Playoffs…say it again with me loud and proud…PLAYOFFS and that is exactly where the Cleveland Browns are headed this Saturday to Houston to play the Texans and ROY candidate Buckeye for life CJ Stroud. Flashing back just a few years to the playoffs makes me smile as the feeling in me has never subsided! What is the feeling? ELECTRICITY!! Let’s take a look…
The day was Saturday, January 6, 1990, and the Buffalo Bills were coming to Cleveland Municipal Stadium to face the Browns! The Bills were a year away from starting their 4-year Super Bowl run and along with many other Browns fans I was not worried about the game at all. This was a day and age where players did not tell us how great they are and they for certain are going to the Super Bowl. These were likeable days for the team, and it was so easy being a fan and getting the players backs!
I need to set you up with some Bishop family happenings too around the game. On the 3rd of January, my Mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer so there was trepidation about even thinking about going to the game. Mom was a regular at Browns games with my Dad for years and she insisted I take him to get his mind off the diagnosis. She was the best! You would have loved this Slovenian gal from E. 55th and St. Clair barking away at games. I truly needed to treat my Dad, so I called an Urban Entrepreneur that I knew to get great seats. In Municipal Stadium there were camera bays for baseball that the Browns used for their games for fans. I secured two tickets in one of those around the 20-yard line on the Browns side near the Dawg Pound. The morning of the game we were ready to depart with Mom’s blessing and she promised to have chicken noodle soup on the stove to warm us up when we returned. Kickoff was at 12:30p so we made sure we would have plenty of time to get to the Rapid at Lee and Van Aken. Part of the cold weather game ritual was a steaming hot, huge thermos of tea that my Mom prepared and indeed, she made sure to measure out 2 ounces (!!) of Old Crow to put in in the thermos. This was Browns playoffs baby; the Kessler’s was staying in the bottle. We were going with the good stuff. As we strolled through my Dad’s workshop to get to the garage, he simply said “hold on,” went to the laundry tub, dumped some of the tea out and replaced it with the emergency bottle under his work bench. He got a smile on his face and said “Antifreeze”! Let’s go.
On the rapid of course it was Max Bishop who started the “Here we go Brownies here we go, woof woof” chant and the stroll from the Terminal Tower down W. 3rd to the grand dame on the Lakefront was magical. Black and white, young, and old, females and males, it did not matter, as we were all CLEVELANDERS! The buzz entering the Stadium was magnificent and as we took our seats a feeling of warmth came over me on that 28-degree day. I felt confident and when the Bills were introduced the feeling waned just a bit as this was a very good football team. Kelly, Thomas, Reed, Ritcher, Wolford, Hull, Lofton on O plus a defense featuring Smith, Smerlas, Bennett, Conlan, Talley and Kelso.
The crowd blew up when Web-star and Reggie emerged from the dugout with orange cleats and sprinted to the Dawg Pound. Talk exciting? That was so cool but the game itself presented fireworks that were unbelievable! Big plays? Here are some that found paydirt:
* Andre Reed 72-yard pass from Jim Kelly!
* Webster Slaughter 52-yard pass from Bernie Kosar!
* James Lofton 33-yard pass from Kelly!
* Web-star again 44 yards from Bernie Bernie, he could throw!
* Eric Metcalf 90 yards Kick Off return!
Two of the biggest plays that happened were Ronnie Harmon of the Bills letting a sure TD pass go off his hands and then THEE BIG ONE…Clay Matthews picking off Kelly to seal the W for the BROWNS!
Leaving the game was good, insane, Cleveland bedlam and I need to get that feeling again. Concerning Saturday PLEASE do not ever underestimate an opponent in the playoffs and if the players do it will be trouble. All I will say is this, GO ONE AND O FELLAS!
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Please take care of each other and it’s your world, pay attention. For now, enjoy every sandwich and indeed ADIOS AMIGO, LONG MAY YOU RUN.
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