A Few Rows Up

Latest Stories on BleacherReport.com

2010-03-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks for checking in. Been staying busy at BleacherReport.com. Over the past couple of weeks I've kept writing about the NBA and the Cavaliers in particular.

Today I posted an analysis of the Cavs performance minus LeBron James, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In addition to the Cavs, I've written recent stories about the Lakers, Mavericks and Bucks.

I'm now a national NBA writer for BR, and my first assignment was to compare Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics, and who had the better shot at the Hall of Fame. I did it as a slideshow.

Also did a humorous slideshow about LeBron's plan to switch uniform numbers.

The archive of all of my articles is here.

This week I'll handle another national assignment for BR, writing about the MAC Tournament. My first post will be Monday.

Watch for another national NBA piece there on Tuesday, with perhaps a touch of humor to that one, as well.

More on BleacherReport.com

2010-02-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Since my last post in January, I've penned another 15 articles for BleacherReport.com, covering such diverse topics as the Cavaliers and trade rumors/realities; the Browns and negotiations with Josh Cribbs; the Akron Zips and college football signing day; Mike Dunleavy's departure as coach of the L.A. Clippers; and, believe it or not, the Houston Rockets.

See my archive here: http://bleacherreport.com/users/167634-tom-delamater/archives/newest?rel=nofollow

Also, I had a cool opportunity to write a piece about LeBron and the Cavs for AskMen.com, an online men's magazine:

http://www.askmen.com/sports/fanatic_250/281_the-ball-is-in-lebrons-court.html

Hope you enjoy!

MVP Repeat? LeBron James Tops Bosh, Kobe, Durant, Wade in Sizzling Week

2010-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

If there isn’t a textbook on how to win an NBA Most Valuable Player award, LeBron James may be writing one.

The season has a long way to go, and this year's award is by no means his (yet), but James set the bar a little higher this past week. If anyone is to prevent him from repeating as MVP, they’ll have to turn in a stretch of Herculean performances between now and May.

Not only did LeBron win the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for November and December, he’s the frontrunner for January, having just been named the conference’s Player of the Week for the second time in the month and fourth time this season.

Going back to the 2008-09 regular season, James has won four consecutive player of the month awards, the first individual ever to do so. A fifth would be an exclamation point of unprecedented proportions.

Not resting on his laurels, LeBron turned things up a notch over the Cavaliers’ last four games, outdueling four of the game’s best players in a perfect 4-0 week.

On Jan. 19, James just missed a triple-double as he compiled 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in a 108-100 win over Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors. Bosh had 21 points and 10 boards.

Two nights later, after learning that point guard Mo Williams would be lost for up to six weeks with a sprained shoulder, James recorded 37 points, nine assists and five rebounds as the Cavs topped Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, 93-87. Bryant led the Lakers with 31 points.

Just two nights after that—having lost Williams’ replacement, Delonte West, to a broken finger in the Lakers game—LeBron scored another 37 as the Cavs outlasted Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City, 100-99.

Sharing ballhandling duties with Cleveland’s third option at point, Daniel Gibson, James notched 12 assists and had nine rebounds. Durant had 34 points and 10 boards, but his last-second shot that could have tied the game for the Thunder was swatted out of the air by (who else?) James.

Finally, on Jan. 25, it was another defensive gem by LeBron that clinched Cleveland’s 92-91 win over Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. James stole a behind-the-back pass by Wade and drove the length of the floor where he was fouled by Quentin Richardson.

James went down hard after getting tangled up with Wade in mid-air, but gathered himself and drained two free throws to provide the winning margin. He then got a hand in Wade’s face on a last-second attempt that was too long, and the Cavs were victors yet again. LeBron finished with 32 points, matching Wade’s total, while adding nine rebounds and four assists.

Over the four-game stretch, James averaged 33.5 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds a game. It was a remarkable week by any standard; even more, it left his most prominent competitors for the MVP award shaking their heads in begrudging admiration.

Part of the reason for his success is that he’s attacking the basket and making things happen. James averaged a shade under 16 free throw attempts per contest during the four-game streak.

It’s not just this stretch that has the league buzzing; it’s been a season-long trend. As Patrick McManamon wrote in the Akron Beacon Journal, James is averaging more points than last season (a league-best 29.9), more productive on the road (where he’s recording 31.4 points per contest), and is averaging a career-best 7.8 assists a night.

It’s worth noting that the Cavaliers didn’t play particularly well in any of the four victories this past week, yet still found a way to win.

With Williams and West out, Shaquille O’Neal stepped up his game and contributed a season-high 22 points against Oklahoma City, and then 19 more against Miami.

Gibson, meanwhile, overcame a shaky start against the Thunder to score 13, then added 15 in the win over the Heat.

It’s that kind of depth and versatility that makes the Cavs a force to be reckoned with this season.

Instead of stumbling following the loss of their top two point guards, Cleveland responded with poise and teamwork, thanks in large part to James’ leadership and dominant level of play.

Those are signs of a championship-caliber team and an MVP-worthy player. The Cavaliers must still prove themselves as the former, but James is showing that last year’s MVP award was no fluke as he makes a compelling case for a repeat honor in 2010.

(This article published on BleacherReport.com)

Recent Articles from BleacherReport.com

2010-01-26T20:48:00.001-08:00

You can read some of my recent BleacherReport.com articles by clicking on these links:

NBA Trade Rumors: Amar'e Stoudemire to the Cleveland Cavaliers? (Jan. 25)

Changing of the Guard: How Will Cavaliers Offset Loss of Delonte West? (Jan. 22)

The Once and Future King: LeBron James Overpowers Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (Jan. 22)

Mo Williams Out At Least a Month, Testing Cavaliers' Depth and Resolve (Jan. 21)

Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, Round Two: The Way Things Ought to Be (Jan. 21)

Shaquille O'Neal's Call for NBA Stars to Benefit Haitit Is a Slam Dunk (Jan. 20)

Cleveland Legend Jim Brown to LeBron James: Stay with the Cavaliers (Jan. 19)

LeBron James and the Dunk Contest: Why Give the Haters Something Else to Hate? (Jan. 19)

Hope you enjoy them!

Consistency Is the Key, Reason for Cavs' Top Ranking

2010-01-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

LeBron James was blunt and straightforward when asked Thursday night to assess the Cleveland Cavaliers’ performance this year.

Interviewed on Fox Sports Ohio, James said his team's progress was "okay" compared to last year’s edition. He qualified that by saying they had figured some things out since the start of the season.

Austin Carr of Fox Sports interpreted: The Cavaliers have learned to play with Shaquille O’Neal, and it’s starting to show in their teamwork and execution.

James also said the difference between last year’s team and this year’s model is consistency.

He then declared, quite matter-of-factly, that the Cavaliers are still improving.

Or, as Campy Russell of Fox Sports put it: They’re bigger, faster and stronger than a year ago—built to win at home and on the road.

James’ words represented a realistic appraisal by an increasingly savvy veteran. The assessment of Carr and Russell, both former NBA players, provided a seasoned perspective of almost two decades of combined pro basketball experience.

A look at the Cavaliers heading into Thursday’s game supported the views of all three.

Certainly, Cleveland’s season to date compared favorably to those of the two most recent league champions, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Cavs entered Thursday’s action with a 30-10 record. They were 14-3 at home and a solid 16-7 on the road. Interestingly, they had compiled a .750 overall winning percentage while playing only 42.5 percent of their games in their own arena.

The Lakers were a comparable 30-9. But 24 of those games were at home—a whopping 61.5 percent of their schedule. They were a predictable 21-3 in those contests, but only 9-6 in their 15 games away from the Staples Center.

The Celtics, meanwhile, were 27-10 going into Thursday. Similar to Cleveland, most of their first-half schedule—56.8 percent—had been on the road, where they were a superb 16-5. However, they had managed only an 11-5 record at home.

Much has been said this year about the Lakers’ early-season schedule. They played 17 of their first 21 games at home, a key factor in their blazing 18-3 start. Contrast their favorable slate with the more balanced schedules of both the Cavs (10 of 21 at home) and the Celtics (11 of 21 at home) over comparable periods.

The Lakers have come down to earth a bit in the 17 games since then, turning in a more modest 11-6 record over that span.

So where does it leave us? Where just about everyone predicted—with those three teams atop the NBA at the season’s midpoint.

While Bleacher Report’s most recent power rankings left the Lakers in the number one spot, writers at some of the most respected sports sites on the Web saw things through a different lens.

David Del Grande of CBSSports.com, Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Chris Mannix of CNNSI.com all placed Cleveland at the top. So did writers as diverse as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News and Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian, illustrating the respect for the Cavaliers’ play from coast to coast.

Regardless, the Celtics and Lakers have made it happen where it matters—on the court—over the past two seasons.

The Cavs are too familiar with being the best on paper, leading the league in that manner from wire to wire a year ago. Their goal is the real thing, an NBA championship.

In the final analysis, power rankings mean little. They’re a best guess of where teams stand at any given time.

However, Cleveland’s performance on the court—both at home and on the road—has placed them squarely in the mix as the second half of the season gets underway.

More Than LeBron James; Cleveland Cavaliers' Depth Puts Them Atop NBA

2010-01-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

He may not have his Scottie Pippen-like sidekick, but LeBron James isn’t complaining.

Cleveland’s all-everything superstar picked up his third Eastern Conference Player of the Week award following a stretch that proved the Cavaliers are anything but a one-man show.

Latest exhibit: The emergence of forward Jawad Williams.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel, who grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, began playing meaningful minutes when Jamario Moon was sidelined with an abdominal strain Jan. 5.

With Moon out three weeks, coach Mike Brown turned to Williams, who has responded by averaging eight points in 17 minutes a game. That’s an upgrade over Moon’s season average of five points a game.

It’s been a pleasant surprise for the Cavaliers, who seem to just keep on getting richer.

Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have figured out how to make their tag-team arrangement work at center. Their teammates have adjusted to the improbable pairing and have learned how to play to their big men’s strengths.

Delonte West is giving opponents fits off the bench, exhibiting the savvy and resilience of the seasoned pro that he is.

Anderson Varejao, meanwhile, has responded to Brown’s guidance and repented, at least somewhat, of his renowned flopping ways. A recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer detailed Varejao’s new approach to defense and how it’s paying off for the Cavs. The 6’11” supersub is having perhaps his most impressive season as a pro.

Then there’s Williams, who came off the bench firing with the confidence of a veteran. He scored 10 points in 17 minutes in a win over Portland on Jan. 10 and followed it the next night with 11 important points in 20 minutes in a close win at Golden State.

Inside the organization, Williams’ success comes as no surprise. In his second season with Cleveland after stints in Spain, Japan, Israel and the NBA D-League, Williams is James’ daily opponent during Cavaliers practices. Going against the NBA’s best, even in a practice setting, has prepared him for the bright lights of game night.

Cleveland’s depth may be the deciding factor if they’re to be successful in their quest for a first-ever NBA crown. Moon is scheduled to return by the end of January, and Leon Powe should be ready shortly after that. Add to them backup guard Daniel Gibson, who is currently the Cavs’ odd man out as Brown juggles the riches that await him on Cleveland’s bench.

Also in their favor: the rages of time that confront their main rivals atop the NBA.

Orlando pinned a lot on the offseason acquisition of 34-year-old Vince Carter, who suffered a shoulder separation on Jan. 8.

Boston’s talent is unquestioned, but so is their collective age. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Paul Pierce are all on the downside of 30, and have battled their share of bumps and bruises in recent years.

At 32, even Kobe Bryant appears suddenly vulnerable, given his recent bout with back spasms. As Kobe goes, so go the Lakers.

Equally revealing is how the four teams have fared in recent weeks. Boston is 6-6 over its last 12 games, including three losses during a four-game West Coast trip.

The Magic and Lakers are just 7-5 over similar spans. The Lakers haven’t had to travel to the opposite coast during that time, and Orlando just won the first of a challenging four-game set out west.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 10-2 over their last dozen games, including five wins in six games on two separate West Coast swings. Home or away, the team appears to have jelled and is playing its best basketball of the season.

When it comes to age, O’Neal and Ilgauskas may pose a concern, but the fact that they’re splitting time evenly has enabled them both to avoid injury and get ample rest as the playoffs approach.

Injury can befall anyone at any time. James could go down tomorrow just as easily as Garnett, Carter, or Bryant. Things being equal, however, the Cavaliers’ combination of youth and depth gives them a significant edge as February dawns on the NBA’s stretch run.

With Defense Firing On All Cylinders, Cavs' Offense Should Look to Shaq

2010-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Once again, talk of the Cleveland Cavaliers is focusing on their defense.

A strong end-game closed out the defending champion Lakers on Christmas, and a few days later the Cavs held Atlanta scoreless for the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter in sealing another road win.

Defense is the name of the game for the Cavaliers, and has been in their five seasons under Mike Brown.

Offense is another story.

Google “Mike Brown offense” and see for yourself. There are mostly blog entries offering scathing indictments of the coach and his decidedly non-creative approach to putting the basket in the ball. There's certainly nothing testifying to his offensive innovations or strategies.

Do the same with Phil Jackson, and you’ll get enough X’s and O’s to start a basketball clinic (along with a hilarious spoof from The Onion about the Zen Master’s “Tetrahedron Offense").

What gives? You’ve got a perennial candidate for the NBA scoring championship in LeBron James. You’ve got three of the top three-point shooters in the game: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson.

You’ve also got Shaquille O’Neal.

Don’t laugh. As Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote this week, Shaq is still a force to be reckoned with inside, and the Cavs have yet to figure out how to capitalize.

In a loss to Charlotte on Sunday—their second stumble against the Bobcats this year—Shaq took just five shots, making four on his way to a 10-point night. This while being guarded down the stretch by Boris Diaw—all six-feet, eight-inches of him.

It’s part of a disturbing recent trend that has seen O’Neal taking fewer than 10 shots a game; in many cases, far fewer.

As Windhorst pointed out, the Cavs have been winning, so it’s no big deal in the immediate context. However, their inability to truly integrate Shaq into the offensive flow is indicative of the fact that Brown’s approach to scoring still seems to consist of getting the ball into LeBron’s hands, and little else—and that will hurt them in the long run.

Much has been made of how the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. The Cavaliers didn’t have an answer for Dwight Howard. Orlando’s perimeter shooters lit up the Cavs’ small guards. Orlando was simply better all along, said the experts.

But it was also a case of having to finally pay the piper. When your offense revolves so much around one player and his ability to create shots, you’re asking for trouble.

Commentators from Charles Barkley to Mark Jackson to Magic Johnson warned that asking James to carry the team offensively, playoff series after playoff series, was a prescription for disaster. They were right.

As much as the Magic’s offense came to life, the Cavs’ offense went stagnant. The result was another long summer for Cleveland, and another lesson learned.

Or was it? Concern over the way Cleveland frequently closes quarters—with LeBron dribbling, dribbling and dribbling before firing a last-second shot—is nothing new. Yet it still happens with disturbing frequency.

Let Windhorst say it: “LeBron has to be a leader enough to allow the ball to go elsewhere if he doesn’t have the right situation…He’s got to set up teammates more, no matter what the score is. This is something he’s been poor at all season.”

(Windhorst is a refreshing and articulate voice among NBA beat writers. Even though he co-authored a book about James this past year and knows the MVP well, it hasn’t kept him from being honest and objective in his observations about LeBron and the Cavs. He is consistently insightful and a joy to read for any hoops junkie.)

The Cavaliers appeared to grow offensively during their 66-win season a year ago. Much of their improvement was credited to then-assistant coach John Kuester.

With Kuester now steering the Detroit Pistons’ ship, Cleveland’s offense has too often fallen back into old, bad habits—most of them centered around giving the ball to LeBron and waiting to see what happens.

Again, the team has been winning, so it's not as if the sky is falling. However, this team operates best when attacking the basket—pushing the ball up the floor on fast breaks, setting up their perimeter shooters for three-point opportunities, and hurting teams with a relentless effort inside.

The Cavs' expected twosome underneath, O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, has actually become a trio. Anderson Varejao has been a key component in the paint all season and has shown more skill and aptitude around the basket than at any point in his career.

Ilgauskas, who has finally adjusted to coming off the bench, remains one of the best outside shooters among NBA centers.

Neither Varejao or Ilgauskas offer what Shaq does inside, however. O’Neal’s brute strength still poses problems for every center in the league. Howard couldn’t stop him one-on-one earlier this year. Neither could Amare Stoudamire, Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol, to name just a few.

Mind you, O'Neal isn't complaining. He's been a model citizen for the Cavs. He's playing about 25 minutes a game and has accepted a reduced role, knowing that it will leave him rested for the playoffs.

Cleveland’s offense will continue to revolve around LeBron, but Shaq offers a legitimate option underneath. Brown has four months to figure out how to capitalize on it.

As well as they’ve played, there is still significant room for improvement for the Cavaliers. The thought of James employing his breathtaking athleticism on the offensive end, while simultaneously involving the strengths of O'Neal and the rest of his teammates, is a frightening prospect for the rest of the league.

Recent Articles on BleacherReport.com

2010-01-05T20:46:00.001-08:00

Since the Kobe-LeBron / Christmas Day article post in late December, here are some others that I wrote for BleacherReport.com:

December 30: Defense and Depth Are Positioning Cavaliers for a Serious Title Run

January 1: Ohio State's Sustained Excellence Is Underappreciated (a re-post of an article I had originally posted here a year ago)

January 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers, On a Mission, Start 2010 With Most Wins in NBA

January 4: Eric Mangini Does the Impossible; Cleveland Browns Fans, Media Thinking Twice

Hope you enjoy reading them. Remember, you can register at BleacherReport.com for free and then comment on my stories, or others that you read -- or even start writing yourself.

Happy New Year!

What the Kobe-LeBron Matchup Proved on Christmas Day

2009-12-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

It was one of the most anticipated matchups of the NBA’s regular season: The Lakers vs. the Cavaliers. Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James.

Surprisingly, it was over almost as soon as it started. Cleveland turned in a dominant performance and won, 102-87. What did we learn?

Whether Kobe is better than LeBron, or vice-versa? No.

Whether the Lakers are better than the Cavs? No.

Whether Shaq has truly made that championship difference for Cleveland? No.

What we learned, plain and simple, is that the game takes place inside the black lines. And the game we saw revealed a Cavaliers team that is a contender, not a pretender.

That’s about it. For Cleveland fans, it was enough.

The Cavaliers were coming off of solid wins at Phoenix and Sacramento. The ability to consistently win on the road is an indication of a quality team, and the Cavs have looked good on their current West Coast swing.

Still, this was different. This was the league’s current marquee team, the defending champions. And the Cavaliers were not intimidated.

It was the classic setup: The Lakers had everything to lose, and the Cavaliers had everything to gain. Gain, they did.

O’Neal played just 22 minutes but was effective during his time on the floor, making his presence known and banging bodies when needed. He had 11 points and 7 rebounds, matching his season averages.

The story for the Cavs was their constant pressure on defense, paired with the sudden resurgence of point guard Mo Williams.

Williams was the key to Cleveland’s victory. His pinpoint shooting kept the Lakers honest on defense, countering the all-eyes-on-LeBron expectations of the media and a national television audience.

It was Williams who led the Cavaliers’ charge, netting 28 points and consistently hitting the big shots that stemmed the tide of Laker momentum. James provided a fairly typical 26 points and 9 assists, choosing to defer to his teammates on offense and take what the Lakers gave him.

Also opening eyes: Jamario Moon, who teamed with Anthony Parker to harass Bryant and keep the Lakers off-balance as much as possible. Moon, who has shown signs of brilliance at times this year, finished with 13 points on the night.

Bryant tallied a game-high 35 points, but his 11-for-32 shooting performance revealed the effectiveness of the Cavs’ defensive approach: Understand that he’ll get his points, just make it as difficult as possible.

The final minutes of the game deteriorated into a series of Laker technical fouls and some petulant fan behavior, as a few of the L.A. faithful resorted to tossing foam finger souvenirs onto the court in protest of the officiating.

It meant little, if anything. The Lakers were frustrated—it was only their fifth loss of the season—and so were their fans. Who could blame them?

What mattered, from Cleveland’s perspective, is that they met the Lakers on their own floor—on national TV, no less—and made a statement. LeBron played as expected. Williams played even better. Moon was a factor, as was super-sub Anderson Varejao.

