Bell, Book, and Candle atThe Cleveland Play House Now through February 3

            For a moment or two it seemed like it might have been a rarity, a clunker at the Cleveland Play House, but got its act together after intermission and turned into an enjoyable evening of theater as Bell, Book and Candle opened Wednesday night.

            The classy 1950’s play written by John Van Druten, and the model the popular television show Bewitched was based on, tells the tale of a classy, modern witch living in New York City who falls for her mortal publisher neighbor. Georgia Cohen is perfectly cast as the witch, with a nice balance of sexiness and humor. Eric Martin Brown is the neighbor, Jeremy Webb plays Cohen’s warlock brother, Marc Moritz plays a famous author writing a book about witchcraft in New York City, and Patricia Kilgarriff steals every scene she is in as the elderly witch aunt.

            The play was fun, with only several small criticisms. First, there was some dead time in the first act when we couldn’t decide if this was comedy or a romance, and second, the use of recorded music brought down the overall quality of the production. The play was filled with 50’s jazz riffs and spooky sounds, and ends with the pop classic “This Magic Moment.” All of it would have been better with live musicians. A four piece jazz combo would have been perfect for this production.

            Speaking of music, I am really excited about the next production downtown at the Play House, their annual musical biography, this year it’s The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith. Over the years they have done George Gershwin, Ginger Rogers, and Ella Fitzgerald amongst others, and to me, it has always been one of the highlights of their season. The show will run February 15-March 10. And, yes, they use real musicians for these productions.

            For more information on all the good things going on at the Cleveland Play house visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

Personnel Matters

I'm still writing a monthly column for Scout.com's Browns publication the Orange and Brown Report. I am currently organizing and posting any of the columns out of the past on my website under football articles. To subscribe to the OBR go to Scout.com. Here is the latest article I wrote at the end of the Browns' season about personnel matters looking to next season.

Personnel Matters

It is now the off-season and time to talk personnel decisions for the 2013 Browns. For what it is worth here are my comments on a few things related to our favorite team and a few other teams around the NFL.

I still disagree with the media’s love affair with Robert Griffin III. Yes, he is a talented athlete and does have a big upside, but he still as some big hurdles to clear. His rookie year he missed games because of his first concussion and his first knee injury, both came on plays were he was running downfield. He must change his game are he is going to join that long list, and the list is getting longer, of college spread quarterbacks who could not make the transformation to NFL quarterbacks.  If RGIII keeps running eight or nine times a game soon will come his second concussion, then his third, and then another knee injury. And don’t forget about what has happened to Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Vince Young, and Michael Vick.

Speaking of quarterbacks, I can’t believe I hear people in the media who keep saying Vick will be a starter next year for someone, as long as that team let’s Michael Vick be Michael Vick.  And that would be a mistake. You let Michael Vick be Michael Vick and he will get yet another injury, probably a concussion, and he will be on the sidelines just like he spent most of this season.

Brandon Weedon’s rookie year had its ups and downs. At times he looked very good, at times very poor. But he started 15 games (this article was written before the last Pittsburgh game), and his rookie stats compare favorable to many other rookie seasons of some pretty good NFL quarterbacks. For example, Bernie Kosar threw only 8 touchdowns his first year as a starter, while Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie year. (Weedon stats after 15 games: 14 touchdowns, 17 interceptions). Don’t forget he has had 7 games without a pick, and four of his interceptions came in the first game. Even when playing poorly against the Redskins the numbers didn’t look that bad: 21/35 for 244 yards, one TD and 2 picks.

Last year’s draft was a fluke with the large amount of rookie quarterbacks that started and contributed to their NFL teams. There is only one, maybe two, first round QB picks this year, and after that it does not get any better. As I have written before, not enough college teams run a pro style offense, and the NFL is not developing its own quarterbacks without NFL Europe. All the more reason for the Browns to keep both Weedon and McCoy. Who else is there? The NFL is soon to be filled with spread option quarterbacks trying to learn the pro passing game. No matter what you think of both Browns quarterbacks, they will be miles ahead of most NFL quarterbacks next season.

