DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Barkley Apparently Not Fond Of Cleveland

Cavaliers shrug off Barkley's 'dreary' comments about Cleveland

by Mary Schmitt Boyer/Plain Dealer Reporter
Friday March 20 2009

Charles Barkley has had no problem playing the buffoon in various public speaking events ... and the TNT analyst met that low standard in his comments on Cleveland during Thursday's coverage of the Cavaliers-Trail Blazers game.

CLEVELAND -- Charles Barkley is at it again.
The controversial TNT announcer made some disparaging remarks about the city of Cleveland before the network televised Thursday night's game between the Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers.

Bantering in TNT's studios in Atlanta with co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Chris Webber, Barkley, who also thinks the Cavs need to speed up their offense, took off on Cleveland and Milwaukee.

Barkley: If you were to swap the people in Cleveland and Milwaukee, it'd be the same dreary ass city. They are both dreary places. C Webb, would you agree? Cleveland and Milwaukee, other than Perkins Soul Food joint, they are the same dreary ass city.

Webber: I agree.

Johnson: I was born in Milwaukee, they are not the same city.


Barkley: Ernie you were born in Milwaukee?

Johnson: I was born in Milwaukee.

Barkley: Milwaukee is a very nice city.

Johnson: Certainly is. And there's nothing wrong with Cleveland either.

Barkley: Oh, yes there is. If you live there.

Johnson: You ever been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It's beautiful.

Barkley: They got a Hip Hop Hall of Fame?

Webber: The water is so blue right there by the arena.

Barkley: There's nothing happening in Cleveland, trust me, other than the Indians.

Johnson: They are the number one seed right now.

Barkley: They've got LeBron James who is spectacular. There is no reason to live in Cleveland, that's why the call it the mistake by the lake. They didn't come up with that for no reason Ernie.

On Friday, the Cavs decided to take the high road and refused to be drawn into a disagreement with Barkley, who does think LeBron James should be the league's MVP.

Said coach Mike Brown of Barkley, "He's funny to watch on TV. He's great for TNT, great for the NBA."

Added guard Daniel Gibson, "We know the type of commentator he is. He's a guy who says what's on his mind. We can't fault him for that. We've just got to continue to play the way we've played all year and understand that Charles is going to be Charles. We enjoy watching him and he does a great job."

So, what does Gibson think of Cleveland?

"I love Cleveland," he said with a smile. "I had to get used to the weather. It took me a couple years to get used to the snow, being from Texas. But the city, the people...it's a great city to be in. I've enjoyed being here."

I'm sure some folks will rip him for this, but he's just giving his opinion. One that won't be popular in Cleveland, no doubt. Thing with Charles is, at least you know where he stands. He doesn't do the PC crap and beat around the bush trying not to upset everybody.

Whether you agree with him or not, at least you know how the man feels.

Cleveland is lovely in May and June, perhaps Chuck will be able to pull himself away from the bar long enough to take in some of the city.

And he can bring C-Webb with him.

GO CAVS.

Does this really matter? I grew up in CLeveland and find it a hell hole and compared to other real major cities is quite a joke and behind the times. I don't think Barkley's comments are that far off to be honest, and if people get upset over his comments why? He is speaking allot of truth in his comments, if Cleveland wants to change it's image then it needs to change and mature as a city, and until that happens people like Barkley and myself with continue to think Cleveland is a hell hole until those in charge clean up that mess.

Nobody that lives in Cleveland needs Jailhouse Chuck to tell us that Cleveland can be a "dreary-ass" place in January and February (and March) ... just like dozens of other rust-belt cities from Buffalo to Milwaukee. To single out any one of them is asinine. If that is what passes for witty banter and cutting edge analysis on TNT's NBA pre-game, half-time, and post-game shows, I'm glad I missed it. Barkley is a self-aggrandizing idiot.

I love Cleveland. I don't see myself leaving.

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if Cleveland wants to change it's image then it needs to change and mature as a city, and until that happens people like Barkley and myself with continue to think Cleveland is a hell hole until those in charge clean up that mess.

