Saturday, October 24, 2009

What's that on your face? MY BLOG!

You know, I haven't talked much about Cleveland sports lately, because, quite frankly, there's been nothing good to talk about.  And reading a full entry about how much I hate Cleveland sports has gotten pretty redundant.  I could talk about how terrible the Indians roster has become, but as you and I both know, that's been done quite a few times recently.  I could talk about how pathetic the Cleveland Browns are, but that's been done since the opening of this blog.  I could talk about how much I hate Eric Mangini's thought process, but I don't need to write about that for you to know exactly how I feel (assuming you're a Cleveland fan--if not, congratulations).  The only thing good about the Cleveland sports scene is that the Cavaliers start up on Tuesday.  Of course I'm excited, but let's be realistic.  As good as the Cavs could be this year, they're still a Cleveland team.  So to expect anything other than a letdown/failure/misery would be ridiculous.  

Do I think the Cavs can win a championship?  Of course I do.  Will they?  Doubt it.  The only way I see them winning it all is if either a.) The Spurs somehow knock off the Lakers in the west or b.) Ron Artest goes nuts and tears the Lakers entire organization apart.  And that's still assuming we get through Boston and/or Orlando in the East.  It's not very likley--mainly because the Cavaliers reside in Cleveland, Ohio.  The city that God undoubtedly hates more than any other city in America.

 Oh, and on the Browns...I still can't wrap my head around why:

A.) We traded Kellen Winslow in the off-season, and Braylon Edwards recently for garbage and trash.

B.) Mr. 2-for-17 for 23 yards and an INT is still starting for us.  Any quarterback that actually puts up a stat-line like that should be immediately banished from professional football for the rest of his life.

C.) Eric Mangini feels it's necessary to fine a player $1,763 for not paying for a $2 bottle of water in a hotel room on a road trip.

D.) Randy Lerner is such a worthless pile of crap and refuses to give a contract extension to the ONLY play-maker the Cleveland Football Browns still have left on the team. (Joshua Cribbs)

E.) I'm still a Browns fan.

You know, I was gonna buy tickets for the Browns/Packers game tomorrow and head down to Cleveland...and then it hit me.  The best part of doing that would undoubtedly be the pre-game parties in the Muni-lot.  That's sad.

I leave you with this....one of the greatest faux-blogs in the history of blogging.  It's a must-read for anyone who has a sense of humor.

The Life and Times of K-Smoove

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Man, how things change in 17 months.

Exactly 17 months ago today, the Cleveland Indians embarked on the 2008 MLB season. They were coming off a season where they were one win away from the World Series, and expectations were huge. Most, if not all of the so called 'experts' felt that the Indians were poised to go on a run similar to the one in the mid-'90's. Cleveland Indians dominance. Most of us fans felt the same way as well. Just 17 months later, the Indians are a team without a direction. They don't have many stars left. They don't have many fans that still get down to Progressive Field on a daily basis. They don't have an owner who is willing to even spend $1.50 on a copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Edition for the clubhouse. They don't have a plan for 2010. They don't have much. How did it get so bad, so fast? It's tough to say. But one thing has stayed the same...the Dolans still own the Indians, and the Dolans still won't let the Indians ever be competitive on a yearly basis. Unless the Tribe start off the season on a ridiculous hot streak, and are in 1st place at the All-Star break, the Dolans will do everything in their power to get rid of as many higher-priced contracts on the team. Anyways, back to the main point. I want to talk about the differences 17 months have made for the Cleveland Indians. Let's take a look at the starting lineup on Opening Day 2008 for the Tribe.
  1. Grady Sizemore, CF
  2. Jason Michaels, LF
  3. Travis Hafner, DH
  4. Victor Martinez, C
  5. Jhonny Peralta, SS
  6. Ryan Garko, 1B
  7. Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B
  8. Franklin Gutierrez, RF
  9. Casey Blake, 3B
CC Sabathia was the starter. The other starters were Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, Paul Byrd and Cliff Lee. Main guys out of the bullpen were Jensen Lewis, Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, Tom Mastny and Joe Borowski.

Now, I'm not gonna sit here and say that team was stacked. Far from it. But we had incredible pitching, an incredible bullpen, and four guys towards the top of the lineup who could rake.

Fast forward 17 months, and lets take a look at the current Cleveland Indians. I'll bold players that are still on the team that played in Opening Day 2008, and bold their positions if they still play that position. Tonight's lineup read:
  1. Grady Sizemore, CF
  2. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
  3. Shin-Soo Choo, DH
  4. Jhonny Peralta, 3B
  5. Luis Valbuena, 2B
  6. Matt LaPorta, RF
  7. Andy Marte, 1B
  8. Kelly Shoppach, C
  9. Michael Brantley, LF
Our starter tonight was Carlos Carrasco, and the other four starters in the rotation consist of Fausto Carmona, Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers and David Huff. Main guys out of the bullpen are Joe Smith, Chris Perez, Tony Sipp, Justin Masterson and Kerry Wood.

Alright. So here's 20 guys on this current Indians roster that are, more or less, everyday starters. Aside from Choo getting the night to DH and give Brantley a start in his outfield place, not much would change day-to-day aside from Hafner getting in the DH spot.

