So, the Indians began another Major League Baseball season with a whimper. Despite outscoring the White Sox 9-1 over the final five innings, they lost to perennial Opening Day nemesis Chicago White Sox, 15-10. Yes, that means they spotted Obama's favorite team a 14-0 lead.
Indians fans sold out Progressive Field for the 18th straight Opening Day. Most of them left when Chicago's lead swelled to 14-0. Ninety percent of them didn't return for the following day's 8-3 loss to the White Sox.
One year after finishing last in the American League in total attendance, the Indians drew a record-low 9,000 fans to the ballpark in Jacobs/Progressive Field's history. You'd have to go back 20 years to find an attendance figure that low, and that was when they were still playing in the old Cleveland Stadium.
Apathy for the Indians is at an all-time high. Fans look at the Tribe's roster and can't recognize half of the guys on there (which didn't help when they decided not to put last names on their "special" jersies they wore for the opener). Some guys are has-beens. Most are never-weres.
So, what is the cause of the general disdain for the Indians, the oldest professional sports team in Cleveland and the one who drew a then-record 455 sellout crowds to Jacobs Field during a tremendous run of great baseball in the 1990s-early 2000s? Well, Joe Cleveland can examine them right here:
1. Tribe owner Larry Dolan: Prior to 1997, Larry Dolan was an anonymous Cleveland-area attorney. However, when Art Modell moved the Browns and the NFL announced they would bring the Browns back as an expansion team, Dolan suddenly became interested in owning them.
Getting some investors behind him, Dolan's group quickly emerged as one of the early favorites to purchase the team. Alas, they were outbid by Modell's former silent partner, billionaire Al Lerner, for a then-record NFL franshise selling price of $530 million. Instead of fading back into obscurity, Dolan got frandhise fever.
Shortly after the Browns came back, Tribe owner Dick Jacobs announced that he was selling the team. The man regarded as the guy who saved baseball in Cleveland and presided over some of the best times in franshise history was ready to cut bait. Quickly, Dolan showed an interest.
Jacobs, who bought the Tribe for just $60 million, sold the team to the Dolans for a whopping $324 million in 2000. At the time, that was the second-largest selling price in MLB history. Dolan inherited a team that was starting to get a little long in the tooth with three of the largest payrolls in team history and a wizard GM who was ready to leave the team behind.
Dolan, who immediately proclaimed that he expected his teams to win "multiple World Series titles," quickly had those words come back to bite him in the ass. His first challenge was trying to re-sign Manny Ramirez, who bolted for the greener pastures of the Boston Red Sox. The Indians qualified for the postseason in 2001 under Charlie Manuel, but got off to a slow start in 2002. New GM Mark Shapiro decided to fire Manuel, who went on to win a World Series title as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, and traded Hall of Fame second baseman Robbie Alomar to the Mets.
Then, it got worse. After another slow start in 2003 under rookie manager Eric Wedge, Dolan signed off on the trade of ace starter Bartolo Colon for three minor leaguers and a journeyman first baseman named Lee Stevens. Tribe fans who were used to playoff contenders revolted and complained. However, those three minor leaguers became Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips, which made Shapiro a "genius."
Dolan failed to re-sign fan favorite Jim Thome, making him a low-ball offer that he rebuffed. The team made more prospect trades and cut payroll, as Dolan was losing money hand over fist.
The rebuilding on the cheap method worked in 2007, when the Tribe won the Central Division (led by a lot of those prospects), eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS and took a 3-1 lead over the Red Sox in the ALCS. However, the Tribe choked and dropped three consecutive games, losing a World Series bid and sending the team into a downward spiral.
Dolan claimed he'd "spend money when the time was right." However, time and time again, Dolan never did. He never made a big splash in free agency, usually signing a castoff, oft-injured pitcher for an incentive-laden deal in the hopes that that pitcher would find his mojo again. And, with a team that was so close to a World Series, Dolan didn't improve the team and they faltered in 2008.
Since then, he greenlighted more payroll-slashing trades of ace pitchers CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, and catcher Victor Martinez. He and his son blamed the fans, who were staying away from the park in droves, as the reason why they were cutting costs and rebuilding again. Fans who weren't happy about the team's direction and trying to justify spending their hard-earned cash on Progressive Field responded by completely ignoring his team.
It's resulted in Dolan trying to make money in other ways. The Snow Days promotion, in which they turned the stadium into a Winter fun park, wound up being a bust. Their latest idea is to stage a country music concert during midseason.
Fans are tired of Dolan's excuses for not making his baseball team better. They remember a guy who wanted to win "multiple World Series titles" and wonder where that guy went. They think he overspent to buy the Tribe and ran out of money. They are tired of seeing a loser baseball team with a bunch of unknown guys and are hitting Dolan in the one place he cares about -- his wallet.
2. A losing culture: The Browns wound up 5-11 for the second year in a row under Eric Mangini, which resulted in a coaching change and a change in overall philosophy (and another feared rebuilding of the roster). The Cavs had nothing to show for back-to-back seasons of 60-plus wins, lost LeQuitter James in a nationally-televised embarassment and bumbled their way to an NBA-record losing streak and the worst record in the league. Fan optimism is at an all-time low. And, the Indians, who have been perpetual slow-starters, begin the season with two blowout losses to a bitter rival.
That doesn't help. The Tribe needs to win and win fast if they want to regain fans' trust. This city is dying for a winner, any winner, and would quickly glom on to whoever that is. Instead, the Indians' Class AAA roster is getting lit by by White Sox hitters and failing to generate any offense when it matters. And, so, by the end of the week, the Indians will probably be completely ignored until they make their next cost-cutting trade.
3. Local competition: As the Indians stumbled and bumbled their way through the last decade, several minor league teams have popped up in close proximity of Cleveland. Two of them -- the Class AA Akron Aeros and Class A Lake County Captains -- are affiliated with the Indians. The Lake Erie Crushers, playing in nearby Avon, are in the independent Frontier League. Going 200 miles south, the AAA Columbus Clippers just built a new stadium and became affiliated with the Tribe. All four teams have brand-new stadiums. All four teams have recently been winning (Crushers and Aeros league titles in 2009, Captains a league title in 2010). All four teams are offering affordable ticket and parking prices for fans to watch baseball in more intimate surroundings.
If Joe Cleveland wanted to take his family out to a baseball game, do you think he'd want to drive into Downtown Cleveland, spend $25 to park, $20 per ticket and much more on concessions and other things? Or, would he stay closer to home and go to Eastlake or Avon or Akron and spend a fraction of that, get a better seat, and probably be just as, if not more, entertained there than by what he'd see by the Indians? I think Joe Cleveland would want to spend minor league money on a minor league team instead of major league money for a minor league team.
The Indians are essentially competing with themselves, and their farm teams are capturing more fan interest than the parent club.
4. The state of baseball: Baseball hasn't been too great for its fans on a national scope lately.
Baseball is finally putting a messy Steroid Era behind them, that stained some of the best records and best known players in the game for many years. Baseball economics are a mess. Because there is no salary cap and very limited revenue sharing, big market teams can spend as much money as they want to field great teams. Meanwhile, other teams can spend as little money as they want. Teams like the Indians, for example.
Fans think the idea of an exhibition game for fun deciding which league has home-field advantage in the World Series is stupid, but the league doesn't listen. Fans were angry about steroids in baseball, but baseball turned a blind eye to it for far too long and are still paying the price for it. Fans look at a business model like the NFL (hard salary cap, revenue sharing among all 32 teams) and wonder why that wouldn't work in baseball and baseball continues to ignore it. Fans see instant replay work in football, basketball and hockey and wonder why they have to deal with tons of blown umpiring calls in big games when the technology is there to make sure those don't happen, and baseball sticks its head in the sand.
And, fans see an organization that plays by two different sets of rules in two leagues, then tries to have those two leagues play each other without changing the rules to make all the games uniform, and wonder what clown is actually running this thing and how hard is it to decide to use a DH for all 30 teams or let the pitchers bat for all 30.
It's things like this that soil the fans' perspective on the the game of baseball, and why football has lapped it in popularity and basketball is close to passing it as well.
5. A different time: The Indians went from a pennent-contender in the 1950s to a doormat in the 1960s, 70s and 80s because of poor trades and poor decisions that set the franchise back many years. Fans of those teams eventually treated those teams like "Loveable Losers" and kind of embraced them in a way.
Then, Jacobs Field opened, talent was finally developed, competant people ran the front office, and the Indians became on of the best teams in the American League. They reached two World Series (losing both) and made the playoffs four straight years and five times in a six-year span. Winning spoiled the fan base.
This generation of fans isn't ready to embrace a group of "Loveable Losers" like the fans in the 1970s and 80s did. With ESPN showing every highlight, every game becomes national news, so the pressure to win is greater. Fans don't like to see their city embarassed on ESPN every night by a poor showing.
Besides, the Browns will always be top-dog in this town who finally have some competant people running things. The Cavs were the flavor of the month with LeQuitter on the team, but appear to have some ducks in a row for a rebuilding effort thanks to some great trades. Even as those two leagues enter some uncertain labor times that could (and have) resulted in lockouts, baseball appears to be a distant third among local fans.
Winning solves a lot of things. But, this perfect storm of ingredients may cause this team to lose its fan base permanently until they begin to fix those things. For this year, it appears fixing these things is waayyy off.
Joe Cleveland can only shake his head and hope the NFL ends its lockout so the Browns can comeback, because it's going to be a miserable summer for the Wahoo Warriors.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Putting the 'Quit' in LeQuit
Joe Cleveland would like to say that he is keeping his talents where they belong -- right here in Cleveland.
That being said, Joe Cleveland surely felt like every Cleveland sports fan did Tuesday night watching the Cavs dominate LeQuitter and his talent-stealing, shuckin-and-jivin, "Oh Yes We Did" Miami Heat, picking up their only double-digit win of the 2010-11 season in the process.
If it felt good for the Cavs to beat the Celtics in the season opener a night after the Celts beat the Heat, if it felt better that the Cavs shook off a 55-point loss on the road to the defending NBA champion Lakers by beating them at home, this one was for the soul.
Cavs 102, Heat 90.
Oh, Yes We Did! Let's shuck-and-jive, Cleveland fans, because if anyone deserves to hear about it, it's LeQuitter, his partners in crime and all the front-running fans that live in Miami and South Beach who have no idea what being a true sports fan is all about.
It was a thing of beauty. The smile on my face hasn't been wiped off, and I'll probably still be smiling come Wednesday, Thursday and even Friday.
And, how fitting was it that Joe Tait, in only his second game back in his radio perch, got to call this one. Anyone who's anyone had to feel good about that, and had to enjoy his call of this game (which I was able to do for two quarters).
Oh, Yes We Did!
To quote Dan Gilbert, "Not in our garage!!!"
Maybe it was a good omen that LeQuitter wasn't allowed in The Q for the morning session with his entourage in tow and had to stay in the garage.
Maybe it was a good omen that LeQuitter decided not to show up for his pregame introduction (and usual boos from the sellout crowd), instead walking to the bench under the cover of darkness while the Cavs were introduced.
Maybe it was a good omen that the Cavs were able to dominate the Heat despite a very quiet triple-double from LeQuitter.
I always thought that, in order for the Heat to be considered a legitimate team, they'd need someone other than Wade, Bosh or LeQuitter. They got that Tuesday night when Mike Bibby made a bunch of wide-open 3-pointers and scored 20 points. However, they didn't play defense, and the Cavs exploited it with a great team effort.
How about Anthony Parker making 7-of-9 shots, including all four from 3-point range. How about Baron Davis making his first start as a Cav and making a great buzzer-beating 3-pointer at halftime, finishing with 12 points and 8 assists. How about J.J. Hickson scoring 24 and pulling down double-digit rebounds.
And, how about Ryan Hollins giving LeBron some "love taps" tonight, setting the tone early that the Cavs weren't going to be pushed around and weren't going to be "pals" this time. Hollins outplayed the overrated Snoop Dogg lookalike Chris Bosh all night long.
And, is Z still a member of the Heat? Didn't notice him ... just like his final few years with the Cavs (ZING!)
Yes, the Heat will make the playoffs this year, and the Cavs are still the front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. However, maybe a win like this is just what the doctor ordered. LeQuitter and his Heat embarassed the Cavs when they came to town on Dec. 2, which led to the 26-game losing streak and fans simply turning their backs on this team.
