes just to mollify the hoople heads. We’ve had enough of that over the years from this team.

As fans, shouldn’t that be what we want?

(Photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer)

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12 Sep 2012

Where does Trent Richardson’s debut rank in Browns history?

It is certainly not a stretch to say that rookie running back Trent Richardson struggled on Sunday in his NFL debut for the Cleveland Browns.

The numbers speak for themselves: 19 carries for 39 yards and a long gain of just nine yards. Richardson looked like a running back who hadn’t taken a real snap in a game since the BCS Championship game in January, and certainly nothing like the running back the Browns and their fans expected when the team drafted him third overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Richardson’s long day brought up a rough comparison to another Browns running back taken in the first round of the draft. According to Cold Hard Football Facts, Richardson’s 2.1 yards per carry was the lowest average for the first running back selected in the draft who was making his NFL debut since – William Green in 2002.

To find out how Richardson ranks with other Browns running backs, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)

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10 Sep 2012
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Ranking the rookie quarterbacks – Week 1 edition

Sunday was a historical day in the National Football League as five rookie quarterbacks made their pro debuts.

Washington’s Robert Griffin III was the only one who came out on the winning side as the Redskins beat New Orleans, 40-32. Of the other four, Andrew Luck of the Colts and Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins both lost by 20, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks lost by four and, of course, Brandon Weeden and the Cleveland Browns went home with a one-point loss to Philadelphia.

As these five quarterbacks – four of whom were taken in the first round of the draft (with Wilson being the outlier) – will be linked together for not only this season but also their careers, let’s do a weekly ranking to see where each stands within their group. Read more…

Posted in Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
10 Sep 2012

New season, same results as Browns fall to Eagles

The final result was one that many (most?) Cleveland Browns fans expected.

It was the journey to that result that was a surprise.

The Browns dropped the opening game of the 2012 NFL season to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, 17-16, the franchise’s 13th loss in 14 Week 1 games dating back to 1999.

Hit up The Cleveland Fan for the rest of the sorted tale.

(Photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer)

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09 Sep 2012

Browns vs. Eagles – Week 1

It’s finally here.

The Cleveland Browns open the 2012 NFL season today at home against Philadelphia, a team that the Browns saw just a few weeks ago in the preseason.

The baby Browns are set to begin what is sure to be another “interesting” season of football with 15 rookies and 11 second-year players on the roster. How quickly a majority of those players get up to speed and how well they play will go a long way toward determining if the Browns are finally on the right track.

For a full preview of today’s game, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

Cleveland forever.

(Photo courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com)

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07 Sep 2012

2012 Cleveland Browns Preview: Time to Get ‘Er Done

The collected works of Friday Night Lights is some of the best work ever done on the culture surrounding high school football.

From Buzz Bissinger’s book, to the movie version that turned us into a Peter Berg fan, to the television show that produced some of the best work on TV for five seasons, there truly is a lot to like if you are a football fan.

Even though it deals with high school football deep in the heart of Texas, Friday Night Lights offers several lessons and themes that are transferable to the professional game, especially as it concerns the Cleveland Browns.

To find out what those are, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com)

Posted in AFC North, Cleveland Browns, Friday Night Lights and tagged , | Leave a comment

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