Q & A with Chris Rose of ABC's BattleBots

Photo provided by ABC

Chris Rose describes ABC's BattleBots as boxing meets mixed-martial arts meets March Madness. Only with explosive robot action.

Shaker Heights native Rose normally appears on MLB Network and the NFL Network co-hosting a variety of shows, but his latest gig as BattleBots' play-by-play man has him covering a sport that is nothing like anything he's tackled before.

"When I walked in on the first day, there was this one bot called Warhead that looked like something out of an alien movie," he says. "It had a tail and wings, and this spinning dome on top of its head. You're just sitting [there] saying, 'Holy crap, if that thing ever got loose, that's a horror film waiting to happen.'"

We went toe-to-toe with Rose to talk about what makes BattleBots exciting and his projection on this year's Cleveland sports scene.


On Bot Building:
These builders are pouring their heart and soul into these things. They take sometimes six to eight months to get their bot exactly where they want. They go to work just like any of us do and then they go to work on their passion. I don't know how you are, but I get queasy around an electric screwdriver. Just the fact that these people can figure out a way to make these and be better than their opponent is fascinating.

On the Dark Side:
There was a guy named Ray who built a bot called 'Tombstone'. He is the guy who we kind of call the 'Darth Vader' of BattleBots, and he embraces that role. He walked the pit area, which is where all the bots are built. He was looking at all of the other bots and said 'Yea, this might make a good little appetizer' and 'That's a cute toy for my bot'. That was great to see and there were people that were intimidated by him, no question about it.

On the Cleveland Indians:
This is as disappointing a campaign as I can remember. Corey Kluber hasn't been great. Carlos Carrasco has been so-so. Trevor Bauer has been pretty good and earned a spot in the rotation. The bullpen hasn't been as good as it was a year ago, and the offense stinks. It's really, really tough to watch. That being said, they can still make a run, but I wouldn't be shocked if they were seller [at the trade deadline].

On the Cleveland Browns:
The quarterback situation is a joke — it's awful. They went up and got [Johnny] Manziel and when they drafted him, we all cheered. I was watching the draft with one of my brothers and we were excited, but he's not doing anything. I don't see him as an NFL quarterback. Their starter for 2017 is still not on their roster in my opinion. Until they get that figured out, the best they can really be is an 8-8 or 7-9 team. And I think they are building the team the right way. What they've done with the offensive line is good. Defensively they are a pretty good group — they could apply a little more pressure to the passer, but until you get the most important position in sports filled, you're just going to be spinning the wheels.

Beers, Brats and Baseball

The first day of spring in Cleveland isn't on the equinox, it's on the day of the Indians home opener. We all know that baseball is better when it's washed down with a few draughts and a dog, so Hofbrauhaus Cleveland is stepping up to the plate.

This Thursday at 6:30 p.m., former Indians player and 1980 Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau will tap a keg of the German beer hall's monthly brew, a Pilsner that's still made using an original recipe from Munich. The party is free and includes polka music by the Chardon Polka Band.

The next evening, on Friday, April 10, baseball fans can pregame at Hofbrauhaus in the new outdoor beer garden, which seats 1,000 and includes a walk-up pavilion to purchase beer and brats. Twenty bucks buys you a liter of beer, a brat meal with sauerkraut and potato salad, plus shuttle service to and from Progressive Field (shuttles leave every 15 minutes, starting at 2:30 p.m. before the game and resuming again from the eighth inning to 90 minutes after the game).

Tickets are available from HBCLE.eventbrite.com. Hope you bought your tickets early, because Indians tickets not included, and the game is long sold out. But hey, that means more beer for you while you watch the action on the main beer hall's four big-screen TVs.

Progressive Field Dixieland Band, Including 95-year-old Bandleader, Ready For Playoffs

The Progressive Field Dixieland Band played their last gig of the regular season yesterday. But if the Indians make the playoffs, they’ll be back, performing in the food court outside the team shop, as they have for 19 seasons.

The band, led by 95-year-old clarinetist Andy Veres, romped through a set of Dixieland jazz standards yesterday. Their signature song: “When the Tribe Goes Marching In,” a slight rewrite of a New Orleans classic. They added another twist to the lyrics yesterday: “I want to be in that number/When the playoffs go marching in.”



Veres also led the band through “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” the Browns fight song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and a few polkas so the accordionist could shine.

