Takes By The Lake podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 91: Jay Crawford on the Browns, LeBron James, Skip Bayless, ESPN and a life in TV sports Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

The voice you'll hear calling three Browns preseason games, starting with the Giants game on Thursday, is one you've heard on ESPN for years.

Jay Crawford, an Ohio native who has worked in TV sports for three decades, will serve as the play-by-play man, with former Browns QB Tim Couch as his partner, when the Browns play the New York Giants on Thursday, the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 17 and the Detroit Lions on Aug. 30.

First, Crawford joined Doug Lesmerises on this week's Takes By The Lake for an in-depth conversation on what's been wrong with the Browns, what he thinks of LeBron James, his life as a Cleveland sports fan while working in TV sports, his opinion of his friend and former co-worker Skip Bayless and what it was like to work for and then leave ESPN, when the company laid off more than 100 employees last spring.

Take it all on on our latest edition of our all-sports Cleveland podcast, which we bring you every Friday.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 90: The baseball team giving the Browns hope for their tank and rebuild Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

The Cleveland Browns opened preseason camp, which means year three of this plan.

This is the year to show something. At least that's how the team that the Browns should hope to follow did it.

This week's Takes By The Lake podcast centers on Doug Lesmerises' interview with baseball writer Ben Reiter, the author of the new book, "Astroball: The New Way to Win It All."

Why talk football with a baseball writer? Because Reiter chronicled the rise of a franchise that tanked and rebuilt the way the Browns hope to. Houston's two low seasons in their plan compared to the misery of the Browns going 1-15 and 0-16. Yet that absolutely started the Astros on their path to the 2017 World Series.

Reiter is doing a lot of interviews for what is a very interesting book, one that Browns fans may want to read to get an understanding of the philosophy and strategy of a team that successfully pulled off what the Browns are trying now.

Yes, it has worked.

Doug is planning to write more about this in this week's 3rd & Short column at cleveland.com, so for now listen to this 25-minute chat with Reiter, and see what baseball's best team can tell you about football's worst team from a year ago.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 89: Did the Cavs fail by winning only one title in 11 years of LeBron James? Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

LeBron James brought Cleveland its first major sports championship in 52 years, but was winning just one title in James' 11 years in Cleveland a failure by the Cavaliers?

On the latest episode of Takes By The Lake from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Chris Manning of fearthesword.com and Scott Sargent of waitingfornextyear.com to discuss the James era and whether it should be viewed more with joy or regret.

What more could the Cavs have done to win with James? Was it mismanagement or bad luck? Now that Kawhi Leonard has been traded, what does that tell us about how the Cavaliers handled the Kyrie Irving trade? And what could the Cavs have done to avoid losing Irving and James in consecutive offseasons?

James is now a Los Angeles Laker, but he'll always be a part of Cleveland sports. How are you thinking about his time here right now?

Chris and Scott provide their insight and assess whether that one title is only to be celebrated, or whether Cleveland fans are justified in feeling there should have been more.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 88: Emergency episode, LeBron left, should the Cavs tank? Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

It's an emergency podcast episode shortly after the announcement from LeBron James on Sunday night that he's signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Doug Lesmerises thought the Cavs should not tank next year with LeBron gone and should do their best to keep winning. But a vast majority of Cavs fans disagreed and are ready for a total rebuild. Doug talks through that thinking and tries to decide if he was wrong.

Also, an appreciation for James' 1,0001 games as a Cavalier and the hope that fans won't let their disappointment and anger in the moment turn into hatred toward the greatest player the Cavs will ever see.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 87: Browns playoff talk for 2018? Save it for 2019 Jun 28, 2018

Show notes

How does a 10-6 Browns season sound to you?

Exciting?

How does hoping for a 10-6 year and getting 6-10 sound?

In this episode of Takes By The Lake, we take on the idea of irrational exuberance around the Browns by welcoming three NFL analysts: Samantha Bunten of NBCSports.com, Charles McDonald of SB Nation and Michael Salfino, who writes for the Wall Street Journal and fivethirtyeight.com.

But first, host Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com is joined by a fan who makes a reasonable case for 10-6. That's DawgPound Dave, who wouldn't give us his full name, but who did provide enough NFL history and roster analysis of this Browns team to make 10-6 sound almost possible.

Why burst the balloon on the Browns in June? We're less than a month from the start of training camp, and the last thing Browns fans need to do off an excruciating 0-16 season is to set themselves up to be disappointed with a six-win improvement.

On this podcast, we looked closely at Gregg Williams leading a young, talented defense, and examined why Tyrod Taylor maybe isn't the quarterback answer the way some people are talking him up to be.

It's a big meaty Browns investigation, all with the idea of giving you a realistic look at where Cleveland's football team stands.

Let's hold the playoff talk for a year.

But 2019? That should be a different story.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 86: Cleveland sports fervor in the hallways of Washington Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

The Cleveland Browns get talked about in political circles in Washington. The Indians get talked about. The Cavs get talked about.

Hugh Hewitt makes sure of that.

The political commentator on NBC and MSNBC and long-time radio host is a big hitter in national politics and served as a co-moderator for several presidential debates. At his core, Hewitt is a 62-year-old kid from Warren who wants to talk sports with his friends.