Meanwhile, Shaq did exactly what he was acquired to do, offering flashes of his old self during limited time on the floor and matching Pau Gasol’s productivity on the night.

It all added up to a big win for Cleveland. They’re on a roll right now, and their Christmas Day victory proved that it’s no fluke.

The Cavs have done this before, however. They’ve played great games in the regular season only to see things dissolve into uninspired performances deep into the playoffs.

Round One went to Cleveland. Certainly, we were reminded that, as good as Bryant and James are, they're only as good as their supporting casts when it comes to title hopes. This time, LeBron's teammates played better.

But it’s a long season. The Lakers know how to make adjustments when necessary. Odds are they’ll still be standing when the NBA Finals begin next summer.

If the Cavs can maintain the level of play they displayed on Christmas, they’ll have a shot at being there, too. Then, and only then, will we find out who the better team is.

Cavs' TV Ratings Surge in Cincy, Recalling When The Royals Reigned in Ohio

2009-12-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers not only have The King, they are the kings when it comes to television ratings in Ohio.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported Tuesday that Fox Sports Ohio’s television ratings for Cavaliers games are up 27 percent overall from last year. Particularly encouraging are the numbers in the central and southern parts of the state.

Ratings are up 47 percent in Columbus. Apart from the NHL's Blue Jackets, fans there are frequently divided between Cleveland and Cincinnati when it comes to following pro sports—Browns vs. Bengals, Reds vs. Indians. But there’s no competition when it comes to the NBA. LeBron and the Cavaliers are the only game in town.

Now the Cavs' popularity is increasing in Cincinnati, too. Ratings there have jumped a whopping 93 percent this year, as the addition of Shaquille O’Neal has apparently improved the Cavaliers marquee value in the southernmost part of the state. That's no small feat, considering that Cincinnati is actually closer geographically to Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers.

It's ironic because there was a time when Cincinnati was Ohio’s only pro basketball home, and the eyes of Cleveland turned there for a hoops fix. From 1957 to 1972, the Cincinnati Royals represented much of the Midwest as they matured along with the growing, but struggling National Basketball Association.

The Royals arrived in Cincinnati after nine seasons in Rochester, N.Y., where they won an NBA championship and reached the playoffs seven times. They would make the playoffs on seven more occasions during their 14-year run on the shores of the Ohio River, and during that time feature a few of the game’s most legendary names on their roster.

As a boy growing up in Northern Ohio, I was loyal to the Browns and Indians. But I quickly realized that, when it came to the NBA, the Royals were the team I would love. In the '60s they had the coolest uniforms, with the name “Royals” appearing vertically down the side of their jerseys. And they had one of the game’s greatest players, Oscar Robertson.

Robertson dominated the guard position from the time he arrived as a rookie out of the University of Cincinnati. The transition to the pro game was child’s play for the Big O, who averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists a game his first year.

The following season, 1961-62, he established a statistical standard that remains unmatched, averaging a triple-double by tallying 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 points a game. It was an astonishing feat, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s dizzying statistics during the same era.

Robertson would win an MVP award in 1964, after he was teamed with former Ohio State standout Jerry Lucas (both pictured above) to make the Royals a formidable championship contender. However, the franchise suffered from dubious ownership throughout their stay in Cincinnati making it difficult for the team to fulfill its budding potential.

I was a tad young to appreciate the Royals’ earliest years in the city when stars such as Jack Twyman, Maurice Stokes, and Wayne Embry patrolled the hardwood. As my childhood interest peaked, my loyalties were with players such Tom Van Arsdale, Norm Van Lier, Johnny Green, and Connie Dierking.

By the late 1960s, the Royals played occasional "home" games in other Midwestern cities, including about 10 a year in Cleveland. This practice, intended to build a broader fan base, also drew attention to Cleveland as a desirable location for an NBA franchise.

The Cavaliers entered the league in 1970 and gradually won the hearts of fans in Northern Ohio. Despite the hiring of the legendary Bob Cousy as coach in 1969, the Royals could not maintain enough fan support over the next three seasons. They moved in 1972 and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

The pro basketball landscape was changing. When the Royals first set up shop in Cincinnati, the NBA was an eight-team operation. Like other pro leagues at the time, it was based in the eastern United States. Minneapolis and St. Louis were the farthest points west.

It was a simpler time, before multimillion-dollar player contracts and mega-deals for television rights. There was no ESPN or TNT, and there were no regional cable networks beaming every game, home and away, into our living rooms as they do today.

One "game of the week" appeared on network television. (You can see vintage footage on YouTube.) I would sit eagerly in front of our Zenith black-and-white set, watching Robertson, Russell, Chamberlain, West, and the other stars of that era as they literally built the foundation for the NBA we know today.

As a Royals fan in the '60s, I was lucky to catch a scratchy broadcast on the AM radio in our kitchen. Most often, I had to wait until I arrived home from school the next day to find the box score in the newspaper and learn whether the Royals had won or lost.

Game after game, Robertson's stat line would jump out at you, with 30 even 40 points to his credit. I could just imagine the Big O posting up smaller players, zipping pinpoint passes to open teammates, or launching his trademark one-handed shot to the basket.

Stars burned just as brightly in young boy's imaginations back then as they do now, on the big stage of nightly television broadcasts and multimillion-dollar commercials.

Things are drastically different today. Money, marketing, and marquee names drive the NBA. Perennial playoff teams like the Cavaliers are not only fixtures in their local market, they're frequently featured on national broadcasts, as well.

The addition of O'Neal to Cleveland's roster has caused even more Cavaliers merchandise to fly off the shelves. Home games routinely sell out at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Royals/Kings have long since moved to Sacramento, where they’ve toiled in an odd sort of West Coast obscurity for most of their 25 seasons, despite a run of eight straight playoff appearances and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

But there was a time when the kings of Ohio basketball operated out of the Queen City. The Royals of Cincinnati were my first NBA love and still hold a special place in the hearts of die-hard hoops fans throughout the Midwest.

(This article also appears on BleacherReport.com.)

Minus LeBron: The Cavs' 'Non-LeBron' Team Since 2003

2009-12-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

The fortunes of the Cleveland Cavaliers changed dramatically in 2003, when the team hit the NBA Draft lottery jackpot and secured the first overall pick. Their choice of LeBron James literally turned the franchise around and placed the city of Cleveland on the NBA map.

Within two seasons the Cavs went from a hapless 17-win pretender to a 42-win playoff contender. Two years later, they played in their first NBA Finals. Two years after that, James was the league MVP.

Conventional wisdom dictates that, to be considered one of the truly legendary NBA stars, LeBron will have to win at least one championship during his career. It’s also widely held that, just as Michael Jordan had his Scottie Pippen, LeBron will need a true, star-caliber sidekick to get his ring.

The Cavs have tried to deliver, but thus far have come up short. The jury is still out on the current pairing of James with Shaquille O’Neal; however, Shaq has rarely, if ever, been considered sidekick material.

As Cleveland tries to steady its current ship for another title run, let’s look at the “All Non-LeBron” team: the five best players—apart from James—who have played for the Cavs since his arrival in the NBA in 2003.

Forward: Drew Gooden

At times puzzling and sometimes accused of being lazy, Gooden nonetheless manned the power forward position capably for three-plus seasons and was with the Cavs for their only appearance in the Finals in 2007.

His defense was suspect, but he was a scoring threat on offense and was an above-average rebounder. His numbers with the Cavs from 2004 through 2008: 12.0 points and 8.6 rebounds a game.

Forward: Carlos Boozer

It’s problematic selecting two power forwards, but James has been the small forward since his rookie season, so Boozer it is—despite the fact that he is one of the most despised players among the Cavalier faithful.

His backing out of a handshake agreement with then-Cavs owner Gordon Gund in 2004 burned his bridges to Cleveland. However, there can be no disputing the fact that Boozer was on his way to being one of the league’s best power forwards, even back then.

He only played one season with LeBron, 2003-04, but he averaged 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds a game. No Cavalier has averaged a double-double since, nor has anyone averaged double figures in rebounding alone. Although Boozer’s not a popular choice, he’s a logical one.

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Big Z has remained healthy during James’ career, recording solid numbers for six straight seasons as the Cavs developed into one of the league’s elite teams. His numbers since 2003: 14.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

He was also an All-Star in 2007. Ilgauskas is a respected elder statesman in the NBA and has been one of the league’s most consistent, if not spectacular, centers.

Point Guard: Mo Williams

The fact that Williams is in only his second season with the Cavs shows just how shallow the talent pool has been since LeBron’s arrival. Who else could one possibly choose? Eric Snow? Jeff McInnis ?

Just as Boozer put up big numbers in LeBron’s first year, Williams instantly did so last season, averaging nearly 18 points a game and stretching defenses with his deadly outside shot. Williams is not a classic point guard, but continues to fill the position admirably for lack of another option.

Shooting Guard: Larry Hughes

If choosing Boozer rankled any of the Cavalier faithful, tapping Hughes might really stir things up. But, love him or hate him, Hughes posted some of the best numbers of any Cleveland player during the past six years.

He averaged 15.5 points in 2005, until that season was cut short by a broken finger. In parts of three seasons with the LeBron-led Cavaliers, Hughes averaged 14.3 points a game.

There are some notable Cavaliers absent from the list, but not many. Delonte West is the only other true candidate at guard; however, his 10 points a game and gutsy court presence have been offset by ongoing personal and legal problems. He’s been dropped from the starting lineup this year.

Then there's Anderson Varejao, who, even though he's always a factor when on the court, has been primarily a bench player during his six-year career.

What is also painfully evident from the above list: There has been no co-star for LeBron to pair with since 2003, no one truly capable of helping James lead the Cavaliers to the title. Shaq was brought in to be that guy, but the early returns have been rocky at best.

Time and circumstances may keep James in Cleveland for three more years beginning in 2010, regardless of what other teams offer. But GM Danny Ferry will need to secure another marquee star between now and then if the Cavs hope to compete for a championship and, more important, keep LeBron in the wine and gold for the long term.

This article is also posted on BleacherReport.com.

Writing at BleacherReport.com

2009-12-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

Haven't been writing here of late, because I landed at BleacherReport.com. BR is an interesting site; you can write as often as you like, on just about any sports-related topic. You post the articles yourself, and other members then comment on your opinions and/or reporting. Often, spirited discussions ensue. I've noticed a lot of writers also post their articles to their own blogs, so I'll start doing the same.

Along the way, I've been designated a "featured columnist" about the Cleveland Cavaliers, so I write most frequently about them. Most recently, I wrote about how the Cavs' ties to China may give them the advantage in the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes next summer. Read it here: In the LeBron James Sweepstakes, the Cavs' China Ties May Trump New York.

I also write from time to time about the Browns. After their win over Pittsburgh, I commented on the value of Josh Cribbs: Josh Cribbs: A Link to Cleveland's Past, and Hope for the Browns' Future.

My BR writer profile is located here, and you can also check out my full archive of articles.

Feel free to comment here when you see new posts. If you're an avid sports fan, register at Bleacher Report and you can comment on my articles, or any others on the site. Or, you can take a stab at writing, yourself.

As always, thanks for reading.

The Cavs Will Win It All; the Tribe and Browns, Not So Much

2009-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

As I write this entry, the Cavs have opened up a 13-2 lead to start the season opener against Boston.

But that's not why I'm going out on a limb and saying that Cleveland will win the NBA title this year. Nor is it Shaq. Or Anthony Parker. Or Jamario Moon. Although, those three will make a huge difference, as I said last time.

It's because the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in last year's Eastern Conference finals. Face it, they didn't expect that to happen. They were supremely confident, and certain that they were going to make it to the Finals -- and win.

They didn't. It was a tough pill to swallow. But it was the last piece of humble pie that they needed to eat, apparently. I wrote about this in detail in an article on BleacherReport.com.

Acta Skips the 'Stros to Skip the Tribe

OK, so the Indians went ahead and hired Manny Acta as their new manager. I was skeptical about Acta last time, but, now that the deed is done, I'll be pulling for him to do well.

Acta -- unlike, say, Bobby Valentine (what was his deal, anyway?) -- said all the right things after his interviews. He talked like he was enthusiastic about the Indians and wanted the job badly, and then put his money where his mouth was.

He says the Tribe has great young talent. I'll take his word for it. No question, Acta's appeal had a lot to do with his Latino heritage, and the fact that the Indians' system is loaded with Latino players.

But Acta has his work cut out for him. Not only does he need to nurture the Tribe's young talent, he has to win over a cynical fan base in Cleveland. It seems like longer than two years ago that the Indians were on the verge of advancing to the World Series, but that's all it was -- two years ago, in 2007.

Cleveland fans are jaded. Add in the debacle that is the Browns, and it doesn't make the situation any easier for the Tribe's new skipper. It will be an interesting offseason and crucial spring training for Acta as he begins his tenure at Progressive Field.

Anderson? Why?

Derek Anderson followed up a pitiful game in Buffalo with equally pitiful games against Pittsburgh and Green Bay. To his credit, he got the Browns a win, somehow. But he's not exactly instilling confidence in the Cleveland faithful.

No point laboring the statistical comparison to Brady Quinn. Quinn's number's in 10 quarters of play are better -- significantly so, some would say -- than Anderson's have been in the 18 since.

The 31-3 loss to the Packers has been called by some the worst Browns performance since their return to the league in 1999. And Anderson was at the helm. Yet Eric Mangini won't budge in his commitment to D.A.

Apparently, Quinn's window of opportunity in Cleveland has been closed. If so, it was shockingly short. But why? Anderson is proving he's not the answer.

At this rate, Mangini would be better off cutting his losses and going to his third QB, Jets import Brett Ratliff.

Or, he could do something interesting and go with Josh Cribbs. Make it a wildcat offense on every play. Cribbs was Kent State's quarterback for four years. Could he possibly be worse than what we've witnessed? One thing's for certain: He wouldn't be as boring, and the team would likely score some points.

What a sad state of affairs for a once proud franchise.

Whatever. At least the Cavs are back, and for that, Cleveland fans can be grateful.

On Shaq, Phil, Brady, Josh...and Sweet Lou Brown

2009-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Caught the Cavs’ preseason game Wednesday night against Washington. LeBron James was out with flu symptoms, so it was up to Shaquille O’Neal to make things interesting, and he did, scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds in less than 20 minutes of action. You don’t get much from preseason games, but:

-- O’Neal looks good. If he averages 13 and 6 this season, he’ll match what Zydrunas Ilgauskas put up a year ago. If last night’s game was any indication, he’ll exceed that. He remains a force.

-- O’Neal is also entertaining. All eyes were on him, especially with LeBron out. He handles the attention and adulation with ease and is calm and unflappable. That will rub off on his teammates.

-- Ilgauskas looks lost. Sure, he’s adjusting to coming off the bench. But Mike Brown has to find a way to make Big Z feel like he’s an integral part of what’s going on out there. He was mostly on the floor with second, third and even fourth-stringers, and he didn't appear to be comfortable.

-- Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon are going to make a big difference. In fact, if this team stays healthy, they will be incredibly deep and versatile.

All that said, there was no real electricity in the arena last night, and that’s because LeBron wasn’t there. Anyone who doubts how much he transcends the sport today simply isn’t paying attention. It’s his team, his city, and, for that matter, his league. No one on the floor last night comes remotely close to James in talent. Dan Gilbert needs to do whatever is necessary to keep Number 23 in a Cavaliers uniform.

Browns fans can relax: Phil Dawson is on the mend! Let’s face it, the co-MVPs of this team are Dawson and punter Dave Zastudil (last week’s AFC Special Teams Player of the Week) -- at least, that’s how it seems. Dawson, who has been nursing a sore hamstring for two weeks, may not kick against Pittsburgh this week, but should be fine for the Packers the following week. I’ve said before that Dawson has quietly put up numbers that make him one of the all-time greats in Browns history. You can read my thoughts on the subject here. Maybe the new Browns marketing slogan should be, “We’re Kickin’ in Cleveland!”

So Brady Quinn has put his house up for sale. Wouldn’t you? All the right things have been said this week, by Quinn and the Browns. But the situation is curious, if not ominous. Reports say Quinn is unhappy with his benching. Ah, yet another young quarterback casualty in Cleveland. What a mess. Eric Mangini seems committed to Derek Anderson, who has steered the ship through two close games. Yet Anderson’s 2-for-17 performance against Buffalo was so astonishingly inept that it’s impossible to believe he’s the answer. But, as Terry Pluto pointed out in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns think their running game has improved because D.A. is a threat to throw deep. So Anderson it is, and, one way or another, Quinn will be moving.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated thinks Josh Cribbs is the best special teams player in the NFL. He’s not alone. I joked with a guy at the stadium recently that the Browns should line Cribbs up 30 yards behind the quarterback on offense, and then have Anderson turn around and throw a high lob pass back to him. In other words, simulate a punt or kickoff return on every play. The law of averages, not to mention recent evidence, says that Cribbs would return one for a touchdown more frequently than the rest of the offense would ever score.

Cribbs was an explosive offensive weapon at Kent State (right), where he played quarterback for four seasons, leaving as the all-time total offense leader with 10,839 yards. He also holds school records in completions, passing yards, touchdowns and total points. Twice, he rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards in the same season -- one of only four players in NCAA history to accomplish that feat. His senior year, he completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards and 17 touchdowns, against just six interceptions. He also rushed for 893 yards and nine TDs! He is the only player in NCAA history to lead his team in passing and rushing for four consecutive seasons.

And we’re lamenting the fact that he isn’t a true #2…receiver? The mind reels. All I know is, when Josh Cribbs steps on the field, there is hope. Make of it what you will.

Good one, Big Ben – very funny: Read an item that said when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, an Ohio native, was passed over by the Browns in the 2004 draft – they traded up to take Kellen Winslow – Big Ben was upset. Now, he admits he “wouldn’t trade where I am now for anything. . .I’m kind of happy here.” No kidding.

The Indians are interviewing Manny Acta for their managerial position? Really? Acta went 158-252 in two-plus seasons managing the Washington Nationals. I mean, could we please bring in a proven winner? Is it that hard?

Then again, it is the suddenly moribund Indians. The mind wanders to the classic line from that wise sage Lou Brown (left) in the movie “Major League,” when fictional GM Charlie Donovan calls him at the auto shop where he's working and asks him if he’d like to manage the Tribe: “Let me get back to you, will ya’, Charlie? I’ve got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.”

Till next time…

The Fun Was (Almost) Back in Browns' Town

2009-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Random observations after taking in the Browns’ 23-20 overtime loss at the stadium Sunday…

Who is Mohamed Massaquoi, and why are we just now hearing about him? It’s not just the fact that he caught eight passes for 148 yards. It’s the way he caught them. While being hit. While being held. Juggling and concentrating and refusing to be denied. If it was near him, he was gonna catch it. Braylon who?

Jerome Harrison…Jamal Lewis. Jerome Harrison…Jamal Lewis. After Harrison’s 121-yard day as the featured back, what’s to decide?

Staunch defender of letting Brady Quinn make mistakes and learn on the job that I have been, I must admit that Derek Anderson looked more comfortable, more in control than Quinn has. And his teammates looked more willing to play for him. I just wish Anderson would step up and be great, or at least very good. Show some swagger and don’t ever look back, D.A. Cleveland turns its lonely eyes to you.

Josh Cribbs is a force of nature. Simply a remarkable return man. He piled up 203 return yards on the day -- 58 on one kickoff, along with punt returns of 39 and 50 yards. There is an electricity in the air when he drops back to return a kick. People expect something big to happen. Add that to what he does defending on special teams, as well as playing receiver and occasionally carrying the ball on offense, and you have your team MVP.

Kudos to the offensive line. Cincinnati can bring pressure up front, and the Browns’ blockers did a pretty decent job. A friend of mine who played on the line for the Browns 20 years ago said he watched rookie center Alex Mack most of the day and came away favorably impressed. I’ll take his word for it.

Shaun Rogers? Two blocked kicks? That was impressive. Took four Bengals’ points off the board, all by himself. And the final one, on an extra point that would have given Cincinnati a one-point lead at the end of regulation, spelled H-E-A-R-T, in capital letters.