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Why don't you tell us what you really think Fletch

I visit Cleveland like once a year or two, and I love my family who all live out there. But yes, the Rock N Roll HoF was nothing special. I like that Market that Cleveland's got more, with all the sausages and fresh fruit and all that. See, now that's something useful.

That and Browns games, Cleveland's got the Browns. No better team to root for.

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I love my home city...from afar!

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Thats how I am, Cleveland has had decades to try to recreate a positive image and the leaders of the community, continually fail. The majority of people I know who left the city, never came back and most feel the same as I, Cleveland is overrated, though at one time I thought Cleveland wasn't, but then I seen other cities and found out that Cleveland is basically a bottem feeder.

Corruption, lack of principles, personal agenda's have ruined Cleveland and with the amount of time Cleveland has had to regain it's once proud form, and yet the city continue's to flop is sad

Cleveland needs to a clue and realize that people leave and don't come back, they need to ofer something instead of aking excuses.

This thread has made me thought and wonder if many people wonder why the Cleveland Browns have such a huge fanbase across the USA, the answer is pretty simple, over time many people have left the city tonever comeback but yet still root for the same team, I rarely ever hear of a "transplanted Bostonian" but hear "tansplanted Clevelander' all the time.

I tend to agree with you. I still go back to Ohio to hunt and visit with family. But I won't be moving back to Cleveland. I had a conversation with some of my family not too long ago, (we all were in different parts of the country), and even though we all had very fond memories of Cleveland when we were kids growing up, once we got to adulthood, we bolted. None of us have looked back either.

I still read the Cleveland news papers, and follow the politics some, but the city itself just doesn't inspire me. That does make me sad, because I really wanted better for the place.

Oh well, time to go out and check the beach chairs....

The greater Cleveland area and Northeast Ohio is not that bad and is a nice place to raise a family. The actual city of Cleveland is a craphole and I am happy to have gotten out of it. I drive up to Cleveland everyday for work and it keeps my mind refreshed on what a crap hole of a town it is. Even the decent working middle class neighborhoods(West Park/Kamms) are going to hell in a handbasket.


KING

Chris Webber is agreeing with him? The same Chris Webber who is from Detroit, which is easily the crummiest, most downtrodden major city in the country? And for which he did all sorts of feel-good pieces about how great it was to be back in his hometown when he signed with the Pistons?

I don't really care what Charles has to say about Cleveland. He gets paid to spout off about whatever, and his bias against the Cavaliers is well-known. He's probably just upset that we don't have any casinos where he can blow millions of dollars. But for Chris Webber to agree with him just reeks of brown-nosing. He could've defended the big cities of the Midwest (of which he is a native) but instead he had to look cool on TV because he's got no sack.

Cleveland at one time was a lively colorful city full of ethnic pride and a healthy population.
Now its anything but that.
Population has dropped from 900,000 to around 350,000 in the last 40 years.
The neighborhoods that the masses from Eastern Europe built up,now is home to thugs and wanna be ghetto cowboys.
The city fathers have never took advantage of the lakefront. Go to Chicago or Toronto...thats a lakefront.
The Rock and Roll HOF is a joke. It never should have been in Cleveland..having a D.J spin a record or holding "the 1st RNR concert" in Cleveland doesn't qualify it for that title.......
the RNR HOF should have been built in Memphis..home of Sun Records......
Barkely is right.....what is so appealing about Cleveland....the skyline is a joke. The one appeal they had,the Flats is desolate now.
It has more children living in poverty than most USA cities on a per capa basis.
All it has going for it is the Clinic,Metroparks,LeBron,Staduim Mustard and the West Side Market......
the city is so poor,it can't even sustain a proper organized crime family. Thats sad. The Lebanese and the Arabs that run the food stamp scams are the new power.
Even the FM morning shows are lame....wheres Jeff and Flash and Mr.Leonard when you need em.

i love the whole "oh cleveland has no room to say anything, blah blah blah"

no. wrong.

