Cleveland, OH

Robert Edward Dorksen

Published

2 years ago

September 11, 2024

Robert Edward Dorksen

OBITUARY

1941-2024Robert Edward Dorksen, 82, of Chardon passed away on September 5, 2024 at UH Cleveland Medical Center after complications from a fall at his home.Bob was born Sept. 11, 1941, to parents Lester and Mary (Baran) Dorksen in Cleveland, Ohio.Bob is survived by his wife Margaret (Pierce) and children Aaron (Angela) Dorksen of Wooster, OH; Susan Richmond of Cave Creek, Arizona and Bryan (Hillary) Dorksen of Bonney Lake, Washington. Also surviving are grandchildren Arch Dorksen of Wooster and twins Mason and Caden Dorksen of Bonney Lake, Wash.Besides his parents, Robert was preceded in death by his in laws, Robert and Francis Pierce, and sister-in-law Susan Pierce.Bob and Margo married in 1969 and made a great team raising Aaron, Susan and Bryan in the beloved log cabin they had built in 1977 on a 15-acre lot in Chardon. In his later years, Bob loved being �Bumpa� to his three grandsons, who were born within a span of three months in 2010.Bob was a true American success story, demonstrating how far hard work and strong character can take someone. He was an award-winning photographer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer from 1971-83 and the photo editor there from 1984 until his retirement in 2003.Bob published the book �Strength Enough� in 1980, a portfolio of 102 photographs documenting the lives of working men and women published by the Cultural Arts Committee of the United Labor Agency and Western Reserve Historical Society. His work has been displayed in galleries from New York to Los Angeles.After beginning his photo career as a track photographer at Thistledown Race Track in 1966, Bob got his first newspaper job at the Willoughby News-Herald from 1967-71. He thought above and beyond his small-paper job description, travelling on his own dime to take photos of major news events such as the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967 and Robert F. Kennedy�s funeral in 1968. Those pictures were published in national newspapers and magazines.Something even more significant happened during those years: Bob met a young dark-room technician at The News-Herald named Margo, who was the only person he trusted to develop his film. There was added chemistry in that darkroom as they would soon be wed.The Plain Dealer photo editor at the time, Ray Matjasik, saw Bob�s work and in 1971 asked �How would you like a job at the Plain Dealer?�Bob would go on to take photos of the Cleveland area�s biggest stories of the 1970s and early 80s, when The PD was one of the largest papers in the U.S. He photographed Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter, as well as major city events. Great sports moments included Dick Bosman�s no-hitter in 1974, as well as Frank Robinson�s Opening Day home run and the Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner fight at Richfield Coliseum in 1975. His photo credits also included the Cavaliers� Miracle of Richfield season of 1975-76 and many Cleveland Browns games. As a photographer for The PD�s Sunday magazine in the 1980s, Bob travelled to Alaska to take pictures of the pipeline.Bob graduated in 1959 from Rhodes High School, located in the west-side neighborhood known as Old Brooklyn near the zoo.He was admittedly not a particularly good or interested student. The day after graduating he asked his dad, who was a World War II veteran and foreman at the now defunct J&L Steel, �When are you taking me to get a job at the mill?��You�re not going to work in that dirty, filthy hole,� Lester replied. �You�re going to find something else to do!�Bob wound up joining the Air Force from 1961-65 and was a medic stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He developed an interest in photography and enrolled in the New York Institute of Photography in 1967.�I was taught how to take a picture and what a good picture should look like,� he said. �That was invaluable. We�d find great photo opportunities everywhere we went in New York City.Bob saw incredible changes during his photo career, going from black and white to color, darkrooms to electronic, 35-millimeter cameras to high-tech digital.�You had to focus quickly at a sporting event,� he said. �You didn�t know for sure what you had until the photos were developed. If it was a late event, we�d get early shots and have a �film runner� deliver the film back to the paper to be developed.��Today�s cameras put everything in focus. They can see right away what they shot.� Bob was happiest at his family cabin, which was constructed with logs delivered from Vermont on land the family cleared themselves. He loved spending time with his family and attending their many events. He enjoyed being outdoors, whether it was walking in the woods or gardening. He liked having a good cup of coffee, smoking a pipe and a shot of Knob Creek on occasion.He was a great storyteller, funny and extremely smart. He was a big fan of the Chardon Hilltoppers, Ohio State football team, Browns, Indians and Cavaliers. He loved to exercise in his basement weight room, aka Old Iron Gym. Dozens of Hilltoppers got stronger in the cabin basement.Bob had a collector�s gene that was passed down to his sons. Bob�s interests ranged over the years from Sherlock Holmes to vintage pipes and tinder pistol lighters, to antique and unique weightlifting equipment.Bob was also a loving pet owner to dogs Neville and Fillmore, as well as many indoor and outdoor cats over the years.The family is grateful for the extraordinary care provided by Veron and others from the Cherished Companions, UH Medical Center, Erin and Stephanie at UH Geauga Rehab / YMCA and many other doctors and nurses who have helped Bob over the years as he dealt with Parkinson’s and other health issues.Bob was known far and wide as a kind person. He was a man of faith. There will be a private family memorial service per Bob�s wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Geauga Humane Society Rescue Village, 15463 Chillicothe Rd., Novelty, OH 44072 or Chardon High School Athletic Department, 151 Chardon Ave., Chardon, OH 44024 in his memory.Cremation arrangements have been entrusted to Burr Funeral Home in Chardon, Ohio. Information and condolences online at www.burrservice.com.