Tuesday, fans wanted to believe that the Cavs would give LeQuitter a taste of his own medicine. For that belief, we were rewarded with a victory.
Leave it to ESPN to throw in some digs about the Cavs' long losing streak and that bad Dec. 2 game as they threw up highlights of this game. ESPN always has to try to take Cleveland down a peg. Unfortunately, your weak attempts didn't work. ESPN should get off the Heat bandwagon, because there's no way that "team" is going to win an NBA championship this year. Dare I say it, I'll agree with Dan Gilbert on this one -- I don't think the Heat will win an NBA championship within the next six years (the length of the contracts of LeQuitter, Wade and Bosh).
Cleveland and the Cavs got the last laugh over LeQuitter in 2010-11. No one can take that away. It wasn't by a fluke buzzer-beater or anything like that. This was a beatdown, throughly.
And, with a healthy Baron Davis and Antawn Jamison next year, along with some impact rookies, you've got to be excited about 2011-12 for the Cavs. They won't be championship-calibur. But, playoff-calibur? As a lower-seeded team? Don't be surprised.
I'll leave LeQuitter with this one -- Ain't karma a bitch?
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
That being said, Joe Cleveland surely felt like every Cleveland sports fan did Tuesday night watching the Cavs dominate LeQuitter and his talent-stealing, shuckin-and-jivin, "Oh Yes We Did" Miami Heat, picking up their only double-digit win of the 2010-11 season in the process.
If it felt good for the Cavs to beat the Celtics in the season opener a night after the Celts beat the Heat, if it felt better that the Cavs shook off a 55-point loss on the road to the defending NBA champion Lakers by beating them at home, this one was for the soul.
Cavs 102, Heat 90.
Oh, Yes We Did! Let's shuck-and-jive, Cleveland fans, because if anyone deserves to hear about it, it's LeQuitter, his partners in crime and all the front-running fans that live in Miami and South Beach who have no idea what being a true sports fan is all about.
It was a thing of beauty. The smile on my face hasn't been wiped off, and I'll probably still be smiling come Wednesday, Thursday and even Friday.
And, how fitting was it that Joe Tait, in only his second game back in his radio perch, got to call this one. Anyone who's anyone had to feel good about that, and had to enjoy his call of this game (which I was able to do for two quarters).
Oh, Yes We Did!
To quote Dan Gilbert, "Not in our garage!!!"
Maybe it was a good omen that LeQuitter wasn't allowed in The Q for the morning session with his entourage in tow and had to stay in the garage.
Maybe it was a good omen that LeQuitter decided not to show up for his pregame introduction (and usual boos from the sellout crowd), instead walking to the bench under the cover of darkness while the Cavs were introduced.
Maybe it was a good omen that the Cavs were able to dominate the Heat despite a very quiet triple-double from LeQuitter.
I always thought that, in order for the Heat to be considered a legitimate team, they'd need someone other than Wade, Bosh or LeQuitter. They got that Tuesday night when Mike Bibby made a bunch of wide-open 3-pointers and scored 20 points. However, they didn't play defense, and the Cavs exploited it with a great team effort.
How about Anthony Parker making 7-of-9 shots, including all four from 3-point range. How about Baron Davis making his first start as a Cav and making a great buzzer-beating 3-pointer at halftime, finishing with 12 points and 8 assists. How about J.J. Hickson scoring 24 and pulling down double-digit rebounds.
And, how about Ryan Hollins giving LeBron some "love taps" tonight, setting the tone early that the Cavs weren't going to be pushed around and weren't going to be "pals" this time. Hollins outplayed the overrated Snoop Dogg lookalike Chris Bosh all night long.
And, is Z still a member of the Heat? Didn't notice him ... just like his final few years with the Cavs (ZING!)
Yes, the Heat will make the playoffs this year, and the Cavs are still the front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. However, maybe a win like this is just what the doctor ordered. LeQuitter and his Heat embarassed the Cavs when they came to town on Dec. 2, which led to the 26-game losing streak and fans simply turning their backs on this team.
Tuesday, fans wanted to believe that the Cavs would give LeQuitter a taste of his own medicine. For that belief, we were rewarded with a victory.
Leave it to ESPN to throw in some digs about the Cavs' long losing streak and that bad Dec. 2 game as they threw up highlights of this game. ESPN always has to try to take Cleveland down a peg. Unfortunately, your weak attempts didn't work. ESPN should get off the Heat bandwagon, because there's no way that "team" is going to win an NBA championship this year. Dare I say it, I'll agree with Dan Gilbert on this one -- I don't think the Heat will win an NBA championship within the next six years (the length of the contracts of LeQuitter, Wade and Bosh).
Cleveland and the Cavs got the last laugh over LeQuitter in 2010-11. No one can take that away. It wasn't by a fluke buzzer-beater or anything like that. This was a beatdown, throughly.
And, with a healthy Baron Davis and Antawn Jamison next year, along with some impact rookies, you've got to be excited about 2011-12 for the Cavs. They won't be championship-calibur. But, playoff-calibur? As a lower-seeded team? Don't be surprised.
I'll leave LeQuitter with this one -- Ain't karma a bitch?
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Back with a vengeance
No, I'm not talking about LeQuitter, who comes back to The Q tonight for the second time as a member of the visiting team. I'm talking about Joe Cleveland and his blog coming back after a few weeks of silence. I apologize for that.
There's been an awful lot to talk about in the world of local sports. The last thing I sounded off on was the fall from grace of legendary Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel and his lies that may wind up costing his program a lot more than five games without a few star players and their head coach. And, I have more thoughts about this, which I will share a little bit later.
But first, I wanted to give a plug to an old friend and co-worker of mine, Pete, who writes his own blog about the Browns, The Blawg Pound (http://www.blawgpound.com/). Pete decided to interview people he knew who were Browns fans and ask them just what it is about the Browns that is so-damn loveable for us. One of the people he chose was me. My interview will probably be published in the next week or so.
Speaking of the Browns, a lot of people I know have been asking for my opinions on the NFL lockout. Well, as an NFL fan, it sucks because of the real threat of there being no football this fall on Sundays (and random other days). Now what am I going to do on Sundays without watching the Browns or running my fantasy football teams? I'm not looking forward to that prospect.
To be honest, though, I'm not too worried about a lockout at this point. Right now, it seems to be a lot of posturing between the players and owners. No games have been cancelled at this point. The only thing on hold is offseason training sessions and free agency. If the lockout drags into the summer, then I think we as fans can start being worried.
Now, teams that have made coaching changes appear to be the most behind the 8-ball when it comes to the lockout, because the new staff is not allowed to have any contact with the players and vice-versa. They can't learn the playbook or workout or just be around the new personnel. That, and it delays the addition of new players as free agents who may be more knowledgable about the new schemes and philosophies being brought in by the new coaching staff.
With the Browns, they are doing new offensive (West Coast) and defensive (4-3) schemes. I am very happy about both of these changes after watching the team allow opposing offenses to run roughshod through their weak 3-4 and that clunker of an offfense they were trotting out under Crennel and Mangini. However, other than Par Shurmer slipping Colt McCoy his new playbook just before the lockout occurred (which apparently got the Browns fined for illegal contact with a player, whatever that means), the team can't start learning the new philosophies yet.
Actually, these players have probably seen it all at this point, from college and the pros. It's the terminology that is different and unique, and something that the players say is the biggest thing that needs learned and worked on.
I still hold out optimism that an agreement will be reached by May or June and the NFL will back up and running shortly after and no games will be postponed. With all the litigation going on, though, we'll see what happens.
***
Speaking of Tressel, he was probably the biggest OSU hoops fan this March, and not just because he wanted the school's team to succeed. The hoops team was serving as a nice distraction from Tressel's own trevails. The more the team won, the less OSU fans could think about their disgraced football coach and the mess he is bringing onto their beloved team.
But, the Buckeyes got stunned by Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round, ending their season and their title hopes (which I believe were legitimate this year, especially with the way this tournament has played out with all of the upsets). And, just like that, a so-called Buckeye Nation turns its lonely eyes to you, Mr. Tressel and your moronic bosses Gene Smith and Gordon Gee.
On the very day Thad Matta's team was a William Buford bricked 3-pointer away from staying alive in the NCAA Tournament, word came out that Tressel wasn't being completely honest when he said he kept the e-miails about Tattoo-Gate to himself. He also told one of the closest confidants and advisors of Terrrelle Pryor.
Smith claims that Tressel told them about it, but it just continues to look worse and worse for the Sweater Vest. Even his attempt to make his suspension match his players' suspensions (which, no surprise, were upheld by the NCAA) and sit out the first five games next season seem like a weak attempt at gaining leniency from the NCAA.
As I said before, I love Ohio State football, and I am a big fan of Tressel because of his ability to win football games (at least most of them), especially games over Michigan. However, I can't say I'm surprised about these allegations, and it just gets more and more disappointing.
Something tells me the rumor that Urban Meyer will take over the Ohio State football program in 2012 will continue to grow legs as more and more comes out about this Tressel ordeal. And, I have a feeling the 2010 season will be forfeited (except the Sugar Bowl win, since the NCAA cleared the players to play) because Tressel knowingly played a QB and a WR who broke NCAA rules in every game without telling anyone.
And, I can't be the only one who hopes Pryor never takes another snap for Ohio State again. Now, we can only hope Braxton Miller is the real deal.
***
I caught Cleveland State's two NIT games at the Wolstein Center last week. I have to say, I was not only disappointed by the play of the Vikings in both games, Joe Cleveland was also disappointed about the crowds.
Both games (which were played around NCAA Tourney games being held at The Q that also featured Ohio State) drew barely 2,500 people or less. Of course, CSU was on spring break, which limited any type of student section. And, it surprised me that more basketball fans wouldn't pony up the $10 just to see tournament basketball, even if it is the NIT.
With NBA scouts on hand, Norris Cole had a good game against Vermont without much help, and an average game against the College of Charleston despite a little more help. Center Aaron Pogue was being his usual stiff self against Vermont, almost single-handedly costing them the game against the underdog Catamounts. However, he played much better against Charleston, so I give him credit.
What cost CSU wasn't their defense, which held heralded point guard Andrew Goudelock to well under his season average of 22 points and, without a bunch of late free throws, would have held him to under double-digits. It was sudden inability to hit a 3-pointer. Tim Kamczyc connected on a trey early in the game, and then the Vikings proceeded to miss the remaining 24 shots behind the arc. They make even half of those attempts, and CSU is hosting a quarterfinal game against Wichita State with a berth in the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden on the line.
Despite the loss to Charleston, you can't deny what a great season it was for CSU basketball. And, with only Cole being lost to graduation and a good incoming freshman class, Gary Waters' bunch should continue to challenge for the top spot in the Horizon League.
Speaking of the Horizon League, did anyone see Butler making another run at the Final Four prior to this NCAA Tournament? I certainly didn't. You got to give the Bulldogs credit. And, if they can beat VCU (which could happen), a second-straight title game will be in the cards against a much easier opponent than Duke last year (Kentucky and UConn are both beatable teams).
***
Spring Training is about to wrap up for the Indians, and the season opens up at the end of this week. Meanwhile, we still are having 30-degree days (at least it isn't snowing, knock on wood).
Judging by the lack of talent on the Indians, it wouldn't surprise me if the team opened up as cold as the weather, like they have normally done since John Hart left as GM and Mark Shapiro fired eventual World Series-winning manager Charlie Manuel.
A story came out that the Indians payroll is at its lowest in many years. Congratulations, Dolans, on that feat. I'm sure you're proud.
Another cost-cutting decision may bite the Indians, as projected third baseman Jason Donald will miss the start of the season with an injury. Instead of promoting rookie Lonnie Chisenhall, who had a red-hot spring, the Indians will go with journeyman Jack Hanahann at third to start the year.
They claim that they want to give Chisenhall some seasoning at Triple-A Columbus, but the real reason is they don't want to kick start his major league service time, which would kick up his arbitration date. It's the same thing that happened last year with Carlos Santana, and they are doing it again with Chisenhall.
It's about time Paul and Larry started not to worry about the bottom line and started to worry about putting a winning team on the field that Cleveland fans (like Joe Cleveland) can care about and root for. That starts by giving one of the prospects fans have been hearing about for years (like Chisenhall) a major league job and seeing what he can do. Certainly, he's an upgrade of Jack Hanahann.
But, as long as they worry more about the bottom line and about things like Snow Days and the Indians Country Music Fest (or whatever it is they're calling it), they will continue to see empty green seats in their Progressive Field. And, I hate to say it, but that's what they deserve.
