The Club met Indians' WTAM Radio broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus before the August 9 Indians-Nationals game at Nationals Park. More than 30 Club Indians fans listened as Rosenhaus discussed the team's prospects then answered questions about players and management. Rosenhaus spent about a half hour with the Club then returned to the broadcast booth for his pre-game show. A beautiful evening at the Park unfolded as a pitching battle waged through five innings. Ultimately, the Tribe began to connect and went on to win 3-1.
Club Hears from Sen. Portman's COS Mark Isakowitz accompanied by RNC COO Sean Cairncross
The Club met with Ohio Senator Rob Portman's Chief of Staff Mark Isakowitz on May 25 at the Capitol Hill office of law firm Jones Day. The subject of Beachwood native Isakowitz was the approaching Republican National Convention in Cleveland to be held in July. Accompanying Isakowitz was Sean Cairncross, the Chief Operating Officer of the Republican National Committee. Both Isakowitz and Cairncross emphasized the care Cleveland had undertaken to make the Convention a satisfactory one for visiting delegates and media. Both were engaging in their answers to numerous questions, including ones regarding safety, proposed demonstrations, and plans for showcasing to visitors the broad scope of cultural amenities in the Cleveland area.
Torry's Report on the Indians
Jack Torry offered his spring assessment of the Indians last Friday and his outlook is pretty favorable. Noting the strength of Kansas City and Detroit, Jack said he thought the Indians’ defense had improved measurably over last year and that this together with the Indians’ bullpen was enough to take them to the division championship – barring injuries.
The Dolans have done a good job running the team, according to Jack, and he said that Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti are as smart as any managers in baseball. “Under the Dolans, the Indians have had a plan and they stick to it,” Jack told Club members at the National Press Club. “If the Indians’ defense had been as good last year as it should be this season, they would have won the division,” he said. He noted that the American Central Division is as tough a division as there is in baseball.
Jack is the author of the 1995 Endless Summers, The Fall and Rise of the Cleveland Indians. In his opinion, the Indians have been good at scouting and developing younger players and have a strong farm organization. He believes that over the long term these qualities will do well for the team, especially against the Tigers, which seem bent on putting so much of their resources into winning a World Series as quickly as possible.
According to Sports Illustrated, however, the Tigers will fall short again this year. For World Series champions in 2015, the magazine chose the Indians – over the Washington Nationals.
Jack Torry Informs the Club about the Indians
Jack Torry, author of Endless Summers: The Fall and Rise of the Cleveland Indians, talked to the Club about The Tribe and the baseball season just underway. Jack is a fountain of fascinating information about the city’s major league baseball team.
Jack believes the present team is a contender, though he sees Detroit as a formidable foe. He likes Terry Francona, who he says is a great strategist and can see a season whole. Jack points to other Tribe strong points as a good farm system, good momentum to building a rotation of outstanding starters, and the ability to pick good young players from other teams.
Jack looks favorably on the Cleveland market, saying it is becoming more dynamic. He also points to signs that Cleveland will continue to grow as a baseball city, two major factors being good baseball weather most of the season and an outstanding stadium.
Talk of Politics and The Indians
Jack Torry, Bureau Chief of the Columbus Dispatch, met with the Club at the National Press Club on May 22, mainly to report about an expertise of his, the Cleveland Indians. Torry believes it is one of the best managed teams in professional baseball today and does a particularly good job of working its minor league teams and developing young talent. He dismisses the attendance problems in the early spring to bad weather and predicts total attendance for the year will fall between 1.7 and 2.1 million.
Other strengths he pointed out were lots of statistics research and a very good scouting staff. He says that young talented and aggressive persons wanting to get into baseball management favor coming to Cleveland. On the down side, he believes the present team cannot deal with injuries well and that it needs better offense in some positions. He predicted that Detroit would be the strongest contender in the division.
Turning to politics, Torry said that Ohio was one of nine states that would decide the presidential election in November. This was not because Ohio has been changing but rather that other states have been, taking themselves out of contention in the process (for example, California to the Democrats and Texas to the Republicans). He believes the auto bailout issue is hurting Romney in the state but that overall Ohio tends to the right of center.
Torry said that he believed the Kucinich-Kaptur race was essentially decided on how the new district was drawn, and that he believed the Senate race would likely be very close, tilting to Sherrod Brown depending on how President Obama performs between now and the election.
The “Rust Belt” concept is over, Torry said. Manufacturing is coming back to Cleveland; it is more efficient than it used to be and employs fewer workers but produces as much as several decades ago.
Finally, Torry said that he believes Senator Portman is one of the strong favorites for being picked to be Mitt Romney’s running mate this fall.