Cleveland Sports Chatter

[POJO_Risin]

Wedge does have a year left...and I don't think we'll be seeing a minor league guy...

it would be a massive mistake...although I could see the fucking Dolan's fucking trying to save money...

If they do anything short of not molesting Boston for Farrell, I think they'll get lambasted for whomever they pick...

Now...I could see them going with Hargrove for a year...if Farrell can't get out of his contract...then moving over as a bench coach...

I don't know...we'll see...

[POJO_Risin]

Shaq waits a day...then weighs in...knows his place on the team...

Still...will be a good deflection for LeBron in this season's run at the title.

"He's a vital part to this team," center Shaquille O'Neal said. "I watched him play last year and he's a fabulous player. We're all in this together, so we support him and stick by him."

[Va Beach VH Fan]

My son and I went to the Q over last holidays when the Cavs played the Heat...

Nice arena, typical is probably a better term....

[POJO_Risin]

It's not as typical as you would think...the outside of the building was built to fit within the confines of the Jake...er...Prog...and the local architecture...in particular...the Tower Center...

While I agree that the inside of the building is rather typical for this sort of arena (although bigger than most)...the outside architecture was made to fit within the city-scape...

Not the glass encased idiocies that are being built elsewhere...that arena in KC for example...that look out of place within the city it was built...

Love the Gund...er...Q...

Great place for a concert as well...and love the connection via the walkway from the Tower Center...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I wasn't in the city for more than 10 minutes outside of the game itself, so I'll take your word for the rest of it...

[twonabomber]

fits within the cityscape, and it's not on an exactly "square" block.

i was working downtown when both the Jake and the Gund were being built, it was pretty cool to watch them come up from just a hole in the ground.

i kind of miss the old Coliseum. Gund donated it to the parks system and they tore it down and filled in the hole. get off 271 at 303 and at the end of the ramp all you'll see is a field, it grew over in a couple years. offramp hasn't changed, the lights may flash now instead of doin' the green/red cycle. center court from the old Cavs floor used to hang in the bar at the Gund, not sure if it's still there or not.

[POJO_Risin]

Man twona...I haven't been out that way in years...

Lots of good memories there though...

One of my favorites...driving out during Dr. J's last season...in the middle of a snowstorm...dad driving...wanting to go back home...but he kept going because this punk of a kid had to see his idol play.

At that game, which didn't have many fans show up, we were sitting right behind the Sixers bench. Pre-game, Leon Wood for the Sixers hit about 10 shots from his seat on the bench...sitting...in a row...amazing stuff...

I got this punk young'n's autograph...still have it...named Charles Barkley...

and I watched some idiot rookie name Harper not clear out on Doc's last drive, and stole the ball from him...

I miss the Coliseum because I saw more games out there than I have at the Gund...and for much of the same reasons that I miss Muni...

[POJO_Risin]

Man twona...I haven't been out that way in years...

Lots of good memories there though...

One of my favorites...driving out during Dr. J's last season...in the middle of a snowstorm...dad driving...wanting to go back home...but he kept going because this punk of a kid had to see his idol play.

At that game, which didn't have many fans show up, we were sitting right behind the Sixers bench. Pre-game, Leon Wood for the Sixers hit about 10 shots from his seat on the bench...sitting...in a row...amazing stuff...

I got this punk young'n's autograph...still have it...named Charles Barkley...

and I watched some idiot rookie name Harper not clear out on Doc's last drive, and stole the ball from him...

I miss the Coliseum because I saw more games out there than I have at the Gund...and for much of the same reasons that I miss Muni...

[twonabomber]

most of my Coliseum memories were concerts. did go to a few games there, my friend was going to Kent and we'd run up 303 on a Friday night and buy tickets at the door. then i'd have to beat it back to Lake County to be home in time for the girlfriend to come home from work, if i went to a game without her i'd hear about it. like i didn't spend enough money on that hole.

Muni was always good for buying a cheap ticket and sitting in the lower bowl. my friend (same KSU guy) bought ONE season ticket for the last season at Muni (thinking he was going to be in line for tickets at the new park), i'd buy a cheap ticket, then we'd go to the fan relations window and trade 'em in for two together, and they were ALWAYS better seats. got to take a tour of the dugout, clubhouse, batting cage under the bleachers, and press box that year too.