Eric Mangini may have lucked his way into a promising situation. If so, good for him. But he found something in the trifecta of Anderson, Harrison and Massaquoi. They were very good Sunday, all three of them, playing positions where -- let’s face it -- nobody was doing anything before that. That can turn a season around. I don’t see the Browns winning a ton of games, but I think they could win a representative number now. Couldn’t say that before yesterday.

Randy Lerner should put on jeans and a jacket, tell his front office staff to do the same, and then spread out and sit among the fans some Sunday. Wear disguises if need be. They need to see and hear for themselves how loyal and hopeful and forgiving Browns fans are. My son and I sat in the southwest corner of the stadium, and the fans were as entertaining as the game. They were knowledgeable. They were funny. They were passionate. They were loud. But, most of all, they were dedicated. They shouted criticisms when it was deserved, and rose to their feet as one and cheered wildly when the guys in the brown jerseys did something right. They exchanged barbs with Bengals fans seated in the same area. One guy had the audacity to stroll through our section wearing a Steelers jersey, and was greeted by a good-natured chorus of boos as he laughed and cooperatively egged his critics on. The atmosphere was fun and upbeat. It’s something you can’t appreciate watching a game on television. These people deserve better than what they’ve been given over the past eleven seasons. Lerner and company should give it to them.

It wasn’t a win. But it wasn’t a total disappointment, either. Fans were upbeat filing out of the stadium. The Browns looked like a professional football team for the first time all season. It’s about time. Thankfully, we came away with the hope there are more such times just ahead.

A Dark Day on the Lakefront

2009-10-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is what it has come to.

In the same day, all three Cleveland sports teams dominated local news and garnered national media attention, each with bizarre twists that seemingly can only happen in Cleveland – at the same time, anyway.

The Indians? They fired manager Eric Wedge…but said he and his staff will stay on to finish the season. “In this game, situations often dictate decisions, and often the blame or the change occurs in one place when the reasons for that and the accountability for that lies throughout an organization,” said GM Mark Shapiro, stopping short of resigning himself.

The Browns? After spending five months conducting a quarterback contest between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, and choosing Quinn to be the starter, Eric Mangini reversed himself and switched to Anderson. Of his new starter’s 30-minute, three-interception relief appearance against Baltimore, Mangini said, “He did some good things.” Well, so did the captain of the Titanic.

The Cavs? Starting guard Delonte West remained a no-show at training camp, somehow knocking the LeBron James-Shaquille O’Neal pairing off the front pages for the second straight day. Because West continues to battle depression and various inner demons, I’m inclined to leave this one alone.

Nonetheless, for Cleveland sports fans this was – to borrow a phrase from my favorite funny man, Lewis Black – the “trifecta from hell.” Think about it: All in Cleveland? All in the same day? Really?

Some thoughts:

Regarding Wedge, Shapiro and team president Paul Dolan were correct in the vaguely describing the firing as, well, “the tried and true way of baseball.” Right or wrong, that is how it works. When the house is tumbling down around you and you need to give the impression of making a quick fix, you fire the manager – and they did. That’s not to say Wedge didn’t have it coming. His teams’ perennial slow starts, coupled with his frequently odd personnel decisions and lineup switcheroos, have a lot to do with the current mess. But, to his credit, Wedge conducted himself with class over the whole thing. He wanted to know his status now for next year, and they told him. Case closed. He’ll move on, probably to something better. And he’ll collect $1.25 million next year, regardless. Why do I get the feeling he’s getting the good end of this deal?

Regarding Anderson…who cares, really? I’ve been in favor of giving Quinn a chance, and am not persuaded that 10 quarters of football as the starter constitutes “a chance.” On the other hand, it’s becoming apparent that Quinn is not the kind of quarterback who is capable of rallying a miserable team to play above its skill level (think Culpepper, McNabb or Vick in their primes). Passes have been sailing behind or over targets, and others have been surprisingly wobbly. Perhaps his confidence has taken a beating playing for the Browns (who’s hasn’t?), but still, he’s struggled. So it’s back to Anderson, and…who cares? Honestly, being a Browns fan in Northeast Ohio has become surreal. Since 1999 they’ve been a shell of what the franchise was before the Modell move, and it’s not unusual anymore to see Steelers memorabilia worn and displayed in neighborhoods from Cleveland to Canton and all points in between. That never would have happened in the Jim Brown-Brian Sipe-Bernie Kosar eras. But it happens now, and, sadly, people care less and less and less.

Regarding West, as I said, I’m inclined to leave this one alone. He says he’s troubled, the Cavs openly admit it, so I believe it. Getting arrested riding a motorcycle (something banned by his contract) and carrying three firearms (something banned by common sense, if not a few laws or ordinances) is a clear warning signal. West was present for media day earlier in the week, then disappeared from view. All the Cavs are saying is that GM Danny Ferry has been in touch with West and had at least one long conversation with him. His teammates are expressing support and letting him know, publicly, that he’s always welcome back. It’s all you can do, and the Cavs – Cleveland’s beacon of hope in an otherwise stormy sports sea – seem, as usual, to be handling the situation with respect and professionalism. The question confronting them is, How long can they ride out this storm before it has a permanently negative effect on the team?

Anyway, I’m amazed at all that happened Wednesday. I don’t know if September 30, 2009, was a day that will go down in Cleveland sports infamy, or what. But it was some kind of day, that’s for sure.

Random Thoughts -- InfoCision Stadium, Jim Tressel, and the Browns

2009-09-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to see the new InfoCision Stadium in Akron this past weekend. Took in the Akron-Indiana game, and you have to give the stadium a thumbs-up. Mind you, it’s all bench seating, but that’s football. There’s not a bad seat in the house. There are more than 27,000 of them, and attendance can top 30,000 when the hillside and standing-room areas are filled. I was impressed, too, with the relative affordability. Tickets are reasonably priced, parking on nearby lots is five bucks, and the food in the concession stands, while more expensive than your neighborhood burger joint, is still more affordable than the obscene professional venues. Service was fast and the lines were short -- for food, souvenirs and in the rest rooms. To be honest, everything about the experience was pleasant, and I would definitely go again.

About 18,000 fans watched as the Zips lost to the Hoosiers, 38-21, having lost their starting quarterback to a suspension and then enduring four interceptions thrown by his sophomore backup. A disappointment, no doubt, but Indiana was bigger and faster -- which is no surprise, with them being a Big Ten school. Perhaps the highlight of the day, however, was when Zippy –- Akron’s much-hyped mascot –- entered on a segway, one of those single-rider “people movers” that hit the streets a decade or so ago. As the delighted crowd cheered the erstwhile kangaroo, ol’ Zip fell right off the segway. He quickly climbed back on, whereupon it promptly stopped and lurched forward, leading to a face plant that left Zippy a little dazed and confused. If it didn’t make ESPN’s highlights that night, it should have. Sorry, Zippy, but that was funny.

A nod to Jim Tressel...

CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel writes online columns that elicit all sorts of emotional responses from readers. Sometimes you agree, often you don’t. But Tuesday he posted one that was right on target. Doyel compared the coaching performances of Ohio State’s Jim Tressel and USC’s Pete Carroll over the past decade, and pronounced Tressel the better of the two. I’m not concerned about who is actually better, but I was glad to see someone on the national stage defend the Buckeye’s leader. I wrote about it here last December, recognizing Ohio State’s sustained excellence since 2001. Doyel strikes the same chords. You can read his thoughts here.

Ah, the Browns!

A week ago I advocated taking it easy on the Browns after their season-opening loss to Minnesota. This time, after the debacle in Denver, not so much. That was a terrible performance, and it’s truly getting disgusting rooting for a team that simply cannot score a touchdown on offense. How pitiful can things get? That said, I’m not ready to give up on Brady Quinn, not by a long shot. I’ve mentioned before that I lived in Texas when the Dallas Cowboys drafted Troy Aikman, and the team ushered in the Jimmy Johnson era that year by going 1-15. They were terrible, something you just can’t be in Dallas, and fans and the media were wringing their hands in panic over what was happening. But, slowly, surely, Johnson molded a team that rose to the pinnacle of the sport, eventually winning two Super Bowls (and a third under Barry Switzer). Aikman struggled through his rookie year, but was, in short order, crucial to the rise of that team. His leadership and career accomplishments landed him in the Hall of Fame.

When the Browns returned to the league as an expansion team in 1999, Tim Couch (left) was the toast of the town. Within four years, he had led the team to the playoffs. Remember that? They were 9-7 that season. But Couch suffered a broken leg in the last game of the year. Kelly Holcomb rang up a ton of yards in the playoff loss to Pittsburgh, Butch Davis and the fans fell in love with Holcomb and, for whatever reason, out of love with Couch, and #2 was sent packing. I’ve always felt that Couch got a raw deal here. (Would you take 9-7 right now? I would.) That Couch pretty much disappeared from football after the next season isn’t the issue. He ended up with shoulder problems and was never the same. But he’s still the best quarterback the Browns have had in the 10-plus seasons since the team was reborn. Maybe Quinn will be better than Couch was, maybe he won’t. But two games at the helm of a pitiful offense is not enough to form a judgment on the kid. Leave him alone and let’s see what happens. The team isn’t going anywhere, so let’s stop kidding ourselves and play this season with the future in mind.

Orange You Glad It Was Only One Game?

2009-09-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Honestly.

“Quinn unimpressive.” “Browns are just as bad as we thought.” “Meltdown.”

So said headlines in area papers on this, the day after the opening Sunday of the NFL season.

Oh, boo, hoo. The Browns lost.

This is a surprise? Really? THE VIKINGS ARE BETTER! Why is that so hard to admit? Why is it that fans and media pundits alike allow themselves to pretend things are going to be better than they are?

I was talking to a friend at a high school football game the other night, and asked him how many games he thought the Browns would win this season. He said five. I countered with four.

The Vikings game was not one of the four. So why are we dissecting this thing like it was a game of consequence? It wasn’t. It was a brutal job of scheduling by the NFL, throwing the Browns to the wolves like that, right out of the gate. The Vikings have the talent to take Cleveland to the woodshed, and did.

So, Brady Quinn didn’t look like Joe Montana. Neither did Joe Montana, early in his career. I lived in Texas when Troy Aikman joined the Dallas Cowboys. He, and the team, were pitiful his rookie year. In short order they won three Super Bowls, and Aikman ended up in the Hall of Fame. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen.

I have no idea when, or even if, the Browns will be contenders again. I was never particularly thrilled with the choice of Eric Mangini as head coach, but I’m willing to give the guy a chance. The team looked okay for a couple of quarters, not-so-okay after that. No big deal, if you ask me. Add a quarter here, and a quarter there, and who knows what might happen?

Four wins? More? Less?

Nobody knows. But the better team won on Sunday, and I wasn't particularly dismayed by it. Why is everyone else?

The Grady Syndrome

2009-08-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Indians’ fire sale of the past several weeks – which saw Mark De Rosa, Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, Ryan Garko, Rafael Betancourt, Victor Martinez and Carl Pavano leave town – radically altered the roster and left fans with another who’s-not-who list of names to cheer for.

It also highlighted a peculiar perspective that many fans and members of the media seem to share: “Next thing you know, they’ll be trading Grady Sizemore.”

These are the same people who call Sizemore a perennial MVP candidate. And they’re the folks who are blinded by what I’ll call The Grady Syndrome.

Somehow, people with this affliction have lost touch with reality. They have convinced themselves that Grady is a superstar. Grady is one of the best hitters in the game. Grady is the best centerfielder in the game. Grady is the kind of guy you build a team around.

Sizemore is an exciting player. If you plopped him into the middle of the Yankees or Red Sox or Angels or Phillies lineups, there’s little doubt his stock would rise and he’d be an integral part of their teams.

But that’s not what’s happening in Cleveland. Not by any stretch.

Let’s be honest. In five-plus seasons, he has a lifetime batting average of .275. His career best is .290. That’s decent, but not superstar caliber. He’s won three Gold Gloves, and been to three All-Star games. Like I said, exciting. A solid pro. No doubt a great guy and a solid teammate.

But he’s not headed to Cooperstown, at least, not yet. Look, in his first five seasons, Rocky Colavito hit more than 40 home runs twice, drove in more than 100 runs twice, and even batted over .300 one season. He was on the cover of Time magazine (left) in August 1959. He went on to dazzle the baseball world with 45 homers and 140 RBIs for Detroit in 1961. He had superstar written all over him. But it never fully materialized, and there’s no place in the Hall of Fame for “The Rock.”

Sizemore has accomplished a lot, but nothing remotely close to what Colavito did in his first few years. That’s why it wouldn’t be a crime to trade Sizemore, any more than it was to trade Lee or Martinez. When you’re rebuilding, guys like Grady are exactly the kind of guys you deal. Good market value. Young. Enormous upside with a contender.

The Indians’ dilemma is that Mark Shapiro’s master plan for building a contender crashed and burned in the aftermath of the 2007 loss to the Red Sox in the ALCS. 2008 was a struggle, and 2009 has been a disaster. Left with a choice of trying to make do with what was left in the rubble or having to rebuild yet again, Shapiro chose to rebuild. It’s the better move, and his only real option.

And if the right offer came for the Tribe’s centerfielder, let’s hope Shapiro isn’t afflicted with The Grady Syndrome. Sizemore may yet be the centerpiece of the Indians’ next rebuilding effort; time will tell. But he’s far from untouchable.

THIS Is My Tribe?

2009-07-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the dismantling of the Indians – at least, as we’ve known them the past few years – is complete. Victor Martinez was shipped to Boston today, on the heels of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco going to Philadelphia, Ryan Garko going to San Francisco, and Rafael Betancourt journeying to Colorado. Wasn’t Mark DeRosa on the team at one point, too?

So, who’s left?

Let’s see, there’s a pitcher named Mike Gosling. Another named Tony Sipp. And don’t forget Jose Veras. Or Chris Perez.

At times, they’ll all have the chance to throw to Wyatt Toregas behind the point. Chris Gimenez, too, although he’s listed as an infielder.

Who? I mean, who?

There are three outfielders on the roster. One of them is Trevor Crowe. Talk about going from uncertainty to security; Crowe has to feel lucky to be in Cleveland during this fire sale.

Wow, what a season it’s been.

Fans are crying for Mark Shapiro’s head, but you really can’t blame the Indians’ general manager. This season is lost. And the pitching has been horrendous. Losing Lee is tough, but otherwise he surrendered some bats, and they can’t throw strikes. So stocking up on pitchers (nine of the 11 players obtained) revealed his strategy – fix the rotation, and fix the bullpen. Trust the guys who are here (Hafner, Cabrera, Sizemore, Choo, Peralta) to hit. Trust that one or two position players in the minors (LaPorta, Santana) develop into big league hitters. And hope that lightning strikes twice in the Shapiro era, and that this current crop of youngsters gets it done.

I’m not upset by it all, I’m really not. Admit it: The Indians weren’t going anywhere – this year, or next, or ever – not without better pitching. Now, we’ll sit back and watch to see if they can recharge their batteries and develop into a contender in a season or two.

Finally, how great was it to see the emotion Martinez showed after the trade? He could barely speak to reporters in the locker room. It was clear that when he said recently that he wanted to play his entire career in one uniform, he meant it. Martinez’s loyalty to the Indians, and his sadness over leaving the team regardless of their won-lost record, speaks volumes about him. Would that there were more players with his attitude in professional sports today.

Well, Now That Tiger’s No Longer the Best…

2009-07-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

I knew it. What a fraud. Tiger Woods – number one in the world? Ha, ha.

It was only a matter of time before this showboat was exposed. Couldn’t even make the cut at the British Open! Come on, Eldrick. Champions don’t wilt under pressure. Five over par? Five over par? Puh-lease! Jack or Arnie or Ben or Sammy never would have slinked off the world’s biggest stage like that. Enough with the commercials and sponsorships, already. Come back when you’ve won something....

Oops! Sorry. I digressed, there, into the black hole of sports logic often employed by today’s “what have you done for me lately” pundits and fans. Case in point:

“LeBron James? NBA Most Valuable Player? How can that be, when he still hasn’t won a championship? He had his chance this year, and he blew it. Wilted, right there on national T.V.! And Kobe didn’t. He won the championship, which clearly makes him the greatest player in the game today.”

Except, of course, it doesn’t make him that, at all. I’m not sure when “championships won” became the defining criterion for greatness, but that’s the twisted logic that, to many, determines who the truly great ones are in sports.

No question, a few championships under the belt cement a star’s legacy. But to demote LeBron from best-in-the-game status to another-bum status, just because the Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, is ridiculous. Yet that’s what many fans and sports writers did. Wilt Chamberlain struggled to win two titles during his career, and he clearly was the most unstoppable force the NBA had ever seen during his playing days. Bill Russell’s teams won eight in a row. People like to argue that Russell was better – as if he didn’t have any good teammates on those Celtic teams (or a Hall of Fame coach, for that matter). I disagree, always have.

It’s absurd. Tiger had two bad days, that’s all. He’s human. His humanity got the best of him. He’s still, quite clearly, the best player in the game, and will take his place as the best ever in a few more years.

LeBron didn’t make it to the NBA Finals this year, which was a huge disappointment for him, personally and professionally. But it shouldn’t tarnish his reputation at all. Will his day come? The same question was asked of John Elway, who didn’t win a Super Bowl until the sunset of his career. And it was asked of Dan Marino, perhaps the most famous, accomplished athlete of our generation to never win a title. LeBron could win six, like Michael Jordan, or be lucky to ever win one. Time will tell.

But great is great. Tiger is great, and so is LeBron. Why can’t we leave it at that?

Call Him the 'Big Deal' -- That's Good Enough For Me

2009-06-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Shaquille O’Neal is coming to Cleveland.

I have no concrete idea what level of talent, at this point in his career, he will bring to the Cavaliers. The goal is to team with LeBron James to win a championship. Does he have the talent? Yes. Does he have the desire? Probably. Will that desire translate into the motivation necessary to demand at least one more All-Star caliber performance from his 37-year-old body? Stay tuned.

No matter. Shaquille O’Neal is coming to Cleveland.

Think about that. When was the last time a major star of Shaq’s stature came to Northeast Ohio?

LeBron doesn’t count. Neither does Jim Brown. Both were drafted, and arrived in Cleveland as young stars-in-waiting.

You have to go back to 1974, when the Indians obtained legendary outfielder Frank Robinson from the Angels. Robby was named player-manager – the first black manager in the history of the major leagues – during the subsequent offseason and punctuated it the following April by hitting a home run in his first at bat on Opening Day.

Is O’Neal the answer? Will he help bring Cleveland its first major pro sports championship since 1964? Maybe. He’s certainly larger than life – figuratively and literally – and will bring a whole new attitude to Cavs’ Town. If he’s motivated to get into better shape – even if it’s just for one final run at a championship – then look out, the Cavaliers could be scary.

Mike Tirico raved about the deal on ESPN radio Thursday. He later interviewed Danny Ferry, the Cavs’ general manager. As Ferry put it, the chance to add a player of Shaq’s stature, including the presence he brings to the court and the locker room, is too good to pass up.

Ferry also pointed out that he and other Cavalier executives watched a lot of game tapes of O’Neal, and were impressed with how well he played for the Suns. Indeed, O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds a game in 75 games with Phoenix. Contrast that with the numbers posted by the Cavs’ Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per, in 65 games.

Don't write Shaq off just yet.

O’Neal is a 15-time All-Star and four time NBA champion. Add in the fact that there is no more consummate entertainer, and he promises to bring an attitude to Cleveland unlike any we’ve seen in these parts.

It’s called star power. It makes the trade worth it. That the Cavs only gave up Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and this year’s second-round pick is gravy.

I mean, think about it: As I’ve written this, and as you’ve read it, LeBron James has been an afterthought.

That’s why Shaquille O’Neal is special. And it’s why he could be exactly what the Cavaliers – and LeBron – have needed.

Best Uniforms? Let the Debate Begin

2009-06-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

On CBSSports.com Monday, Gregory Urbano named what he called the 10 coolest uniforms in sports history. In ascending order:

10. USC Football
9. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Dallas Cowboys
7. Boston Celtics
6. San Diego Chargers
5. Notre Dame Football
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New York Yankees
2. University of North Carolina Basketball
1. Michigan Wolverines Football

Alrighty then. You’re no doubt already doing a slow burn at some of the names on the list. North Carolina’s basketball uniforms? Really? And, of course, the constantly overrated Boston Celtics garb. Ooh, they put “Celtics” across the front in block lettering. What’s so great about that? C’mon, the Bruins’ hockey unis are way better than those green monsters.

