Erik Cassano is an award-winning writer from Cleveland, Ohio. His works have been published in The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine and Crain's Cleveland Business. In his full-time job, he is an associate editor for Smart Business Network, a Westlake, Ohio-based chain of business trade publications with editions in nearly 20 cities nationwide. An avid sports fan, Erik lives and dies (mostly dies) with the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers.
Articles by Erik Cassano :
- Silent Turnstiles
- The Right Hire
- Identity Crisis
- In the Back of Your Mind
- Not Time For the Axe ... Yet
- Credit Where Credit Is Due
- Reaping What You Sow
- An Inside Job
- The Burden Of Stewardship
- Time For A Change
- The Guessing Game
- LeBron Was Right
- The Quarterback Puzzle
- No Turning Back
- Excess Baggage
- Pink, Plump Scar Tissue: Heat 117, Cavs 90
- The Fail Train Keeps Chugging: Nuggets 117, Cavs 103
- Defensively Indefensible: Raptors sprint past Cavs 120-105
- Awaiting Further Instruction
- The "Other" Loss on Sunday: Mavs 104, Cavs 95
- Ten for '10: #1
- Ten for '10: #2
- Ten for '10: #3
- Bombs Away: Magic score 57 from beyond arc in 110-95 win over Cavs
- Ten for '10: #6-4
- Ten for '10: #10-7
- On Winter's Doorstep
- Victory for self-respect still equals a loss: Heat 101, Cavs 95
- Bulls Send Cavs to Sixth Straight Loss, 88-83
- The Freefall Continues: Sixers Blast Cavs 117-97
- What's up? Joe Haden, for starters
- McCoy: "I'm doing everything I can to get back out there."
- They Give Up: Cavs look hopeless in 129-95 loss to lowly T-Wolves
- You're The Man Now, Dan
- Sea Change
- No magic needed: Orlando predictably dominant in beating Cavs 111-100
- Listless Cavs walloped in Indiana, 100-89
- Late push not enough as Cavs fall in New Orleans, 108-101
- Value Proposition
- Bench scores a bunch as Cavs top Nets, 93-91
- Kings' regal second half gets best of Cavs, 107-104
- Raptors hand Cavs a dose of reality in 101-81 drubbing
- An Undeserved Reputation
- A love letter from next May
- Chasing The Story
- Code Of Honor
- The Past Is History
- The Browns, Boiled Down
- Summing It Up
- The Gunslinger
- Tradition Trumps History
- Who are the Cavs?
- Slump of a Career
- The Fire Inside
- Little Bronze Men
- Anatomy of a Slump
- Right Move, Right Time
- To Amar'e, or not to Amar'e
- Shaq Comes Alive
- Overtime Overview
- Fighting Back
- Power Hungry
- A Delicate Situation
- Weighing The Options
- The Top Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #1
- The Top Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #3
- The Top Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #2
- The Top 10 Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #4
- The Top 10 Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #7-#5
- The Top 10 Cleveland Sports Stories of 2009: #10-#8
- The New Czar In Town
- A Win That's Worth The Price
- Opportunity Knocks
- The Center Of Attention
- Remembering Why I'm Thankful
- Failing At Failing
- Building The Perfect Pippen
- Sending A Message
- Randy's Last Stand
- Acting On Acta
- The Roundtable: 2009/2010 Cavaliers
- Cavs Beat Writer Q&A
- Cleveland's Cubs
- Teardown Mode
- Braylon Burnout
- What Never Was
- Good Guy, Bad Results
- Lost Seasons
- Life With Delonte
- Believing They're Bad
- The Sounds of Silence
- Cavs Offseason: Risks & Rewards
- Results: Inconclusive
- Zebra Stripes & Leopard Spots
- Powe The Show
- Sweating It Out At Camp Mangini
- LeBron: The Saga Continues
- 1 + 1 = 1 Too Many
- Talking Heads About The Tribe
- Gone With The Wins
- Shake It Up
- Mid-Summer Mish-Mash
- The Big Unknown
- Winging The Draft
- Baseball Withdrawal
- LeBron Is Still Learning
- Cavs Post-Mortem
- A Shot At Redemption
- Lessons From Game One
- Why The Cavs Can Beat Orlando
- Carpe Diem
- Cavs/Hawks Roundtable
- That Damn 'Tessie'
- Waking The Hare
- Let This Be The Year
- Cavs/Pistons Roundtable
- One More Record
- Rivalries Renewed
- What To Expect?
- The Light At Night
- A Strange Equation
- All Eyes On 65
- To Rebuild Or Not?
- Cavs: Lucky & Good
- Say It Ain't So, Joe
- A Season On The Brink
- Countdown To The Deadline
- Cry Us A River
- Firing The Wally Bullet
- Go Steelers?
