The North Coast Posse are back with a Browns Draft Preview.

Follow the Browns draft live @northcoastposse    Follow the Cavs @bengalli33

Questions by Colin G.  

1) The official low point of a Browns fan's year is finally here, the NFL draft. The Browns previous five first-round draft picks were: Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Barkevious Mingo, Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. One could argue that the FIVE players combined have not contributed to ONE Browns win in the past three years. Could my 11 year old son do a better job drafting out of a magazine than the Browns front office? At this point shouldn't they just do what Mel Kiper says? Could it be worse?

Big $ - First things first, I have the utmost respect for Mel as he somehow invented his own career based on a teenage obsession (professional Tecmo player never materialized for me). However, since he invented the position, he has very little accountability. Mel may be the only person I trust less than Ray and Jimmy. If it was up to me, I’d have Tony Grossi run the draft from a golf course somewhere.

K-Dubs, the Soldier – This question obviously was submitted by someone who is not a Browns fan.  Draft Day represents a high-point in a Browns fan’s optimism.  It is when first-round picks like Richardson fail to reach their potential during the season that we reach our annual low point.  It happens sometime in late November each year.  Surprisingly - in a depressing way - Weeden did contribute to some wins, including ones against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.  He was the only pick of those five that I thought was worth a shot in the first round, because he has a pro arm and played in a sophisticated passing system in college.  His career has been hindered by an inability to make reads and throws quickly enough.  Gilbert and Mingo may still pan out because of their athletic talent, but they, along with Richardson and Manziel, were all headscratchers.  

I think your 11-year-old could have done a better job than the previous Browns regimes, but we need to give General Manager Ray Farmer at least another year before we give your boy the reins.  Farmer did show some promise in his first draft last year.  He was widely lauded after his first-round scheming, in which he landed Gilbert and Manziel.  Those actually turned out to be his whiffs.  His ability to evaluate players really shined in the subsequent rounds, particularly when he targeted Joel Bitonio, who is a Pro Bowl-level talent guard, linebacker Chris Kirksey and running back Terrance West.  I don’t think they should just listen to Mel Kiper, either.  Instead, Farmer just needs to abide by his own judgment and ignore the input of owner Jimmy Haslem, who allegedly ordered the selection of Manziel on the advice of a homeless man.


2)  What players and positions do you hope the Browns address in the first round? What is the likely disaster scenario that leads to another draft-night binge-drinking session, followed by calling off work Friday?

Big $ - There is a part of me that is rooting for any pick/trade that puts a definitive nail in the “Johnny era.”  I have no idea if Marcus Mariota will pan out, but I do know that if he is drafted by the Browns there is a 0% chance that Mr. Football ever takes another regular season snap in brown and orange.  

Outside of that, I believe teams are built from the inside out. The top two picks should be spent on a defensive lineman and offensive lineman respectively.  On the defensive side, I’d like Washington’s Danny Shelton or Texas’ Malcolm Brown. Offensively I’m leaning towards Florida State’s Cam Erving due to his flexibility and ability to play center in the case that Mack jumps ship.

My wild card would be Shane Ray. If the Missouri pass rushing demon slips to 19, the Browns need to pounce.

As for what scenario would inspire mass Jameson consumption?  I’m pretty sure that the Browns could concede their top two picks and I still would be far from as disgusted as I was by the selection of "Johnny Foot-Tall” last May.

K-Dubs, the Soldier – It has been said that the NFL is a quarterback league, and the Browns have no established starting quarterback.  I think they should try to trade up (depending on the cost) to take Mariota.  I hear a lot of talk in Browns Nation that the team cannot “mortgage its future” for a quarterback.  I for one do not believe there is much of a future for a NFL team that does not have a franchise QB.  Plus, it is no secret that Farmer loves Mariota and talked about taking him in last year’s draft before Mariota announced he was returning to Oregon for another season.
If the big play for Mariota does not materialize, there are some other glaring needs Farmer can address.  The biggest need is on the defensive line.  The Browns finished last in the league in rushing defense and 27th in sacks.  Even slight improvements in the ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback should pay big dividends because of the strength of the defensive secondary.  I think Shelton and Brown would be good choices with the 12th pick.  But if the Browns do trade up, don’t be surprised if it is for Leonard Williams, the highly touted defensive lineman out of University of Southern California.  They need to build depth on the offensive line, as well.  

