Ozzie Defends Dorsey Against The Gross One

[darren15]

SBJ‏ @SeanMayfield6 18h18 hours ago

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Ozzie Newsome interupts interview (for real). Told Grossi to give Dorsey a break. “Give the man, he’s building a helluva team Grossi. We’ve been starving for this for years”.

 

A few comments from Browns fans in response

 

Get Grossi and Cabot and the rest of their negative circus the fuck outta there. Jesus Christ.. The fans have had it with their shitty, negative and repetitive questions a long time ago. Cleveland Browns culture has changed. Change the Reporting Culture.

Tony "the drowning pessemist" Grossi

No one can stand Grossi. I don’t know how he’s still employed in Cleveland

Grossi is the worst. Focuses on the negative. He is too old to cover the Browns. He is an old curmudgeon

You mean. "Get off my yard" Grossi? The self proclaimed general of the Browns 100 year war, that Grossi?

Nothing would please me more than to hear that the Grim Reaper and the Wicked Witch Of The West had been run out of Cleveland ....

[The Gipper]

Grossi is fine.    You are just irrational.

[darren15]

25 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

Grossi is fine.    You are just irrational.

We could win the super bowl 70-0 against the Saints and he would tell the browns how shit they are.

 

And Cabot always makes something up that is not there.....IE last week Odell said he needed to go dark and clear his mind, she reported ..Odell Shocker...Could Odell Refuse Browns Move .....

[nickers]

43 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

Grossi is fine.    You are just irrational.

Grossi is a pure idiot... Hes pure scum as a reporter.. 0 class.. Ask Randy Lerner what a germ he is.... They had to take him off the Browns beat, and replace him as Browns beat writer with MKC.. TG is the epitome of "Yellow Journalism".. Pure SHIT!

[The Gipper]

28 minutes ago, nickers said:

Grossi is a pure idiot... Hes pure scum as a reporter.. 0 class.. Ask Randy Lerner what a germ he is.... They had to take him off the Browns beat, and replace him as Browns beat writer with MKC.. TG is the epitome of "Yellow Journalism".. Pure SHIT!

Actually, Grossi told the absolute truth about Randy>....he said he was an irrelevent Billionaire...and that was a fact.

[hoorta]

23 minutes ago, nickers said:

Grossi is a pure idiot... Hes pure scum as a reporter.. 0 class.. Ask Randy Lerner what a germ he is.... They had to take him off the Browns beat, and replace him as Browns beat writer with MKC.. TG is the epitome of "Yellow Journalism".. Pure SHIT!

The PD sent him out to pasture.  ESPN is Grossi's last stand. He gets to attend interviews, practices, and might have locker room access. Shot all his "inside sources" long ago. Rappoport may have better inside dope than Tony.

RE: MKC, making up stories where there are none. Her love affair when Garoppolo was still with the Patriots was memorable.   

[Orion]

2 hours ago, The Gipper said:

Actually, Grossi told the absolute truth about Randy>....he said he was an irrelevent Billionaire...and that was a fact.

But it was a mistake to send that out to the masses.

Everyone wanted Randy to sell the team......and I was like, "Be careful about what you ask for.  He doesn't pinch pennies, he's a Browns fan and wants to win, he just hasn't hired the right guy(s) yet."  And so we wound up with Haslam, who took the team to new lows.....and changed the uniforms.  Finally though, blind squirrel Haslam found Dorsey. 

[Canton Mike]

5 hours ago, The Gipper said:

Actually, Grossi told the absolute truth about Randy>....he said he was an irrelevent Billionaire...and that was a fact.

 

2 hours ago, Orion said:

But it was a mistake to send that out to the masses.

Everyone wanted Randy to sell the team......and I was like, "Be careful about what you ask for.  He doesn't pinch pennies, he's a Browns fan and wants to win, he just hasn't hired the right guy(s) yet."  And so we wound up with Haslam, who took the team to new lows.....and changed the uniforms.  Finally though, blind squirrel Haslam found Dorsey. 

Orion, I have agreed with many of your posts, but not this one....

1) Randy spent $ but was he a Browns fan?...Nothing ever showed me that he was.

2) Haslam...He didn't take the team to new lows, he just wasn't able to stop the downward spiral that had existed since 1999. His mistakes came from a burning desire to win. He made plenty of mistakes & attempted to change things after each of his mistakes, often making another DIFFERENT mistake. He is no "blind squirrel".  The Dorsey hiring & approving numerous moves, including changes in coaching staff & obtaining key players have had to have his approval. I think it's time to get OFF the "bash Jimmy & Dee" bandwagon & show appreciation for what they are accomplishing NOW!!!

