Cleveland Cavs

Grandmothers Fan Club cooks up tribute to LeBron

By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal columnist

POSTED: 01:20 p.m. EDT, Apr 30, 2010

Soup’s on.

Well, not so much these days!

Rather, members of the enormously popular LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club respond much better to ”Game On!”

Seldom do they have time for home cooking anymore, as their plates are full cheering Akron’s homegrown superstar and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs.

Individually and collectively, the grandmothers — who number 212 and range in age from mid-40s to late 90s — have reserved seats in front of the TV sets at their game-watching haunt, the newly named Sweet 23 restaurant (in honor of LeBron). The former Riverside is at 610 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave., Akron. When resources allow, the grandmothers go to Quicken Loans Arena.

They keep late hours and burn up the phone lines, staying in touch with each other, talking about game stats. Make no mistake about it, these grannies score an understanding of the game and the terms associated with it — inside the paint, slam dunk, air ball, reach-in foul, pick-and-roll — on par with their male counterparts.

Since producing the just-released LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club Cook Book, these die-hard fans are finding themselves doing more home cooking than usual. Just not on game night.

Oh, the temptation is there for this fun bunch to throw flour in the air when they do get together in the kitchen, like No. 23 tosses resin powder before each game, said club founder and President Alder Chapman. But the thought of cleaning up the mess cancels that action for the most part.

The cookbook, coordinated and designed by member Patricia Idley of Akron, is a compilation of favorite recipes supplied by the grandmothers. The dishes also pay homage to LeBron and the other players.

It’s divided into five categories — appetizers, soups/salads, pies/cakes/desserts, breads/cookies and main dishes/casseroles — but that doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the diverse mix of vittles inside.

On the menu

Here are a few of the recipe titles sure to whet your curiosity and your appetite:

• The Chosen One Smothered Chicken, Shaqtus Apple Pie, Green’s Perfect Two-Crust Pie Crust, and In the Paint Brownies — Idley.

• Jawad’s Peach Cobbler, Andy’s ”Wild Thing” Jumalia (that’s jambalaya with a twist) and King James Fried Pies — Chapman.

• Mo’s Breakfast Brunch Cobbler — Beverly Lee of Uniontown.

• Delonte’s Creamy Macaroni & Cheese — Betty Harris of Akron.

• Z’s Cheesy Spinach Burger — Charlotte Buzzelli of Akron.

• Jamison’s Corn Casserole — former Akron Deputy Mayor Dorothy Jackson.

• Jamario’s Black-Eyed Pea Casserole — Honey Bell of Akron.

• Technical Foul Seafood Salad — Annette Hammonds of Akron.

• LeBron’s the King Orange Punch — Donna Grimes of Copley.

• Triple Double Chitterlings — Magnolia Davis of Akron.

• Pick & Roll Heavenly White Cake — Ann Shaheen of Akron.

Chapman is buoyed by the club’s renown and how it’s grown since its 2007 inception — from 20 members to over 200 from as far away as Canton, Cleveland and Columbus — and its racial, religious and socioeconomic diversity.

Akron’s Vivian Lanier, at 97, is the oldest.

”It’s a fun group and it provides good therapy for all of us,” Chapman said.

Team comes first

A more enthusiastic and focused group you’ll never meet.

In fact, if the Cavs are playing on Mother’s Day, don’t look for these grannies to be front and center at any brunch, unless there’s a TV set nearby.

Surprisingly, the grannies in the group who are married prefer not to watch the game with their spouses. ”I’m too loud,” Idley declared.

”As for me, I like my private moments with LeBron,” Ruth Wine — a vegetarian who is the club’s poet — teased.

”We’re very excited about the playoffs,” Chapman said. ”We know we’re going to win, and that LeBron is going to stay with the team! Yeah!”

In other words, the LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club believes strongly in the song that went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1963 — Our Day Will Come.

The lead singer of the ’60s R&B group Ruby and the Romantics, which performed the song, is none other than fan club member and Akron resident Ruby Nash Garnett.

