![]() Oblonsky knew things were bad when sworn enemies were sending condolences. In Pittsburgh in Week 2, Steelers fans expressed sympathy to him at Acrisure Stadium after Nick Chubb’s knee snapped. Oblonsky, who now owns those season tickets, entered this season with lofty expectations for the Browns, but didn’t foresee this. “It’s the Reitman Curse they’ve been dealing with,” jokes Oblonsky, whose uncle was Reitman’s son-in-law. After the Browns won the NFL Championship in 1964, Reitman decided to buy season tickets. ![]() “Where does it end? I have no idea,” Wachtman says, “but (I) will have a blast following along to find out.” ‘The happiest season I’ve had’įor about 40 years, Milt Reitman owned a camera store near Euclid Avenue and Short Vincent, beside the Roxy burlesque theater in downtown Cleveland. If this journey somehow leads to a Browns Super Bowl appearance, Wachtman says he’ll face one of the great dilemmas of his life: Does he keep that reservation and attend the game with droves of fellow Cleveland fans, or does he host the most anticipated watch party of his life, with a guest list that includes his 89-year-old father, whose passion for the Browns is where this all began? Wachtman has booked reservations at nearly every potential playoff site, including Ellis Island Hotel, Casino & Brewery in Las Vegas. Flacco, Wachtman says, has “unlocked the genius of (Kevin) Stefanski’s vision for offense like a skeleton key.” ![]() When the Browns are on the road, Wachtman throws watch parties with his buddies and their kids, gatherings that have swelled in size and significance as Joe Flacco, who turns 39 next week, has breathed life into a season once left for dead. This year, he says, has resembled a blend of the 1980 Kardiac Kids and their late-game heroics and the Bernie Kosar years later that decade, when any third-down conversion felt attainable. Sitting beside his daughter, Wachtman, with tears in his eyes, thought to himself, “She finally understands how much all of this means to me.” He enjoyed the lack of lines for concessions or the restroom during the pandemic-altered 2020 season, but he can’t shake the memory of sitting beneath the broadcast booth during that season and hearing Jim Donovan deliver the line, “The only thing missing is all of you.” That year, the Browns qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002. They waited in the aisle until an usher came by to mediate. When he and his now-wife reached the back row of the lower deck, under the overhang in the west end zone, they found four menacing Raiders fans in their seats. He remembers his first game, against the Raiders at Municipal Stadium, when he didn’t realize how long it would take to park and walk into the cavernous building. He remembers standing in line at Agler Davidson, an old Columbus sports gear store, to get Pruitt’s autograph. That’s where Steve Wachtman watched Red Right 88 in high school, and The Drive and The Fumble on trips home from college. They spread out on the family room carpet in front of their Magnavox TV and marveled at Kelly, Thom Darden, Clay Matthews and Carl “Big Daddy” Hairston. Sundays were sacred, with three hours earmarked for football. If he called “44,” Leroy Kelly’s number, he wanted a buttonhook.ĭon was busy with work, community service and church, so the boys didn’t see their father much during the week. If he called “34,” Greg Pruitt’s number, that meant a post route. If Don called “17,” Brian Sipe’s number, that was a fly pattern. They were awarded 5 points for a completion, 10 for an interception. Their father, Don, was the quarterback and the three brothers alternated between running routes and lining up at cornerback. ‘A man can dream, can’t he?’Īt halftime every Sunday, the Wachtman boys would play “The Passing Game” in their yard. In a period where the Guardians and Cavaliers are both varying degrees of adequate, the Browns have captured the city’s attention and delivered a wild, winding ride that feels like it could go anywhere from here. This Browns season, though - with the team losing its starting quarterback, running back and top three offensive tackles to season-ending injuries, with six wins by four points or fewer in the last 13 weeks and with the playoffs improbably on deck - has rewarded those who have held on tight. Browns fandom has, for decades, been a labor of love.
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