But that’s the nature of such lists. So I’m going to throw some of my own at you. Agree, disagree, whatever. It’s my blog. Note, however, that, unlike Mr. Urbano, I provide definitive visual evidence of my good taste.

I have also claimed one caveat: To make my list, a uniform cannot have made his. So there. Let the debate begin anew!

1. St Louis Cardinals. I’m shocked that this isn’t on Urbano’s list. It should be on every list. It is the classic baseball uniform of all time. Unique, colorful, attractive, historic. Has never gone out of style, never will.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers. Clean, simple, and stunning. The blue and red jump off the blazing white uniform, evoking patriotic sentiments, which I suppose baseball should do. The brilliant blue caps, the interconnected L and A…whoever did this got it right.

3. Texas Longhorns Football. The Longhorn logo is unlike any other in sports. Represents an entire state, moreso than any iconic logo I can think of. Even their opponents have to admit it’s the ultimate in cool. Slapped on that bright white helmet…perfect. And who else wears burnt orange? Great stuff.

4. Detroit Tigers. Another great uniform. The gothic D. The black piping around the collar and the buttons. The contrasting hat, with the same D. This hasn’t changed in decades, and never should. Understated and classic.

5. St. Louis Rams. Ram’s horns on the helmet. Ram’s horns around the shoulders. All matching the pants. I’ll bet every player who ever dressed in those things felt good about it. I still can’t decide if the gold of today is better than the yellow of yesterday, but either way, these get it done.

6. Chicago Baseball. OK, I’m fudging a bit, by giving a nod to both the Cubs and the White Sox. Again, however, their home pinstriped uniforms have held up over time. The Sox’ intertwined logo is unique in all of baseball, and the Cubs’ simple “C” gets the job done.

7. Virginia Cavaliers Football. Clean and classic. Distinctive choice of colors. Great logo. Evokes all sorts of regional emotions. Nicely done, hugely underrated by just about everybody.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins. Come on, it’s hard to make a hockey uniform look great, and these look great. Plus they have penguins on them, for crying out loud. Who else has the cajones to do that?

9. Green Bay Packers. What can I say? Green and gold can be a nasty combination if not used properly – but these folks used ’em properly. Better in the classic days of Lombardi as shown here, but still, they’re superb.

10. Baltimore/ Indianapolis Colts. Since the days of Johnny Unitas, this uniform has stood the test of time. Peyton Manning has been a deserving successor to the legacy. Who knew a horseshoe could help define a league the way this one has?

So there you have it. Now, about my Cleveland teams.

Right now, we’re in the hey-day of Cleveland uniforms. When the Indians went back to the classic script in 1994, it heralded the return of championship caliber baseball in Cleveland. New uniforms, new stadium, new era. I hope they never change. These are what baseball uniforms should look like.

The Cavaliers did a smart thing the year LeBron James was drafted. They returned to the classic burgundy and gold of their founding years, but with a beautifully updated approach. Mind you, I still love the original Cavaliers script uniforms, but I’m sentimental about their early days, when they were such loveable losers. But the lost era of orange, blue, black, powder blue? Ugh. No thanks.

And finally, the Browns. From the 1940s through the 1960s, when the Browns literally were the Yankees of pro football, people around the country professed love for their understated appearance, complete with no logo on the helmet. And, I must admit, I still love the look. Somehow, though, it had more of a classic feel all those many years ago. The team that has been on the field since 1999 has been mostly an embarrassment to the city of Cleveland and the NFL in general. So some of the luster has worn off. But, if they begin to win again, watch the orange and brown take this region – and other parts of the country, where Browns Backers clubs are large and plentiful – by storm.

Postmortem

2009-05-31T21:35:00.001-07:00

What amazes me, after the fact, is how so many people's tunes change. Or, how many people take on an "I told you so" mentality. Or, how so many people jump on the LeBron-bashing bandwagon.

Look, the Cavaliers lost a series they could have won. I'm not saying should have won. Just could have. But they didn't. It's unfortunate, but it's not a tragedy on the scale of a Hurricane Katrina, or a 9-11.

It's absurd to even say that, but that's how fans and members of the media often portray it. Come on, it's not rocket science. Orlando played better. To some extent, they played above their heads, if their stats in this series compared to their regular season numbers are any indication. They were lights-out, start to finish. But, so what? Give them credit. Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap.

So, some thoughts:

-- LeBron James's decision to leave the floor after the Game Six loss without shaking hands with the Magic, or to leave the arena without speaking to the media, may have been surprising and a little impolite, but it's not a major transgression. He expected to win a championship this year. This had to be one of the greatest disappointments of his career. Only he knew if he could handle talking with others, or not. He decided not. So now he's the target of critics far and wide -- fans and media pundits. Phooey. He came out the next day, acknowleged that the Magic deserved to win, assured people he's happy in Cleveland, and said it's still his goal to bring a championship to Cavs-land. Let it rest. Sometimes, losing is very, very tough to take.

-- I'm not sure I understand why Zydrunas Ilgauskas guarded Dwight Howard throughout the series. Say all you want about Mo Williams and Delonte West, but the terrible matchup was Z and Howard. To Stan Van Gundy's credit, he exploited it. The rest is gravy.

-- When you shoot like Orlando shot, you deserve to win games.

-- The post-series critiques of LeBron James, which taunt him for not making his teammates better, blah, blah, blah, ignore the fact that champions don't do it by themselves. There's no way this Cavs team, or this Magic team, or this Lakers team, beats the Lakers of Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, etc. No way they beat the Celtics of Bird, McHale and Parish. No way they beat the Bulls of Michael and Scottie. Those teams had all-time icons of the game -- the Lakers had two, in Magic and Kareem -- and never relied on just one player, especially not the way the Cavs rely on LeBron.

-- The New York Daily News reported over the weekend that Toronto is actively shopping Chris Bosh rather than risk losing him to free agency in 2010. The Raptors are interested in Utah's Carlos Boozer, while Chicago is reportedly dangling Luol Deng, among others. The Cavs should jump in and offer just about anyone other than LeBron, plus draft picks -- whatever fits when it comes to salary cap issues, expiring contracts, and so on. Ilgauskas would suffice just fine in the post next year if Bosh were alongside him. Bosh would be to LeBron what Pippen was to Jordan. I'd give 'em half the roster if that's what they want. Seriously -- take half this year's team away, put Bosh with LeBron, and Orlando disappears in four games, maybe five.

-- That said, I really enjoyed this season. I thought the addition of Williams was fabulous. I like West. I've always liked Varajeo. And I said previously that if the Cavs stayed healthy, they'd win it all. I was wrong, but it was a great ride, and I still like this team. Clearly, they need strength inside. But sports can be unpredictable, and the Cavs ran into a buzzsaw of a team in the Magic, who were (are?) peaking at precisely the right time. How hard is it to win a championship in the NBA? Consider this: The past 30 NBA seasons have been dominated by six teams. During that span, the Lakers have won eight championships, the Bulls six, the Spurs and the Celtics four each, Detroit three and Houston two. There are 30 teams in the league. And just six have climbed the mountain and won repeat titles over three decades. The Cavs are trying to get there. It ain't easy.

-- For my money? I think the Lakers match up well against Orlando, and Kobe Bryant is the lights-out shooter that the Cavaliers still lack. I'm picking L.A. to win the 15th title in their franchise's history.

One Down, Two to Go

2009-05-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Another out-of-this-world performance by LeBron James allowed Cavs fans to exhale Thursday night as Cleveland topped Orlando 112-102, to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals. This ridiculous stat line: 37 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists.

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith cautioned on the TNT postgame show that LeBron can't possibly do that every game; it will simply wear him down. In the fourth quarter, he scored or assisted in 32 of the team's 34 points. But as James said to Craig Sager after the game, losing just wasn't an option.

So it's back to Orlando for Game Six on Saturday night. If you're the Cavs, you know you did what you had to do, battling out a win. If you're Orlando, you feel confident knowing you're going home with a chance to close it out.

You have to pay attention to what Barkley, Smith and Reggie Miller said after the game, however. They played in the NBA and know first-hand the rigors of the pro game. Their concern: Have you ever seen anyone do what James did -- dominate the fourth quarter completely and control every offensive play in the period -- for three straight games?

Miller added a great observation about Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Mo Williams: Is their game going to travel? Will they be able to contribute in a do-or-die game against a hot team on the road?

Williams, in particular, was superb Thursday night, with 24 points, including six three-pointers. Can he do it again Saturday? Gibson tossed in three triples. Can he do the same in a hostile arena? If so, the Cavs have a chance. If not, it may be too much to expect James to hoist the team onto his shoulders yet another time.

Speaking of Gibson, it was great to see him finally resemble the player he was supposed to be this whole season. So is it really necessary for him to mug with the three-finger salute and grin on his face after making his shots? Really? We've all gone from expecting him to hit those shots, to holding our breath when he pulls the trigger. He's as relieved as we are when they go in. So, ditch the mugging, Daniel. Win this series first, OK?

And as for Barkley, Smith and Miller on TNT; when you stop and think, they're a living, breathing illustration of how hard it is to win an NBA championship. Guess which one of the three did it? Kenny Smith. Look again. Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, as great as they were, never won a title. It's not an easy thing to do, and individual greatness only goes so far in such a team sport.

The Indians: Remember Them?

It's been too easy to ignore the Cleveland Indians thus far this spring. A terrible start has had them languishing in the A.L. Central cellar since Opening Day. However, they just completed a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, including an improbable ninth-inning comeback in an 11-10 win on Memorial Day. They're still in last place, but a sweep's a sweep, and they're showing signs of life. Still, it's a little depressing to think about the prospect of the Cavs bowing out right now and our having to endure a long, hot summer with the suddenly feeble Tribe.

Go Cavs. Please.

Best Ever: Otto, or Else...

2009-05-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

The analysts who warned that the Cavaliers just didn’t match up well against Orlando (Charles Barkley chief among them) appear to have been onto something. Anything could yet happen in the Eastern Conference Finals, but, if the first four games are any indication, Orlando will advance. Cleveland simply hasn’t devised an answer for the Magic’s incredible three-point shooting arsenal. Seriously: 17 three-pointers in Game Four? That’s ridiculous.

And yet, the Cavs lost by just two points. In overtime. And LeBron James had the ball in his hands for another buzzer-beating attempt that would have won the game. That’s why anything could yet happen. The Magic have the upper hand, but every game has been a battle.

Predictably, with the luster wearing off of James’ star for the moment, people are coming out of the woodwork with the “best ever” banter. The party line goes like this: LeBron is great, but he’s not an all-time great. The true test of greatness is championships. Minus championships, no one can be the “best ever.” Michael Jordan is the best ever because of his six NBA titles. Joe Montana is the best ever because of his four Super Bowl victories. Babe Ruth is the best ever because of his seven World Series titles....

And that’s the sentence that begins to reveal the folly of the argument. No, Babe Ruth is the best ever simply because he was…well, the best ever. He revolutionized the game. He established the benchmarks against which hitters would forever be measured. Not just those 714 home runs, but also an insane .342 lifetime batting average. And, before all of that, he was one of the sport’s premier pitchers, winning 78 games for Boston over a four-year span – 18 of those in 1915, at the tender age of 20! The Red Sox won three World Series titles during that time. Ruth was, by any account, Herculean. Bunyanesque. Did I mention larger than life?

I bring all this up only because I read something this morning that left me scratching my head. A blogger on the ESPN Sportsnation website, who goes by the moniker “Pastor Troy,” blasted away at LeBron – apparently because the good reverend just had to get something off his chest. You can read the entire entry here, but he basically takes James to task (now that Orlando’s up 3-1) for not bringing out the best in his teammates; says Jordan did it, LeBron hasn’t, so ya’ll be hatin’. Something like that. And then he slips back into the championships-are-the-one-true-measure-of-greatness line.

Fine. Then I am here to proclaim, once and for all, that the greatest athlete in the history of professional team sports in the United States is not Michael Jordan…is not Joe Montana…is not Babe Ruth…is not Jose Mesa (ahem)…but is, without question…

…Otto Graham.

The man played 10 seasons at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. His team was in the league championship game all 10 of those seasons. And they won seven of those 10. He was four-for-four in the brief history of the All-America Football Conference. Lest we be tempted to poo-poo that league as one minor (that’s the first time I’ve ever written “poo-poo” in a sentence), the year after the AAFC folded Graham led the Browns to the NFL title in their first year in the league. And then he led them to two more over the next five years.

Ten seasons. Ten championship games. Seven victories.

Take that, all you title-touters.

Bill Russell’s eight straight NBA championships (and 10 in 11 years) don’t count, because…it messes up my argument for Graham.

But not really. I’ve never bought the championships-as-benchmark line of reasoning. Of course titles matter. But Terry Bradshaw has four Super Bowl rings – and he did it first. Why isn’t he as great as Montana?

The aforementioned Russell’s 10 championships outdistance Jordan’s six (and everyone else's). Why isn’t Russell the greatest?

In hockey…OK, I don’t know anything about hockey.

But you get my point. I have no problem with people taking the Cavs to task for the way they’ve performed against Orlando. But the problem isn’t LeBron. He’s once again exceeded expectations. He’s making 30- and 40-point games routine – routine – and that hasn’t happened since Oscar Robertson was running roughshod over the rest of the NBA in his prime.

I don’t know whether Otto Graham was the best quarterback in history, or even in the top 10. I know he was unsurpassed as a big-game player. And he won more championships than any other.

But the greatest? There are too many factors to consider. And those who insist on titles first are missing out on the intangibles that make the greatest athletes truly great.

LeBron has those intangibles. Yes, I’ll accept that he needs to win a championship or two to fully secure his place in history. But Pastor Troy has jumped too quickly into the LeBron-taunting fray. Number 23 is everything he was cracked up to be, and more. And the series isn’t over, although the Cavs are admittedly on life support.

This is LeBron’s sixth season. He’s 24. Michael Jordan didn’t win his first championship until his seventh season, at age 27. LeBron’s time will come. The fact that he’s accomplished so much so soon is cause for celebration, not degradation – no matter what happens Thursday night, or for the rest of this series.

The Stuff of Legend -- Maybe

2009-05-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing shot.

It literally saved the Cavs' season.

It added to the Legend that is LeBron James. Perhaps.

Look, I was as stunned as anyone when LBJ lifted Cavs fans from their funk, and his team from the brink of what would have been a long summer, by nailing a mind-bending, desperation, fadeaway three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, winning Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

It was one of those legend-defining moments, forever etched in the annals of league history. It will be shown on replays over and over and over again.

If the Cavs go on to win the series, it will erase Cavs' fans memories of The Shot, plain and simple.

But that's the catch. Michael Jordan's shot in 1989 won a series. LeBron's simply saved this one.

So there is much more to do before this shot ranks as high.

Yes, it was just as dramatic, just as sensational, and even more improbable than Michael's. But again, Jordan's buzzer-beater drove the final nail into the coffin of Cleveland's Cinderella season.

So here's hoping the Cavaliers can ride the crest of this wave and get at least one win in Orlando, then close things out and advance to the NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how this affects the Magic. There's no question they pose serious matchup problems for the Cavs' defense. Wednesday night, Cleveland led by 17 and lost. In Game Two, they led by 23, and almost lost. That's not good. It's clear that this is a series Orlando can win.

But will the dagger of LeBron's miraculous shot drain the life out of them? If so, that one play may well be remembered as the moment of LeBron's career, the moment that propelled his team to the next level, and his status to one of truly legendary proportions.

Nothing he does surprises anyone anymore. It will be fun to watch the drama of this series, and this wonder child's career, continue to unfold.

But, for one moment: Wow.

(The photos are Getty Images.)

Look! Up in the Sky! It’s Falling!

2009-05-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Dwight Howard may be Superman, but that’s not what basketball fans and the media are seeing up in the sky these days. They see it – the whole sky – falling squarely on the heads of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A little early, don’t you think? Yes, we can conclude that the Cavs aren’t perfect, after Rashard Lewis's late three-pointer (left) helped Orlando beat them in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, 107-106.

But before the hand-wringing gets out of hand (is that possible?) – and believe me, I’m tempted to wring them digits right along with you – let’s think this through.

1.) Orlando is a very, very good basketball team.

2.) They’ve been playing and in sync. The Cavs had another long layoff, and looked like they wore down a bit toward the end of the game. (That they would be tired strikes me as being nonsensical at this point in the season, considering these are some of the most finely honed athletes in the world. But the commentators said it on TNT, so I’m going with it.)

3.) The Cavs went cold from the field just as Orlando got hot. It made the difference in the game.

4.) It’s one game.

5.) The Bulls of Michael Jordan’s era lost a few playoff games every year.

It’s that last point that I take solace in. Six times in the 1990s, Jordan’s Bulls won the NBA championship. Fewest playoff losses in any one of those seasons? Two, in ’90-91. The most? A whopping seven, the very next year.

The year the Bulls won a league-record 72 games, they lost three playoff games, including two in the finals against Seattle. In ’91-92, when their record of 67-15 was almost identical to this year’s Cavs, Chicago lost those seven playoff contests I spoke of earlier – three in the second round, two in the conference finals, and two more in the NBA Finals against Portland.

In other words, when you win the title, nobody cares how long it took you to do it, or faults you for losing a few games along the way.

The Cavs have now lost exactly one game this playoff season. To a very, very good team. They have the MVP. They have the Coach of the Year. And they have a solid roster that earned the best record in the league.

The sky isn’t falling. They let one get away. They let down in the second half, and they know it. They’d better not let it happen again, and here’s betting they don’t. I think they’ll win this series. I think LeBron James is sick of the doubters and the naysayers. I think his teammates are tired of hearing that the Cavs are “LeBron and everyone else.”

Give Orlando credit. They came in and stole Game 1. But I don't think they're deeper and more talented than Cleveland, no matter what all the pundits keep saying. They were bound to collect at least one victory this series. There’s also a lot of basketball left.

If the Cavs are the championship-caliber team we all think they are, they’ll evaluate this loss, suck it up, and get back to business the rest of the way.

The alarm has sounded. Let’s see what happens next.

Bored with the Playoffs? Try...Cavs vs. Cavs

2009-05-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Former Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty, now a NASCAR analyst on ESPN, stirred the pot this week when he suggested that his Cavs team of the late 1980s and early ’90s could beat the current version.

Did I say stirred the pot? Seems like he was smokin’ it, actually.

Daugherty’s teams were exceptional. There was a sense, in 1989, that they were about to be championship caliber. Daugherty. Price. Nance. Williams. Harper. It was an exciting young team. Magic Johnson called them “the team of the ’90s.” Few disagreed.

But a guy named Michael Jordan had other plans, and the rest is history.

Daugherty joked in an article on ESPN’s “Water Cooler” website that his team would win by “20 or 30” – before admitting that it would be much closer than that. But he still claimed his group would win.

Key reasons:

1. While he admitted there’s no denying LeBron James’ greatness, he suggested that former Cavs Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams could alter some of LeBron’s shots and thereby affect his game. (My take: Could be. But from what I’ve seen, you can alter one of LeBron’s shots one moment, then be watching as he dashes away from you on an unobstructed path to the basket for a monster dunk the next. In other words, the guy simply keeps coming at you until you break.)

2. Daugherty believes the pick-and-roll play he ran with point guard Mark Price would have given Zydrunas Ilgauskas fits. “If you don’t guard Mark coming off the screen, he shoots a 3-pointer instead of just pulling up and shooting a two or passing the basketball, so that would put a lot of pressure on them,” he said. (My take: Okay, but who would guard Ilgauskas at the other end? Let’s not overlook Z’s ability to step out and hit 15-to-20-footers with ease. I think Ilgauskas would give as good as he got.)

3. Ron Harper. “Ron was a very, very difficult opponent for anyone,” he said. “You can ask Michael Jordan. When we traded Ron, Michael said that’s the best thing we could have ever done for the Bulls. Ron was very good at moving and defending the basketball, he was a good rebounder, and he could score at different angles, outside or inside.” (My take: He’s right about this. I was always a Harper fan, and think things would have been different had he stayed with the team.)

To be fair, Daugherty acknowledged that it’s easy to sit where he does now and claim his team would win. He’s obviously having fun with it. And you can’t blame him for taking pride in that team and believing they could win.