But hey, Go Tribe!
***
Lastly, I'm hoping the Cavs can at least show up and punch LeBron and his two other teammates in the mouth (not litterally ... oh, who's Joe Cleveland kidding. Of course, I mean literally) and give the fans something to be proud of this season.
A win over LeQuitter would probably placate every single member of the Cavs remaining fan base and keep the interest going through the offseason and into next year. Popular trades like the Baron Davis and a lottery pick for Mo "Oh my aching ankle" Williams and Jamario Moon deal got some fans back on the Cavs side, and a great showing against the Heat (in front of a rabid fan base who would love nothing more than for LeQuitter to get his after what he did to the fan base this offseason) would really go a long way.
Maybe having Joe Tait in the house would do the trick. I am happy he made it back for these final home games this year. He didn't deserve to go out like that. He deserved to go out behind the mic, and he'll get the chance to this year.
***
Thanks for your patience in Joe Cleveland and the infrequency of his blogs. Glad you still come back and give it a read when you can, and thanks for spreading the word.
You can follow Joe Cleveland on Twitter @JoeCleveBlog, and I link to all the blogs through the Twitter page. And, my true identity posts them to the Facebook page everytime the blog is updated, as well.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
There's been an awful lot to talk about in the world of local sports. The last thing I sounded off on was the fall from grace of legendary Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel and his lies that may wind up costing his program a lot more than five games without a few star players and their head coach. And, I have more thoughts about this, which I will share a little bit later.
But first, I wanted to give a plug to an old friend and co-worker of mine, Pete, who writes his own blog about the Browns, The Blawg Pound (http://www.blawgpound.com/). Pete decided to interview people he knew who were Browns fans and ask them just what it is about the Browns that is so-damn loveable for us. One of the people he chose was me. My interview will probably be published in the next week or so.
Speaking of the Browns, a lot of people I know have been asking for my opinions on the NFL lockout. Well, as an NFL fan, it sucks because of the real threat of there being no football this fall on Sundays (and random other days). Now what am I going to do on Sundays without watching the Browns or running my fantasy football teams? I'm not looking forward to that prospect.
To be honest, though, I'm not too worried about a lockout at this point. Right now, it seems to be a lot of posturing between the players and owners. No games have been cancelled at this point. The only thing on hold is offseason training sessions and free agency. If the lockout drags into the summer, then I think we as fans can start being worried.
Now, teams that have made coaching changes appear to be the most behind the 8-ball when it comes to the lockout, because the new staff is not allowed to have any contact with the players and vice-versa. They can't learn the playbook or workout or just be around the new personnel. That, and it delays the addition of new players as free agents who may be more knowledgable about the new schemes and philosophies being brought in by the new coaching staff.
With the Browns, they are doing new offensive (West Coast) and defensive (4-3) schemes. I am very happy about both of these changes after watching the team allow opposing offenses to run roughshod through their weak 3-4 and that clunker of an offfense they were trotting out under Crennel and Mangini. However, other than Par Shurmer slipping Colt McCoy his new playbook just before the lockout occurred (which apparently got the Browns fined for illegal contact with a player, whatever that means), the team can't start learning the new philosophies yet.
Actually, these players have probably seen it all at this point, from college and the pros. It's the terminology that is different and unique, and something that the players say is the biggest thing that needs learned and worked on.
I still hold out optimism that an agreement will be reached by May or June and the NFL will back up and running shortly after and no games will be postponed. With all the litigation going on, though, we'll see what happens.
***
Speaking of Tressel, he was probably the biggest OSU hoops fan this March, and not just because he wanted the school's team to succeed. The hoops team was serving as a nice distraction from Tressel's own trevails. The more the team won, the less OSU fans could think about their disgraced football coach and the mess he is bringing onto their beloved team.
But, the Buckeyes got stunned by Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round, ending their season and their title hopes (which I believe were legitimate this year, especially with the way this tournament has played out with all of the upsets). And, just like that, a so-called Buckeye Nation turns its lonely eyes to you, Mr. Tressel and your moronic bosses Gene Smith and Gordon Gee.
On the very day Thad Matta's team was a William Buford bricked 3-pointer away from staying alive in the NCAA Tournament, word came out that Tressel wasn't being completely honest when he said he kept the e-miails about Tattoo-Gate to himself. He also told one of the closest confidants and advisors of Terrrelle Pryor.
Smith claims that Tressel told them about it, but it just continues to look worse and worse for the Sweater Vest. Even his attempt to make his suspension match his players' suspensions (which, no surprise, were upheld by the NCAA) and sit out the first five games next season seem like a weak attempt at gaining leniency from the NCAA.
As I said before, I love Ohio State football, and I am a big fan of Tressel because of his ability to win football games (at least most of them), especially games over Michigan. However, I can't say I'm surprised about these allegations, and it just gets more and more disappointing.
Something tells me the rumor that Urban Meyer will take over the Ohio State football program in 2012 will continue to grow legs as more and more comes out about this Tressel ordeal. And, I have a feeling the 2010 season will be forfeited (except the Sugar Bowl win, since the NCAA cleared the players to play) because Tressel knowingly played a QB and a WR who broke NCAA rules in every game without telling anyone.
And, I can't be the only one who hopes Pryor never takes another snap for Ohio State again. Now, we can only hope Braxton Miller is the real deal.
***
I caught Cleveland State's two NIT games at the Wolstein Center last week. I have to say, I was not only disappointed by the play of the Vikings in both games, Joe Cleveland was also disappointed about the crowds.
Both games (which were played around NCAA Tourney games being held at The Q that also featured Ohio State) drew barely 2,500 people or less. Of course, CSU was on spring break, which limited any type of student section. And, it surprised me that more basketball fans wouldn't pony up the $10 just to see tournament basketball, even if it is the NIT.
With NBA scouts on hand, Norris Cole had a good game against Vermont without much help, and an average game against the College of Charleston despite a little more help. Center Aaron Pogue was being his usual stiff self against Vermont, almost single-handedly costing them the game against the underdog Catamounts. However, he played much better against Charleston, so I give him credit.
What cost CSU wasn't their defense, which held heralded point guard Andrew Goudelock to well under his season average of 22 points and, without a bunch of late free throws, would have held him to under double-digits. It was sudden inability to hit a 3-pointer. Tim Kamczyc connected on a trey early in the game, and then the Vikings proceeded to miss the remaining 24 shots behind the arc. They make even half of those attempts, and CSU is hosting a quarterfinal game against Wichita State with a berth in the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden on the line.
Despite the loss to Charleston, you can't deny what a great season it was for CSU basketball. And, with only Cole being lost to graduation and a good incoming freshman class, Gary Waters' bunch should continue to challenge for the top spot in the Horizon League.
Speaking of the Horizon League, did anyone see Butler making another run at the Final Four prior to this NCAA Tournament? I certainly didn't. You got to give the Bulldogs credit. And, if they can beat VCU (which could happen), a second-straight title game will be in the cards against a much easier opponent than Duke last year (Kentucky and UConn are both beatable teams).
***
Spring Training is about to wrap up for the Indians, and the season opens up at the end of this week. Meanwhile, we still are having 30-degree days (at least it isn't snowing, knock on wood).
Judging by the lack of talent on the Indians, it wouldn't surprise me if the team opened up as cold as the weather, like they have normally done since John Hart left as GM and Mark Shapiro fired eventual World Series-winning manager Charlie Manuel.
A story came out that the Indians payroll is at its lowest in many years. Congratulations, Dolans, on that feat. I'm sure you're proud.
Another cost-cutting decision may bite the Indians, as projected third baseman Jason Donald will miss the start of the season with an injury. Instead of promoting rookie Lonnie Chisenhall, who had a red-hot spring, the Indians will go with journeyman Jack Hanahann at third to start the year.
They claim that they want to give Chisenhall some seasoning at Triple-A Columbus, but the real reason is they don't want to kick start his major league service time, which would kick up his arbitration date. It's the same thing that happened last year with Carlos Santana, and they are doing it again with Chisenhall.
It's about time Paul and Larry started not to worry about the bottom line and started to worry about putting a winning team on the field that Cleveland fans (like Joe Cleveland) can care about and root for. That starts by giving one of the prospects fans have been hearing about for years (like Chisenhall) a major league job and seeing what he can do. Certainly, he's an upgrade of Jack Hanahann.
But, as long as they worry more about the bottom line and about things like Snow Days and the Indians Country Music Fest (or whatever it is they're calling it), they will continue to see empty green seats in their Progressive Field. And, I hate to say it, but that's what they deserve.
But hey, Go Tribe!
***
Lastly, I'm hoping the Cavs can at least show up and punch LeBron and his two other teammates in the mouth (not litterally ... oh, who's Joe Cleveland kidding. Of course, I mean literally) and give the fans something to be proud of this season.
A win over LeQuitter would probably placate every single member of the Cavs remaining fan base and keep the interest going through the offseason and into next year. Popular trades like the Baron Davis and a lottery pick for Mo "Oh my aching ankle" Williams and Jamario Moon deal got some fans back on the Cavs side, and a great showing against the Heat (in front of a rabid fan base who would love nothing more than for LeQuitter to get his after what he did to the fan base this offseason) would really go a long way.
Maybe having Joe Tait in the house would do the trick. I am happy he made it back for these final home games this year. He didn't deserve to go out like that. He deserved to go out behind the mic, and he'll get the chance to this year.
***
Thanks for your patience in Joe Cleveland and the infrequency of his blogs. Glad you still come back and give it a read when you can, and thanks for spreading the word.
You can follow Joe Cleveland on Twitter @JoeCleveBlog, and I link to all the blogs through the Twitter page. And, my true identity posts them to the Facebook page everytime the blog is updated, as well.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Close to the Vest
Joe Cleveland would like to take the opportunity to apologize for the long droughts between blog updates. With high school wrestling season over and girls and boys hoops not too far behind, the man behind the alter ego seems to have a bit of free time, which allows me to put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and pontificate on the state of sports.
Joe Cleveland had to come out of hiding today, as the legend that is Jim Tressel came crashing down today when he all but admitted that he lied to the NCAA and his own bosses about e-mails that blew the whistle on his players accepting cash and tattoos for memorabilia that they won or were given as members of his Buckeyes.
Yahoo Sports blew the whistle on this story yesterday, quoting a source as saying that Tressel received e-mails from the attorney of tattoo shop owner Edward Rife back in April. Ohio State didn't find out about it until December, when a federal raid on the tattoo parlor uncovered the stuff. The school and the NCAA suspended five players, including starting QB Terrelle Pryor, for violating NCAA by-laws by accepting cash and gifts for their various awards and jersies. The school and the NCAA agreeed to let the violaters play in the Sugar Bowl -- which OSU won -- and allowed for the suspension to start with the first game of the 2011 season.
Ohio State had been appealing the suspension's length for the five players. But now that their "squeaky clean" head coach wasn't complicent himself, they might as well quit while they're ahead.
I worked with a guy who covered Ohio State for many years (both before and after Tressel's hiring) and he was convinced that the Tressel the public saw, the conservative, sweater-vest wearing disciplinarian who has done nothing but beat the tar out of Michigan and get OSU into tons of prestigious bowl games, wasn't the real Tressel. He was convinced that Tressel was shady, but he just couldn't prove it.
Red flags propped up shortly after Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a shocking National Championship in 2002. Maurice Clarett, the star freshman running back on that team, was linked to accepting improper benefits from an OSU booster. Tressel and the school claimed that they had no idea this was going on. Meanwhile, Clarett was threatening to blow the whistle on Tress and the school. Unfortunately, Clarett's credibility was shot. He was dismissed from the team and the school, tried to challenge the NFL's draft laws (and failed), was selected by the Broncos in the third round, signed an incentive-laden contract that didn't guarantee him a DIME and then was cut in training camp. Oh yeah, then he robbed someone at gunpoint in Columbus and spent some time in prison. Nice going, Maurice.
After the Clarett debacle, Troy Smith was also found to have accepted gifts from a booster. He was quickly suspended for the Alamo Bowl (this was right after he engineered a huge upset of Michigan in one of his first starts) and his first two games of the next season. He came back for a huge No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Texas, but Tressel kept flip-flopping between him and Justin Zwick, and the Buckeyes lost.
