Sunday nights game in Baltimore is more than likely the season for our beloved Browns. That sadly is a hard cold reality of this season.  With that said the media, local and national, want to talk about is how mad Baker Mayfield is this week.  If I was him, I'd be mad too.  BUT I would be mad for very different reasons than he seems to be. You don't pick verbal fights with fans, and he's dead wrong for that and for the lack of sportsmanship post game. Both were exceedingly childish and not professional.

I have a very different take than many on this whole deal.  TRUE  - he played very poorly Sunday, but we did win. And clearly he is physically hurt, but he still plays with passion, albeit not great right now.  But there is a line of thinking he has not done his job this season.  The Browns are 6-5 right now, and that's not where we thought we would be.  But let's just be VERY honest here, and let's get this right, for right sake.

In the Chiefs game week 1, if our punter simply catches a perfect snap in the fourth quarter when it matters - we win that game, plain and simple. How absolutely basic is that?  Mayfield's offense scored 29 points against the 2-time AFC Champs on the road.  That would make us 7-4 now and it was right there to take, you saw it.  That loss had ZERO to do with Baker.  The Chargers game, on the coast, we scored a Baker led 42 POINTS in California.  For some reason our defense gives up 26 points in the 4th quarter, and we get beat inexcusably.  That loss had ZERO to do with Baker.  It had to do with some players, and coaches having their heads all the way up their own behinds.  That would make us 8-3 right now and we would all be giddy and thinking a deep playoff run. These games were there for the taking, both on the road against good teams.

Even getting drilled by the Cardinals (who were unbeaten then), then laying that terrible egg against the Steelers, and the total spanking by the Patriots we would still be atop the AFC. The way I see it, and actually the way it is, Baker Mayfield has done his job.  It hasn't been beautiful, but it's been good enough, even being hurt since week two trying to make a tackle after his own interception.  But I can't fault him for trying to make a tackle when it mattered. Might be nice if we had more of that out there.  Then the whole OBJ disaster?  So the media keeps asking, "Why is he playing? He's hurt."   - He's playing because he's the starting QB of this team, and its possible future for years to come. 

The Browns are at the place where they have to pony up some big bucks to keep him with a new contract, or not, which is fair, and this is his litmus test. He's hurt, we are up against it, and they are giving him every single chance to make this season a success.  I would want to know exactly what I had too before I thought about possibly paying a guy 35-40 million per year for multiple years.  And it starts in Baltimore Sunday.  

If Baker somehow gets his Browns into the playoffs with a great stretch run, the Browns may have found their long term guy.  You're not going to find that out playing Case Kenum who will not be here next year.  No offense to Case, this is not his team, it's Bakers. If and when Baker can't go anymore, then it's Kenum's team for a few weeks and the Browns can start making Florida and Arizona tee times.  The lessons of Kelly Holcomb and Johnny Manziel reminds us that when the most popular guy on the team for any moment is the backup QB, you have a BIG, BIG problem.  I don't want that again.

Booing Mayfield I feel is uneducated, and Sunday, I don't think they were booing him. I think they were booing out of frustration with play calling, mistakes, penalties, and the overall struggling on both sides of the ball with the winless Lions. I feel at the professional level it was justified, and I think it was a wake up call to Stefanski, as fans finally spoke up and demanded smart, efficient football at crunch time.  And that's how the game ended, and it's about time.

I am not a gigantic Mayfield fan, but I know what is fair, what I see, and what is true. He's hurt and not his best by any means right now, but he's not why we are 6-5.  In my view, he has done his job to the tune of 8-3.  This team, has consistently been let down by bozoic defensive non-plays, penalties, errors and schemes, plus Junior High School mistakes by members of this team that have nothing to do with Baker Mayfield.

Can this be done on the road Sunday? Probably not.  But it's Bakers chance to do what he has done his entire football life, prove others wrong. And after weeks of team errors, bad officiating, Covid, injuries, and at times even his own coach letting this team down with silly play calling and decision making, I feel he deserves this chance. 

