Why do I suddenly get flashbacks to 2007 all over again?
2007 was the last time fortunes shone so well for the landscape of Cleveland sports. The LeBron James-led Cavs upset the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first (and only) time in franchise history. The Indians won 96 games and won their first AL Central title since 2001, and came within a game of reaching the World Series (leading the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS). And the Browns used a eyebrow-raising early-season transaction to reel off 10 victories -- the most since the team returned in 1999 -- and came within a tiebreaker of reaching the NFL Playoffs for just the second time since that return.
Unfortunately, 2008 happened, which led to every other year until now. The Cavs never could reach the NBA Finals again and then wound up losing James to Miami. The Indians couldn't take advantage of back-to-back Cy Young Award winning pitchers and wound up trading both away for not much in return. The Browns quickly realized that Derek Anderson was a mediocre quarterback and suddenly found themselves back in the position they've been in -- changing regimes, changing coaches, changing quarterbacks, etc.
"Saviors" came and went -- Mike Holmgren, Byron Scott, Manny Acta, Colt McCoy, James, Eric Mangini, Victor Martinez, Mo Williams, etc. The Cavs became irrelevant after James took his talents down south. The Indians would tease in May but fall apart in June, July and August. The Browns just became a revolving door of mediocrity, as snake-oil salesmen came in with their "grand plans," would blow everything up, but couldn't quite seem to win more than 4 or 5 games each year.
But Sunday -- where both the Browns and Indians won meaningful games, and won them in convincing fashion -- was a day to wash all that away. Today is day where, despite the rainy weather, it looked a bit brighter outside, your breakfast tasted better, your good morning kiss lasted a little longer and you felt about 10 points lighter than you already were.
And, the sad part is, neither the Indians and the Browns have won anything truly meaningful (a.k.a. a championship) yet. But today, Joe Cleveland doesn't care, and I believe most of you don't either.
We'll start with the Indians, since their 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins clinched something that seemed impossible not just at the start of the season, but at various times DURING this season -- their first playoff berth since 2007 and first-ever Wild-Card berth (all other playoff berths were AL Central Division titles).
Look at this team a little closer -- they had no pitchers with at least 15 victories. Their closer had a "whopping" 25 saves and wound up losing his job down this stretch. They had nobody with 25 home runs or 90 RBIs. They had nobody batting over .300 that was an every-day starter.
But yet, this team -- a team that lost 94 games last season -- went 92-70 this season and will HOST the AL Wild-Card game Wednesday night against whoever wins a one-game playoff between Tampa Bay and Texas.
Even those of you Wahoo Warriors who live, eat and breathe Tribe, those of you who made up the 19,000-fan average at Progressive Field this summer, have to step back and take a look at this team and pinch yourselves. Yeah, they spent some money this offseason. Yeah, they got rid of the Shelly Duncans and Brent Lillibridges and David Delluccis of year's past and brought in viable major league talent. But Nick Swisher, until September, was proving to be a waste of money and Michael Bourn, who led the NL in steals virtually every season, wasn't having the same success in the AL with the Indians. And Drew Stubbs, who was acquired for Shin-Soo Choo, couldn't even stay in the lineup regularly, having been beaten out by Ryan Raburn -- a guy who was brought to camp under a minor-league deal with the most everyone thought of him being was "depth."
Third base was a disaster, as Lonnie Chisenhall couldn't keep his job, Mark Reynolds was even worse and it became a revolving door of Chisenhall and Mark Aviles (a regular shortstop). Carlos Santana regressed as a catcher and Yan Gomes wound up becoming the every-day catcher. And they held on to a 42-year-old former steroid cheat who, if he wasn't hitting a home run or a seeing-eye single, was giving the fans around home plate some additional air conditioning with his hacks.
The pitching -- I won't go into detail. But you went into September with your No. 1 starter on the shelf with an injury and your former two-time All-Star closer suddenly developing a serious case of the yips and becoming more unreliable than he had become in the past.
And yet, with this cast of characters, the Indians go 22-6 in September and end the season on a 10-game winning streak. Go back even further, and they won 17-of-their-last-19 games. Sure, they had a bunch of cupcakes on the schedule in September (they went 17-2 against the White Sox -- and these weren't the 2005 World Champion White Sox), but they played the hand they were dealt and took advantage. They needed to win their last 10 games in a row to even hope that they would be, at least, in a two- or three-way tie for the Wild Card spot, let alone in it at all, and they not only did that, but also cemented that game at home while Tampa Bay and Texas have to waste pitching today to try to simply get the right to play the Indians at a sold-out Progressive Field Wednesday night.
You had that 42-year-old former steroid cheat Jason Giambi deliver, arguably, the biggest home run of the season -- a two-out, two-run walkoff jack to deep right off of White Sox closer Addison Reed that pulled their kiesters squarely out of the fire. Chris Perez gave away a two-run lead in the 9th by giving up a pair of home runs. I would say, if they wind up losing that game, we're not talking about the playoff-bound Indians. We're lamenting about another late season collapse.
I'm not a Giambi fan and I never will be. But I will thank him for single-handedly saving this season. With that home run, they don't win 10 straight games and they don't host the Wild Card game. They might not even be playing today for the right to be in that Wild Card game.
But the biggest reason why this team with this mismatched cast of characters, without a true superstar, without anyone with glittering stats, with former All-Stars going through season-long slumps and high-priced free agent signings underperforming (two of them didn't even last the full season with the Indians -- Reynolds and Brett Myers), is the manager -- Terry Francona.
