Diane Marie Strempel

OBITUARY

Diane Marie Strempel (née Eckhardt), born on December 29, 1946, in Elyria, Ohio, passed away peacefully on August 5, 2024, at the age of 77, from her battle against Vascular Dementia. A beloved mother and grandmother, Diane’s life was marked by her profound kindness and enduring compassion.Diane is survived by her loving daughters, Tracy Ricchiuto(Robert)and Kathy Dunbar Leone; and grandchildren, Rachel Ricchiuto and her fiancé Spencer Hovanetz, Dominic Ricchiuto, Jacob Dunbar, and Sophia Dunbar. She was preceded in death by her granddaughter, Abigail Dunbar, and her parents, Georgia and Junior Eckhardt. Diane’s greatest accomplishment in life was raising her daughters. Diane spent countless hours with her grandchildren, offering them her unconditional love. She enjoyed conversation with her girlfriends over coffee, especially with her best friend, Jean.Honored in 2014 as the Grandmother of the Year by the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, for her heartfelt contributions of crocheted baby blankets, a tribute to her late granddaughter, Abigail.A private family memorial service will be held in Madison, Ohio, where Diane raised her daughters.

When Crew season-ticket renewals opened up for the 2025 season on July 5, the fine print stated the team could play home matches outside of Columbus, “including but not limited to a stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio.”

Many interpreted this to mean that the Crew are planning to play a home match at Cleveland Browns Stadium during the 2025 season. Crew owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam also own the Browns.

The Crew have already come close to playing up the road. Near the end of June, it was reported the club was in talks about moving their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals home leg to the Northeast Ohio venue if their opponent was Inter Miami, rather than CF Monterrey.

Related Columbus Crew article: Crew playing in Cleveland? Browns making a move? Inside the Haslams’ stadium games | Arace

At the time, Josh Glessing, chief of strategy and development at Haslam Sports Group told television network News 5 that the Crew were looking into playing in Cleveland because this would be an opportunity “to put Lionel Messi, one of the most famous, if not the most famous people in the world – arguably the greatest soccer player in history – on the biggest stage possible.”

Champions Cup games were excluded from the 2024 season ticket packages. Season ticket holders were guaranteed the option of purchasing them for an additional cost, but it was only an option. It was possible to decline tickets that would have required travel 145 miles away from the Crew’s home venue of Lower.com Field.

More: Crew playing in Cleveland? Browns making a move? Inside the Haslams’ stadium games | Arace

The Crew did not end up playing in Cleveland this year because Monterrey advanced over Miami. But the door is still open for a 2025 regular-season home match.

“The Crew are dedicated to sharing and expanding our club’s and supporters’ passion for soccer,” Crew spokesperson Rob McBurnett said in a statement to The Columbus Dispatch. “And we identified a special opportunity to advance that goal by hosting a potential semifinals match in Cleveland.

“While we won’t hold a 2024 match in Northeast Ohio, we will continue to explore the possibility in future years, especially given our familiarity with Cleveland Browns Stadium and ability to host substantially more supporters while creating a memorable matchday experience that reflects and benefits our incredible fan base.”

Once season ticket holders were made aware of the new addition to the 2025 terms and conditions, a number took to social media and shared their dismay.

The Crew’s supporter group, The Nordecke, made a statement saying the organization strongly opposes “playing meaningful matches in Cleveland or elsewhere outside of the Columbus Metro Area.”

In May, Dee Haslam expressed a desire for the Crew to play in front of larger crowds. Addressing Lower.com Field she told a forum: “We didn’t build it big enough. We learned that pretty quickly because we have a tremendous fan base.”

The capacity at Lower.com Field is 20,371, while Browns Stadium can seat 67,431.

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Former Cleveland Guardians star Grady Sizemore has been named interim manager of the Chicago White Sox, via Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol earlier on Thursday. The team plans on naming a permanent replacement at the end of the season.

Sizemore was a member of the Guardians from 2004 through 2012 and established himself as one of the best outfielders in baseball during his tenure.

He made three straight All-Star appearances between 2006 and 2008, with his best year coming in 2006 when he slashed .290/.375/.533 with 28 home runs and 76 RBI. He also led the majors with 53 doubles and stole 22 bases.

Unfortunately, Sizemore’s peak was very short.

Injuries derailed the Seattle native following the 2008 campaign, as he played in 106, 33 and 71 games, respectively, from 2009 through 2011.

He then missed his entire final season in Cleveland in 2012 due to various injuries, mainly due to knee and back issues that resulted in multiple surgeries.

Sizemore didn’t play at all in 2013, either, and then bounced around between the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays in 2014 and 2015. However, he did so in a rather limited role.

Now 42 years old, Sizemore slashed .269/.357/.473 while playing stellar outfield defense throughout his time in Cleveland, adding a pair of Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award to boot.

The White Sox recently ended a 21-game losing streak and have, by far, the worst record in baseball at 28-89. We’ll see if Sizemore can help light a fire under Chicago the rest of the way.