clvlndr

^Wow, our northern neighbors continue to shame their lower 48 "Big Brother."

I'm sure some will roll their eyes at the affordable housing aspect of Aspen Place, but I'm thrilled it's going in here. It's rare Cleveland TOD and it's an attractive upgrade over what's there now... I'm tired of looking at weedy hillsides next to our Rapid stations... or used car lots, or gas stations, or elementary schools or nondescript, single use 1-floor office fortresses. Aspen Place is yet another signal that the D-S neighborhood upgrade is pushing south and not solely limited to Gordon Sq and Battery Park.

Great to see. I have long hated all those ugly used car dealerships along Lorain that seem to proliferate like roaches, often at derelict gas stations, along this most important West Side artery with so much walkability potential. As we're seeing rehab and infill is slowly moving westward from St. Ignatius' campus and into the Antiques area and, fortunately, those car lots are slowly disappearing. I've been struck how really old some of these commercial buildings really are -- some even dating to the Civil War era. One such structure housed the still-missed Steve's lunch which burned last year (Lorain and W. 50(?))-- it had recently been rehabbed and was no longer the lovable shabby building it had been... it's now a weedy lot; unfortunate loss... The Lorain/40s-area development is a stark contrast to the dead-ness of this area of just a few years ago... Rome wasn't built in a day.

^Very good news. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I was driving through Little Italy heading to UC one evening and, for the 1st time, saw that curvy, metallic sculpture over RTA's Little Italy-UC station entrance lit in an array of changing colors. It's quite beautiful; nicely done.

Bryan Shaw scares me. He's had 7 HRs in less than 26 innings this year, as opposed to 8 all of last year (64 innings pitched). It concerns me even more when our setup man doesn't have the mental toughness to not throw a meatball with 2 outs and a base runner not in scoring position in a high-profile series where 1st place hangs in the balance. Yes Ramirez botched the Hosmer play essentially giving KC 4 outs in the 8th, but that's not a licence for a pitcher to lose focus. Cody Anderson did this last week when Lindor brain-locked on a routine grounder that would have ended the inning; Anderson proceeded to give up 5 runs on a double then a triple and, as a result, Cody was packing his bags for Columbus... Don't look for Tito to lay his cards on the table. One thing I like about him is that he rarely bad-mouths his players to the media. You just look up one day and they're gone. I'm not saying Francona should move on Shaw, yet, but you can bet Shaw's meter is running.

^^It's breathtaking and sad all the great old WHD buildings that simply became surface parking... imagine how quaint an amazing this neighborhood would be if even 80% of them had been saved. Stark's HQ on W. 3rd wasn't bulldozed, just 'modernized' out of existence. it would be interesting if it could be restored then integrated into Weston's project... In reality, though, it's probably too small to merit the trouble, unlike the Schofield.

^^I'm glad RTA is finally replacing the Main Ave FEB crossing. It was very rough on the tires.

I am tad concerned about Punch Bowl, too. They just have so much space and it's got to be a pretty penny. When crowds let down even a little, it's going to make Punch Bowl seem semi-empty. In the summer when more people want to sit outside, the place may suffer-- although PB has outdoor seating, too. I hope it works out; it's a fun place... The Taco's at Coastal were OK, but I really liked the place esp its outdoor deck ... although they can't out-deck Alley Cat.

The good news, if Bogut is indeed out, is that we'll be seeing a lot more Andy. And let's face it, although Andy is still a pest and out-dueled Love for the few minutes he was inserted in Game 4, Andy was a liability last night and a soft target for LeBron and Kyrie. Ezeli is more problematic, but I like our chances better at home with Bogut out.

Lue has already said he's starting Love on Thursday. Big mistake in my opinion. With Green back, we are much more effective against the Warriors with RJ at the 3, guarding Barnes, and LeBron at the 4, guarding Green. I seriously hope if Love starts getting chewed up again, Lue has a quick hook as opposed to letting us fall behind by double-digits, which could be fatal.

