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If You Wore the Uniform... You're a Brown Volume 1 now available at Amazon out this week in Paperback! FREE Super Saver Shipping! Order now for the holiday season. Also, be sure to visit www.ilovemybrowns.com to learn how you can get an Autographed copy of the paperback or hardcover.

Disgruntled Fans

I just was on The Ray Ellis Sports Show. Ray was talking about the proposed protest at the Cleveland Browns Monday Night Football Game against Baltimore Ravens. Some Browns fans are disgruntled about the way the Browns are playing. These "FANS" want all the spectators in the Dawg Pound to stay outside the stadium until after the kick-off. I disapprove of this measure. The Dawg Pound is a hated end of the stadium by opposing players and has had detrimental results to opposing teams. If you are reading this and are going to attend the Monday Night Game, please be in your seat and root every play for "Our Cleveland Browns".

Here is the Link for The Ray Ellis Sports Podcast.

http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vchannel.aspx?cid=249

Father Son

Sorry about no blog being sent but have been in the hospital with my Bariatric Surgery. I want to thank the ladies at the Cleveland Clinic M61 Desk. I received such fine care from them. The Doctors were all wonderful also. Thanks again to Jamie Caleb, Anthony Dick and Bob Markowitz for coming to visit me in Cleveland.

Sympathies and condolences go out to the friends and family of Monte Clark. I talked to him several times and got a good feel about his coaching and playing duties, a fine man that will be dearly missed.

Now to the meat of this blog. Father son combinations are not an unusual thing. This pair was anyting but usual. Dub Jones was picked by Paul Brown for his speed and agility. He told me stories about how his family lived during football camp and how his family all had duties. Imagine if one of young Bert Jones, Dub's son, had the dubious task of warming up Frank Ryan and Jim Nanowski in camp. Bert attributes alot his learned skills in this process. Details are in the Book.

Tom Brown

I mentioned awhile ago about a player from the 1942 Pittsburgh Steelers, Tom Brown. Tom and I visited a couple of times at the River Rats Browns Backers Celebrity Golf Tournament and in Cleveland brfore and after games. Tom has become a good friend and his wife Shirley is a jewel. I asked Tom who his quarterback was during his 1942 season. His reply was 1966 Pro Football Hall of Famer "Bullet Bill" Dudley. I called Bill and had a very pleasnt conversation with him about his years in football with the separation of seasons from serving in WWII. Bill had great things to say about Tom which I already knew. Tom also told me about the wonderful treatment that Dan Rooney gave him and all his Steelers players respect. To still proudly wears his Pittsburgh Steelers Ring given to hm and his team by Dan Rooney.

Hard at work editing

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A New Season is Upon Us and Thank You

Since the close of the Pro-Bowl I have been waiting for football season, especially for the Cleveland Browns Season to open. I am blessed to have good friends on the Browns staff, players I call friends, the River Rats Browns Backers, Shannon and Darline and other Browns fans to get me through to our opener. Tony Dick is the heart and soul of the Browns Alumni Staff, with Dino resigning and staying on as a consultant, Bob and Tony will have a gruling time setting the Alumni into tournaments and functions but I have faith in them both. Tony has been a good friend for 5 years now and Bob in the 2 years. I thank them many time throughout the year helping me with pictures and talking to players for me. I thank them. Every player that comes to Marietta to play in the River Rats Celebrity Tournament are one of the main reasons we make the money we make for the kids, thank you one and all. The River Rats pump me up to want to make things happen, to watch the Bronw take the field and to take the time to set up events to help our various charities. Thanks River Rats. Shannon is the one that prodded me to get off my dead ass and do something. She made the statement that I should write a book. I have and am very proud of what is being revised by her as we speak. Thanks Shannon. Darline has always been there for me, when I screw up she is there to pick up the pieces and make me who;e again. She has seen through the good friendship Shannon and I have and has allowed me to work and accomplish my goals. I love you Darline. Browns fans amaze me every day. I get calls, I get emails, I have people stop me on the street to discuss all facets of Cleveland Browns History to whether it will be Quinn or Anderson? I thank you all. My life has felt full enough to make me motivated in life. I was tired, i was very tired and this new start to my life is gtoing to make the world so much more enjoyable. If you think I had fn and was a wild man before wait until my transformation. I want to live life to the fullest of my power. Go Browns!!!

Here are a few pictures from our June 2009 Celebrity Tournament

The Cleveland Fraternaty

I am traveling back and forth to Cleveland from Marietta as I am going to have Bariatric Surgery with Dr Shauer at t5he Cleveland Clinic on September 14th. I will be there for 3 days and then I will be in Cleveland for a week at the La Quinta on Rockside Road to stay close in case of any side effects from the surgery. My good friend Anthony Griggs called me and made arrangements to have people visit me. Big Dawg alrewady had this surgery and looks great. He has told me he will come see me and discuss my future dietary problems. He had a problem last week but still chose to call me for over fourty five minuets to discuss my problems. Tom Brown told me last week to make sure to contact me while I was in. Anthony Dick, Bob Markowitz, Greg Pruitt, Dan Fike, Jim Houston and several others have told me to give them a call while I am there. My point just like my book states, "Ifr You Wore the UNiform: You're a Brown!" and even though I haven never wore the uniform I have been accepted into the Browns Fraternaty. These guys are just like you and me. Their only difference is they played football professionally. The rersearch I have done in the last five years and the friends I have made with these players is something I can tel my grandkids about and remember nothing but good.