I will always be a critic of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, but they used their prior relationship with Francona to lure him away from the desk of ESPN back into the dugout wearing Chief Wahoo on his hat. Francona came to town with two World Series rings from his days as a Boston Red Sox manager (2004 and 2007), but some felt his resume was blown up by the fact that the Red Sox had one of the highest-payrolls in MLB during that span. He fielded an All-Star team rife with superstar talent, and even when his team wasn't winning World Series titles, they were always in the playoffs and a threat to do so.
With the Indians, he wasn't going to have an owner willing to spend over $100 million to put out the best possible team money can buy. Sure, payroll went up this year, but he didn't have Dustin Pedroia at second base, David Ortiz at DH, Curt Schilling as the ace of the staff, along with Pedro Martinez, or a young fireballer named Jonathan Papalbon as the up-and-coming closer. He didn't have Johnny Damon in his prime. If he would have shown up last year, he would have dealt with Johnny Damon over the hill.
I would argue and say that the managing job Francona did with this Indians team to turn them into a 92-70, playoff team (that actually finished one game behind Detroit for the AL Central crown) was better than the job he did with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. This year, he did more with less. He pushed all the right buttons, kept his team focused, overcame a mountain of adversity in various aspects and, at the end of the day, has them in the postseason.
No one expected them do it. I predicted 81-81 this year, using this as a step in the right direction. No one turns a 94-loss team into a 92-win team in one season -- not in today's Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there is no parity.
Well, Terry Francona did it, and for that, Joe Cleveland thanks him with all of his heart. You made baseball relevant in this town again after years of it not being so. 44,000 people will be at Progressive Field for an October baseball game, and that's because of Terry Francona.
Even if they lose on Wednesday, and even if they can't get past the Red Sox in the ALDS if they do win on Wednesday, I will not be disappointed. It's hard to be disappointed in something you really didn't believe in in the first place. I had written the Indians off many times this year, especially when they stumbled to a 4-15 record against the Tigers. I even had the Indians written off two weeks ago, when they couldn't take advantage of Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other in a four-game series. My tough-love approach worked, and it's not crazy if it doesn't work.
Right now, it's all icing on the cake. Sure, I want the Indians to win a World Series championship -- we all want to see one championship in our lifetimes, especially when we've been devoid of one since 1964. But, to me, the true litmus test is next season. This front office can't sit on their laurels and pat themselves on the back about getting to the playoffs, like they did in 2007. They need to be proactive NOW. If you don't believe in Chris Perez or Asdrubal Cabrera or Carlos Santana, do something about it! Use them to build up your assets for 2014 and beyond! Sure, find some other low-priced free agents that pan out, like Scott Kazmir, Raburn and Giambi, but don't settle for the cheap approach. Sign at least one more guy like you signed Swisher and Bourn. You have $15 million coming off the books with Myers and Reynolds gone, and it could be more by parting with Perez and Cabrera. Use that money for more talent.
Attendance is guaranteed to spike next season. Tribe fans played the "show-me" game with this franchise this year, and they went out and showed us. Now, we believe. Now, we want to be swept up in Tribe fever like we were in the 1990s. You have a manager that, as Swisher says in his annoying commercial, players respect and love playing for.
2013 should be the start of something great for the Cleveland Indians, not the culmination of something. Larry Dolan said his goal was to win "World Series championships" when he bought this team. Now it's time to put his money where his mouth was.
Which brings me to the Browns ...
Two weeks ago, most Browns fans were talking about "Tanking for Teddy" or "Tanking for Tajh" after Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi stunningly traded Trent Richardson to the Colts for their 2014 first-round pick. The same day, Rob Chudzinski announced that third-stringer Brian Hoyer would be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Weeden, which only intensified those tank feelings.
Today, nobody's talking about Teddy Bridgewater or any "Bridgewater Bowls" against Jacksonville or anything else like that. Today, everyone's wrapped up in "Hoyer Paranoia" and believing that the Browns can actually do something positive this season.
Sure, it's only 2-2, but they just beat two teams that were in the postseason last season -- the Vikings on the road and the Bengals at home. The Bengals were everyone's pick to win the AFC North this season, and the Browns DOMINATED them, 17-6. The score should have been worse, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed one field goal and had another one partially blocked.
North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad Brian Hoyer has become the latest folk hero around these parts. The Cleveland Kid came back to the team he grew up rooting for and led them to two wins in his first two starts. You can't script that any better. And this was a kid that couldn't beat out Jason Campbell to be Weeden's primary backup in training camp (although many observers thought that he did).
All of a sudden, this Browns defense looks to be at tough as advertised before the season. This wasn't the same team that lost, 23-10, to Miami in the season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium. This was a team that could very well be the best team in the AFC North.
Today, the Browns, the Bengals and those Thieving Bastards from Baltimore are all 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 ..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
OK, Joe Cleveland had to get that out of his system. Remember, we still have to play the Squeelers from Pittspuke twice, but boy, don't those games sure look winnable now? Especially when you see the Browns beat the Bengals and the Vikings and then notice that both of those teams beat Pittsburgh?
You harken back to that Baltimore game two weeks ago, and can you imagine if Hoyer and Josh Gordon played in that game? The Browns held Joe Flacco and the Ravens to just two touchdowns, but all Weeden could accomplish was two field goals as Greg Little dropped pass after pass and Richardson struggled to gain more than three yards per carry. This team could very well be 3-1 now, because the Ravens aren't that good.
