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Wednesday, January 15, 2003

By Jackie Day

Pittsburgh gets another one over on Cleveland. But no one would have guessed it after witnessing a dozen Browns football fans mixing with some steel-town locals Sunday afternoon in the Moonlite Cafe in Brookline -- the result of a wager out of the Steelers-Browns playoff game the weekend before.

Luciano DeFelice, left, co-owner of Brookline's Moonlite Cafe, and Tom Eidam, owner of the Moonlite Tavern in Parma, Ohio, raise their glasses Sunday in Brookline. The meeting of Pittsburgh and Cleveland football fans came about after a friendly wager between the owners of the two establishments on the Steelers-Browns game Jan. 5. DeFelice's son Danny is behind his father. (Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette)

In fact, the only trace of rivalry was the Cleveland/Pittsburgh putdowns that rose above the din, followed by roars of laughter, a slap on the back and "one more round."

The fact that the Steelers were also now out of playoff contention after their 34-31 overtime loss Saturday to the Titans may have added to the mellow camaraderie.

Still, "It's not just about football," said Luciano "Louie" DeFelice, co-owner of the Moonlite Cafe who welcomed the out-of-towners after the Steelers beat the Browns 36-33 a week ago Sunday.

"It's about life. It's about friendship," he said, "even if we do have a better team."

It all started with two Browns fans watching the Jan. 5 Steelers-Browns game from bar stools in the Moonlite Tavern on the west side of Cleveland.

It was the first quarter, the Steelers were down 14-0 and the Browns fans were riding a wave of premature excitement.

"Someone had the idea to call directory assistance and see if there was a Moonlite bar somewhere in Pittsburgh to make a friendly bet," said Tom Eidam, owner of the Cleveland Moonlite.

They got DeFelice on the phone.

"They say, 'You win, we come down there and buy a round of drinks. We win, you come up here.' I thought, no harm in a few drinks," said DeFelice. "Ends up, we won the game and the bet."

DeFelice and Eidam, who oddly enough resemble one another, are planning to make two exchange trips every year.

Even those who happened into the Moonlite along Brookline Boulevard Sunday are planning a reciprocal trip to Cleveland.

"I'm definitely going up," said Larry Reilly. Ronny "Crash" Cochran knocked fists with Reilly and agreed, "Without a doubt."

Another local, Larry Weber, whose sister Desiree was bartending at the Moonlite, added: "They are a bunch of dynamite, classy people...they came down here and spent a lot of money. They bought this whole bar four or five times."

P.J. Gordon, a Cleveland resident upon whom DeFelice bestowed a case of Iron City Beer, said he's anticipating this summer's visit, and the food. "I'm cooking," he said. "I'm making jambalaya."

DeFelice decorated the remaining crew with more than $350 worth of Browns and Steelers paraphernalia, including a T-shirt that reads, "The only sign of intelligent life in Cleveland is the road sign to Pittsburgh."

Jackie Day is a freelance writer.