After all, this year Baker is  8-3.

GO BROWNS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today, while you're making turkey or maybe when you're relaxing later, let's get caught up on some of my most recent Memory Lane articles.

Grab a coffee, and your ear buds or speaker and let's get to it.

Thanks for reading!

Faith Hill

The Guitarists (Part 1)

The Guitarists (Part 2)

Three Important Years In Country

Charly McClain

Jo Dee Messina

Rosanne Cash

John Michael Montgomery

Nothing says you don't really know what you're doing at Thanksgiving than serving a dry bird.  So before you go to work on it, check out this link.  

We certainly don't want a sawdust special, or a dusty bird.  So here's a few tips in case this has been a problem before.

And Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Turkey Tips!

You know, it doesn't make a lot of sense to complain about an NFL win. Many have since Sunday, and I think that it's energy wasted. The Browns won and saved their season for the time being. But, oh my was it ugly.

Not complaining here, but I am continually baffled by this team this season.  All this talent and a brutal struggle every single week. Why this team doesn't play up to its potential on a more regular basis is simply puzzling.  There are few factors more than likely.  Ongoing injuries, Covid, officiating and bad breaks from time to time. Clearly, Baker Mayfield is not at all healthy and it's tough when your QB is compromised.  But we also have to face facts some of these guys we may think are really good, are actually really average.

Coach Kevin Stefanski also is an issue at this moment.  We have got to stop this "I'm the smartest guy in the room" act and remember who we really are at our core.  To his credit we didn't try some ridiculous trick play at an important time this week, like we have every other week.   And we didn't decide to go for it on fourth down all day like in weeks past leaving points out there.  I get it, analytics are a really big deal to this team and that's the choice they've made. But if that's really true, why have we built a team of old school style football?  We are best when we commit to run the ball with the game's best RB, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (when healthy). When he continually puts the game this year in the hands of a very physically compromised QB, that's just not smart.  I don't fault Baker for being hurt or wanting to play - mad respect.  We all have to get it through our heads, this is NOT last year.  We have to adjust our thinking. We have big injuries where it matters.

Sunday, the 80K stadium fans had to chant Chubb's name to help pressure the coach to go to and stick to the running game at crunch time when it was clear to them and huge TV audience to do so. He also was Bronxed cheered when he finally did. His stubbornness is his Achilles heel and the league knows it. Other teams get paid too, and they know he is very reluctant to deviate from the organizational beliefs even when it's clear that what is being attempted isn't working at that moment.  And can we knock off with all the penalties too?  That's training camp stuff.  I don't know what the exact answer is long term, but right now you have a QB who is essentially a statue and a target.  You think the Ravens this week will come after him?  The lowly Lions did and almost got a win.

It's gut check time  - again, as now it seems most games are sort of mini playoff games, and winning is all that matters right now, even a very ugly underachieving win like Sunday. This week is no different as this is a team you have to beat, probably twice.  So let's leave the Inspector Gadget goofy plays for the beer league to run at the annual picnic, let's do what we do best, let's remember what our identity is, let's play the players that give us the best chance to win. AND let's coach and play up to our potential and get the win against this team.  It's a must.  

Go Browns!

Hey, this week I've got a GREAT idea!

Let's make MORE food, and make our home made pizza even better, here are a few tricks, and they DO work!

Better Home Made Pizza Pie

Box Office Results -    Eternals   (27 Million)   /  Clifford   (15 Million)

Eternals - 5TH movie to make 100 Million  (Story)

New This Week - Ghostbusters / King Richard (HBO MAX) TOO

 King Richard

Red Notice - Has become the most-watched film on Netflix in its opening day 

The Rock - Wants to be the next James Bond   (Story) 

Shaq - Says he was offered the role of John Coffey in The Green Mile in 1999  (Story) 

Kane Brown - Wants to be an actor in movies and is auditioning  (Story)

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane   (link)

The Mega Star Series rolls on and this week it's Faith Hill.  As I sat down to write this and recall her truly remarkable career, it's a hard pill to swallow that it began almost 30 years ago.  We don't think of Faith in that light, but it's true.  I proudly played all of Faith's country singles on great radio stations across the country for many years.