Following that, Smith regained his job and embarked on a remarkable career that resulted in his winning the Heisman Trophy and getting the Buckeyes back in the National Championship game. They were blown out by Florida, but Smith's legacy was secured. He's been mostly a backup QB in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, with flashes of good play here and there while more than a few Browns fans clamored for their native son to be brought back home to play for their favorite team (not gonna happen).
Tressel got off scot free from both instances with his reputation in tact. Buckeye fans lauded Tressel, sang songs about him, named their kids after him, dressed up for Haloween as him. Unfortunately, die-hard Buckeye fans can be a tad bit obnoxious, but you get the point. As long as Tressel owned "that team up North," kept churning out top recruiting classes and had the Buckeyes in the national title hunt every single year, that was all that mattered.
Until today.
Before I get in on this rant, Joe Cleveland would like everyone to know that I am, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Michigan hater. I don't exactly bleed Scarlet and Gray, as the Browns have always been my first true-love when it comes to football. However, when it comes to college football, I root for Ohio State first and foremost; always have, always will. That being said ...
I took a listen to sports-talk radio on my way to an assignment prior to the press conference, and you should have heard the shilling going on for "Lord Tressel." Idiots went as far as to say that the two Yahoo reporters were from Michigan and "planted" the story to make Ohio State look bad (really? Are you that delusional, Buckeye Fan?) The hosts of the program lambasted anyone who tried to speak unkind of "Lord Tressel," even going so far as suggestng to someone to go to the NCAA with their allegations of what he was up to at Youngstown State if they had the "proof."
Take off your Scarlet and Gray glasses, folks. Your "Lord" is a sham, just like every other college football coach out there.
Ohio State decided to fine Tressel and suspend him for the first two games of 2011. So, they'll be without five players for five games and without their head coach for two of them. Way to get off to a great start, Buckeyes. And, they have no one to blame but themselves.
What's amazing is that Tressel can get away with decieving his bosses and still keep his job. And, if you think Tressel is going to resign, think again. Today was the perfect opportunity for him to leave, and he sat there, stoically steadfast, barely admitting he did something wrong.
No, the only way Ohio State is going to get rid of Tressel is if they fire him. And, trust me, they don't want to fire him. Not with the way he makes money hand over fist for the university. Not with the way he's turned their college football program into one of the best in the country. Not after he turned the name "John Cooper" into an afterthought, a "who was the coach before Tressel?" afterthought.
It's amazing how much Tressel is becoming like the guy he emulated, Woody Hayes. Woody was God, Jesus and Satan all rolled into one as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Woody was a cantankerous son of a bitch who was hated by his opponents, hated by some of his players, and hated by some in the media. But, everyone respected Woody. Woody hated Michigan. Therefore, Buckeye fans LOVED Woody. Woody pushed his car from Michigan into Ohio because he didn't want to spend any money on Michigan gas, as folklore has it. Nevermind the fact that he punched an opposing player on the sidelines during his final game, which resulted in his "I guess we have to" firing. Woody is a legend.
It appears that Tressel may have his "punching the opposing player" moment if more and more comes out about his deceptions and his underhanded tactics. For some Buckeye fans, it was their "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment. You would have thought someone kicked their dog and pissed in their Cheerios with the news that Tressel actually did sit on some e-mails months before the school found out and that they had to suspend him.
There are already rumors that Urban Meyer could be a possible replacement for Tressel when, and if, Tressel quits or gets fired or mutually departs. Meyer is from Ohio originally. And, of course, the Bob Stoops rumors could be out there again, or the Jon Gruden rumors (both were rumored candidates when Tressel originally took the job over from Cooper).
Then, there was always the rumors about Tressel's interest in coaching the Cleveland Browns. Something tells me he might have better off jumping off SS Buckeye when he had the chance three years ago, when the Browns were clearly angling to get rid of Romeo Crennel and Tressel's name popped up as a possible candidate. With Holmgren running the ship, there's no way Tressel would get hired now. Maybe as some type of assistant or advisor, but not as the head coach.
Just like many Buckeye fans were ready to throw Terrelle Pryor overboard following the revolations that he sold his Gold Pants trinkets (given to Buckeyes for beating Michigan every year) and his Most Valuable Player Award from the Rose Bowl for some new ink, some are ready to wash their hands of the guy they once idolized.
Tressel still has his job, and our society is, by and large, a forgiving one, so if Tressel can get back to the business of winning football games (especially against Michigan), fans will turn a blind eye to what happened. If Tressel becomes the "Straight-arrow Gennaro" that everyone envisioned him to be after this, more power to him.
Tressel could run for Governor of Ohio and win easily if he wanted. Today, not so much. The curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard of Oz. We'll see if it's truly a horse of a different color after all.
Joe Cleveland would like to shed a tear for the Miami Heat's recent woes, but they are only tears of laughter.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Joe Cleveland had to come out of hiding today, as the legend that is Jim Tressel came crashing down today when he all but admitted that he lied to the NCAA and his own bosses about e-mails that blew the whistle on his players accepting cash and tattoos for memorabilia that they won or were given as members of his Buckeyes.
Yahoo Sports blew the whistle on this story yesterday, quoting a source as saying that Tressel received e-mails from the attorney of tattoo shop owner Edward Rife back in April. Ohio State didn't find out about it until December, when a federal raid on the tattoo parlor uncovered the stuff. The school and the NCAA suspended five players, including starting QB Terrelle Pryor, for violating NCAA by-laws by accepting cash and gifts for their various awards and jersies. The school and the NCAA agreeed to let the violaters play in the Sugar Bowl -- which OSU won -- and allowed for the suspension to start with the first game of the 2011 season.
Ohio State had been appealing the suspension's length for the five players. But now that their "squeaky clean" head coach wasn't complicent himself, they might as well quit while they're ahead.
I worked with a guy who covered Ohio State for many years (both before and after Tressel's hiring) and he was convinced that the Tressel the public saw, the conservative, sweater-vest wearing disciplinarian who has done nothing but beat the tar out of Michigan and get OSU into tons of prestigious bowl games, wasn't the real Tressel. He was convinced that Tressel was shady, but he just couldn't prove it.
Red flags propped up shortly after Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a shocking National Championship in 2002. Maurice Clarett, the star freshman running back on that team, was linked to accepting improper benefits from an OSU booster. Tressel and the school claimed that they had no idea this was going on. Meanwhile, Clarett was threatening to blow the whistle on Tress and the school. Unfortunately, Clarett's credibility was shot. He was dismissed from the team and the school, tried to challenge the NFL's draft laws (and failed), was selected by the Broncos in the third round, signed an incentive-laden contract that didn't guarantee him a DIME and then was cut in training camp. Oh yeah, then he robbed someone at gunpoint in Columbus and spent some time in prison. Nice going, Maurice.
After the Clarett debacle, Troy Smith was also found to have accepted gifts from a booster. He was quickly suspended for the Alamo Bowl (this was right after he engineered a huge upset of Michigan in one of his first starts) and his first two games of the next season. He came back for a huge No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Texas, but Tressel kept flip-flopping between him and Justin Zwick, and the Buckeyes lost.
Following that, Smith regained his job and embarked on a remarkable career that resulted in his winning the Heisman Trophy and getting the Buckeyes back in the National Championship game. They were blown out by Florida, but Smith's legacy was secured. He's been mostly a backup QB in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, with flashes of good play here and there while more than a few Browns fans clamored for their native son to be brought back home to play for their favorite team (not gonna happen).
Tressel got off scot free from both instances with his reputation in tact. Buckeye fans lauded Tressel, sang songs about him, named their kids after him, dressed up for Haloween as him. Unfortunately, die-hard Buckeye fans can be a tad bit obnoxious, but you get the point. As long as Tressel owned "that team up North," kept churning out top recruiting classes and had the Buckeyes in the national title hunt every single year, that was all that mattered.
Until today.
Before I get in on this rant, Joe Cleveland would like everyone to know that I am, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Michigan hater. I don't exactly bleed Scarlet and Gray, as the Browns have always been my first true-love when it comes to football. However, when it comes to college football, I root for Ohio State first and foremost; always have, always will. That being said ...
I took a listen to sports-talk radio on my way to an assignment prior to the press conference, and you should have heard the shilling going on for "Lord Tressel." Idiots went as far as to say that the two Yahoo reporters were from Michigan and "planted" the story to make Ohio State look bad (really? Are you that delusional, Buckeye Fan?) The hosts of the program lambasted anyone who tried to speak unkind of "Lord Tressel," even going so far as suggestng to someone to go to the NCAA with their allegations of what he was up to at Youngstown State if they had the "proof."
Take off your Scarlet and Gray glasses, folks. Your "Lord" is a sham, just like every other college football coach out there.
Ohio State decided to fine Tressel and suspend him for the first two games of 2011. So, they'll be without five players for five games and without their head coach for two of them. Way to get off to a great start, Buckeyes. And, they have no one to blame but themselves.
What's amazing is that Tressel can get away with decieving his bosses and still keep his job. And, if you think Tressel is going to resign, think again. Today was the perfect opportunity for him to leave, and he sat there, stoically steadfast, barely admitting he did something wrong.
No, the only way Ohio State is going to get rid of Tressel is if they fire him. And, trust me, they don't want to fire him. Not with the way he makes money hand over fist for the university. Not with the way he's turned their college football program into one of the best in the country. Not after he turned the name "John Cooper" into an afterthought, a "who was the coach before Tressel?" afterthought.
It's amazing how much Tressel is becoming like the guy he emulated, Woody Hayes. Woody was God, Jesus and Satan all rolled into one as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Woody was a cantankerous son of a bitch who was hated by his opponents, hated by some of his players, and hated by some in the media. But, everyone respected Woody. Woody hated Michigan. Therefore, Buckeye fans LOVED Woody. Woody pushed his car from Michigan into Ohio because he didn't want to spend any money on Michigan gas, as folklore has it. Nevermind the fact that he punched an opposing player on the sidelines during his final game, which resulted in his "I guess we have to" firing. Woody is a legend.
It appears that Tressel may have his "punching the opposing player" moment if more and more comes out about his deceptions and his underhanded tactics. For some Buckeye fans, it was their "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment. You would have thought someone kicked their dog and pissed in their Cheerios with the news that Tressel actually did sit on some e-mails months before the school found out and that they had to suspend him.
There are already rumors that Urban Meyer could be a possible replacement for Tressel when, and if, Tressel quits or gets fired or mutually departs. Meyer is from Ohio originally. And, of course, the Bob Stoops rumors could be out there again, or the Jon Gruden rumors (both were rumored candidates when Tressel originally took the job over from Cooper).
Then, there was always the rumors about Tressel's interest in coaching the Cleveland Browns. Something tells me he might have better off jumping off SS Buckeye when he had the chance three years ago, when the Browns were clearly angling to get rid of Romeo Crennel and Tressel's name popped up as a possible candidate. With Holmgren running the ship, there's no way Tressel would get hired now. Maybe as some type of assistant or advisor, but not as the head coach.
Just like many Buckeye fans were ready to throw Terrelle Pryor overboard following the revolations that he sold his Gold Pants trinkets (given to Buckeyes for beating Michigan every year) and his Most Valuable Player Award from the Rose Bowl for some new ink, some are ready to wash their hands of the guy they once idolized.
Tressel still has his job, and our society is, by and large, a forgiving one, so if Tressel can get back to the business of winning football games (especially against Michigan), fans will turn a blind eye to what happened. If Tressel becomes the "Straight-arrow Gennaro" that everyone envisioned him to be after this, more power to him.
Tressel could run for Governor of Ohio and win easily if he wanted. Today, not so much. The curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard of Oz. We'll see if it's truly a horse of a different color after all.
Joe Cleveland would like to shed a tear for the Miami Heat's recent woes, but they are only tears of laughter.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, February 21, 2011
So, what's new?
Finally ... Joe Cleveland ... has come back ... to the blog!
I apologize for the lenghty hiatus. It's been a busy couple of weeks with the real writing career. But, with a holiday today, it was the perfect time to put back on the "Joe Cleveland" hat and pontificate on what's been going on in the world of sports.
With the Browns season over, the fans attention turned solely to Cavs ... and we watched as this team that was the best in the NBA (regular season-wise) lose a professional sports-worst 26 games in a row.
Suddenly, the "Cleveland is a loser" jokes kept reoccurring. We really needed this losing streak like a hole in the head, especially on the heels of LeQuitter and his "Decision." Then the Indians had their usual dismal season, which resulted in fans staying away in droves not seen since the 1980s, and the Browns ... well, at least they finished ahead of the Bengals, along with beating the Patriots and the Saints. Oh yeah, and Eric Mangini was sacked; the fourth time since the team has returned 12 years ago that they have fired their head coach.
