The Observation Deck

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:what you are suggesting needs funding and lots of it.

What I read Rick suggesting is to have a police officer drive by once in a while and to have city workers report possible problems. Sorry Rick if I am putting words in your mouth.

What it takes is for someone to say "Mr. so-and-so in charge of the police, have your officers make a point of driving through so-and-so while on patrol. Drive though and make a presence while on patrol in that area".
and...
"Mr. so-and-so in charge of the parks, would you ask your employees if they would keep an eye out for problems and use your cell phone to call the police if you see something strange going on".

Wouldn't cost anything.

Maybe this already takes place. I don't know.

Joe Ott wrote:

Beajay Michaud wrote:I have a brand new hoop at my house, our yard is too small for the kids to play in. I would be willing to donate it to the city if cost is the issue. I find it hard to believe that removing the hoops will stop kids from tagging. Tagging has always been a problem.

I have one laying in my garage. One of those things with the base filled with sand. If you can move it, you can have it.... come and get it.

This boy Jose did just that about two weeks ago, he wheeled one to the park it was there for a few days and the city removed it. I would love to let them play in my back yard, however it is way to small.

I would gladly put mine and yours at one of the parks, however I'm sure the City would remove it.

I would have to agree with Joe Whisman.

Beajay Michaud wrote:This boy Jose did just that about two weeks ago, he wheeled one to the park it was there for a few days and the city removed it.

Someone put one behind Taft a few weeks ago. There were kids there every night.

It's gone now.

Maybe it's too much of a nuisance for the residents. It can be noisy. In fact it can big as big a nuisance as that asinine cornhole game.

Mike Deneen wrote:dying sport like Indy Car racing

Blame Tony George for that...

Mike Deneen wrote:Tennis is a dying sport like Indy Car racing, horse racing and boxing.
Golf has replaced tennis on the US food chain.

Mike

Thanks for including Indy Car racing as a sport. Most do not even go that far.

Tennis is still pretty strong with some Americans coming on strong. Tennis, like Golf have their own channels, so you do not see all the events.

Boxing is going through a funk, but still strong, horse racing?

IndyCar Racing, strong and getting stronger, But F1 will be the hot sport this year. First win by a black driver in the top level of the sport. Lewis Hamilton is breaking records almost every race.

This week they are here in America and I would encourage all to see the toughest sport and most decadent way to spend billions in the world. FOX TV Sunday will be the race.

.

I love playing tennis.

Stephanie Toole wrote:The removal of the outside courts is hurting the basketball programs at both the middle schools and the high school.

Removing all the courts has sent the message to other cities that Lakewood is no longer safe enough to play outside basketball on city or school board owned courts. This is a fact and what people have said to my kids. People are asking what is going on with Lakewood? Why are there no basketball courts? Drug activity? Crime?

I'm first on board to help lead the way for 'hoops' back in Lakewood!

Count me in too!


Well with Basketball being the hottest sport in Cleveland right now. I think that it is a same. In Parma Hts they have nice courts. Kids (Non-Whites) from the Chevey area apartments go there and play as well. The police don't babysit them, Parma Hts has a patrol car going around every so often. The police are patroling anyway.

Don't Lakewood Police drive around patroling Lakewood? I see them parked on Detroit all the time.

It would be nice if someone from the City would chime in. Give us some reason that we could all understand.

Tony George killed Indycars. (NASCAR didn't do it)
Don King and Bob Arum killed boxing. (Vince McMahon and Cage Fighting didn't do it)
Legalized gambling killed horse racing (except for the Kentucky Derby, which is just a big party and not really a sports event)
Gary Bettman is working hard to kill hockey (although the sport is still very strong regionally at the grass roots and college levels)

I don't see F1 catching on here. It's too European and most people can't tell the difference between those and Indy/Cart cars.

Anyone going to the Cleveland race next week?

Regarding the hoops.....we definitely need to have an "open gym" or "midnight basketball" type program at our schools. Kids need to play!

Mike Deneen wrote:Tony George killed Indycars.

Put another way - Tony George killed open wheel racing in the States. His IndyCar series is nothing more than open wheel NASCAR - a spec series. I will admit though, IRL does put on a decent show sometimes. CART is just dead. Too bad, it was a great series way back when.

Mike Deneen wrote:I don't see F1 catching on here.

It's too complex for the average stick and ball sports guy to follow what's going on. Like professional European cycling - one the most grueling sports in the world and one the biggest spectator sports in the world along with F1 - it's very complex to follow. People don't understand it.

Mike Deneen wrote:Anyone going to the Cleveland race next week?

Nope. I would consider going for free, but the seats are better at home for this one. Bring it back to Mid Ohio Sports Car Course and I'm there.

Oh, and video killed the radio star...

Good ole boy network killed basketball in Lakewood.

Joe Whisman wrote:Good ole boy network killed basketball in Lakewood.

I came from a town in the south (that the good ole boys ran) The non-whites had their own town and there was no mixing of the races. I hoped that I had left that mentality in the south.

OK, they got rid of basketball because kids from Dennision and Cleveland were coming here and committing crimes. From the photos I saw last week they were driving around in cars and playing Chinese fire drill.
It does not sound like they were playing b-ball anyway.

Thugs will come regardless, if they think that they can get away with crime.

On Sunday I saw a naked boy (17 yrs old??) running in Madison Park.

Beajay

OK, they got rid of basketball because kids from Dennision and Cleveland were coming here and committing crimes. From the photos I saw last week they were driving around in cars and playing Chinese fire drill.
It does not sound like they were playing b-ball anyway.

Thugs will come regardless, if they think that they can get away with crime.

That is, of course the reality. Which is why the tennis courts, softball fields, ice rink, golf course, etc. are up and running.

If the basketball courts are thug magnets, won't it be easier to police a concentration of thugs at a few courts than if they're scattered throughout the city? I wonder what going to happen when those kids on Denison take up tennis? Oh, I know....we have the new curfew ordinance so that the police have just cause to hassle them!

Jeff

Beajay Michaud wrote:On Sunday I saw a naked boy (17 yrs old??) running in Madison Park.

He wasn't 17. Much older than that. It was me! Very refreshing I might add.

Just kidding. Sorry, but you have to laugh now and then...

Joe Ott wrote:He wasn't 17. Much older than that. It was me! Very refreshing I might add.

Just kidding. Sorry, but you have to laugh now and then...

I'm blind, I'm blind!!!

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:Rick,

Although I share your frustration, what you are suggesting needs funding and lots of it. To keep a city worker on site at one or more of the courts to monitor things would mean you have to pay him/her to watch kids play basketball all day when they could be cleaning parks or the graffiti everyone is complaining about.

Hire a city worker? So what? Maybe that's a good idea. Maybe we should hire more than one.

Police, same thing. One police officer at the court, one less serving and catching those criminals you despise.

That I despise? Are you saying you don't despise criminals?