Remember when Browns fans were bitching about taking Barkevioius Mingo over Jarvis Jones, and then feeling that we'd regret that decision when Jones blossoms into another stellar Steeler linebacker? Yeah, me neither. Spinal Stenosis Jones has underwhelmed, to put it nicely, while Mingo -- after a suffering a lung injury that cost him the season opener -- has been an animal out on the field, a true difference maker.
Buster Skrine has even gotten better at what he does. Even Oniel Cousins, who I wanted to hoist off of the 480 bridge after his "performance" in the season opener, has buckled down and been better at the fill-in right guard.
D'Qwell Jackson has emerged as the Ray Lewis of the Browns team (without the murder charge or the insane pregame rants that didn't make any sense). He's become a leader that all sides of the football respect. Jackson is one of the best inside/middle linebackers in the NFL and has made this team HIS team. Same with Joe Thomas, another quiet guy who just goes about his business and could very well be the first Hall of Fame Brown during the expansion era. Hell, same with Phil Taylor.
You remember Phil Taylor, the guy the Browns traded down and drafted instead of Julio Jones, right? Sure, while Holmgren and Tom Heckert botched that trade overall (and the 2012 draft overall), the fact is Phil Taylor is now their version of Haloi Ngata or Casey Hampton -- the big nose tackle in the middle who hits like a freight train and isn't afraid to carry himself with some swagger. He's not Gerard Warren, a guy who talked the talk but, more often than not, didn't walk the walk. He's more like Bob Golic, and that's what this Browns team needs.
The Browns are coached and quarterbacked by guys that grew up in Ohio as Browns fans and are responsible for turning this franchise around. How cool would that be if they actually took this team back to where it hasn't been since 2002?
This week, the national media descends upon Cleveland, with Progressive Field hosting the Wild Card game Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills (also 2-2) coming to FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday. Both games will be nationally televised. Both games are in prime-time. Both games will be played in front of packed houses filled with rabid CLEVELAND fans. Whether you wear Wahoo on your cap with red, blue and white or you prefer Brownie the Elf along with your brown, orange and white jerseys, you will show the country why Cleveland has the best damn sports fans around.
Yeah, we bitch and we moan and we complain about this or that, but wouldn't you when you've been buried in mediocrity for so long? You can only take so many ESPN punchlines for so long before you get resentful. It's what makes us so passionate. As I tried to explain to people who called me an "Indians hater" -- I don't hate the Indians. If I didn't care about them, I wouldn't complain. If I didn't care, I'd ignore them.
This town is full of people who truly care about the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Ohio State football (they won on Saturday, too, by the way, over a ranked Wisconsin team that a few in the national media predicted they'd lose to). They want to be entertained, but they want to win. Deep down, a lot of them believe, in their heart of hearts, that "this" is the year that the (fill in the blanks) turn it around.
Well, we can honestly say that about the Indians, whether they continue this remarkable journey or not. We want to believe we can say that about the Browns. The Cavs ... we're not quite there yet, but there was a lot of hype when Andrew Bynum was signed in free agency, so you never know.
Hopefully, in five years, we can look back at 2013 as the year where it all began and not as the blip on the radar screen like we're doing six years later as we look back at 2007.
Shout from the rooftops, Cleveland! Today is your day! Hopefully, by Friday, we're still feeling as good as we are.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Tanks, Trent
Well, Joe Cleveland was in semi-retirement, having been devoted to his normal job of covering high school and minor league sports. He was watching cautiously as the Indians hung around the American League's Wild-Card hunt and was disappointed in the Browns offense after yet another 0-2 start.
Then, the nuclear bomb dropped on the Cleveland sports scene on a Wednesday evening that shook the foundation of every fan, whether you are a die-hard Browns fan, a season ticket holder or just a casual fan.
Trent Richardson, just one year after the Browns traded four picks to move up one spot in the 2012 draft to take him No. 3 overall, was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts for their 2014 first round selection.
So much for Joe Cleveland's semi-retirement.
My first reaction was shock -- Trent Richardson? Traded? Come on! Really, after two weeks? BS! -- then anger at the Browns. As a season ticket holder entering his fourth year with the Browns, I felt betrayed, gypped, lied to.
The Browns told everyone they planned on having a better product on the field for 2013. They spent money in free agency, brought in big-name coordinators to change the offensive and defensive culture and even tried to better the game-day experience at the stadium. After two games, when they deal the perceived top weapon in the offense, it sends the message that they are giving up on this season.
And, as someone who has already plunked down $900 for two tickets in the upper Dawg Pound, and knowing full well that I not only won't get full value for those tickets if I try to sell them, but also may not be able to rely on the usual cast of characters that usually buy one of the tickets off me for random games, I felt ripped off and very, very angry.
I also, against my better judgment, bought his jersey last year. The Browns caught me in a moment of weakness -- they had just beaten the hated Steelers, 20-14, and Richardson had played a key role in that monumental victory. So, in the Team Shop, I plunked down my hard earned money (using my 20 percent season ticket discount) and purchased a Richardson 33 jersey as a reminder of one of the best Browns games I had attended. Now, that jersey is useless because Richardson is gone so quickly.
It never fails. Every time I buy a jersey for a Browns player, they wind up getting traded or released or they retire. Chris Speilman, Tim Couch, Braylon Edwards, Peyton Hillis, Kamerion Wimbley, Josh Cribbs (although the Cribbs jersey is still pretty relevant, considering he played here for 8 seasons) and now Trent Richardson. Hopefully nothing happens to Joe Thomas within the next few seasons. Even when Mrs. Joe Cleveland wins me a signed Grady Sizemore Indians jersey in a silent auction for charity, Sizemore immediately stops playing baseball, so it's not just with the Browns.