Bat Day at Muni, mostly on a Sunday, likely a doubleheader. they'd lose the first game, start to lose the second, and you'd leave early and listen to the game on the way home. you could hear the kids bangin' the bats on the top of the press box on the radio broadcast. still have that bat, it's a Rick Manning.

went to a Browns/Oilers game maybe in '82, there was a bad call or something and a bunch of people started throwing stuff on the field, mostly rolls of TP.

went to the last Monday night game at the old place, couple weeks before Modell announced the move. some guy pulled up a private parking spot sign, concrete ball and all...fucker's walking up E 9th St with the sign slung over his shoulder. he passes by a mounted unit cop, cop says nothing.

i got two of the Stadium bricks when they put 'em up for sale, it was AutoRama weekend at the convention center and they were selling the bricks for $10 each in the parking garage.

so far the best at the Gund/Jake was being at a Lumberjacks game while the Tribe was in the postseason. there were probably 150 people in the lower bowl at the game...including the hockey teams...you could hear the guys talkin' shit to each other. we had club seats and sat in the arena club that overlooks the plaza and into the Jake, you can see the whole infield from there. Tribe/Boston maybe? we're watching the game on the TV's in the bar, and kind of across the plaza at the same time, gettin' fuckin' HAMMERED on $7 Crooked River Arena Drafts. game's in extra innings, Tribe finally wins, people are streaming out of the Jake into the plaza and we're standing in the bar pounding on the glass and yelling, celebrating along with 'em. maybe another thousand people had tickets for the hockey game and showed up for the rest of it.

oh, yeah, Avon Lake is 2-3, 1-1 in the division. Ignatius is 5-0.

[POJO_Risin]

I have a bunch of bats...A Manning blue bat...a Charlie Spikes Red...and my all time favorite...a Buddy Bell Red...

We had season tickets to Indians and Browns games...I stopped going to Browns games with my Dad in 1980...never stopped going to Tribe games...

Of course, after nearly 20 years of season tickets, didn't get them for the new stadium...too expensive...then had to deal with the nimrods who never went to games...buying up all the tickets.

God...that still pisses me off. I got in a fight after getting free tickets in the club section during the playoffs in '05 when this fucking idiot in front of me was reading a fucking Isaac Asimov book...

Drunk POJO and nearly the entire row had the great idea of chucking him over the rail...

decided on the book instead...in several pieces...

Still have a page of it somewhere...

[damngoodtimes]

poj, that's awesome. threw his book over the railing. fuckin' douchebag.

I had a Ted Cox bat. my favorite Stadium memory would have to be not a specific game, but rather a specific sound. it's burned into my brain and triggers all those youthful memories.

typical night at the Stadium, maybe 8000 people there. but you could all spread out, so every one of the 8000 had a seat open on either side of them. Tribe's got a rally going, maybe Duane Kuiper on second, Andre Thornton coming to the plate. John Adams is out there all by himself banging that fuckin' drum. and everybody takes a seat in each hand. so, you've got 16,000 of those old stadium wooden seats banging on the steel frame. and that shit just echoes throughout the cavernous old lady by the lake.

I can still smell that fuckin' place when I think of that..

[POJO_Risin]

We always sat on the third base side...after standing next to the Tribe dugout getting autographs. I remember one game back in '79...this kid for Oakland comes up and starts talking to me...says, "Hey kid, want a baseball...I'll sign it for you." He walks to the dugout and someone tosses him a ball. He walks over to me and signs it and hands it to me. Talks to my Dad for a good bit of time to. Then starts getting other A's to sign it for him...

I end up with a ball that has Mike Norris, Steve McCatty and Tony Armas autographs...and this kid...who literally went out of his way to talk to us.

Who was the kid?

Ricky Henderson...

and he was nothing like the enigma that played all those years...

Man...those doubleheaders...and how many times I went to see the Yankees play in front of 60,000+...and near sell outs on opening day...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

My memories of both of those places is REAL sketchy, goes back to the mid-70's...

We were taken to Memorial in the '76 season I think, because Frank Robinson was player/manager.....

And our recreation group went on a trip to the Coliseum around that same time... The only thing I remember is Bingo Smith....

[damngoodtimes]

Bingo was great. my first real Cavs memories are yelling Bin-GO! at the TV when he'd make a jumper back in the mid to late 70's.

loved the Coliseum. of course, I lived in the suburbs. I'd just jump on 303 west thru the bustlin' burg of Pennisula. lots of great games there. I was there for Jordan's career high of 69 in an OT game, probably '89 or '90.

[POJO_Risin]

Joe Tait yelling Bing-OOOOOOOOO.....

Yeah...my first memories were very clear...

every Cavs game on the radio...living room of the house...big record player/stereo on...

Joe Tait blazing...

Classic...

I used to set up two clothes baskets on either side of the room (pre-nerf of course) and act out the games...

Austin Carr, Jim Brewer...

Campy Russell, Foots Walker, Jim Chones...

Walt Frazier, Mike Mitchell...

It seems like freakin' yesterday...