Maybe I am too much of an old school coach, but I still feel you build championship teams from the trenches first, and you got to be happy with the young units the Browns have on both sides of the ball. On offense perennial all pro Joe Thomas is the old man, and he is only 27. He along with fellow first round picks Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwarz are playing like first round draft picks. All three, along with guard Shawn Lauvao started all 16 games. And on defense they are building a solid unit, built around defensive ends Jabaal Sheard and Frostee Rucker, and defensive tackles Ahtyba Rubin, Phil Taylor, John Hughes, and Billy Winn. All of these players still have promising careers ahead of them.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore ended the regular season still thinking they had a chance to win it all this season, which kept both teams with sticking with their aging lineups. Although both teams do have some good young players, especially Pittsburgh, the fact both teams kept too long with the Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and others, will catch up to them in the near future. Plus, as I have said before, it is hard to replace some of the best players in the history of their franchises.

Something is going to happen next season that has never happened to the Browns since they returned in 1999. They will have a talented, young, homegrown player returning at almost every position on both sides of the ball. We still have to see how the dust settles on the sidelines and in the front office under new owner Jimmy Haslem, but the personnel situation has never been better.

Speaking of the front office, by the time you read this a decision will be made about Tom Heckert. I would hate to see him go after he just gave us the best draft of the new Browns era, one of the best drafts ever. The 2012 draft gave us a starting right tackle in Mitchell Schwartz, Trent Richardson at running back, and Weedon at quarterback.  On offense also throw in starting receiver Josh Gordon (from the supplemental draft), and back ups speedster Travis Benjamin at receiver and offensive lineman Ryan Miller. On defense, at one time or another, rookies James-Michael Johnson, Billy Winn, John Hughes, and L.J. Fort also have started. And all seem to be quality players with solid careers in front of them.

I think to be a Browns fan you have to have a touch of the sentimental fool inside of you, and for that reason, as well as some pretty logical ones, I would definitely resign Phil Dawson and Josh Cribbs. The Browns special teams are greatly improved over last year, much to Dawson and Cribbs, and they don’t need changes at major positions going into next year. Dawson even with fifteen years under his belt is still at the top of his game, which includes not only kicking in our stadium and all the weather change it brings, but also open air stadiums in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. Cribbs might be ready to turn the punt return chores over to Travis Benjamin, but he is still solid on kickoffs, never afraid to get the last few tough yards, and still ranks at the top of the league as a cover man in the kicking game. Plus both players have been the face of the franchise during some very trying times, they both deserve to finish their careers in Browns uniforms.

There are still spots that need improvement. Including the defensive backfield, another defensive end, and depth on both sides of the ball. However, when the Browns do take the field for their first regular season game next season they will field a team we have been waiting for since sometime in the early 1990’s, a talented team with an experienced player lining up at almost every position. And they will be playing in a division where the two teams that have dominated it for over a decade will be showing their age and be at the beginnings of their own rebuilding projects.

Athletic Scholarships

(This is the second in a series of articles I am writing for my friend Rick Hurst's publication The Real Deal.)

Many high school athletes, and some of their parents too, dream of the day

they receive a full scholarship to play their sport at a major college. However, it is not that simple and for a variety of reasons it is something a handful of high school athletes get to experience. The amount of real DI scholarships is limited, and those that do receive them are a small group of very talented young men and women.

Television, the Internet, and the print media fill up our days with live games and news articles about our favorite Division I teams. However, in the big picture more NCAA athletes participate on the lower levels of college athletics than at DI.

DI football teams have the most amount of scholarships, 85. But remember, that is not 85 per year, it is 85 per team.  Spread that over five classes of athletes, most DI football players will be in their team’s programs for five years, and that translates to 17 a year. Men’s Division I basketball has 13 scholarships, woman have 15. Again, spread that out over five years that’s less than 3 a year for men, and three on the nose for women. That’s not a lot. Women’s volleyball with 15 scholarships, and men’s and women’s hockey with 18 apiece, also have enough scholarships to field complete teams.