And, I'll admit to being a fan of Trent Richardson. I thought he'd be the workhorse running back that we've been aiming for since the days of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner. All the Browns fans have this notion of "smash-mouth" football as being "Browns football." Unfortunately, those days in the NFL are gone. It's a passing league now, and while it's helpful to have a good running game, running backs just aren't as valuable to the offense anymore.
That's why many questioned the move to trade up for Richardson and then wait until the 22nd pick to take their "franchise quarterback," which was Brandon Weeden. Weeden, who was 28 when he was drafted, is already injured after taking a beating in his first two games this season and may never take a snap again if North Olmsted's Brian Hoyer has any semblance of a good game today against the Vikings.
So, while I was initially very upset about the Richardson trade, cooler head's prevailed. I listened as the national media universally praised the Browns for making this deal, as they felt that getting a first rounder for a running back (a running back with injury problems that only rushed for 3.6-yards per carry) was a steal. They also felt this gives the Browns great ammunition to get the franchise quarterback they have, arguably, never had since Bernie Kosar in the first round of the 2014 Draft -- a draft that looks to be a very quarterback-heavy draft.
Even the local media -- most of whom do not care for Browns general manager Mike Lombardi -- gave the Browns kudos on the move. They quoted players as saying that Richardson was immature, was aloof, wasn't a good teammate, etc. Scott Fujita, as respected a player as they come who was a Browns captain the last two seasons, was not shy about his feelings on Richardson, saying that he needed to do some growing up and that a lot of his teammates were tired of his act. Even though he played through injuries, some felt that he played those injuries up to show how "heroic" he was. Some even questioned his desire to even play for the Browns.
At any rate, it sends a message to the locker room that no one player is above the team and that ANYONE can be shipped out or dropped. Let's just say the message was received.
On a day that began with the news that Hoyer was going to become the 19th starting quarterback since 1999 and that Greg Little lost his starting job to Davone Bess because of his drops and off-the-field problems, those stories were destroyed by the Richardson trade. It was arguably the most polarizing move the Browns have made since they released Kosar in November of 1993.
With one person in common on both of those transactions, Browns' fans vitriol turned to Mike Lombardi. Lombardi was the guy who spliced together a video of Kosar lowlights and mistakes and took it to Art Modell as evidence that he needed to be released. Many fans never forgave him for that, and, knowing how against the trade up for Richardson he was in the first place, believed he did something similar. When Lombardi didn't appear in front of the media to announce the trade -- CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski spoke about it instead -- it only added to the furor against him.
But, it was later revealed that it was Banner himself who initiated the trade talks with Colts GM Ryan Grigson and owner Jim Irsay. Of course, Lombardi signed off on the deal, as did Chud and offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but the decision was Banner's to make, and he made it.
But the one thing that may have really put fans on board with this decision came from an unlikely source -- former team president Mike Holmgren.
Holmgren was in charge of the front office that made the decision to trade for Richardson and then acquire Weeden at No. 22. Many have felt that it was Holmgren himself that made the call to make the trade up with the Vikings to get Richardson and then overruled his GM at No. 22 to take Weeden.
After the sale to Jimmy Haslam III, Holmgren was on borrowed time. At first, Haslam and Banner allowed Holmgren to simply retire following the 2012 season. However, after a couple of stunts that didn't sit well, such as openly coveting the Cowboys coaching job (and then meeting with Jerry Jones on the field before the game while Haslam watched from his box) and then signing off on a promotion to hand out little white flags before the game against the Steelers (Banner put the kibosh on it after it was lambasted in the local media and by the fans), Holmgren was fired. His hand-picked coach (Pat Shurmur) and GM (Heckert) were shown the door the day after the 2012 season ended.
The day after the trade, Holmgren came on his favorite Seattle sports talk show hosted by a guy named Softy (seriously) and spouted off about how the Richardson trade was awful, how it was a "knee-jerk" reaction by the front office, how, if he was the head coach, he would have asked to be fired almost immediately, and then insinuated that Chud perhaps didn't have the backbone to confront Banner and Lombardi on the trade.
Considering that public perception (fueled by the media) that Holmgren was in Cleveland only to collect $40 million of Randy Lerner's money and had no interest in really putting a winner on the field (his moves speak for themselves, quite frankly), many believed that Holmgren didn't even have the right to speak out about it the move. As Terry Pluto wrote, Holmgren had the chance to be his own head coach on two separate occasions but decided against it both times, probably for ego-driven reasons, so the fact that he would make that "fire me or I quit" statement reeks of irony. Plus, by doing so, it shows how much of a coach you really are, when you factor in that there are 52 other guys in the locker room that count on you to lead them through thick and thin. It's a short-sighted move that shows the incredible ego and self-centeredness of Mike Holmgren.
Banner responded by taking the high road, saying that Holmgren "had his chance to run the Browns and now it's our turn." But, privately, he had to be thanking his lucky stars, because he got unintentional PR gold. Perhaps Holmgren, oblivious to the fact that most of the Cleveland fan base hated him by the time he left, felt that he was only stroking the fires of the Cleveland fan base against the men who ran him out of town. Instead, it only turned the fire back on Holmgren and allowed the fans to look deeper at the trade.
Maybe, just maybe, it was the right move after all.