20 players mentioned. 5 of them were on the Indians Opening Day 2008 roster. That means in 17 months, 75% of the Indians that were there on April 1, 2008 are no longer with the team. Seventy-Five Percent. Think about that for a second. Grady Sizemore in center field and Fausto Carmona as a starting pitcher are the only two players on the Indians roster that haven't changed a thing since Opening Day 2008. You can do the math.

When 90% of your team is changed within 17 months, how do you really expect to win ballgames on a consistent basis?

17 months ago I was sitting in front of my TV getting ready to watch the Cleveland Indians start the long journey that I figured could possibly end in a World Series. I was getting ready to watch the beginning of a new Indians dynasty. 17 months later I'm watching a team with no identity, no direction, and not much potential for the near future.

Man, how things change in 17 months.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Take a step back in time....

Let's revisit an old blog post.....circa July 28, 2008. My comments will be bolded after the old stuff.

"First off, let me start by saying the Cleveland Indians drive me absolutely nuts. One year later, they still do.

One of these days, I'm just going to stop torturing myself. I mean, why am I still watching these games? The Tribe are done for the year. One year later, I still continue to watch them, and still realize that, yet again, they are done for the year.

Yet I still find myself sitting in front of the TV, watching Ryan Garko suck every night. It must be a disease or something. I don't know how else to explain it. Wow. I wish I could watch Ryan Garko suck every night. Instead, he got traded and replaced with Andy Marte, who is even worse.

  • Who's next? CC, then Casey Blake. I'm sure Shapiro isn't done yet. Haha, if I only knew.
  • Ben Francisco is terrible. Every game, you are guaranteed that at least one of his at bats will result in a pop-up in the infield. Yea, well, he still does that. I don't care that he's gone.
  • Ryan Garko is a joke. Seriously? Every single game....0-4, 2 Strikeouts. Time to go, meatball. I miss Ryan Garko.
  • Paul Byrd needs to get the hell out of Cleveland. I don't know who would want him, but he needs to go. Anywhere. How in the HELL did Paul Byrd get signed by the Red Sox last year? What were they thinking?
  • Fausto Carmona is starting to look like the pitcher who went 1-10 two seasons ago. Which one is the real Fausto? Uhh...the crappy one is the real one.
  • David Dellucci shouldn't get another at bat the rest of the season. If you want to find out what you have in these young guys, why keep playing Dellucci? Well, that's how Wedge rolls. What else explains why, ONE YEAR LATER, Matt LaPorta is STILL in AAA-ball? At least Dellucci is gone.
  • Andy Marte doesn't look that bad. He's bad, but not terribly bad. Haha. Was I drunk?
  • Kelly Shoppach has proven, with V-Mart out for so long, that he deserves to play more than once a week. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put Victor at first more and more when he comes back, and keep Shop in the lineup more often. Besides, Garko sucks. So get him out of the lineup by putting Victor at first. Worst idea EVER. Shoppach is the biggest pile of junk I've ever seen behind the plate. Again, what was I thinking?
  • Jhonny Peralta is thriving in the cleanup spot. He's been hitting the ball real well ever since he was moved there. I say keep him there--for good. Put Victor 3rd, and let Hafner hit 5th--if he ever comes back. Jhonny is still my favorite Indian. Why? No clue. But I like him. And he's raking again.
  • We still need a second baseman. Jamey Carroll is bad. Asdrubal Cabrera is bad. Josh Barfield is bad. Asdrubal is the future...he was just playing bad at this post last year.
  • When is Matt LaPorta going to be sent up? Since the season is already over, you might as well bring him up in September to get some at bats. Even if he hits .090, it doesn't matter. The season is already over. Never. That's when.
  • K-Rod anyone? Hey Shapiro...PAY HIM WHATEVER HE WANTS. We haven't had a closer in over 10 years. Kobayashi isn't the answer. Neither of the Rafael's are the answer. Joe Borowski sure as hell wasn't the answer. Francisco Rodriguez is the answer. Hahahaha. Shapiro spend money? Not ever. No way. FYI, Kerry Wood wasn't the answer, either.
  • Who in the hell is going to be in the rotation next year? The only sure things are Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona. Byrd will (hopefully) be gone, and Sowers and Laffey are pitching terrible. What does that leave? Let's answer that question...Fausto Carmona, Aaron Laffey, Carl Pavano, Jeremy Sowers, David Huff. Oh yea. A starting rotation that could be competetive--in High School ball.
  • I've been saying this for two years now--Trevor Crowe needs to be in Cleveland. Playing in Akron isn't doing the kid any good. He rakes in Akron. He's the leadoff hitter the Indians need. Then, Sizemore can move down in the batting order, and produce more runs for this team. Crowe is a base burner. Yea...too bad Trevor Crowe is garbage in Cleveland.
Well, that's about it for the evening. Preseason football officially kicks off a week from Thursday. I can't wait. Maybe, just maybe, the Browns can finally do something special. "

Hahahahahahahaahahahaha. Seriously. I must have been tanked. The Browns do something good? Not ever.

Ahhh, how much I love being a Cleveland fan.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Witness Protection!