Mike

[Dutch Oven]

My only exposure to Grossi anymore is on the STO show 'The Redzone'. 

For someone who supposedly is Mr. Negative, the guy seems genuinely happy when they do well. 

I don't know what he says when he writes or does his ESPN show, though. 

[Canton Mike]

54 minutes ago, Dutch Oven said:

My only exposure to Grossi anymore is on the STO show 'The Redzone'. 

For someone who supposedly is Mr. Negative, the guy seems genuinely happy when they do well. 

I don't know what he says when he writes or does his ESPN show, though. 

He was VERY negative UNTIL Baker performed so well in games & he has been pretty positive since. I'm willing to see what happens with him going forward. The past is done.

Mike

[Orion]

1 hour ago, Canton Mike said:

I think it's time to get OFF the "bash Jimmy & Dee" bandwagon & show appreciation for what they are accomplishing NOW!!!

They're a couple of dopes and Dee came out and said it a couple of years ago.  She said that they hadn't known what they were doing and if they HAD KNOWN that it was so hard to be an NFL team owner then they'd never have bought the team.  When the Haslams bought the team they brought in a new coach...and then fired HIM and his coaches the very next year.  Grade school math tells us that they fired TWO coaching staffs in their FIRST year of owning the team.  THAT WAS STUPID!   Stupid is as stupid does.   And guess what Mike!   Don't think you're gonna tell me what to think.  I've been a Browns fan since 1961.  And this idiot crook dressed my team in clown outfits and took them to a zero win season.  And if he doesn't keep his meddling fingers out of Dorsey's way he'll bring us right straight back there.  (and here's some advice for you, like I told you before, put me on your ignore list so you don't have to read my thoughts)

[stillmotion]

Grossi is way better than Mary Kay, Mary Kay sucks

[hoorta]

1 hour ago, Orion said:

They're a couple of dopes and Dee came out and said it a couple of years ago.  She said that they hadn't known what they were doing and if they HAD KNOWN that it was so hard to be an NFL team owner then they'd never have bought the team.  When the Haslams bought the team they brought in a new coach...and then fired HIM and his coaches the very next year.  Grade school math tells us that they fired TWO coaching staffs in their FIRST year of owning the team.  THAT WAS STUPID!   Stupid is as stupid does.   And guess what Mike!   Don't think you're gonna tell me what to think.  I've been a Browns fan since 1961.  And this idiot crook dressed my team in clown outfits and took them to a zero win season.  And if he doesn't keep his meddling fingers out of Dorsey's way he'll bring us right straight back there.  

To a certain extent I agree with your take regarding the Haslams- BUT. I'm a little more charitable in my opinion. MHO is Jimmy had no idea how steep the learning curve was from being a minority owner of the Steelers to the outright owner of the Browns- he said as much. Sure, he made mistakes aplenty the first few years. Should never have fired Chud after one year. Saddled Pettine with the worst problem child in recent NFL history. Hired one inept GM after another. Picking Gilbert and Manziel in the first round may go down as a top 10 worst first round in NFL history. Then bringing in essentially bean counter Sashi who probably had no idea his tear it all down was going to result in 1-31, aided by Haslam whose hands were tied realizing he couldn't fire the Huebatross after one year because of his previous quick hook firing of coaches. 

So was hiring Dorsey dumb luck, or learning from your mistakes? I tend to believe the latter. 

Don't forget, Jimmy if nothing else is willing to spend tons of money to bring a winner to Cleveland- he spent 10s of millions of his own cash on stadium upgrades remember? Very unlike his  famously cheap SW Ohio counterpart Mike Brown.

Regarding the uniforms- I've accepted them for what they are, and they're far from terrible. You might have had to kill yourself if Haslam had done something like the Seahawks dayglo unis, or the Buccaneers digital clock numerals. 

[Pavo Joe]

I lived in Florida in the 80's, pre internet days and I remember my best resource for Browns news back then was a subscription to Browns News Illustrated. Grossi's commentary was a big part of that newspaper and I don't recall it as being particularly negative back then. Perhaps he , like many of us has become more crusty and negative with age. One thing I will always thank Tony for was his annual campaign to keep Modell out of Canton.

