Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside, come inside ...
It's been a while since I've dusted off Joe Cleveland ... a little over two months, in fact. Things were pretty busy for me in the "real" journalism world these past few months. So, I've found a little bit of time to dig out my Joe Cleveland hat, put it on and dish out some takes on the world of Cleveland sports.
A lot has happened since the last time Joe Cleveland updated this blog. The Indians were the rare buyers, not sellers, at the trade deadline and acquired pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez in a controversial deal. They also picked up the great Jim Thome in a waiver-wire deal in late August and had their all-time leader in home runs return for the final month of the season. In the end, it didn't much matter, and the Indians squandered a 30-15 start to finish 80-82. It was still good enough for second in the weak AL Central Division, but their inability to beat Detroit over the final month and a half proved to be a huge factor in the fall from the pennant race.
The NBA lockout has lingered on and has threatened to cancel the entire season. Preseason games have already been shelved, and the NBA is expected to make an annoucement on the status of regular season games within the next week or so. There are a lot of winners if the NBA cancels their season. The NHL and college basketball, for starters, will be huge winners, since they will rule the winter sports landscape. Fans tired of seeing the Lakers, Heat, Celtics and Knicks every Sunday and holiday from October through April will be extremely happy. Cavs fans will be winners because they avoid another rebuilding season and another year without LeQuitter (and, they won't have to see LeQuitter strut around in his Heat garb as they try to win that elusive NBA title). Fans of the Lake Erie Monsters and the Cleveland State Vikings will be happy, as their teams will get more ink in the papers and more asses in their seats as fans seek another entertainment distraction for the winter months. And, it will put more onus what the Indians do this offseason will probably only add anticipation for their 2012 opener.
The Browns have begun their season at 2-2. I think, if you asked most people before the season, 2-2 would be a record they'd be happy with. However, it's come with some inconsistant performances. They lost to Cincinnati on a huge breakdown where they failed to break a huddle and left A.J. Green wide open for an easy touchdown. They beat a reeling Colts team without Peyton Manning and a winless Miami team with a last-minute touchdown from Colt McCoy to Mohammed Massaquoi, then were humiliated by Tennessee, despite dominating the time of possession, yardage and completing 40-of-61 passes on a windy day. Pat Shurmer has looked shaky as he sorts out what he has to work with, and there has been some early drama concerning Peyton Hillis and how he's been used. The 4-3 defense has looked tremendous until Matt Hasselbeck shreaded it with two big plays last Sunday. The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Browns.
And, of course, Ohio State's drama with the NCAA continues to get cloudy. The Buckeyes lost three more players to improper benefits for the first two games of the season, and three of the Tattoo Five have to sit out Saturday's game with Nebraska for getting overpaid for a summer job. The NCAA still hasn't announced their final punishment on Ohio State, whether it will be longer probation or more loss of scholarships or a longer bowl ban. This comes on the heels of one of the worst offensive performances in Ohio State history as they deal with a quarterback controversy with the raw freshman Braxton Miller or the fifth-year baseball playing senior Joe Bauserman. It's a mess that could result in a one-and-done for interim coach Luke Fickell and the loss of AD Gene Smith's job.
All in all, the Cleveland sports scene continues to look cloudy.
The Indians have a key offseason at hand with several questions to be answered. Will they pick up the contract options on the oft-injured Grady Sizemore and the more bad-than-good Fausto Carmona? Will they try to bring back Jim Thome if Thome decides to play one more year? Will they get Ubaldo straightened out? Who will be the new hitting and pitching coaches, and will Sandy Alomar not get offered a managerial job? How much will Larry Dolan allow Chris Antonetti to spend to get this team back into contention? Will they upgrade first base, third base, the outfield and the starting rotation? Will they build off the positive groundswell of fan support gained from their hot start, their proactivity at the trade deadline and the return of Thome? Will Mark Shapiro give up his cushy president gig and become the GM of the Cubs or the Orioles (please God, make this happen)?
The honeymoon for Pat Shurmer is wearing down. How much did the lack of a true offseason hurt the Browns? Can the 4-3 continue to make positive strides? Will Peyton Hillis get his contract extension, and will he continue to be a focal point of the offense? How does Colt McCoy hold up in his first full season as the starting quarterback? Will any wide receiver emerge? Will Shurmer have to give up play-calling duties if the Browns have a losing season? Can they gain ground on an obviously aging Steelers team and an inconsistant Ravens team in the suddenly less-than-stellar AFC North? Can they continue to beat the teams they're supposed to beat? Will D'Qwell Jackson stay healthy and continue his torrid season at middle linebacker?
Will Ohio State win another game this year, let alone the Michigan game? Will Luke Fickell come back next season, or will someone like Urban Meyer ride in on their white steed? How bad will the NCAA drop the hammer on the Buckeyes, and will other heads roll? And, will the offense ever find a rhythm with the not-quite-ready-for-primetime Miller or the never-will-be-ready-for-primetime Bauserman?
Will you care more about the Cleveland State Vikings and the Lake Erie Monsters with the Cavs (presumably) on the shelf? And, will a lockout hurt the development of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson?
Hopefully, some of these questions will be answered in the near future, and with favorable answers. Cleveland fans are living vicariously through the disappointments of other teams (see Steelers, Heat, Red Sox) instead of rejoicing in their own teams exploits. Perhaps that's just a sad fact of being a Cleveland sports fan -- we've come to the realization that none of our teams will ever be good enough to win a championship, so we treat the fall of our bitter rivals like a championship of our own. Perhaps the disappointment of our rivals will lead to positive things for our own teams. We can only hope so.
Until next time (hopefully not another two months from now), remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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