This draft class also offers a lot of depth at the wide receiver position.  Although the Browns signed veteran wideouts Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline in the offseason, they could add a player that can stretch the defense with a second-round selection, like Ohio State’s Devin Smith, or Jaelen Strong out of Arizona State. 

Rumors are also swirling about the Browns taking Georgia running back Todd Gurley in the first round.  That remains a possibility, and I think Gurley is an explosive talent.  But he is coming off a knee surgery, and the Browns already have a pair of second-year running backs in West and Isaiah Crowell.  

3) Which off season move is less likely to have an impact on the upcoming Brown season: New uniforms or Johnny Football going to rehab?

K-Dubs, the Soldier – Less likely?  Manziel going to rehab.  By the time the season starts, Johnny may even be third on the depth chart at quarterback.  I bet that the 1989 San Francisco Forty Niners would have still won the Super Bowl if third-stringer Steve Bono spent the previous spring in rehab.  I am glad Manziel had the courage to address his addiction, and I wish him the best in life.  I just don’t believe he has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL.  The uniforms, though, are getting some good reviews from the players in the locker room, and as the old adage goes: “If you look good, you play good.”  Trite as that saying may be, Browns fans will take any advantage we can.  

4) Why were the Browns is such a hurry to run Brian Hoyer out of town? What did that accomplish?

Big $ - As much as Hoyer was a “Cleveland Guy” he was much more a “Lombardi/Banner” guy. Once that regime was shown the door, Ol’ Ray was gonna make sure he put his own stamp on the team. Number 6 never stood a chance with Farmer making personnel decisions. Had a sensible choice been made on a young QB prior to the 2014 season, Brian Hoyer would have been the ideal bridge for 2-3 years. It’s truly a shame the way that the situation played out.

5) Looking at the new schedule and off the top of your head, what is your best guess on the total wins the Browns pile up in 2015?

Big $ - When I initially looked at the schedule I was at least optimistic about the first 3 games. KW politely reminded me that both the Raiders and Titans games last year were dogfights that the Browns were lucky to survive. This dampened my hope and led me to the realization that this team is headed to maybe a 2-3 win season and those random wins will be attributed solely to the parity of the league. Cardale here we come!

K-Dubs, the Soldier – The Browns finished 7-9 last year, which was only the 4th time since they returned to the league in 1999 that they finished with 7 wins or more.  There is no doubt that the team benefited from the NFL’s schedule balancing, with the Browns making their money against the bad NFC South.  That division is off the schedule this year, though.  In addition to the divisional games against the AFC North, which again should be the toughest in football, the NFC West has been added to the slate.  That means road games against the Seahawks, the Rams - which has one of the top three defensive lines in the league - and a homer versus the Cardinals, who went to the playoffs last year.  Peyton Manning’s farewell tour is also blowing through town in week 6.  Things look bleak.  With the Browns, you can never count sure wins, but the home games against the Titans and Raiders promise the best opportunities for victories.  The team always steals a conference win or two, and I will throw in an additional win on the strength of the defensive back seven.  That puts my over/under at 4.5 wins.  Look for another draft preview column at this time next year, as we await the Browns’ top-ten pick. 

My Dad Was The Greatest Person I Have Ever Known - by Ricki C. (Vet's Memorial pt. 4)

VANILLA FUDGE / APRIL 28th, 1968

When I went to see rock & roll acts at Vet's Memorial in the 1960’s, it wasn’t all Bob Dylan & the Hawks, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who; occasionally there was a little Vanilla Fudge mixed in there.  Vanilla Fudge – for the uninitiated – were a second or third-level rock band of the 60’s who specialized in Heavy Versions of soul & Motown tunes.  (Their biggest radio hit was a proto-prog-rock cover of The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.”)  

