Heartbreak on the Lake

Well, Nothing New to Report

2011-11-11T09:23:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-25T20:07:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-08T21:25:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-10T10:55:00.008-04:00

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)

2008-04-08T12:14:00.004-04:00

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

2008-04-01T22:28:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-30T11:08:00.004-04:00

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...

Clevelanders Don't Have Much to Complain About

2008-03-09T15:09:00.002-04:00

"Now the Lord can make you tumble
And the Lord can make you turn
And the Lord can make you overflow
But the Lord can't make you burn"

- From the song "Burn On" by Randy Newman

Cleveland sports fans, we have had our bad teams, our bad trades, our bad owners, our bad decades. We've had the '70-'71 and '81-'82 Cavaliers, who were both 15-97, good for two of the top ten worst records in NBA league history. We've had the '85 (60-102), '87 (61-101), and '91 (57-105) Indians, and don't forget the '99 (1899!) Cleveland Spiders, who amassed an amazing record of 20-134! We've seen Ron Harper get traded for (cough, cough, ah-hem) Danny Ferry, Rocky Colavito traded to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn (many Clevelanders cite this trade to a so-called curse), and Earnest Byner to the Washington Redskins for Mike Oliphant. We've been witness to the buffoonery of Art Modell, who did the unthinkable when he moved the Browns to Baltimore. We've had the 80's to look back on, where the only thing to be excited about in Cleveland was the Browns (and of course Red Right 88, The Fumble and The Drive). We were made fun of by Tinseltown, when the movie Major League was brought to the big screen, and played on the futility of the Indians franchise. One of the scenes in that movie rings familiar; the two Japanese grounds-keepers saying in their native tongue, and translated for us "gaijin" via subtitle: "They're still shitty".

There's a different feeling about Cleveland sports in 2008. All three of the major professional sports teams are possibly world championship caliber.

The Browns have been the most active team in this off-season, picking up 2 promising defensive lineman, Shaun Rodgers and Corey Williams; a wide receiver, Dante Stallworth, and of course re-signing Pro Bowl QB Derek Anderson. This is all coming off of a 10-6 and what many thought should have been a playoff season. Many of the "experts" around the various national media outlets are predicting the Browns to not just make the playoffs in 2008, but to possibly win the AFC North. These are the best times for us Browns fans since the previously mentioned mid to late '80s.

The Tribe was one game, one win away from going to the World Series. Granted, they haven't done much in the their off-season, but, they didn't lose any of their amazing young talents. Talents such as C.C. Sabathia, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, as well as many others are in my humble opinion only more mature and a bit hungrier for a title after last year's heartbreak. Did I mention that they were all YOUNG?

The Cavs are playing well, and trying to follow up on a season where they were NBA Eastern Conference Champions. GM Danny Ferry has (finally) made a blockbuster trade, one which I believe made them a better team than the one who made it to the NBA finals last year. LeBron is on his way to a season where he has no business not being the NBA MVP.

For as much complaining as we have done for the last 10, 20, 50 or however many years, it is definitely a good time to be a Cleveland Sports fan.

What a year so far!

2008-02-15T07:01:00.002-05:00

Wow. Just started a blog. Had a plan to do a 2007 year in review for the heartbreak (and joy) us Ohio and Cleveland fans experienced last year. Boy, my operational schedule sure has become busy as ever. Luckily, I am now on my way toward my next Permanent Change of Station, or PCS. I'm going to the Jacksonville, FL area, stationed on a Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer named the USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). Life should be hectic in preps for the move from Japan to Florida, so if I slack off a bit in the old bloggy, my bad! Nonetheless, I figured I'd babble on about a few issues we Ohioans and especially NE Ohioans have seen both on and off the sports venues.

First off, let's talk sports. Ohio sports. What's the latest?

LeBron and the Cavs limp (literally) into the all-star break. It is looking like Danny Ferry is gonna keep his thumb in his ass yet again (you'd think we'd be used to it by now) and not trade for anyone, let alone Jason Kidd. The injury bug has hit the Cavs in a way that us Cleveland sports fans are used to seeing happen to the Browns. The only difference has been the fact that no one has been diagnosed with a staff infection (knock on wood). On the bright side, they did do well in the last bit of the 1st half of the season. Many pundits in the major national media outlets are saying they will do well in the playoffs. I believe that they will at least grab a 6-seed, and if they can get healthy and stay healthy, maybe even get to the 2nd round.