Unfortunately, now fans have turned their attentions to the 2014 draft and are speculating on quarterbacks such as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Alabama's A.J. McCarron and how good they'd look in Brown and Orange next season and for the next 10 seasons. Most fans don't believe the Browns have a shot at winning. It doesn't look good when you're starting your third-string quarterback and a 32-year-old running back who was out of the league in Willis McGahee. But, perhaps this is something the team can rally around.
If Richardson was really the cancer that some have played him up to be, maybe it is addition by subtraction. Maybe the players play harder when they feel their jobs are on the line. Maybe Brian Hoyer turns out to be a decent quarterback capable of running the offense better than Weeden and getting the most out of his players. Maybe McGahee can put up similar numbers, or better, than Richardson did running behind this line. Who really knows.
It definitely puts Banner and Lombardi in the cross-hairs. Fans seemed willing to put up with the process of rebuilding with each regime, but a move like this really puts Banner and Lombardi under pressure to turn it around as soon as possible. They cannot miss on the 2014 draft. With 10 picks, they have the ammunition to get some good playmakers and add to the talent that is already here (and, there are some talented players here). But they cannot afford to draft the next Ryan Leaf or Blaine Gabbert or Tim Couch or David Carr or Christian Ponder or Brady Quinn. They have to find another Andrew Luck or Eli Manning or Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick -- a true, franchise difference-maker under center. Whether he's a dual threat or a pocket passer, he needs to possess the tools to elevate his game and his team to the next level. Luck has done it in Indianapolis, and Kaepernick took his 49ers to the Super Bowl after only starting half the season. They can't afford to wait on another Weeden, a guy with good tools but with bad tendencies that have hurt his game.
A lot of fans don't have faith in the front office, and why should they? Look at all the wasted draft picks the Browns have had since 1999. The only two first rounders that actually made a difference with this team were Joe Thomas and Joe Haden. Perhaps Phil Taylor can be included, but he's a nose tackle. And it's still too early to say if Barkevious Mingo can be included on that list, although he had a great debut last Sunday against Baltimore.
People remember the Lombardi drafts before the move, drafts that yielded future Hall of Famers such as Tommy Vardell, Craig Powell, Patrick Rowe, Antonio Langham, Derrick Alexander, Eric Zeier, Michael Bankson, etc. Only Eric Turner, Leroy Hoard and Steve Everitt could be said were worthy of their high-round selections by the Browns under Lombardi and Bill Belichick. However, they did have that team in the playoffs in 1994 with an 11-5 record and were 4-3 in 1995 before Modell announced the move, ripping the rug out from under them. So, maybe there is a method to their madness.
What the Browns do with this draft will prove that they made the right move. It's not about how Richardson does in Indianapolis or about how long of a career he has. Sure, those are factors. However, what the Browns turn that asset into will be the deciding factor as to whether the Browns made a great trade or not.
And, while most of us are irritated with the Browns right now, and some of us are seriously considering not renewing their season tickets next season, the fact is, deep down, we're all fans. We all want them to win each Sunday, bottom-line. We have every right to be angry and to be skeptical, just as we've been angry and skeptical about the Indians. But, at the end of the day, we want the Browns to be winners. That's all. Those of you who throw up their hands and decide to root for a different team now are nothing but front-runners anyway. You can decide to do housework and yardwork on your Sunday afternoons now; that's fine. But, deep down, you still care about them.
***
Which brings me to the Indians, who, despite being written off at least six different times this season, have found themselves right in the thick of the Wild Card chase in the American League.
If the season were to have ended Saturday, the Indians would be the second Wild Card team and would be travelling to Tampa to take on the Rays in a one-game playoff to decide who plays in the Division Series. Unfortunately for the Indians, they have seven more games to play, but still.
The majority of Indians fans didn't believe. Joe Cleveland will admit that I didn't, and part of me still doesn't believe that it can be done. But, do I want it to happen? Of course, I live in Cleveland!
Slowly bur surely, more and more fans who stayed away from the ballpark this year for reasons that were entirely valid and of their own accord are starting to get sucked into the playoff chase. Why wouldn't you? There's nothing like meaningful late September baseball, and it's been a long time since the Indians have played meaningful September games.
Some people have brought up the failed playoff chases of 2000 and 2005. During the "Era of Champions" and even during 2007, the Indians wrapped up their division titles by mid-September or by the last week of the season. Very rarely had they ever been in a true pennant race, and in the few times they had, they came up short.
In both 2000 and 2005, the Indians went into the last day of the regular season needing a win (or a win coupled with some losses) to clinch a wild card berth. Both times, they came up short. In 2000, the Indians won but wins by the Mariners and the A's bumped them out of the playoffs. In 2005, a 1-6 final week of the season, capped by a sweep at home by the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox, put a damper on a 93-win season that saw the Indians play a red-hot second-half to overcome a miserable April, only to choke it away.
While manager Terry Francona deserves the lion's share of the credit to turn this team into the playoff contenders that they are, people remember how Francona's Red Sox tenure ended two seasons ago, where they blew a huge lead in September and lost a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season amid allegations that Francona lost control of a wild clubhouse that loved to eat fried chicken and drink beer on a regular basis.
This team doesn't have a bonafide superstar. They only have one player with 20 or more home runs (Nick Swisher) and do not have a regular batting .300 or better. They've been missing their best pitcher (Justin Masterson) all month and their closer (Chris Perez) has had an off-year in every sense of the word. But, somehow, someway, they've gotten it done.
