WTAM-AM's "Tribe Talk" Broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus Speaks to the Club at an Indians/Orioles Game

On June 22, two dozen Cleveland Club members enjoyed an evening at Camden Yards in Baltimore where the Indians beat the Orioles 6-3 on a hot and humid early summer evening.

An hour before game time Jim Rosenhaus walked over from the WTAM-AM broadcast booth to talk Indians baseball to our Club members (and to additional Indians fans who were alerted to Jim's remarks). Jim has been working as an Indians broadcaster for eleven years, for the past six calling play-by-play along with Tom "The Voice of the Indians" Hamilton. Jim is also the host of both "Indians Warm Up" and "Tribe Talk" radio shows on WTAM-AM.

Jim began his remarks with an analysis of the 2017 Indians team, comparing this year's team with the one of last year – Jim spoke to some forty of us 11 months ago on August 9, 2016 at Nationals Park in Washington, D. C. when the Tribe beat the Nats 3-1 as part of a winning streak that helped them into the post-season and the World Series. Jim speculated that the 2016 talk with the Cleveland Club was good luck and hoped that his remarks this year would lead to another American League Championship and World Series appearance.

A fount of Indians lore, Jim examined the 2017 season to date noting that it would take time for the many new members of this year's team to "gel" as a unit. He cited new players Edwin Encarnacion, Erik Gonzalez and Bradley Zimmer adding that all have shown promise but will need time to fit together as a team. He said Zimmer can hit, covers center field well and has the speed to steal bases. He said that while Francisco Lindor has started slowly he was sure he would return to his usual level of superior play as the season progresses. Jim added that he thought Tribe management would look to improve its starting pitching rotation before the July 31 trading deadline. All questions asked were answered patiently, thoroughly and informatively by Jim before he had to depart for the broadcast booth and prepare for his pre-game show.

The Club presented Jim with a gold-framed Certificate of Appreciation for meeting to talk Indians baseball with us in both 2016 and 2017. Numerous photographs were taken of Jim with the various Club members present.

Note: Club members were impressed by the large number of Tribe fans present at the game on June 22, many decked out in official MLB Indians' team jerseys and in a wide variety of other t-shirts, caps and Indians, Cavs and Browns garb!

PS: Thanks for Carrie Davidson and Jackie Steich for the photos.

Thanks for this event go to the Club's Sports Teams Committee: Tom Steich, Collin Agee, Steve Toth and Bill Franklin

Club Meets with Vice President Biden's Staff in the VP's Ceremonial Room

The Club met on October 11, 2016 with four Clevelanders on Vice President Biden's staff: Steve Ricchetti (of Westlake), the Chief of Staff; Meghan Dubyak (of Shaker Heights), the Press Secretary; Don Graves (of Cleveland Heights), the Director of Domestic and Economic Policy to the Vice President; and Greg Schultz (of North Royalton), a Senior Advisor to the Vice President concentrating on political and intergovernmental affairs. All have rank as advisors or assistants to President Obama. The meeting was held in the historic Vice President's Ceremonial Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building overlooking the West Wing of the White House.

Meghan welcomed more than twenty members of the Club and discussed the history and importance of the Ceremonial Room, once the office of Theodore Roosevelt and General John J. Pershing. She was then called away to a meeting with Vice President Biden.

Steve Ricchetti entered and, flanked by Don Graves and Greg Schultz, spoke for about a half hour. First he showed Club members his own office adjacent to the Ceremonial Room, abundantly spiced with Cleveland area and Cleveland sports memorabilia. Seated again in the Ceremonial Room, he noted that the Administration in general and the Vice President's staff in particular is notable for the number of Clevelanders. Asked what the Vice President and staff would be working on up to the point of the swearing of a new administration, he replied "big ticket items" with the hopes that the new administration would continue what the present staff has advanced. He named such efforts as curbing gun violence, mitigating violence against women, and the cancer initiative.

Don Graves, formerly a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Treasury Department, was called away to a meeting with the Vice President at about the time Steve Ricchetti had to leave but gave some of his background working on jobs and community development issues. His attention currently is on the Vice President's cancer initiative.

Greg Schultz helps coordinate the Vice President's office with state and local governments, police and other public servant groups, and advises the Vice President on political matters. He noted that his job entails a good deal of travel and a great deal of hard work.

When Meghan Dubyak returned she had enough time to answer a question about what she liked about her job. "It's really nice to see Vice President Biden meeting with and interacting with ordinary Americans. In this building we work surrounded by security and guards and so when the Vice President and we can listen to and talk with citizens who live far from here, it grounds us all."

Club Cheers on Indians, Meets with Broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus

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.