The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Festivities planned for Browns opener
The Browns have plenty of events scheduled for the season-opening weekend, including the unveiling of an Otto Graham statue. Plus, Jeff Schudel on the return of Carlos Carrasco.
The 100th NFL season kicks off next weekend when the Browns host Tennessee on Sept. 8, and the Browns plan to note the occasion in a way fans will never forget.
Festivities begin Sept. 6 with the ninth annual Browns alumni golf outing at Westwood Country Club in Westlake.
The celebration continues later Sept. 6 at the St. Ignatius-Mentor football game at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium in Mentor. The Browns have designated it the Cleveland Browns High School Game of the Week.
Browns alumni and team representatives will attend the game to “connect all levels of football,” according to a news release by the team. The Browns plan to reveal which players will be at the Mentor game closer to kickoff.
Aside from the season opener with the Titans, events planned Sept. 7 will be the most memorable part of the weekend.
The day is to begin at 1:30 p.m. with the unveiling of the statue bearing the likeness of Browns Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham near the southwest entrance of FirstEnergy Stadium. Graham played for the Browns from 1946-55 and took them to the championship game each year. The Browns were champions of the All America Football Conference in each year of its existence from 194649. The Browns went on to the NFL in 1950, beat the Los Angeles Rams for the NFL championship that year and won the title twice more before Graham retired after the 1955 season. They have won only one championship since then.
The Browns are planning for 39 members of Graham’s family to attend the event, including his 95-year old widow, Beverly. Otto Graham passed away in 2003.
“As we celebrate the NFL’s 100th season, we are honored to pay tribute to Otto Graham with this timeless sculpture that will properly recognize him not only as one of the Browns’ top players but also as one of pro football’s greatest all-time quarterbacks,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “This year’s Alumni Weekend and Fantennial Weekend will be truly special as we welcome many of our Browns Legends back home in Cleveland, as well as have the opportunity to thank and host many members of Otto Graham’s family.”
Fans can attend the statue unveiling at no charge. An autograph session from select Browns legends and Browns alumni (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.) will be part of the event. The team will also hold a locker room sale (cash only), benefitting the “Get 2 School, Stay in the Game!” Network, with items available directly from the team’s facility and past Browns players.
Fans will not be part of it because practice to the public closed with the end of training camp, but Coach Freddie Kitchens has invited all Browns alumni to watch the team’s walkthrough practice Sept. 7 at the team’s training complex in Berea.
The Sept. 7 festivities conclude with a Browns legends recognition dinner inside FirstEnergy Stadium.
Tributes will be made to Browns alumni and Legends members at halftime of the Titans-Browns game.
• The Browns needed a running back to emerge from training camp knowing Kareem Hunt is suspended the first eight games of the season. D’Ernest Johnson is that player.
Johnson was playing for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football earlier in the year. The league abruptly folded on April 3, and on May 16 the Browns signed Johnson.
Kitchens likes Johnson, 5-foot-10, 208 pounds, because he can run, catch, return kicks and return punts. Perhaps even more importantly, Johnson can stone blitzing linebackers and even stop defensive linemen 80 pounds heavier than him. He proved that in training camp.
“The (player) people would say has grown the most, probably because they didn’t know anything about him, is D’Ernest Johnson,” said running backs coach Stump Mitchell. “He’s shown what he can do as a pass blocker, that’s crucial. He’s got great vision and he can catch the ball. He’s been given the opportunity and he’s taken advantage of it.”
Mitchell played running back for nine seasons in the NFL, so he can appreciate Johnson’s versatility. So does Kitchens.
“He’s a great pass protector,” Kitchens said. “He can change direction. He has good body control and good body balance, and he holds onto the football.”
Dontrell Hilliard began training camp as the second running back after Nick Chubb, but Johnson has taken over that role.
Carrasco comeback
There isn’t a better feelgood story in all of baseball this season than the one about pitcher Carlos Carrasco returning to the Indians after being diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the year.
The Indians plan to add Carrasco to the active roster Sept. 1 when rosters can be expanded with up to 15 more players. Teams play with 25-man rosters until Sept. 1.
Carrasco last pitched for the Indians May 30 as a starter.
Carrasco never gave up hope. He is an inspiration to the children he visited at Cleveland Clinic who are waging their own battle with leukemia. The support Carrasco received from the Indians and fans never wavered.
Of course we should feel happy for Carrasco the person first, but from a practical standpoint having Carrasco back makes the Indians better.
“When (Carrasco) started throwing bullpens, just to see his face light up and to have him in the dugout, and see our guys react to him was really cool,” manager Terry Francona told reporters. “We said, ‘If these bullpens lead to him pitching for us, that’s icing on the cake.’ What’s more important in life, by a big distance, is his wellness. He seems so excited to be pitching again, and we’re excited to have him.”
Carrasco will likely work out of the bullpen in his return. Four weeks will be enough of a trial period to know whether “Cookie” can help the Indians in the postseason.
Carrasco missed the 2016 playoffs because of a broken hand. What a story it would be if strides from the bullpen to get three critical outs in postseason games this season. As a starter he is accustomed to facing righthanded and left-handed batters, so Francona wouldn’t necessarily have to use him against righthanded hitters only.
Right-handed batters have a career .247 batting average vs. Carrasco. Lefties are hitting .251. In 2017, when Carrasco finished a career-best 18-6, right-handers hit .231 and lefties .240. The differential in 2018 when he was 17-10 was .229 or righties and .248 for lefties.
“He’s a big part of us,” Francona said. “He knows that, and he knows he’s cared about. But it’s going to be fun having him back.”
There is no timetable for starting pitcher Corey Kluber to return to the Indians. Kluber suffered a broken right forearm when he was hit by a line drive May 1. He made a third rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 18 but was removed after throwing only 20 pitches. He was diagnosed with an internal oblique strain. Doctors have not determined when he can resume throwing.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap
A single mega-colony of Argentine ants lives in Europe, Japan and California. … Bluetooth technology is named for Harald Bluetooth, a 10th-century king of Denmark and Norway. … Half of Americans live within 50 miles of where they were born. … The first RV remote control was introduced in 1950 and named Lazy Bones. … Chameleons can move both eyes in different directions at the same time. … The Empire State Building has 73 elevators.