Had Jordan not hit “The Shot,” there’s no telling how history might have treated that Cavaliers team.

But he DID hit the shot, and that’s an important part of this debate. Sometimes, one player makes a difference.

I wrote last time about why LeBron James matters. It’s because he’s a bonafide superstar. He has the same larger-than-life persona that Jordan did.

And that’s what would make the difference if the current Cavs played the team of Daugherty’s era.

I have to admit, I wonder to this day what might have been had Wayne Embry not traded Harper away in 1990. Harper made the All-Rookie team in 1987 and was a 20-points-per-game scorer. Some even called him “Baby Jordan,” because his game so resembled MJ’s.

But he wasn’t LeBron. Nobody on that team was.

LeBron James would give those guys fits the same way he does every team today. His breathtaking combination of speed, strength and court vision more than makes up for any deficiencies in his game. Yes, he has off nights. But he imposes his will on each and every game in which he plays.

And to suggest the overall cast in the ’90s was better, as Daugherty and ESPN’s Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy recently did, is to overlook the quality of the current Cavs team.

Think about it. Daugherty’s Cavs were outplayed in the 1990s by Bulls teams that sported Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley at center. I used to scratch my head over that one. How could the Bulls win championship after championship with guys like that in the post?

Michael Jordan, that’s how.

Likewise, the current Cavs have LeBron James. And that’s why they would beat the Cavs of old.

Why LeBron Matters

2009-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

With today’s announcement that LeBron James finally won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, it’s worth reflecting on why he is such an important figure, particularly on the Cleveland sports scene.

I remember back in the late ‘90s, when my friend Bob Dezso was a volunteer assistant on Keith Dambrot’s coaching staff at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Bob coached the JV team in addition to assisting with the varsity, and he told me about a freshman playing for the Irish who had catapulted past everyone to become the standout player at the school. “His name is LeBron James,” Bob told me. “Remember it, because he’s the real deal. Best I’ve ever seen.”

Within two years, James was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Within two more, he was the number one pick in the NBA draft, the much-anticipated savior of the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers.

In his first game as a pro, LeBron exceeded expectations. Nervous? Forget about it. Intimidated? Hardly. And, for six consecutive seasons since then, he’s continued to silence the naysayers and redefine excellence on the basketball court. In so doing he has single-handedly made the Cavaliers relevant in Cleveland, no small task in a town so devoted -- for so many generations -- to the Browns and Indians.

That devotion is understandable, given the fact that in the 1940s and 1950s, both teams were perennial championship contenders. But Cleveland and Northeast Ohio have never had an athlete to match LeBron’s stature.

Mind you, Jim Brown was as good as it gets as a fullback for the Browns in the ’50s and ‘60s, and is still widely regarded as the best running back in the history of the sport. Before him there was Otto Graham, who deserves a mention of his own in the “best-ever” arguments at quarterback.

But theirs was a different era, a simpler, more romantic time in our nation’s history. And neither Brown nor Graham was called upon to do what LeBron has been asked, even expected, to do: Lift a franchise and, for that matter, an entire city, on his shoulders, and take them to the promised land.

It’s a role he has embraced. Lead the team? Check. Strive to be the best in the game? Check. Accept the challenge of becoming the best ever? Why not -- check. Whether he earns that status or not isn’t the issue. The fact that he’s willing to go for it fascinates us. And the fact that he rarely disappoints amazes us.

A few weeks ago, on an NBA telecast, ABC’s Mark Jackson said that the Cavs teams of Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and company -- the teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s -- were better overall than this year’s model. Boothmate Jeff Van Gundy agreed. As I heard that, I thought, “Wha-a-a-a-a-t?”

Jackson argued that the Price-led Cavs were deeper, and better at every position -- except LeBron’s, of course. But that’s precisely the point. They didn’t have anyone close to him in ability. Nobody does. And that ability alone tips the scales in the current team's favor.

He still has holes in his game, but they are becoming increasingly few. James is like a runaway train, physically overpowering his opponents with strength and speed. He has the look of a man on a mission. His teammates are on board, and so are we.

Anything can happen on the way to the NBA Finals, and in sports, as Yogi Berra once famously intoned, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” The Cavs dare not look past the Atlanta Hawks -- their second round opponent -- or anyone else. But the stage is set for something dramatic to happen this year, and smart money is on LeBron James making it so.

There’s simply never been anyone like him on the Cleveland sports scene, and there may never be anyone like him again. We should enjoy it while we can, and expect the best. Because you just get the feeling that, of all the great ones, The Chosen One will finally be the one to deliver.

Rondo May Not Be Dirty, But His Play Was

2009-04-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Look, I played basketball, OK?

I don't care if it's school ball, travel ball, YMCA ball, playground ball, college ball or pro ball. When you've played, you know the difference.

In Tuesday night's NBA playoff game between Boston and Chicago, Rajon Rondo got away with a mugging. Big-time. And it changed the game, and, perhaps, the series, in Boston's favor.

With Boston leading by two, Chicago's Brad Miller took an in-bounds pass near the end of overtime and drove down a ridiculously wide-open lane toward the basket. As he rose to take the shot, Rondo swept his hand across Miller's face, altering the momentum of the 290-pounder and sending him crumbling to the floor, his shot suddenly an afterthought as it fell harmlessly to the floor.

Miller's upper lip swelled to the size of Angelina Jolie's, and he appeared dazed and in pain as he stepped to the free throw line and proceeded to miss the all-important first shot.

As the Boston faithful cheered and jeered wildly, Miller (shown at left in an AP photo, trying to stop the bleeding after Rondo's right cross) tried to miss the second shot intentionally, with the hope of Chicago grabbing the rebound and putting in the tying shot. But he missed the rim completely, resulting in a turnover, which all but sealed the win for the Celtics.

"I'm a little guy, so I had to go for the foul hard," said Rondo after the game. "I wasn't trying to go for his head, but I think he went up with his right hand and I tried to make sure he couldn't finish or get an and-one. It's as simple as that. I think I hit him in the head or something, but I went through his arm first, trying to get to the ball."

"I think I hit him in the head or something." OK, whatever. Except there was no chance for Rondo to get the ball. None. It was obvious when the foul occurred in real time, and far more evident once the replays were shown.

What the referees working the game saw from those replays, logical people will never know. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro protested that Rondo's foul was flagrant -- which it was -- which would have given the Bulls the foul shots plus the ball. Replay after replay confirmed that Rondo whacked Miller across the face in a last-ditch, desperate attempt to prevent the easy shot.

But there's no way he went for the ball. Like I said, anybody who has ever played the game knows the difference. Doesn't take a genius.

It was the second time at that Rondo got away with robbery at a crucial point down the stretch.

At the end of regulation, as Chicago's Derrick Rose blew past him down the left side of the lane in an attempt to convert what might have been a game-winning shot, Rondo stuck his knee, ever so subtly, into Rose's thigh, sending Rose sprawling toward the end line. The ball rolled out of bounds, and the intermittently blind NBA refs ("Wait, who's the home team?") rewarded it to the Celts.

OK, that was a small thing, and Rondo pulled it off. But the clobbering that he got away with at the end of overtime never should have been allowed. His team is now up, three games to two, in this hard-fought series.

Playground players know what happened. The NBA needs officials who know it, too.

Ohio State's Sustained Excellence is Underappreciated

2008-12-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

An article in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out the apparent ongoing resentment directed at the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, mostly by the media, but also by college football fans around the country.

I don’t get that.

The rationale is that the Buckeyes are typically overrated. They beat fair to average teams. They lose to top-tier teams. And so on, and so forth, blah, blah, blah.

Except, dear critics, answer me this: Other than USC, which has far outpaced any college program for the last decade, name me a school that has consistently outperformed Ohio State in recent years.

You can’t, because there isn’t one.

Remember when all this overrated talk started, back when, somehow, the Buckeyes topped the darling Miami Hurricanes to win the national championship? That was at the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, and I guess the nerve of Ohio State to actually topple “The U” was more than the whiners could take. Since then the Buckeyes have been the target of the college football world’s wrath.

OK, let’s look at where things stand.

Here are Ohio State’s final BCS rankings for the last seven years, beginning with 2001, the year they went on to win the national title: 2 – 5 – 25 – 4 – 1 – 1 – 10. Six out of those seven years, they were ranked in the top ten, and their only slip was the 25th place ranking in 2004.

Skipping over USC for the moment, the only other team who can boast similar numbers for the past seven years is Oklahoma: 7 – 1 – 2 – 23 – 10 – 4 – 1. The Sooners, like the Buckeyes, slipped to 23 one year, but have remained in the top ten otherwise, including two #1 rankings – just like Ohio State.

And that’s it. For the past seven years, USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma have been the most consistently high-performing teams in the nation.

Florida won a title two years ago, and is back in the championship game this season. But the Gators finished out of the top ten five of the past seven years. LSU, mighty winners a year ago, didn’t even make the top 25 this year, and was nowhere to be found in the top ten four of the last seven seasons.

Miami, Michigan and Notre Dame? O, how the mighty have fallen. Georgia? Not bad, but their best finish – third – came seven years ago. Texas was strong this year, and won the championship three years ago with Vince Young, but followed that up with two 19th place finishes in a row. They’re similar to Georgia – strong, but not consistently elite.

Oregon? Oregon State? Auburn? Tennessee? Please.

Which brings us back to our point. Yes, the Buckeyes were a disappointment in two consecutive national championship games. You can’t change that. The games were embarrassing. But they didn’t negate the fact that Ohio State was there, and has been at or near the top for this entire decade.

The fact is, Jim Tressel has run a superb program during his eight years at the helm, and is one of the top college coaches in the land. His game plans against Florida and LSU in the last two national championship games left much to be desired, but his overall record of 83-18 at Ohio State speaks for itself – including four Big Ten championships and a 7-1 record against archrival Michigan, which elevates him to near god-like status among the Buckeye faithful.

Everyone’s entitled to his or her opinion, but the notion that the Ohio State Buckeyes are consistently overrated is ignorant of the facts, plain and simple.

Random Thoughts as December Dawns

2008-12-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Limping to the Finish

The Browns have shot this season all to you-know-where. No news there. It was sad to see Brady Quinn sidelined for the year with a broken finger, just when he was getting the chance to play. It was just as sad to see Derek Anderson go down with a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis. That some fans jeered as he was helped off the field is distasteful, but then, Browns fans are so frustrated and fed up after 10 years of mostly blatant ineptitude that some of their wrath is bound to be misdirected. It was reminiscent of several years ago when Tim Couch left a game to similar derision, a scenario that was the beginning of the end of Couch’s run in Cleveland.

That said, I was struck by something Anderson said after the game. When asked if we might see Josh Cribbs at quarterback, Anderson responded with a jeer of his own and said anybody who thinks that would have to be “on crack.” You don’t put a receiver at quarterback, he said tersely.

And I thought, why not? First of all, he was a quarterback all the way through his playing days at Kent State. Furthermore, we’re talking about the one guy on the entire roster who consistently, week in and week out, makes plays. Every kickoff or punt return is cause for excitement when the ball is in Cribbs’ hands. Every opposing kickoff or punt return is cause for excitement when Cribbs has a shot at making the tackle -- which, more often than not, he does.

When the Browns started this long downward spiral, Cribbs was one of two players (Jamal Lewis being the other) who dared to say what others only thought: That perhaps some players were guilty of quitting. He later apologized, sort of, because it was the politically correct thing to do, but his words carried weight because, well, he never quits. This on a roster with too many people who seemed to be going through the motions.

This week Cribbs was quoted as saying yes, he could play quarterback, because he did it all his life before the NFL. He admitted it probably wouldn’t happen, but the point was made. “I want the ball in my hands,” he said.

So do the rest of us. I understand turning to Ken Dorsey to steer the sinking ship and I wish him well, but I couldn’t disagree with Anderson more when it comes to Cribbs. If you ask me, if there were 22 guys with number 16 on their jerseys, or at least number 16’s heart in their bodies, this franchise would be a lot better off.

On the Cavaliers…

Earlier this year I bemoaned the presence of Ben Wallace in the Cavs’ starting lineup, because of his age and his offensive shortcomings. It’s early, and the long season could yet take its toll, but I’m happy to admit that, thus far, Big Ben has made me eat those words.

The Cavs are playing championship caliber basketball, and Wallace is a big part of their success. His defensive intensity and rebounding prowess have helped fuel their recent run. I was concerned that perhaps he’d lost the one aspect of his game that had made him so formidable -- that being his intensity. My concern was misplaced. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew at times, and his teammates have picked up on it. That’s leadership, and I tip my cap to him.

Momentum is a funny thing in sports. As miserable as the Browns’ performances have been -- and as much as one lousy game fuels another -- the Cavs’ performances have been dominant. Players are feeding off of one another, and Mike Brown is doing a remarkable job of getting people their minutes.

Give credit to LeBron James on that count. His minutes per game are finally down to a reasonable level, and he’s not complaining at all. He’s getting much-needed rest because the Cavaliers are simply overpowering most of their opponents, and he’s not needed in the fourth quarter of many of those games. As his minutes decline, Brown can spread them among the Cavs’ bench players, and everybody’s happy. You get the sense that LeBron is less interested in accumulating personal stats than he is in getting the ring, and when your leader exhibits that approach, the rest of the team will follow.

Mo Williams and Delonte West are quickly becoming one of the best guard tandems in the league. And Zydrunas Ilgauskas just keeps rolling along, giving other teams fits with his offensive rebounding and outside shooting. Meanwhile, the bench is the deepest it’s been in years -- maybe ever -- and continues to make meaningful contributions night in and night out.

This team is good. Very, very good. I’m already looking forward to May and June.

High school football

I was treated, along with the rest of our town in North Canton, Ohio, to a remarkable season by the Hoover High School football team. The Vikings defied most preseason forecasts by losing just one game in the regular season, winning the Federal League title with a perfect 7-0 league mark, and going on to three straight playoff wins and a regional title.

That’s where it ended, of course, as the Vikings ran into the buzz saw that was Cleveland St. Ignatius in the state semifinals. The Wildcats went on to win the state championship in Division I, but Hoover’s overachieving roster will go down as one of the best teams in school history.

St. Ignatius is to be applauded, but I was struck during the postseason by all the talk of their 10 state championships in the last 20 years. I was reminded of a column last May by Bob Dyer of the Akron Beacon Journal, in which he wrote of the disproportionate advantage that parochial and private schools have over public schools in athletic competition. The stats that he cited were undeniable.

The playing field isn’t level by any means when it comes to private and public schools in Ohio. It’s not the private schools’ fault, of course. But, on the whole, it’s tough for public schools to reach the highest rung on the ladder on a consistent basis. A look at St. Ignatius’ web site reveals that it’s run more like a college than a high school, complete with a sophisticated advancement office that is only too happy to share information about annual gifts, capital gifts, and planned giving. Families pay tuition for their children to attend there. Even the web site suffix, “.edu,” is the one typically used by colleges and universities.

The two schools featured in the Ohio Division I championship game -- Cincinnati Elder being the other -- are both private, all-boys schools. And, unfettered as they are by geographic restraints, they welcome any student who can make the daily drive to their often glittering campuses -- and who can afford their rather hefty tuition fees.

Before Hoover’s game with St. Ignatius, Viking coach Don Hertler put it as politely, and plainly, as it can be put: “They’ve got kids probably from five counties, and we’ve got them probably from five neighborhoods.”

Officials from the Ohio High School Athletic Association acknowledge the disparity, but also lament the complexities involved in operating separate tournaments for public and private schools. I can understand their dilemma, but anyone who saw the St. Ignatius-Hoover semifinal and didn’t come away scratching their head over the issue just wasn’t paying attention.

Again, it’s not St. Ignatius’s fault. The system is what it is. But schools like Hoover only get so far every so often. Perhaps they can find some consolation in the fact that, among public schools in Ohio, they were one of the top two -- the other being the Pickerington Central Tigers, who were a perfect 13-0 before losing to Cincinnati Elder in the other state semifinal game.

Hoover’s football team wasn’t the only one of the school’s squads to make it so far this fall. The girls cross country team, a remarkable collection of talented runners from a small town of 15,000 people, was edged out at the state meet by the perennial powerhouse team from Magnificat High School in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland.

Magnificat was nowhere to be found in the boys’ race. That’s because it’s a private, all-girls school.

I checked their web site, too. They have five people in their advancement office.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And so it goes.

In Praise of Phil Dawson

2008-11-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Browns outlasted the Buffalo Bills Monday night, but that’s not what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about Phil Dawson.

Had he kicked for the Browns in just about any other era, he’d be thought of among the team’s all-time greats.

For one, he’d have scored a lot more points. The poor guy had only 53 in the offensively challenged season of 1999, the year the Browns returned to the NFL. He kicked just eight field goals the entire year, and only 23 extra points. Not a lot of opportunities, there.

There would be another season of offensive woe in 2000 before Dawson and the team began to climb out of the abyss, culminating in last year’s 10-6 turnaround (or tease, depending on how you look at it), during which Dawson tallied 120 points -- a respectable total in anybody’s book.

Could you imagine if he’d been kicking for those Browns juggernaut teams of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s?

As it is, Dawson has totaled 852 points in his 9-plus seasons, and one has to believe he’d be well over 1,000 by now had he teed it up for the Browns of eras past.

But it’s a look inside the numbers that is startling.

Dawson has connected on 83 percent of his career field goal attempts. Eighty-three percent! Hall of Famer Lou Groza (left), known as “The Toe,” connected on just 58 percent of his attempts in 17 glory-filled seasons. Don Cockroft, Groza’s successor who spent 13 years with the team, connected on 66 percent.

Breakdowns by yardage aren’t available for Groza’s era, but a comparison of Cockroft and Dawson is even more telling. Including last night’s game winning 56-yard field goal -- a career best -- Dawson has made 10 of 14 career attempts beyond the 50 yard line, a 77 percent success rate. Cockroft? Try 3-of-19, for 16 percent.

This is not to take anything away from Cockroft (left), who doubled as the team’s punter for most of his career. But that’s a stunning disparity. It’s just as significant in the 40-49 yard category, where Dawson has connected 68 percent of the time, to Cockroft’s 52 percent.

Last night’s win over Buffalo illustrated perhaps as much as any game in recent memory why Dawson is so valuable to this team. He was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts. Add in the two extra points and he had 17 of the Browns’ 29 points. Without his steady foot, the game would have been lost.

Dawson is the only remaining player from the 1999 roster and has quietly defined excellence for a decade of seasons wearing the orange and brown. His field goal success rate is the fifth-best in NFL history.

Dawson has gotten stronger, and better, as he’s gotten older. He’s a seasoned veteran with ice in his veins, and quietly gets the job done week in and week out. In fact, there's hardly a time when Dawson comes out on the field when you don't think he's able to make the kick.

In my book, he’s already one of the all-time Cleveland greats. We should enjoy his work and appreciate him while we can.

Score Knew the Score - The Fans Came First

2008-11-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

For a generation of Cleveland Indians fans, Herb Score is the voice they will always remember.

It wasn't a particularly mellow voice. He had a peculiar accent, one unlike any I've heard before or since. And he wasn't a polished announcer by any stretch of the imagination.

Instead, Herb came across as one of us, a fan, someone who was enjoying the games he was broadcasting, and who wanted us to enjoy them, too.

That was a pretty tall order during most of the three decades he sat in the Tribe's broadcast booth, first on television from 1964 to 1967, and then on the radio from 1968 to 1997. As Joe Tait, a former broadcast partner of Score's, once said, "Herb Score has seen more bad baseball than anybody."

Score died early Tuesday morning at his home in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland. He was 75. I remember when he was on TV, calling the games with Harry Jones; and his earliest days in the radio booth, with Bob Neal. He teamed with Tait in the mid-1970s, and they were the tandem calling the games when I left Ohio for the West Coast in '76.

So it was remarkable, to me, that Herb was still broadcasting the games more than 20 years later, when I moved back to Northeast Ohio in 1997. By then, the Indians were actually good. They had been to the World Series in 1995, losing to the Atlanta Braves. And they returned to the fall classic in that summer of '97, coming oh-so-close to winning it all before losing to the Florida Marlins (it still pains me to say that -- the Marlins?) in seven games.