[The Gipper]

14 hours ago, Canton Mike said:

 

Orion, I have agreed with many of your posts, but not this one....

1) Randy spent $ but was he a Browns fan?...Nothing ever showed me that he was.

2) Haslam...He didn't take the team to new lows, he just wasn't able to stop the downward spiral that had existed since 1999. His mistakes came from a burning desire to win. He made plenty of mistakes & attempted to change things after each of his mistakes, often making another DIFFERENT mistake. He is no "blind squirrel".  The Dorsey hiring & approving numerous moves, including changes in coaching staff & obtaining key players have had to have his approval. I think it's time to get OFF the "bash Jimmy & Dee" bandwagon & show appreciation for what they are accomplishing NOW!!!

Mike

Randy was always a fucking soccer fan.  He cared more about his English soccer team than he did about the Browns.  But he ran them into the ground and then sold them too.

But unlike the Browns where no such system exists, he ended up getting his Aston Villa team "relegated"  to the minor leagues of soccer over there.  I don't know if they have ever made it out of relegation.

 

[hoorta]

3 hours ago, The Gipper said:

Randy was always a fucking soccer fan.  He cared more about his English soccer team than he did about the Browns.  But he ran them into the ground and then sold them too.

But unlike the Browns where no such system exists, he ended up getting his Aston Villa team "relegated"  to the minor leagues of soccer over there.  I don't know if they have ever made it out of relegation.

 

Yup, Villa is still second tier. And Lehrner sold out there too.  Buying and then selling professional sport teams can be quite profitable. 

[The Gipper]

54 minutes ago, hoorta said:

Yup, Villa is still second tier. And Lehrner sold out there too.  Buying and then selling professional sport teams can be quite profitable. 

What did he do with the money from selling both teams, I wonder?

Aston Villa's new owner US Randy Lerner

Randy Lerner, center, is finally selling his Aston Villa soccer team, but not before watching it get relegated.

(Associated Press)

BEREA, Ohio -- Randy Lerner should not be allowed to own anything in the sports world ever again.

Not a football team. Not a soccer club. Not a Westminster show dog.

Chances are the charitable, yet gullible, former Browns owner finally has learned his lesson after seeing a sizable chunk of his personal fortune squandered on the English soccer team he's selling.

 

According to The Telegraph and other media outlets, Lerner is unloading relegation-bound Aston Villa to Chinese businessman Dr. Tony Xia for a bargain price of $90-plus million. He purchased the Birmingham-based side a decade ago for a reported $95 million and assumed $24 million of debt.

Forbes estimates Lerner has lost over $400 million, pre tax, since 2006. It's an astonishing sum for a man who sold the Browns to Jimmy Haslam in 2012 for $1.05 billion.

Although he's not hurting for money, his reputation has taken a worse beating than his soccer team, one demoted to England's second-tier for the first time since 1987. Villa finished with just three wins in 38 matches -- or one for every manager who coached the team this season.

Despite his gentle nature and good intentions, Lerner ranks among the sports world's most inept owners. Problems that plagued his decade-long reign over the Browns followed him across the pond. He made some curious hires, grew more reclusive from his team's fans and lacked the acumen required to oversee a major franchise.

 

In Cleveland, he hired a successful coach (Mike Holmgren) to do something other than coach. At Aston Villa, over howls of fan protest in 2011, he hired manager Alex McLeish who had taken hated rival Birmingham City into relegation a season earlier.

"Worryingly, it raised the question of how much or little Lerner understood of the Villa culture," ESPN soccer analyst Ian Darke told The Plain Dealer in 2012.

After a bright start to his soccer stewardship -- three consecutive top-six finishes in the 20-team league -- he flirted with relegation over the past six seasons as the Premiership grew too rich and cutthroat for him.

The club has been for sale since 2014 and Lerner was initially seeking $295 million, according to reports. Last year, a buyer was reportedly willing to pay $220 million for a chance to own a founding Premier League member and former European Cup champion.

Lerner's decision to keep Villa another year, after coming so close to demotion in 2015, was bewildering. One theory: the league's new $12 billion television deal kicks in next season. Had the team stayed up for one more campaign it would have dramatically enhanced the resale value.

Instead, the side bottomed out and fan outrage at Villa Park multiplied by the week. Some stories surrounding the team were as incredible as the lopsided score lines.

 

* The club spent roughly $120,000 dollars on a logo redesign that looked virtually the same as the old one with the exception of removing the word "Prepared."

