Well, Nothing New to Report

So, another snow covered early November morning is upon us. Another year draws to a close, with way-too-early Christmas commercials and annoying snowfalls caused by our favorite Great Lake. You know, the kind that are just bad enough to make the roads slick but not good enough to get us out of work or school. Well, at least things are living up to the status quo. The Browns suck, the Indians are not making huge news, the Cavs aren't even playing (really, do you care?) and the Buckeyes are...well, that is about the only thing that is abnormal. They are just a hair above being a bad football team. To add insult to injury, another legendary coach has been shown the door at a nearby college. What is there to look forward to this year? Can anyone give me a reason to even watch sports with all the crap surrounding our teams and sport in general? 

I used to be a HUGE fan of Sportscenter on ESPN. They gave me my fill of highlights, again and again and again for hours on end. I would love to watch or hear the same highlights and hope there was some sort of good highlight for one of my favorite Ohio teams. Well those have become more rare as time has moved on. Anymore all we hear about is scandal and bad folks and greed and law breaking and how bad people are in sports. ESPN has gone from the sports network I love to watch to just another news network that makes me hate people. I stopped watching the nightly national news a while ago because it was depressing to me. Every night hearing how bad people could be around the world and in my back yard was depressing. Now the one thing I hold dear, my sports, is constantly tarnished. Cheaters, gamblers, druggies, child molesters, gang-bangers, you name it, they show it. I usually am able to see one or two good stories every week. Heartbreaking, isn't it? As a society have we become so fascinated with the bad in life that we think the good is unreportable? I'm not saying I want to cry happy tears every day because of a heart-warming story. I just don't want to tune in and watch news on how horrible a man Joe Paterno is or Jim Tressel is (they both are not - I have met both of them as a recruit about 17 years ago). 

With my sports teams being cellar dwellers and league laughing stocks, it is hard to root for sports now-a-days. But I hang in there, heartbreak a constant threat, hoping that my underdogs can pull one out for me and my fellow heartbroken. Who knows when our "glory days" will be back; until then I go into each season, each game, with a gleam of hope that my team will surprise me and win one...

2008: A Nasty Year in Perspective

This was supposed to be a good year. This was going to be a great year. My wife and I were going to be moving back to the United States to change duty stations. After three years of trying to figure out what time to watch sporting events while being 12 or 13 hours ahead of time, I could finally count on them being on the tube or radio exactly as they were scheduled by their respective leagues. My wife in turn could now go to her Old Navy, Target, Waly-world, etc. stores instead of solely relying on the Navy Exchange for her clothing and accessory shopping needs. The Indians were supposed to contend for the American League pennant, the Cavs were playing well and on their way to the NBA finals for the second time in two years, and of course, following a 10 win season, the Browns were not only a favorite to win the AFC North, they were a playoff lock.

These last ten months have sucked pretty darn bad. Hell, I haven't posted any articles or entries in this blog since I don't remember when. In these last ten months, I have been rushed back to the US so my wife could have a tumor removed. That tumor ended up being not only malignant, but it turned out to be a recurrence of melanoma, which means she has Stage IV (a1c) distant metastatic melanoma. She's gone through two different types of treatments and 2 clinical trials as well. She continues to fight the fight, and we continue to rely on the three F's: Faith, Family, and Friends.

All that has made the fact that the Tribe finished at .500, the Cavs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Browns are horrible not really matter.

Sometimes we can get really wrapped up in our sports and how much we root for our teams, and we lose sight of what is really important. This year I have been through enough to make sports almost irrelevant. I hope all of you remember what really is important, and that it doesn't take any extreme experiences for you to realize it.

Nobody Expected This

Ah, back from a long time away. The U.S. Navy is an adventure, that's for sure, but its a tough job sometimes. You know what else is tough these days? Rooting for the Cleveland Indians. Waiting for Browns' and Buckeyes' football to begin. Being the general manager for the Cavs (okay, that last one was a bit of a jab toward Danny Ferry).

Indians fans, can you remember the last time you have been this disappointed, this early in the season? I mean, 3 months ago, most of us were smug as a bug in a rug looking forward to at the very least a repeat of last year, if not, a possible World Series berth or even better, a World Series victory! Now, key injuries, underachieving, mismanaging, poor personnel decisions and a few months later, and wham - the Tribe is 180 degrees out of last year's campaign and holding last place in the AL Central with a death grip. There are so many things that have gone wrong or are currently going wrong with this club that is has become as hard to watch as a needle going into your eyeball. It pains me to see another future Hall-of-Famer go to another ball club. It seems to be a common occurrence throughout the years for us Indians' fans.