So the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal. WOW. I can't believe a Cleveland team actually traded FOR a superstar, instead of trading away a superstar. It's a nice breath of fresh air for a Cleveland team. It'll be interesting to see what the Cavs can do with Shaq. We couldn't get through Orlando because no one could stop Dwight Howard. The Lakers won the championship because they have big guys...this was a move that had to be made. Plus, we gave up Ben Wallace (garbage) and Sasha Pavlovic (trash) to get a future Hall-of-famer. Can't really beat a deal like that, can ya? Hopefully Shaq is willing to play second fiddle to LeBron, and hopefully Shaq will do everything he can to bring a championship to Cleveland.

It's funny...right when I was just about to give up on even the Cavaliers (you know, the only Cleveland team that actually has any chance of winning a championship in the near future), they reel me back in. Hopefully this shows LeBron that the Cavs front office is willing to do whatever it takes to build the best team possible, and LeBron will want to stick around for a long time. Only time will tell.

I'm already ready for basketball season. Let's get it crackin'.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

I'm so sick of this shit.

Seriously, I don't know how much more of this bullshit I can take. Why is it that no matter how good a Cleveland team might be, they can NEVER win ONE DAMN CHAMPIONSHIP?! It's so frustrating. I can't even put into words how pissed off I am right now. I hope the Magic get absolutely killed in the finals, because they are an absolute joke on an NBA team. Shoot some more threes, you frickin' jackasses.

I. HATE. CLEVELAND. SPORTS.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

It's 1:30 AM. Sounds like a good time for a blog.

First off, I have no interest in even speaking about the fact that Eric Mangini is a complete and total jackass. I also have no interest in speaking about the fact that the 2009 NFL Draft, at least from a Browns fans perspective, was the most pathetic thing I've witnessed in my 23 years of living on this earth. I also have no interest in diving into the topic that is the Cleveland Indians bullpen and the fact that they are the biggest joke this side of Al Davis' draft methods.

OK, I lied. After those three things, there's really nothing else to talk about. I could talk about how incredible the Cavaliers are, but they haven't even played in over a week--you know, because they swept the Piss-tons out of the Playoffs while making them look like a basketball team who plays at the same level as a 9-year old rec team at the YMCA. And since we still don't know who the Cavs are playing in the second round, there's no point in talking about the Cavs. Yet.

Sooooooo....let's talk about the geniousness of The ManKok. Yea, I said it. You know your team is a joke when your GM and Coach have been dubbed "The ManKok regime." I honestly would rather have Phil Savage swearing at our fans and telling them to "Go root for Buffalo" and Romeo Crennel standing on the sidelines oogiling the hot dog vendors than having ManKok. And I figured the odds of me ever saying that were about the same odds as the Indians bullpen pitching a scoreless inning. HA! Yea right!

Speaking of which....the Indians bullpen is pathetic. Rafael Betancourt? Joe Smith? Rafael Perez? Jensen Lewis? Vinnie Chulk? Zach Jackson? Put them ALL on waivers. Call up ANYONE from AAA or AA-ball to take their spots, because those guys absolutely blow. That's it for Tribe talk. I figured they'd be at 0-24 right now, so I guess 9-15 is good?

Last thing...the Draft. You know, why in God's name would we actually want to draft a "diva" like Michael Crabtree? I mean, after all, we could trade down, draft a center, and take another wide receiver in the 2nd round. Oh, and by the way, I've already pre-ordered my Brian Robiskie Browns jersey. Pretty eye-popping, ain't it?

Robiskie could end up being a solid NFL receiver. Michael Crabtree could end up being a MAN of an NFL receiver who puts up Fitzgerald/TO type numbers. And speaking of being a man, I leave you with this golden nugget of YouTube-ness.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Greatest Cleveland Brown EVER.

Today is a day for a tribute. A tribute to the greatest player to ever put on a Cleveland Browns uniform. A tribute to the man who might, no, who does have the greatest name ever put on a football uniform. On December 6, 1984, this legend was born. I'm talking about none other than SYNDRIC STEPTOE.

Now, as you can see in the above picture, all Syndric Steptoe (#12 for all you morons out there who don't actually know about this absolute stud) does is catch touchdowns. I mean, come on. You seriously think I'm joking? Syndric was a SuperPrep All-America selection in High School. Yea. You don't make ANY All-America team unless your an absolute rawhide. His 40-time? A blazin' 4.41. And he ran that with a broken leg. No joke. He's Syndric friggin' Steptoe for God's sake.


Now, I could sit here for hours--no--days talking about the mythical Syndric Steptoe. But I refuse to do that. That wouldn't even do him justice. This will.



Yea. THAT. JUST. HAPPENED. Consider yourself lucky. You just got to re-live what is hands down the greatest touchdown catch in Cleveland Browns history of any Browns wide receiver while wearing brown pants.

Syndric Steptoe. Remember the name. Because when January of 2010 comes around, and Steptoe finishes the season with 79 catches for 1,895 yards and 19 TD's, you know damn well you'll be rockin' your Syndric Goddamn Stepteezy jersey.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Top 10 Clevelanders of all-time...