- Follow The Leader
- Offseason Checkup
- LeBron In Prime Time
- 11 Questions With Boobie Gibson
- Chemistry Class
- The Top Ten 2008 Cleveland Sports Moments: #1 Cliff Lee Wins The Cy Young Award
- Lerner's Lesson
- The Top Ten 2008 Cleveland Sports Moments: #2 The Cavs February Blockbuster
- The Top Ten 2008 Cleveland Sports Moments: #3 Cavs Romp To Franchise Best Start
- The Top Ten 2008 Cleveland Sports Moments: #6-#4
- The Top Ten 2008 Cleveland Sports Moments: #10-#7
- Sideshow Braylon
- Before You Start Ledging ...
- A Tale Of Two Records
- Maybe Marty
- A Non-LeBron Cavs Article
- Living For The Moment
- People Skills
- Holding Back Harrison
- One Batman, Many Robins
- Fumbling Redemption
- Answered Prayer Or Praying For An Answer?
- The Real Catch
- The Ring's The Thing
- Taking Sides
- Rebounding From Depression
- The Elephant In The Room
- The Cavs' Big Gamble
- Worshipping The Chin
- An Uncommon Bond
- Let It Be, Mr. Gilbert
- The Lerners & Losing
- Perception Versus Reality
- Playing With A Full Deck
- The Return Of Kid Braylon
- As Advertised
- Lee's Landmark Season
- A Forgettable August
- False Start
- An Unexpected Haymaker
- The Ten Worst Injuries In Cleveland Sports History
- Getting The Point
- Six Things Thursday's Loss Told Us
- Spotlight Lust
- Better Lucky Than Good
- From Grinder To Glory
- The Injury Bug
- The Waiting Is The Hardest Part
- The Essential All-Stars
- A Sort-Of Success Story
- A Trail Of Tears
- Retooling Or Rebuilding?
- Stunned Silence
- Expect A Player, Not A Miracle
- Trading Away The Season
- Taking One For The Team
- Hey Jealousy
- To Trade Or Not To Trade?
- The Rich Get Richer
- The Tribe's Ten Most Wanted
- Standing Still
- Looking Back, Looking Forward
- The Big Trade Revisited
- Assorted Thoughts Prior To Game Three
- Motivation For The King
- Atlanta or Boston?
- Blowing A Golden Opportunity
- Sweet Redemption
- An Identity Crisis
- Five Questions For The Cavs
- Borowski Burnout
- Pressure Point
- Looking Out For Number One
- The Good & The Bad
- Popping The Clutch
- Where No Man Has Gone
- No Country For Old Men
- A Portrait of the Artist
- The Fork in the Road
- The Novelty Is Wearing Off
- Cavs Trade - Several Days Later
- Analysis: The Four New Cavaliers
- The Stepping Stone Theory
- The Side Effects Of Winning
- Point Guard Madness
- Great Expectations
- The Great Gamble
- Taunting Us Over LeBron
- Wild Thing States His Case
- Back Up To Speed
- Browns: True Or False?
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #1 Shoot Boobie Shoot!: Cavs Reach The Finals
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #2 Tribe Takes Out The Yankees
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #4 LeBron's Game For The Ages Stifles Pistons
- Extreme Makeover: Holiday Edition
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #3 Browns Draft Thomas, Quinn, Wright
- Clinch Time? Nope, Choke Time ...
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #5 Sabathia Wins Cy Young
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #6 Frye Trade, Anderson Promotion Turn The Browns Around
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #7 Dawson's Lucky Bounce
- The King And His Coach
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #8 Trot Haunts Bosox In ALCS Thriller
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #9 Cavs Clinch The Two Seed
- 2007's Greatest Cleveland Sports Moments - #10 Mighty Casey BURIES Tigers
- Don't Kidd Yourself
- A Slice Of Humble Pie
- That's One Valuable Finger
- Real Life
- Upon Further Review
- Hot Dog Heaven
- Cy For C.C.
- The Big Letdown
- The Best Chance
- Growing Up Right Before Our Eyes
- Misunderstanding The Cavs
- Sleepwalking To The Start
- Driving A Wedge
- Melting ... Melting ...
- Back To Boston
- Avoiding The 3-1 Jinx
- The Best Is Yet To Come
- A Close Shave
- And ... We're Off!
- There's Nothing Like October Baseball
- Mark Shapiro's Second Best Trade
- Removing All Doubt
- The Chaos Theory
- Waffle House
- Welcome To The Stretch Run
- Handicapping The Quarterbacks
- The Morning After: Kansas City
- Time To Get To Work, Brady
- The Great Garnett Debate
- Tucker's Transgression
- Training Camp '07: And Finally ...
- Training Camp '07: The Secondary
- Men Of Action
- Training Camp '07: The Linebackers
- Training Camp '07: The Defensive Line
- Leading Off, No. 7, Kenny Lofton!
- Training Camp '07: The Recievers
- What To Do With Cliff Lee?
- Training Camp '07: The Offensive Line
- Training Camp '07: The Backfield
- The Gift That Keeps On Giving
- The Revenge Of Dolan's Pocketbook
- It's NOT The Economy, Stupid
- Indians Midterm Grades - Part II
- Indians Midterm Grades - Part I
- Cavs Stand Pat
- Avoiding History
- The Real Tribe
- Cavs Of The Future?