I refuse to put the same jinx on the Browns as I did to the Indians (Yes, folks this has been all my fault, I bought into all of the experts' opinions and thought the sky was the limit for the Tribe). I feel they have done the right things to make this team a serious contender, a team who will give the average football fan a reason to want to watch the game. Hence the reward of 5 prime-time games this upcoming season. I will tell you one thing; due to my upcoming deployment to the Persian Gulf, I will be out of CONUS (Continental US for you non-military types) for my 4th NFL season in a row. The fact that the Brownies will be on national TV means that I should be able to see at least 5 of their games. For that, I am thankful to both the team and the network bubbas who somehow made this happen.

Ah, yes, the Cavs. Almost forgot about them. Hmm. Well, another season that looked to be on the verge of something special, maybe a championship berth? But, in typical Cleveland style, the Wine & Gold brought us far into the playoff race (again) and left us hanging (again). It says something about LeBron that they did so well against James Posey and the World Champion Celtics; despite the obvious lack of overall talent (besides LeBron), they did much better against the Celts than any other team in the playoffs did. It is going to be an interesting off season, as we have seen since the draft. Not sure if I agreed to the draft picks this year, but hey, at least we had some this year. Maybe if these guys bust, Danny can say that he was just a little out of practice come draft day. I sure hope we pick up a decent free agent or two, but, my gut tells me that its not gonna happen. Time to cross the fingers I'm wrong here.

Sorry I haven't been around for a bit; but I'll close by saying this; the Youngstown State Penguins will not beat the Buckeyes in their opening game. I called it. Write it down.

Stay safe and may God Bless Northeast Ohio.

Waning Excitement but Still Hope for Cavs, Tribe

Man. We were supposed to have it all this year. So much promise. So much talent. So much to be excited for. Well, things could be worse, couldn't they?

Okay. Call it knee-jerk. Call it unnecessary pessimism. It is what it is.

The LeBron James-led Cavaliers looked to be a contender in their first round victory over the "crybaby" Washington Wizards. They not only shut up a bunch of trash talking thugs and their ignorant post-shot theatrics, but they dominated both on the offensive boards as well as the assist-to-turnover ratio. LeBron threw the "crybaby" moniker back in the city of Washington's face, and thanks to some idiotic local Papa John's Pizza store, got some $10k or so of donations for his charity and $0.23 pizzas in NE Ohio (which would go on to cause mayhem in many locations).

I felt pretty confident going into the series against the Celtics. It didn't matter to me that they were the best team record-wise in the Eastern Conference this year, or that they were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA either. I saw a weakness in them against Atlanta, and I thought the Cavs could exploit that weakness and give them a run for their money. Boy was I wrong. Besides one quarter in the opening to games in this series, the Cavs have been dominated in all aspects of the game, including ones were they have excelled all year. Turnovers. Abysmally low shooting percentage. Getting beat on both the offensive and defensive boards. Non-existance from 3-point land. Horrible free throw shooting. You name it, the Cavs have done it; wrong that is, so far in this series.

Now, remember last year. The Cavs were down two games to none against the hated Detroit Pistons to open up that series. They ended up beating them. The Pistons arguably had better talent and playoff experience on their side, and the Cavs ended up overcoming a horrible start to make it to the next level. Last year's Pistons team had home court advantage against the Cavs much like the Celtics do this year. They were touted as being a stellar defensive team, even though they didn't have anything the media could latch on to like Boston's "Big Three" of this year. LeBron James had less talent surrounding him last year. All these factors add up to the fact that the Cavaliers are not out of this one yet. They win these next 2 at home, and we have ourselves a series. All of us armchair coaches know that some major adjustments need to be made:

- The shooting needs to improve. They cannot let Z be the only significant scoring threat. This comes with better passing. I haven't seen the perimeter passing that the Cavs did so well against the WIZ-ards (think of that annoying Alltel commercial for pronunciation). Too many times the Cavs are taking perimeter shots without a good look, in someone's face, or way before the shot clock gets to single digits.
- The rebounding needs to return. It has seemed like for every shot the Cavs take, there are three Celtic defenders waiting underneath the basket, blocking out two or less Cav players. This gets fixed by returning to the fundamentals that have carried them all year. Play your man, follow your shot, box out. The Cavs were the best rebounding team in the league this year. We need to establish that again, right now.
- The assist-turnover ration needs to get better. Against the WIZ-ards, our assist-turnover ratio was something like 15:5. Against the Celts, its more like 5:10 or worse. Smarter passes, anticipating defensive moves, and protecting the ball fix this.

