Cleveland, OH
Jim Thome's wife takes issue with ESPN Cleveland radio contest trying to get him on the air
During Friday’s episode of ESPN Cleveland’s The Really Big Show, host Aaron Goldhammer sent an intern on a mission to convince Jim Thome to call into the show.
But what was supposed to be lighthearted segment to kill time on a Friday before the start of NFL free agency proved disastrous, with Thome’s wife stating that she was bullied as a result of the contest.
The entire ordeal started when Goldhammer ran a trivia contest among the station’s interns about his co-host, Tony Rizzo, who was on vacation for the show. The winner of the contest was then tasked with getting Thome to call in by the end of the show and if he was successful in doing so, he would receive a $100 prize.
Intern Nick’s task is clear. If he gets Jim Thome to call into RBS by 1 pm, he wins $100. That simple. pic.twitter.com/qVrNlGS6UW
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 8, 2024
With the Hall of Fame first baseman not present on social media, the intern turned his attention to Thome’s wife, Andrea Thome. The intern peppered Andrea with a series of requests to have her husband call into the show and even sent her a subsequent request after she responded by offering to call in herself.
In addition to tagging Andrea in multiple posts, the intern also tagged Thome’s high school-aged son and the high school baseball program he plays for and the former Cleveland Indians star’s coaches. Following the requests from the intern and listeners tagging her in their own posts about the contest, Mrs. Thome decided that enough was enough.
“I am all about kindness and connection, but this is my personal account—not a vehicle for booking my husband on talk radio shows. Please don’t berate me for that, and please don’t tag our children in those endeavors, either. He has an agent for a reason,” Andrea wrote, before adding: “I did not have grown men on @ESPNCleveland bullying me on International Women’s Day because I won’t interrupt my husband while he is working across the country to call in so your intern can win $100. How about I Venmo the kid and you guys back off?”
I am all about kindness and connection, but this is my personal account—not a vehicle for booking my husband on talk radio shows. Please don’t berate me for that, and please don’t tag our children in those endeavors, either. He has an agent for a reason. ❤️✌?
— Andrea Thome ❤️?⚾️ (@AndreaThome) March 8, 2024
I did not have grown men on @ESPNCleveland bullying me on International Women’s Day because I won’t interrupt my husband while he is working across the country to call in so your intern can win $100. How about I Venmo the kid and you guys back off?
— Andrea Thome ❤️?⚾️ (@AndreaThome) March 8, 2024
Mrs. Thome proceeded to refer to her appearance on Barstool Sports’ The Kirk Minihane Show earlier this week, in which she offered clues to a producer who had trouble recalling her husband’s name during a contest.
“I called in the other day for the first time ever to offer clues when Jim couldn’t because he was working one of his three jobs,” she wrote. “Now, I’m bound to engage with every copycat that tries these stunts to get him on talk shows? Come on. I guess it’s a good day to thin the herd.”
I called in the other day for the first time ever to offer clues when Jim couldn’t because he was working one of his three jobs. Now, I’m bound to engage with every copycat that tries these stunts to get him on talk shows? Come on. I guess it’s a good day to thin the herd.
— Andrea Thome ❤️?⚾️ (@AndreaThome) March 8, 2024
While such contests aren’t uncommon in sports talk radio, the reality is that the station put its reputation in the hands of an intern, who proceeded to go over the top in his attempt to get Thome on the show. Although nothing he said in his requests was disrespectful, it’s also completely understandable how Andrea Thome would have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages from both the intern and ESPN Cleveland listeners. It also goes without saying that approaching Thome’s high school son on social media should have been off-limits.
All things considered, this largely seems to be an instance of whacky radio hijinks getting a little too whacky and an inexperienced intern proving to be too eager in his guest-booking duties. Hopefully bot hthe intern and ESPN Cleveland learned their lesson from all of this.
Cleveland, OH
Judge pauses Ohio’s plan to fund new Browns stadium with unclaimed funds
CLEVELAND — Ohio’s plan to use unclaimed funds to help fund construction of a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns was temporarily blocked in court on Monday.
In her preliminary injunction, Franklin County Magistrate Jennifer Hunt found that plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann are substantially likely to win their case on the merits. Her order pauses the plan while the case is heard.
The class-action lawsuit argues that provisions of Ohio’s two-year, $60 billion budget that took $1 billion from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account to pay for the stadium that Haslam Sports Group is planning for suburban Brook Park, south of Cleveland, violate constitutional prohibitions against taking people’s private property for government use, as well as citizens’ due process rights.
The strategy was among several hotly debated topics during Ohio’s budget planning last year.
Dann and former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats, filed the legal action on behalf of three named Ohio residents, as well as all other individuals whose unclaimed funds were being held by the state as of June 30, 2025.
The litigation challenges specific budget provisions that diverted more than $1 billion in unclaimed funds to create an Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund and designate $600 million for the Browns as its first grant.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office said it was reviewing the decision and determining next steps.
Before ending his bid for governor last year, the Republican spoke out against using unclaimed funds for such a purpose, having gone so far as to urge DeWine to veto it. However, the state’s top lawyer has further said that he believed the plan was legally sound.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland mother accused of burying daughters in suitcases prompts new focus on parenting bill
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A Cleveland mother was charged with two counts of murder after her daughters were found in suitcases partially buried in a park near E. 165th and Midland Ave last week.
In the days that followed, we spoke with DeShaun Chatman, who is the father of 8-year-old Mila Chatman.
He said he’s been trying for years to get access to his daughter but felt the courts and Child Protective Services (CPS) weren’t working with him.
There is a law in Columbus working its way through the process trying to clarify parenting roles and rights.
Senate Bill 174 (SB174) was passed in November and is currently sitting waiting in a House committee.
At the time the bill was passed one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) said, “No one is a winner in parenting disputes. But if anyone is, it should be the kids. By passing this legislation, the Ohio Senate is taking the first step toward encouraging cooperation between separated parents.”
The bill has a number of provisions looking to make it easier for a judge to give equal rights to both the mother and father.
For example, it would prohibit a judge from giving preference to a father or a mother based on a person’s financial status or gender.
It also requires a parenting plan be filed that shows parenting and decisions will be a shared responsibility regardless of marital status.
There is also a prevision that would allow unmarried parents to file a complaint at no charge, requesting the allocation of parenting rights and responsibilities upon the father establishing parentage and provides an expedited hearing and temporary orders.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers – Cleveland Today
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Witness the excitement of NBA basketball as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Rocket Arena. These two Eastern Conference powerhouses will battle it out on the court in what promises to be a thrilling matchup.
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