Long Lost Soul

I have to apologise for not posting. This didn't mean my support for the Browns has been any less enthusiastic. I became lazy and was spending all my time getting my book ready and the Blog suffered for it. Shannon and I were talking and she didn't realise that the Cleveland Browns didn't have a Cheer leading Staff. I was telling her about Paul Brown didn't want the distraction and it followed to date. I am not so sure that it is a written rule with the Browns.

I have had some health issues that are being taken care of and it leads me to Cleveland next week. I am going to spend some time at training camp to see if Braylon really is preforming wonderfully. I will write more often I promise.

Here is a picture of Tom Brown, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942. Tom now lives in Cleveland and is a fan. He and his wife Shirley have dinner together when I have time while in Cleveland. Our last dinner at Outback had Tom telling me about catching passes from Hall of Famer Bill Dudley. I will tell more about that on my next visit.. Go Browns!!!!

Upcoming Celebrity Golf Tournament

The annual River Rats Browns Backers Celebrity Golf Tournament is coming up soon! Be sure to mark your calendars for JUNE 13TH, 2009. So far there are 29 confirmed celebrities including: Rudy Kuechenberg from Florida, Thom Darden from Iowa, Joe Jones from Texas, Lance Mehl and many others! Come to Marrietta, Ohio for this growing event. More details to follow soon.

Do you have a memorable Browns encounter?

Do you have a memorable Browns player encounter or story? If so, post it here in the comments to share with other Cleveland Browns fans. Did you or do you currently play for the Cleveland Browns? Drop us a line or post a comment if you would like to be included in our forthcoming book.

River Rats Browns Backers Celebrity Weekend

Sorry to regular readers about not posting in the last month. I took a personal break after the tournament to catch my breath. The tournament went off with very few quarks. The celebrities and golfers all had a great time and vowed to be back next year. With the help we had and the sponsors we had, we made just under $5000 to divide between the 7th and 8th grade Marietta Football Teams and the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County. After our last meeting the Club decided to use the Boys and Girls Club as a regular Charity to donate money to each year. I would like to say thank you to every individual that helped in any way to help us raise the money this year. Next year the tournament has already been set up for June 13th and hope that anyone that reads this will consider coming to Marietta to help the River Rats Browns Backers to become the best Club we can be. Oh yes, by the way, through the efforts of the River Rats, the Browns Backers Worldwide was chosen to be the Club of the month for July 2008. You can read the article at clevelandbrowns.com.

Bentley

Can anybody tell me the reality behind the Bentley move?

River Rats Browns Backers Celebrity Golf Tournament

This year the River Rats Browns Backers Celebrity Golf Tournament will be on June 14th. Today all of the celebrities have confirmed their participation for that day. Joe "Turkey" Jones will travel here from Texas as he did last year, hopefully with a better return trip than he did last year. Others Browns making the trip to Marietta are Greg Pruitt, Anthony Griggs, Juston Flint, Don Cockroft, John Buddenburg, Bo Scott, Jiim Houston, Ross Fichtner, Jamie Caleb, and Stacy Hairston. Browns personnel making the trip down I77 are World Wide Browns Backers Coordinator, Bridget Huzicka; and Anthony Dick, Cleveland Browns Assistant Alumni Relations Director. Bridget will be hitting the links as a Celebrity this year and has informed me that she tool a couple of lessons to improve her game. We will be also get to meet and play golf with Jeb Schubert. His name is not a football hallmark but his grandfather was Pro Football Hall of Famer Lou "The Toe" Groza. This by no means finishes the line-up. Lance Mehl of the New York Jets, Carl Lee of the Minnesota Vikings, Scott Barrows of Marietta and the Detroit Lions, Tom Brown of the 1942 Pittsbubrgh Steelers, Derrick Ransom with Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona, and Jacksonville, Gary Jeter of the New York Giants. Also attending this years tournament is Brad Sellers of basketball fame ( I got to hear some great Michael Jordan stories), Larry Faulkner who was a professional boxer that was undefeated until injuries kept him from fighting, and Marietta College Baseball Coach Brian Brewer. There could be others attending and have been invited but have not confirmed. If you have any questions or comments about this tournament please feel free to leave a message here of send me an email at taylorl21@yahoo.com.

"The Assassin"

I have had the pleasure to be a part of two fund raisers for Eddie "The Assassin" Johnson. The first was at Whiskey Island and the other was his Memorial Tournament held in 2007 by Reggie Langhorne. I brought Joe "Turkey" Jones to the tournament and Reggie needed someone to watch the Hole-In-One Hole and I volunteered. I got the opportunity to meet several different players from other NFL teams and lots of fine people to help praise and make money in Eddie's honor. I also had the great pleasure to meet Eddie's wife. She was a very pleasant and outgoing person that was there for every persons whim and request. I am very thankful for every ones courtesy there and am looking forward to be there again this year if it is possible. Thanks Reggie.

