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Little boy’s injury creates lasting bond for Captains player
Jul 02, 2010
By David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
A little boy walking into Lake County’s clubhouse Thursday night made everything else irrelevant, including the Captains’ 3-2 loss to West Michigan.
The little boy is soon-to-be 5-year-old Luke Holko of Cortland in Trumbull County.
Luke walked into the clubhouse holding the arms of his father, Chad Holko, and Captains first baseman Ben Carlson.
His walk was unsteady, but the fact he was walking at all is remarkable.
The lives of Carlson and Luke Holko have been linked since Sept. 2, 2009, when Carlson was playing for the short-season Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Luke was in a seat along the first-base line at Eastwood Field in Niles.
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Johnnycake Jog: First race is in honor of mother
Jul 02, 2010
By Theresa Neuhoff Audia
TNeuhoff@News-Herald.com
Bonnie Shaffer made a promise to her mother 10 years ago that she would get in shape.
When her mother underwent open-heart surgery, she told Shaffer to think of it as a warning. She asked her daughter to exercise so she’d never have to experience the pain of what she was going through.
Her mother has since passed away, but Shaffer continues to be motivated by the promise she made.
On her 65th birthday, she will be running in her first race. The Mentor resident is competing in the Johnnycake Jog, which she’s running not just for her mother, but herself.
Kevin Kleps: James’ loyalty should be to his Cavs legacy
Jul 02, 2010
By Kevin Kleps
KKleps@News-Herald.com
Jason Miller/Associated Press Jill Riegelmayer of Cleveland holds one of about 20,000 signs that where handed out at the city’s Independence Day event on Thursday.
The updates are overwhelming and the hype unprecedented.
LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent. Maybe you’ve heard.
Thursday, the Nets and the Knicks were in town, which meant rap mogul (Jay-Z), Russian billionaire (Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov) and hobbled executive (the Knicks’ Donnie Walsh, who is recovering from neck surgery and is in a wheelchair) sightings.
Greenwell discusses Captains’ hot start and life on the road
May 20, 2010
Captains outfielder Bo Greenwell sat down in front of his computer at a hotel in Michigan after Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the West Michigan Whitecaps and took part in an interview with News-Herald beat writer David S. Glasier. The interview was conducted using Skype, a first for The News-Herald and part of the paper’s Ben Franklin Project. Skype is a free service that allows video conferencing over the Internet.
Greenwell has been having a great season for the Captains, and discussed how it feels to travel so much and how great it is to play in Lake County. Check out highlights from the interview below.
Ben Franklin Project: What they’re saying — Fantasy baseball before computers
May 20, 2010
“Now that I am older and in an online league of my own, I still check box scores one by one before I go to my league’s homepage to see how everyone did.” Dan Murphy
“I played about eight years before the Internet. I would either have to wait a whole week and buy the Baseball Weekly for the stats or get a piece of paper and pen, watch ‘SportsCenter,’ and do them manually.” Jayson Aponte
Cavaliers behind the scenes: Diesel-powered ride
May 20, 2010
Bob Finnan
RFinnan@News-Herald.com
Ben Franklin Project: John Kampf — B.C. wasn’t easy
May 20, 2010
John Kampf
JKampf@News-Herald.com
Pro sports beat writers’ roundtable Q&A
May 20, 2010
As part of the Ben Franklin Project, we’re publishing an edition of the paper while foregoing our usual resources for free tools found on the Internet. The following is a group discussion among News-Herald Sports Editor Mark Podolski and Staff Writers Bob Finnan, Jeff Schudel, Jim Ingraham and David S. Glasier about the Cleveland pro sports scene, using Google Docs:
Question: Gut feelings, guys. Is LeBron James staying or going?
Finnan: I’ve been writing this and said it on TV and radio over the last week. I think LeBron is leaving. It was a long run, but I think he’ll sign elsewhere.
Schudel: I think LeBron will stay after the dust settles.
Glasier: I say he stays for 30 million reasons when all is said, done and discussed to death.
