I was saddened by the passing of former Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebovitz on Monday. He was part of my youth. I think I learned to read and do math by reading the sports page with much vigor, and Hal Lebovitz put that sports page together.
When I got older, both as a teenager and in my college years, I thought he was an old fart, not sharing my views on how the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers should be run. However, I wrote him a letter detailing my plans for our baseball team and he mentionned it in his Sunday page two column. It made me happy that he read it, and he said it was well written.
As I got older, I realized that Lebovitz knew what he was talking about. He was passionate about sports, especially baseball, which is my favorite. When many fans were calling for drastic actions by the owners of Cleveland’s teams, Hal cautioned fans to be patient. I agreed with him.
Several times in the 80’s, Hal sat next to me in my seats at the Cavaliers games at the Coliseum. What I remember most is he sat with his legs wide, invading my space. I’m smiling as I type this. If you remember his "Ask Hal, the Referee" column, you knew you shouldn’t criticize the officials with Hal sitting next to you.
After leaving the PD, Lebovitz wrote for the Lake County News Herald where his Sunday notes column was must reading. He also appeared every Thursday on Les Levine’s Adelphia Cable show, where he imparted his wisdom of the world of sports.
Think about it. This legend of Cleveland sports actually witnessed the Indians winning the World Series, the Browns winning the NFL Championship several times, and was partially responsible for the Cavaliers existing. He saw athletes ranging from Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Jim Brown, and Bernie Kosar to Jim Thome, Albert Belle and LeBron James. He was a walking encyclopedia of Cleveland sports history.
When I was a kid, Harry Jones did the Indians’ TV games, Jim Graner did the Browns radio broadcasts with Gib Shanley, and Pete Franklin was the king of sports talk. All, except Shanley are gone. And so is an era where fans could identify with the players on their teams.
If you care about Cleveland sports, you will miss Hal Lebovitz.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 