Starting Tuesday, the Indians, Rays and Rangers will go into a six-game sprint to the finish for two playoff spots, with the suddenly surging Royals still hot on their heels, along with the Orioles. The Indians will host the reeling White Sox (who they've owned all season) and travel to Minnesota to take on a Twins team that has struggled.
For whatever reason, this Indians team has struggled to capture the hearts of the local fanbase, probably because they've been burned so often by the Indians in recent memory. They remember how hot starts in April and May the last two years went up in flames in June, July and August. They remember how the Indians held a 3-1 lead on the Red Sox in the 2007 ALCS only to choke the series away. They remember the 2005 collapse. They remember the tenures of managers Eric Wedge and Manny Acta, and remember Mark Shapiro trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years for not much in return.
While the fans struggle to totally embrace this team, there have been a dedicated bunch that have stuck with this team through trial and tribulation, through Detroit sweep after Detroit sweep, all season long, never losing the faith. For that, Joe Cleveland tips his hat to you. If the Indians do make the Wild Card, even if they lose that game, you deserve to take a bow. Your faith was rewarded.
But, even if the Indians come up short, you can't deny that this was a successful season. The Indians clinched a winning record for the first time since 2007 and just the third time since 2002. They spent some money in the past offseason and could very well be proactive this offseason as well (they need to). They will have some dead money coming off the books that can be used for positive assets, and they do have some pieces (Perez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana) that could be moved for the right price that could help this team improve in other areas.
This season could very well be the cornerstone of something great. It may not happen this year. But they have the manager here that has proven he can do it, some players that can be built around and some assets to play with to make this team better. The Indians can't afford to let their window of opportunity slam in their face. I guarantee, if they have another positive offseason like they had last winter, you will see less green seats and more fans in the stands in 2014 at Progressive Field.
Until next time (whenver that is), remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Then, the nuclear bomb dropped on the Cleveland sports scene on a Wednesday evening that shook the foundation of every fan, whether you are a die-hard Browns fan, a season ticket holder or just a casual fan.
Trent Richardson, just one year after the Browns traded four picks to move up one spot in the 2012 draft to take him No. 3 overall, was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts for their 2014 first round selection.
So much for Joe Cleveland's semi-retirement.
My first reaction was shock -- Trent Richardson? Traded? Come on! Really, after two weeks? BS! -- then anger at the Browns. As a season ticket holder entering his fourth year with the Browns, I felt betrayed, gypped, lied to.
The Browns told everyone they planned on having a better product on the field for 2013. They spent money in free agency, brought in big-name coordinators to change the offensive and defensive culture and even tried to better the game-day experience at the stadium. After two games, when they deal the perceived top weapon in the offense, it sends the message that they are giving up on this season.
And, as someone who has already plunked down $900 for two tickets in the upper Dawg Pound, and knowing full well that I not only won't get full value for those tickets if I try to sell them, but also may not be able to rely on the usual cast of characters that usually buy one of the tickets off me for random games, I felt ripped off and very, very angry.
I also, against my better judgment, bought his jersey last year. The Browns caught me in a moment of weakness -- they had just beaten the hated Steelers, 20-14, and Richardson had played a key role in that monumental victory. So, in the Team Shop, I plunked down my hard earned money (using my 20 percent season ticket discount) and purchased a Richardson 33 jersey as a reminder of one of the best Browns games I had attended. Now, that jersey is useless because Richardson is gone so quickly.
It never fails. Every time I buy a jersey for a Browns player, they wind up getting traded or released or they retire. Chris Speilman, Tim Couch, Braylon Edwards, Peyton Hillis, Kamerion Wimbley, Josh Cribbs (although the Cribbs jersey is still pretty relevant, considering he played here for 8 seasons) and now Trent Richardson. Hopefully nothing happens to Joe Thomas within the next few seasons. Even when Mrs. Joe Cleveland wins me a signed Grady Sizemore Indians jersey in a silent auction for charity, Sizemore immediately stops playing baseball, so it's not just with the Browns.
And, I'll admit to being a fan of Trent Richardson. I thought he'd be the workhorse running back that we've been aiming for since the days of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner. All the Browns fans have this notion of "smash-mouth" football as being "Browns football." Unfortunately, those days in the NFL are gone. It's a passing league now, and while it's helpful to have a good running game, running backs just aren't as valuable to the offense anymore.
That's why many questioned the move to trade up for Richardson and then wait until the 22nd pick to take their "franchise quarterback," which was Brandon Weeden. Weeden, who was 28 when he was drafted, is already injured after taking a beating in his first two games this season and may never take a snap again if North Olmsted's Brian Hoyer has any semblance of a good game today against the Vikings.
So, while I was initially very upset about the Richardson trade, cooler head's prevailed. I listened as the national media universally praised the Browns for making this deal, as they felt that getting a first rounder for a running back (a running back with injury problems that only rushed for 3.6-yards per carry) was a steal. They also felt this gives the Browns great ammunition to get the franchise quarterback they have, arguably, never had since Bernie Kosar in the first round of the 2014 Draft -- a draft that looks to be a very quarterback-heavy draft.
Even the local media -- most of whom do not care for Browns general manager Mike Lombardi -- gave the Browns kudos on the move. They quoted players as saying that Richardson was immature, was aloof, wasn't a good teammate, etc. Scott Fujita, as respected a player as they come who was a Browns captain the last two seasons, was not shy about his feelings on Richardson, saying that he needed to do some growing up and that a lot of his teammates were tired of his act. Even though he played through injuries, some felt that he played those injuries up to show how "heroic" he was. Some even questioned his desire to even play for the Browns.