The tributes began as soon as the news of Score's passing broke -- understandably so. Score was once a budding major league star, with the Indians in the late 1950s. It's been said that he was Sandy Koufax before Sandy Koufax came along -- meaning, of course, that he was the fireballing lefthander who was expected to take the baseball world by storm. But fate wasn't so kind. He was struck in the eye by a line drive off the bat of New York's Gil McDougal in May of 1957 (just a month before I was born), and his once promising career was derailed after that. Score never blamed the incident -- he insisted he encountered arm problems and was simply never the same.

Known for his humility, and his faith, Score jumped at the chance to give broadcasting a try in 1964, and it started a 34-year broadcasting career that became the stuff of legend in Cleveland lore.

Any of us who grew up as Indians fans in the 1960s. '70s, '80s and even '90s cut our teeth on Herb's descriptions of the games. They were simple, direct and free of fluff and bluster. He described what he was watching, to the best of his ability. If that ability was sometimes lacking, he more than made up for it with his knowledge of, love of, and respect for, the game.

Those descriptions of Indians games meant so much to us as fans because we couldn't just turn on the TV and see every game, every night. In those days, only occasional Indians games were televised on weekends, and then only if they were on the road. Home games could be heard only on the radio, and that's where Herb, and his long line of broadcast partners over a 30-year span, came in. We depended on them, and nobody came through quite like Herb.

Herb Score was a legend to multiple generations of Cleveland sports fans. He was already missed, having stepped away from the microphone after the 1997 season. Now, he'll be mourned, too.

The Bright Side of the Browns’ Latest Loss

2008-11-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Unbelievably, the Browns again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Thursday night, stumbling through a miserable fourth quarter en route to a 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos – their second straight shocking collapse at home.

Whatever. Dissect it all you want, wail and cry all you want, but today, I’m a pretty happy man. Because the Brady Quinn era has started, and not a moment too soon.

Nothing against Derek Anderson, who accomplished far more in the position than I ever expected, and actually turned in a memorable year in 2007. A Pro Bowl year, in fact. It earned him a hefty new contract, so let’s hold the tears for D.A. I suspect he may turn up as a starter somewhere else down the road, and if that happens I’ll be rooting for him to do well.

But Quinn not only looked sharp in his professional debut, he said things afterward that sounded like the words of a champion. To wit:

"I told everyone, this one is flat on me," Quinn said. "I know I am good enough that I can make a play at the end and win.”

Hear that, Braylon Edwards?

More Quinn: ''There was no doubt in my mind when I walked out there that we were going to score on every drive. If you don't think like that, you're not going to be successful.''

Imagine that.

And finally, commenting on two Phil Dawson field goals, Quinn said this: "The frustrating thing was coming away with field goals instead of touchdowns. Nothing against Phil Dawson, but we've got to get sevens there."

Think about that. Points weren’t enough. Only seven points would have made him happy. Making plays in the clutch, and scoring on every drive, is the only acceptable result.

When is the last time you heard a Cleveland quarterback talk that way?

And this is the guy that the Browns' brain trust left standing on the sidelines for 24 games?

I’ve been to the stadium to see the Browns twice in the last two years. Both times, during warm-ups, there was one quarterback who stood out in my mind: Brady Quinn. He moved like a leader and threw like he was born to do it. Tight spirals. Accurate throws. By comparison, Anderson, Ken Dorsey, and, last year, Charlie Frye, looked average at best.

Well, all that’s changed. Brady has arrived. Take heart, Browns fans.

Where Bad Shooting Happens

2008-10-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

OK, back from another prolonged break. These things aren't planned, they just happen.

The Cavaliers opened the new season in ho-hum fashion Tuesday night in Boston, after another Oscar-worthy performance in the pregame ceremony by an over-the-top, tearful Paul "Where's my Wheelchair?" Pierce. Once things tipped off, it was more of the same on the part of the Cavs -- meaning bizzare-o offense, featuring a shocking unfamiliarity with the concept of shooting.

For one thing, you don't win a championship in today's NBA with an aging Ben Wallace in your starting lineup. It's tempting fate enough to field an aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who can at least still hold up his end. But Z and Ben, side-by-side?

In the opening minutes of last night's game, Wallace took a feed at the high post and started a dribble drive, when suddenly he looked lost and passed off, despite having a clear path to the hoop. C'mon, Ben, just lay it in, for crying out loud.

From there we were treated to an assortment of offensive hijinks by the Cavs, and the obligatory postgame CYA comments about how "we played well enough to win" and needed to "get stops" and "just didn't put the ball in the basket." Blah, blah, blah.

Professional basketball players who can't shoot are hypocrites. Give me a break. You make millions, have all the time you need during the offseason, and are provided with every amenity and comfort in palatial new practice facilities -- and you can't shoot a ball? It's criminal.

LeBron James is in his sixth season in the NBA. His physical talents are breathtaking. But if I'm an opposing team, I foul him repeatedly at the end of a close game. It's almost guaranteed that he'll brick nearly half of his free throws in those situations. He did it again down the stretch Tuesday night.

What is that?

Ridiculous, that's what. I'm in his corner, and I'm a Cavs fan all the way. But it's indefensible, not just on his part, but for any player at the professional level. Every year we hear from LeBron how he's more dedicated, he's stepped up his game, etc.

Prove it. Make the damn shots. That's all. Just make them.

"Basketball" is so named because the primary object is to put the ball in the basket. The secret to doing that is proper shot selection. If you're a lousy three-point shooter, lay off the three-pointers. If you're a lousy shooter, take a seat. But if you're a lousy free throw shooter, the only answer is to practice and practice and practice until you can't miss. And then you practice some more. (See: Larry Bird.)

I coached kids (at all age levels) for years, and regularly repeated a simple offensive philosophy: Take shots you can make, and make the shots you take.

Good grief. Not another year of this. Please.

Postseason Blues

2008-10-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

Honestly, can we calm down a little?

The Dodgers swept the Cubs in the NLDS, finishing things off with a 3-1 victory Saturday. Fair enough. But what's with all the celebrating?

Teams roll out champagne, take curtain calls, and otherwise act like they've won the World Series when, obviously, they haven't. Haven't even won a pennant. Just a series. Still two more to win before they can claim the big prize.

So act like it. Shake hands, wave to the crowd, exchange a hug or two, and go shower up. Lots of business yet at hand.

Which brings me to another pet peeve. "Postseason" records. That's all well and good, but the notion that Manny Ramirez's postseason home run record is comparable to those of Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth is preposterous. Ramirez holds the all-time postseason record with 26 dingers, well ahead of Mantle's 18 or Ruth's 15 -- except theirs were all in the World Series. Every single one. How many World Series home runs does Ramirez have? Four.

No question, you have to get to the World Series to be able to hit home runs there, and Mantle and Ruth had the good fortune to play on powerful Yankee teams that seemingly made it every year. But that's part of the mystique. Theirs came on the biggest stage of all, under pressure like no other in baseball -- and, for their eras, like no other in sports.

Ramirez has hit 22 home runs in divisional and league championship series play, and that's impressive. But let's not lose perspective on what Mickey and the Babe did when they lived up to expectations and delivered time and time again to set the standard for World Series greatness.

Feel-Good Stories from a Not-So-Good Tribe Season

2008-09-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Now that the Indians' every-other-year funk is out of the way, a few upbeat notes from an otherwise disappointing season:

Cliff Lee. Duh.

Kelly Shoppach. Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity. The guy proved that he's an every-day big league catcher. Anybody notice that his 21 homers was tops among A.L. catchers? One of the best acquisitions the Indians have made this decade.

Jamey Carroll. Don't look now, but Carroll (left) had a better batting average than Grady Sizemore or Ben Francisco. Again, he took advantage of an opportunity (when Asdrubal Cabrera fizzled early and Josh Barfield went down with an injury) and made the most of it. Whodathunkit?

Shin-Soo Choo. Quietly the best hitter on the team down the stretch. In fact, in just over half a season, he had 14 homers, 66 RBI and 68 runs scored to go along with a team-best .309 batting average. Should come into 2009 with a starting outfield spot all sewn up.

Jhonny Peralta. I wasn't exactly in his camp early in the season, but he settled down and put up some solid numbers (like Carroll, posting a better batting average than Sizemore). I'm not a big fan of his at short -- I happen to think that his growth spurt a few years ago hindered his quickness and mobility -- and hope that he meant what he said this week when he told reporters he'd be willing to consider a move to third base if that's what's best for the team. Good for him. He would instantly become a solid presence at the hot corner, both defensively and offensively.

Grady Sizemore. I'm torn on this one, because his batting average took a disconcerting drop, but he still managed to put up big numbers for an average team. A career-best 33 homers, with 90 RBI and 38 stolen bases. Excellent defense, tremendous hustle. Cornerstone of the team.

Jensen Lewis. Hey, he produced as the closer when asked to do so. After the nail-biting adventures of Joe Borowski and company all season, Lewis got the job done, with 13 saves and a 3.82 ERA. Don't know if he'll be there next year, but the team could do worse, as we all know.

Scott Lewis. OK, call it beginner's luck. But he pitched like a seasoned veteran at the end of the season. In fact, he was as good or better than Cliff Lee in his late-season starts. Maybe it was a flash-in-the-pan thing, I don't know. But it was fun to watch, after a year of disappointments.

Casey Blake and CC Sabathia. Both good guys, who left fond memories behind, and now are in the N.L. playoffs. Good for them, and give Mark Shapiro credit for sending them places where they had a chance to taste the postseason. I hope they meet in the N.L. Championship Series, and may the best man win from there.

Finally, does anyone remember Jorge Velandia? It was that kind of season in 2008....

USC, Georgia, Florida -- Even Ohio State -- Got It Right

2008-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

So, a big weekend of college football saw lots of top teams get knocked off their perches.

Big deal.

If history is any indicator, they'll all hover around the top and, more than likely, one of them will be right back there by season's end. I'd guess it will be USC, but time will tell.

It all comes down to polls, which, in all honesty, are a silly way to determine any type of champion. For years, that's all there was. Now, the BCS tries to even the score -- mostly to no avail.

Who said that any team should be ranked where they are? Writers. Coaches. It's all based on opinion, not fact. Not performance. Opinion. Where in sports does that count for anything, except in college?

Before a college team plays a down -- or in basketball, scores a basket, or in baseball, scores a run -- opinions determine where they rank.

And so, when they lose, opinions determine how far they should fall in the polls -- if at all. Ohio State loses big to USC? They drop about 10 spots, to push them, for all practical purposes, out of national title contention for good. That's probably as it should be, considering their lackluster performances against YSU, Ohio and even Troy.

Now it will be interesting to see where USC lands, after losing to Oregon State, a team that previously lost to -- wait for it -- Stanford.

Fact is, it always comes down to how you perform on the field. Teams lose. Sometimes, they lose games they're not supposed to, like when the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. After the USC debacle on Thursday night, favored teams like Georgia and Florida were upended on Saturday.

So we end up waiting breathlessly for the polls to come out, so we can determine who, for now, is the #1 team in the land.

Why? Why do we need to know that now?

We don't know who the best team in Major League Baseball is, and won't until after the World Series is played. What a novel concept. Play the season, play the playoffs, and let performance on the field be the only arbiter.

Same goes for the NFL, where we won't have a clue until the Super Bowl is played. Oh, sure, last year everybody thought the Patriots were tops -- perhaps the best ever. Performance said otherwise. And they were beaten by a Giants team that, had polls been relied upon, might have been excluded from the playoffs altogether.

Granted, there's never been an equitable method determined to have a college football playoff, and chances are there never will be.

And so we have the odd system of determining rankings by opinion. And that takes us back to the headline on this post. The teams that have already lost are in a better position to be higher ranked than any team that loses down the road.

Oklahoma and Alabama are sitting pretty right now. But, should they lose a game later on, look out! They'll tumble several spots, and one or more of the teams that have already lost will move ahead of them. We see it every year. A loss late in the season is far more costly than a loss early in the season.

It's silly, but that's the way it is. Don't be surprised if one of the early losers -- USC, Florida or Georgia -- finds its way back up the rankings and into the BCS title game. Not because somebody else just as deserving lost more games, but because they lost one at the wrong time -- late in the season.

Bumbling Browns

2008-09-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

Yecccch.

Sunday's 28-10 loss by the Browns at Baltimore was ridiculous -- inexcusable on many levels. Fans are harping about Derek Anderson -- and yes, he was bad -- but the whole team looked lethargic and undisciplined. After an early drive showed such promise and resulted in a touchdown (and a 7-0 lead), the Browns simply frittered away the remainder of the game. You can cut the defense a little slack -- after all, they were handed impossible situations more than once thanks to DA's interceptions -- but, once again, this was a team that appeared to be woefully unprepared and terribly outplayed. The longer the game went on, the worse it got, and it became difficult and disappointing to watch.

And it comes down to coaching. There's simply not much being said, at any level, about Romeo Crennel's genius as a football coach. People more knowledgeable than I are not exactly leaping to his defense, which confirms my suspicions that there's a problem at the top. The fact is, the Browns have played seven games this year and lost them all: four in the preseason, and three in the regular season. It's been ugly, frustrating and shocking, all at once. Fans came into the season with enormous expectations. There was, no doubt, some wishful thinking involved, but 0-3? That's simply inexcusable.

While we're on the subject of Romeo Crennel, I want to scream when he refuses to refer to players by name during press conferences. This time he talked about getting more reps at quarterback for "the other guy" -- instead of referring to Brady Quinn by name.

Here's a suggestion for Phil Savage and Randy Lerner: How about, real soon, you refer to Crennel as "the former coach?"

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

OK, I'm Back

2008-09-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Enough of that silly retirement stuff. So I took a month off -- sue me. The whole Brett Favre thing still bores me. So much so that I got bored satirizing it!

Now then:

-- Anyone who honestly thought Ohio State was going to make a game of it against USC was kidding themselves. That they barely beat Ohio University was evidence enough. Fortunately, I had an event to attend that night, and didn't see a down. No loss. I'm a fan, but in the way I'm a fan of my son's high school team. I follow the team, and I hope they'll win, but I sleep fine either way. This Buckeyes team is not national championship material, so let's enjoy the season and be realistic about things.

-- I'm tired of the Browns' act. Really am. This is a team in disarray. They don't come to play. They're unprepared. Opposing teams punch them in the mouth and take over games before they know what hit them. After the talent on display last year, there's no excuse for it. There's a reason the experts had high expectations for the team this year -- THEY WERE EXPECTED TO BE EVEN BETTER. Instead, they stumbled through the preseason and stumbled through the first two games of the season. One can only assume they stumbled through training camp, too. It's ridiculous. I don't know Romeo Crennel, and I don't know as much about football as Romeo Crennel, but something is very, very wrong with this team and its ability to compete. I do know that he is responsible for that.

-- Cliff Lee has turned in one of the most remarkable pitching performances in baseball history, but I could care less if he wins the Cy Young Award or not. I suspect that it's not at the top of his list, either. It's great to win awards, but the list of sports awards from over the years is littered with one-hit wonders. And that's not what Lee wants. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to string together several excellent seasons, but, hearing his comments this year, it seems that's what he's most focused on -- being consistent, and giving his team a chance to win game in and game out. If he keeps that focus, he'll go down as one of the best in the game. That's more important in the long run than any individual award in one season.

-- I get a kick out of all these NASCAR rivalries and wars of words. This guy cut off that guy, this driver ran that driver into the wall, blah, blah, blah. Come on - these people are flying around oval tracks at ungodly speeds. Of course there are going to be bumps and bangs and crashes. Shut up and drive, and be glad you come out of these insane events alive.

-- I thought what Michael Phelps did was cool. People expected him to win eight gold medals, people wanted him to win eight gold medals, and he won eight gold medals. I can't even fathom how good he had to be to do that, and how many things had to go just right for it to happen. Good for him. Best ever? Who knows? Who CARES? It was remarkable, and that's enough for me.

-- The USA men's basketball team, on the other hand, was overhyped and surprisingly weak, I thought. Early in the qualifying rounds, Dwayne Wade actually said something about how the team was "growing" after they barely edged one of those tiny countries with a couple of factory workers and a baker on its roster. Growing? The best the NBA has to offer, and they're GROWING? Please. The decline of the NBA game -- lousy outside shooting, phantom defense, standing around on offense -- was on display for all to see. The Dream Team of Magic, Bird, Jordan, et al, simply dominated all comers. The "Redeem Team" would have lost to that group, based on what I saw this year. They may be athletically superior, but they're fundamentally inferior. A game between the two teams wouldn't have been close, I don't think.

Good sport, of a different sort

Last weekend I had the chance to rub shoulders with one of the most famous chefs in America, if not the world: Cat Cora, best known from her knockout performances on The Food Network's "Iron Chef America." Cat was in Northeast Ohio for a benefit for Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, where I do PR. She is, quite simply, the real deal -- a total delight, gracious and patient and kind in every way. A star, yes. But never a prima donna, even if she had the right to be, considering her exceptional talents and bonafide fame. Cat delivered meals for the agency, did a book signing at the local Borders Books, and wowed 230 guests at a fundraiser. She was down-to-earth and a blast to be around. The pic to the left includes her assistant, Ashley Campbell, and my wife Doreen. A great time, and a great memory.

So there. I'm back. Let me know what you think.

BREAKING NEWS: Delamater Reconsidering Retirement

2008-08-07T03:46:00.000-07:00

Almost as quickly as he retired, blogger Tom Delamater is reportedly having second thoughts.

A source who asked to remain anonymous said that Delamater is apparently considering seeking reinstatement into the blogosphere, although the allegation could not be confirmed by anyone close to the blogger or his family.

Delamater retired abruptly on Monday, citing the fact that he didn’t have “anything left to give” to his readers or the sports world. He called his retirement “the right decision” and that there was nothing representatives of Blogger/Blogspot “can do or say now to change that.”

But he is said to have had second thoughts almost immediately after making the announcement. Things only got worse when he tried to go fishing Tuesday and lodged a hook deep into the ring finger on his left hand. Reports of the injury could not be confirmed, but Delamater is alleged to have said that it is not serious and would not hinder his blogging ability. "What am I doing?" Delamater told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "I'm not a fisherman. I'm a blogger."

Although few people seem to be losing sleep over whether Delamater blogs or not, ESPN devoted another 15 minutes to the story at the beginning of its 11 p.m. "SportsCenter" broadcast.

Delamater Announces Retirement

2008-08-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

In a surprise move Monday, Ohio blogger Tom Delamater announced that he is retiring from blogging.

At a hastily convened news conference, Delamater said he could no longer keep his part of the bargain. “I’ve given everything I possibly can to the Blogger organization, to the field of blogging, and I don’t think I’ve got anything left to give,” he said, his voice cracking as he put his head in his hands, trying to choke back the tears. “And that’s it. It’s been a great career for me, and it’s over.”

“As hard as that is for me to say, it’s over.”

After the words officially retiring escaped from his mouth, he broke down.
"I'm not going to sit here like other bloggers maybe have in the past and say that I won't miss it," Delamater said, fighting back tears as a hush fell over the room of usually cynical, not to mention self-respecting, reporters. "Because I will. But I just don't think I can give anything else, aside from the few minutes at a time when I’m actually writing on my computer. And in blogging, you can't do that."

Several times during the news conference, Delamater said that he could still blog “at a high level.” He also denied that representatives of Blogger had not done enough to urge him to write on. At the same time, he said he might have given it more thought if they had.

"I've questioned my decision," Delamater said. "But I believe it's the right decision. And there's nothing that they can do or say now to change that.

During the rambling, wide-ranging news conference that inexplicably lasted more than an hour, Delamater talked of his appreciation for being a Blogger blogger, his lack of a plan for life after blogging, the yearlong sabbatical he and his wife are going to take from appearing at social events, and the inspiration he drew from his readers.

He admitted that as time passed, being a blogger got tougher.

"Tom Delamater got hard to live up to," Delamater said. "It's only gotten tougher, and something told me 'It's gotten too hard for you.' I could probably come back and do it, suck it up, but what kind of a toll would that take on me, my family or my fellow bloggers who are putting forth a genuine effort?

"At some point, it would affect one of those, if not all of them. Maybe it has already."

There were questions about whether Delamater was nudged out the door. But he said no.

"As I walk away, I'm walking away on top, my head high, chin up,” he assured the crowded room of reporters who were hanging on his every twitch, his every word, and his every puzzled expression when someone asked an incredibly fawning and idiotic question. “And it is on my terms, which is a good way to go out."