Whenever any of me and my boys are talking about sports, the inevitable always happens. That being that every argument turns into some sort of top-3, top-5, or top-10 list of whatever it is we're talking about at that time. At work today we got into it again and started talking about the top-10 terrible trades of Cleveland sports history (all stemmed from the terrible K2 trade, but I'm trying to let that go). So, as I was driving home I really got to thinking about the top-10 Cleveland sports athletes of all-time, and every list I kept making in my head kept getting filled with guys that have no right being there....so here goes nothing. I present to you.....Jeremy's TOP-10 CLEVELAND SPORTS ATHLETES OF ALL TIME.

10. Lou Groza - The Toe. Clearly I wasn't around during Lou's time, but I've heard some stories from my grandpa. Lou was the first kicker inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he was also an offensive tackle. Are you serious? Can you get any more awesome than that? The kicker was an O-lineman. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler, and a 6-time All-Pro offensive tackle. He kicked a game winner in 1950 to win the NFL Championship for the Browns. He played for 21 years, and was the last player left from the original Cleveland Browns team that was founded in '46.

9. Omar Vizquel - Sure, he didn't put up crazy offensive numbers, but he was the heart and soul of the Cleveland Indians return to prominence in the 1990's. He won a Gold Glove on a yearly basis. Easily one of the top-10 shortstops to ever play Major League Baseball. Even though he wasn't a power guy, he always had a solid batting average, and he was always the guy who would get the clutch hit that the Indians would need to win a ballgame. Omar's number will easily be retired at Progressive Field whenever he decides to call it a career. The best shortstop in team history, and one of the nicest guys anyone will ever meet.

8. Ozzie Newsome - The Wizard of Oz. Arguably the greatest tight end to ever play the game. He brought a charisma to the team that was unprecedented. He had some of the best hands I've ever seen on a wide receiver/tight end. He always made big plays whenever the Browns needed him to do so. He was a great guy, and his football smarts were incredible. He's still going strong today for the Baltimore Ravens making excellent decisions every season for their team. He knew how to catch a football, and he had a ton of raw strength. He always gained extra yards after a catch because he was so tough to take down. There's a reason he's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

7. Grady Sizemore - The verdict is still out on G-Size as to how far he can go up the list. Right now, I can't put him any higher than seventh. By the end of his career he could easily crack my top-five. This guy is a five-tool stud. He has power, he has speed, he has incredible defense, he has an uncanny knack for just understanding baseball in general, and he's one of the best leaders any team could have. He doesn't go out and showboat like some players. He goes out everyday and plays his ass off every minute. It doesn't matter if it's a spring training game, or game 7 of the World Series. Grady is going the same speed at all times. He's one of the most durable players I've seen in recent baseball history, and you can tell he's one of those guys who just absolutely loves what he's doing. He's a great guy and an excellent baseball player. One of the few in the Majors who has 40-40 potential every season.

6. Bernie Kosar - My favorite Brownie of all-time. Bernie. His knowledge of the game was remarkable. He was the Peyton Manning of his time. He always audibled plays out if he saw something he didn't like. He would call his own plays most of the time, actually. He couldn't run to save his life, but man could he sling it. His pocket presence was amazing, and his vision was outstanding. He was one of those quarterbacks that no matter how bad of a season he was having, he still wouldn't have more than a few interceptions. He just never put the ball in a bad place. He always knew what the right play to make at the time was, and he always made it. It's a shame he never was able to bring a Super Bowl Championship to Cleveland, but you can't blame him. He gave it his all. (Blame Byner and Elway for that.)

5. Austin Carr - Mr. Cavalier. Hands down the greatest player to ever don a Cavalier jersey--until 2003. Austin Carr had one of the sweetest jump shots you would have ever seen. He had a knack for shooting off of one foot, which would gain him seperation from his defenders. It's crazy, but he always made those off-balance shots. He was an excellent shooter, and a great defender in his time. He was one of those guys that if he was catching fire you would just give him the ball and get out of his way. He was the first true big-time scorer the Cavs ever had, and until recently was really one of the only ones we've seen in franchise history. It's great that he's still around working with the Cavs, calling the games on Fox Sports Ohio. I wouldn't want to listen to a game any other way.

4. Bob Feller - The Heater from Van Meter. One of the most dominant pitchers of his time. To this day, Feller still is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day. He threw three no-hitters, and a record 10 one-hitters throughout his career. He's the winningest pitcher in Cleveland history, and his record looks pretty safe for a while still. He was an eight-time All Star and is easily one of the top-1o pitchers in baseball history. He was also a Triple Crown winner in 1940, leading the league in Wins, ERA, and strikeouts, something that's only been done nine times since 1940 when Bob did it. He's still a big influence with the Indians, and still works closely with the team.

3. Otto Graham - Otto Graham played for the Browns for 10 years. He led them to the League Championship game ALL TEN TIMES, winning 7 of them. Graham's 57-13-1 record as a starter in the NFL represents the highest winning percentage of any quarterback in NFL history (.810). He was a three-time NFL MVP, and was an NFL All-Pro selection in each of his ten seasons. Otto Graham is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest winners in the history of professional sports. In his single season as a professional basketball player, the Rochester Royals (the Kings of today) also captured the league title. So all in all, in 11 seasons as a professional athlete, Otto Graham's teams made the championship all eleven years, winning eight titles.

