A "Factory of Sadness"

Yesterday, Joe Cleveland did what he usually does on Sundays when the Browns are hosting a home game -- he bundled up, pulled on one of his Browns jersies (Hillis was the "lucky" choice) and made the drive to Downtown Cleveland.

But, for the first time ever, Joe Cleveland attended that game all by himself.

I could not find one single solitary soul to take my extra season ticket off of my hands and watch the Browns play the Baltimore Ravens.

THE BALTIMORE RAVENS!!! You remember, the Thieving Bastards?!? The team that once upon a time was based in Cleveland, wore Brown and Orange and called themselves the Browns before a Judas of a man decided that Baltimore was offering him a deal that he couldn't refuse (remember, he "had no choice") and moved them to Colt-ville after the 1995 season? The team that Browns fans probably hate worse than any team not based in Pittsburgh who wears Black and Yellow (their name rhymes with "Feelers") was in town, and NOBODY wanted to go.

Apparently, not going was a popular choice on this cold, wet, miserable Sunday evening. There were at least 11,000 people dressed as empty orange seats yesterday, and that number got considerably bigger as the evening's festivities dragged on.

This is how bad it is for the Browns right now. People would rather eat their tickets then come down and watch them against one of their fiercest rivals.

Most people figured the Browns were going to lose anyway (they did, rather convincingly, I might add). Most people probably didn't want to get rained on while they were watching them lose said game (I don't blame them. Midway through the fourth quarter, I began to question my sanity about wanting to go).

Not only did fans not want to go, but it looked like the players didn't want to be there, either. What, with all the missed tackles on Ray Rice, who was made to look like the second-coming of Jim Brown, and all the dropped passes, blown blocking assignments, the inability to pick up half-a-yard on third-and-short, etc.

This team is 4-8. They go to Pittsburgh in three nights for a prime-time game against those hated Stillers. And, it pains Joe Cleveland to say this, but they will probably be 4-9 when that game is over.

Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if, when the season's all said and done, they are 4-12. That's a one-game failure from their two previous seasons under Eric Mangini, in case you weren't keeping score.

Fans wanted to believe that Mike Holmgren had a plan in place to turn this franchise around. And, he probably does. But, right now, with a rabid fan base going increasing impatient, anything less than better than how they did under Mangini will get you scrutinized.

Fans are tired of Pat Shurmur. They see a guy who looks in over his head. They see a guy who's brand of offense is just as boring as the brand of offense that Brian Daboll ran here the last two years. They see a guy playing not to lose instead of to win, and then picking the wrong spots to do so.

They see a team led by a young quarterback who is taking a beating every week. He had to leave the Ravens game with an injury. He came back, but how long before he has to leave for a few games, or for the rest of the season? They see a receiving corps who can't catch a pass to save their life. They see a team that's afraid to commit to the running game, especially when a certain runner wearing the No. 40 who has a contract due up that was on the cover of a popular video game is the main runner that day. Espeically, when the weather dictates that running the ball would be the way to go.

Baltimore ran the ball, and they won. Cleveland did at first, then went away from it.

Shurmur seems more willing to commit to a former college backup and practice squad player in Chris Ogbonnaya than a guy who rushed for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns in Peyton Hillis.

The special teams has been a disaster, and not because the former Pro Bowl long snapper suddenly forgot how to snap a ball to the holder. Baltimore added another punt return touchdown against a unit that traditionally has been one of the best in the NFL. They've given up a touchdown off of a fake field goal. They had one punt return TD mercifully called back due to a block in the back penalty. Oh yeah, and despite having one of the best kick returners in the NFL at their disposal, they haven't been able to break one yet.

Josh Cribbs hasn't broken a kick or punt return since he returned two of them in a wild win over Kansas City on the second-to-last game of the 2009 season. After that, he got a nice contract extension ... I'll just leave it at that.

Fans are ready to toss Shurmur into Lake Erie and are thinking about taking Tom Heckert and Holmgren along for the ride. Can you blame them? Since Judas moved the team to Baltimore and was forced to leave behind the name, colors and legacy of the Cleveland Browns, these die-hard fans have been tortured and humilated to no end.

