Impending Death of the Cleveland Sub-Forum

[Joe Stoker]

As many are calling for the death of the Cleveland Sub-Forum, may I offer Last Rites.

As the penultimate example of no thing is a sure thing, and, if anything can go wrong, it will... especially in Cleveland, this thing was cursed from Day One. And Viking64 must be psychic. He chastised my criticisms of Bert Wolstein, noting that the man would die soon enough, and, what do you know, he did.

We have not heard a word from either Force GM Paul Garafolo, Bert's soccerwise accomplice in the MLS/SSS venture, nor from Wolstein's Heritage development corporation regarding what next here. And it's been a while.

In the meantime, MLS has managed to manufacture a plan for Seattle for 2005. Vergara apparently still has the league behind an 8-ball in their desire for him to commit somewhere before Christmas, and next they'll probably find coffins if they dig deep enough at the Paetek site. :eek:

When it's all said & done here, we've still got PDL and W-League at Byers. and the Force indoors at the Convo.

And as we commit the remains to the earth, the Cleveland choir sings: Who needs MLS? Soon time to get drunk and stupid over the Browns! :rolleyes:

Good luck, Sounders fans. Or Sockeyes or Whatever. Back to the Pro Soccer Dark Ages for the Mistake on the Lake.

[bright]

Sorry about the sh!tty luck, Joe. You are a good and knowledgable fan and deserve better. This Lawrence county, PA, native has hopes for a Cleveland (and Pittsburgh) team in the future.

- Paul

[Joe Stoker]

This Lawrence county, PA, native has hopes for a Cleveland (and Pittsburgh) team in the future.- Paul

Oh, well, Paul, it's as if we come to expect it in Cleveland. In my lifetime, the AHL Barons were voted into the NHL in June '53, then summarrily kicked out one week later. The Seals became the Barons in the mid-70's and were a bigger disaaster here than in Oakland. Steinbrenner's ABL champion Pipers drafted Jerry Lucas and were set to jump to the NBA in '62 when a restraining order shot them down. Light some candles for LeBron... so far so good, but we're nervous. You know about Art Modell. And I've ranted enough about how the Stokers were left out to dry.

Guess the only thing Cleveland can't shake, like a headcold, are the Indians. They tried to skip to Seattle in '61 and New Orleans shortly thereafter, yet they remain like Lake Effect weather.

Looks like it's the grassroots route if nothing else for pro soccer in your old neighborhood and mine. I'll continue supporting Nanchoff's PDL efforts, and hope that the Hounds are worthy of your interest. Pittsburgh has always intrigued me: Such a rich soccer history before the bigtime pro era, yet neither the Phantoms or Hounds nor anyone in between them have ever captured the old-line soccer community.

[Joe Stoker]

A couple items caught my eye over the weekend... didn't quite know the proper place to post them... but since at least one is definitely Cleveland-related, and the other in a round-about way, I'll try here until admonished otherwise.

Turned on the tube Friday and saw a feature on Cleveland's own Brad Friedel (USMNT/Blackburn Rovers). He was back in the area and making some news about giving back to the local soccer community... specifically to the kids. Can't find it to share via the TV website, but PD columnist Bud Shaw tells the story in a recent column:

www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sports/108746464447450.xml

Also, Sunday, during the US Open golf telecast, an old friendly & familiar face connected to US pro soccer's past was invited in the booth by Bob Costas. It was good to see Jack Whitaker still alive & kicking. Although he did not have a background in soccer, he brought class and professionalism to the CBS pro soccer Game Of The Week during the summers of 1967-68. The first year, he worked alongside English legend Danny Blanchflower, the second with Mario Machado, worked well with both the acidic Brit and the affable Machado. They were the experts, and he allowed them to expound the expertise. Jack was clearly and only the master of ceremonies.

Sadly, I never experienced the pleasure of Jack calling a Stokers' match on the network. The two times Cleveland appeared on CBS, Jack was on another assignment. In early May '68, Mario worked it alone as Jack was probably assigned to a Triple Crown horserace or a golf tournament. When the Stokers played Atlanta in the second leg of the Eastern championship in September, Jack was probably tied up with pro football.

During the late '60s Jack also hosted the weekly CBS Golf Classic. They taped it every autumn just a few miles from the neighborhood, at Firestone CC. The network would then edit the match play and show it an hour at a time before their NHL telecasts during the subsequent winter & spring. Some of us kids would hike out there (admission was free, if you can believe it), wearing our flashy NHL jerseys. Then, come January, we'd bet unsuspecting friends that we were on national TV. On would come the CBS Golf Classic, and there we'd be... expertly positioned behind Jack Whitaker and Cary Middlecoff on the first tee! I remember Jack once just staring at us, smiling and shaking his head. :rolleyes:

Jack came back one last time for NASL soccer... giving a Costas-like editorial comment during halftime of CBS' telecast of the Toros-Aztecs 1974 title match from the Orange Bowl. It was good to listen to his comments commending the NASL's modest growth after being there himself for the crash after '68. It was like a seal-of-approval.

It was good to see & hear from him once more.