2. LeBron James - I know, you might have expected The King to be number one. Not yet. Not before he brings a title to Cleveland. When it's all said and done, he could easily be the greatest Cleveland athlete of all-time. But it's still early. He's still got time to take over that spot. LeBron is easily the closest thing to the perfect all around basketball player in the NBA. He not only can score at will, but he rebounds very well, he dishes out assists at a much higher rate than any other NBA superstar, he plays tremendous defense, and he can steal and block shots with the best of them. The best way to describe this man is a freak of nature. He's so big, so quick, and so strong, he's almost impossible to stop when he gets in the lane. Hopefully LBJ sticks around in Cleveland throughout his career and brings a bunch of championships home.

1. Jim Brown - Easy pick for number one on my list. Not only is he the best Clevelander of all-time, he very well may just be the greatest football player of all-time. He played for nine seasons, making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams each season, and led the league in rushing for 7 of his 9 seasons. To this day, he's still the only player in NFL history to average over 100 yards rushing per game throughout his entire career. He retired in the prime of his career (only 29 years of age), so there's no telling how crazy his numbers could have ended up. When he retired he was well ahead of everyone else in career rushing yards, and he's still in the top-1o to this day. He was a three time MVP and was the first running back to rush for 100 touchdowns. One of the best to ever play the game, and easily the best Cleveland sports athlete of all time.

Monday, March 9, 2009

The direction of the Browns...

Today is strictly an opinion-based blog post. I honestly have no clue the actual direction of the Cleveland Browns. In fact, I probably don't actually want to know the true direction of this team. But, just for a couple minutes, let's pretend like I actually believe that Eric Mangini knows what he's doing. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for approximately the next 2 and a half minutes.

Now, as you all know, I'll never condone the Browns trading away my favorite player on the team, Kellen Winslow...so I won't even go there. But, let's assume it was done for a legit reason. Only reason I can come up with is that Winslow wasn't a run blocker. Hell, he wasn't a blocker period. Now, Robert Royal, the recent tight end that the Browns signed is a blocker. Apparently. I don't actually know, since I've never seen the guy play in my life. I do know that he can't catch. But we'll leave that alone and just base it off the fact that Royal can block. OK. So the apparent direction of the Browns is that they want to get back to the old, 80's, run-it-down-their-throats Cleveland Browns football with Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack bulldozing all over people.

Now, that I can live with. That's all good in theory. One problem...Jamal Lewis can't run the ball successfully for a full season. Sorry, he just can't. He's too old and washed up to be very productive over a full season. That only leaves us with Jerome Harrison, who, by the way, is an animal. Now, you wouldn't know that, because Romeo never actually used him. But when Harrison did touch the ball, oh, you know, two times a game, he actually made plays. I have a feeling with Mangini coaching that we'll see a lot more of Harrison, as he'll most likely be used just like Leon Washington was for the Jets. OK...so that's half of the running back problem. The other half, you know, the Jamal Lewis half? He won't go anywhere. I wish he'd leave, but he won't. I'd love to see the Browns draft a nice running back, like LeSean McCoy or Beanie Wells, but I doubt they will. They have much more pressing needs.

So the apparent direction of the Browns is to get back to just pounding the football for one or two yards a play, then on 3rd-and-7 throw a screen pass for 4 yards, and punt.

Man, I can't wait for football season in the fall. We'll be lucky to go 4-12 again.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

That's the last straw.

I feel like Milton from Office Space right before he burns down Initech. I've put up with so much nonsense during my lifetime in regards to the Cleveland Browns, I've just about had enough. Because hiring Eric Mangini wasn't bad enough. Because him alienating Shaun Rogers--our best defensive player-- wasn't bad enough. Because him coming out and saying that he's "lukewarm" on Brady Quinn and he thinks DA should be the starter wasn't bad enough. But this? Trading away the only player on the entire team that actually leaves his heart and soul out on the field every week? The only player that actually gives a damn about doing whatever it takes to make sure the Browns win a game? And for a second round pick? You have got to be joking. I put up with the stupid decisions every year, and I'm really sick of it.

Why is it that everyone who has even a remotely important decision-making job within the Browns organization is a complete moron? This team will never be a legitimate contender year in and year out. It drives me incredibly insane to have to put up with all the continued stupidness and boneheaded moves that everyone in the front office continues to make. This has got to stop. Bad coaches, bad owners, bad decisions....there's a reason the Browns have never even made it to a Super Bowl. And quite frankly, I'm sick of it. What incentive do us Browns fans actually have to spend money on this team and watch them suck? I can't figure out why anyone in their right mind would actually spend money to watch a bunch of guys who don't know what a "team" is being coached by a complete donkey every Sunday. Why even waste my money on a jersey? If it's anyone remotely decent, obviously he'll be traded for a late round draft pick.

I'm so sick of the Browns, I refuse to talk about them anymore. On to a team that actually cares enough about their fans to put a legitimate product out on the floor every game.

One question...can the Cavaliers ever have more than one game with their entire team healthy? It seems like whenever someone comes back, another one gets hurt. It's starting to get redicuous. That Cleveland curse just never stops, I guess. It's not a big deal losing Ben Wallace to a broken leg as far as offense goes, but come playoff time, he's the only guy that could even remotely play defense against guys like Garnett or Gasol. Without him, we might be in trouble.