Early Faith - Big, Big Song

The idea of these articles is not to make it a biography per say, but to acknowledge the gifts that certain artists brought us in addition to the music, and in some cases still bring to us. Faith Hill was a major star for a number of years and brought us a lot of new listeners. She had that sound, talent, the look and the lifestyle that was right on time. She made fans want to be her, and live her life. She kind of had two musical careers too.  Early Faith -  which was very country in image and sound, and then a more pop sounding later career. Both did well. 

Title Song - First Album

Faith Hill was and is an incredible pure vocalist as she would sound good singing the dictionary.  She was blessed with incredible talent and we were lucky to have her.  She broke through in 1993 with her first big album Take Me As I Am.  Wild One was a gigantic hit as was the entire album.  It sold an unheard of 3 million for a debut country album, and listeners had an instant love affair with her.  In 1995 her second album, It Matters To Me came out and again was multi-platinum and had a ton of big songs.  Country had been on a roll for a few years when she showed up and she really helped accelerate its mass popularity.

Always Loved This Song  - Very Underrated

She of course married Tim McGraw and they are still married.  Faith took a pause in her recording career per say, but was still out there being a big part of McGraw's enormous Everywhere album in 1997, recording It's Your Love and some other duets with him.  Then album number three, Faith came out in 1998, selling 6 million copies and for me, this is the album that defined her perfectly. This Kiss was a huge hit, a great mix of country and pop. Her image was a bit different now and she was clearly mainstream country and pop.  I think it's one of the great albums of the 1990's.  The Breathe album was next and it too was a huge hit selling about 10 million total.  She had incredible success in the 1990's, and when you look back at the numbers it is very impressive.

What A Hit! -  1998 - Perfect Artist For The Perfect Song

Over the years she was everywhere, recording for movie soundtracks, TV shows, the opening for Sunday Night Football for many years, and recorded one of the best National Anthems you will ever hear at a Superbowl.  She acted in movies, on TV, the stage, and was seemingly out front every day doing something special, magazine covers too.  She literally sang at about everything you could for a good long while. Faith Hill became a gigantic country star and pop culture icon and had fans from every avenue of society.  Her stepping outside of strictly country with Faith was a big move for not only her, but she helped bring us new fans, fans that maybe would never have tried us, but they liked her so much it made everything better.

This Is Many Fans Favorite Faith Song

She sold a ridiculous amount of albums, about 40 million worldwide in a very short period of time.  She won Grammy's, a truckload of CMA /ACM Awards, American Music Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk OF Fame.  She also has a whole lot of #1's and being honest, is one of the biggest stars overall we've had, especially from 1990's country.  Funny how things work out.  As her 2002 album Cry came out, this album was without question the project that solidified her as a legit pop star as it was clearly pointed in that direction.  It's probably her best vocally, sold about 4 million, and won a Grammy. But in country it was a major turning point for her.  I loved the single, Cry, but country overall did not at that moment.  Nor did country react very well to the rest of the singles from the album. In the minds of many country fans, Faith had left us.  I always felt country or not, the song Cry was one of her best all around songs.

Cry - I Always Loved This Song 

Big success is never a mistake. But many others have tried the same thing, hoping that country will be the safety net for a project that has another motive. I always felt Taylor Swift did brave thing. She left us, and said so out loud.  And she has had great success in pop after her incredible country run. To me, that was the right and brave play.  In 40 plus consecutive years in Country Radio, I never really remember an act doing just that saying, "I'm OUT", and I'm going over here now.. for good!"  Many times country fans don't want to feel like they are not good enough anymore.  And in the minds of many in country, a new musical direction does exactly that.  This didn't backfire on Faith because this album and her pop success was undeniable, but in some ways she never completely recovered with many country fans.

