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Cleveland legend Eric Carmen, ‘one of the greatest American songwriters of all time,’ dies at 74

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Cleveland legend Eric Carmen, ‘one of the greatest American songwriters of all time,’ dies at 74


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – David Spero, Eric Carmen’s friend for more than sixty years and his former manager, remembers hearing “All By Myself” for the first time.

“I’d gone over to his apartment and he sat at the piano and he played that song for me,” remembered Spero. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a smash.’”

PREVIOUS STORY: Eric Carmen, Raspberries frontman and ‘All by Myself’ singer, dies at 74

Carmen graduated from Brush High School in Lyndhurst in 1967. Just a few years later, he graduated to the Billboard charts, first with a top ten hit “Go All The Way” with the Raspberries.

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After the group broke up in 1975, Carmen had three more top ten hits as a solo performer, including “Hungry Eyes” from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”

His music also influenced generations of musicians.

“Bruce Springsteen said, when he was making ‘Born to Run,’ he listened to ‘The Raspberries Greatest Hits’ on his way to work every day,” Spero said. “Because [Springsteen] said this was the greatest pop record ever, and that’s what he was going to do with ‘Born to Run.’”

Carmen and the Raspberries are part of an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Carmen’s handwritten lyrics to songs like “All By Myself,” “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” and “Go All The Way.”

“Why were the Raspberries, particularly here in Cleveland, so important?’ asked Jason Hanley, Vice President of Education and Visitor Engagement of the Rock Hall. “They were one of the first power pop groups, ever. Bands were kind of taking what the Beatles had done in the sixties and turning it into great rock and roll.”

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“I got him into the Ringo and the All-Star Band so, touring with a Beatle, it doesn’t really get any better than that, it’s pretty cool and I think for him, it was a dream come true,” said Spero.

That dream took him from Cleveland, around the world, and right back to Cleveland.

“That’s the music that fans are going to listen to for generations to come, classic rock and roll songs, right out of the heartland in Cleveland,” said Hanley, “While it’s a terrible, sad loss to think of this I also just feel uplifted thinking of the music he created in his career both with the Raspberries and as a solo artist.”

A double CD, compiled by a friend, shows Carmen’s influence in all genres of music.

“Diana Ross, Vanessa Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Jewel, Frank Sinatra (I think you’ve heard of him), Sheryl Crow, Hank Williams Junior, Celine Dion, Motley Crue. It just goes on and on the people who covered his songs,” said Spero. “I think when all is said and done for Eric Carmen, he’s going to go down as one of the greatest American songwriters of all time.”

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Carmen married and had two children, divorced, and then married the former Amy Hasten Murphy in 2016, a meteorologist who had worked in Cleveland.

The couple had moved to Arizona recently, where Amy announced Carmen had passed away over the weekend.



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Cleveland, OH

’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville

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’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.

Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.

Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.

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The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.

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Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.

Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.

He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.

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

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

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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.

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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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