And seriously, can someone please tell Daniel Gibson that he's not a superstar? Quit shaving stupid little designs into your head. Quit staring down the opposing teams bench when you make ONE out of your 10 three-point attempts you take every game. Quit putting three fingers in the air and walking slowly back on defense when you make a shot. Quit acting like such a drama queen. Your garbage. You've been garbage ever since your rookie year. Hardly anyone in Cleveland still has any respect for you and your childish antics. Give it a rest. YOU ARE A BENCH PLAYER. YOU ARE EXPENDABLE.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

C-Town Tidbits.

I don't have enough in me to actually make a full-out blog post tonight. Work sucked the life right out of me, and reruns of That 70's Show just aren't doing it for me. That being said, I'm just gonna blabber on, and when I can't come up with anything else, tonights blog post will be over. We're going old school...we're going bullet-style.
  • Mo Williams was FINALLY named to the All-Star team. Wow. It only took three times too long. Thanks, NBA. Good thing Mike Brown is the head coach, otherwise Mo would probably get like 14 seconds of playing time.
  • Pitchers and catchers report to Winter Haven, err, wait, Goodyear ARIZONA tomorrow. It's nice to see the Indians actually have a Spring Training facility that doesn't look like the one from Major League anymore.
  • Do I actually want to put any effort into feeling that the Indians could be contenders this year? I haven't decided. The odds of them actually being competitive are pretty slim looking at how weak our pitching is.
  • Word on the street is that Danny Ferry is looking to make a trade before the trading deadline. Sure, that sounds great, but what are the odds that this Cavaliers team could get much better than they are?
  • Seriously, Brad friggin' Miller? Screw Brad Miller. I don't want that clown on the Cavs. I don't give two damns about giving up Gibson (who is rumored to be involved in this deal), but Brad Miller? What the hell good will Brad Miller do us? An overpriced big man that can't make most of his shots? We have Ben Wallace for that...and at least Ben plays legit defense.
  • BREAKING NEWS....I still don't like Eric Mangini. He still comes off as an ass-clown. Reminds me of Romeo Crennel. Yee haw.
  • More breaking news....the NBA's officials still hate on the Cavs every game. It's really getting rediculous. I'm so sick of seeing refs make bad call after bad call every game the Cavs are playing. They cost us another one tonight calling a terrible foul on LeBron with 0.2 seconds left in the game.
  • David Stern needs fired. I can't stand that jackass.
  • I'm so ready for March Madness. About a month until it gets underway! Plus, it looks like THE Ohio State Buckeyes will be in the big show. They probably won't go that deep, but you never know. Crazy things happen in March.
  • I really don't think the Cavs have much of a chance at beating the Suns tomorrow night. I think we're due for a typical Cleveland slump over the next week and a half or so.
That's all I got. Until next time, when there will be much more Cleveland related things for me to be irritated about.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Kobe vs. LeBron

First off, let's be realistic. Having either one of these guys on your team would be like winning the lottery. So let's get that out of the way. Secondly, I am a Cavaliers fan. You need to put that aside before you even read this post. Otherwise, don't even waste your time reading it. Know this--this is a 100% UNBIASED post. I am a basketball fan in general. I know when I see a superstar, and I respect them. There isn't a wrong answer to the question as to who is "better."

Now that that's out of the way, I will tell you the least-wrong answer to the question as to who is better. And that answer is LeBron James. I told you to put aside the fact that I'm a Cavs fan. So clearly you haven't done that, otherwise you wouldn't be saying "wow, he's such a homer" right now.

OK. Have you finally gotten past that point? Allow me to explain.

Now, obviously anytime this discussion comes up, there's always an argument. I have no problems with arguments, as anyone who knows me knows that. So let's get down to the facts. Because, quite frankly, anytime your talking LeBron/Kobe, facts will always undoubtedly be brought to the table. Kobe is six years older than LeBron. When Kobe was LeBron's age, his outside game wasn't as good as it is now. So if your gonna try and start the argument with the whole "LeBron can't shoot from outside", don't bother. We all know LeBron's "weakness" (if you want to call it that) is that he isn't a deadly outside shooter. I'll give Kobe credit. He can stroke it from outside. But he hasn't always been like that. LeBron will get there, you have to give him time. His FG% have progessively gotten better over his career just like Kobe's did.

Secondly, if your really gonna play the "Kobe has rings" card, don't waste your time. Kobe has THE most dominant big man in the game every time he won a ring. And I know, your thinking "don't play the Shaq card". Well, you know what? I'm gonna play the Shaq card. Because ever since Shaq left, Kobe hasn't won a Championship. Call it a coincidence all you want, but that's the truth. I'm not discrediting the fact that Kobe has three championships, because he does. But Shaq played a huge part in those three championships. And quite frankly, up until this year, LeBron hasn't had anyone even remotely on the superstar level for him to play with. Z was the closest thing, and as much as I love the guy, he isn't very close. Mo Williams is the closest thing.