I don't think I have ever seen LeBron caged up like this. He has as many points in the first two games of this series as he averaged per game against the WIZ-ards. You almost feel as he HAS to break out in game 3 and return to his form. I know it can't be easy carrying an entire team on his shoulders, but, it is what it is. Here's to hoping King James puts up some 40 spots in his next couple of games.

Now, to the Indians. Great starting pitchers, huh? Bullpen starting come around? Yep. There's just one problem. They have no offense. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Cliche away my friends. Besides the (homerless?) bat of Victor Martinez, the rest of the Indians projected to be powerful lineup has done nothing but lay eggs this year. One of the biggest disappointments so far has been the the Tribe DH, Travis Hafner. Two years removed from being an MVP candidate, he is having a hard time finding his swing this year. He is in the depths of a career-long slump, a slump that has encompassed almost an entire season, if you count the 2nd half of last year to go along with the 1st part of this year's season. Indians' manager Eric Wedge seems to think that Pronk's problems are soon to be behind him, and he will soon return to his 2004-2006 form. Thing is, he's not the only problem. He is just one of many things that need to be fixed. Besides Grady Sizemore, the Indians' outfield is arguably one of the worst hitting in the bigs. There is no big bat out there. David Dellucci gives some hope sometimes, but he is pretty inconsistent. Franky Gutz is one dimensional at bat, only doing well it seems against southpaws. I wouldn't mind seeing these two platoon in LF or RF, but the Tribe needs a slugger in the OF.

Story of the year so far for the Cleveland Indians is none other than Cliff Lee. 6-0 start, 0.something ERA, and he's averaging 7 K's per outing. After last year's woes, it warms my heart to see this guy return to form.

CC seems to have found his moxie again. Carmona, despite a higher than normal walk count, he is holding his own this year. Westbrook was awesome before he went onto the DL, and finally the bullpen is coming around. They had some serious issues earlier in the year, but they are starting to settle in a bit.

While I don't think Shipiro and Wedgie plan on doing much, I hope they attempt to liven up the sleepy Tribe bats. Whether it be grabbing a free-agent bat or trading to get one, I'd like to see something done. I think it was the right move to rid the team of the mediocre-at-best Jason Michaels, and something tells me Joe Borowski won't find his way back into the closer role (at least I hope not).

Here's to the Tribe cracking .500 and turning their season around, giving us fans of the feathered hope that they can re-create last year's magic.

I'm Not Freaking Out! (I could be a Tigers' Fan)

So the Tribe is 3-4 after the first 7.

Big deal.

They've started worse. They've actually started 3-4 forty-three times in the 107 years they have been a franchise. They've won an AL pennant and two divisional titles after starting 3-4.

You know what would worry me? Starting 0-7. Not saying any names, but, I do know of a team who many were choosing to represent the AL in the World Series. I know of a team that was predicted to finish 1st in the AL Central. I know of a team that has invested many a greenback to beef up not only it's lineup but it's starting rotation. I wonder how many teams have started 0-7 and won a World Series or even a pennant or divisional title. Whoever has the time and motivation to find that for me will get a 6-pack of their favorite beer (yeah, I'm cheap, but I do have to survive on an enlisted military salary).

How about that NCAA basketball championship? Looked like it could be another one for the memories. Mario Chalmers hitting that bucket to tie the game with 2.1 seconds to go in regulation was beautiful. It wasn't Christian Laettner beautiful, but, it was beautiful enough to give the Jayhawks enough momentum to outast the Memphis Tigers in OT. Congrats to Kansas...and boo to me for my lack of being able to predict a 64 team bracket.

Now to the C-Town and NEO sports news (not much to say really, just a few bits from the Cleveland Plain Dealer).

