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April Update (Billboard & Raffle)

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You could always go witness the banner, stop in and say hello, then defer to one of the bigger bars that are right near there... :dunno:

I'm picky too. I am personally an at home game watcher, but I only will be home until early Sunday so I might as well hit downtown for a bit during the game.
 
Thanks for the description! Helped a lot! Sounds like a good place to me.

I actually prefer that type of environment.

Glamourous and Luxurious isn't always better you know? I guess what I was getting at before is that sometimes at those bigger, fancier, bar/restaurants you get so many people that just come out and gather, which is there right. But, you also get the idea that they don't really care much for whatever sports game is going on so they just tend to get more in the way of the people there that do want to enjoy a game.
 
For obvious reasons, I find it ironic that the billboard is slated to be hung on the side of the bar 'Nicks'

It's because we're kind people, and don't leave anyone behind.

The good people of New York have been begging and pleading for Lebron to be the face of the Nicks and resurrect his franchise.

The Nicks has been mired in mediocrity for years, hoping for crowd support. Sure the Nicks have loyal fans & attendees that are there no matter what, but they've never had that marquee player hanging from their rafters to really draw the big crowds in recent years. Despite the fact that it's in the Mecca of Basketball of Downtown Cleveland, which is right by the Q, it hasn't had that marquee player to really make the bright lights of Euclid really worth it.

Now the Nicks has LeBron, and not only that, he's literally larger than life! People weren't kidding about what the Nicks could do for Lebron's exposure. The news stories are already piling up.

So, what a great thing for Glen to do. We get to keep Lebron, and NY'ers can feel happy too.
 
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Hey Glen, when you make it big time remember to keep us little people in mind. :thumbup:
 
I wasn't hinting at LeBron leaving for the Knicks. I was just alluding to the irony of this incredible billboard, a product of the loyal Cleveland fans, aimed at showing the King how much he means to us. And its placement on the side of a restaurant named 'Nicks'. I am so pumped to check it out. I will be at the game, so my brother and I are going to stop by and take it all in. I am beyond proud to be a BELIEVELAND fan
 
And the PD catches wind of the billboard:

Link: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/04/lebron_will_he_stay_or_will_he.html

Will he stay or will he go?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If supersized cartoon banners or iconic, mock presidential T-shirts have any say-so, LeBron is here to stay -- at least we Hope so.
Just as the Cavaliers embark on a playoff run that has many followers daring to dream of a first-ever NBA championship, we're all beginning to bubble over with that intoxicating, but distinctly Cleveland cocktail of faith and fear.

Dramatic visual statements from two of those fans might sum up Northeast Ohio's furious fretting over whether we can keep the king on our home court.

One -- a billboard-sized banner expected to be unfurled downtown on Saturday -- tries to boldly speak into reality the longed-for answer to the 'LeBron question:' Born here. Raised here. Plays here. Stays here.


But the other -- a T-shirt proclaiming only a single word, "Hope," written underneath a painted Obama-like image of LeBron -- might better express our collective insecurity. This T-shirt, designed by Cavalier's fan Rob Hixenbaugh, plays off the iconic image of President Obama's 2008 campaign.

The most pressing civil question, of course, is this: Will LeBron James, the Northeast Ohio-raised basketball hero, choose to remain in Cleveland this summer when he becomes a free agent?

Or will the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's High graduate soon flee for the fame and fortune of New York, Miami or some other warm-weather or high-glamour locale?

"We're just hoping that LeBron knows how much fans love him and that we want him to make the right decision -- that this is his home, where his roots are," said banner creator Glen Infante, 29, of Parma. "This city is starving for a championship and he's our best chance to finally get it."

The Cavaliers ended the regular season Wednesday night in Atlanta, finishing with the best record in the NBA and a guarantee of home-court advantage as long as they remain in the playoffs.

But the Cavs superstar -- who will become a free agent once the playoffs are concluded -- has declined since November to talk publicly about his future plans.

So whether LeBron will stay or go is clearly the sub-plot -- or maybe the main story -- of the Cavalier's expected chase for the NBA title. The first round of the playoffs begins Saturday at the Q, against the Chicago Bulls.

Brian Windhorst, who writes authoritatively about the Cavaliers for The Plain Dealer, declared in a story on Sunday that sources close to James are indicating that he is leaning toward staying put.