Next up, LeBron rebounds and assists much more than Kobe ever has in his career. Last time I checked, basketball wasn't only about scoring points. I was always led to believe that playing a team game will do you better than being selfish and shooting all the time. Now don't get the idea that I'm calling Kobe selfish, because I'm not. Again, just stating that Kobe is mainly a scorer, and doesn't really focus on rebounding or dishing out assists as much. LeBron on the other hand does. Kobe rarely gets triple-doubles. LeBron gets them on a fairly frequent basis. Facts people, facts. LeBron does more all-around for his team than Kobe does.

Next, defense. Look, Kobe is a lock-down defender. Anyone who watches basketball will admit that. That being said, LeBron James plays crazy good defense as well. Now, most of you probably don't even know that. Why? Because you don't expect him to play good defense. But if you actually watch the Cavs on a frequent basis, you'll know that LeBron chooses to take on the best players on the other teams in the 4th quarter, because he knows that he can guard them. A lot of so called "experts" are saying that LeBron should seriously be considered a legit contender for DPOY. Hey, I just call it how I see it.

Kobe has six years on LeBron. When it's all said and done, Kobe, LeBron, and Jordan, IMO, will be considered the three best to ever play the game. In what order, that's debatable. In fact, it'll be debated long past any of us are around most likely.

The fact is this--you can't go wrong with either of them on your team. But based off the sheer fact that LeBron is doing things that Kobe wasn't doing at the same age, biased or not, you have to at least admit that LeBron could be doing stuff in six years that Kobe can't do right now in his career. We've seen Kobe at his best....he's not going to get any better than he is. We still have yet to see the best of LeBron James. And if we haven't seen the best of him, who knows how good this kid could really be. I mean, if he's going off for 52-11-10 now, what could he potentially be doing when he's at his optimal best in a few years?

It's scary to think. And even you, yes you, the huge Kobe fan who read this entire post seeing nothing but biased statements, have to admit that if LeBron is still going to get better, there's a good chance he'll reach heights even Kobe couldn't get to.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Mo is not another Larry.

I'm sure you've at least seen the highlights from last nights Cavaliers game against the Kings. So you already know about how Mo Williams went off for 43 points (including 7-12 from three-point land), 11 assists and 8 rebounds. I'm not going to go into any more detail about that, because, quite frankly, you already know from the highlights that Mo Williams is an absolute beast with one of the wettest jump shots in the history of professional basketball. Now, I could sit here and talk about the fact that he has the hardest tattoo of a cartoon related to food in the NBA, based off a poll of 100 random National Basketball Association players [citation needed], but we could save those stories for another snowy day.

Instead, I want to cover a topic that I had an argument about at work today with a co-worker. (Of course, the fact that this was even a topic of conversation is laughable, but considering the said co-worker is a Michigan fan, you can't really expect much more out of the man.) While I was bragging (like I always do) about Mo Williams' bulldozing of the Kings, he felt it was necessary to start the topic that Mo Williams is exactly like Larry Hughes. He then said that "hell, even Larry Hughes dropped 40 for the Cavs at one point in his career."

While this may be true, I quickly reminded him that Larry Hughes was the biggest waste of money (and still is to this day) in the NBA not named Brian Cardinal. Now, I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was at when Larry dropped 40 last year on Orlando. Why, you ask? Because you always remember where you were at when you had your first kiss. You always remember where you were when you saw a star exploding. (Translation: You remember where you were when you did/saw something that will only happen once in your lifetime.)

Sure, Larry had some good games with the Cavaliers. They typically occurred whenever there were 5 Mondays in a calendar month (roughly two times a year). Now, after laughing profusely for a good 4 minutes straight, I proceeded to tell him how he's either a.) smoking crack or b.) clinically insane.

You see, ever since Mo Williams became an everyday starter for the Bucks, he always had solid numbers. Mo Williams is a legit 17-4-4 a game player. Something Larry Hughes was for one fluke, contract-fueled season with the Washington Wizards. Oh, and who could forget all the Larry Hughes injuries? The pulled groins, the broken fingers, the twisted ankles, the I-got-a-new-tattoo-on-my-face-and-won't-be-able-to-play-for-two-weeks injuries. Larry was NEVER healthy. Mo Williams on the other hand, knock on wood, has been typically a healthy player throughout his career.

Mo Williams is nothing like Larry Hughes. Mo Williams doesn't complain. Mo Williams is a team player. Mo Williams has a sweet house in Avon Lake. Mo Williams is the closest thing the Cavs have ever seen to be considered the robin to LeBron's batman. They feed off of each other so much. I don't think you could get a better fit for LeBron. And hopefully, these two will be in Cleveland, hanging banners from the rafters of the Q for a long time.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

And so it begins...

Seriously...what do the sports Gods have against Cleveland teams? It NEVER fails. No matter how good a team is, and how good they're going, something will always happen to de-rail them. Because losing Z wasn't bad enough, now we lose Delonte to a fracture of his wrist? It may not seem like it to the casual NBA fan, but losing D-West is really bad for the Cavs. In essence, this now means that not only Sasha AND Wally will get extended minutes, but the defense goes straight down the drain. Delonte isn't the biggest two-guard in the NBA, but he plays incredible defense against some of the best. His defense will be sorely missed, especially considering Wally and Sasha don't even know the definition of "defense."