- Longtime Browns' broadcaster Gib Shanley passed away this week. Terry Pluto wrote a nice piece in remembrance of Gib.

- According to Bud Shaw, be careful what you wish for...

- Apparently, the Cavs' Damon Jones is a little unhappy with all of the bench time he's been getting, according to Mary Schmitt Boyer.

Now, here's a little question session I call "How Long".

- How long until the Cavaliers hire a full time staff of back specialists to manage the collective spasms that have plagued them like the staph infections plagued the Browns a few years ago?

- How long until Eric Wedge tries someone else at the reliever spot?

- How long before the Detroit Tigers win a game?

- How long before the Cavaliers "blockbuster trade" pays dividends that show improvement over last year's team?

- How long before Kenny Wright is released from the Browns' roster?

- How long before Travis Hafner can hit high fastballs again?

- How long before Kenny Lofton officially retires?

- How long before Barry Bonds signs with a team?

Will we hear the answers to some of these questions soon? Who knows?

A few more thoughts...

I went to a few Youngstown Steelhounds (CHL-Columbus Bluejackets) hockey games at the end of their season. I know it's "double-A", but wow, what fun. The pace was a little slower than an NHL game, but, compared to the "triple-A" Norfolk Admirals games I used to go to, there were some things similar and some things better. The fights are usually more numerous, the goals more meaningful, and the game much more personal. There is such a big difference watching a game with 1,500 other folks compared to watching it with 8,000 or 20,000 fellow fans. You hear a lot more, both on the ice and from the bench. The players are fighting for so much more, trying to get that call up. You have more than a few local born and bred players on the team rather than maybe one guy from the same state on your team. The last regular season game ended in a shootout victory for the hometown Steelhounds (in my opinion one of the best nicknames of any sports team in the nation), and I watched them win their only postseason victory at home. Both of these wins were against the hated Colorado Eagles (CHL-Colorado Avalanche) . I can't wait to go to a few Steelhounds games next year.

The US Navy has helped my family more than I can ever say in words. The support structure and dedication by many folks in this organization are unmatched. Not only have I received the best life lessons a man or woman can ask for in my past 14 years, I have also seen over 150 cities in over 20 countries, and my wife and I have been fortunate to receive well over $500,000 in medical treatment. Don't forget about the education I have been given and the resume boosting experience I have learned. For those of you young enough to give it a thought, it's not a bad way to make a life. I'll retire at age 38 with a pension, medical benefits, and still have my next job to look forward to. Anchors aweigh!

That's all for now for this first half of the second week in April. I'll be moving down to Florida, to the Jacksonville area in less than two weeks where I will be stationed on a guided missile destroyer named the USS The Sullivans (DDG 68). Expect my posts to continue as I get the chance to watch all of the Cleveland and Ohio sports I can.

C-Town Sports Wrap Up 4/1/08

Tribe opening day was a pretty crazy huh? C.C. Sabathia giving up 5 earned runs and not getting a decision, Franky Gutz ripping the ball, the bullpen's inconsistency, AJ Pierzynski acting like a jerk, Thome crushing the ball in his old park, and Casey Blake with a game winning (almost 2nd career opening day grand slam) 3-run triple. Don't forget to throw in a Joe Borowski scare in the bottom of the 9th! Just another day at the Jake. I mean the Prog. I don't know what I mean. Anyway, here are some of the happenings in C-Town sports on this 1st day of April, year of our Lord 2008:

- Kelly Pavlik announces his upcoming fight will be his last. Vindy.com reports. ;o)

- (What was today's date again?)

- The Tribe staying mum about Victor's hammy, according to the AP.

- Not new news, but, I uh, like to see this shot to AJ Pierzynski's face after what he did to Ryan Garko on opening day with his "accidental" cleat shot. (Thanks again, Michael Barrett, for whacking that whack job in the mug!)

- The Tribe is taking the plaque dedicated to deceased pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews, who were killed a few years back in a boating accident, from their now former spring training home (Winter Haven) to the new Heritage Park area in Progressive Field. WANE-TV from Ft. Wayne, Indiana reports.

- Another writer picks the Tribe to win it all. Damn the pressure! Reverse psychology time. We're gonna suck! Anyway, here's WTRF-TV of Wheeling, WV's story about an MLB.com writer who thinks the Tribe can do it.