that's where people live. and if someone says something bad about the place you live, you have every right to be mad and defend it.

i love cleveland. love it. i wish i could go back more often. i didn't leave cleveland because of any negative reason.

it may not have a great looking skyline (don't know what a great skyline does for you anyways, chicago's skyline has never done me any good) or a lot of the downtown stuff that you see elsewhere, but it is still a great town, and every time i go back, i wish i could stay longer.

sometimes people outside of cleveland think for whatever reason, that the folks who live there are somehow upset that they live there.

wrong. most people who live there choose to be there.

i love these assumptions though, keep em comin.

LOL,, I'm kinda having a hard time trying to figure out why anyone actually cares what Barkley says or thinks.....

Unless there is some kind of Background Story that I didn't hear about to warrant Barkley's comments , IMO he is just being a Moron....He should have enough common sense Not to make offensive statements about any city while on the air....In private is one thing , doing it over the air is just asking for trouble....I just find it amusing that I am supposed to be Offended by what Barley thinks ....

TNT gives Barkley plenty of leeway to voice his opinion. don't think he's just critical of cleveland alone. a lot of it is said for comedy. barkley "clowns" on everything and everybody that he sees fit. he was even calling out kenny smith for not showing up to work thursday. that's why I don't take what barkley says to heart, becuase I know he's doing it to provide comedy for the show.

Because you or anyone else here that's from the Cleveland area can say negative things about our city and chances are it won't be anything I haven't thought myself. But when outsiders who have no understanding of the greater community beyond a few blocks downtown do it, I tend to get annoyed. When "cool" places like Phoenix, and Miami, and Atlanta, and Dallas were just wide spots in the road, my city - and other rust-belt locations - were making the steel, the aluminum, the rubber, and the cars that built this country. Now, while we make the conversion - painfully - from a manufacturing base to a service economy, idiots like Barkley use a national stage to ridicule us. It's BS, and people should let TNT know what they think of their jailbird commentator.

I agree with you that Cleveland was (is?) a great manufacturing city. It and the rest of the rust belt cities all helped pave the way for this country. The city has a great history.

Unfortunately, like our sports teams, the best days were in the past. Could it be a pioneering city again? Sure. Would I like to see it be that? Absolutely! Is it now? Nope.

For all the flack he got, former Mayor Michael White did a remarkable job bringing Cleveland back to relevance. Unfortunately he didn't know how to finish it. Mayor Jackson is not doing the city much good from what I've read, and I can't say the city council is doing very good either.

The city as a whole is lacking an identity now. It's no longer the manufacturing industry or the auto industry. It is trying very hard to bring in the medical community, but that is slow going at best. There is nothing there for folks to say about Cleveland as a whole. Hell, the best party spots are all different every time you go there, and the whole Flats section is basically gone.

Cleveland is in a position right now, to make a name for itself. But it has to stop the political in fighting that is going on and move forward on the projects. It's not going to be easy, and it isn't going to happen over night. But it CAN happen. Unfortunately I don't think the city has the leadership in place to do that.

Dave Dave Dave.. I don't give a damn what Barkley thinks.. and the reason I don't is because the guy is a jerk, dufas, idiot and clearly on either drugs or booze almost constantly..

What he has to say has very little in common with reality..

So let rephrase this... Why would anyone think that Barkley is a credible source of info about any city?

you're way too sensative. I grew up in Youngstown, same type of town like Cleveland. I would be the 1st to tell you, there are many other places I'd rather live. I remember kids in high school would talk all the time, how they wanted to move since y-town had nothing going on.

Barkley wasn't ripping the people, just made a comment on the city. I don't think that makes him an idiot.

As far as inside the nba, it has won Emmy's in the past before, so I doubt Tnt would be telling barkley about his comments. he makes that show go.

Barkley's pissed because he was arrested in Cleveland for throwing a midget out a window in the Flats back when he was playing.

He can take his opinion and shove it. As the Joker says, "This is my city."