I had to have a hook and a date to hang this month’s Vet’s installment on, though, so Vanilla Fudge got the nod.

What I really want to write about this month is the reason why I got to see all those 60’s rockers for free, and that reason was my sainted Italian father, Al Cacchione Sr.

My dad was the greatest person I have ever known.  He died 45 years ago this week, of a heart attack at the age of 56 when I was 17 years old, in my senior year of high school.  My dad gave me my whole world.  Starting when I was 13 years old in 1965, dad started to get me into shows at Vet’s, where he worked in the ticket office.  It was my father's nighttime job after his day job at Columbia Gas of Ohio.  Dad saw how interested I was in rock & roll and started bringing me along with him to shows.  I was an incredibly shy, introverted child and I think the fact that I was willing to leave the shelter/womb of our home on Sullivant Avenue to see a rock & roll show heartened my dad so much he'd have brought/driven/conveyed me anywhere, let alone the three or four miles it was from our house to Vet's Memorial.

Dad gave me other stuff: he bought me my first guitar and he instilled in me a love of traveling.  In 1962, when I was 10, a couple of years before The Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and Changed Everything, dad had started to take my older brother and I to Cleveland Browns football games.  We would stay at the Sheraton Gibson Hotel right off Fountain Square.  The Sheraton Gibson, and hotels in general, became MAGICAL to me.  You could LIE IN BED and watch television.  You could TAKE SHOWERS.  Our bathroom at home sported only a claw-foot bathtub, so you have no idea what an impossibly decadent extravagance a shower was to the little West Side boy I was in 1962.  

My dad was absolutely the reason I became a musician and roadie.  I remember very clearly one night in 1965 on the way home from Vet's, when dad was explaining the concept of touring to me: that musicians had to be on the road all the time.  I just looked at him wide-eyed and said, "You mean all these guys do is play guitars & drums in a different city every night and stay in hotels in between?"  I was incredulous.  I was dumbstruck.  Dad couldn't have possibly realized what he had just done.  He might just as well have stamped Unfit For A Normal Job Of Any Kind across my 13 year old forehead right at that very moment.

When my father died I think I had a little nervous breakdown.  There are big gaps in my memories of my childhood and teenage years.  It’s one of the reasons I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to go downtown and witness for myself the absence of Veteran’s Memorial from the West Broad Street cityscape.  There are just too many things in my life that are gone forever, I can’t take the big gap that Vet’s Memorial represents, where my dad took me to see the rock & roll.  - Ricki C. / April 25th, 2015


(a different version of this piece ran as Birthday Blog in Ricki C’s site, 
Growing Old With Rock & Roll, June 30th, 2013)

 

SHOWS I SAW AT VET’S MEMORIAL APRIL HONORABLE MENTIONS

April 23rd, 1968 / The Turtles, Neil Diamond, Every Mother’s Son

April 17th, 1971 / Elton John (when he was still a rocker, before his interminable weekly singles off his monthly albums later in the 1970's)

 

Cavs n Roses: "The Greatest NBA Players Get Embarrassed." - by Ben Galli

Follow @bengalli33

The greatest players get embarrassed. Magic Johnson fell flat on his face running onto to the court in his first game ever.  Larry Bird wore the stupidest mustache for the better part of his career.  Jordan was going bald when he took Kareem’s advice and just shaved it all off.  I contend that’s what made him better than Clyde Drexler.  

 

Anthony Davis got swept by the Golden State Warriors last night.  He also has a land bridge over his eyes.  We’ll get to that later.  This was Davis’ first playoff series in the year he blossomed into what many felt he was destined to be.  The Brow averaged 24.4 points per game (4th in NBA), 10.2 rebounds per game (8th), and 2.9 blocks per game (1st) this year. In the playoffs those numbers rose to 31.5, 11.0, and 3.0.  But he couldn’t win a game.  Obviously the Pelicans were playing a far superior Warriors team that had won 22 more regular season games.  Davis showed that he could play big in the bigger games.  The question now remains: What will he do next?  Will he take his team to the next level?  Great players make those around them greater.  Bird and Magic did it with their passing and attitude.  Jordan punched his way to the top.  Who knows if Steve Kerr would be a good coach if he hadn’t experienced the Jordan rules.  He himself says it was one of the best things that ever happened to him.  Davis is pretty much unstoppable but will he put in the work to take his team to newer heights.  I believe in his desire for greatness.  But how high can Pelicans fly anyway?

