Cleveland, OH
Tristan Thompson: Navigating Grief, Family and Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – After a successful season for the Cavaliers that ended in heartbreak, the team went to work this offseason and added a few more key pieces to take this team to the next level.
One of them you might know, he’s very familiar with Cleveland and has a championship pedigree.
“Coming here I had a little chin strap with barely any facial hair,” said Tristan Thompson. “Now I got a full bread, it’s crazy how much time has passed.”
It’s been 12 years since the Cavaliers drafted the young vibrant talent Tristan Thompson out of Texas.
After Thompson’s departure in 2020, the former NBA champion has returned to his roots.
A place he called home for nine years.
“Yeah, no it was a huge factor,” said Thompson. “Just being in a place that I’m super comfortable with, knowing the organization, knowing the people, knowing how to get around and move around. You know Cleveland has always felt like home to me. I came here when I was teenager and left when I was an adult. It’s always been home to me.”
After three years, Thompson and the city of Cleveland have continued to grow.
“When I left, you’d be lucky to see one or two cranes downtown but now you see so many,” said Thompson. “So many new high rises building up, so it’s great for the city.”
Thompson agreed to come back to the Cavs on a one-year deal.
Thompson only been back in Cleveland for a for a few months but there was one place in particular that his first stop as soon as he touched down.
“Oh, Town Hall! On West 25th, My guy Bobby George always takes care of me. Great food. The paleo chicken tenders is my favorite so I like Town Hall. I had to make sure I got back and make sure the menu is still the same and it had all my favorites. And they had chocolate chip pizookies, so I was happy. I got a sweet tooth.”
As Thompson relishes in sweet treats, a new team and a reunion with his Cleveland family, there’s a part missing from the sidelines this season.
His mother, Andrea, who passed away earlier this year form a heart attack.
“It’s tough obviously this year has been a tough year for me but always believe God gives his toughest tasks to his strongest warriors, so for me it’s just apart of my journey in life,” said Thompson.
Along with losing his mother came the responsibility of taking care of his 17-year old brother, Amari, who suffers from epilepsy and other medical conditions that make it impossible for him to live on his own.
Thompson filed for custody of his brother and was granted temporary guardianship. He said it was never not a thought to become his legal guardian.
“Having my brother is like the one part of my mom that I still keep close to me, taking care of him because I know how she dedicated her life to take care of him. So, it’s just step in right away and when it happened we did what we had to do back home in Toronto and took Amari…and he’s in the best care that he’s ever had. It’s only right and when you’re blessed, you have to bless others and always take care of your family first.”
Family is what pushes Thompson every day.
“Basketball full time, being a dad full time, being my brother’s caregiver, you know its all apart of the journey of life. I think so many people can relate to that. There’s so many people that are going to watch this that are going through similar trials and tribulations so for me to be able to sit on this platform and say things are going to be alright you just have to keep pushing and plugging away. It’s a bigger purpose to all this you know being able to change my family’s life continuing to play to help my brother out to get him the best medical care he needs. Its all apart of the job every day being able to wake up and take care of myself and other is a blessing,” said Thompson.
As the Cavs season opener draws near, Thompson will enter into his 12th NBA season with gratitude and a heavy heart.
But returning to the Cavs is a place that Thompson always hoped the road would lead back to.
The Cleveland embrace is what he’s looking forward to most when his name is called opening night.
“Cleveland sports fans are top tier around the world. The way they embrace their athletes and sports…It’s hard to find that, especially other cities you go to. For the Midwest and northeast Ohio the way they rep their teams is top tier,” said Thompson.
Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
A new restaurant has opened in Cleveland, Ohio – NewsBreak
CLEVELAND, OH – A new restaurant has come to the city.
Are you in the mood for fried chicken and/or fish? If you answered yes to that question, you might want to check out MVP’s Chicken & Fish, which recently opened a new restaurant in Cleveland at 6241 Broadway Ave. According to the restaurant’s social media account, the new location opened its doors last month.
MVP’s menu includes appetizers like Jamaican beef, pizza puffs, jalapeno poppers, onion rings, fried okra, fried mushrooms, mozzarella fries, hushpuppies, chicken nuggets, French fries, and egg rolls. Also on the menu is fried chicken. Customers can get whole wings, tenders, party wings, legs, thighs, gizzards, and livers.
In addition, the restaurant offers a variety of fried seafood. Customers can get catfish, tilapia, Boston blue, perch, whiting, orange roughy, catfish nuggets, shrimp, and jumbo shrimp. Furthermore, MVP’s has sandwiches like a Philly steak (which comes with peppers, onions, mayo, cheese, and mushrooms; the restaurant also offers a version with chicken instead of steak), Chicago-style Italian beef, NY-style chopped cheese (which comes with peppers, onions, mayo, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese), fish sub (which comes with your choice of fried fish, tartar sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and banana peppers), gyro, chicken gyro, cheeseburger, buffalo chicken sandwich, teriyaki chicken sandwich, hot chicken sandwich, and BBQ chicken sandwich.
As for sides, the restaurant has options like mac & cheese, coleslaw, greens, baked beans, and honey biscuits. If you have room for something sweet, the restaurant offers desserts like cheesecake, chocolate cake, Oreo cake, banana pudding, sweet potato pie, and lemon cake.