The Tribe. Oh, the Tribe. CC. He says he is done with contract negotiations for the time being. Actually, until the end of the season. Well, as much as this was made a big deal in all of the baseball and Indians headlines, especially in papers like the Plain Dealer and Vindicator, and online in the CNNSI and ESPN sites, I believe that it is the smart thing to do on CC's part. First off, he makes this something that isn't a distraction during the season. It would be quite the distraction for him and the management to have this hanging over their head during the season. This decision also makes his performance this season become just as big of a factor as his Cy Young season last year. For example, if he sucks it up this season (which I hope he doesn't of course), than his asking price and contract length will be substantially lower than if we decided on a contract prior to the start of the 2008 season. We'll see how things turn out; spring training starts up here in a few weeks (I might even get to Florida in time to see a game in Winter Haven).

The Browns. No big items here. Brady Quinn's name has been thrown about in a homosexual verbal assault accusation. He denies it, and really, if there is no criminal charges present, I could care less. No big time free agent talks as of yet. The DA situation has had a few farts into the breeze, but so far, none have been stinky enough to garner any serious attention. Well, speaking of stinky, DA sure didn't look that great in the Pro Bowl...but who cares about the Pro Bowl except for the fact that the Browns had 6 players playing in it!! Sure has been a while since we could say that, huh? Things should be picking up soon in Berea, and you betcha sweet behind I'll be surfin' the OBR for news on our favorite pro football team!

The Buckeyes. Pryor continues to tease. I am indifferent so far. I mean, I'd love to have the kid, but, I'm not gonna go cry into my beer glass if he decides to go to Linebacker U were he will be another underutilized, overrated big name. And as for Michigan or Oregon, if he goes to either of those schools, he might have a chance to play and excel, looking at the fact that both of those schools will both be running spread offenses, and Pryor seems to be a QB that will thrive in that kind of offense. The Buckeye cagers continue to be a little above average. I hope they impress enough folks to get into the show, but I doubt they have the depth and experience to make it past the sweet 16 this year. I hope they pleasantly surprise me despite my doubts.

Kelly Pavlic. What a great champ. Humble. Respectful. Honorable. This kid is one of a kind. We haven't seen a boxer quite like Kelly, not since the days prior to buffoons like Don King and Mike Tyson. He fights in the rematch against Jermaine Taylor on Saturday evening. He has the backing of an area, a region, a state, a whole part of the country. Good luck, Kelly.

Time to change tunes...what's new in the local news?

Politics rule the airwaves, papers, and world wide web these days. It has become a four person race, and each one of them know how important Ohio, especially NE Ohio, is to their campaigns. I have been watching many of the debates and speeches from the AFN News broadcasts over here in Japan, and I am paying attention to what each person has to say. I find myself being as "independent" or not attached to the left or right as I have ever been since I registered as a voter for the first time back in 1994. I'm not going to make this post or this blog in general into something political, so all I can say is please do your homework before deciding on who to vote for. Do your research. The internet is a great source of information regarding things such as the candidates views, voting records, etc. Please don't vote based on what a person tells you on TV in a speech. Enough on that topic!

Weird weather so far this year, huh? Tornadoes and snowstorms in the same week? I have been following the weather in the US from over here and man, it's crazy. Gotta love El Nino or La Nina, whichever it is...they sure make for crazy weather in the US. (Al Gore, shut it.) Anyway, I plan on getting trained back up to be a Skywarn spotter once I return to the US. As a self-proclaimed severe weather freak, I miss having fun tracking those storms on radar and from my vehicle...only earthquakes over here in Japan, and I'm quite used to those now; so used to them that they have become normal to me...

Hopefully I get some more chances to post here in the near future...2008 is going to be rough. I will be away from home for more than half of the year thanks to my military obligations...but, I promise, I'll spend as much time as I can giving you my $0.02 as I can! Here's to a prosperous 2008 for us fans of Ohio sports!

Be Back Next Week

2008-01-25T18:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the break in action...My military obligations have me all over the west and south Pacific. I will be back online next week to continue my writing.

Until then, how about them Cavs? For as bad as they seemed to have played in the beginning of the season, they are in the top half of the playoff seeds in the East. We could have ourselves another playoff run in the near future! Go Cavs!