Veres and a rotating cast of musicians have played stadium home games since 1995. But if you usually get to the gate just before the first pitch, you may have never seen them. They play from a half-hour before game time until the National Anthem at Friday, Saturday and Sunday home games – and at all home playoff games.

Pitcher Perfect

It's a fun day at Cleveland Magazine. Great Lakes Publishing chairman Lute Harmon Sr. threw out the first pitch at today's Cleveland Indians game against the Oakland Athletics.

Indians Celebrate Opening Day, Remember a Legend

The boys are back in town. While fan favorite Grady Sizemore might spend the first few games on the DL, there's plenty of other reasons to be excited for the Cleveland Indians' opening day this Friday.

Fausto Carmona will take the mound for the Indians during the sold out game against the Chicago White Sox. Though its the first opening day start for the young pitcher, he will be surrounded by the memories of baseball legend, Bob Feller, who passed away last December. Feller holds the club record for opening day starts with seven.

In addition to a video tribute and special banner presentation, Feller's wife Anne will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Progressive Field. All Indians players will be wearing No. 19 jerseys during pregame ceremonies in memory of Bob Feller. A No. 19 tribute patch will be on all team uniforms and batting practice jersey.

A Conversation with Bob Feller

Wednesday night, Cleveland lost a man who set the bar high for being a good person as well as a professional athlete. Bob Feller died at age 92.

I met him in the spring of 2007, when I interviewed him at his Gates Mills home for Cleveland Magazine’s Home Décor. I expected to talk about baseball, to pore over Tribe memorabilia. But I learned quickly that would have shortchanged the man.

Yes, he was a pitcher on the Cleveland Indians’ 1948 championship team. But he also volunteered to leave baseball for four years to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II — a decision he never regretted. Even though had he stayed he surely would have won more than 300 games. As it is, his 266 wins make him the Indians all-time greatest pitcher. He also threw three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters.

I was there to interview him about a favorite place in his house. So Feller showed me to his basement — a personal museum dedicated to things he loved. It held a framed American flag that flew over Babylon, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It also included a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque, but Feller proudly led me to the flag first.

He showed me gifts he’d received from young fans. I had to prod him to tell me more about the items of historical significance.

I saw his first baseball contract — complete with a $1 signing bonus — written on the back of stationery from the Chamberlain Hotel in Des Moines. It included clauses allowing Feller to “visit his folks” and play basketball during the 1936 season. He also had the original scorecard from the only opening day no-hitter in major-league history. Feller threw it, of course. The scorecard was obscured by other, less mind-blowing items.

I asked him about Ted Williams. I wanted to know about the baseball player; Feller wanted to tell me about the man. Sure, Feller said, Williams was the best hitter he ever faced, followed closely by Stan Musial. But boy, was he a great fisherman! He thought Williams could cast a line through a keyhole — hyperbole, yes, but Feller was convincing.

He told me about his big tractor collection. Some were in his garage; most were back in Iowa. He told me Iowa has the best grass for fattening up cows.

He politely answered all my baseball questions, then said he wanted to show me something. He led me to a giant map of the world and pointed out where he was stationed in the Pacific during World War II. Then he showed me another spot, the takeoff point for the pilot — a man he said he knew — who flew the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. There was no commentary or hidden message. It was what it was, matter of fact. Just like Feller.

Before I left, so that Feller could head to his usual spot in the press box at that night’s Indians game, I took a moment to just be a fan. I told him my father would be jealous I got to spend this time with him.

“Well, you tell your dad I said hi,” he said. “And you tell him he has a pretty daughter.”

It was gracious compliment I will never forget, from a Clevelander whose achievements will never be matched.

(photo from clevelandmemory.org)

Bob Feller 1918-2010

If you've lived here long enough, you probably have a Bob Feller story. Not only was the Cleveland Indians legend the city's most famous baseball player, he was also its most accessible. He went to the games. He did signings at baseball card shows. He trolled spring training. He always seemed genuinely happy to mingle with the fans. Feller once famously said that baseball was responsible for everything that he was. As one of the game's greatest ambassadors, he more than paid it back. Here is some of the great stuff written about Bob Feller today:


Over at ESPN.com, Alex Kimball reminisces about batting against a 75-year-old Bob Feller.

NPR.org senior editor Todd Holzman talks about his father, Feller and the perfect first pitch.

SI.com's Joe Posnanski has what NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra is calling the best Bob Feller obituary.