(Yes, very territorial when people rip on Cleveland)

I am a Clevelander, and will always call Cleveland home, but it is a dreary city.


It's as gray as it gets, not counting Buffalo.


Almost without fail, when the skys turn silver and ugly, and the north wind begins to blow, one of my kids or wife would tell me "it looks like Cleveland".

Mostly to poke me in the ribs....but.....I couldn't disagree.

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Nobody that lives in Cleveland needs Jailhouse Chuck to tell us that Cleveland can be a "dreary-ass" place in January and February (and March) ... just like dozens of other rust-belt cities from Buffalo to Milwaukee. To single out any one of them is asinine.

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very well put. there is no need for any of us to defend our city, our home.

while I am enjoying my time in central Ohio, I will be back. I miss the snow

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It's as gray as it gets, not counting Buffalo.

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I hear you, some people cant handle it. You still cant appreciate the sun without a cloud, or at least i think some proverb went.

Anybody that doesn't appreciate Cleveland is a complete idiot in my mind.

- A few months ago, my buddy came up from Pensacola Florida. - He is a Warrant Officer in the Marine Corps, originally from NYC.

- He flew in on a Friday Night. The next day he participated in the 5k run that they have in Cleveland every year for the Ohio State - Michigan game. The run starts right in between Bob Golic's restaurant and the Blind Pig. - The 5k is through the streets of Cleveland, behind Browns Stadium, and in front of the Rock Hall. - After my buddy completed the run, he talked about how cool the sites were. We then hung out at the Blind Pig for a little bit, everybody was very, very, kind to us. Then we went over to Bob Golic's bar, and again, we were treated kindly.
After we left Bob Golic's we came back to my house here in Garfield Heights. My wife left and went shopping with her mom. My buddy and I sat here and watched Ohio State vs Michigan. We had some food delivered from a local joint - Tiffany's. After the game ended, we decided to go back downtown to watch the Cavs. - We went down to Gund Arena ( The Q) ate at the Quaker Steak they have in there. - Friendly staff. Then we went to our seats, we were surrounded by really cool, enthusiastic, crowd. The Cavs beat the snot out of the Hawks. - It was a great time.

After that, we walked over to Winking Lizard, where, again, we were treated kindly by everybody. We hung out at Lizard and watched some more college football. - My little sister and her husband were downtown for the evening for his employer's Christmas party. - They rented a room at the Arcade and stayed in the hotel they have in there. They didn't meet us, as they were too busy hanging out at the Cadillac Ranch. My buddy and I went home.

The next day, my buddy and I went down to Browns game. - We drove downtown, walked over to "Carl's Inn of the Barrister" ate some of the best corned beef sandwiches you can get, drank a pitcher of beer, again, hung out with some really cool people, and then walked over to the Browns game. While waiting to get into the stadium, we talked with a fellow fan who was bringing his son to the game. - We talked football with him. My buddy had never been to an NFL game before and thought the whole experience prior to the game was awesome. - During the game, we were surrounded by a bunch of unique, cool people. The Browns stunk, but we had a great time.

Afterwards, we headed back out this way, and went to Harry's Steakhouse in Independence for dinner. - Great food, friendly staff, football on tv. - A great time.

We came home, watched some more football and he couldn't stop talking about what a great time he had had. - I came on this board and talked about what a great show the city of Cleveland put on for him.

The next day, we stopped at Parmatown for a bit, and then I took him back to the airport. - He'll be back.



For all those people that say that this city is a black hole, and things like that, I'd like you to get outta here, we don't need you. If you don't live around here, then stay where you're at, again, we don't need you.

We have a world class city here which features one of the top 5 hospitals in the world, on of the biggest insurance companies in the world, a football team with the deepest tradition deepest history in the NFL, a great baseball team, a great basketball team, a decent nightlife, a diverse cultural history and a diverse population. Cleveland is a great place.