The Cavs were able to avert further embarassment by holding the all-time longest losing streak in pro sports by defeating the Clippers at home in overtime (so, at least we have company with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers). And, some measure of civic pride returned when the Cavs knocked off the Lakers at home just before the All-Star break, which left ESPN's L.A. homers so flummoxed, they didn't put Christian Eyenga's huge dunk on Pau Gasol in their Top 10 plays of the day.
One thing the Cavs are assured of is not having the worst record in NBA history (9 wins, by the 1973 76ers). And, they still have a great shot at the No. 1 pick, although who that No. 1 pick will be I have no idea.
It's time for the Cavs to put the losing streak aside and get back to how they were playing basketball at the start of the year. The fact that they overcame a 55-point loss by defeating the same opponent three weeks later is HUGE for this team's confidence. The playoffs are a pipedream. However, they still have another home game with LeQuitter and his Heat, and that guy deserves some payback.
The Cavs can get just as good of a player in the college draft at No. 3 or No. 6 or even No. 9 than they can at No. 1, so forget this "ping-pong ball in the hopper" crap. The second half is a whole new season. It's time for this team to gain some momentum for the future, and that's to start being competitive night in and night out and picking up a few wins. They won 18 games the year they got the No. 1 pick for LeQuitter, so it's not going to kill them to win a few more games.
Come on, Cavs! Got to make it happen!
***
Staying with basketball, the fortunes of the two college teams that the local fans seem latched on to -- Ohio State and Cleveland State -- almost seem intertwined.
When Ohio State's unbeaten season came to a halt in Wisconsin, Cleveland State was getting beaten on the road in Detroit. When the Buckeyes had a golden opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 ranking slip through their fingers in Purdue, the Vikings were getting beaten on national TV by Old Dominion in a key BracketBuster game.
CSU is 23-5, but it only has two "quality" wins -- Valparasio and Kent State. The Vikings have been on national TV three times this season, and have lost all three times (none of the games have been close). And, Butler, their old nemisis, has easily handled them twice. Their hold on a berth in the NCAA Tournament seems to get more and more tenuous with each game. And, there's a chance that, despite their glittering record, they could be as low as the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament next week.
Ohio State is still a consensus choice to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, with only two losses this season. However, the Buckeyes look more and more exposed each time they lose a game. Even though they have a solid senior class, with David Lighty, Jon Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale, most experts think the only NBA player on the team is freshman Jared Sullinger (a candidate for the top pick). So, will it be enough for the team to win six consecitive games in March and April against some top competition? Will it be enough to get to the Elite 8 or the Final Four? We shall see.
Here's hoping that both teams make the tournament, CSU can win a game or two and be competitive, and OSU can make a run to the title game (and hopefully win it).
***
The Indians have begun spring training out in Arizona this week. As I look outside and see another winter storm, it amazes me that, six weeks from now, the Indians will be playing meaningful baseball games.
The common denominator with their recent string of failures has been the slow April. Eric Wedge patented the slow April all but two seasons. One of those seasons, the Tribe was one game away from the World Series. Coincidence? It's a big reason why Wedge is managing in Seattle now and why CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are all wearing different uniforms.
Manny Acta is brimming with optimism. Not bad for a guy who should be looking over his shoulder since the team brought back popular ex-manager Mike Hargrove to be a "special advisor." Another slow srart and the team could make a PR move by dumping Acta and brining Hargrove back the bench.
Don't think they will? This is a team that was DEAD LAST in overall attendance last season. This franchise once prided itself on the longest home sellout streak in MLB and boasted about the "best fans in baseball." Those fans have spoken loud and clear about the direction of the franchise. They won't want to pay big league prices for a bush league team.
The fan base is very jaded, and deservedly so. Larry Dolan came in talking about "winning multiple World Series' titles," and since then, he's done nothing but perpetualy order rebuilding efforts and slash payroll. They once claimed they would "spend when the time was right," but that time may have come and gone.
It also doesn't help PR efforts when Dolan and Son proclaim that the reason they can't sign more players is because the fans don't come out to the ballpark. Fans don't want to hear that. Fans don't want to hear about baseball economics and the fact that teams in big markets can spend as much money as they can, thereby making it hard to compete. Fans hear that, and then look at the Minnesota Twins, the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants -- teams that have slashed payroll -- all field winning teams.
Fans look at the recent draft history and wonder why a team that knows it has to build internally to compete would continually waste draft picks. They wonder about the so-called "genius" of Mark Shapiro, who made one great trade and a host of other terrible ones during his stint as the Tribe's GM. They see a team that lost over 90 games and turned off most of their fanbase PROMOTE everyone within the organization. And, the Dolans wonder why they are having trouble selling season tickets?
A friend of mine purchased Indians season tickets this year. Mostly, because they gave him a free loge to use for one game this season. With the price of the loge, the ticket package actually paid for itself. This is what they have to do to get more asses in the seats.
However, what they really need to do is win ballgames. With the Browns on the verge of blowing everything up and starting over again and the Cavs an NBA embarassment, this city is desperate for a winner, ANY winner. If the Indians truly want to win back their angry fans, the only way to do it is to win.
Now, can they win? With this roster? I don't think so. That's where PR-moves like the potential Hargrove one comes into play.
***
Pat Shurmur has announced that he will not hire an offensive coordinator this season and serve as his own. He finished hiring his coaching staff, and, by and large, it is getting high marks from others around the league.
Dick Jauron and Ray Rhodes running the defense will be tremendous in helping transform this unit into something great. They had spurts of greatness under the bombastic Rob Ryan, but that greatness was never sustained. It's why he didn't get a head coaching job and why he's now in Dallas.
Shurmer seems like he has committed to Colt McCoy as his QB, and that should be good news for Browns fans. It's about time the Browns get a QB and then build around him and committ to him. They failed with Tim Couch, failed with Kelly Holcomb, failed with Jeff Garcia, failed with Charlie Frye, failed with Derek Anderson (although, Anderson failed them) and failed with Brady Quinn. The team will now have an offensive identity, something that's been lacking for a long time around these parts.
The one thing that could derail this train is the NFL's labor troubles. A prolonged lockout will hurt the Browns as they try to input the new offensive and defensive philosophies and try to find players to fit those philosophies. In fact, the one team that could be hurt the most by a lockout is the Browns, because of massive undertaking they are trying to do.
With a federal mediator stepping in, I have a feeling that a new agreement will be made. It probably won't be made until the final days before the current agreement ends (an 11th-hour deal, as some call it), but a deal will be made.
My prediction: Get ready for an 18-game regular season. You don't think NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 a week later next year for no particular reason, do you?
***
Thanks for reading. Joe Cleveland has now taken his act to Twitter. Follow him @JoeCleveBlog. I will post all of these blogs to my Twitter account, and throw in a Tweet from time to time.
And, there won't be as long of a gap between Joe Cleveland's next appearance ... hopefully.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
I apologize for the lenghty hiatus. It's been a busy couple of weeks with the real writing career. But, with a holiday today, it was the perfect time to put back on the "Joe Cleveland" hat and pontificate on what's been going on in the world of sports.
With the Browns season over, the fans attention turned solely to Cavs ... and we watched as this team that was the best in the NBA (regular season-wise) lose a professional sports-worst 26 games in a row.
Suddenly, the "Cleveland is a loser" jokes kept reoccurring. We really needed this losing streak like a hole in the head, especially on the heels of LeQuitter and his "Decision." Then the Indians had their usual dismal season, which resulted in fans staying away in droves not seen since the 1980s, and the Browns ... well, at least they finished ahead of the Bengals, along with beating the Patriots and the Saints. Oh yeah, and Eric Mangini was sacked; the fourth time since the team has returned 12 years ago that they have fired their head coach.
The Cavs were able to avert further embarassment by holding the all-time longest losing streak in pro sports by defeating the Clippers at home in overtime (so, at least we have company with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers). And, some measure of civic pride returned when the Cavs knocked off the Lakers at home just before the All-Star break, which left ESPN's L.A. homers so flummoxed, they didn't put Christian Eyenga's huge dunk on Pau Gasol in their Top 10 plays of the day.
One thing the Cavs are assured of is not having the worst record in NBA history (9 wins, by the 1973 76ers). And, they still have a great shot at the No. 1 pick, although who that No. 1 pick will be I have no idea.
It's time for the Cavs to put the losing streak aside and get back to how they were playing basketball at the start of the year. The fact that they overcame a 55-point loss by defeating the same opponent three weeks later is HUGE for this team's confidence. The playoffs are a pipedream. However, they still have another home game with LeQuitter and his Heat, and that guy deserves some payback.
The Cavs can get just as good of a player in the college draft at No. 3 or No. 6 or even No. 9 than they can at No. 1, so forget this "ping-pong ball in the hopper" crap. The second half is a whole new season. It's time for this team to gain some momentum for the future, and that's to start being competitive night in and night out and picking up a few wins. They won 18 games the year they got the No. 1 pick for LeQuitter, so it's not going to kill them to win a few more games.
Come on, Cavs! Got to make it happen!
***
Staying with basketball, the fortunes of the two college teams that the local fans seem latched on to -- Ohio State and Cleveland State -- almost seem intertwined.
When Ohio State's unbeaten season came to a halt in Wisconsin, Cleveland State was getting beaten on the road in Detroit. When the Buckeyes had a golden opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 ranking slip through their fingers in Purdue, the Vikings were getting beaten on national TV by Old Dominion in a key BracketBuster game.
CSU is 23-5, but it only has two "quality" wins -- Valparasio and Kent State. The Vikings have been on national TV three times this season, and have lost all three times (none of the games have been close). And, Butler, their old nemisis, has easily handled them twice. Their hold on a berth in the NCAA Tournament seems to get more and more tenuous with each game. And, there's a chance that, despite their glittering record, they could be as low as the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament next week.
Ohio State is still a consensus choice to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, with only two losses this season. However, the Buckeyes look more and more exposed each time they lose a game. Even though they have a solid senior class, with David Lighty, Jon Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale, most experts think the only NBA player on the team is freshman Jared Sullinger (a candidate for the top pick). So, will it be enough for the team to win six consecitive games in March and April against some top competition? Will it be enough to get to the Elite 8 or the Final Four? We shall see.
Here's hoping that both teams make the tournament, CSU can win a game or two and be competitive, and OSU can make a run to the title game (and hopefully win it).
***
The Indians have begun spring training out in Arizona this week. As I look outside and see another winter storm, it amazes me that, six weeks from now, the Indians will be playing meaningful baseball games.
The common denominator with their recent string of failures has been the slow April. Eric Wedge patented the slow April all but two seasons. One of those seasons, the Tribe was one game away from the World Series. Coincidence? It's a big reason why Wedge is managing in Seattle now and why CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are all wearing different uniforms.
Manny Acta is brimming with optimism. Not bad for a guy who should be looking over his shoulder since the team brought back popular ex-manager Mike Hargrove to be a "special advisor." Another slow srart and the team could make a PR move by dumping Acta and brining Hargrove back the bench.
Don't think they will? This is a team that was DEAD LAST in overall attendance last season. This franchise once prided itself on the longest home sellout streak in MLB and boasted about the "best fans in baseball." Those fans have spoken loud and clear about the direction of the franchise. They won't want to pay big league prices for a bush league team.
The fan base is very jaded, and deservedly so. Larry Dolan came in talking about "winning multiple World Series' titles," and since then, he's done nothing but perpetualy order rebuilding efforts and slash payroll. They once claimed they would "spend when the time was right," but that time may have come and gone.
It also doesn't help PR efforts when Dolan and Son proclaim that the reason they can't sign more players is because the fans don't come out to the ballpark. Fans don't want to hear that. Fans don't want to hear about baseball economics and the fact that teams in big markets can spend as much money as they can, thereby making it hard to compete. Fans hear that, and then look at the Minnesota Twins, the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants -- teams that have slashed payroll -- all field winning teams.
Fans look at the recent draft history and wonder why a team that knows it has to build internally to compete would continually waste draft picks. They wonder about the so-called "genius" of Mark Shapiro, who made one great trade and a host of other terrible ones during his stint as the Tribe's GM. They see a team that lost over 90 games and turned off most of their fanbase PROMOTE everyone within the organization. And, the Dolans wonder why they are having trouble selling season tickets?
