Dover citizens were treated to a speaking appearance by longtime Cleveland-area sportscaster Bruce Drennan on Saturday at the Dover Public Library.
The Drennan Live host spoke to an audience early Saturday afternoon about his experiences in broadcasting, especially those in the Northeast Ohio area.
Drennan began by addressing the audience with an alteration of his famous catchphrase (“I love ya Cleveland!”): “I love ya, Dover!”
Drennan then entertained the crowd over the next hour and a half, peppering in stories about his broadcasting past.
Questions were then taken from the crowd, covering a wide variety of topics:
How much pressure is on Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield this season?
To me, there was no urgency to sign Baker, but to me, the urgency was to get Chubb signed. The pressure is coming because everyone in the country now is realizing the Browns on paper are loaded.
What’s your prediction for the Browns record this upcoming season?
They were 11-5 last year and they’ve added a game so there’s 17 and I think they’re gonna be better than last year so I predict 12-5. I think they’ll be 12-5 which will win the division. They have to prove they can beat Baltimore and I’ll settle for a split. I’ll even settle for a split with Pittsburgh because I think they can make it up with the rest of their schedule and still finish 12-5. I’m confident about them.
Do you think the Indians would have had enough offense to be in contention for a playoff spot this year?
No, which is why you hear me preach about getting a leftfield bat. They have the means in the offseason to make a trade for a leftfield power bat. They have the assets to make a trade. All these kids they’ve got aren’t going to be wearing Guardians uniforms. There’s no room for them. Give away four or five of these kids and get a big bat with a franchise-friendly contact.
What about [Cleveland Indians manager] Terry Francona’s health?
I’m very concerned about him. He’s had all kinds of health problems, but we need him. There’s a magic about him. Certain managers have it, and he’s got it. The question is if he can’t answer the bell, who takes over? I’ll give you a couple of names…[former Columbus Clippers and current Arizona Diamondbacks manager] Torey Lovello is a real good baseball man and I like him a lot, and the other one is [current Indians bench coach] Mike Sarbaugh. I think he has potential to be a great manager.
What about Sandy Alomar Jr. not getting the interim managing job for the Indians this season?
The Indians say the reason DeMarlo Hale is managing now, and not Sandy is because Sandy enjoys what he’s doing now. I don’t buy it. Sandy interviewed for Boston, Toronto, and [Cleveland] and he hasn’t got any of those jobs. There must be some reason. I love Sandy dearly, but there’s got to be something there.
What do you think about the Indians changing their name to the Guardians for the 2022 season?
There is a lot of negativity as you would expect, but you know what folks? Think about it. No matter what they would have come up with there would have been negative comments. At least they didn’t name them the Spiders.”
“This was Paul Dolan wanting to bring the All-Star Game to Cleveland which brought millions of dollars in revenue for the economy, but [MLB Commissioner Rob] Manfred said you have to get rid of Chief Wahoo right away and phase out Indians. That’s how they got that All-Star Game. No one will admit to that, but common sense prevails.
Are Indians financial woes based on being a small market club, or are the problems more based in ownership?
It’s a small market problem. Dolan just gets trashed, but [former Cleveland owner] Dick Jacobs doesn’t. Jacobs never got pitching. [The 1990s Indians teams] would have won several World Series, in my opinion, which that lineup if he would have gotten some pitching. I remember [former Indians general manager John Hart], long after he had left, say ‘I was this close to getting Randy Johnson before he went to Houston’, and we could have had [Curt] Schilling…we could have had Pedro Martinez if we would have traded Jaret Wright. Think of that. So, it’s a middle-of-the-market problem. Tampa Bay and the Indians have done the best at refueling and staying in contention, while at the same time keeping their payroll minimal.