Jim Caple posted his memories of the first autograph he ever received at ESPN.com.

Tim Wendel recounts Bob Feller's famous motorcycle test at Huffington Post.

MLB.com's Marty Noble asks if anyone could throw harder than Feller.

The Plain Dealer's Bob Dolgan offers the local take.

Goodbye, Rocky

Fifty years ago this month -- April 17, 1960, to be exact -- the Indians traded Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn. Without their home-run champ, the Tribe were never the same again: They wouldn't contend until the 1990s. The Colavito curse has become a key legend of Cleveland loserdom, a baseball-sized wound to the civic psyche.

Terry Pluto called Colavito to chat last week and found the home-run champ, now 76 and living on a Pennsylvania deer farm, still saying unprintable stuff about Frank Lane, the general manager who traded him. But to hear a lot more from Rocky, and to see how the trade looks on the other side of Lake Erie, check out this interview with Colavito from the Detroit Free Press.

"I still believe that if I had stayed with the Indians I would have had a longer and even more productive career," Colavito tells writer Bill Dow. "When you stay with one team, your name becomes synonymous with the organization."

Still, Rocky manages to find good things to say about playing with '60s Tiger greats Al Kaline and Norm Cash. He brags he could throw a baseball over the roof of any stadium. He explains why he signed more autographs than most any player: "As a kid growing up in the Bronx, I would try to get autographs outside of Yankee Stadium, and I remembered how bad I felt when a player wouldn't sign for me."

Losing such a great guy still stings (even though he rejoined the Indians toward his career's end). When we included the Colavito trade in our August 2006 Notorious Cleveland issue, readers voted it one of the city's most notorious moments: Rocky almost knocked the Torso Murders out of our tournament bracket.

(photo from checkoutmycards.com)

New Indians regime arrives with optimism

The Indians began their winter press tour at Tangiers in Akron on Tuesday, reminding Clevelanders that our coldest days will soon give way to spring.

New Tribe manager Manny Acta, right-handed pitcher Jensen Lewis and outfielder Michael Brantley spoke with reporters about the Indians’ chances in 2010. Dressed in a pin-striped suit with a matching pin-striped fedora, Acta was the center of attention.

He said he looked forward to competing in the AL’s Central Division.

“It’s wide open, and that’s what’s so attractive about our division,” he said. “This division is just the most balanced one.”

After last year’s disappointing season and mid-summer trades, many Clevelanders have already written this year’s team off. Acta did his best to reassure them.

“These guys are already high-energy, high-character guys,” he said. “All I have to do is come in here and create the right atmosphere to get the best out of them.”

Brantley, like many reporters and fans, was getting to know his new manager for the first time.

“He’s a down-to-earth guy,” Brantley said. “We had about a 10- to 15-minute conversation already, and I look forward to playing for him.”

Inexperience will be the Indians’ biggest obstacle this year.

“We have the right group of guys,” Acta said. “They are just young, and they’re developing at the toughest level to develop.”

Brantley agreed. “We don’t have that much experience on both sides of the ball,” he said. “But at the same time, we have some of the veteran guys who are going to help us.” Brantley says he turned to star outfielder Grady Sizemore for advice after coming up from the minors in September.

With the team in transition, a lot of younger players will have a chance to make the roster, Brantley noted.

“There is always competition everywhere,” he said. “You have guys coming up through the minor leagues right behind you, so you just can’t take a day off.”

Angry Indians

No this isn't a post about the Tribe's disappointing season. It's too late to get angry (besides Andy Marte -- remember him? -- hit a game-winning homer last night on a 3-2 count with two outs in the ninth).

But Forbes recently released its list of Angriest Baseball Players (most ejected since 2000) and there was a decidedly Cleveland feel to the whole thing. Topping -- or should that be blowing his top off -- the list was former Indian Milton Bradley. Remember, Bradley lit Eric Wedge's fuse back in 2004 after not running out a fly ball in spring training. "Game Boy" was barred from training camp after the incident and promptly traded to the Dodgers. News reports at the time said L.A. was hoping the change of scenery would be good for Bradley. Um, no. He was ejected 17 times since 2000, including the 2007 incident in which he tore a knee ligament when his manager (former Indian) Bud Black tossed him to the ground attempting to restrain him.

Other Indian cameos on the Forbes list?