Still, Davis may have bigger problems.  Many around me believe his grooming can be improved.  Or is it an issue of grooming?  Face it.  We can’t depend on the judicial branch of this great nation to decide on the most important issues of the day.  Sometimes the people have to take to the streets.  Or the tweets.  So I ask you loyal readers: Should Anthony Davis get rid of his famed unibrow or should he continue owning it and keep it? I hope there’s more of you than the Supreme Court, and I hope you’re all less old.  

The A-K Rowdy is being represented well in these playoffs.  Although Akron can’t truly claim Stephen Curry, he joins LeBron James as top 5 NBA players this year that were born in that famed city.  I imagine if you’re reading this column, you saw his absolutely not-real, eyes-closed, fouled, 3-point dagger to tie the game Thursday night.  If I knew how to Vine, I’d Vine it for you but the anticipation of searching for it online will only increase the satisfaction.  (watch it here)  In just under 40 minutes a game, Steph put up 33.8 points per contest in the 4-game sweep of New Orleans.  That’s Curry in a Hurry.  LeBron James has been LeBron James but Kyrie Irving has really been impressive.  In his first playoff series ever, Irving has shown a cold confidence that the Cavs will need to truly contend in these playoffs.  Kevin Love is shooting 47.4 percent from 3-point land, a considerable improvement over his 36.7 regular season percentage.  The Celtics have battled hard and impressed many.  Just imagine this team with an actual superstar.  However, I don’t see them winning a game in this series.  It’s not like Rajon Rondo’s going to suit up for them and not play.  

Someone who’s always played and brought it in the big games?  One 39 year old Timothy Theodore Duncan.  I’ve actually heard people spew vitriol towards him simply for how bland and boring he is.  In my mind though, 5 rings is never bland and boring.  And come on, the guy’s official website is www.slamduncan.com.  Exciting stuff.  Duncan scored 28 on 14 of 23 shooting in Wednesday’s important game 2, then took it easy with 4 points in the Spurs 100-73 blowout win Friday night.  Yes, the Spurs won the important game 3 in the best series of the first round by far.  This could have been the Western Conference Finals.  The game Sunday is a must win for the Clippers.  They have the 3:30 pm national attention.  They’re on the road at a place they were recently embarrassed.  Chris Paul might murder most of his teammates if they lose.  Blake Griffin does not want to be remembered for that dribble off his foot or as just Taylor Griffin’s little brother.  

But really, most of the series' have been atypically one-sided this year.  The Wizards are up 3-0 on the Toronto Drakes, despite Randy Wittman’s buffoonery.  (Just look up Randy Wittman Playboard.)  The Rockets lead the Mavs 3-0 and somehow Josh Smith is making them a lot better.  Both these teams can sweep today.  Why even play another game?  The Nets and Bucks both won yesterday.  I don’t want to waste words on the Brooklanta series, but the Bucks called a great play at the end to steal their victory.  I just wonder who called it, Jason Kidd or one of his assistants.  It was nice for the Deer to get a playoff win, but the Bulls should close out tomorrow.  The Jimmy Butler, D-Rose backcourt is going to spell trouble for all and the 2nd round Bulls-Cavs matchup will determine your East Coast Champ.  Memphis is pretty much dominating the overmatched Blazers.  R.I.P. City is down 3-0 but the larger concern might be are they losing LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency this summer.  Is he going back to Texas or is L.A. in LA’s future?  