Is it perfect? No. Like any other city we have a bunch of misguided youth that blemish our image. - But, that doesn't mean that we don't have people here that do everything they can to improve on this. - Take a look at what Tedd Ginn has done in Glenville. Go over to St. Ignatius, look at what they have done to keep our youth in line.

People like Charles Barkley, and those of you who don't live here need to quit discussing Cleveland. - You have no familiarity with this city, why in the world would you comment on something that you're not familiar with.

- Oh, I know why, because all of you have miserable lives outside of Cleveland and blame everything around you for your miserable lives.

Muni,its nice to be positive and all...but you can paint a trash can pink or flouresant orange..its still a trash can.
Can't you see whats wrong with Cleveland...it outweighs the good.

1. Cuyahoga County is the most taxed county in Ohio.
2. Slavic Village used to be a neighborhood you could walk securely at night.
3. The Convient store on Dunham in Maple Heights just got robbed last week.
4. Frank Russo and Jimmy Dimoria are the captains of a sinking Democratic ship.
You'll find out that they had Rosemary Vinci silenced for good.
5. How many families outside of Ohio plan a vacation to Cleveland other than to see family.
You know what,your right..the Johnson family of Richmond Va want to see the Progressive Bldg in Mayfield Village this summer.
6. Cleveland has a diverse culture.....wow..most major cities from St.Louis east and above the Ohio River have diverse populations....Philly,NYC, Boston, Buffalo, Pittsburgh,Detroit......
7. Go down St.Clair Av. There used to be time the Poles,Slovenes and Hungarians ran the show there......
now its a disaster zone. My friends bakery on Buckeye Rd has been robbed twice in 8 months.
8. Cleveland hasn't had a mayor worth a dime since......since.....Celebreze or Stokes.........
MIcheal White was a joke...his friends fell on a sword for him.
Frank Jackson is clueless.
Who was that female mayor that had no business being a mayor......she was a embarrasment.
Cleveland used to be a classy city.........you can see and do things in a poverty stricken city in 2 days.......Rock Hall, Science Center and see the Tribe look up in the standings.....
Cleveland doesn't have anything that NYC,Chicago or Toronto has.........
those are world class cities.....

chicago has problems of their own as well.

they just had their 21st kid in chicago public schools die from shootings.. this year.

yes, they still have all the nice stuff downtown. but i really think the two are more familiar than most think.

most importantly, cleveland is home for a lot of people. and home is a strong strong word.

we may think detroit stinks and is worse off than cleveland, but i know plenty of people from detroit who love it there.

home is home.

i honestly don't care about other people's opinions on the city of cleveland, but to act as if cleveland is the only town with problems is pretty laughable.

home is home.

Muni, I respect your opinion bud, but there's no reason I cannot discuss Cleveland. And whether you agree with me or not, I am every bit as entitled to my opinion as you are of yours.

I lived there long enough to know what I'm talking about. Until Cleveland changes with the times, they will be left further and further behind.

On a side note, Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door is the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Look I like Cleveland. I love going to the Big Fun toy store on Coventry. Down the road I like Mama Santa's pizza.
The city is easy to get around. Its nice to go to Public Square in the middle of spring.
The Public Library is a hidden treasure.
But the city is going in reverse. The population is going south. I miss Captain Franks off East 9th.....
I miss the old 'MMS crew......
This city has lost of its personality and idenity.....
I got relatives that come over from Europe,and said they'd never come back........just a lack of attraction on a global scale. Their biggest gripe is how unkempt the city is.......

Barkley says...... Chris Cooley says..... Eh who cares.
Clevelands not alone in its troubles. It does puzzle me as to why Barkley singles Cleveland out for his insults.

He didn't single out Cleveland. He also spoke about Milwaukee. And if you watch the next game, he'll down on someone else. He was talking about Cleveland because the Cavs were playing and that naturally leads to a conversation about the city.

Thanks. I don't like B ball.so I wouldn't know. I'm asking,he just hates every old northern industrial city then? Why are we even talking about this?

The smartest thing Barkley ever said was that athletes or, more specifically, he was not a role model.

Outside of that I hardly listen to him.