Fans, however, are unlikely to relax until the ink is dry on a new contract, agreed T-shirt creator Rob Hixenbaugh.

"But if I was LeBron and I saw my face in that iconic image on my T-shirt, I hope I would have that sense of 'Wow, this is really meaningful to people. They really want me to stay here,' " Hixenbaugh said. "That's the hope I'm thinking of this shirt. We want him to stay and we want this championship."

Hixenbaugh, 40, of Medina, just launched his website to sell the "Hope" shirts this week and tentatively printed only 70 to gauge interest. He said Thursday that he's just ordered a second printing.

He said he chose to mimic the Obama image because he said he has read that James "was a fan of Obama" and that the image "perfectly conveyed the hope that Cleveland is clinging to."

Infante, meanwhile, will unveil his 70-foot-by-30-foot sign over The View nightclub on E. 9th and Prospect on Saturday.

The billboard, designed by Infante and colleagues at ilovethehype.com, was produced by Cleveland printers hotcards.com and Repros Color, Inc. of Cleveland.

It was paid for by donations over the last few months, mostly from followers of Infante's websites -- realcavsfans.com and lebron2010.com -- which he said have about 8,000 total members and up to 100,000 hits on a good day.


The vinyl banner -- likely to show up on televised broadcasts when playoff games are played in Cleveland -- features four cartoon depictions of James, each larger than the other. They portray how he has grown up from childhood, to a highly recruited junior high phenom to a high school star to the NBA's Most Valuable Player in a Cavaliers uniform.

Cavaliers' officials said the fan messages are part of a passionate fan base, said Cavaliers

President Len Komoroski in an e-mail interview.

"This is the special time of year when, all together, we take it to another level and work towards our ultimate goal of an NBA championship," he said. "Our fans have played a critical role in the team's success."

Regarding the especially artistic approach to the general "keep LeBron in Cleveland campaign," Komoroski said it is an "exciting, creative and a reflection of how they feel about him."

"We all know and appreciate how much he means to the team and our community. We never take that for granted and we share our fans' passion and excitement about what he does on the court and the positive impact he has off the court, as well."

Hixenbaugh, a part-time artist who works full-time as a mortgage consultant in Northfield, has already hit it big with one image.

His Memorial Flag lithograph can be seen online -- an image of the American Flag when seen from a distance, but actually comprised of close to 1,000 smaller images of the events that occurred on September 11, 2001 -- hung in The White House and sales raised $30,000 for a fund for fallen firefighters, he said.

The LeBron 'Hope' shirts -- which can be ordered online -- were printed by a Medina company, Icandi Graphics.

Infante said the T-shirts, like his banner, are just another expression of a deep desire.

"Is there any doubt this town is starving for a championship?" he said. "I think this is only the beginning. We've been at this for a few years, but I think you'll see everybody out there doing whatever they can to convince LeBron to stay home with us."


___________________
:fu: Cavfanatic

:licker:
 
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Yup!!! Just seen it on the front page of Cleveland.com
 
It all comes down to money and Lebron can make more money with the Nicks than with he Knicks. It's that simple.

Personally I think it wont come down to money. Although he makes more to stay, I think it comes down to team. And the Knicks are a very bad team that wont get any better because their stupid GM traded basically 3 straight lottery picks and will renoucne the rights to their best player (Lee..what a great name) in order to have the room for two Max contracts (named after the famous nacho's :chuckles:)

My prediction is that the Knicks will have Joe Johnson and Bosh and a bunch of scrubs. Last time i checked, atlanta has already put talent around Joe Johnson (smith, bibby, hortford, williams, crawford) and most likely wont even make it out of the 2nd round. Good thing they dont have any 1st round picks for 3 years to build around the 2 players they will over pay to get. ;)

Lebron is not an idiot and will see that. If any team has a chance at him its Miami. Wade, beasly, proven coach, great city....but even then it will be hard to turn down more money to return to his home town team and defend his title and mvp crowns.
 
My apologies to rapposda: I didn't see that you posted the cleveland.com link here before I started the thread in Cavs Talk - but word had to get out to the masses anyway. :chuckles:
 
lebron2010_poster.jpg
 
Darn, I was really hoping it was going to be a little bigger than that!:chuckles:
 

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