2007 - A NE Ohio Sports Fan Year in Review Part I

2008-01-02T01:09:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's 2 days into 2008 already. "2007 sure went by fast, huh"? I hear that way more than I want to, yet, it rings true for sports fans either from or living in northeast Ohio. Who would have thought that we would have 3 of our professional teams overachieve the way they did? 2 out of 3 made the playoffs, 1 out of 3 made it to the finals. The team who didn't make the playoffs was 4 Derek Anderson picks and a Jim Sorgi away from making it to the January professional football show. Our major college team, The Ohio State Buckeyes, had 2 of their sports teams in National Championship games in the beginning of the year, and at the end of the year, we know that at least the football team will be in the Big Show again this year. Yeah, we love to pride ourselves with being able to accept heartbreak in the NEO. Years of cardiac muscle cracking will do that to ya. And we did have our share of heartbreak this year. But, hey, despite none of our favorite teams bringing home the championship trophy, we did get quite a show this year from all of them. The theme of 2007 from our teams was "Overachieve". Most if not all of them were expected to be mediocre or worse; some were even picked to be in the basement of their respective leagues.

Here is a month by month breakdown of what we saw this year:

January:
Arguably one of the hardest months of the 2007 to be a NEO sports fan. The Browns were in the tank. Charlie Frye was the leader of a team who seemed to have no fire. They finished the season 4-12. They did win the draft "tie-breaker" coin flip though. Toledo Native and young up-and-coming Chargers TE coach Rob Chudzinski was hired to be the new offensive coordinator and Ted Daisher was hired to coach ST. The favored Buckeyes lost in the BCS Championship game to Florida; they were coached by a guy from Ashtabula, OH. The Cavs were doing well, and LeBron James was the top vote-getter for the NBA All-Star game. The Tribe signed OF Trot Nixon and SP Keith Foulke.

February:
The Browns hired Wes Chandler to be their WR coach. We found out that Gene Hickerson is in the "sweet 16" of the finalists for this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee list. We're told that LeChuck Bentley is most likely out for the 2007 season. Draft and free agency questions are swirling in the breeze blowing around the lake effect snow. Greg Oden's wrist looks all but healed as he leads a group of young Buckeye cagers to a top 10 National ranking. The Cavs continue their strong play; lead by LeBron, it appears they are making a push for the playoffs. Keith Foulke, who just signed with the Tribe a few weeks prior, announced his retirement from baseball, citing "lingering injuries". Position players report to camp for the Indians.

March:
The Browns sign their most important free agent signing of the offseason, guard Eric Steinbach, to a 7 year contract. C Hank Fraley re-ups, further solidifying the Browns OL. Antwan Peek, OLB, is signed as a free agent. RB Jamal Lewis leaves the smelly confines of Maryland and comes to the shores of Lake Erie through free agency. Browns' DB Daylon McClutcheon is realeased. RB Rueben Droughns is traded to the G-Men for journeyman WR Tim Carter. There were other decent free agent signings including Seth McKinney(G), Shaun Smith (DL), and Robaire Smith (DL). The young Buckeyes hoopsters charge into March madness and the NCAA Tourney. The Cavs continue to overachieve, and LeBron is name player of the month for March. They appear to be a lock for the playoffs. The Tribe is finishing up spring training; C.C. Sabathia is named the starter for opening day. Speaking of C.C., he gets nailed by a line drive in a spring training game, but comes back in his next spring training game to throw 52 pitches in relief - which solidifies his readiness for starting on opening day for the Indians.

April:
The Browns sign one of their last FAs, safety Mike Adams, to a 2 year contract. The 2007 NFL schedules are released. A few new rules were introduced by the NFL; the most talked about being instant replay limited to a 60-second time limit and a ball being spiked becoming a 5-yard penalty if the spike doesn't come after a TD. Newly acquired guard Eric Steinbach undergoes minor surgery but is expected to be ready to go for camp. The NFL draft comes and goes. The Browns grade highly in the draft, selecting Joe Thomas, LT, and Brady Quinn, QB in the first round. The Browns traded next year's 1st round pick for the #22 pick in this year's draft in order to pick Quinn. Eric Wright, CB, is selected 3rd by the Browns to finish up day 1. Day 2 sees the Browns select Brandon McDonald, CB; Melila Purcell, DL; Chase Pittman, DL: and Syndric Steptoe, WR. The Buckeyes Basketball team makes it to the NCAA Tournament Finals, and loses to a strong Florida team. Buckeye nation gets disappointed by another Florida team. The Cavs make it to the playoffs - and advance to the second round. The Tribe opens it's season with a 12-5 victory over the divisional rival ChiSox. The home opener against Seattle is postponed due to weather; snowy weather, with one more strike needed for the game to be official. The 3 game series against the Halos gets moved north to Milwaukee due to more April (snow) showers.