What a lot of athletes and parents don’t know that with most of the rest of the sports on the Division I level there are not enough scholarships to field teams two deep with athletes. For example, baseball has 12 scholarships, but a good team needs at least 20 players to cover each position with starters and back ups, and stock a pitching staff. Men’s soccer has ten scholarships, but to have a full scrimmage in practice you would need 20 players.

What do soccer and baseball coaches do? There are two popular methods. The first is to give as many full scholarships as you can to the best athletes as you can find, and fill the rest of the team with nonscholarship players. Other coaches split scholarships, and then work with athletes and their families on other forms of financial aid, including loans and academic scholarships.

Splitting scholarships is the norm on the Division II level. For example in football DII coaches have 32 scholarships to split amongst a team of 80-100 players, sometimes more. And remember on the Division III level there are no athletic scholarships. Student-athletes at those schools live and die by their financial packages, just like every other student. Yet, without scholarships, there are over 400 DIII schools offering athletic programs across the country.

But getting back to the DI level. How exactly does one do to get a DI scholarship? The only thing that an athlete can do is practice and play to the extent of his or her ability. In today’s world of the Internet, DVD players, websites like YouTube, everything else is pretty much out of your hands. Yes, you can get a highlight video together. And yes, you can send out letters and attend recruiting nights, but in almost any sport who the premier athletes are is pretty common knowledge. In most sports, if you are not being recruited by DI schools by the beginning of your senior season, you probably are not going to end up going DI. And by being recruited I don’t mean receiving a letter in the mail, but by being actually contacted by a coach and asked to make an official visit to the school’s campus.

If you think you might be a DI athlete, or your child might one, I suggest you go to a Division I sporting event where you can get really close to the athletes. I don’t mean going to see a football or hockey game at Michigan or Michigan State, but something where you even interact with the athletes afterwards. Go to a wrestling match, or a women’s basketball or volleyball game. Sit as close to the action as possible and see how intense it is, and how big, quick, competitive, and athletic the participants are. It doesn’t even have to be your sport, or your child’s sport, to get an idea of what it is like on that level.

The most important thing to consider when deciding whether to play a sport in college, no matter what the level, is the time you will have to commit to the sport and how it will affect the time you have to put into your studies. Remember, athletics is not the ends of the means. It is a vehicle you use to attain a quality college education. Even those gifted and lucky few who go on to play sports professionally must be prepared for that day when their sports career ends and their real career starts.

Music City Bowl Road Trip 2012

Special thanks to the Music City Bowl, Vanderbilt Cheerleaders, Nick Turk, Middle Tennessee Browns Backers, the Crow's Nest, Embassy Suites Nashville Airport, and everyone else who made our road trip enjoyable. Photos by Greg Cielec and Dave Hostetler.

Concussions

(My friend Rick Hurst has started a publication The Real Deal, a sports related magazine for the northern suburbs of Detroit. I contributed the following article for their October issue, it might become a regular monthly feature.)

A Coach’s View of Concussions

Concussions have always been a part of sports, but only until recently has it become a media story that won’t go away, and for good reason. For years the common reaction to concussions by coaches and trainers was to tell a player he had “a dinger,” or had his “bell rung.” A player was taken out of the game, often administered some sort of ammonia to help him breathe and get his senses back, and allowed back in the game. Concussions were not taken seriously. Those days are long gone.

Concussions are now a big story for a variety of reasons: concussions on all levels of football; concussions in sports other than football, including girls sports; concussions stemming from constant hitting (like linemen in football); and concussions from one strong hit (like a base runner sliding head first into home plate). Probably the most glaring issue has been the long-term affects of concussions, not only on professional football players but also youngsters playing youth sports.

I have been very lucky the last fifteen years to coach football at Division III John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, a school that has as good as a medical support staff as any college on any level in the country. Because of our relationship with the near by Cleveland Clinic, our athletes are often treated for injury by the same doctors who treat Cleveland’s professional athletes. Our in house training staff is filled with seasoned veterans who are also up to date on the latest methods in injury prevention and treatment.