#5 Torii Hunter -- "In 2002, Cleveland Indians' pitcher Danys Baez hit Hunter with a pitch; Hunter picked up the ball and zinged it right back at him."

#3 Gary Sheffield -- "As a member of the Detroit Tigers last year, he felt that Cleveland Indians' pitcher Fausto Carmona was throwing at him. After Carmona walked him, Sheffield trotted to first base, then made a bee-line for the mound, inciting a melee and eventually getting tossed."

Still, I'll take Albert Belle against the field — or a photographer or a locker room thermostat or ... you get the angry, scowling picture -- any day of the week in the category of all-time angriest.

We're Winners!

Don't you feel like a winner?

Cliff Lee pitched a complete game four-hitter in his Philadelphia debut. In fact, Lee had half as many hits at the plate as he gave up.

And when my 11-year-old heard about the trade of Victor Martinez, the team's leader, he asked, "Are they just selling the team?" Silly boy, no they're just selling us out.

But the experts say the Indians were trade deadline winners.

ESPN's Jayson Stark said: "But of the teams that spent July selling off, nobody reeled in the quality haul of prospects the Indians did."
Buck Showalter agrees. (Hey Buck, how'd you like to manage this team next year if you like 'em so much?)

At least now I understand why Eric Wedge wasn't fired earlier in the year ... he's got a dugout seat to watch these "winners" for the rest of the season.

Read about the Cleveland Buckeyes, whose uniforms the Indians will wear tomorrow

Tomorrow night, the Indians will play in Detroit's annual Negro Leagues Tribute Game, wearing the uniforms of the Cleveland Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes, who played at League Park for most of the 1940s, won the Negro League World Series in 1945, beating the Homestead Grays and the legendary Josh Gibson. Writer Dave O'Karma told the definitive story of the Buckeyes' heroic season in his May 2006 Cleveland Magazine article, "The Forgotten Championship."

If you're up for the 3-hour road trip (I'm going!), tickets are still available. The Tigers will be wearing the uniforms of the Detroit Stars, the city's Negro League team from 1919 to 1933. Vendors will be selling Negro League memorabilia.

Meanwhile, this month's Cleveland Magazine features another story by O'Karma, "Guitar Zero," his tale of trying to start a rock band at age 53.

(If you'd like to link to either of these articles, you can use these short-cut links: tinyurl.com/BuckeyesCM and tinyurl.com/GuitarZeroCM.)

Brother, can you spare a dime?

In possibly the worst idea ever — and no surprise, considering it's from the punk rock bar that has 40 oz malt liquor served in a paper bag on its menu — Now That's Class is hosting a 10-cent beer night tonight to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the infamous promotion held at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

In 2007, we interviewed a guy who swiped the ball cap off Texas Ranger Jeff Boroughs' head just before things got totally out of hand. He tells a cool story.

If any of my friends are stupid enough to accept my invitation to go, I'll make sure I snap some photos.

You'll need a hat with this rain

The Tribe opens up their season today at Progressive Field, so why not brush up on your baseball history and show off your knowledge of obscure franchises with BallCap.com?

The company behind the site will build a vintage baseball hat to your specifications, from a host of teams from across the country and history. If anyone knows anything more about the Cleveland Spiders (c. 1896), please let me know.

Based in Cooperstown, N.Y. (naturally), Ball Cap Co. uses original machines to sew athletic flannel, horsehide sweatbands and "the highest grade peak stiffeners" to make caps from teams dating back to 1860.

For your erudition, some other things that happened in 1860:

• April 3 - The Pony Express begins its first run from Saint Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif.


• May 1 - A Chondrite type meteorite falls to earth in Muskingum County, Ohio, near the town of New Concord.


• Nov. 6 - Abraham Lincoln beats John C. Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas and John Bell and is elected the 16th President of the United States. He is the first Republican to hold that office.


• Dec. 20 - South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.

The vintage caps are a bit pricey ($48 for most versions), but they look a lot cooler than most of the selection at MLB.com. And, they might earn you the respect of longtime Tribe fan and hat afficionado Tom O'Toole.

So Kerry Wood called Cleveland Magazine

The phone rang from an Unknown number. The voice on the other end was shocking.

"Hi this is Kerry Wood..."

Holy cow! How did Kerry Wood get my direct line? Why is he calling me? This is so cool.

"...and I'm very excited to be a new member of the Cleveland Indians family."

I'm excited, too. It's nice to see the Dolans pay for a big-name free agent. If Pronk turns it around, this could be our year.