Walt Michaels

At the Cleveland Browns Legends Induction of 2006, I had the pleasure of meeting an ex-Brown, an ex-Coach and a true gentleman in Walt Michaels. The River Rats had invited Lance Mehl to the Jets game and the induction ceremony because Coach Michaels was Lance's coach in New York. Lance had several people from New York radio stations that wanted to do interviews with him as an alumni in Cleveland for the game. Marty Lyons contacted Lance and the next thing I knew I was on the field and greeting my friends in the stands from the field. I had been on the field once before when John Morris was trying to kick a field goal for a new Avalanche. This was different, I didn't have an escort that guided my every move. I was free to move around. I got to meet several of Lance's friends that played when he did. I was there to meet Walt Michaels and he had just walked out of the tunnel. Several people crowded around him as Lance walked toward him. A security guard stopped me and said that I wasn't allowed in the end zone. The guard then made a mistake, he turned his back. I took several pictures as Lance and Walt shook hands with a great respect for each other. I bid my time and waited for Lance to introduce me and shared a hearty handshake with the 1951 Green Bay rookie. I made arrangements to call Walt and conduct the interview with him. I have spent over 3 hours with the football mastermind and each conversation is better than the next. He even called me to tell me a story that he had remembered after our conversation. Walt has many coaches still call him on Monday mornings to analyze their play or next weeks opponent.

Sorry I have not done entries

Sorry I have not sent entries to the Blog but I have been very busy working on the Book and the River Rats Celebrity Weekend being played at Lakeside Golf Course in Beverly , Ohio on June 14th. The first five chapters after the Publishers request for a new format. "If You Wore the Uniform: You're a Brown!", will no longer be be a "Playboy Style" interview. I have a writer working very hard to get the book back in form. The Publisher has me slated for a Dec. 2009 release date. I will tell you more as the information is fed back to me by David Gray.
Back to the golf tournament, we have several players coming back and some new first timers also. If anyone is interested in participating or just wanting to come for autographs please feel free to contact me. Have a great week and please feel free to come back often as I need to get off my butt and keep this Blog interesting.
The picture to the left is a cover from a 50's program of a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Greg Pruitt

While I was watching tv the other day, I saw that Greg Pruitt was on an old program of American Gladiators. We talked about it a little bit and got some great information about his appearance. He told me the story about how he won a lot of the events and how Charles White won. Due to what I understand are plagerism problems with my publisher I can not tell the story here but it is a funny one. Greg did set a record for points in Atmosphere. I could not find if the record still stands or not. Greg like myself wonder why there are not more events like this with NFL players anymore. By the way, Gregs son is recovering well and has started working out and wants to go back to playing football. Greg is planning on attending the River Rats Celebrity Weekend on June 14th. Good luck Pruitts!!!

Jerry Rhome

My friend and Browns player I interviewed for the book sent me this picture for use in the book. He signed it and personalised it with "Good Luck with the book". Upon closer look at the picture, it got more interesting. Jerry and the Browns are playing against the Minnesota Vikings and Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson is impeding the pass rush of fellow Hall of Famer Alan Page. Alan was in his second year as a Viking and Gene had 4 more years as a Brown. The other rusher is Paul Dickson out of Baylor. His blocker almost has to be Fred Hoaglin. I also had a great interview with Fred. Both Browns blockers did a great job of protecting Jerry on this play, maybe that's why he sent this particular photograph to me!!! Please look at Jerry's website @ jerryrhome.com

I hope I have people looking at the posts on this blog. Feel free to comment on any post. Go Browns!!

What do Gene Hickerson and Elvis Presley have in common?

They were childhood friends. Gene and Elvis went to Grade School and played back yard football together. They were great friendsand Gene was on several excursions where Elvis bousgh a car and several minutes later gave it away. Bobby Franklin was also a friend of Elvis and the Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson. As most of you know, Gene is in a nursing home and has pneumonia. Gene was a pleasure to interview. His pleasures in life were the birds on his property that he enjoyed watching, mowing his grass and his memories of the Browns.

Browns Free Agency Aquisitions

Michael Silver, one of the top NFL Columnists, said in a Yahoo interview, that he believes the Browns are on the right track and doing as great job in building a winning team. So far the Browns have signed:

Donte Stallworth a wide receiver from New England

Rex Hadnot an offensive lineman from Miami

Shantee Orr a linebacker from Houston

Shaun Rogers a defensive lineman from Detroit

Corey Williams a defensive lineman from Green Bay

These players have the equivalence of 31 years playing time. The knowledge they bring to the Browns will be a valuable commodity to increase wins in the future. Gentlemen, welcome to Cleveland!!!

"If You Wore (Wear) the Uniform: You're a Brown"