Don McPhillips, our head trainer and a veteran of over twenty-five years in the sports medicine field, has seen it all. “We are much better now at managing concussions, making sure players don’t come back too soon. But one thing we haven’t improved upon is avoiding concussions.” If you ask McPhillips what needs to be done, he pauses and then states the obvious, “Until players quit using their heads as weapons, we will always have concussions.”

And that is the dark secret of sports, especially sports like football and hockey: players lowering their heads, leading with the top of their helmets.

In football it wasn’t always like that. Back in the 30’s, 40’, and 50’s, when helmets were made of hard leather or cheap plastic with no faceguards or masks, players did not lead with their heads first to tackle, block, or run. They were taught to block and tackle with their arms and shoulders, and that is what they did. Making the helmets stronger and adding facemasks made the game safer, but very soon that hard plastic sitting on player’s heads became a weapon itself, and that continues today.

Throughout the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, the designs of new helmets were often advertised as a cure for concussions. As hard plastic replaced leather on the outside, a variety of changes happened inside the helmet. Players went from wearing suspension helmets, where the skull was literally suspended inside of the plastic shell with a spacing of air meant to absorb any blows to the head. That airspace would be replaced with a variety of padding material, then by water pockets, then by air packets that can be blown up like a bike tire. As that went on inside of the helmet, the outside became harder yet lighter through advances in plastics. But instead of offering more protection, these advances in helmet technology have just made the helmet more of a weapon.

And it just isn’t a football problem. Since helmets became mandatory in ice hockey the same thing has happened, a rise in concussions because players are using their heads to guide their bodies to check players. Same thing in baseball, when helmets became mandatory on all runners on base, more players started sliding head first into bases.

There is no such thing as a concussion proof helmet in any sport. Helmets in any sport will protect an athlete to a certain extent, but are not 100% safe.

And concussions are also increasing in sports that don’t require helmets like soccer and basketball. We are not sure if more are happening, or more are being reported than in the past.

There are several things high school athletes and their parents need to do in regards to concussions. First, each student athlete needs to track concussions over the length of a complete playing career. For example, in football from the first time a kid puts pads on in CYO or Pop Warner all the way through high school and college to the pro leagues. Also any head injuries playing any other sport should be tracked also. Too often the history of concussions for a player starts over as he moves up the ladder or switches sports.

Another consideration is to limit on the amount of concussions a player can have over a certain amount of time, or over the course of a career. And if a player has to hang it up after so many concussions, so be it. That has already happened to some players voluntarily on the high school and college level, and if the NFL, NHL, and other pro leagues really care about the long-range health of its players it has to happen on that level too.

Parents must be sure that their student athletes are wearing the proper equipment at all times, and that is not just to help prevent concussions. Too often a player will discard a pad or other piece of equipment because he or she will feel faster or more athletic without it. Mouthpieces should be worn in every competitive sport, and if a player chews on it then it should be replaced on a regular basis.

Coaches in all sports must make sure they teach their players to play their games the proper and safest way. And I really think for the most part that is being done, but as long as young players see their pro sports heroes on TV tackling, checking, or sliding headfirst I doubt much will change.

(Greg Cielec is both a college football coach and a freelance writer. He is the author of the novels My Cleveland Story and Home and Away Games. Check out his work at www.gregcielec.com. He can be contacted at cielec@hotmail.com).

"Can't Get Enough: the Photography of Robert Alford." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

When you head down to the Rock Hall to see the Grateful Dead exhibit, make sure you save time to go down to the lower level to the Patty, Jay and Kizzie Baker Gallery and check out the exhibit “Can’t Get Enough: The Photography of Robert Alford.” Alford is a Detroit based music photographer who has covered the national rock scene since the late Seventies, doing a lot of work for Creem Magazine. The exhibit, put together by curator Howard Baker, features portraits and on stage shots of artists as diverse as the Clash, Morris Day, the GoGos, and John Mellencamp. Music fans will recognize often used portraits of Mellencamp and Boy George; a shot of the Clash in front of the original Motown Records building in Detroit;  and pictures of Z.Z. Top in all their 80’s glory. Other photos include great images of Cheap Trick, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Big Country.