Immediately, speculation began about whether Delamater would stay retired. ESPN devoted the first 15 minutes of “SportsCenter” to the breaking news, which, by definition, appeared to have actually broken.

“I think he still has too much good writing left in him,” said ESPN’s Mark Schlereth, breathlessly undeterred. “There’s no way he’ll follow through on this.”

Woody Paige of The Denver Post and ESPN’s “Around the Horn” said Delamater, like any other fickle member of the media, had the right to flip-flop back and forth and change his tune whenever he wants. “He’s earned that right,” said Paige. “Just don’t ask me to explain my reasoning.”

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, like Paige a frequent contributor to “Around the Horn,” said Delamater wouldn’t be able to stay retired. “What’s he gonna do, go fishing and relax the rest of his life? He’s too much of a competitor.”

“Mind you, he’s not from L.A., so I really don’t care about him,” said Plaschke. “But, still….”

And so, for today, at least, blogging fans everywhere will have to adjust to the reality that Tom Delamater has hung up his keyboard and moved on.

Delamater was expected to appear on "The Late Show with David Letterman" to discuss his decision to disappear from public view. "I mean, I don't want to draw attention to myself or anything," he commented, as he left for a meeting with representatives of Sports Illustrated to talk about being on the cover of the magazine's next issue.

Outdoorsman? For a Day, Anyway...

2008-07-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

I've never been much of an outdoorsman, and I'm aware that I've been missing out. Wasn't raised around fishing, or hunting, or boating, or skiing, and really haven't picked up on it in my adult life.

But for one day, at least, I got a taste of it. Part of the reason I haven't posted here for more than a week is that my wife and I had the chance to get away to Lake Mohawk, outside of Malvern, Ohio, about a half hour south of where we live. A friend was gracious enough to let us use his place on the lake, and we had a great time. Lake Mohawk is a man-made lake and residential community, with a par-3 golf course and several beaches built around the lake.

On one of the days, our three kids came to visit for the afternoon, and we took our friend's pontoon boat out on the lake. The kids rode the inner tube while I sat at the controls, and we had a great time. The kids had a blast on the water, and it was just a relaxing but fun way to spend the day. We grilled steaks and generally had a ball. And we were one of literally hundreds of families doing the same thing across the expanse of the lake community. The beauty of the scenery was matched only by the picture-perfect weather we were able to enjoy. What a serene, relaxing environment. We really couldn't have asked for more, and it was great to share it with our family.

Casey Blake

The Tribe pulled the trigger Saturday on a trade that made perfect sense, but sent packing one of my favorite players ever to don an Indians uniform. Casey Blake (left, in his 2-for-3 Dodger debut) was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for two prospects, catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan.

No question it's a good deal. Santana's got a hot bat and a powerful arm, and Meloan has shown promise in relief during his minor league career. All that for a 34-year-old who is about to be a free agent. Mark Shapiro had to make that deal, even if the potential payoff is still a couple of years away.

Still, it's sad to see Blake join C.C. Sabathia as departed Indians who were once a part of something that showed such promise. To me, Blake was simply a guy you could count on to deliver consistent numbers. He wasn't a superstar, or even a star, for that matter, but you knew what you were going to get with him. After a slow start this year, he had brought his numbers right back to where you'd expect them to be: .289 batting average, 11 homers, 58 runs batted in (a team high). He played third base, first base or outfield, without complaint. He was a positive force in the clubhouse. In six seasons with the Indians, he showed up for work every day and got the job done.

It's good that Shapiro understands the Tribe's current situation and is moving forward without wringing his hands. But Casey Blake will be missed. He'll always be one of my favorites in Tribe history.

Random Thoughts for the Week

2008-07-18T06:12:00.001-07:00

Some random thoughts that have occurred to me over the week:

How cool is it that Greg Norman continued to play brilliantly through the second round of the British Open, just one stroke off the lead? I’ll tell you how cool: At 53, he’s two years older than I am. That's not necessarily old -- except in golfing terms. To compete in a major at his age is amazing. To win it would be legendary. Then again, it is the British Open, once his favorite stomping ground. Besides, is it any wonder he’s playing great? He recently married again, to tennis legend Chris Evert. Hey, at least he didn’t marry her for her money. Go get ’em, Greg…

Don’t know why I never commented on the men’s Wimbledon final, but Rafael Nadal (left) and Roger Federer put on a show for the ages. It reminded me in so many ways of Borg-McEnroe in 1980, and even the Borg-Connors slugfests before that. The match was wonderful and awe-inspiring and may, over time, live up to Sports Illustrated’s breathless, instant labeling as “the greatest match ever played.” (No hype among today’s media, is there?) Nadal and Federer are great for men’s tennis – moreso than is the awkward pairing on the women's side of the Williams sisters, who, despite their greatness, make it difficult to watch with enthusiasm when they play against one another in a major final. It’s not fair to say that, but even they admit it. Nadal-Federer, meanwhile, will rank with the greatest rivalries in the history of sport. Just great to watch, anywhere, any time…

How stupid is it that Josh Hamilton is not the 2008 Home Run Derby champion? The other contestants should have just walked off and conceded after his stunning first round performance, during which he blasted 28 long balls. This was more awesome than what Bobby Abreu did a few years ago; Hamilton’s tape-measure shots had the Yankee Stadium crowd, and a national TV audience, gasping in amazement. (Not to mention Chris Berman, who, I do believe, would gasp in amazement announcing a turtle race.) So, Justin Morneau was the derby champion, huh? Yeah, right…

Let’s see now: James Posey gets tons of press as a possible free agent signing for the Cavs…and signs with New Orleans. Baron Davis? The Clippers. Elton Brand? Dealt to the Sixers. Even Corey Maggette signed with Golden State. Some major names have moved already, and so far the Cavs are standing pat. Michael Redd remains a possibility, but, with the addition of Richard Jefferson to the Bucks’ roster, it looks less likely that Redd will end up in a Cavaliers uniform. I appreciate that the Cavs pushed Boston to the limit in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the fact is that it was just the semifinals, and the Celtics went on to win it all. The Cavs can’t afford to stand pat with the roster they have. Signing Daniel Gibson (left) to a long-term deal was a solid and necessary move, but more will be required if the Cavs are to compete for an NBA championship…

Hate to see Joe Jurevicius lose a third of the season to knee surgery, but that’s the way it is. It's hard to quantify the leadership and grit he brings to the Browns. He’s a crafty, veteran receiver, and I guarantee you that his influence rubbed off on his younger counterparts last year. It’s not likely he has a lot of time left. Here’s hoping he can come back and contribute in ’08. (By the way, has anybody else wondered if Jurevicius [left] and Drew Bledsoe [right] were separated at birth?)...

Finally, Asdrubal Cabrera (left) is back with the Tribe, and deservedly so. His month in Buffalo produced a .326 batting average, with four homers and 13 RBI. He’ll probably displace Jamey Carroll at second base, which is a shame because Carroll has been a consummate pro since taking over the everyday duties. What’s interesting to contemplate is how long it will be before Cabrera is the Tribe shortstop. He played short in 29 of the 34 games he played with the Bisons, and it’s my hunch that he hit better because he was playing a position he enjoys more, not because AAA pitchers are that much worse than big leaguers. If Eric Wedge is going to experiment with the rest of this season, why not move Jhonny Peralta to third (do we really need to see any more of Andy Marte?) and install Cabrera at short? Peralta has turned into a power and RBI machine since being moved to the cleanup spot in the order. That’s more suited to a third baseman. So make the move and get ready for ’09.

And that’s all I have to say about all that.

It's All Gone Too Favre

2008-07-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre doesn't care what I think, but here's what I think.

I don't care if Brett Favre ever plays in the NFL again. I enjoyed watching him and was impressed by his accomplishments. But I really don't care if he plays.

I don't care if he retires. I don't care if he unretires. I don't care if he gets his unconditional release from the Packers, as requested. I don't care if he then defects to the Bears or the Vikings or the Lions, or to the Arena Football League. I just don't care.

All the attention heaped on his every move by ESPN is as ridiculous as it is irritating. Chris Mortensen, what do you think Favre will do? John Clayton, what do you think the Packers will do? Mark Schlereth, can you gush about Brett for a while, too?

The whole thing is a bizarre circus. To me, Favre has tarnished his image a bit with all this pins-and-needles nonsense. Make up your mind, already. It's like one of those annoying reality shows on Bravo or E! or one of those other celebrity-obsessed networks. Retire, don't retire, but please make up your mind. It's Sugar Ray Leonard all over again. Sorry, Marvin Hagler, I'm retired. No, wait, I'm unretired. No, this is it, I'm gone. Wait, I think I'll fight again after all.

Yawn. Just make up your mind, already.

Tribe Shows C.C. 'La Porta'

2008-07-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

The confirmation today of the news that C.C. Sabathia had been traded by the Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers brought recollections of the deal in 2002 that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos. A flame-throwing, top-of-the-rotation pitcher who promised to be difficult to re-sign, sent packing in exchange for some solid prospects.

In Colon's case, the Tribe stole some bonafide major leaguers right out from under the Expos' (now Nationals) noses. In addition to journeyman Lee Stevens, Cleveland nabbed then-minor leaguers Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips. The company line has always been that Eric Wedge and the Indians had their reasons for parting with Phillips in 2006, but the guy would sure look good in a Cleveland uniform right about now. In his third year in Cincinnati, he's been a .285 hitter during that span. Meanwhile, Lee and Sizemore will represent the Indians in this year's All-Star Game.

In today's deal, the Indians received four minor leaguers in return for Sabathia. The centerpiece of the deal for Cleveland is Matt LaPorta (left), an outfielder/first baseman considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. LaPorta, thought to be on the fast track to the big leagues, was batting .288 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 84 games for Huntsville, Milwaukee's AA minor league affiliate. (Note to Ryan Garko: No need to check out the picture to see Mr. LaPorta. Just look over your shoulder.)

The other prospects shipped to Cleveland in the deal -- pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson, plus a player to be named later -- will be discussed by others, elsewhere, ad nauseum. The bottom line is, Sabathia's gone. And there was little that Tribe G.M. Mark Shapiro could do about it. The big lefty seems set on testing the free agent market (remember, he turned down an extension during spring training that would have paid him $18 million a year), so the Indians had to get something in return rather than letting Sabathia leave the way Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez did over the years.

This is the reality of small-market baseball. A few years ago Shapiro was pointing to 2005 as the year he expected the Indians to blossom into a contender. Sure enough, by 2007 they were again the A.L. Central Champs, and came within a whisker of another trip to the World Series. But this year it all came tumbling down, and the rebuilding begins all over again.

C.C. was solid, if not always spectacular, for the Indians over the years. His departure, coupled with injuries to Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook, leaves the once-vaunted Indians pitching rotation depleted and scrambling for cover. Such is the life of a team caught once again in the "rebuilding" cycle.

A friend of mine is a lifelong Pirates fan, and he concedes that there's no reason for the team's ownership to field a winning team. They're a small market, and fans support the team as it is -- so why go out of the way to bring in big-name talent at big-name prices? The Indians' situation is similar. If LaPorta or one (or more) of the other prospects develops, great. If not, the team (and their affiliate network, SportsTime Ohio), make money regardless. What more could an owner want?

Meanwhile, in Bulls' Town...

2008-07-04T01:45:00.000-07:00

Couldn't help but notice this item as it trickled across the newswire. New Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro (left) added former NBA coaches Del Harris (center) and Bernie Bickerstaff to his coaching staff. This is Del Negro's first head coaching opportunity, and it shows either confidence, or stupidity.

Confidence, because it would indicate that he's secure in who he is and knows that he will benefit from having seasoned, experienced coaches around to advise him as he learns the role. Stupidity, because if he isn't up to the job, GM John Paxson can just install Harris or Bickerstaff in his seat.

I suspect it's the former. "When I first accepted this position, I made it a top priority to surround myself with an experienced coaching staff," Del Negro said. "Now. . .you would be hard pressed to find a staff with the combined number of years experience that we have assembled."

It's an approach that makes a lot of sense for someone new to coaching. And it reminds one again of the reservations many fans, and members of the media, have about Cavs coach Mike Brown.

Brown has proven that he can get a team to play defense -- often, great defense. But his offense hasn't worked, and doesn't work. At best, the Cavs offense seems to succeed when they overwhelm teams with athleticism -- usually on the part of LeBron James -- with the occasional and timely tip-ins of Zydrunas Ilgauskas as a follow-up to missed shots (which tend to be numerous). The roster has been littered with lousy shooters, and the offense typically deteriorates into the LeBron-James-dribble-dribble-dribble-shoot pattern. It elicits what one might call the "Ilgauskas chant": Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z. . . .

A frequent topic of radio talk shows and Internet message boards has been the need for Brown to hire an offensive guru to bring the Cavs into the 21st Century. He's resisted the idea, apparently operating under the belief that he and his current assistants can oversee an offense that will win championships.

My 13-year-old son knows that isn't true. Tens of thousands of frustrated Cavs fans do, too. And, as I've written here before, TNT's Charles Barkley told it like it is when, during the playoffs, he called the Cavs' system a "crappy offense."

The Bulls have been on the verge of being a contender for the past two seasons. With Harris and Bickerstaff (both with 13 years' experience as NBA head coaches) now on board to help Del Negro, this could be the year things get serious again in the Windy City. Brown would do well to take a page from Vinny's book and bring in an expert who could help the Cavaliers take full advantage of LeBron's talents and install an offense that will be both entertaining and productive.

Cavs Load Up on 'Bigs' - Possible Trade Bait?

2008-06-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so it’s J.J. Hickson.

Message boards and talk radio shows are loaded with folks crying “foul” over Danny Ferry’s decision to select the power forward out of North Carolina State. Everybody needs to calm down. It’s one player, and, no matter who the Cavs selected with the 19th pick, they weren’t going to get someone who would instantly elevate the team to championship caliber.

There’s still work to be done. Seeing a scorer like a Michael Redd in a Cleveland uniform next season would be cause for excitement. But don’t give up hope, Cavs fans. A couple of moves that Ferry made later in the night may yet pay dividends. He sent a 2009 second round pick to Miami for the draft rights to Kansas forward Darnell Jackson, and then purchased the rights to Kansas center Sasha Kaun from Seattle. Both were second round picks.

Jackson is intriguing. He’s 6-8, 250, and averaged 11 points and almost seven rebounds a game (tops on the team) for the NCAA champion Jayhawks. More important, he put up those numbers on the national stage, and was part of the pressure-cooker that is the NCAA tournament, all the way through the Final Four and the title game.

Kaun (6-11, 250) averaged seven points and four rebounds as a reserve center. He’s apparently headed to Moscow to play, but could develop into a long-term project. Or, he could be trade bait. So could Jackson. So could Hickson.

Assuming Hickson stays with the Cavs, however, he’ll be expected to be a solid "rotational" player, as Ferry put it. And that may be why Cleveland passed on selecting GlenOak and Ohio State product Kosta Koufos, who later went to the Utah Jazz. Rather than have Koufos intern behind Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a few years, Ferry apparently felt a player like Hickson could establish himself in the rotation and make a contribution right away. Hickson led the Wolfpack in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and blocked shots (1.5) as a freshman, so I’m not sure what more fans would ask him to do at age 19. He's an athletic player with basketball skills and strength who the Cavs had rated very highly.

Regardless of who was drafted, it’s not likely that Ferry’s offseason activities are finished.

If You're Gonna Wear Throwbacks, Wear the Right Ones

2008-06-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

While we learned the stunning news of Tiger Wood's physical condition requiring him to have more surgery and sit out the remainder of the season after winning the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff. . .and that Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner will have to sit out even longer than expected. . .and that the Indians dropping another game leaves them 7-1/2 games out (and closer to last place than first). . .we turn our attention to one of the really crucial aspects of sports: throwback uniforms.

Recently when the Indians and Padres donned their oldies during their weekend series, they matched 1978 garb. Well, the Tribe simply couldn't compare to the Pads on that score. Cleveland trotted out in their very ordinary solid blues with boring block letters, while San Diego got jazzed up again in those old yellow and brown combinations. Nasty, those Padres jerseys, but memorable. I was living in the L.A. area in those days, and when Steve Garvey left the Dodgers for the Padres, he never looked quite right in that taco combination.

I know the Indians have worn them before, but if you're going to pull out something that recalls the '70s, there's nothing like the '75 attire. The stylized lettering, the blue and red versions, and, of course, the all-red uniforms worn, memorably, on opening day when Frank Robinson hit a home run in his first at bat as player-manager, were unlike anything else worn in team history. Boog Powell said the all-red version made him look like "a giant tomato." Not a bad assessment. But hey, it was the '70s. They weren't alone in their garishness, however. The Oakland A's were best known for the trend with their all-yellow and all-green combinations in 1971 (actually adapted from the franchise's uniforms in 1963, when they were located in Kansas City). The A's were joined in '71 by the Baltimore Orioles' bizarre all-orange outfits. And the Pittsburgh Pirates donned all-yellows and all-blacks in the late '70s.

The Chicago White Sox, not to be outdone, had all-blacks among their many combinations in the late '70s and early '80s, which, memorably, featured shirt collars and, for one game in August 1976, shorts (left). It was the ultimate sandlot softball look, which is pretty much what all the multi-colored major league uniforms recalled during that era. And let's not forget the baby blue road uniforms favored in those days by the likes of the Phillies, the Rangers, the Royals and, yes, the White Sox. What a time.

Still a topic of hot debate, however, is the multi-colored jersey worn by the Houston Astros for 12 seasons, from 1975 through 1986. They're symbolic of that entire era, and were certainly unique among all the brazen color combinations sported by MLB teams in the '70s and '80s. Personally, I was never bothered by them, and I lived in Texas during part of that stretch and was subjected to images of the Astros in those uniforms perhaps more than most people. But a lot of people hated them, and they eventually disappeared.

I've never been much of a Yankees fan, but they still wear the most distinctive uniforms in baseball. The Dodgers are right there with them, of course. And, I have to acknowledge the Tribe for their return to the classic Indians script jerseys in 1994, when they moved to Jacobs Field and began their resurgence as a championship franchise.

Want a fun way to waste some time? Check out the "Dressed to the Nines" section of the Baseball Hall of Fame Web site. You can view renderings of every uniform ever worn by any team. Some cool ones, and some terrible ones. But an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

Grady Being Grady, and Tiger Being. . .Well, You Know

2008-06-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

One of the mysteries of the first two months of the baseball season was the inability of Grady Sizemore to get things rolling. The Indians' centerfielder is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the majors, and, with a batting average hovering around .250, he was performing at a level far below expectations.

That's changed of late, and, with it, so have the Tribe's offensive fortunes. He's not alone in picking things up, of course. Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake have shown important signs of life as well, to go along with the solid hitting of Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo.

But as Grady goes, so goes the Tribe, and his hot streak continues of late, just as -- no coincidence here -- the Indians have won two consecutive series. His batting average has gradually climbed to .266, and his 17 home runs (five in his last five games) rank second in the American League.

Baby steps, to be sure, but Sizemore must continue to sizzle if the Indians are to climb back into contention in the A.L. Central.

Playoff classic

When we last wrote about the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods had just climbed back into contention after a remarkable finish to Saturday's third round. It's no surprise that he sank a putt to tie Rocco Mediate and force an 18-hole playoff, and no surprise that he won that playoff to claim his 14th major victory.

But what a great story. Mediate was Everyman for a day, if not for a weekend, and twice almost pulled out the victory -- once on Sunday, and again on Monday. His engaging demeanor and the way he handled the spotlight with such optimism and grace made the golf world fall in love with him, and, truth be told, root for him to win the first major of his career. Mediate has 15 PGA Tour victories, so he's no slouch, but he's also 45, and only the Nicklauses of the world won majors that late in their career. Well, maybe until Tiger is that age.

Mediate battled Woods tooth-and-nail throughout the day and actually led the playoff by one stroke heading to the 18th hole. But he drove his tee shot into a bunker and opened the door for Woods to tie it up, which, of course, he did. No one handles the pressure of the big stage better than Tiger Woods. One extra hole was all that was needed for him to wrap up his 65th career win, which, oh by the way, moved him past Ben Hogan for third place on the all time list, eight behind Jack Nicklaus and 17 behind Sam Snead.