Early Faith - Another Underrated Song  - Great Example of 1990's Country

A few years later her album, Fireflies came out and was far more country rooted again and Mississippi Girl was a big hit, as were a few more singles from that album.  But the bulk of her big country charting success was behind her.  But a whole bunch of successful tours were in front of her including Soul2Soul II tours with McGraw that were highly popular, and she was still a pop culture icon. There have been other albums, duets, tours, residencies, and projects since, and she is always near the surface.

Sunday Night Football For Many Years

But the real truth is this. Few country singers reach the heights that Faith Hill did.  She did it all. Her sales figures are simply staggering and her popularity in country's biggest decade was mind blowing when the competition was fierce. She is an amazing singer, and has the ability galvanize audiences no matter where or what she is singing. She is in the same conversation as ANY of the HUGE singing stars of today, or from any modern era.  From a humble concert setting to her Las Vegas residency, Faith Hill has been it all and done it all.

 Great National Anthem  - Brings Tears To Your Eyes

The term superstar probably gets tossed around too much in all avenues of our society, but here it is apt. Faith Hill was plain and simple  -  a Mega Star in every way.

About a week ago, we had the final Memorial Service for my mom, Barbara, at the Baldwin-Wallace Chapel. She was a professor there for over 30 years teaching Speech and Oral Communications.  She also taught weekend, and evening classes too.  She was a worker.  She was 94 when she died in September.

When I moved back to Northeast Ohio in 2001, none of her kids had lived near her in about 20 years, and I'm glad I did.  I got to know her differently than when I left town in 1982.  She was retired, painting daily, designing the next room addition to her home or some other projects, like writing plays too  I also noticed she was losing friends on the regular.  She was outliving many people that had been close with her at one time or another, and it started to dawn on me that she was getting older.  There is an epiphany that takes place.  Many she had worked with and spent a great deal of time with.

At 80, you generally are losing more friends than you are making, it's just math and it's sad. But for Babs she still had a nice group of great friends and neighbors she loved dearly. That included 5 little girls, all sisters, that live down the street from her.  She was roughly 80 years older than the oldest girl but no one seemed to mind.  They befriended my mom and I'm thankful for that.  Babs taught them how to paint, and helped them appreciate the skill that it is.  They rewarded Babs with regular visits, singing songs and being invited to spend some holidays and backyard party's together.  I think that is incredibly nice and darn rare in today's world.  Their parents are great people too, and I remember when their mom was born as she grew up down the street too.   She also befriended my mom when she was a young kid as did the rest of her family.

My mom only has two grand children and they are quite a bit older than the neighbor girls.  She loved those grand kids so much, and would brag about them on the regular to me and to anyone else who was around.  But like many families, we are all spread out across the country and we all don't see each other as much as we would like. But I feel we did pretty darn well considering the miles, better than many over the course of many years.  Life is busy, kids grow up, and it's no ones "fault" there is no blame to be placed anywhere on anyone. Miles are miles.  So the fact that these 5 sisters decided on their own to befriend my mom is very special to me as I watched it, and was special to my mom.

Babs was blessed with incredible friends that she had in some cases over 50 years. Some of them spoke at her service and some even sang and that was special too.  I am forever thankful for her friends of many decades, some from BW, some from the theater, some from next door and some from just down the street.  And I want to thank every one of them for the kindness given to Babs. With my dad dying so young, my mom never remarried and lived alone in her wonderful old house for 43 years. That's a long time for that.

This has been a real learning experience for me, and I love learning new things.  I learned you can overcome big losses. I learned life is a very long and short journey at the same time.  I learned that 90 is a long time to be alive, and I learned that you are never too old to make new friends, and that should give comfort to many, as none of us gets younger.

For a woman that could be tough to get to know at times, and she certainly had her faults, she had a lot of great friends, young and old.  And for that I am grateful and thankful.

I will always be thankful for that.

This Browns season continues to make no sense at all after getting wood-shedded at New England Sunday. Granted it's a tough place to win, and Bill Belichick is going to end up being the winning-est coach in NFL history.  Also the Pats were 1-4 at home and not many teams start 1-5 at home, so the law of averages was against us.  But THIS?