- NBA Finals: The Epilogue
- A Snapshot In Time
- A Shot Across The Bow
- The Man Behind The Mic
- Five Reasons: Cavs - Spurs
- The Morning After
- A Little Perspective
- The Stage Is Set
- Border War
- Like Deja Vu All Over Again
- The Jordan Factor
- Five Reasons: Cavs vs. Pistons
- Searching For The Next Paul Shuey
- Supporting The King
- Five Reasons: Cavs vs. Nets
- Historical Perspective
- Something Beyond Hope
- Under Pressure
- Sympathy For Mike Brown
- Five Reasons: Cavs vs. Wizards
- Hello, 2-seed
- Someone's Idea Of A Sick Joke
- A Snow Job
- Snowed Out
- Stay Just A Little Bit Longer
- Running With The Bulls
- Another Slow Start?
- The Bizzaro Cavs Are Back
- Wedgiro No More
- Nine Lives Buckeyes
- Shapiro Isn't Crazy
- Postseason Fear Factor
- Pointing At Hughes
- A Bad Feeling
- A Banner Day
- The Light Bulb
- The Terrible Top Five
- The Curiousity of Cavs Draft Picks
- Standing Pat
- Is Carlos Boozer Worth It?
- The Best Deadline Deal Ever
- The Junkyard Bullpen
- All-Star Weekend
- Five Questions For The Tribe
- Linemen, Please
- Keeping Shapiro Is The Right Move
- Five Unorthodox Solutions
- A Legendary Lineman
- LeBron Needs To Sit
- The Curse Of Inexperience
- Livingston's War Of Words
- Feeding The Monsters
- Is Chud Another Dud?
- Why C.C. Is Expendable
- The Nixon Administration
- Show A Fan A Sunny Day ...
- Maggette Madness
- The Drive: Twenty Years Later
- Exploited To Perfection
- Indians Off-Season Midterms
- Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?
- The Morning After: Houston
- Feeding The Misery Monster
- The Morning After: Tampa Bay
- Offensively Defensive
- Flipping On Flip
- The Morning After: Baltimore
- Everything To Everyone
- Indians Lose Gagne Sweepstakes
- The See-Saw Battle
- Man Of Troy
- The Answer For The Cavs?
- The Morning After: Pittsburgh
- Life On A Shoestring
- Time To Bury The Hatchet
- The Morning After: Kansas City
- Cavs Wish List: The Top Ten
- Platoon: Not Just A Movie
- Losing Casey
- The Morning After: Cincinnati
- A Late November Antacid Tablet
- Giving Thanks For Cleveland Sports
- Woody And Bo
- A Game That Fit The Rivalry
- The Morning After: Pittsburgh
- Here We Go Again: Tribe Outbid
- Who's Really Better?
- The Morning After: Atlanta
- Tigers Becoming Win Now Addicts
- Another Young Gun For The Tribe
- The Morning After: San Diego
- Larry Livin' Large
- Twas The Night Before Tipoff
- The Morning After: New York
- NBA Preview: Western Conference
- NBA Preview: Eastern Conference
- The Browns Big Three
- The Morning After: Denver
- The Best Fans In Football? You Bet.
- Preview: The World Series
- A Conversation Between Friends
- The Legacy Of Jim Paxson
- Shapiro Unplugged
- Indians Final Grades
- The Morning After: Carolina
- Shapiro Not Looking For Bats
- The Morning After: Oakland
- Life At The End Of The Road
- The Morning After: Baltimore
- Getting Short With Peralta
- The Browns Need Urban Meyer
- The Morning After: Cincinnati
- Give The Cavs A Break
- Buckeyes Better Where It Counted
- The Morning After: New Orleans
- The Morning After: Chicago
- Cavs Appear Set To Sign Wesley
- Status Check
- Land Of Lowered Expectations
- The Morning After: Buffalo
- The Master List: August 2006
- The Morning After: Detroit
- This Is Getting Ridiculous
- Two Teams, Two Moves
- The Morning After: Philadelphia
- Be Glad You Aren't ...
- Cliff Lee Signs Extension
- Carmona: 0 For 3
- Drew Deal Dragging Out
- Learning To Close
- We Had To See It Coming
- Regrouping On The Day After
- Waiting On Charlie Frye
- Circular Logic
- Fresh Start Gone Stale
- Gooden Going Bad?
- Tribe Trade Values
- LeBron Likes Us. He Really Does!
- Please Commit Now LeBron
- Central Division Shakeup
- Indians Midterm Grades
- LeBron Is On The Clock
- Ferry's First Draft
- Pre-Draft Daydream
- Does Larry Hughes Want Out?
- Sowers Power
- Soccer Sacked
- Take Your Pick
- Hey Vinny
- Drew Gooden For Jamal Magloire?
- The Tribe-tanic
- The Risk Factor
- The USA Vs. The World
- Fine Cuban
- Pruning The Roster
- Finally ... The Finals
- Fixated On LeBron
- The Tribe's Mess