Ingraham: Prior to the playoffs, I thought it was slightly better than 50-50 he stayed, but now I think it’s slightly less than 50-50 that he stays. If he goes, however, he will be going against a lot of the stuff he said prior to making this decision, such as how winning is what’s most important to him.
Schudel: James can be a star anywhere, but he can be the King only in Cleveland.
Q: Bob, you’re the only one to say LeBron is leaving. Tell me where he will land and why?
Finnan: I’m worried about the Chicago (Bulls) situation. Now that would be a supporting cast worthy of him playing with. Don’t totally discount (John) Calipari joining forces with him, either. All along, I thought he was going to stay in his hometown. I just don’t feel that anymore.
Q: Let’s talk about the effort by LeBron in Game 5 against the Celtics. Anyone think he quit or stopped trying in that game?
Finnan: Saying an athlete quit is about the worst thing you could say. I will say he looked disconnected from the situation.
Schudel: It seemed to me his mind was somewhere else.
Glasier: I have enough trouble getting inside my own head, let alone the head of a 25-year-old multi-millionaire with a world of options.
Q: Where does the Cavaliers’ playoff collapse rank with the all-time heartbreaks Cleveland sports fans have endured?
Schudel: To me, this was different than “The Drive” and “The Fumble” because it was not a sudden loss.
Finnan: I think this ranks very high, right up with the Indians’ losses in the World Series and ALCS vs. Boston.
Glasier: I’m the wrong guy to be asking about sports teams and heartbreaks. To me, heartbreak would be not having pro sports teams and not having the opportunity to watch great athletes competing at the highest level.
Q: Without LeBron, how good or bad will the Cavs be next season?
Finnan: The cupboard is not bare. Jamison could be an 18-point scorer. Mo Williams is back. Delonte West is under contract and so is Boobie Gibson. Their bigs, J.J. Hickson, Andy Varejao and Leon Powe, need some help. The problem is they don’t have any cap space or draft picks. Maybe they can buy a pick.
Q: Let’s move on to the Browns. Will QB Jake Delhomme be the Browns’ starter for the entire season?
Schudel: Barring injury, he will start all season. Of course, he could have a total collapse, and that would change things. He threw well Wednesday during the team’s OTA.
Glasier: Delhomme is the first and best option for now. In a perfect world, Colt McCoy never gets off the bench this season.
Finnan: I’m not sure how much Jake has left in the tank, but he will run the offense and do what the game plan calls for.
Q: Who has more rushing yards for the Browns at the end of the season, Jerome Harrison or Monterio Hardesty, and why?
Schudel: Harrison will. Hardesty has to make the jump to the NFL. He will find it isn’t easy.
Q: The Browns’ schedule is not easy, and there’s a brutal stretch in the middle of the season. Does Eric Mangini make it through the season as Browns coach?
Schudel: Mangini will survive. He is a different coach this year. Holmgren is a sounding board and a life preserver for him.
Ingraham: I say Mangini makes it through the season.
Finnan: I can’t get a feel whether Holmgren wants to return to the sideline. I hope not. I like him in this capacity. Mangini should survive this season. I’d say maybe 6-10.
Glasier: I say 7-9 … Not great, but good enough for Mangini to keep his job. The guy can coach, given sufficient talent and time.
Q: OK, let’s move on to baseball. What’s been a better bargain for pro baseball fans in Northeast Ohio so far this season, Captains or Indians games?
Glasier: (Laughs) Not many fans have been going to games at either ballpark in April and May. The Captains have played well from the start. Nice team. Timely hitting, good pitching, really good manager in Ted Kubiak. They are 28-11 after Wednesday’s loss to West Michigan. Lake County is alone in first place in the Midwest League’s Northern Division. The crowds should start to pick up now.
Browns notes: Early signs are offensive scheme will only be tweaked
May 20, 2010
Jeff Schudel
JSchudel@News-Herald.com
Indians notes: Cabrera is joined by Sizemore on DL
May 20, 2010
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
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