Embarrassing is too kind of a word. Humiliated is better. So much so, the Pats cleaned off the bench and put in former Browns QB and Cleveland native Brian Hoyer and he tossed a TD pass against us whenwe were down about 30. (that was no coincidence) they were sick of hearing how "good" we are too.   A 45-7 drilling.  This team should never lose 45-7 to anyone. The Cardinals and now the Pats have disassembled us for the entire country to see.  Sure glad "17-0 is in play" famous local sports radio line from this season.   And that's a big problem. Expectations can be a heavy load, sometimes too much to bear. 

I too thought the Browns would be very good this season as I picked 12-5. I will be very wrong, unless they win out, but do you see that happening?  Sure, injuries are a problem but everyone has those, officiating has been suspect at times, but it is for everyone.  The problem here is this.  This team, although there are many very good players on the roster, is simply not that good for a bevy of reasons.  We have a great young coach and a savvy front office too, and this team is capable of being great just ask Cincinnati, or the Chiefs.  But the problem is we're not week to week.  Getting blown out like Sunday is simply inexcusable and we should be way beyond this. But we are not, this is twice in a month.It's time to look in the mirror.  We are not prepared to play the better teams where we are consistently out planned.

The Browns will probably have to go 6-1 down the stretch to get into the playoffs, and there is the talent here to do it.  That means this roller coaster stuff has to be behind us. Great lesson here. Going forward this season, this off season and next season, maybe we all, the fans, local media, national media, and the Browns themselves should worry less about who were are going to play in the Superbowl and be concerned more about who we are playing this Sunday.  As brutal as it sounds, this team, this roster, this season  - shouldn't get blown out like this against anyone. This is a problem from the coach down. Prepare better, play better, and understand no one cares how good you are supposed to be.

It's getting late early around here.  Maybe the Pats gave us the wake up call we needed.

GO BROWNS!

A few days ago, Carly Pearce was voted the Female Vocalist Of The Year by the CMA. 

I have briefly met Carly Pearce backstage at Blossom a time or two, and Sarah Kay and I have phone interviewed her a couple of times on our show, and I always like to hear what she has to say. For me, she is a breath of fresh air with a clear direction and knows where she wants to go, and I think she can get there -  and stay there.

 Great Song - Well Done

She has repeatedly stated in our interviews things like this, and I will paraphrase here.  "I am a country singer, I love country music, and I want to record and sing country songs."  Strong, convicted and rare words from a young star and I love it. I follow her on socials as you may too. She takes great pride and has great humility for the gifts Nashville can offer, including her new glass trophy.   She loves the Ryman, and the Opry. And she seems to love the direction she is going.

Carly WINS The CMA  - A Wonderful Moment

For me, that's a great path.  With Carly Pearce there doesn't seem to be a desire to use her success here to go some other place or format with her music and career.  She seems exceedingly comfortable here and it shows and I think fans see it and like it.  Her music over the past couple of years seems to have been true to herself and to Nashville.  She has written, and recorded great songs, and her latest album 29: Written In Stone is fantastic. among the years best. There have been solo hits and duets too, some have performed better on the charts than others. But they are all country rooted and I applaud that.

With Lee Brice

I feel Carly Pearce winning the CMA was huge.  I feel there is always room for real rooty, back to basics performers recording grown up songs in our format.  Traditionalist doesn't really apply here, as that term for some reason seems to make some a bit uncomfortable, but the move that way recently has been highly successful for many.  Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde and others are in that conversation, and now Carly Pearce. 

New Song With Ashley McBryde

She's a great singer, and a fine songwriter that writes about what she knows, and that's the secret for any great writer. That formula has worked in country for 100 years from Hank Williams Sr, to Loretta Lynn to Alan Jackson, to Taylor Swift, and it's working for her now.  I look forward to more from her, and I really hope she stays the course that she has plotted for herself, as I feel there is great room for real success for a long time ahead.

Bravo, Carly Pearce, Bravo!