Delonte is crucial to the Cavs winning a Championship, and now it looks as if we'll be without him for at least a month. No official word yet on the length of him being out, but fracturing a wrist can't be something that you'll come back from quickly.

What else does this mean? Us losing more games.

And what does that mean? Us losing homecourt in the Playoffs against teams like Boston and Orlando.

And that means? We'll have to not only win all of our home games against one or both of these teams, but we'll also have to go into their building and try and scoop at least one away from them.

And what does that mean? Our chances at the Championship are diminished gratefully.

Cavaliers - Delonte West = a non-championship caliber NBA team.

It might seem crazy, but it's the truth. We can only hope and pray that Delonte gets healthy quick. Guess we'll find out the damage tomorrow, but considering he plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it'll probably be bad news.

And the undefeated 19-0 home record will go down in flames against New Orleans tomorrow night. Guaranteed.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

New Year's C-Town Resolutions.

Roughly 92% of Americans make at least one New Year's Resolution every year [citation needed]. Considering I have already given up on mine (going one full year without ever stepping foot into or on the premises of McDonalds), I figured what could possibly be better than making resolutions for myself in regards to the Cleveland teams. Let's get to it.

1. I will not criticize LeBron James. Even if it's Game 7 in the Playoffs, and he decides he wants to get into one of those phases where he settles for long-range jumpers that he can't make, which, in turn, costs us the series and knocks us out of the playoffs, I will not say one bad thing about that man. I did it last year after his blown lay-up against Boston in game 7, and I did it earlier this season against Detroit when he got into one of those phases. I will not do it once in 2009. He's human. He'll lose a game doing something stupid. That being said, he's still the best player Cleveland has ever seen, and I refuse to take him for granted. After all, this could be one of his last seasons as a Cleveland Cavalier. (Hopefully not, but after all, it's still Cleveland.)

2. I will never use the phrase "Mangenius" when referring to new Browns head coach Eric Mangini. Even if he makes the most insane call to beat a team such as, let's say the Steelers, I still will not use this phrase. Main reason being--Tony Soprano used it once. And you don't use stuff that Tony uses. Plus, the New York media ran with it, and look where that ended up.

3. I will not allow myself to have any bigger of a man-crush than I already have on Grady Sizemore. Self-explanatory.

4. I will attempt to actually care about the Cleveland State Vikings basketball team. I've tried for three years now, and every year I stop caring as soon as Kent State gets into the NCAA Tournament. I've always had a place in my heart for Kent State--don't ask me why, because, simply, I don't know.

5. I will try, for the first time in my life, to not say "This is our year!" when referring to the Browns. I have said it every year since I can remember, and clearly that over-confident plan hasn't worked out so well. After all, the odds of 2009 being "our year" are about the same as LenDale White losing weight.

6. I will not make fun of Mark Teahen at an Indians game. This might be the most difficult one on the list, but I'm going to try my hardest. I don't know what it is about that guy, but he's just so fun/easy to pick on.

7. I will not reference Jose Mesa a single time throughout 2009, aside from this mention in my resolutions list. Because seriously, it's time to move on and finally let that go.

8. I will not allow myself to actually think that Brady Quinn might finally be the answer at QB for the Browns. I've allowed myself to think that numerous times over the past decade, and every time, I've been dead wrong. This was espically true with Charlie Frye. Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to those two guys who sat in the front row of the East endzone at Cleveland Browns stadium in the McDonalds "Charlie's Frye's" costumes?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

New Year, new thoughts.

Well, I see it's been awhile since I've been on here complaining about something. Week 2 of the NFL season? Good God. I can't even remember that far back. (OK, I lied. I remember the power going out at halftime of the Browns/Steelers game because of some old hurricane system that blew through here leaving the power out and the city smelling like salty fish.) Anyways, let's see....what has happened on the Cleveland/Ohio State scene since then?

The Browns managed to go 4-12, while firing Romeo Crennel (finally), the Indians made some solid off season moves (finally), and the Cavaliers appear to look like a true championship contender (finally).

Oh, and the Buckeyes? They managed to come back in the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, score 15 straight points on Texas to take the lead with a little under two minutes left, and proceed to blow it by giving up a game winning touchdown. Big shocker there.

But I will choose to spend my time talking about the Cavaliers. I mean, hell, they are 29-6. I said, the minute that we traded for Mo Williams, to every single person I know that THIS Cavaliers team will be much different that others. I told everyone that we'd finally have a legit, championship contending team. Of course, I was right. I want to talk briefly about last night's big showdown with the Boston Celtics. Let's see....the Cavaliers dominated the entire game en route to winning by 15. That's all I'm going to say. Everyone says how incredible Boston is, and how they're going to repeat....well, guess what. Cleveland will have something to say about that.

Alright, the one thing I actually DO want to talk about is those Cavs throwbacks they've worn the past two nights. Now, I'm not old enough to remember back to the time that these would have been worn, but I never remember hearing/seeing anything about these blue ones. Were they really worn back in the day, or are they just something they decided to throw together for this season? If anyone knows for sure, please get at me. I'd love to know. Because, honestly....they are HIDEOUS. Absolutely frickin' terrible.

Alright...that's all for today. I want to talk about the Tribe's offseason, so I'll get to that the next time I'm on here. Peace.