That's what Hewitt said happens in the green room before political talk shows - sports talk. So we asked him to bring that talk to the latest episode of Takes By The Lake with Doug Lesmerises.

Part of what we want to do in our all-sports podcast is interview well-known guests who are diehard Cleveland fans. Hewitt is the latest guest on that list. He's lived in Washington and California since growing up in Ohio, but he's still a Browns season ticket holder.

We talked some about the intersection of sports and politics, and whether we could see a current sports figure run for president. We examined the idea of LeBron James playing in Washington, D.C. But primarily, we got Hewitt's thoughts on the Indians, Browns and Cavs, a lifetime of rooting for them and what it's like for him now, when Cleveland sports gives him something to brag about.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 85: Bill Belichick worries Jim Brown will be forgotten Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

Bill Belichick, NFL coaching legend, considers Jim Brown one of the top two or three people he's ever met. But Belichick fears that Brown's contributions to sports and society may eventually fade away.

In the new book, "Jim Brown: Last Man Stadning," author Dave Zirin puts everything Brown was and everything Brown has done into context. It's a complicated legacy, but it's one that should be remembered and appreciated on many levels.

On the latest Takes By The Lake from cleveland, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Zirin to talk about Brown and to analyze his contributions in light of today's political and social context.

The theme that Zirin returns to is Brown's manhood, which explains many of his actions, both good and bad.

Whether you are a Brown expert, or whether you know him only as a former Browns star running back and not much more, this conversation with Zirin should help you understand Brown. And if you are a Cleveland sports fan, you need to understand Brown.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 84: Will the Browns ever get better than the Pittsburgh Steelers? Jun 02, 2018

Show notes

The Pittsburgh Steelers hold a 14-2 edge on the Browns this decade and a 33-6 advantage since the Browns returned in 1999.

What could ever cause that to change?

On this episode of Takes By The Lake, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN to break down the Steelers as we finish our podcast tour of the AFC North.

We dealt with the Ravens and the Bengals, and now it's on to the team that has won the AFC North in eight of the 16 years since the NFL went to four-team divisions in 2002.

The Steelers have made the playoffs in 10 of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 14 season. How long will he stick around? How can the Steelers keep winning after he's gone?

How will they replace linebacker Ryan Shazier this season? What should they do about the contract status of running back Le'Veon Bell?

The Steelers, in many ways, are in flux. But in some very important areas, they're the same winning franchise they've almost always been. And how can the Browns possibly get past them?

Jeremy and I get into all that and more on the latest episode of Takes By The Lake.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 83: Are the Browns ready to pass the Bengals as Ohio's best NFL team? May 25, 2018

Show notes

Think of this small step for the Cleveland Browns.

Possibly becoming the best NFL team in the state of Ohio.

On Takes By The Lake, your cleveland.com all-sports podcast that mostly deals with the Browns because we can't help it, our latest episode focuses on the Cincinnati Bengals.

We're taking a tour of the AFC North. Two weeks ago, we dealt with the Baltimore Ravens. Next Friday, we'll get to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This week, it's Cincinnati, as Doug Lesmerises is joined by guest Jim Owczarski, one of the Bengals beat writers for cincinnati.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Bengals have won seven straight over the Browns dating back to November 2014 and have won 15 of the last 19 in the series.

But after making the playoffs five straight seasons between 2011 and 2015, the Bengals are coming off two losing seasons. So what does that mean for head coach Marvin Lewis? What does that mean for quarterback Andy Dalton?

And as the Browns attempt to find their footing and move out of their perpetual spot in the basement of the AFC North, are the Bengals as a franchise trending up or trending down?

The rest of the AFC North matters, because if the Browns actually get better, another team is going to have to finish last.

Enjoy this great conversation about the Bengals and what the view of the Browns is from Cincinnati on the latest episode of Takes By The Lake from cleveland.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep. 82: Will legalized sports gambling mean booing the Browns for not winning by enough? May 18, 2018

Show notes

Will the Browns lose by fewer than two touchdowns? Hey, can the Buckeyes really beat Rutgers by more than 35? The Cavs look terrible, but wouldn't you put money on LeBron to somehow carry them to a win?

Lots of us in Ohio know something about sports gambling. At least we think we do, until the sure prediction we had for a game goes terribly wrong. But not many of us know a lot.

Rich Exner here at cleveland.com has been doing a great job providing details about what might happen in Ohio after Monday's Supreme Court decision made legal sports gambling possible in every state.

But there's a lot of ground to cover. So Doug Lesmerises spoke with Brett Smiley, the editor in chief of sportshandle.com to discuss every possibility about sports betting in Ohio. Smiley has a background in journalism and law, so he has a pretty good grasp on how all this might work.

How will the sports world change for fans and teams?

What is the best way to implement sports betting in Ohio?

Will we see more or fewer gambling scandals?

How will the betting lines be set?

How much will loyalty to hometown teams affect lines, and will professional gamblers capitalize if lines are different from state to state?

How much will television broadcasts talk about gambling now?

Should there be limits on gambling on in-state college games?

And will fans boo their hometown teams in their own stadiums if they are winning, but not covering the spread?

Smiley and Lesmerises talked about all that and more on the latest Takes By The Lake from cleveland.com.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.