Displaying items by tag: Bob DiBiasio

In the heart of January, where the snow and wind nip the noses of everyone young and old, it was nice to talk baseball and the boys of summer. And for a good cause, to boot.

The WAKR Speaker Series brought the long-time voice of the Cleveland Indians, Tom Hamilton, to St. George Fellowship Center in Fairlawn for an hour-long sit-down on all things Tribe. Hosted by Sr. Vice President of Public Affairs, Bob DiBiasio, the conversation touched on the team itself to the hot stories going on around baseball. Hamilton, a Wisconsin native, talked about his rise to calling major league games, to recapping the last decade of Indians baseball, the hiring and impact of Terry Francona, to how the Tribe will look in the 2020 season.

Proceeds from this event benefitted the Salvation Army of Summit County. Major Stephen Stoops kicked off the broadcast with WAKR’s Ray Horner, and he discussed the outreach the local Salvation Army has in the Greater Akron community.

The entire broadcast has been made available below via SoundCloud.

:28 - Stick a fork in the 2018 Cleveland Indians. From questionable coaching decisions to lackluster pitching to very little offense, Ray and Tony dug into the Tribe’s loss to the Houston Astros in the ALDS.

13:25 - Mayor Dan Horrigan dropped by the studio to touch on a slew of topics ranging from the sewer project, the early primary voting, and the future of the Rolling Acres Mall site.

33:25 - For many years, Joe Hlas was Ray’s bowling correspondent on the morning show. Today, he talked about another type of game. Specifically, a game show. Joe and the Hlas family from Norton appeared on Family Feud back in April, and their showing will be televised next week.

41:28 - Back to the Tribe, Bob DiBiasio from the team joined the show for some Indians post mortem.

48:30 - Perhaps the Indians had to die for the Browns to be resurrected? Fred Greetham from the Orange & Brown Report came on the show to recap the Browns’ 12-9 victory over the Ravens, improving their record to 2-2-1.

:26 - A proposed ordinance in Akron City Council looks to crack down on barking dogs. Residents whose dogs won’t stop barking can receive a $100 and possible jail time. Some agree with this measure, and others, including Tara Samples who joined Ray, disagree.

7:36 - The council member who proposed the ordinance, Russ Neal, also came on with Ray.

16:52 - Tony Gotto is the head coach of the Barberton Magics, and he joined Ray to talk about his team. The Magics are 6-0 and they take on an improving 5-1 Ellet team this weekend.

21:02 - The MLB playoffs are all set, and the Cleveland Indians are set to take on the Houston Astros in the ALDS. Bob DiBiasio, VP for the Tribe, talked to Ray about how the Indians will fare against the defending world champs, as well as Bobby D meeting Wayne Newton out in Las Vegas.

31:55 - A quarter of the NFL season is in the books, and the Cleveland Browns have a record of 1-2-1 through four games. Fred Greetham from the Orange & Brown Report discussed the season so far, including the play of rookie starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.

After a shockingly brief appearance in the postseason, the 2018 Cleveland Indians are fired up and ready for the regular season to begin.

Bob DiBiasio, VP with the Indians, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to preview the opening day roster. One of the questions on the team has been Michael Brantley, and though he will start the year on the disabled list, Bobby D says the veteran outfielder has not experienced any setbacks. Other topics of discussion are the continued strength of the pitching staff and retaining Mike Napoli in the organization.

The Indians take on the Seattle Mariners Thursday night for the regular season opener. Progressive Field opens up eight days later on April 6th, when the Tribe takes on the Kansas City Royals.

The kid out of Peoria, Illinois is headed to Cooperstown, by way of Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and, most notably, Cleveland. Jim Thome, the Indians’ all-time home run leader, is the newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, picked on his first try.

Bob DiBiasio, VP of the Tribe, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to talk about the heart of Thome’s Indians career, which began in 1991, ended in 2002, and had a brief homecoming in 2011. DiBiasio talked about what Thome did off the field, which was where he showcased both his work ethic and his humble personality.

Sheldon Ocker, who covered the Tribe for decades, also came on WAKR to remember Thome. Ocker had the chance to see the lanky infielder grow to become one of his generation’s greatest power hitters. Ocker also shared his thoughts on Omar Vizquel, who had a nice showing in his first time on the ballot.

It was a magical run for the Cleveland Indians, a team very few, if any, predicted to go to the World Series. It may not have finished the way many had hoped, especially after a 3-1 lead, but Tribe fans everywhere are proud of their baseball team.

Bob DiBiasio, Senior VP with the Tribe, made his way to Akron to recap the postseason that was, as well as how the team will look in 2017. “Bobby D” recapped the financial aspects of the Indians’ postseason run, which proved to be quite lucrative for the players. Due to these backloaded contracts, a plethora of players will be receiving raises going into next season.

So what’s next? DiBiasio says the team is looking to keep Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli at a reasonable price, as well as others in terms of additions and subtractions. He says the team appears “set” on paper, but a big question mark is the health of Michael Brantley, but the team feels good the Indians excelled without their MVP candidate.

As of this writing, spring training kicks off 94 days from now.