At any rate, it sends a message to the locker room that no one player is above the team and that ANYONE can be shipped out or dropped. Let's just say the message was received.
On a day that began with the news that Hoyer was going to become the 19th starting quarterback since 1999 and that Greg Little lost his starting job to Davone Bess because of his drops and off-the-field problems, those stories were destroyed by the Richardson trade. It was arguably the most polarizing move the Browns have made since they released Kosar in November of 1993.
With one person in common on both of those transactions, Browns' fans vitriol turned to Mike Lombardi. Lombardi was the guy who spliced together a video of Kosar lowlights and mistakes and took it to Art Modell as evidence that he needed to be released. Many fans never forgave him for that, and, knowing how against the trade up for Richardson he was in the first place, believed he did something similar. When Lombardi didn't appear in front of the media to announce the trade -- CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski spoke about it instead -- it only added to the furor against him.
But, it was later revealed that it was Banner himself who initiated the trade talks with Colts GM Ryan Grigson and owner Jim Irsay. Of course, Lombardi signed off on the deal, as did Chud and offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but the decision was Banner's to make, and he made it.
But the one thing that may have really put fans on board with this decision came from an unlikely source -- former team president Mike Holmgren.
Holmgren was in charge of the front office that made the decision to trade for Richardson and then acquire Weeden at No. 22. Many have felt that it was Holmgren himself that made the call to make the trade up with the Vikings to get Richardson and then overruled his GM at No. 22 to take Weeden.
After the sale to Jimmy Haslam III, Holmgren was on borrowed time. At first, Haslam and Banner allowed Holmgren to simply retire following the 2012 season. However, after a couple of stunts that didn't sit well, such as openly coveting the Cowboys coaching job (and then meeting with Jerry Jones on the field before the game while Haslam watched from his box) and then signing off on a promotion to hand out little white flags before the game against the Steelers (Banner put the kibosh on it after it was lambasted in the local media and by the fans), Holmgren was fired. His hand-picked coach (Pat Shurmur) and GM (Heckert) were shown the door the day after the 2012 season ended.
The day after the trade, Holmgren came on his favorite Seattle sports talk show hosted by a guy named Softy (seriously) and spouted off about how the Richardson trade was awful, how it was a "knee-jerk" reaction by the front office, how, if he was the head coach, he would have asked to be fired almost immediately, and then insinuated that Chud perhaps didn't have the backbone to confront Banner and Lombardi on the trade.
Considering that public perception (fueled by the media) that Holmgren was in Cleveland only to collect $40 million of Randy Lerner's money and had no interest in really putting a winner on the field (his moves speak for themselves, quite frankly), many believed that Holmgren didn't even have the right to speak out about it the move. As Terry Pluto wrote, Holmgren had the chance to be his own head coach on two separate occasions but decided against it both times, probably for ego-driven reasons, so the fact that he would make that "fire me or I quit" statement reeks of irony. Plus, by doing so, it shows how much of a coach you really are, when you factor in that there are 52 other guys in the locker room that count on you to lead them through thick and thin. It's a short-sighted move that shows the incredible ego and self-centeredness of Mike Holmgren.
Banner responded by taking the high road, saying that Holmgren "had his chance to run the Browns and now it's our turn." But, privately, he had to be thanking his lucky stars, because he got unintentional PR gold. Perhaps Holmgren, oblivious to the fact that most of the Cleveland fan base hated him by the time he left, felt that he was only stroking the fires of the Cleveland fan base against the men who ran him out of town. Instead, it only turned the fire back on Holmgren and allowed the fans to look deeper at the trade.
Maybe, just maybe, it was the right move after all.
Unfortunately, now fans have turned their attentions to the 2014 draft and are speculating on quarterbacks such as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Alabama's A.J. McCarron and how good they'd look in Brown and Orange next season and for the next 10 seasons. Most fans don't believe the Browns have a shot at winning. It doesn't look good when you're starting your third-string quarterback and a 32-year-old running back who was out of the league in Willis McGahee. But, perhaps this is something the team can rally around.
If Richardson was really the cancer that some have played him up to be, maybe it is addition by subtraction. Maybe the players play harder when they feel their jobs are on the line. Maybe Brian Hoyer turns out to be a decent quarterback capable of running the offense better than Weeden and getting the most out of his players. Maybe McGahee can put up similar numbers, or better, than Richardson did running behind this line. Who really knows.
It definitely puts Banner and Lombardi in the cross-hairs. Fans seemed willing to put up with the process of rebuilding with each regime, but a move like this really puts Banner and Lombardi under pressure to turn it around as soon as possible. They cannot miss on the 2014 draft. With 10 picks, they have the ammunition to get some good playmakers and add to the talent that is already here (and, there are some talented players here). But they cannot afford to draft the next Ryan Leaf or Blaine Gabbert or Tim Couch or David Carr or Christian Ponder or Brady Quinn. They have to find another Andrew Luck or Eli Manning or Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick -- a true, franchise difference-maker under center. Whether he's a dual threat or a pocket passer, he needs to possess the tools to elevate his game and his team to the next level. Luck has done it in Indianapolis, and Kaepernick took his 49ers to the Super Bowl after only starting half the season. They can't afford to wait on another Weeden, a guy with good tools but with bad tendencies that have hurt his game.
