Jeebus, talk about a depressing lot. You guys are climbing into the tub, razor in hand, without even bothering with having a cigar wirh Tom Hagen. (And Holy Moley, I used to sneak into Rochester Lancers games with a freind but I didn't know abody else still living would know what I was talking about. And speaking of NE Ohio indoor, I just spoke with Marcello Carrera of the Canton Invaders on Sunday up in Strongsville. What a gentleman.) Anyway, Cleveland isn't on for 2005, but then except for the MexiMelts I don't know for sure that anybody else is either, but there's likely another round coming up in 2006. Wolstein's group never considered this some sort of civic charity - it was a plan for which they had an economic model which made sense to them. I'm certain Garofolo is still interested, and frankly the idea is no less viable than it ever was. What that amounts to I really don't know. And neither do any of you. All I'm saying is why don't we wait for a corpse to show up before holding the funeral?
I think there IS actually a corpse. It's like this. We have heard from both Garofolo and Wolstein's son Scott that MLS Cleveland is not dead. However, it seemed that Bart Wolstein was the drving force then (I swear no pun intended) and with his death, MLS-C went on to a back burner. But since his death we have heard nothing. I realize that hearing nothing means nothing but the main reason for a forum like this is to post, digest, banter information. Of which there is none. Think of MLS-C as a coma patient. You hope the patient pulls out of it but in the meantime, the patient is not all that interesting "Oh, so what did Frank do today... Uh, nothing really, he's in a coma...) I like that Cleveland has its own forum . I have had the chance to meet a number of other posters through it and it (was) a magnet for NE Ohio posters. So I want this forum to stay. Perhaps a rehab of this forum into a NE Ohio soccer forum is warranted. I know there are a few of us on BS. We can discuss NE Ohio soccer-related topics as opposed to just expansion (a move maybe warrantedat that point. Quite a few of you know your stuff from clubs to reffing (Bill, Brook, Joe S...and others) and I think others would like to hear your takes on what the scene is like up here (player potential, scouting..) Just trying to be constructive...
Didn't intend on offending the supporters down old Route 8, Arch. Remember how ol' Pete Franklin used to annually hold burial ceremonies for the Tribe and Cavs on WWWE? Just injecting a bit of humor into the otherwise bleak melodrama. Agree with Dave. Not calling Dr. Kevorkian to pull the plug. Once read where Gordie Howe was once administered last rites, but he came back for another 50 years. As the Seattle and SLC situations prove, the expansion story can change overnight. Just like here, perhaps, should my Mega Millions numbers hit. I valued my kneecaps too much to attempt crashing a Lancers' match at Aquinas/Holleder. And I wouldn't brag too loud. The Dinolfo and Schiano families might still require payment overdue... with interest
Ah, Pete Franklin. Nobody compares. The current guys out of Cleveberg aren't fit to shine his brogans with an original "I hate the Yankees Hankie". He practically chased that pathetic oaf Bruce Drennan out of town. Even Mike Trivisonno had the sense to be humble and deferential. And, as Hymen Roth would say "There isn't even a statue or a sign". As for sneaking into Aquinas Stadium (no good Upstater would ever call it anything else) I was usually with my best pals from the neighborhood, Dave Marcucci and Lou Carlisi. My knee caps weren't in danger, although our butts were definitely in play. I'm sure PaeTec will be nice, assuming that they ever stop finding chunks of the True Cross and Eric the Red's oarlocks or whatever down in the hole and actually BUILD the damned thing, but I genuinely wish every American soccer fan could spend an afternoon watching the Lancers play the Boston Minutemen on a Saturday afternoon at Aquinas. You can still get something of the flavor around NE Ohio: clubs like the Croatians in Chardon or Donauschwabben clubs like GFS in Brimfield or Concordia in North Olmstead. In the late summer most of them hold Men's Open tournaments, and the teams attract quality college and post-college players. The club sets up a tent 25 feet from the touchline with a keg of something like Warsteiner for a buck a cup and you sit on creaky bleachers or just stand around with a bunch of old guys (and some not so old) who speak in whatever language that club is about and listen to them argue and laugh about the game and unbelieveably they consider you one of them and offer to get you beers. Afterwards, you can buy dinner in the clubhouse - indescribable sausages and cassaroles and potatoe dishes that the ladies serving them up in the buffet line are ever so happy to explain to you. In the bar (they always have a bar) there are always dozens of ancient photos of soccer teams posing after this game or that 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. Odd looking uniforms and brown leather balls and immigrant faces smiling back at you from experiences we can only guess at, and then you realize that some of the old retired guys you were just hoisting beers with are likely these same guys. And you want to ask them whether they've ever been to an MLS game or watched one on TV but you know the answer and would feel foolish asking. If you've never experienced soccer this way, do yourself the favor this summer. If you need some help finding out the details let me know. Anyway, this started out to be about not killing the MLS Cleveland Forum, and it looks like, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of it's death have been premature. As I said before, this was never some sort of civic charity - it was a well thought out business proposition that makes as much sense without Wolstein as it did with him and it appears that John McGill intends to pursue the Summit County option and is already acquiring land. It still depends largely on public funds, and it's certainly problematical whether or not that is likely to come to pass, but again, Mr Wolstein's death hasn't changed Summit County's budget numbers an iota. We'll see what happnes. Call it "MLS Cleveland - Life after Bart"
Oh Christ, I forgot about him. He was WFAN in New York's first afternoon drive-time sports talk host, pretty funny and acerbic guy. Of course Imus would rip him at will just because he was there. That's right he was a Cleveland guy first