It’ll be about a week but the 2nd round will show more promise.  Nothing in the East can top Cavs-Bulls, so as per usual the excitement level will come up short there.  Atlanta will lose whatever respect they may have gained this year if they can’t beat the Bullets.  In the West, although it’s too early to count the Clips out, the 2nd round in my mind will be Spurs-Rockets and Warriors-Grizz.  If Josh Smith stays in control and uses his talents, the Rockets can make it interesting.  The gritty Grizzlies may have just enough moxie and Marc Gasol to take G-State to the limit.  Still though, it feels like Spurs-Warriors is inevitable.  Well, until next time, a throwback to last year’s playoffs. @bengalli33

Don't Miss This! Aaron Lee Tasjan w/Joe Peppercorn Tonight @ The Treebar. 8:30pm

You'd be hard pressed to find two better musicians playing a cooler venue anywhere in the world than Aaron Lee Tasjan and Joe Peppercorn performing at The Treebar Thursday April 23rd. Showtime is 8:30 sharp and though I have no idea what cover is, I'm sure it's way too cheap for the songs you will receive. 

Combined, the list of accomplishments these two have racked up are too many to mention so let's just let the music do the talking. Go check it out.

Two badasses, one stage, and one half of a big tree.

What If Dusty Baker was Bryan Price? by Colin Gawel

OK Reds fans: today we are going back in time to that magical year of 2007 (Time Machine Noise).…Whaa..Whaa…Whaa..bling…pop…hummmmmmm…….Bang!

The Reds hire former All Star and three time NL manager of the year Bryan Price to replace Pete Mackanin on October 13, 2007. The Reds haven't made the playoffs since 1995 and - even worse - haven't had a winning record since the year 2000. Two years after he's hired Price leads the Reds to the playoffs three of the four following years, but is fired after losing to the Pirates during the postseason in 2013. He has one year remaining on his contract. 

Price is replaced by his pitching coach Dusty Baker to manage the squad for the 2014 season. Baker has no previous managing experience at any level and in his first season at the helm the Reds finish a disappointing 10 games under .500, missing the playoffs by 14 games.

Things get worse for Baker in April 2015 when he goes on a post-game tirade against a Reds beat reporter, using the "F" word approximately 77 times. The outburst is an embarrassment to the Reds franchise as they prepare to host the MLB All Star the game in July. More so, it calls into question Baker's leadership qualities. 

Baker's Rant:

Ah, fuck. I’m just, I’m fucking pissing up a rope in this fucking business. Because everyone has to know everything all the fucking time. That’s not my fucking obligation, it’s not their obligation. You know why fucking Billy Hamilton didn’t fucking play? The other day? Because his fucking finger’s hurt and he couldn’t hit right-handed comfortably. Right? So that’s something that I need to know and no one else needs to know. No one else needs to fucking know it, and all of a sudden it’s out there. His fucking fingers are sore. It doesn’t benefit us. It wasn’t from you, but it doesn’t benefit us one bit to fucking announce to the fucking other teams that we’re playing to bring in lefties when they need to fucking get Billy out. There’s no benefit. So, I’m fucking, to be honest with you, I’m fucking sick of this shit. I’m sick of listening to this fucking shit, I’m sick of fucking the fucking second-guessing bullshit, you guys can do whatever the fuck you want, but I’ll tell you this — I’m not going to fucking tell you everything about this fucking club, because you fucking guys are going to out there and sniff it out anyway. I don’t fucking like it one fucking bit. I bend over backwards to be honest and direct with you fucking guys and you stick it right up my fucking ass — and the fucking team’s ass. And I’m sick of it. What do you got? If you don’t got anything, get out and I’ll do this fucking interview with Marty. You don’t have anything? Just get out, please.

Okay, imagine THAT scenario….Would Dusty still have a job today?  As a life-long Reds fan, and as much as it pains me to say it, it smacks again of an undertow of racism that I suspect is nudged along by 700 WLW.....

But I digress, enough of my yappin'. Let's hope the Reds turn it around in 2015 and make a run. I still believe there is hope, and no, I do not want to fire the manager. Yet. Your pal, Colin.

For further reading click here to read "This Reds Fan Will Remember the Dusty Baker Years Fondly."