A lot of fans don't have faith in the front office, and why should they? Look at all the wasted draft picks the Browns have had since 1999. The only two first rounders that actually made a difference with this team were Joe Thomas and Joe Haden. Perhaps Phil Taylor can be included, but he's a nose tackle. And it's still too early to say if Barkevious Mingo can be included on that list, although he had a great debut last Sunday against Baltimore.
People remember the Lombardi drafts before the move, drafts that yielded future Hall of Famers such as Tommy Vardell, Craig Powell, Patrick Rowe, Antonio Langham, Derrick Alexander, Eric Zeier, Michael Bankson, etc. Only Eric Turner, Leroy Hoard and Steve Everitt could be said were worthy of their high-round selections by the Browns under Lombardi and Bill Belichick. However, they did have that team in the playoffs in 1994 with an 11-5 record and were 4-3 in 1995 before Modell announced the move, ripping the rug out from under them. So, maybe there is a method to their madness.
What the Browns do with this draft will prove that they made the right move. It's not about how Richardson does in Indianapolis or about how long of a career he has. Sure, those are factors. However, what the Browns turn that asset into will be the deciding factor as to whether the Browns made a great trade or not.
And, while most of us are irritated with the Browns right now, and some of us are seriously considering not renewing their season tickets next season, the fact is, deep down, we're all fans. We all want them to win each Sunday, bottom-line. We have every right to be angry and to be skeptical, just as we've been angry and skeptical about the Indians. But, at the end of the day, we want the Browns to be winners. That's all. Those of you who throw up their hands and decide to root for a different team now are nothing but front-runners anyway. You can decide to do housework and yardwork on your Sunday afternoons now; that's fine. But, deep down, you still care about them.
***
Which brings me to the Indians, who, despite being written off at least six different times this season, have found themselves right in the thick of the Wild Card chase in the American League.
If the season were to have ended Saturday, the Indians would be the second Wild Card team and would be travelling to Tampa to take on the Rays in a one-game playoff to decide who plays in the Division Series. Unfortunately for the Indians, they have seven more games to play, but still.
The majority of Indians fans didn't believe. Joe Cleveland will admit that I didn't, and part of me still doesn't believe that it can be done. But, do I want it to happen? Of course, I live in Cleveland!
Slowly bur surely, more and more fans who stayed away from the ballpark this year for reasons that were entirely valid and of their own accord are starting to get sucked into the playoff chase. Why wouldn't you? There's nothing like meaningful late September baseball, and it's been a long time since the Indians have played meaningful September games.
Some people have brought up the failed playoff chases of 2000 and 2005. During the "Era of Champions" and even during 2007, the Indians wrapped up their division titles by mid-September or by the last week of the season. Very rarely had they ever been in a true pennant race, and in the few times they had, they came up short.
In both 2000 and 2005, the Indians went into the last day of the regular season needing a win (or a win coupled with some losses) to clinch a wild card berth. Both times, they came up short. In 2000, the Indians won but wins by the Mariners and the A's bumped them out of the playoffs. In 2005, a 1-6 final week of the season, capped by a sweep at home by the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox, put a damper on a 93-win season that saw the Indians play a red-hot second-half to overcome a miserable April, only to choke it away.
While manager Terry Francona deserves the lion's share of the credit to turn this team into the playoff contenders that they are, people remember how Francona's Red Sox tenure ended two seasons ago, where they blew a huge lead in September and lost a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season amid allegations that Francona lost control of a wild clubhouse that loved to eat fried chicken and drink beer on a regular basis.
This team doesn't have a bonafide superstar. They only have one player with 20 or more home runs (Nick Swisher) and do not have a regular batting .300 or better. They've been missing their best pitcher (Justin Masterson) all month and their closer (Chris Perez) has had an off-year in every sense of the word. But, somehow, someway, they've gotten it done.
Starting Tuesday, the Indians, Rays and Rangers will go into a six-game sprint to the finish for two playoff spots, with the suddenly surging Royals still hot on their heels, along with the Orioles. The Indians will host the reeling White Sox (who they've owned all season) and travel to Minnesota to take on a Twins team that has struggled.
For whatever reason, this Indians team has struggled to capture the hearts of the local fanbase, probably because they've been burned so often by the Indians in recent memory. They remember how hot starts in April and May the last two years went up in flames in June, July and August. They remember how the Indians held a 3-1 lead on the Red Sox in the 2007 ALCS only to choke the series away. They remember the 2005 collapse. They remember the tenures of managers Eric Wedge and Manny Acta, and remember Mark Shapiro trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years for not much in return.
While the fans struggle to totally embrace this team, there have been a dedicated bunch that have stuck with this team through trial and tribulation, through Detroit sweep after Detroit sweep, all season long, never losing the faith. For that, Joe Cleveland tips his hat to you. If the Indians do make the Wild Card, even if they lose that game, you deserve to take a bow. Your faith was rewarded.
But, even if the Indians come up short, you can't deny that this was a successful season. The Indians clinched a winning record for the first time since 2007 and just the third time since 2002. They spent some money in the past offseason and could very well be proactive this offseason as well (they need to). They will have some dead money coming off the books that can be used for positive assets, and they do have some pieces (Perez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana) that could be moved for the right price that could help this team improve in other areas.
This season could very well be the cornerstone of something great. It may not happen this year. But they have the manager here that has proven he can do it, some players that can be built around and some assets to play with to make this team better. The Indians can't afford to let their window of opportunity slam in their face. I guarantee, if they have another positive offseason like they had last winter, you will see less green seats and more fans in the stands in 2014 at Progressive Field.
Until next time (whenver that is), remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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