Red Right 88

In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the tag “Cleveland”

20 Dec 2014

Michael Stanley transports audience back in time

michael stanleyOn Friday night we and the missus joined some friends for a concert at the Rocksino in Northfield featuring Michael Stanley and the Resonators along with Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.

This was our first visit to the venue since they added gaming to the old Northfield Park harness track and it was … interesting. When you first walk in the door it sounds and smells exactly like a casino. (Anyone who has ever been to Las Vegas knows what we mean.)

Things get a bit disorienting, however, as you weave your way through a sea of seemingly endless slot machines, complete with people slumped over and staring vacantly at the colorful video screens, because you never come across a sports book or any gaming tables.

Once we entered the concert area things took a turn for the better. The venue is big enough that you feel like you are at an event, but small enough that you have the experience of being at an intimate event.

Read more…

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07 Jun 2014

Q&A with Chris Morris from American Outlaws Cleveland

AO ClevelandThe American Outlaws are a group of dedicated supporters of the U.S. Men’s National Team. The group’s mission is to “unite and strengthen” a group of fans who are described as “loud, passionate, organized and dedicated.”

The organization was established in 2007 in Nebraska to bring fans together to watch matches and travel to games. They adopted the name American Outlaws because they saw themselves as outliers in a sports landscape in America that focused more on American football, baseball and other sports.

Since then, the organization has grown to include 135 chapters across the country.

Chris Morris is president of the Cleveland chapter and he was gracious enough to sit down for a virtual Q&A about the chapter and the prospects of the U.S. team this summer at the World Cup in Brazil.

Head on over to World Soccer Talk for the rest of the story.

(Photo courtesy of American Outlaws Cleveland chapter)

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29 Mar 2014

Four the hard way

anniversary 4Today marks the four-year anniversary of the launch of our site.

As a lifelong Cleveland fan, we knew what we were getting into when we decided to get the voices out of our head and put them down on (virtual) paper. But even by the standards of Cleveland sports, it’s been an interesting four years.

Consider that since we made our maiden post:

  • The Browns have gone 18-46 (a .281 winning percentage), are on their fourth head coach and fourth front office combination, and have had seven different starting quarterbacks.
  • The Cavs are 90-210 and counting (a .300 winning percentage), have had three coaches (counting Mike Brown twice) and just as many general managers, had an NBA record 26-game losing streak, and have yet to post a winning record despite drafting four players in the top four of the NBA Draft – two of which were the No. 1 overall pick.
  • The Indians have gone 309-339 while employing two different managers. The Tribe is the only team of the three to have a winning season and a playoff appearance – which they promptly lost.

More than just wins and losses, though, is the fact that writing has made us enjoy sports even more. Having an outlet to vent after the never-ending losses and personnel moves has helped us learn to not carry around another dismal performance by the local sports teams. We’ve also tried to develop a different perspective on what – and most importantly why – the Browns, Indians and Cavs are doing what they are doing.

A big part of how we have been able to do that is through the people we have met – either in person or in the online world – since we started the site (if the analytics are to be believed, we’ve had visitors from 154 different countries). We’ve been fortunate enough to meet some cool people (you know who you are) and our interactions with everyone has opened up our thinking and helped redefine, in a good way, how we look at sports.

And for that we say “thanks!”

So what’s next?

The Indians open up the season next week and will try and build on last season’s 92-win team that finished the season strong and made the playoffs. The Cavs are heading into the “most important off-season” since, well, the last one. And the Browns have (yet another) new coach and (yet another) new front office and the annual hope of the NFL Draft.

In other words, just another year in the life of a Cleveland sports fan.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians and tagged | Leave a comment
14 May 2013

Blondes vs. Brunettes unite to help battle Alzheimer’s

teamimg_blondesThe second annual Blondes vs. Brunettes flag football game will take place on June 15 at 2 p.m. at Cleveland State University’s Krenzler Field.

The event helps raise money to benefit the care, support and research by the Alzheimer’s Association, with last year’s inaugural Cleveland game raising $41,253. Nationally, the organization has raised more than $1.5 million since it started in 2005 with events held in the spring, summer and fall with the support of local chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The flag football game works to draw a younger generation into the fight against the disease, which affects an estimated 56,000 people in Northeast Ohio.

Candice Vlcek of Cleveland will be appearing in her second Cleveland Blondes vs. Brunettes game in June and she was kind enough to sit down for a virtual Q&A about the event.

Read more…

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13 Apr 2013

He’s one Tough Mudder

steve tough mudderThe Tough Mudder is a 12-13 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test a participant’s all-around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie.

The worldwide event was founded by Will Dean, a former counter-terrorism agent for the British government. While working on his master’s degree at Harvard, Dean created Tough Mudder because he was looking for a challenge that marathons, triathlons and other adventure runs did not offer.

Started in 2010 with just three races, there were 35 Tough Mudders held in 2012. The event has seen more than 700,000 people participate in a course that features anywhere from 25 to 30 obstacles, ranging from the Artic Enema, to the Ball Shrinker, Dirty Ballerina, Electric Eel and the Turd’s Nest, just to name a few. According to the group’s website, it is “the premier adventure challenge series in the world.”

The group has also raised more than $5 million for the Wounded Warrior Project by offering a discount off the registration fee for any participant who pledges to raise $150.

Steve Roush, a 47-year-old from North Canton, will run in his second Tough Mudder when the event comes to the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport on April 27-28.

To see what Steve has to say about the experience of being a Tough Mudder, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

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03 Apr 2013

It’s not how you start life, but what you do with it, that counts

candace klein wraTaking a rare break from the sports world to share a story that everyone should read.

In our day job we recently had the opportunity to cover a talk by Candace Klein, founder of Bad Girl Ventures and current CEO of SoMoLend. The two companies alone are impressive as they are dedicated to helping female business owners find funding and training for their start-up companies.

Since 2010 Bad Girl Ventures, with offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and soon to have one in Akron, has received more than 400 applicants, educated more than 250 businesses, financed 26 female entrepreneurs with $700,000 and helped create more than 150 jobs statewide.

Read more…

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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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