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Cleveland, OH

American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Published

9 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Anyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…

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Cleveland, OH

Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26

Published

21 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26

Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.

Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.

Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.

Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview

So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.

On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.

That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.

Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet

Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)

Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.

Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)

While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.

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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 4/21/26: You’ll Take this Draft Speculation and You’ll Like It

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 4/21/26: You’ll Take this Draft Speculation and You’ll Like It

CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) – Hello, Cleveland Browns fans!

Three days until the NFL Draft. Three. Days. My coffee is strong, my patience for mock drafts is not, and somewhere out there, a draftnik is writing his 47th “why the Browns should definitely pick X at 6” piece. We have arrived at the point in the calendar where every possible permutation has been considered, rejected, re-considered, and published. And yet, here I am, starring articles and talking about them, so who am I to judge?

THE DEFAULT SOLUTION: Over at the Chronicle-Telegram, Scott Petrak profiled Carnell Tate as the king of contested catch – the latest in a long line of Ohio State receivers, and it ties in nicely with a topic we talked about during last night’s Gang of Three.

At this point, there’s no consensus among the draftniks and the mock drafters on who the Browns will take at #6. There have been at various points, but now you’re getting random answers. “Trade down” seems to be the leader, but that may not happen because other teams above the Browns are thinking the same thing, which could screw things up for Andrew Berry and crew. The fallback then seems to be WR Carnell Tate (according to media consensus), but I sense that the massive ecosystem of draft “experts” and wannabe experts has long grown bored with this idea and decided that the Browns shouldn’t “settle” on Tate. So, we’re seeing defensive BPAs and others show up frequently.

But let’s go back to something I’ve said before – mock drafts are often more accurate earlier in the process than later, when the people writing them get bored with the obvious and start throwing curveballs into the mock drafts to keep themselves amused. At the end of the day, if the NFL trading game isn’t cooperating with the Browns, there’s still a very good chance that Tate will be the selection.

So, I advanced this notion last night, and we came back to the original thought that Tate was still a damn good pick at that point, even if one of our crew has been advocating for Makai Lemon for months. As an unabashed Buckeye fan, I’m coming full circle on this idea.

CAMP MONKEN STARTS: Let’s start with the one piece of actual new news: Todd Monken’s voluntary minicamp wrapped with plenty of questions, especially at QB. I’ll spare you my fatigue on that particular topic – we’ve been over the QB situation enough times that my keyboard is starting to file a grievance. Suffice to say: the Browns do not have their quarterback, and the draft is unlikely to fully solve that.

What we do have is a different philosophy on the QB competition, where the facade that all contestants are treated equally is being discarded. This will also give us our first look at the post-Achilles Deshaun Watson, to see if he looks in any way different from the Watson of recent years, who offered little after kickoff in real games. We’ll have Fred Greetham and Pete Smith out at practice today, and expect to hear from them later this afternoon.

Gang of Three, Three Days Away edition is available on YouTube if you missed it. Thursday, we light up the Draft Cave for the full first round. Strap in – we’re almost there.

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!

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THE LIFT

Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…

I had computer problems this morning, and the stories I saved for the Lift were lost, a tragedy so intense that I’m struggling to write about it. Suffice it to say, somewhere there’s a human being awesome to animals, or a dog returning that favor. One article I do remember was about a sequel to the 1980’s underrated sci-fi movie “The Last Starfighter” being developed as a graphic novel. That movie looked like a Star Wars rip-off when it came out, but turned out to be a surprisingly fun movie. Not sure if I’m the only one who remembers it, but I have fond memories of seeing it in the theater.

WRAPPING UP

When not remembering when he had L33t video game skills, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.