Last night was one for the ages. LeBron (41-16-7, 3 blocks, 3 steals) had that famed look in his eye and Kyrie simply wore Steph out at the offensive end -- little wonder why Curry was clanking 3s in the 4th; his legs were gone. Kyrie shined huge on the largest stage in his career. At age 24, talent just oozes out of this guy... Let's hope those crazy Chris Paul-for-Irving people were silenced forever. Hats off to the Cavs. Draymond Green was foolish enough to get his butt suspended and the Cavs took advantage. Now we return to the friendly confines of the Q, which should be off the hook nuts on Thursday... ... on a sour note: win or lose, the Cavs are going to have to move both Love and Shumpert this summer. Shumpert has become a drag on the team now and Love, our max player, is still having adjustment issues after 2 years. Last night (2 points, 3 rebounds in 33 minutes), Love was playing like he was still in a concussion. He couldn't even snare rebounds. Once in the 4th, even Curry out rebounded Love... he's gotta go.

Great. Now if only that vacant ex filling station and surface parking could be eliminated/built upon... 41st and Lorain is becoming a hot little sub-neighborhood.

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By the 4th quarter we were terrible, I agree. But I think we were tanked because we made our bed in the 3rd quarter as we abandoned the strategy that got us the lead. Folks will howl, but if we go on to lose this series, as it appears we will, we're going to have to move Kevin Love in the off season. We've just had too many problems integrating this max player into our game plan and we are now 2-years into his tenure here. Yes Chris Bosh experienced similar problems with LeBron James' Miami heat, but by season 2, the Heat figured it out and Bosh became a major force as Miami won the next 2 titles, with Bosh moonlighting at center and developing a 3-point shot. Bosh even bulked up and became a powerful rebounder as well. He simply has more athletic upside than Love who is simply too slow afoot, and lacks the ability to go hard to the hoop when he posts up -- he misses way too many bunnies. He also has been an unreliable outside shooter is well... The Cavs must upgrade at this position if they want to get by the Warriors or any new team who, like the Warriors, may materialize out of nowhere (either in the Eastern or Western conferences) to block Cleveland's title hopes.

Green or no Green, it's up to the Cavs as to whether they have the balls to fight on or simply mail it in to start their vacations... I give the Warriors all the credit in the world for being one of the more unique and formidable teams in NBA history. However, I also saw, in a Game 4 that could have tied this series, the Cavs, in the 3rd quarter, mysteriously go away from the defense that stymied Steph and Clay and neutralized Green. I also, in the 3rd quarter, saw Ty Lue equally mysteriously decide that Love was the answer-- Love wasn't the entire problem with our D, to be sure, but he certainly was a contributor. Love by his own admission (see ESPN.com) was outplayed by, guess who? ... good old Anderson Varejao. And it was during that Andy sequence of his offensive rebounding, his out-fighting Love for loose balls and even scoring on him, that the Warriors finally gained traction and ended up going from an 8-point deficit to a 2-point lead by the end of the quarter -- and of course, we were tanked by the 4th and couldn't do anything right offensively or defensively and wee handled easily... ... again, it's in the Cavs' hands.

^As was noted up thread, RTA and the State have been doing this ridiculous funding dance since at least 2006... What is this, a friggin' dance marathon? I know Ohio is a conservative state but, geez, when this issue is going to become 'hot' enough for pols to give a sh*t? Even though Cleveland has traditionally had the only real transit infrastructure besides Dayton, but Cincy is now getting a streetcar and looking to expand, and Columbus is also talking LRT and BRT, so today there's not the usual upstate/downstate conflict. From former "smiling/reasonable Republican" presidential candidate John Kasich on down, it's obvious that transit funding just isn't something state politicians feel they have to address based on the perceived lack of consequences for ignoring... This MUST change. AAO and other transit advocacy groups from the urban areas of the State really need to come together and hoist a joint megaphone.

^... and it can't come fast enough for me. I would close it now, but Fishman probably wants the parking receipts.

"Starting in the west at the outdoor patio at Lakewood's Pier W, a 15-minute walk from my home." All right, stop bragging KJP... Seriously though, nice shots. We forget out lush our lakefront really is beyond airports and factories we're used to ... btw, Congrats on the upcoming nuptials.

