Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: The Guardians are Central Division champs, and naturally, they couldn’t just win quietly. It had to be dramatic. It had to be stressful. It had to be Cleveland ⚾🏆🎉
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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:
Central Division Champs! Anatomy of Yet Another Crazy Guardians Comeback
After “Cleveland Rocks” & Bone Thugs, Taylor Swift Adds Polarizing Chapter to City Playlist
“I Love Cleveland,” Watson Declares as Browns Gut Out Win, Eyes Steelers Next
Get Out of the House: Cleveland Ghosts, Afro-Rock Legends, a 20th Century Art Master
Musical Chairs on the Menu — Tacos, Hot Dogs & Pizza Keep Swapping Spaces
John Petkovic & Jude Perez
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IN THE NEWS
Central Division Champs! Anatomy of Yet Another Crazy Guardians Comeback
Photo courtesy MLB
Fans were sick of it all.
The endless failures in clutch situations… leaving runners in scoring position, base-running blunders, gifting runs with walks, defensive miscues.
By mid-August, the Guardians were playing with barely a pulse and six games behind the White Sox.
And yet, here we go, again: The Comeback.
With Saturday’s win over the Royals, the Guardians became the first team to win back-to-back division titles after being at least six games out of first through 125 games.
Anatomy of another crazy Guardians comeback:
Baseball’s best record since Aug. 19 -- 24-10 since Aug. 19.
Won nine out of 10 to clinch the Central.
Three walk-off wins against the Tigers (Sept. 4-6). They never led until the final pitch.
Clutch, unlikely contributors: Petey Halpin, Travis Bazzana, Erik Sabrowski and Joey Cantillo.
Steven Kwan’s historic turnaround – batting 196 in May then going .443 in his next 74 games.
Angel Martinez hitting .319 Aug.-Sept, with 7 HRs and 29 RBI.
Cade Smith’s six saves while giving up zero runs in September.
They’ve earned five days off and will host the winner of Chicago vs Houston Saturday.
⚾ What was the defining moment of the Guardians' improbable Central Division title run?
- 🎯 Steven Kwan going from .196 in May to .443 over his next 74 games: the greatest individual turnaround of the season
- 🚶 Three walk-off wins against the Tigers where they never led until the final pitch: pure Cleveland baseball
- 🔒 Cade Smith giving up zero runs in September while saving six games: the most reliable arm in baseball when it mattered most
- 💪 Going from six games behind Chicago in August to back-to-back division titles: the first team in history to pull that off
After “Cleveland Rocks” & Bone Thugs, Taylor Swift Adds Polarizing Chapter to City Playlist
Taylor Swift has given new meaning to the phrase, “Cleveland Against the World.”
Her track “Cleveland!” has been panned by critics – who have described it as everything from “an exercise in self-flagellating spite” (Pitchfork) to “just effing goofy” (Variety).
In Cleveland?
Civic leaders and institutions have embraced the name-check, free publicity and local affirmation with pride and enthusiasm.
Her ode to Travis Kelce’s hometown is a stark contrast to most songs referring to Cleveland’s grit:
Michael Stanley Band’s “My Town,” Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Cleveland Is the City,” Kid Cudi’s “Cleveland Is the Reason” and Machine Gun Kelly’s “Till I Die.”
Ian Hunter turned grit into an anthem with “Cleveland Rocks.”
“I was watching TV one night when this comedian starts making fun of Cleveland,” Hunter once told me.
“Cleveland had the coolest rock fans in the country – I wrote 'Cleveland Rocks' for them, because they were always so great to me.”
🎵 Where does Taylor Swift's "Cleveland!" land in the city's musical canon?
- ❤️ Civic pride: a global superstar name-checking Cleveland is a gift regardless of what critics say
- 😬 Honestly goofy: Pitchfork and Variety are not wrong and Swifties themselves are divided
- 🏆 "Cleveland Rocks" set the bar and nothing touches it: Ian Hunter wrote it for the fans and it shows
- 🎤 Bone Thugs and Kid Cudi owned Cleveland in song before Taylor arrived: the grit songs hit different
“I Love Cleveland,” Watson Declares as Browns Gut Out Win, Eyes Steelers Next
Photos courtesy Cleveland Browns
The booing ritual has been postponed.
Oh, there were times when the Browns deserved it.
10 first-half penalties.
Problems blocking.
Fumbled kickoff.
Running back Raheim Sanders with as many catches as receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston combined.
Deshaun Watson feeble at times.
But the Browns came through when it mattered to defeat the Panthers 21-18 and go 2-1.
Credit Watson, who made plays running the ball and was exceptional in the final six minutes.
Mason Graham, Harold Fanin and Quinshon Judkins carried the team when it needed it most.
The Browns didn’t wilt and were still able to win.
Last week, coach Todd Monken fired back at the "Browns is the Browns" narrative. He has the team believing him.
