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.

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.

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.

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.

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.