* Lerner poured $70-plus million into new signings this season only to see the club implode. Maybe, it had something to do with poor scouting.

* The Guardian reported one of Villa's scouts responsible for scouring Spain and Portugal was a journalism student. Another scout moved to Australia at a time when he was supposed to be searching the powerhouse German Bundesliga for talent.

As another season unraveled, Lerner admitted last month relegation "lies at my feet and no one else's."

Some fans will feel a sense of schadenfreude over the owner's financial downturn. But Lerner's damage at Villa goes beyond the bottom line. Browns faithful are lucky relegation is not part of American sports. Once teams go down, TV money and sponsorships begin to dry up. There's no guarantee Villa returns to the Premier League anytime soon.

In the face of fan anguish, Lerner plied them with sentimental flashbacks last month.

 

"Memories of Acorns on the (team jersey), and Ashley Young scoring a late winner against Everton still romantically nourish me," he said.

Pending Football Association approval, new ownership should inject hope and much-needed leadership into Villa.

It's unclear what becomes of Lerner, whose affinity for Villa was never questioned. On Wednesday night, he released a letter on the team website that oddly began with the words "Goodbye to all that ...

For the second time in four years, Lerner sounds like an owner happy to unburden himself from a responsibility too challenging. The Browns were his late father's passion, not his own.

Lerner is a decent man, a giving man and a simple man -- one who had no business owning a pro sports franchise, let alone two.

[The Gipper]

I thought maybe that Lerner would buy into an MLS  team,  but to my knowledge, that has not happened.  

But...Jimmy Haslam did:

COLUMBUS — Major League Soccer and Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, as well as the ownership group they are part of, have finalized an agreement to buy theColumbus Crew.

It was revealed in October that the Haslams were part of an ownership group working on a deal to purchase the the team.

This came after Anthony Precourt, of Precourt Sports Ventures who bought the Crew in 2013, announced plans last year to relocate to Austin, Texas, leading fans to campaign to #SaveTheCrew.

The city of Columbus and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine sued Precourt to prevent the team from leaving.

Now, nearly two months later the Haslams announced their intent to purchase, MLS  confirms an agreement has been reached to complete the deal.

MLS Commissioner Don Graber released the following statement Friday afternoon:

“After several months of discussions, we are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement in principle with the Haslam and Edwards families for them to assume an ownership position in Major League Soccer and operate Columbus Crew SC starting in January, 2019.

While we work to finalize the deal promptly, we want to state publicly the tremendous collaboration and community support for Crew SC, which has set the stage for a powerful plan that includes a world-class soccer stadium – a critical step that will help ensure the club’s success on and off the field.

 

RELATED STORY
Group plans new $230M stadium to keep Columbus Crew

 

We appreciate all the diligent work from the Haslam and Edwards Families, the leadership from the Columbus Partnership, the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the State of Ohio, Precourt Sports Ventures, and all of those who have contributed over the past several months to create the elements that will solidify Crew SC’s long-term future as an integral part of the Columbus sports scene.”

The Haslams aren’t the first Browns owners to buy a soccer team. Former team owner Randy Lerner bought the Aston Villa FC of the Premier League in 2006 and sold it 10 years later.

Jimmy and Dee also commented on the deal Friday with the following statement:

“When we began exploring the possibility of keeping Crew SC in Columbus, the process started with an appreciation for the benefits a professional sports franchise brings to a region.  We quickly began positive discussions with Major League Soccer – the League Office and many of the League’s owners.

We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Columbus community, as well as Crew SC fans, to help us efficiently complete and fulfill the requirements and deadlines set by Major League Soccer that will help ensure the success of Crew SC on and off the field.

Throughout our conversations, it’s been overwhelmingly clear that Crew SC belongs in Columbus, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement in principle to assume an ownership position in Major League Soccer and to operate Columbus Crew SC. As the stewards of Crew SC, we will always be focused on building a championship caliber team that makes the city proud, creating dynamic and memorable fan experiences and deeply engaging the community to make a positive impact.”

The Columbus Crew was one of the founding members of the MLS in 1994 and played the last 20 seasons at MAPFRE Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States. They won the Eastern Conference in 2015.

[The Gipper]

Bottom line:   Both  Columbus, and now Cincinnati, have MLS teams...and Cleveland does not, despite being by far the larger market in the state.

[ATOM]

On 3/26/2019 at 5:53 PM, Dutch Oven said:

My only exposure to Grossi anymore is on the STO show 'The Redzone'. 