I'm actually somewhat relieved the rail cuts were not worse. Initially there was talk of Green Line cuts for after 7p; 9p, I can deal with. I've seen a number of empty Green Line trains between Shaker Square and Green Road in the evening and, yes, Indians fans can drive over to the Blue Line, although it's not quite as convenient. As for the Waterfront Line, the cuts are not as bad as the pre-2013 cuts (ie no daytime service at all). That said, half-hourly service during the day is pretty bad. I, like Adam Fishman, don't like cutting this line just as the FEB is just taking off. But at least, RTA says they are willing to put back WFL service as traffic is warranted. If Fishman really wanted to force RTA's hand, he may want to consider closing that big surface lot between Phases I and II. Drivers just have it too easy and parking is too cheap in downtown Cleveland. Also, I wish somebody in RTA would spell out exactly the expenses saved by the Waterfront Line cuts. Somehow the figure mysteriously went from $300 to 500K saved with even less cuts from pre-2013 (and the $300K amount was quoted from 3 years ago)... As was echoed in cleveland.com, the Waterfront Line is an extension of the Blue and Green Lines. Employee shifts are not going to be shortened with these cuts. Rather than driving their trains through for 2.2 miles along the WFL, drivers are merely going to leave their trains in TC after inbound runs, go shoot the bull with RTA cops and/or other RTA employees at the turnstiles, then return to their trains for the outbound/Eastbound run. The trains themselves will remain powered up -- it's RTA's (and most transit systems') policy to merely close/lock the doors while trains are parked so they are still eating electric current. So can RTA show that the extra power used to actually DRIVE the trains the 2.2 miles to the Muny Lot and back is the difference? Keep in mind that, during rush hour, many Blue/Green drivers actually dead-head their trains Westbound out onto the Cuyahoga viaduct to store/turn them for the next eastbound run -- I'm guessing this is a distance of about .7 miles. Again, I'd just like to see some hard savings numbers from RTA accountants because all of this seems a bit cloak 'n dagger.

I just wonder, is RTA really lobbying the State for increased transit funding? more than $7M/year for the whole state? Are other groups and local pols raising their voices? The entire situation is like a sick joke.

^^Absolutely nuts! :wtf:

I don't think it's a matter of blaming Love, I think it's more a matter of matchups. Love is just a bad matchup for Green, who's just too quick and athletic for Love to stop. By bringing in Jefferson, Lue is able to move LeBron into the 4 which works better both ways: LeBron's athleticism and quickness is a better foil to Green defensively while LeBron is more in a position to post up off the ball-- it allows Kyrie to run the point more often. Then there's the domino effect; Green's being neutralized keeps Green from that 1-4 pick n' roll as well as freeing up the board for Thompson. And while Love had a nice offensive game in Game 1, we suffered mightily on D -- not all of this was Love's fault, but much of it was. The evidence over this past year is stark. Since last year's finals, the Golden State games in which Love did not play had the Cavs competitive and generally held the Warriors in check where we won 2 games. But in the 4 Games Love has played in: 2 regular season and 1 + the quarter and a half where he played, we lost all of them and were blown out in 3. I say go with the hot hand and stick with the Jefferson starting lineup. Bring Love in off the bench which may provide some spark to our non-scoring bench. Lue needs to feel the game and act quickly, as he did last night -- I think bringing in Mozgov was a good defensive move because, at the time, GSW was starting to beat us at the rim; Mozzie's size and length quickly stopped that and Kerr called a TO.

Used to be the best side; now it's the new east side. Wow.

Retail is returning to the May Co. Building!! (If only it were real) They had my pulse quicken... What a cruel joke!

Btw, in no way am I blaming Love for the predicament the Cavs find themselves in going into (must-win) Game 3. It's been a failure by the team, including LeBron, Kyrie, JR, Frye... and the coaching staff for (probably everyone except Richard Jefferson), a) not playing hard enough and, b) not planning well enough... Golden State has not been at their best these playoffs until their backs have been against the wall ... and now, against us. As one pundit on the radio an hour ago analogized, it's as if there was a final exam and Golden State has read all the questions ahead of time and the Cavs are just walking into the exam room. On both offense and defense, they are simply 1 step ahead of us, and it's been that way since Game 4 of last year's Finals. Let's see if the Cavs can figure it out. The odds are long, but if we somehow mine gold tomorrow night we may have something to build on to take this thing... even though I'm not betting the mortgage on it.