A friend of mine purchased Indians season tickets this year. Mostly, because they gave him a free loge to use for one game this season. With the price of the loge, the ticket package actually paid for itself. This is what they have to do to get more asses in the seats.
However, what they really need to do is win ballgames. With the Browns on the verge of blowing everything up and starting over again and the Cavs an NBA embarassment, this city is desperate for a winner, ANY winner. If the Indians truly want to win back their angry fans, the only way to do it is to win.
Now, can they win? With this roster? I don't think so. That's where PR-moves like the potential Hargrove one comes into play.
***
Pat Shurmur has announced that he will not hire an offensive coordinator this season and serve as his own. He finished hiring his coaching staff, and, by and large, it is getting high marks from others around the league.
Dick Jauron and Ray Rhodes running the defense will be tremendous in helping transform this unit into something great. They had spurts of greatness under the bombastic Rob Ryan, but that greatness was never sustained. It's why he didn't get a head coaching job and why he's now in Dallas.
Shurmer seems like he has committed to Colt McCoy as his QB, and that should be good news for Browns fans. It's about time the Browns get a QB and then build around him and committ to him. They failed with Tim Couch, failed with Kelly Holcomb, failed with Jeff Garcia, failed with Charlie Frye, failed with Derek Anderson (although, Anderson failed them) and failed with Brady Quinn. The team will now have an offensive identity, something that's been lacking for a long time around these parts.
The one thing that could derail this train is the NFL's labor troubles. A prolonged lockout will hurt the Browns as they try to input the new offensive and defensive philosophies and try to find players to fit those philosophies. In fact, the one team that could be hurt the most by a lockout is the Browns, because of massive undertaking they are trying to do.
With a federal mediator stepping in, I have a feeling that a new agreement will be made. It probably won't be made until the final days before the current agreement ends (an 11th-hour deal, as some call it), but a deal will be made.
My prediction: Get ready for an 18-game regular season. You don't think NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 a week later next year for no particular reason, do you?
***
Thanks for reading. Joe Cleveland has now taken his act to Twitter. Follow him @JoeCleveBlog. I will post all of these blogs to my Twitter account, and throw in a Tweet from time to time.
And, there won't be as long of a gap between Joe Cleveland's next appearance ... hopefully.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Super Blog
Joe Cleveland thinks, if you ask any Browns fan, the best thing that could happen in a Super Bowl is if the Browns won it.
The second-best thing is if the Steelers lost it.
The second-best thing happened this weekend, and Joe Cleveland has enjoyed every single solitary second of it.
31-25. Say it with me.
Thirty-one-to-twenty-five.
Rolls right off the tongue, yes?
Change your passwords to 3-1-2-5. Play it in the local lottery. Make it the final four digits of your phone number, so your Steeler fan buddies have to be reminded of that every time they want to call you.
On March 1, 2025, Joe Cleveland will probably declare it "National 'How Does That Taste Steelers' Day," and remind all the Steeler fans in facinity that the numerical date is 3/1/25.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing to not see any Black and Yellow (for the record, that is not "Gold." The Saints uniforms are "Gold." Yours are Mustard Yellow.) around these parts (i.e. Northeast Ohio) the last few days. Apparently, the front-runners that live around here are stunned into submission. They're now digging into their Ohio State gear so they can support the No. 1 hoops team in the nation.
They'll find it on top of their old Michigan gear that they gave up wearing when Jim Tressel came to town.
Joe Cleveland was sick and tired of hearing about "six rings" and "Steeler legacy" and "Roethlisberger wasn't convicted of anything" and "there's no rivalry with the Browns cause we always beat them" and "Tomlin is God" and "Harrison plays the game the right way" and every other annoying thing that the Steelers fans have been uttering for the last few seasons.
"Here we go Steelers, Here we go?"
You would think, the way they talk, that the Lombardi Trophy is in their God-given right to have. Those other 38 Super Bowls didn't count, you know, the ones that DIDN'T have the Steelers winning it all? All that matters is the six. Heck, even that one loss to the Cowboys didn't happen. That gap from 1980-2005, where the Steelers didn't win any championships wasn't a gap at all.
Hey, all that matters is three in the last six years, right?
Well, until Green Bay passed all over them Sunday. They can stop pounding their chests about "seven" for a while.
The real NFL legacy franchise won the title and brought the trophy back to where it all began. 13 championships, four that have come in Super Bowls, and 4-1 in Super Bowls. The Packers have one loss, the Steelers have two.
Yes, it's a beautiful thing.
Browns fans like Joe Cleveland were happy to see the West Coast offense be so tough to stop against the "vaunted" Steelers defense. Aaron Rodgers had a performance for the ages. Hell, if his receivers would have caught the ball a few more times, he might have thrown over 400 yards.
Receivers ran open consistantly. Downfield blocks were made. The Steelers had three sacks, but none in the first half. And, they scored 21 points off of turnovers, which was the difference in the game.
For all those who bashed the hiring of an unknown guy like Pat Shurmur, take comfort in this tidbit. When Mike McCarthy was hired by the Packers, he was fresh off a stint as the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. That season, the Niners were 32nd in total offense. Today, that man is a Super Bowl champ.
Shurmer won't have Aaron Rodgers or receivers as good as Greg Jennings, but in reality, they had a bunch of unknowns. Who is Jordy Nelson? James Jones? That Crabtree guy at tight end? James Starks? Their best receiver not named Jennings was on IR (Jermichael Finley). Imagine if he was healthy and playing in that game. It would have been brutal.
So, for those who think the Browns don't have the personnel, think again. Colt McCoy is tailor-made for the WC offense, and maybe, if his receivers ran better routes or put in better position, maybe they don't stink up the joint. Sure, they could use a big play guy or a reliable guy, but Massaquoi and Robiskie had flashes of brilliance at times, and Cribbs is still someone to be accounted for and a great utility guy who can line up anywhere (when he's healthy). And, Carlton Mitchell couldn't get off the bench under Mangini. Heckert drafted him for a reason. Keep an eye on him.
Be confident that, from the very top to bottom, the entire Browns organization is on the same page. They have the same philosophy. They have the same vision. That hasn't been the case since probably Ernie Accorsi and Marty Schottenheimer were in town back in the 1980s, and we remember how great (and heartbreaking) those years were.
For the next six months (or more, if the NFL can't come to a collective bargaining agreement), Steeler fans will be rendered speechless. They can still brag about their six Super Bowls, but it sounds hollow after losing the most recent one.
Now, it's up to the Browns to capitalize on this and finally beat those guys on the field. Sure, the Steelers are still a better team as of now. But, now, the Browns have to be happy. They have a blueprint on how to beat them. They don't have a coach who kept trying to run the ball down their throats or was afraid to take shots downfield against them, preferring to be conservative.
Today is a new day, Cleveland fans. The Steelers won as many titles as we did this season (NONE), and we saw our future offense at work.
F--- The Steelers!
***
Other Super Bowl observations:
<> The commercials this year sucked. Really.
I think GoDaddy needs to be retired for good. I'm sorry, but Danica Patrick is yesterday's news and isn't even that hot, and Jillian Michaels? That broad looks like she got hit in the face with a shovel. Look at her. Yeesh.
Some were good for cheap laughs, but most that tried for the cheap laugh were just plain bad. The Doritos commercials were head-scratchingly bad. The Faith Hill one was bad. The one where the baby hits the wall was terrible. And, hey ad execs, talking babies aren't funny anymore.
I did like the Eminem Chrysler Detroit commercial. I'm not a fan of Eminem or his music, but I thought that was the best commercial of the day. I was also happy to see a lot of American car commercials during this game. It only a few years ago that there were nothing but imported car company commercials, so, as someone in a family of American auto workers, that makes me happy.
<> Who are these Black Eyed Peas people, and how did they get so popular? That halftime show was a joke.
They sounded like garbage, and the Tron people didn't help. And, I'm sorry, but Fergie looks like a man, and she sings like one, too.
You hear those songs all the time (that "I've got a feeling" song is everywhere, along with the "Let's get is started" one), but it's painfully obvious that's nothing but studio magic that makes it good. Then again, the same can be said for most pop and hip-hop music.
Joe Cleveland likes his music to rock, and the Black Eyed Peas do not rock, even if they got Slash to join them for a weak cover of Sweet Child O Mine.
<> Christina Aguilera ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Some people were comparing her National Anthem rendition to Enrico Polazzo's. You know Enrico Polazzo, the fake opera singer from The Naked Gun that Leslie Neilsen's character winds up portraying on an undercover mission to stop Reggie Jackson from killing the Queen of England. So Leslie Neilsen sings a horribly (on purpose) bad, but comically hilarious, version of The Star-Spangled Banner ("... Bunch of bombs in the air ..."), that is one of the more memorable scenes in the movie.
That's how bad it was, Christina. You were compared to a comic version done for a comedy movie.
She apologized for flubbing some lines, saying that she was caught up in the performance and blanked out. Well. maybe that should be a lesson for all the "divas" out there who are trying to sing those five-minute long versions of the song with all of the voice changes and what-not. When you diva the song up, you only make it worse.
Just sing the song the way Francis Scott Key wrote it. The audience will be very happy and appreciative. And, don't be afraid to make it short. We love America, but there's a game to watch.
So, a pair of whores (Christina and Fergie) proved to be what they are on the grandest stage of them all. At least they didn't expose their boobs like Janet Jackson did.
<> I get the feeling that Dallas won't host a Super Bowl again for quite some time.
The wintery weather that hit Texas threw things for a loop, and it all went downhill from there.
People complained about how events were scheduled far away from each other. People complained about the stadium, Jerry Jones' "crown jewel" that he hoped to show off to the world.
The worst was when the fire marshall demanded that 800 temporary bleachers be removed, which cost half of those people a seat for the game that they all paid good money for. Sure, they wound up getting 3 times what they paid for the tickets, along with free admission to next year's game, but that still was a black eye.
And, finally, what was up with that turf? What that that old school AstroTurf from the 1970s? Did they have asphault under that turf? It seemed like every other play, someone was getting injured. Heck, 3/4ths of Green Bay's secondary was wiped out, and even Roethlisberger came up gimpy a couple of times.
As someone who never liked the Cowboys or Jerry Jones, it almost served them right.
***
Lastly, the good feelings Cleveland fans shared in after the Super Bowl came crashing back to reality when our basketball teams each lost.
For the Cavs, they set an all-time record for futlity -- 25 straight losses. Two more losses, and it becomes the longest losing streak in professional sports.
For CSU, it's only their second-straight loss, but it comes on the heels of a disappointing defeat to Butler and happens against Detroit, who aren't very good.
Both losses on Monday were by 3-points apiece. CSU should be able to bounce back. The Cavs, however ... I just hope they can win a few more games.
You throw in the realization that football season is officially over, coupled with the fact that the Indians are about to start spring training on what appears to be another dismal season, and you can see why we enjoyed the Steelers loss so much. What else do we have to enjoy around here?
Such is life. There's always a next year.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
The second-best thing is if the Steelers lost it.
The second-best thing happened this weekend, and Joe Cleveland has enjoyed every single solitary second of it.
31-25. Say it with me.
Thirty-one-to-twenty-five.
Rolls right off the tongue, yes?
Change your passwords to 3-1-2-5. Play it in the local lottery. Make it the final four digits of your phone number, so your Steeler fan buddies have to be reminded of that every time they want to call you.
On March 1, 2025, Joe Cleveland will probably declare it "National 'How Does That Taste Steelers' Day," and remind all the Steeler fans in facinity that the numerical date is 3/1/25.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing to not see any Black and Yellow (for the record, that is not "Gold." The Saints uniforms are "Gold." Yours are Mustard Yellow.) around these parts (i.e. Northeast Ohio) the last few days. Apparently, the front-runners that live around here are stunned into submission. They're now digging into their Ohio State gear so they can support the No. 1 hoops team in the nation.
They'll find it on top of their old Michigan gear that they gave up wearing when Jim Tressel came to town.
Joe Cleveland was sick and tired of hearing about "six rings" and "Steeler legacy" and "Roethlisberger wasn't convicted of anything" and "there's no rivalry with the Browns cause we always beat them" and "Tomlin is God" and "Harrison plays the game the right way" and every other annoying thing that the Steelers fans have been uttering for the last few seasons.
"Here we go Steelers, Here we go?"