            Alford attended a media event last week to preview the exhibit to the local media, and he was quite affable and informative. He did make some insightful comments on the demise of his profession as a concert photographer. “Now they give everyone in the audience a three song window to take pictures,” he said. “And that’s it. No  one, including me, gets access like we use to.”  

Robert Alford on the left with Rock Hall Curator   Howard Baker

            “Can’t Get Enough: The Photography of Robert Alford” exhibit will be at the Rock Hall through the winter. The Grateful Dead exhibit will be there until December. For more information on either exhibit, and all the other great stuff going on at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, go to www.RockHall.com. 

Travel Diary for Ireland

The John Carroll University football team, coaches, support personal, along with a heavy dose of family and friends, had a terrific experience in Ireland over the last week.

            The team and coaches went over on four different flights, and things got off to a shaky start on Tuesday when all of United Airline computers went down on the east coast causing temporary chaos. Most of our entourage either got stuck on the ground in Cleveland or New York for several hours before the situation got resolved. Once my flight got to Newark Airport things almost got back on schedule and the trip over to Ireland was very pleasant. On their international flights United now has entertainment centers on the back of each seat that contain free movies, music, and television shows.  I listened to nothing but music on the way over, including the new Ray Charles tribute album featuring Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, and Norah Jones (outstanding); a Bowie Anthology; and a John Coltrane disc that contained his take on 1950’s and 60’s movie and Broadway themes.  It made the trip fly, and we landed in Shannon Airport at daybreak.

            After going through customs and claiming our luggage we were off to the Cliff of Mohers on the west coast. It was cold, wet, and miserable there, but the sites were breathtaking. I would strongly suggest checking it out if you ever go Ireland.

            We finally checked into our hotel by the late afternoon and traveled to a local rugby field for practice. By then most of the kids had been up for 24 hours, so practice was a bit sluggish. We had a late dinner and then everyone had a good night’s sleep.

            Thursday was a great day. We practiced and had lunch at the University of Dublin’s main campus, which was quite impressive. We then went and checked out the stadium we were going to play in the following night, the Donnybrook Rugby Stadium. What a great venue, old and historic it will prove to be a great place for the game. But on Thursday afternoon it was empty, and we checked out the turf and took some pictures. We then went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College. Old and historic, we took some great pictures of our players in the garden next to the cathedral. We then participated with all the other high school and college teams playing in Dublin over the weekend in a parade through downtown Dublin that ended on the main plaza of Trinity College were there was speeches and welcomes from dignitaries, including the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland.

            Friday was game day. We had breakfast and mass in the morning then some short meetings. Everyone had a couple of hours of down time, then a pregame meal and the drive over to the stadium.  There was a high school game before us, a thriller won by Jesuit Prep of Dallas over Loyola of Chicago 30-29. Both teams had a good amount of parents and fans at the game, as were a lot of Irish fans.

            A big thrill for our players, especially those from the Pittsburgh area, was meeting U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney before the game. He spoke a few words to both teams, as well as shaking dozens of hands and posing for many pictures. An affable guy considering he’s a Steeler.

            Our game against St. Norbert’s of Wisconsin got off to a shaky start as they took an early 3-0 lead after we gave them great field position on an interception. That would proof to be one of our few mistakes, as we would roll to a 40-3 victory over what was a pretty good football team. Our new quarterback Mark Myers threw for 457 yards and five touchdowns; one of our new running backs Randy Greenwood took a swing pass 73 yards for a TD; and Lane Robilotto and Alex Kline both had 2 touchdown catches. I coach the running backs with Ron Dolciato and they had a good game, D’quan Grobsmith had several exciting plays, as usual, and scored a rushing touchdown; and all nine RBs saw action both in the backfield and on special teams.

            Even with all of those offensive exploits, the story of the game for the Blue Streaks was the defense. They were outstanding, giving up a total of 90 yards and only 7 first downs.