Like the others, Garnett is happy to sing the praises of Akron’s No. 23 on the court and through the cookbook.

The LeBron James Grandmothers Cook Book is on sale in time for Mother’s Day for $15, and the Granny’s Got a Brand New Bag tote is $12. For information, please call Alder Chapman at 330-329-8364 or 330-784-2544; Kattrice McGinnis, 940-224-0775; Patricia Idley, 330-867-8525; or Ruth Wine, 330-714-8883.

Proceeds go to the grandmothers’ projects, like Mentoring Mothers and an outreach for senior citizens who like line dancing.

By the way, these grannies have their own wardrobe of T-shirts honoring their adopted grandson (many of them provided by Nike) and their own license-plate frames.

They also have a cheer:

Grannies Rise Up.Grannies Rise Up.Grannies Rise Up for LBJ!

Congratulations to Akron’s own LeBron James for winning the NBA MVP award two years in a row!!!

2008 saw a lot of campaigning for who would be the next President of the United States.  A lot of specialty groups popped up, raising money for the candidate they wanted most.  Now, almost 2 years later, a similar type campaign is happening in Northeast Ohio.  No, we’re not electing a President.  We’re trying to keep a King.

I’ve written before about our friends over at JustStay.net.  There’s also KeepBronBron.com.  Now there is a very polished site, LeBron2010.com.  A LOT of people want to keep LeBron in Cleveland, and a lot of money and time is going into it.  Do you think the King will stay?

I was born and raised in Akron, the daughter of a die-hard Cleveland sports fan.  I spent almost every summer weekend of my childhood going up to Municipal Stadium to see the 80’s Tribe; the stadium so unpopulated that my brother and I used the empty sections as a playground.  I was always a Tribe fan when I was little; got into the Cavs more when I started playing basketball in 3rd grade; and even though I never really cared for football, I wore Milkbones in my hair on ‘Browns Day’ at school.  I was a Cleveland sports fan.

Around the time I was in 4th or 5th grade, I jumped off the bridge with everyone else and started liking the Bulls and the Hornets in basketball (let’s be honest, the Cavs never had a cool Starter jacket); began to completely ignore the Browns (so did Art Modell); but was still a strong Indians fan.  I think it was when I was in 4th grade the Cavs made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, and my family went to a game against ‘da Bulls’ (think George Wendt and Chris Farley).  Even though I’m fairly sure I bet my dad $5 that the Bulls would win, it was pretty exciting to see a Cleveland team doing great.  Well, we know how that ended.

Just two years later, we got another shot at getting close to a championship, with the 1995 Indians.  That was a great year to be a fan in Cleveland.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad so happy as he was that season.  But alas, that season ended with the Tribe losing the World Series (their first in 41 years) to the Atlanta Braves.  The hurt was just the same in ‘97 when we lost to the Marlins.

Then began a good 5-6 year slump of being a fan in Cleveland.  By that time, there were no Cleveland Browns and the Cavs’ popularity was dwindling. The Indians would have several players who went onto Playoffs and/or the World Series (Jim Thome, Coco Puffs Crisp, even Milton Bradley saw some October action).  While Cleveland struggled, other cities thrived.  In that same time period, the Chicago Cubs came close to getting to the World Series (seemingly almost impossible since the Billy Goat curse of ‘45); and even those losers known as the Boston Red Sox- (I forgot to mention that after my first trip to NYC in 1996, the first thing I saw in NY was Yankee Stadium.  From then on I swore to be a Yanks fan, and sure enough they won the WS that year- and three times more in the next 4 years.  The point of all of this is to say that as a Yankees fan, I hate the Red Sox.  Plus I lived in the Bronx.  The Red Sox suck.  Still love the Tribe too.)- but even those ‘idiots’ the Red Sox won a World Series.  I honestly couldn’t tell you what was going on with football, but whatever was, it wasn’t in Cleveland.  But things were looking a little different on the hardwood court in Cleveland.  With one lucky lotto draw in 2003, the destiny of the Cavs and the potential for a Cleveland title was forever changed.