- Speaking of writers who think the Tribe is gonna win it all, the baseball writer thinks so too, according to a cool blog called Political Science 216. (By the way, when I said the, I meant of course, Peter Gammons.)

- Here's a good article by the Bleacher Report on what the Cavaliers end-of-the-season strategy might be.

- Word on the street is Shaun Smith likes knocking down pins like he knocks down Pittsburgh OL-men. He's using that ability to raise some money for his "91 Ways" Foundation.

- Former In Living Color star and comedian Tommy Davidson will be performing at the Cleveland Improv April 3-6. He's got some interesting thoughts on the Browns of the 70's, Drew Carey, and doing it on your own in the City of Cleveland (how many of you are pros at that!), according to the Cleveland Free Times.

No link from me, yet, but, I did just watch the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University clinch a spot in the Little Dance. They almost got a chance to enact revenge on them hated reptilian foe from the Sunshine State, but, instead, they'll have a duel with UMASS for the NIT Championship. I was a bit confused by their clock management in the closing 5 minutes or so, but wow, did they look good in that first half, and I bet if they did make it to the big dance, they would have surprised folks a la Davidson...Go Bucks, let's win a championship (even if it is the NIT)!

Tribe Time is Almost Upon Us

Fellow Tribe fans, our time is near.

That drive up to the corner of E 9th and Carnegie to the place we used to call The Jake is about to be made by many of us once again. The sights and sounds; Pronk and Garko smashing shots over fences, C.C. and Fausto causing the frequent whooshes of fanning bats, Grady diving to make a leaping catch that we're sure will be highlighted on Sportscenter later on that evening. The taste of a few dogs drenched in Stadium mustard washed down by a cold brewskie.

Are there any of you who are itching for baseball season the way that I am?

After last year's ALCS defeat to the hands of that team from the New England area, a defeat that was made so painful by the fact that our Tribe was ONE game away from going to the show, it's now Tribe time again. That being said, let's have a little Tribe talk wrap-up.

- ESPN the mag has the Tribe going to the world series to face the Cubs. In a battle of two storied franchises making a long awaited return to glory, they picked the Indians to win. Let's hope that this year isn't the beginning of the ESPN The Magazine jinx. Most of you can remember the year that Sports Illustrated (Indian Uprising, 1987) picked us to do well and how that ended up (They lost 101 games that year). ESPN the network (specifically John Kruk) also picked us to get to the big show to play the Baby Bears, but he picked us to lose to 'em.

- Indians' manager, Eric Wedge, isn't resting on his laurels, according to MLB.com. Wedge was the first Cleveland Indians manager to be awarded the Manager of the Year award in club history. I think the guy has taken some serious heat from Tribe fans, present company included, and looking at his record since he's been here, that may be a little unfair. I give the guy credit for his attitude, and give him Godspeed in the upcoming season.

- Cleveland.com has an interesting game based on the snowy conditions we've seen up on the shores of Lake Erie around Opening Day (remember last year?) They call it "Snowball".

- The Tribe has 12-1 odds to win the World Series, 7-1 to win the AL Pennant, 7-5 to win the AL Central, and picked to win 90.5 games according to the website bodog.com via the "MLB Insider" on the Phoenix, AZ based East Valley Tribune's website.

- Jay on the Indians blog "Let's Go Tribe" explains why the Indians will lose this season. Definitely an interesting point of view, and each of these excuses are possible...

- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald is looking for another Tribe Uprisal this year in his breakdown of the AL Central. I agree with his observation of the limitations of the money available to pick up players throughout the season, but, I don't think it will be that much of an issue, I think our depth is not an issue, and our farm hands are pretty good.

- The Plain Dealer has posted their 2008 Indians Preview online. Good reading to prepare yourself for the season opener tomorrow.

Speaking of getting ready for the season opener tomorrow, here is a few videos to get you ready and um, pumped up for Tribe time. See you all soon, NE Ohioans, both living here and living elsewhere!

Sniff, sniff...I'll still call it "The Jake" forevermore!


The hot dogs that race in the middle of the 5th inning have been given a makeover...


A Grady Sizemore fan's video tribute to our favorite centerfielder:


A nice vid based on the 2007 season...great stuff!!


The Tribe beat the Yankees in the ALDS, and man was it sweet...