             The Irish fans were absolutely nuts during and after the game. Aided by the fact that there was a bar in both end zones, a few of them had had a pint or two. They stormed the field afterward asking our players to pose for pictures and to sign autographs. Between the history and ambience of the stadium and the enthusiasm of the crowd it was one of the best game day experiences I have had in my football career.

            The mood back at our hotel afterwards was quite festive. The team, parents, and fans took over the lobby and pub area, while the coaches and support staff retired to Coach Scafe’s suite to celebrate the big victory.

            Saturday found us in total tourist mode, as we went to the Notre Dame/Navy Game, which was fun but turned out to be not much of game as ND rolled 50-10. Navy could have kept it close, but blew some first half scoring opportunities and threw an interception for a touch down right before half. The game should have ended 43-10, but ND drove for a final score instead of taking a knee at the very end of the game, a classless way to end the game. This is from the same coach who left his University of Cincinnati team two weeks before they played in the Orange Bowl to go to Notre Dame. Oh, the high moral standards of DI athletics!

            The Midshipmen marched on the field before the game; ND’s band did a great halftime show of ‘Irish songs,’ most of which made the real Irish in the stands cringe a bit.

            On Sunday we had a day full of highlights, starting with a team mass attended by not only the team but also friends, family, and a host of JCU dignitaries. It was held in the chapel of the Catholic University of Ireland, a beautiful church located across the street from Stephen’s Green. We then had a brunch in the lobby of the National Concert Hall. Afterward we had an hour or so to do a little sight seeing, I went of to St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s version of Central Park. It’s a beautiful urban park, 22 acres of lawns, ponds, walking paths, and landscaped gardens.

            We then went off to what was the surprise moment of the trip, to see County Mayo play County Dublin in the semi-finals of the National Gaelic Football Championships. We were amongst the eighty thousand crazy fans who watched the Irish National Sport, which is a combination of soccer, rugby, basketball, and keep away. The game came down to the end, as Dublin came back from a 17-7 deficit to pull within 2 points, only to see Mayo hold on for the victory. The game was played by amateurs from their home counties, and we were on our feet screaming for both teams until time ran out. It would be like if the Browns were made up completely of players from Northern Ohio, and the Steelers were made up completely of players from Western Pennsylvania, and everyone had to go back to their day job the day after.

            Monday was our travel day, with the players due back in class on Tuesday. Special thanks to Coach Regis Scafe and the fulltime coaches, Jane Evans and Laurie Massa in the Athletic Department, Mrs. Debick and Father Niehoff from the administration, Father Bernie, and everyone else involved in putting the trip together. It was a terrific week filled with priceless moments.

Some Misc Comments:

1. I traveled the week on the offensive bus, and our driver Tony was a real treasure. A great representative of Ireland and its people.

2. Except for the first day at the Cliffs of Moher, we had terrific weather. It rained a bit, but it was perfect for the game and for our practices.

3. The Irish really love their green spaces, especially lawns. Whether it was in St. Stephen’s Green, Trinity College, or our hotel, there were beautiful rich green lawns everywhere.  Can you see in America someone saying ‘no you can’t build a shopping center there because a lawn is already there’? Look what’s going to happen to Acacia Country Club.

4. The entertainment units on the back of the seats on the United oversea flights really make the trips a lot more bearable. Our flight back was over seven hours long, but I watched three films and the time flew by.

5. It was enjoyable watching the British take on American politics on their news shows.

 6.  Dublin is a city without a skyline. Most buildings are only four stories tall, including those in its downtown. That gives the city a great charm, and it is also filled with wide walking paths and sidewalks, and is very bicycle friendly. And, as I mentioned already, contains a lot of urban green space.

7. Our hotel City West Hotel and Golf Club was ideal. It was a large charming place, with winding staircases, pubs filled with comfortable leather furniture, and classy old dining rooms. It also had a championship golf course, a health club with a lap pool, and a convention center that was huge. It was far enough out in the country to keep us out of trouble, but a short bus ride to everywhere we needed to go.

Monday was a travel day for the Blue Streaks

Monday was nothing but bus rides, layovers, and airplane flights as we made our way back home.