www.ussocceruk.com “Cleveland, Ohio is another market that has expressed a lot of interest. We are in conversations with an investor there who has desires to build a soccer stadium.
What is the deal with Cleveland anyway? I keep hearing it mentioned in the list of "usual suspects" for expansion cities, but my initial reaction is that it is too close to Columbus. Maybe some of you guys can shed some light on this subject... How far apart are Cleveland and Columbus? How much of the Crew's fan base is from the Cleveland area? Where would this team play, Browns Stadium? Seems to me that there isn't much of a Cols-Cle rivalry when it comes to reasonably nearby cities, since there aren't any leagues that have teams in both cities. Seems that if you are looking for a nice regional rival, maybe Detroit would be a better bet? What's the consensus in Crew-land? Tom
I gotta say that it surprises me too, but a highly committed deep pockets owner and the prospect of an SSS is a lot more important than proximity apparently. As to your questions, there's no chance of playing in Browns Stadium. There was a plan being discussed for a Mall site in a suburb, but the latest rumors have the Wolstein Group buying an abandoned hotel site and adjacent lots, building a Crew Stadium type of venue along with up to 20 fields and renovating the hotel to use as office space and as accomodation for visiting teams. Distance wise, they're about two and a half hours down the pike. Fan wise, there are a bunch of Cleveland fans, and frankly most of them will stay loyal to the Crew. As for the odds here - beats me. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me from a National perspective, but the guy being mentioned has large dollars and would be an attractive owner. Certainly more than, for example, Rochester where. stadium or no stadium, those guys just are not in the financial big time.
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1049881040281582.xml Excitement brewing for possible MLS team in Cleveland 04/09/03 No, you don't have to show proof that an uncle on your mom's side of the family once worked in a Communist tractor factory before declaring soccer as your favorite American sport. In fact, with a little bit of luck, northern Ohio could have a professional outdoor kickball franchise before the end of the year. Information from Our Advertisers Major League Soccer, which began its eighth season Saturday in Columbus with the host Crew and the Los Angeles Gal axy playing to a teeth-chat tering over time draw, wants to add two teams by 2005, and Cleveland is among the candidates that include Houston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Toronto. The bit of luck that is required would be for wealthy investors to find a piece of land and an aggressive community willing to finance and build a 20,000-seat stadium. If you are wondering how serious a contender Cleveland is, just listen to MLS Commissioner Don Garber and franchise investor-operator Lamar Hunt, both of whom were in the state capital for last weekend's festivities. "How far a drive is it from Cleveland to Columbus?" asked Garber, who was told it was two hours. "And how far is Chicago from Cleveland?" he asked. "Six? OK." Hunt, who founded the AFL in 1960 and still owns the NFL Kansas City Chiefs, operates the Crew as well as the MLS's Kansas City Wizards, thinks Ohio is big enough for two teams. "Absolutely," he said. "And Bert Wolstein has expressed interest in a franchise for Cleveland." Garber, who says a new stadium is a must for any city who wants to join the league, says his people have visited with Cleveland people who have ties to indoor soccer and that "we're talking, we're negotiating, and that a decision will be made in six months." Wolstein, who operated the Cleveland Force from 1979 to 1988 (they averaged 14,121 fans in the '86-97 seasons) acknowledges his interest in the MLS. "I'm looking for a site," he said. "I need a sizable piece of land." Wolstein sees soccer as the main feature of a multi-purpose ballpark that could be used for concerts and be surrounded by dozens of soccer fields for youth camps and tournaments, not to mention a hotel and restaurant facility. He's not the only northern Ohio businessman with an eye on the soccer ball. Frank Stronach, who owns Thistledown as well as the top soccer team in his native Austria, has been mentioned as a possible investor in a Toronto franchise. But with a large parking lot at Thistledown, and an even bigger one across the street at the ghostly Randall Park Mall, ponies and penalty kicks could co-exist. "I'm not averse to associating with quality people," said Wolstein, cracking a window to a possible partnership. As for the MLS opener, the Crew sold 22,058 tickets, but several thousand of those who paid must have burned their tickets in the parking lot in an attempt to overcome the brutal cold and whipping winds. "When you saw the flurries at the beginning of overtime, it was kind of like, 'What are we doing here?' " said Galaxy goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman. Carlos Ruiz, a teammate of Hartman, saw stars, not flurries. Moments before the final whistle, the Guatemalan striker took an elbow to the jaw that resulted in a fractured molar. The team dentist had to remove the tooth. Each team scored a goal with the league's new official match ball that - get this - features dimples (just like a golf ball) that manufacturer Puma promises "creates an air pocket of positive turbulence which translates to superior distance, maximum speed, and unparalleled accuracy." If you see Tiger Woods teeing one up this weekend at Augusta, then you'll know it's a ball for all seasons. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: broberts@plaind.com, 216-999-5754
Hi.. This is _______ with the Cleveland professional outdoor kickball team inviting you out to our inaugural game. Kickball?? seriously?? WTF?? and that second bit.. When you have LA fans typing their team name GaLaXy, GaLAxy, among several other fasions, it's no wonder the guy got the name "Galaxy" with a space in the middle... MLS has a long way to go. Especially in getting respect with Cleveland sports writers, it seems.