May:
The Browns terminate the contract of guard Joe Andruzzi. OTAs start in Berea. It appears that Brady Quinn might holdout. All is quiet on the Ohio State front. The Cavs make it to the Eastern Conference finals, where they meet their arch-nemesis Detroit Pistons. LeBron and company have shown great defense and offensive rebounding skills all year, and it has carried them through the playoffs so far. The Tribe sends Fausto Carmona to AAA Buffalo. They come into May 1st place in the AL Central. Grady Sizemore graces the cover of Sports Illustrated. C.C. Sabathia didn't lose his 1st game of the season until the 21st. It was the 1st game he had lost since Sept. 21, 2006. With Jake Wetbrook on the DL, Fausto Carmona comes back and begins his domination of the league.

June:
Former Browns guard Joe Andruzzi announces that he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Charlie Frye seems to have a leg up on the QB competition over Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Defensive Coordinator, Todd Grantham, gets extended through the 2009 season. Antonio Perkins gets cut. The Browns announce the creation of the "Family Zone" at Browns' Stadium. LeChuck Bentley announces he will try to come back sometime during the 2007 season. Ohio State football is deep in practice mode in preps for the 2007 season. The Cavaliers, led by miracle worker LeBron James and the surprisingly great shooting rookie Boobie Gibson, beat the Defending Eastern Conference Champion Pistons to make it to the NBA finals, were they were swept by a superior San Antonio Spurs team. The Cavs' upset train had to stop sometime; unfortunately, it was in San Antonio. Indians' pitcher Cliff Lee starts to struggle badly. Casey Blake had a 26-game hitting streak. C.C Sabathia became one of the first pitchers in MLB to reach the 10 win mark.

July:
NFL Europa is discontinued. Gene Hickerson, one of the players most overdue for induction to the Hall of Fame, finally gets his nod. He will be introduced by former Browns teammate Bobby Franklin. A Browns' tailgate and Family Night at Browns' Stadium is canceled due to plumbing problems. The Browns announced that LeChuck Bentley will start the season on the PUP list. The indecision with respect to who will be the starting QB is growing. Bill Walsh passes away. All players, coaches, and fans of football mourn his loss. Ohio State C Greg Oden and G Mike Conley will both be entering the NBA draft. Oden is expected to be a top 2 choice. The Cavs announce their summer league roster. C.C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez, and Grady Sizemore represent the Indians in the MLB All-Star Game. The Indians go into the break atop the AL Central. The Tribe sign Pronk to a 4 year extension, locking him up until 2011. Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez get into a tiff in the dugout that leads to a players-only meeting in the clubhouse. Kenny Lofton makes his return to Cleveland in a trade for a single-A ball player.

Expect part II (Aug. - Dec.) to come tomorrow. It (of course) will include the Tribe's return to the ALCS and the Browns' unpredictable and surprising season.

A Peculiar End to the Browns Season

2007-12-31T03:33:00.000-05:00

Well, Browns' fans, that sucked.

You had a feeling we were going to win today didn't you?

You had a feeling the Colts' 3rd stringers had a hint of a chance against the Titans didn't you?

Well, if you didn't feel any of those things today, I'm throwing the BS flag at your eye like Jeff Triplette threw a penalty flag at Orlando Brown's.

If you are new to this thing; this heartbreaking, stomach upsetting, headache/hangover providing feeling has been status quo for us fans of teams from the City of Cleveland. Welcome aboard, and pass the Tylenol please.

Along with most of you, the 2007 Browns' season ending came to an end way before we wanted it to. Today was an peculiar day for me.

I went to bed at 10:30 pm on my Sunday. Apparently my body wanted me to wake up early to watch the pre-game shows or something, as I woke up at oh-dark-thirty (1:15 am) on Monday morning. I was unable to fall back asleep; maybe I thought subconsciously I would sleep in past my 3:00 alarm. So, I stumble out to the living room and I tune into AFN and log into the OBR.com chat room/live feed. I start cycling through all of the feeds in my RSS aggregator (Netvibes) related to my Browns. Most of the news I read is the typical gameday traffic; who's active/inactive, weather updates, injury status, playoff implications, etc.