For someone who supposedly is Mr. Negative, the guy seems genuinely happy when they do well. 

I don't know what he says when he writes or does his ESPN show, though. 

exactly he always seems thrilled when we do well and wtf we have sucked since 99 what the fuck was there to be positive about

[jiggins7919]

On 3/26/2019 at 1:25 PM, darren15 said:

SBJ‏ @SeanMayfield6 18h18 hours ago

More

Ozzie Newsome interupts interview (for real). Told Grossi to give Dorsey a break. “Give the man, he’s building a helluva team Grossi. We’ve been starving for this for years”.

 

A few comments from Browns fans in response

 

Get Grossi and Cabot and the rest of their negative circus the fuck outta there. Jesus Christ.. The fans have had it with their shitty, negative and repetitive questions a long time ago. Cleveland Browns culture has changed. Change the Reporting Culture.

Tony "the drowning pessemist" Grossi

No one can stand Grossi. I don’t know how he’s still employed in Cleveland

Grossi is the worst. Focuses on the negative. He is too old to cover the Browns. He is an old curmudgeon

You mean. "Get off my yard" Grossi? The self proclaimed general of the Browns 100 year war, that Grossi?

Nothing would please me more than to hear that the Grim Reaper and the Wicked Witch Of The West had been run out of Cleveland ....

Didn't Grossi get fired a few years ago for being such a douche?  

[hoorta]

On 3/27/2019 at 4:03 PM, The Gipper said:

Bottom line:   Both  Columbus, and now Cincinnati, have MLS teams...and Cleveland does not, despite being by far the larger market in the state.

I thought you hated soccer Gip. It's a two hour drive from Cleveland to Columbus if you're a big soccer fan. My relatives make a drive down there at least once a year to catch a Blue Jackets game. Of course Ohio State football rules Columbus, but as you saw- The Crew were one of the founding members of MLS.  .  

BTW, If I lived in Columbus, I'd probably be driving up for every Browns game. The extra two hours on a round trip makes a huge difference. It's a hassle on a one day leaving 7 in the morning, and not getting back home until at least  8 at night. I hit a Browns Backers Bar on an overnight stay in Columbus, and there were plenty of guys with season tickets who make the drive for the home games. 

[The Gipper]

33 minutes ago, hoorta said:

I thought you hated soccer Gip. It's a two hour drive from Cleveland to Columbus if you're a big soccer fan. My relatives make a drive down there at least once a year to catch a Blue Jackets game. Of course Ohio State football rules Columbus, but as you saw- The Crew were one of the founding members of MLS.  .  

BTW, If I lived in Columbus, I'd probably be driving up for every Browns game. The extra two hours on a round trip makes a huge difference. It's a hassle on a one day leaving 7 in the morning, and not getting back home until at least  8 at night. I hit a Browns Backers Bar on an overnight stay in Columbus, and there were plenty of guys with season tickets who make the drive for the home games. 

I am not a soccer fan....but if Cleveland had an MLS team I would probably follow it somewhat.

We have the Big Four sports in this country:  Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey/  MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL.  The #5 team sport is probably soccer I suppose.  (over lacrosse/volleyball etc.)   Soccer is a wannabe Major Sport....and may someday get there to make it a Big Five instead of a Big Four. If that were ever to be the case I would want a Cleveland team involved.  

I have no great affinity for the Blue Jackets....but I suppose they are "our"  hockey team. It would be better that they win than that a team from Pittsburgh or any other US market win.....but I am not sure that I would root for them over a couple of teams from Canada that I would like to see win (Vancouver/Ottawa/Toronto).

I have no affinity for the Columbus Crew.  But, again, it would be better to have them win than any of the other teams in that league.  I think they did actually win a title about a decade ago.....but I don't recall it even making a ripple here in the NE Ohio sports scene.  No one here noticed or even cared that I can recall.  Its fine that they won once.  It would be fine if they do it again...better than LA, Boston, NYC etc.   But it would still hardly make a ripple.  The only connection now really is that they are owned by the Haslams.  I could envision him wanting to have the Browns PR department trying to roil up some support for their team in Columbus.

My biggest affinity for soccer is for the Akron Zips.  They have been a powerhouse in soccer over the years. They won the championship in like 2010...and just this past year they lost the NCAA Championship game by like 1-0 to Maryland. So, I would rather have Akron U win another title rather than the Columbus Crew...or even the Bluejackets.