Here is what a customer had to say about the new restaurant in a Google review:
Fast service! Great prices. Chicken was hot and tender was very good and fresh. Able to go inside and order. Help was very professional. Clean restaurant. Inside & out. Will be back. I Stopped 12/22/24 and the chicken was out of site and so delicious I had to thank the cook
Another customer wrote:
This place has the best chicken & fish, crispy & flavorful and my kids love it too
If you want to check out the new restaurant, you can find it at 6241 Broadway Ave, Cleveland, OH 44127.
The new restaurant is open 7 days a week, Monday to Thursday from 11 AM to 11 PM, Friday to Saturday from 11 AM to 12 AM, and Sunday from 12 PM to 9 PM.
Cleveland, OH
Cavs vs Hornets Game Preview: Evan Mobley looks for a repeat performance against Charlotte
The Cavs open up a four-game homestand as they welcome the Hornets to town.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (30-4) vs. Charlotte Hornets (7-26).
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, OH
When: 6 p.m., Sunday January 5
TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass
Line: Cavs -15.5
Cavs expected starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Cavs injury report: Isaac Okoro – OUT (shoulder), Sam Merrill- QUESTIONABLE (ankle sprain), Emoni Bates- OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Hornets expected starting lineup: Vasilije Micic, Seth Curry, Miles Bridges, Josh Green, Mark Williams
Hornets injury report: LaMelo Ball – QUESTIONABLE (ankle and wrist), Brandon Miller – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Tre Mann – OUT (disc), Grant Williams – OUT (knee), DaQuan Jeffries – QUESTIONABLE (abs), Josh Green – PROBABLE (shoulder), Moussa Diabate – OUT (G League), Isaiah Wong – OUT (G League)
What to watch for
Keeping the good play going
Cleveland has won nine straight games by double digits. Meanwhile, the Hornets are one of the worst teams in the league, could be without their two best players, and are just coming off a performance against the Detroit Pistons where they scored just 29 points in the second half to lose by four. This should be a game the Cavaliers win with ease.
That said, it’d be easy to look past Charlotte. The Cavs are coming off of a four-game Western Conference road trip. The first home game after being away for that long is easy to drop. Additionally, Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the second-biggest game of the regular season so far for the Cavs. It’d be easy to let both of those things keep them from playing their best.
Repeat Mobley performance
Mobey scored a career-high 41 points against Charlotte’s weak front line when they played last month. That performance catapulted Mobley into one of the most impressive stretches of his career. In the 10 games since, he’s averaging 21.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 63.4% from the field and 53.8% from distance on 3.9 three-point attempts per game.
Mobley will have an interesting test against OKC on Wednesday. How he does there will likely determine if the Cavs win that game. In the meantime, you’d like to see him have a strong showing here so he can head into that matchup with confidence.
Cleveland, OH
Predicting The Cleveland Guardians 2025 Opening Day Lineup
No matter what happens from now until the start of Spring Training, the Cleveland Guardians’ lineup going into Opening Day will look much different than it did when the 2024 season ended.
Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez are out; Carlos Santana is in. The Guardians will either rely heavily on their prospects and youth, sign one of the remaining free agents, or swing a trade to fill their spots.
Based on everything we know about the Guardians’ offseason so far, here’s the best prediction for Cleveland’s 2025 Opening Day lineup.
LF – Steven Kwan
1B – Carlos Santana
3B – Jose Ramirez
DH – Kyle Manzardo
2B – Juan Brito
CF – Lane Thomas
RF – Austin Hays
SS – Brayan Rocchio
C – Bo Naylor
There’s nothing too surprising with the top four in this order. The most significant decision Stephen Vogt will have in this section of the lineup is who to bat second.
Manzardo had some experience hitting their last season, but Santana still has a tremendous eye and on-base percentage (.328 OBP in 2024), making him a better option as a top-two hitter in the order.
Moving on to second base, the Guardians have some decisions to make with how they want to approach the position heading into this season. As of now, allowing Brito to be the full-time second baseman appears to be the best option.
Yes, there are some defensive concerns, but his offensive potential should make up for that.
Lane Thomas was at the center of some trade rumors earlier this offseason, but the Guardians would need a backup option if they were to move on from him. So far, that hasn’t happened, so it’s hard to envision a Thomas trade happening.
Maybe the biggest shock of this prediction is including Austin Hays as the starting right fielder.
The Guardians need more offensive production from their outfield. It’s no secret that they’re a money-conscious organization, so signing someone such as Hays with a ton of upside makes a lot of sense for the team.
Maybe it won’t end up being Hays who becomes a Guardian, but Cleveland should at least sign one low-risk, high-reward veteran before the offseason is over.
If the front office doesn’t sign a veteran outfield, Jhonkensy Noel is the next option up to start in the Guardians lineup.
Both Rocchio and Naylor could take big steps forward in 2025. They’re likely locks at their defensive positions, but it’s hard to move them up any further than this because of their regular season performances from a year ago.
It’s important to note that there is still plenty of time before Spring Training games actually begin and plenty of free agents left, which could directly or indirectly impact the Guardians. This is just a prediction of what Cleveland’s lineup could be, not what it will be.
But until that happens, this type of lineup feels like what Guardians fans could see on March 27.
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