You would think, the way they talk, that the Lombardi Trophy is in their God-given right to have. Those other 38 Super Bowls didn't count, you know, the ones that DIDN'T have the Steelers winning it all? All that matters is the six. Heck, even that one loss to the Cowboys didn't happen. That gap from 1980-2005, where the Steelers didn't win any championships wasn't a gap at all.
Hey, all that matters is three in the last six years, right?
Well, until Green Bay passed all over them Sunday. They can stop pounding their chests about "seven" for a while.
The real NFL legacy franchise won the title and brought the trophy back to where it all began. 13 championships, four that have come in Super Bowls, and 4-1 in Super Bowls. The Packers have one loss, the Steelers have two.
Yes, it's a beautiful thing.
Browns fans like Joe Cleveland were happy to see the West Coast offense be so tough to stop against the "vaunted" Steelers defense. Aaron Rodgers had a performance for the ages. Hell, if his receivers would have caught the ball a few more times, he might have thrown over 400 yards.
Receivers ran open consistantly. Downfield blocks were made. The Steelers had three sacks, but none in the first half. And, they scored 21 points off of turnovers, which was the difference in the game.
For all those who bashed the hiring of an unknown guy like Pat Shurmur, take comfort in this tidbit. When Mike McCarthy was hired by the Packers, he was fresh off a stint as the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. That season, the Niners were 32nd in total offense. Today, that man is a Super Bowl champ.
Shurmer won't have Aaron Rodgers or receivers as good as Greg Jennings, but in reality, they had a bunch of unknowns. Who is Jordy Nelson? James Jones? That Crabtree guy at tight end? James Starks? Their best receiver not named Jennings was on IR (Jermichael Finley). Imagine if he was healthy and playing in that game. It would have been brutal.
So, for those who think the Browns don't have the personnel, think again. Colt McCoy is tailor-made for the WC offense, and maybe, if his receivers ran better routes or put in better position, maybe they don't stink up the joint. Sure, they could use a big play guy or a reliable guy, but Massaquoi and Robiskie had flashes of brilliance at times, and Cribbs is still someone to be accounted for and a great utility guy who can line up anywhere (when he's healthy). And, Carlton Mitchell couldn't get off the bench under Mangini. Heckert drafted him for a reason. Keep an eye on him.
Be confident that, from the very top to bottom, the entire Browns organization is on the same page. They have the same philosophy. They have the same vision. That hasn't been the case since probably Ernie Accorsi and Marty Schottenheimer were in town back in the 1980s, and we remember how great (and heartbreaking) those years were.
For the next six months (or more, if the NFL can't come to a collective bargaining agreement), Steeler fans will be rendered speechless. They can still brag about their six Super Bowls, but it sounds hollow after losing the most recent one.
Now, it's up to the Browns to capitalize on this and finally beat those guys on the field. Sure, the Steelers are still a better team as of now. But, now, the Browns have to be happy. They have a blueprint on how to beat them. They don't have a coach who kept trying to run the ball down their throats or was afraid to take shots downfield against them, preferring to be conservative.
Today is a new day, Cleveland fans. The Steelers won as many titles as we did this season (NONE), and we saw our future offense at work.
F--- The Steelers!
***
Other Super Bowl observations:
<> The commercials this year sucked. Really.
I think GoDaddy needs to be retired for good. I'm sorry, but Danica Patrick is yesterday's news and isn't even that hot, and Jillian Michaels? That broad looks like she got hit in the face with a shovel. Look at her. Yeesh.
Some were good for cheap laughs, but most that tried for the cheap laugh were just plain bad. The Doritos commercials were head-scratchingly bad. The Faith Hill one was bad. The one where the baby hits the wall was terrible. And, hey ad execs, talking babies aren't funny anymore.
I did like the Eminem Chrysler Detroit commercial. I'm not a fan of Eminem or his music, but I thought that was the best commercial of the day. I was also happy to see a lot of American car commercials during this game. It only a few years ago that there were nothing but imported car company commercials, so, as someone in a family of American auto workers, that makes me happy.
<> Who are these Black Eyed Peas people, and how did they get so popular? That halftime show was a joke.
They sounded like garbage, and the Tron people didn't help. And, I'm sorry, but Fergie looks like a man, and she sings like one, too.
You hear those songs all the time (that "I've got a feeling" song is everywhere, along with the "Let's get is started" one), but it's painfully obvious that's nothing but studio magic that makes it good. Then again, the same can be said for most pop and hip-hop music.
Joe Cleveland likes his music to rock, and the Black Eyed Peas do not rock, even if they got Slash to join them for a weak cover of Sweet Child O Mine.
<> Christina Aguilera ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Some people were comparing her National Anthem rendition to Enrico Polazzo's. You know Enrico Polazzo, the fake opera singer from The Naked Gun that Leslie Neilsen's character winds up portraying on an undercover mission to stop Reggie Jackson from killing the Queen of England. So Leslie Neilsen sings a horribly (on purpose) bad, but comically hilarious, version of The Star-Spangled Banner ("... Bunch of bombs in the air ..."), that is one of the more memorable scenes in the movie.
That's how bad it was, Christina. You were compared to a comic version done for a comedy movie.
She apologized for flubbing some lines, saying that she was caught up in the performance and blanked out. Well. maybe that should be a lesson for all the "divas" out there who are trying to sing those five-minute long versions of the song with all of the voice changes and what-not. When you diva the song up, you only make it worse.
Just sing the song the way Francis Scott Key wrote it. The audience will be very happy and appreciative. And, don't be afraid to make it short. We love America, but there's a game to watch.
So, a pair of whores (Christina and Fergie) proved to be what they are on the grandest stage of them all. At least they didn't expose their boobs like Janet Jackson did.
<> I get the feeling that Dallas won't host a Super Bowl again for quite some time.
The wintery weather that hit Texas threw things for a loop, and it all went downhill from there.
People complained about how events were scheduled far away from each other. People complained about the stadium, Jerry Jones' "crown jewel" that he hoped to show off to the world.
The worst was when the fire marshall demanded that 800 temporary bleachers be removed, which cost half of those people a seat for the game that they all paid good money for. Sure, they wound up getting 3 times what they paid for the tickets, along with free admission to next year's game, but that still was a black eye.
And, finally, what was up with that turf? What that that old school AstroTurf from the 1970s? Did they have asphault under that turf? It seemed like every other play, someone was getting injured. Heck, 3/4ths of Green Bay's secondary was wiped out, and even Roethlisberger came up gimpy a couple of times.
As someone who never liked the Cowboys or Jerry Jones, it almost served them right.
***
Lastly, the good feelings Cleveland fans shared in after the Super Bowl came crashing back to reality when our basketball teams each lost.
For the Cavs, they set an all-time record for futlity -- 25 straight losses. Two more losses, and it becomes the longest losing streak in professional sports.
For CSU, it's only their second-straight loss, but it comes on the heels of a disappointing defeat to Butler and happens against Detroit, who aren't very good.
Both losses on Monday were by 3-points apiece. CSU should be able to bounce back. The Cavs, however ... I just hope they can win a few more games.
You throw in the realization that football season is officially over, coupled with the fact that the Indians are about to start spring training on what appears to be another dismal season, and you can see why we enjoyed the Steelers loss so much. What else do we have to enjoy around here?
Such is life. There's always a next year.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Basketball woes
A little bit of that and a little bit of this ...
Pat yourselves on the back, Cavs. You've set an NBA record. And no, it's not a good kind of record. You just lost the most consecutive games in a row in a single season.
Twenty-four straight losses and counting. Joe Cleveland is PROUD that you represent his town. PROUD, I tell you!
Yes, Joe Cleveland can be very sarcastic. To quote the foreign co-worker in "Family Guy:"
"Oh, ho-ho ... eees funny cause eet's not true .... oh, ho-ho ..."
Who would have thought that the Cavs would go from being the first team in the NBA to reach 40 wins to the first team to reach 40 losses in one single season. Well, ESPN and all the other haters who thought that the Cavs would suck without LeQuitter did, but still ...
The Cavs have tied their own record (set during the Ted Stepien years ... who would have thought the Cavs would ever rival those forgettable years?) for most consecutive losses. Although, back then, the Cavs lost 24 straight during the course of two years. They did this in one.
Does anyone else think that the Cavs will win another game this year? How about two games? Three? Four? OK, that's just crazy talk right there, so I'll stop before it gets ridiculous. Heaven forbid, an NBA team can't win five games over the span of three months. How sad is this team?
The sad part is, as much as people like Joe Cleveland applauded Dan Gilbert for his "open" letter to the fans just hours after LeQuitter made his self-indulgant "Decision," I think we can all step back and realize that maybe Gilbert should have left well enough alone. Perhaps this is what he deserves.
A guarantee that your team will win an NBA title before LeQuitter's team does? Wow.
It's one thing to call out LeQuitter for what he really is, which is a quitter. It was fairly obvious to anyone with a pulse (or anyone not associated with ESPN) to realize that LeQuitter tanked those last two games of the Boston series. You don't play that poorly all of a sudden. And, remember when people (even media-types) were saying that LeQuitter was going to have elbow surgery after the season, and that he had a serious injury? Joe Cleveland wants to know when that elbow surgery happened, and how did it go? Because, he obviously didn't hear about it. Did you?
However, to make outlandish guarantees is something else entirely. The national media roasted Gilbert following the letter, which let LeQuitter off the hook. The Cavs' current struggles only makes Gilbert look worse (and LeQuitter look better).
In case you wanted to know, the NBA record for least wins in a single season is 9, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. All the Cavs have to do is win two games over the remaining three months to avoid this ignomious record.
Wow, two whole games. That's like asking someone to dig a replica of the Grand Canyon with a spoon, right?
Thanks a lot, Cavs. You disgust me. Take a bow, morons!
***
Speaking of basketball, Joe Cleveland finally got out to see the "winning team in town," Cleveland State, last Thursday against Valparasio. Then, I watched as ESPN came to the CSU campus and broadcast the Vikings big matchup with Butler to the nation on ESPN2.
What a difference two days make.
The CSU I witnessed on Thursday did not resemble the CSU I watched on Saturday. Joe Cleveland would like to know who those imposters were wearing Forest Green and White (well, they were wearing black jersies instead of the usual ones, so maybe that had something to do with it).
I was impressed with the Vikings against Valpo, although they missed too many free throws to my liking and they kept committing dumb fouls (although, it's fairly obvious that the Horizon League is taking on the bottom-of-the-barrell college refs. I don't know how many traveling calls they missed on Valpo, among some other questionable calls). I like their ability to play defense and that they aren't afraid to run. I like that, while Norris Cole is clearly the top option offensively, they have guys who can hit the long-range jumper like Jeremy Mongtomery and Tre Harmon.
Aaron Pogue, however, looks like a stiff to me. He looked like when I saw him in person, and he definitely looked like it against Butler. How do you miss layups when you're 6-10 or 6-9 or whatever you are?
A win over Old Dominion on the road in the Bracket Buster could be good enough to salvage their chances at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament (which is now accepting 68 teams this year, not 65). However, at this rate, CSU better hope Butler gets beaten in the HL Tournament. Because its obvious that Butler has some sort of hex on them.
How can Butler lose to Youngstown State but yet beat CSU? For that matter, Butler has lost to a LOT of teams in the HL this season. Yet, they are 2-0 against a team that is 21-4, and handed that team their only loss on their home court.
Maybe the weight of the bandwagon was too much for CSU. A nearly full house greeted CSU and the ESPN cameras for the noon tip-off. It was the first time all season that the Wolstein Center was that full. Maybe they were better when they were playing in front of people dressed like green seats instead of actual people. Who knows.
CSU still is the frontrunner to get the top-seed in the HL Tournament, which means there's a good chance they will be hosting that championship game should they not choke (knock on wood). However, it appears likely that, despite a glittering record, they may need to win the league if they want a shot at the field of 68. National perception is reality, and the nation has witnessed two terrible CSU performances against Butler and a third against West Virginia. Both teams clearly aren't the same teams that reached the Final Four last year.
Best of luck, CSU. You're our only hope.
***
So, maybe it's time for a Super Bowl prediction. After all, it is being played later today.
Take this for what it's worth (and, I'm sure the bandwagoners will believe that I'm not being objective), but I'm predicting Green Bay 30, Pittsburgh 21.
Pittsburgh is great against the run. However, Green Bay is not a running team. They are a passing team. I believe they can exploit the Steelers secondary and Rodgers can avoid the rush to make some great throws. They've got at least two huge plays in them.