We had to put up with three years without football before watching 13 years of terrible football. Only a playoff berth in 2002 (which was capped by a playoff-game collapse against the Steelers) and a 10-win season in 2007 were bright spots in this festering cest pool.

A Cleveland comedian, who also happens to be a diehard Browns fan, made a viral video after the Browns were outclassed at Houston this season, yelling at a vacant Cleveland Browns Stadium. He capped the video by calling it a "Factory of Sadness." Then, after a pause, turned back to the palace on the lakefront and said, almost dejectedly, "See you next Sunday."

That's the thing. Browns fans (and Joe Cleveland is among them) put up with this steaming pile of shit every single week, every single season, but we still come out in droves to watch our team. And, if we're not watching them in person, we're turning on the TV and making the paint peel in our living rooms or "man caves" with our obsenities watching them shit down their leg another week.

After that video came out, the Browns then proceeded to choke away a game to the hapless Rams, win a nailbiter over the Jaguars despite doing their best efforts to lose it and then get punked by the Theiving Bastards on a cold and rainy night that only made things more depressing. And those are just the home games at the "Factory of Sadness."

Remember when the late Nev Chandler dubbed the stadium "Pandemonium Palace?" Ol Nev is probably turning over in his grave.

Now, there are a few Cleveland fans who want them to lose so they get a better draft choice. Really? Because, this team has had nothing but GREAT draft postion the last 13 years, and they ain't got SHIT to show for it!!!

I'm tired of playing for draft position. I'm tired of playing for a "future" that never seems to come. THE FUTURE??? This team has been back for 13 GOD-DAMNED YEARS!!! I'm tired of the future. I'm ready to succeed in the present.

That goes for our other teams in this town, the Indians and the Cavs. The Cavs are debating whether they should use this new "amnesty" clause that was negotiated in the recent farce of a CBA on either veterans Baron Davis or Antawn Jamison because "it could effect their future plans." FUTURE PLANS??? How about the novel concept of trying to actually WIN, and WIN THIS SEASON?!? Who knew that fans would want to pay their money to see a winner? What a novel concept, eh?

The Indians, despite pledges of "spending money," seem content to let the free-agency circus pass by without even stopping by for a visit. They've added the National League's losingest pitcher and brought back the once-popular but oft-injured Grady Sizemore, and feel that that's progress. PROGRESS??? This Central Division is winnable, as you yourselves showed last season, and that was with a very flawed team. Like they did after the 2007 season, it appears the Indians are willing to let the window of opportunity slam on them again. Which is a shame, because, of the three teams, they might be the closest ones to becoming a winner. They just need an owner willing to spend some money and a front office who knows what to spend that money on instead of wasting it on oft-injured designated hitters, over-the-hill starting pitchers and former "heartthrob" outfielders who have seen more of the training room than the playing field over the last several seasons.

As we embark on 2012, Joe Cleveland is not optimistic on any Cleveland team, besides the Cleveland State Vikings. Now THAT'S a winner. While the Browns settled for unknown and inexperienced coordinators like Shurmur and the Indians settled for managers with losing records like Manny Acta, the Vikings brought in a proven winner in Gary Waters, and Waters turned around a program that many felt was unsalvagable. It's a shame that more people don't realize the job Waters has done with this team and support their Division I collegiate hoops program more. But, even that comes with a cavaet -- CSU is good, but they're not good enough to outlast 68 other teams to win the NCAA Tournament.

Joe Cleveland aches for his brethran in this area who live and die with their sports team, who bleed their colors, who vent to sports talk radio every week because they HAVE to, who pay good money and sit out in a steady rain to watch his team lay down against the franchise that once called Cleveland home. I do, because I am one of you.

I've rambled a lot with this latest installment, because I'm just super frustrated. Frustrated because it seems like the people running these teams don't understand the pulse of these fans. Frustrated by players who don't seem to get it.

I took my two tickets and traded them with a scalper for a ticket 15 rows behind the Browns bench. I kept yelling to Josh Cribbs that I was frustrated with losing, too. I kept yelling to Pat Shurmur that throwing the ball 30 times on a rainy day was a recipe for disaster.

I wonder if they heard me. I don't think they listened, though.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!