Dude, turn down your "unjustified rage" knob. He was making a joke, which is pretty common in sportswriting. I've talked to a couple of hard-core Crew fans from NE Ohio who say there is plenty of market to support a team there. Based on their indoor teams, I'd agree.
If an article doesn't somehow invoke the literary equivalent of getting on its knees and swallowing then it's not worth a damn! No jokes allowed! You're either with us or you're against us!
i've been saying it for a while... Cleveland and Minnesota will be the next expansion teams in MLS beginning play in 2005... the Cleveland team will play at a Stadium to be built in the Warrensville area (by Thistledown) which is perfect... Bart Wolstein will be involved in some capacity as will Paul Garofolo...
This article reminded me of a similar one I saw in Design News a while back. The article was talking about a group from the University of Sheffield that analyzed Beckham's free kick against Greece in Oct. 2001. The kick was made ~30 yards from goal and was traveling at 80 mph as it cleared the defenders by a foot and half as it continued to rise. It moved laterally about nine feet during that path, thanks to the enormous spin he put on it. Suddenly, it slowed to about 42 mph, and dipped sharply into the upper left conrner of the net. Without that dip, it would have missed the goal entirely. Below is an image of the ball's flight: The reason the ball dipped so severly and quickly was due to the Magnus Force. The article described the Magnus Force as the phenomenon that causes any spinning ball to move sideways as it goes through the air due to a pressure differential as the ball spins. Therefore, the more spin placed on the ball, the greater the Magnus Force. Below is an image that plots the drag coefficient (directly proportional to the Magnus Force) vs. the Reynolds number (directly proportional to the speed of the ball). Moral of the story: if a soccer ball is made with dimples (in order to more closely resemble a golf ball), the Magnus Force will be significantly less. This means we have straighter kicks (Beckham himself probably couldn't even bend this ball), farther kicks (because the drag coefficient is lower at slower speeds), and at short distances the ball would have a slower speed than its counterpart (at longer distances however, the new ball would move faster). Anyway, as a fan of the Crew, I think I have to like the new ball. Seeing as we have no one that can bend it off of set pieces, we do not need a ball that caters to that. We are a team of speed, we like long balls, and we need all the accuracy help we can get!
Since FF is a certified PE, I think that makes him King Tool-Dork-Nerd-etc. However, since you're a civil, does that even mean you're considered an engineer? (P.S. - Cantilever beams can suck my nuts. Even when things don't look like cantilever beams, they usually are when subjected to strong enough vibration tests...)
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like there is a disportionate number of engineering tools around here, yours truly included.
Ah-hah! Duel of the engineers... I'm in! First off, I love the post Yitbos... and the great part is, I understood all of it. It's almost like we have a secret language that normal people just don't get. Perfect... now we can take over the universe! I do think that "tool" is the proper nomenclature. But you know its just a case of, "damn I'm jealous you so smart and I's still livin in the projects!"
Hey, just because we build targets and you guys build weapons doesn't make me any less of an engineer. I think. Bill, I apologize for totally sending this thread off out of control. In an attempt to bring it back I say that I would love an expansion team in Cleveland if for nothing more than the short road trips. I know people question the viability of expansion teams in cities like Tulsa, OKC and Cleveland but if a possible owner is willing to show he has deep enough pockets for the ante and more than a couple hands - unlike Horowitz, for example - and can furnish a stadium then MLS would be fools to not listen to the pitch. I'm sure people laughed at the idea of Columbus being a successful location for an original MLS team yet off the field the organization is doing things correctly. Plus, with a team in Cleveland I'll have built-in dislike for them.
not to mention a 2 hour drive to an AWAY match. before i moved to c-bus i would drive 2 hours for a home match. not getting my hopes up though, every time i do things tend not to happen.
This jackass calls it "kickball" in every article he's ever written about soccer in the Plain Dealer. It think he thinks it makes him cheeky. I honestly cannot tell if he likes or dislikes the game -- as you can see from the quoted portions of his article, he writes such nonsense that it's hard to get a good read on where he's coming from. When he's not writing about soccer, he's the regular horse racing beat reporter, if that gives you any insight.
Roberts is an old horse handicapping moron. Anyone of us would be able to do a better job with the little cover the PD gives us.
Brook, I assume you'll be staying with us if this goes through. That tat's gonna be a bitch to remove otherwise...
I've said it before, I'll say it again. If that piece of excrement Bart Wolstein is invoved, I, along with many "old timers" won't support it. Bart ought to stick with shopping malls. He can't piss off a building.