Dreams that the Browns could beat a weak Steelers team on Thursday at Huntington Bank Field don’t seem that wild now.
Even wilder, after the game Watson declared “I love Cleveland.”
🏈 What's your honest read on the Browns after the 21-18 win over the Panthers?
- 🤞 Cautiously optimistic: Watson making plays in the final six minutes plus Graham, Fanin and Judkins is a real core
- 😤 10 penalties, blocking problems, a fumbled kickoff and Watson feeble at times: 2-1 feels fragile
- 🔥 "I love Cleveland" after a gutted-out win on a Thursday night Steelers game: I'll take it
- 💀 The Browns are 2-1 and I refuse to feel things until at least Week 8
The 216 Rundown
Get Out of the House: Cleveland Ghosts, Afro-Rock Legends, a 20th Century Art Master
MONDAY
Medium Mondays at Franklin Castle: Cleveland’s most haunted house hosts a séance to connect you ‘the other side’ and the ghost stories behind the walls. 6 p.m. Info.
W.I.T.C.H.: The Zambian band led the Afro-rock movement in the 1970s. It’s now hailed as one of rock’s pioneers — and it’s back, with two albums since 2023 and a tour that brings it to the Grog Shop. 7 p.m. Info.
TUESDAY
Andrew Wyeth: The just-opened CMA show features 75 works by one of America’s most important realist painters – and pioneer in today’s ‘slow living’ movement. Thru Jan. 18. Info.
🔥 Today’s Hot Property
📍 1457 W 52nd St, Cleveland, OH 44102
💰 Price: $569,000
📏 Size: 2,232 sq ft
🏡 Built: 1900 (Renovated 2021)
🛏 3 Beds | 🛁 3 Full Baths
NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
It was once a taqueria. Then a hot dog diner. Now, it’s back to tacos.
Oh, and the hot dog spot is now moving into a pizza shop.
But first the tacos…
Cilantro Taqueria is moving into the building that once housed Hot Dog Diner in Parma – and, before that, a Taco Bell.
The local chain that has grown quickly since its 2019 debut in Coventry Village, with six other locations from Avon to Chesterland.
Parma makes eight, with a menu of Mexican street food featuring tacos, burritos, tortas and build-you-own bowls.
Opening TBD.
Meanwhile, Cilantro co-owner Rey Galindo’s La Casa de Luchita’s in Shaker Square has closed. Its status is uncertain.
Don’t sleep on Hot Dog Diner, its beloved Pierogi Burger and Hillbilly Dog.
It will re-open in the former location of North Coast Pizza.
“We’re keeping everything inside and we’re going to slide it into the new space,” says owner Bob Berry. “We’re also going to be serving pizzas.”
VINTAGE CLEVELAND
Nick Chubb makes his NFL debut on Sept. 9, 2018, against the Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. He was the third string running back and had 21 yards on three carries.
Cleveland Browns
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Extra Sprinkles
WEATHER
Monday, September 28
67 °F 🌡️ 59 °F | ☁️ (Mostly Cloudy) | 7% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 10 mph N (≈ 9 knots)
Tuesday, September 29
72 °F 🌡️ 61 °F | ☀️ (Mostly Sunny) | 7% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 7 mph WNW (≈ 6 knots)
Wednesday, September 30
74 °F 🌡️ 66 °F | ☁️ (Mostly Cloudy) | 24% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 9 mph S (≈ 8 knots)
Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.
Live Shows in the 216
Top Shows on Monday, September 28
DOMi & JD BECK — House of Blues, 7 PM
Music TRIVI-AOKE — Mercury Music Lounge, 7 PM
Nerd Night at The Foundry — Foundry Concert Club, 5 PM
W.I.T.C.H. w/ Brood X — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Top Shows on Tuesday, September 29
Cedric Burnside — Beachland Ballroom, 7 PM
Militarie Gun, Softcult, Shady Nasty, Dazy — Grog Shop, 6 PM
Personality Crisis aka CLE Punk Night — Foundry Concert Club, 9 PM
Sleepwalk w/ Sloven, Prism Bitch — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
The Mercury Jam — Mercury Music Lounge, 8:30 PM
Top Shows on Wednesday, September 30
Bike Night — Mercury Music Lounge, 7 PM
For Absent Friends Metalcore Night — Foundry Concert Club, 6 PM
Greatest Love of All: Whitney Houston Tribute — Music Box Supper Club (Concert Hall), 6 PM
Iguana Death Cult — Mercury Music Lounge, 7 PM
Luna w/ Sister Ray Davies — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Wayo Kwateng – Ghanaian Guitar Wizard — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Whoreascope, Mortals, SOMA, Casket Splinter — No Class, 7 PM
The 216 Sports Area
Upcoming Games
Guardians
Home vs. HOU/CWS, TBD October 3 (Saturday) — ALDS Game 1
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