Around 2000/2001, I started to hear about this kid from a rough part of Akron who got a basketball scholarship to play basketball at St. V.  He was supposed to be really really good.  I didn’t care about high school sports, so I really didn’t pay much attention.  But more and more, the name ‘LeBron James’ was popping up everywhere.  Sports Illustrated and ESPN were even talking about this kid.  He must be really good.  Then in 2003, after he had already been gifted that infamous Hummer, the Cavs lucked out and not only got a ‘hometown’ boy; but they acquired one of the greatest players in the game.  LeBron signing with the Cavs started to change Cleveland sports fans.  People were excited again.

Fast forward to present time, 2009.  The Indians are…well, it’s still early in the season.  The Browns… I’ll be honest, I don’t care… but I know give ‘em 3 games and they’ll blow the season.  But the Cavs…that’s another story.  Right now we are four games into the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Cavs had an amazing regular season- the best in the league; and they SWEPT the first two rounds of the post-season.  Not since ‘95 can I say I’ve seen this kind of mania for a Cleveland team.  I’ve sold I can’t even tell you how many ‘Akron WITNESSED First‘ shirts.  Even I’m watching basketball again, which I NEVER thought would happen.  I’ve got friends (girls) who don’t know squat about sports, that are watching every game and screaming at the TV.  LeBron and the rest of this Cavs team have given us HOPE.  Tonight is Game 5 against Orlando.  3 out of the 4 games in this series have either been won or lost by a point.  This is serious.  If the Cavs lose tonight, you will hear hearts breaking all over Northeast Ohio.  The hope is there.  C’mon Cavs!  Win this for Cleveland.  We need it!  Don’t make us ‘wait till next year’.

P.S.  While I was typing this, I hopped over to Facebook and saw my friend Joe Strailey did an excellent piece for Scene Magazine this week on being a Cleveland sports fan.  Check it out here to check it out.  He’s a REAL Cleveland fan.  I’m just a bullsheeter.

I wanted to post something about this Tuesday, but a little break-in got me a bit distracted.  Monday night I was down at Frank’s Place and WITNESSED (thanks to the big screens there) the Cavs SWEEP the Hawks.  Next they’ll be onto the Eastern Conference Finals; after that THE FINALS and VICTORY!  Remember, it started in Akron!

Okay, as I write this, the playoffs started 3 days ago (sorry kids, I got a little behind on the blog).  Game 1 on Saturday brought the Cavs a 102-84 victory over the Detroit Pistons.  Tonight is Game 2 in Cleveland, and based on the Cavs’ 39-2 record at home this year, I’m guessing they are going to win.  Games 3 and 4 are in the Motor City, Friday the 24th and Sunday the 26th, respectively.  If the by chance the Pistons do win one at home, the series will go to Game 5 back in Cleveland, where the Cavs will most likely clinch.  I personally hope it goes to Game 5.  This way the series is won at home & RCC can be up there selling our new WITNESSED shirts!

The order for new colors and sizes in ‘Akron WITNESSED First’ is in and should be ready this Friday- just in time to watch Game 3.  We really wanted to have the shirts by now, but things don’t always happen how we’d like!  Regardless, we’ve still got another month and a half of NBA Playoffs- you know the Cavs are going to the Finals!!!

To be clear, the first that we’ll be up in Cleveland with the WITNESSED shirts will be for Game 5 on Wednesday, April 29th.  Look for Margaret- RCC’s vehicular mascot (the ‘65 olive green Land Rover with the logo- see header of website) right around East 9th St in Downtown Cleveland (closer to Jacobs Field- that’s right- JACOBS FIELD) to get your WITNESSED shirts for the Playoffs.  We’ll have them in-store and online too!  I’ll post the link to order as soon as I get ‘em.

Congratulations to Cleveland Caveliers Head Coach Mike Brown and Akron’s own LeBron James for being named Coach of the Year and Player of the Year respectively.  Give it a few weeks…the Cavs as a whole will be TEAM of the Year when they win the Championship!