The game comes on. I watch a great game by our defense, a great game by Josh Cribbs, a great drive by Brady Quinn, and a Browns victory; victory #10; victory #7 at home – a new Browns record. BE extends his record. Jamal Lewis is his normal Mr. December self and racks up another 100+ yard game. Things are going well in Cleveland. Romeo gets a game ball from his players and his eyes got moist. All we need now is...

Okay. I'm at work, the two Steeler fans in my office are quiet as field mice in a vacuum. That would be because they got stomped by the lowly Ravens; that stomping being the Ravens' only divisional win this season. Then I hear it something like 100 times on NBC. “The Titans control their own (and the Browns’) destiny”. AL Michaels wanted to make sure we didn't forget that apparently. The Browns playoff hopes revolved around Jim Sorgi's noodle of an arm. He wasn't the backup QB we wanted him to be. On that note, Kerry Collins wasn't the backup QB we wanted him to be either. We watched as our season slipped harmlessly through the hands of an Indy 4th string WR onto the Indianapolis turf late in the 4th quarter. The forums on the OBR were ripe with language and hate and discontent after Coach Dungy’s weak attempt at “playing to win the game”.

As I drive back to my house from the office, bad taste in my mouth, hate in my thoughts, curse words coming from my mouth, I listen to my iPod on my car stereo. Guess what tunes my “shuffle songs” feature plays? It starts with a Zepplin tune, "Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You". Then, "Ooh,that Smell", by Skynard. Then "Outside", by Staind. "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith. All this wrapped up by another Zep tune, "Good Times, Bad Times". It was almost like my iPod was trying to talk to me.

What a day, huh Browns fans? Pain is something we should be used to in our lives if we are fans of Cleveland sports. Yet, it feels so fresh every time it happens. The skin never calluses.

Stay tuned for my end of season wrap up. Thanks for hearing me out.

The Guy You Might Know as TomahawkDawg...

2007-12-28T00:25:00.000-05:00

Like many of you, I am a die hard sports fan. I will watch Sportscenter at least 5 times a day. I will wake up at odd hours of the night over here in Japan to watch my favorite sports teams play live if they are on the Armed Forces Network. I have written about my life as a sports fan, and more specifically, a Cleveland and Ohio sports fan in previous blogs. No matter how I get my information, I will have an opinion on it. And this blog, my friends, is going to be my medium to spew those opinions out to any poor sod who wishes to read about them. I am a long time forum poster over on the Cleveland Browns' Scout.com website, theOBR, and more specifically, a frequent poster in their "Watercooler" forum. I highly encourage any of you to go there for anything Browns related, be it news about the team, a player, etc. It is seriously like the best Browns Backers' bar without the alcohol.
My next blog will be a recap of the weekend that includes the most important game to the 2007 Browns' playoffs hopes that isn't being played by them. Of course, I will be discussing the Browns' game against the 49ers, a team that has/used to have local ties to the Youngstown, OH area. However, the most important game to the Browns and their fans is being played in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN. Many of my typings will come from the results of that game. Remember Browns fans, no matter what happens on the shores of Lake Erie this Sunday, if Tennessee loses to Indy, your Browns are in the Playoffs. If the Titans beat the Colts, the Browns and their fans are finished with their 2007 campaign.
Speaking of the 2007 campaign, soon to follow my breakdown of the weekend that was will be a (lengthy) summary of the Browns 2007 season. Short and sweet, not many of us had high hopes for this year, and our Browns have pleasantly surprised us, playoffs or not. I can't wait to break the season down for you and give you a taste of what I saw this year in Browns' football.
This blog will continue into the Cavs, the Buckeyes, the Indians, and many other sports and levels of each sport in the future. I won't be living in the Western Reserve for a while, as I am not eligible for retirement from the Navy until 2014 and there isn't too many places to go for the the Navy in Northeast Ohio unless you want to be a recruiter, so, my posts will come to you from Japan for a few more months, then Jacksonville, FL for a while, and while deployed, they may come from all over the world, from the Med Sea to the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, you just never know. So, please, stay tuned. See you on Monday the 31st!