We have learned that a simple “Go Browns” can start fun conversations with strangers. Yesterday, while enjoying an afternoon in Ashtabula, Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie, one of the best Browns chats ever took place from that simple greeting – “Go Browns”!
One of our favorite summer pastimes is to go to the beach in Ashtabula and soak up some sun while listening to the waves crashing on the rocks and watching the seagulls watch us. Lake Erie is a perfect getaway when we need a little downtime and Vitamin D.
We always make a seagull friend or two, even though I learned a few years ago not to give them bread crumbs from my sandwich. Growing up, we always threw pieces of bread to the gulls. Evidently, the bird experts determined that bread isn’t any healthier for seagulls than it is for us, and I was read the riot act for sharing my lunch with my winged friends by a not-very-nice person at the beach! No harm done, the gulls still surround us on our afternoon adventures.
An extra special treat at the beach yesterday was meeting Bill and his wife Helen. It all started with me saying, “Go Browns” when I saw Bill’s Browns cap. From there he started to tell me “a thing or two about the Browns, young lady”. Bill, it turns out, was at The Very First Browns Game! It was the only pre-season game in 1946 – an exhibition game that they won against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bill has been a fan ever since. Through thick and thin, winning seasons and many, many losing seasons, through the move to Baltimore, and then back home again.
Bill is a wonderful gentleman and his wife watched him with loving eyes as he talked about the Browns and then the Indians. He even showed me a cheer he came up with when neither team was doing very well. It went like this (use your imagination to envision this elderly man performing the cheer): Goooooo Browns! And…take the Indians with you!
He did admit that he is glad both teams are still in Cleveland and this lifelong fan feels there are many winning seasons in the future. As we said goodbye, he told me to study up on that first game because next time our paths cross he is going to have some questions for me. Ok, Bill, I’m getting ready. The first Quarterback was Otto Graham, the team was coached by Paul Brown and they finished the season 12-2. We still have a few things to learn before we hopefully meet up with Bill and Helen at the beach again.