Green Bay is great against the pass. Pittsburgh may try to run with Mendenhall a lot. However, their offensive line is weaker without center Maurkice Pouncey. Doug Legursky is undersized and not that good. You can bet that B.J. Raji will try to put pressure right up the middle. Green Bay will try to bring the heat on Roethlisberger. The Billy Joel wanna-be is best at bouncing off would-be tacklers and making plays out of nothing. It will be up to guys like Clay Matthews to make sure they bring him down when they hit him.
If Brian Schaefering can do it twice and Hank Poteat can do it once, I think Matthews can handle it.
Besides, the team that's had the most distractions this week has been the Steelers. Paparazzi have hounded them all week. Green Bay has been left alone. People were just waiting to see if Roethlisberger would screw up, or Harrison, or any of them. A routine trip to the strip club got posted to the Net. Roethlisberger drunkenly warbeling Piano Man made it to SportsCenter, where they spent 20 minutes debating on whether it was a story or not.
Umm, if you're going to spend 20 minutes talking about it, guess what: IT'S A FREAKING STORY!
Yes, the heart is rooting for Green Bay. However, the head believes that it will happen, too.
***
Two more weeks until the Indians open spring training. How long is it before the NFL Draft starts?
***
So, Joe Cleveland's latest poll is, if you had a choice right now for a winter sport, would you keep the NBA and the Cavs or an unidentified NHL team? Simple question.
The NBA is built so that teams from large media markets or teams with superstars succeed. The Cavs have neither right now, and those prospects don't look like that's gonna change, even if they get the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
The NHL, meanwhile, seems to be more wide open. Sure, they're trying to market their superstars (like Crosby and Ovechkin) and hope that those teams get the big push. However, it seems like it doesn't have the preferential treatment that proliferates throughout the NBA like a fungus.
Cleveland fans may believe that the NHL won't work here. They point to the two seasons in the late 1970s that the Cleveland Barons were in the NHL as proof of that. I beg to differ.
The Barons, when they were originally in the AHL, were a powerhouse and very popular among the fans (remember, there was no basketball in town then). They were replaced by the Crusaders in the fledgling WHA (which tried to pawn itself off as a legitimate competitor to the NHL), and the Crusaders did well here. After the Barons were moved to Minnesota by the Gund Brothers, Cleveland had some minor league hockey teams that drew OK. The Lumberjacks got a nice niche for a while. The reincarnated Barons were afterthoughts, but the Lake Erie Monsters seem to be marketing themselves fairly well.
Cleveland sees itself as a major league town (eat it, haters), and supporting a minor league team isn't high on the radar. But a major league hockey team? I think Cleveland fans (a blue-collar bunch) would support it.
I always felt hockey was more conducive to the average ticket-paying fan base in Cleveland than basketball, especially as contracts got bigger and superstars began acting more and more like spoiled divas and/or wanna-be thugs. Cleveland finally had one of them, and for 7 years, they were the hot ticket in town. But, the diva is gone, and we're left with a bunch of scrubs who can't buy a win if they could get it on clearance at Big Lots.
Feel free to vote in the poll, and comment your thoughts about which would be better here -- NHL or NBA. Don't let the stench of the current Cavs affect your thinking. Think about the 41-year-old body of work.
***
Lastly, the man behind "Joe Cleveland" would like to dedicate this installment of the blog to the late John G. Cole. Cole was the longtime editor-in-chief of the Lorain (OH) Monring Journal, where I cut my teeth as a sportswriter. I learned a lot about being a journalist, a writer and a good man from Cole. He was a tough person to work for, but you were a better person for it in the long run that you did, and that you survived.
Cole died suddenly this week at the age of 61. Rest in peace, sir!
Untl next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Pat yourselves on the back, Cavs. You've set an NBA record. And no, it's not a good kind of record. You just lost the most consecutive games in a row in a single season.
Twenty-four straight losses and counting. Joe Cleveland is PROUD that you represent his town. PROUD, I tell you!
Yes, Joe Cleveland can be very sarcastic. To quote the foreign co-worker in "Family Guy:"
"Oh, ho-ho ... eees funny cause eet's not true .... oh, ho-ho ..."
Who would have thought that the Cavs would go from being the first team in the NBA to reach 40 wins to the first team to reach 40 losses in one single season. Well, ESPN and all the other haters who thought that the Cavs would suck without LeQuitter did, but still ...
The Cavs have tied their own record (set during the Ted Stepien years ... who would have thought the Cavs would ever rival those forgettable years?) for most consecutive losses. Although, back then, the Cavs lost 24 straight during the course of two years. They did this in one.
Does anyone else think that the Cavs will win another game this year? How about two games? Three? Four? OK, that's just crazy talk right there, so I'll stop before it gets ridiculous. Heaven forbid, an NBA team can't win five games over the span of three months. How sad is this team?
The sad part is, as much as people like Joe Cleveland applauded Dan Gilbert for his "open" letter to the fans just hours after LeQuitter made his self-indulgant "Decision," I think we can all step back and realize that maybe Gilbert should have left well enough alone. Perhaps this is what he deserves.
A guarantee that your team will win an NBA title before LeQuitter's team does? Wow.
It's one thing to call out LeQuitter for what he really is, which is a quitter. It was fairly obvious to anyone with a pulse (or anyone not associated with ESPN) to realize that LeQuitter tanked those last two games of the Boston series. You don't play that poorly all of a sudden. And, remember when people (even media-types) were saying that LeQuitter was going to have elbow surgery after the season, and that he had a serious injury? Joe Cleveland wants to know when that elbow surgery happened, and how did it go? Because, he obviously didn't hear about it. Did you?
However, to make outlandish guarantees is something else entirely. The national media roasted Gilbert following the letter, which let LeQuitter off the hook. The Cavs' current struggles only makes Gilbert look worse (and LeQuitter look better).
In case you wanted to know, the NBA record for least wins in a single season is 9, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. All the Cavs have to do is win two games over the remaining three months to avoid this ignomious record.
Wow, two whole games. That's like asking someone to dig a replica of the Grand Canyon with a spoon, right?
Thanks a lot, Cavs. You disgust me. Take a bow, morons!
***
Speaking of basketball, Joe Cleveland finally got out to see the "winning team in town," Cleveland State, last Thursday against Valparasio. Then, I watched as ESPN came to the CSU campus and broadcast the Vikings big matchup with Butler to the nation on ESPN2.
What a difference two days make.
The CSU I witnessed on Thursday did not resemble the CSU I watched on Saturday. Joe Cleveland would like to know who those imposters were wearing Forest Green and White (well, they were wearing black jersies instead of the usual ones, so maybe that had something to do with it).
I was impressed with the Vikings against Valpo, although they missed too many free throws to my liking and they kept committing dumb fouls (although, it's fairly obvious that the Horizon League is taking on the bottom-of-the-barrell college refs. I don't know how many traveling calls they missed on Valpo, among some other questionable calls). I like their ability to play defense and that they aren't afraid to run. I like that, while Norris Cole is clearly the top option offensively, they have guys who can hit the long-range jumper like Jeremy Mongtomery and Tre Harmon.
Aaron Pogue, however, looks like a stiff to me. He looked like when I saw him in person, and he definitely looked like it against Butler. How do you miss layups when you're 6-10 or 6-9 or whatever you are?
A win over Old Dominion on the road in the Bracket Buster could be good enough to salvage their chances at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament (which is now accepting 68 teams this year, not 65). However, at this rate, CSU better hope Butler gets beaten in the HL Tournament. Because its obvious that Butler has some sort of hex on them.
How can Butler lose to Youngstown State but yet beat CSU? For that matter, Butler has lost to a LOT of teams in the HL this season. Yet, they are 2-0 against a team that is 21-4, and handed that team their only loss on their home court.
Maybe the weight of the bandwagon was too much for CSU. A nearly full house greeted CSU and the ESPN cameras for the noon tip-off. It was the first time all season that the Wolstein Center was that full. Maybe they were better when they were playing in front of people dressed like green seats instead of actual people. Who knows.
CSU still is the frontrunner to get the top-seed in the HL Tournament, which means there's a good chance they will be hosting that championship game should they not choke (knock on wood). However, it appears likely that, despite a glittering record, they may need to win the league if they want a shot at the field of 68. National perception is reality, and the nation has witnessed two terrible CSU performances against Butler and a third against West Virginia. Both teams clearly aren't the same teams that reached the Final Four last year.
Best of luck, CSU. You're our only hope.
***
So, maybe it's time for a Super Bowl prediction. After all, it is being played later today.
Take this for what it's worth (and, I'm sure the bandwagoners will believe that I'm not being objective), but I'm predicting Green Bay 30, Pittsburgh 21.
Pittsburgh is great against the run. However, Green Bay is not a running team. They are a passing team. I believe they can exploit the Steelers secondary and Rodgers can avoid the rush to make some great throws. They've got at least two huge plays in them.
Green Bay is great against the pass. Pittsburgh may try to run with Mendenhall a lot. However, their offensive line is weaker without center Maurkice Pouncey. Doug Legursky is undersized and not that good. You can bet that B.J. Raji will try to put pressure right up the middle. Green Bay will try to bring the heat on Roethlisberger. The Billy Joel wanna-be is best at bouncing off would-be tacklers and making plays out of nothing. It will be up to guys like Clay Matthews to make sure they bring him down when they hit him.
If Brian Schaefering can do it twice and Hank Poteat can do it once, I think Matthews can handle it.
Besides, the team that's had the most distractions this week has been the Steelers. Paparazzi have hounded them all week. Green Bay has been left alone. People were just waiting to see if Roethlisberger would screw up, or Harrison, or any of them. A routine trip to the strip club got posted to the Net. Roethlisberger drunkenly warbeling Piano Man made it to SportsCenter, where they spent 20 minutes debating on whether it was a story or not.
Umm, if you're going to spend 20 minutes talking about it, guess what: IT'S A FREAKING STORY!
Yes, the heart is rooting for Green Bay. However, the head believes that it will happen, too.
***
Two more weeks until the Indians open spring training. How long is it before the NFL Draft starts?
***
So, Joe Cleveland's latest poll is, if you had a choice right now for a winter sport, would you keep the NBA and the Cavs or an unidentified NHL team? Simple question.
The NBA is built so that teams from large media markets or teams with superstars succeed. The Cavs have neither right now, and those prospects don't look like that's gonna change, even if they get the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
The NHL, meanwhile, seems to be more wide open. Sure, they're trying to market their superstars (like Crosby and Ovechkin) and hope that those teams get the big push. However, it seems like it doesn't have the preferential treatment that proliferates throughout the NBA like a fungus.
Cleveland fans may believe that the NHL won't work here. They point to the two seasons in the late 1970s that the Cleveland Barons were in the NHL as proof of that. I beg to differ.
The Barons, when they were originally in the AHL, were a powerhouse and very popular among the fans (remember, there was no basketball in town then). They were replaced by the Crusaders in the fledgling WHA (which tried to pawn itself off as a legitimate competitor to the NHL), and the Crusaders did well here. After the Barons were moved to Minnesota by the Gund Brothers, Cleveland had some minor league hockey teams that drew OK. The Lumberjacks got a nice niche for a while. The reincarnated Barons were afterthoughts, but the Lake Erie Monsters seem to be marketing themselves fairly well.
Cleveland sees itself as a major league town (eat it, haters), and supporting a minor league team isn't high on the radar. But a major league hockey team? I think Cleveland fans (a blue-collar bunch) would support it.
I always felt hockey was more conducive to the average ticket-paying fan base in Cleveland than basketball, especially as contracts got bigger and superstars began acting more and more like spoiled divas and/or wanna-be thugs. Cleveland finally had one of them, and for 7 years, they were the hot ticket in town. But, the diva is gone, and we're left with a bunch of scrubs who can't buy a win if they could get it on clearance at Big Lots.
Feel free to vote in the poll, and comment your thoughts about which would be better here -- NHL or NBA. Don't let the stench of the current Cavs affect your thinking. Think about the 41-year-old body of work.
***
Lastly, the man behind "Joe Cleveland" would like to dedicate this installment of the blog to the late John G. Cole. Cole was the longtime editor-in-chief of the Lorain (OH) Monring Journal, where I cut my teeth as a sportswriter. I learned a lot about being a journalist, a writer and a good man from Cole. He was a tough person to work for, but you were a better person for it in the long run that you did, and that you survived.
Cole died suddenly this week at the age of 61. Rest in peace, sir!
Untl next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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