"I'm looking forward to playing in front of the passionate fans at Progressive Field this summer, and I hope you will be there, too."

Slow down, Kerry. Let me get a "hello" in at least.

"I want to make sure you heard about our new extended payment plan which allows you to pay for your season ticket plan over the next six months. Time is running out to take advantage of this great opportunity. Call us at 216-420-HITS. Thank you for your time and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon at Progressive Field."



A robo-call from Kerry Wood? Boo. I sure hope he pitches 9th innings better than season ticket plans.

A Joe Tait story

When reporting my story on the fall and rise of Cleveland sports radio and television personality Bruce Drennan, I had a bunch of great stories from Joe Tait that didn't make the article. Here's one that got cut out in one of the later edits:

Joe and Bruce used to cover the Indians from 1980 to 1982 on WUAB television. Well, before a game in Chicago, two Tribe players were caught with a marijuana joint. Among them was that day's starter, Lenny Barker. They were just arrested, no one was found guilty or anything. The station called them up and had a meeting about how to handle it on the air.

They all agreed Joe would make a statement. Joe gets on the air and says something to the effect of: We all know what happened, but these guys are innocent until proven guilty. We don't have any more information than you saw on the news. Until something comes out, we're just going to focus on baseball.

Bruce chimes in: OK, Joe! And a good baseball game it will be. I bet Barker comes out smoking tonight!

Joe turned bright red. Bruce had no idea what he just said. Joe tried to hold it in, but he was in hysterics.

If you haven't read the November piece on Drennan, host of Sports Time Ohio's All Bets Are Off, we tell the story of his gambling leading to jailtime, and his rise to the face of the Cleveland sports network STO. Check it out here.

20 Wins? We Told You So ...

Who could have predicted Cliff Lee's amazing 20-win season? Us!

Check out this ditty, which was made before the season started:

Cliff Lee becomes the team’s first 20-game winner since Gaylord Perry in 1974. Bet you thought I’d say C.C. Sabathia here, right? Sure, it’d be just as pretty if it were C.C. who broke the drought, but Lee has a nasty repertoire and none of C.C.’s training issues.

OK, so it was from our April 2006 issue, but that's still before the season started. We were just a little ahead of our time. As for this season's prognostications? We're hoping they'll come true in 2009.

Oh yeah, mark it down, the Browns will go 6-10 this year (which was the prediction I made well before they went 0-4 in the preseason).

Unbe-LEE-vable

Last night on sunny Labor Day evening at Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee became the first 20 game winner of the 2008 Major League Baseball season. For the 23,000 fans in attendance, they were not disappointed on Monday night. Lee was outstanding allowing only 5 hits and no walks while striking out 4 batters in a complete game. In fact there was a sequence when after allowing the first 2 hits of the game, Lee put down 21 straight batters and pitched like a man possessed.

In the dismal season that has overtaken the Tribe due to injuries and a lack of production early in the season, it’s good to see a bright spot in Cliff Lee. Through all the trouble he had last season, being sent down to the minors to regain his focus. He then started the season competing against Aaron Laffey to make the 5th spot in the rotation. To now, where he is responsible for 20 of the Indians 66 wins and has the best winning percentage in baseball.

Cliff Lee became the first Indians pitcher since Gaylord Perry in 1974 to win 20 games. In fact, Cliff has won 20 of first 22 decisions this season and has a A.L. best 2.32 ERA. He could (and rightfully will) win his first A.L. Cy Young Award. I am just happy that I was one of those lucky fans that was able to witness this remarkable night at Progressive Field. Congrats Cliff.

— Brian Schmoldt

For the Love of the Tribe

So what if the Indians are in last place? So what if I cried when they traded C.C.? When it comes down to it I still love the Indians — the excitment of seeing Grady Sizemore make a diving catch, the hot dog races, Casey Blake's beard. I will never be able to throw away my Kenny Lofton jersey or not turn on a game — no matter how bad it gets. With 24 home games left, the Tribe returns tonight to Progressive Field for the first time after the All-Star Break to take on the Minnesota Twins. Even if we aren't chasing the pennant this year, there's still plenty of questions left to answer: Can Grady keep hitting home runs to stay on top of the AL league leaders? Will Victor and Pronk ever return? Will Cliff Lee have a second half just as impressive as the first? I don't know about you, but I will be watching.