An honor for C.C.

Amidst all the contract talk -- will the Indians trade him or keep him? -- C.C. Sabathia was honored as the A.L.'s Player of the Week Monday, after winning a 1-0 complete game victory over Minnesota last Wednesday and outdeuling Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He issued only one walk in 17 innings in the two games, while fanning 15 to pass Charles Nagy on the team's all-time strikeout list. Sabathia leads the A.L. with 97 strikeouts in 99-1/3 innings pitched (also a league best).

Unparalleled Excellence

2008-06-15T09:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday's amazing finish by Tiger Woods to Round 3 of the U.S. Open was stuff of legend, yes, but in some ways not surprising, because it's the kind of thing we've come to expect from this giant of sport. Certainly in my lifetime no athlete has risen to transcend his sport over such a prolonged period of time as has Tiger, and Saturday's superhuman display just added to his legacy.

First came a ridiculous 70-foot eagle putt on the 13th hole to put Woods back in the running. Four holes later he one-hopped a chip on 17 for a birdie, and then he drained a 30-foot eagle putt on 18 to give him the outright lead heading into today's final round. Who does this stuff? Only Tiger, year after year after year. Michael Jordan certainly set the bar high during his playing days, but even basketball players have to admit they're only as great, ultimately, as the teams they play on. Golf is an individual sport, and the mental grind can be overwhelming. To witness what Tiger does, and the way he rises to the occasion on the sport's biggest stages, is simply breathtaking.

That he pulled off Saturday's tour-de-force on a bum knee that buckled on him on the 15th tee and caused him to wince in pain and use his driver as a cane was even more surreal.

"The stuff he does, it's unreal," said Rocco Mediate, who watched his once-comfortable lead over Woods evaporate from the group right behind Tiger's. "It's just the most amazing display of athletic, mental power that there is, that there ever was."

Maybe Tiger will win the Open today, maybe he won't. It matters to him, of course, but it doesn't matter to us. There are dozens of phenomenal athletes in sports today, and there have been thousands over the years, but Tiger is the best, plain and simple, and the most dominant in a particular field that sports has ever seen.

Witnessing LeBron James is cool, but to witness Tiger Woods is to witness history.

Charlie Jones

Last weekend the sports world lost one legendary broadcaster -- Jim McKay -- and later in the week it lost another. Charlie Jones, long-time announcer of the American Football League and countless other major assignments on ABC and NBC, died Thursday night in his home in La Jolla, Calif.

Jones' first major assignment was covering the AFL for ABC in 1960, and he followed the league to NBC in 1965. Like McKay, he contributed to ABC's "Wide World of Sports" and later did similar assignments for NBC's "Sports World." His resume also included the Olympics, the World Cup, and more than 25 college football bowl games.

Jones, like many of his era, had a distinctive, one-of-a-kind voice that became synonymous with major sporting events. Like McKay's, his was a comfortable, reassuring delivery that transcended the events he covered. And, like McKay, he exuded joy in his on-air style, making the broadcasts he anchored even more enjoyable to watch.

The Big Hurt of 2008

2008-06-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

Along with the news Thursday of Victor Martinez heading to the disabled list came the double-whammy item of Josh Barfield, he of the Monday call-up from Buffalo, heading to the DL as well. Barfield sprained the middle finger on his left hand trying to check his swing Wednesday. Poor guy couldn’t even last a week in his latest audition as the Tribe’s second baseman. So Jamey Carroll (left) takes over, and the honest truth is he’s been as dependable as anyone else in the infield. Carroll had four hits in Thursday’s drubbing of the Twins and was 8-for-9 in the three-game set to raise his season average to .273. Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal recently wrote a nice article about Carroll that’s worth a read.

Martinez’s faulty elbow came as news this week, although he’s apparently been plagued by it much of the year. Why he and the team weren’t more forthcoming about the problem earlier in the season is anybody’s guess. Has it affected his hitting? “Just look at the numbers and you’ll see,” he said Thursday. Trainer Lennie Soloff said Martinez has been playing in pain and didn’t want to come out of the lineup. Nobody does, but doesn’t there come a time when you have to pull a guy for his own good?

The Beacon Journal’s Sheldon Ocker quoted manager Eric Wedge in today’s edition as saying that “whether you shut a guy down depends on whether he is better than the alternative.” Wouldn’t the player’s overall health and well-being be more of a factor? One presumes Wedge considers that a given, but, the way the team kept sending the likes of Martinez and Travis Hafner onto the field with injuries this season, one also wonders.

Meanwhile, it comes to this: Called up from Buffalo to replace Martinez and Barfield were -- wait for it -- catcher Yamid Haad and infielder Jorge Velandia. Haad was hitting .159 with the Bisons, although he did hit .301 in 35 games last year. He’d previously been to the majors with San Francisco. Velandia, shown here wearing a Pirates hat when he was in their minor league system in 2005, was signed last month after being released by Toronto and was hitting .235 in 16 games at Buffalo. He’s also suited up for San Diego, the Mets, Oakland and Tampa Bay in his career. (Question: Should the fact that Asdrubal Cabrera was left in Buffalo be interpreted as a statement by Tribe brass about this season?)

POLITENESS AWARD: Referring Thursday to the absence of Hafner and Martinez, Ben Francisco said, “We have to be tough with our two biggest hitters out of the lineup.” It was a nice thing to say, considering Francisco has actually been the biggest hitter in the lineup.

ENCOURAGING NEWS: Grady Sizemore has been swinging a hot bat of late. He’s batted .342 (13-for-38) with three homers and six RBI during a nine-game hitting streak. . .Jake Westbrook had Tommy John surgery Thursday in Los Angeles to repair his right elbow. See you in 2010, Jake. . .Fausto Carmona is expected to make a rehab start next week. . .Aaron Laffey picked up his fourth win last night in the 12-2 shellacking of Minnesota. His ERA is 2.83. If Jeremy Sowers can make a strong showing tonight in the series opener against San Diego, perhaps the pitching will hold things together yet this season. . .Still, you have to wonder how long C.C. Sabathia will be in a Tribe uniform. Despite three straight losses by the White Sox, the Indians are 6-1/2 games out, and the spate of injuries doesn’t bode well for the stretch run. As Tribe fans learned with Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, there’s no hometown discount when it comes to star players and contract negotiations. If the Indians can get value for Sabathia as they look to 2009, you couldn’t blame Mark Shapiro for pulling the trigger on a deal that brings some solid prospects or experienced big leaguers to get things back on track.

Random Notes

2008-06-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

The LeCharles Bentley era in Cleveland ended before it started. A mysterious tour with the Browns came to an abrupt halt Wednesday when he asked for, and was granted, his release. Go figure on this one. Bentley didn't say much, and neither did the Browns. What was said was rather cryptic, on the part of all parties. GM Phil Savage called it "a chapter that finally comes to an end," said the team had "some closure" and acknowledged that it "just didn't work out." Asked by the Plain Dealer's Marla Ridenour if he had requested his release, Bentley replied, "Why would I do that?" OK, we get it, everybody's saying the right things. But this had to be one of the weirdest odysseys in Browns history. Well, it's over. Good luck to Bentley, and Go Browns. . . .

2008 has gradually shaped up to be a season that Victor Martinez would rather forget. A .278 batting average, with no homers and 21 RBIs? Hardly Martinez-like numbers. He strained a hamstring on Opening Day, and it's clear he's never been 100 percent since. Now he's scheduled to have an MRI on a right elbow inflammation that forced him out of Wednesday's loss to Minnesota. It flared up after an awkward swing in the first inning. Manager Eric Wedge later revealed that the elbow has been an issue for Martinez for a while. The question now is whether the combination of the hamstring and the elbow might land Martinez on the disabled list. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, a tip of the cap to Aaron Laffey. The young lefthander moved into the starting rotation when Jake Westbrook was lost to injury. Laffey was honored as the AL Rookie Pitcher of the Month for May, when he was 3-2 with a 0.79 ERA. Opponents hit just .220 against him over 34 innings during the month. Overall he's now 3-3 with a 2.98 ERA, and has most likely cemented his stay in Cleveland. . . .

Apparently Stark County's Kosta Koufos made a wise decision when he chose to leave Ohio State for the NBA after just one season. Word is his stock continues to rise and that he's looked good in personal workouts for NBA teams. Winning the MVP while helping lead Ohio State to the 2008 NIT Championship was a stroke of timing genius. Todd Porter of the Canton Repository recently wrote that NBA teams are focusing on wingspan more than height when it comes to big men in the draft. In other words, the fact that Koufos is a shade over seven feet tall is one thing; but the fact that his wingspan is almost 7'6" is more significant. Koufos has excellent skills for a post player, including his ball handling and his outside shooting ability. A number of mock drafts have Koufos going in the first round -- in at least one of those, to Cleveland. He'd be an intriguing pickup for the Cavaliers, who will need to groom a replacement for Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the next couple of years. If he falls to them in the draft, it could be another gift from the basketball gods for the franchise. . . .

An interesting side note to the NBA Finals is the presence of Ira Newble on the Lakers' roster. The former Cavalier, traded to Seattle in the deal that brought Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland, later signed with the Lakers and is enjoying a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. He's mostly a practice player and has logged a grand total of one minute in the postseason for L.A., but he's admittedly got the best seat in the house for the grand stage, and, if nothing else, he can boast of playing with the two best players in the league -- LeBron James and Kobe Bryant -- over the last two seasons. And Newble isn't alone as a former Cavalier enjoying the ride -- Chris Mihm is still with the Lakers, also in a benchwarming role. The two were teammates in Cleveland during the 2003-04 season.

Who'da thunk it? Barfield Back, Cabrera Gone

2008-06-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

The merry-go-round continued for the Indians Monday, as Josh Barfield returned to the fold from his exile in Buffalo. Although hitting only .255 as the Bisons' leadoff hitter, Barfield will get the chance to win back the second base job that eluded him after a disastrous start in '07. Back to Buffalo, meanwhile, goes Asdrubal Cabrera, he of the sparkling glove and, this year, the .184 bat. It's simply a reversal of roles from a year ago, when the two switched places in the other direction and Cabrera sparked a late-season surge by the Tribe, both in the field and at the plate.

One wonders, though, if the tandem won't be together in Cleveland someday -- Barfield at second, Cabrera at short. Both have a long way to go before that scenario even hits the radar screen, however. For now, Barfield joins Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo as former Bisons now trying to lift the Tribe offense.

Cliff Lee did just enough to get the win Monday night in Detroit, earning the Indians a split of their four game series with the Tigers. Lee pitched around a one-hour rain delay to get in the required five innings and run his A.L.-leading record to 10-1. His excellence continues, as evidenced by his 2.52 ERA.

That's two series splits in a row, to Texas and Detroit. That's better than the awful 3-12 mark the Tribe posted while losing five consecutive series in the three preceding weeks.

Griffey belts #600

It was about time -- that's all I could think. There was a time when I, and just about everyone else, expected Ken Griffey Jr., not Barry Bonds, to challenge Hank Aaron's lifetime home run record. Fate had other ideas, as an injury-plagued Griffey watched the enigmatic Bonds pass him by. Still, 600 is 600, something only five other players have done, and Griffey's arrival in the club is long overdue. He's a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, and one of the all-time greats, a member of the All-Century Team at age 29! By that time he had already amassed 398 home runs in 11 seasons with Seattle. Since then he's hit only 202 homers in nine years with Cincinnati. Who thought he would average only 22 home runs a season over that span? But it is what it is, as they say, and 600 home runs is certainly a cause for celebration, and a tip of the cap to one of the best ever.

The Triple Crown Remains as Elusive as Ever

2008-06-08T04:07:00.001-07:00

Big Brown was a big bust at the Belmont. The disappointment hung like a cloud over the track and, one sensed, over just about anyone viewing on television. From the start, he was in an awkward position, as Da' Tara jumped in front and moved to the rail. At one point it appeared that Big Brown made contact with the leader and had to pull back a bit. A move to the outside around the first turn seemed to give Big Brown the position he would need to surge to the front, but the surge never came. As the crowed roared in the hope that the colt would put on a burst of speed around the far turn, Big Brown instead began to fade. Jockey Kent Desormeaux eased up and guided him home at the back of the pack, knowing the "foregone conclusion" of a victory -- so arrogantly proclaimed by trainer Rick Dutrow -- was not to be.

As much as anything, the result confirmed the greatness of the 11 previous Triple Crown winners, along with the realization of how difficult a feat it is to pull off racing's hallowed trifecta. In the 1970s we were spoiled, first by the incomparable Secretariat, then by Seattle Slew and Affirmed. Three Triple Crown winners in one decade. . .and none in the 30 years since. The schedule -- three races in six weeks -- along with the varying distances and track conditions make it a grueling test. And seeing Big Brown simply run out of gas was a testament to how truly great Secretariat was. Just recalling Chic Anderson's famous call of Secretariat's blowout victory at the '73 Belmont ("He is moving like a tremendous machine!") elicits chills. (Watch it here -- it's simply amazing.)

But Big Brown wasn't up to the task, joining the ranks of recent predecessors like Funny Cide and Smarty Jones. Da' Tara won for only the second time in eight starts, a 38-1 long shot stealing the show on a day when racing fans longed for a coronation. Casino Drive, considered earlier in the week to be Brown's biggest threat, was scratched because of a bruise on his left hind foot. Once that news became known, people were expecting to witness history. But it wasn't to be.

It's disappointing, in one way. But folks in the racing game weren't crying. While expressing admiration for Big Brown, few sympathized with Dutrow or his employers, International Equine Acquisitions Holdings. To find out why, read Peter Thomas Fornatale's op-ed piece in Saturday's New York Times.

Are the Indians still playing?

Well, sure. It's just hard to get excited about them, that's all.

One day, they pummel an opponent. The next, they lose. Then they win. Then they lose. And so on. And so on. And so on.

Yesterday they couldn't hold on in a tight game at Detroit. Rafael Betancourt (left), who has been as terrible this year as he was amazing last, erased all doubt by surrendering a late grand slam in an 8-4 loss. Well, thanks, Rafael. The suspense was killing me, anyway.

Step back for a moment and it's easy to see that this season ain't exactly on cruise control. The Tribe's number one starter is 3-8, their number two starter in on the disabled list, and their number three starter, Jake Westbrook, is now out for the season. Their number three hitter, who hasn't exactly been hitting, is on the DL, and their number four hitter has no home runs. Their middle infielders can't decide who's going to hit worse, so their utility man is seemingly always in the lineup.

It's a long season, and nobody's showing signs of running away in the A.L. Central, so the Indians aren't out of it. But it's June, and the team is still stumbling along. Note what Boston did in their recent series with Tampa Bay. They reconfirmed their status as champions and sent the Rays packing with their stingers between their legs. There appear to be no such playground bullies in the Central Division.

Jim McKay

There's little I can add to the volumes of praise that flowed from the sports world and the nation after word came of the death of legendary sportscaster Jim McKay, who died Saturday at the age of 86. He was, quite simply, one of the voices of a generation of sports fans who were drawn to their TV sets in the era of three networks and little else, and he was the defining voice of ABC Sports. Seeing clips of his work being played this weekend, and hearing the sound of his voice, took me, and millions of other fans, back to a simpler time, before the din of noise that is 24 hour televised sports. We eagerly anticipated the stories that McKay would deliver, regardless of the topic, and trusted his sure, steady demeanor. His groundbreaking work on "ABC's Wide World of Sports," and his understated, sobering reporting of the 1972 Olympic tragedies in Munich cemented his reputation as one of the greatest reporters of his time -- and all time. The voices of McKay and Chris Schenkel, his colleague at ABC, were comfortable and reassuring, week after week. They're both gone now, and, with them, our fond memories of a golden age in televised sports.

Could the Indians' Bats Be Coming Alive?

2008-06-05T04:41:00.001-07:00

The Indians exploded for 17 hits to outlast Texas, 15-9, in a wild one in Arlington Wednesday night. Manager Eric Wedge announced the other day that the Tribe's hitting slump was over, but that it wasn't obvious because the hits just weren't falling in, and the team wasn't winning. Well, they left no doubt last night.

Call it beginner's luck, call it the scouts not having had enough time to watch him, call it what you want, but Ben Francisco is on a tear. He was 5-for-6 Wednesday to raise his average to .343 on the season. Wherever the ball has been thrown, he's hit it, and usually hit it hard. Francisco has been a fixture in the lineup and will remain so as long as he's hitting. Amazing stat check: He already leads the Indians in doubles (13) despite having played in only half of the team's games.

Nice to see as well: Ryan Garko's 4-for-5, 6 RBI performance. He's bumped his average up to .260. Garko needs to continue his strong hitting for the Indians' offense to shift into high gear. And give David Dellucci credit. He had two more hits Wednesday, including his sixth home run, and he now has more RBIs this season (22) than Victor Martinez (20).

Speaking of RBIs, Casey Blake has managed to knock in 37 runs to lead the team, despite his low batting average. He's on a pace to drive in 100 runs, something he's never done in his career.

And what to make of Cliff Lee? The lefthander raised his season record to 9-1, while his ERA rose right with it, to 2.45. To be fair, Rangers Ballpark is a hitter's paradise, and Lee got knocked around for six runs before exiting after six, but still got the win. Over time, hitters adjust, too, so scouts are no doubt getting a line on Lee and forwarding it to their coaching staffs. It was nice to see Lee get the run support he needed Wednesday night after all the times he's bailed his teammates out this season. Here's hoping C.C. Sabathia gets the same tonight in the final game of the series.

Red Wings do it again...

A tip of the cap to the Detroit Red Wings, who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Wednesday night to capture their fourth Stanley Cup title in 11 seasons, and their first since 2002. They jumped out to an early lead and held off a furious Pittsburgh rally as time ran out.

But what a rally it was. Marion Hossa's power play goal with 1:27 remaining pulled the Penguins within one. Pittsburgh had already pulled Game 5 hero Marc-Andre Fleury from the net to create a 6-4 skating advantage, and they put on one last, furious attack to try to tie the game up as the seconds ticked away. Sidney Crosby's last second backhand attempt was deflected wide by Detroit goalie Chris Osgood, and Hossa's desperation attempt to tip it in trickled harmlessly across the crease as the horn sounded.

It was great theater, and a fitting end to a hard-fought, well-played series. The Penguins are young and likely to compete for the crown again next year. In the meantime, congratulations to the Red Wings, winners of the Stanley Cup for the eleventh time in franchise history.

Hockey's Appeal On Display Monday Night

2008-06-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

"Don't know much about his-to-ry, don't know much bi-ol-o-gy..."

And -- I'll admit it -- hockey, either.

Let's face it, I can't go around claiming to be a hockey guy. I never played the sport, except for the old Bobby Hull tabletop version, with all the steel rods and plastic guys and the overhead scoreboard/puck drop feature. I can't even stand up on skates, much less swing a stick while doing it.

But even I know there are few things more exciting than the Stanley Cup Finals. Last night's epic game between Pittsburgh and Detroit provided ample evidence.

Petr Sykora's goal in the third overtime (left photo) gave the Penguins a dramatic 4-3 win to keep their hopes alive and send the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 Wednesday night. Third overtime! Almost 110 minutes of clock time. And none of it boring.

This after Pittsburgh’s Max Talbot punched in the tying goal with 34.3 seconds left in regulation. Detroit had taken a 3-2 lead in the third with two quick goals and looked poised to claim their fourth Stanley Cup title in 11 years before Talbot’s stunner extended the Penguin’s season for a few minutes -- and, as it turned out, for at least one more game.

Apart from all the remarkable, edge-of-your-seat action that took place between the nets, even a novice like me knows that Marc-Andre Fleury (right photo) played one of the most memorable games in goal in Stanley Cup history, stopping 55 of the 58 shots the Red Wings fired at him. “That was the game of his life,” said teammate Ryan Whitney. Good timing, that.

It occurred to me as I watched Game 5, and as I have watched the other games in this series, that hockey -- despite its status as the “fourth” of the major sports in the U.S. (note that I did not say “in North America”) -- is perhaps the one of those four that is the most true to its origins, the least spoiled by marketing and big money and pampered players.

Pro basketball is populated by better athletes than in generations past, no doubt. But players routinely travel. They foul at alarming rates. Few players are great outside shooters anymore. The college game is more interesting, and usually more exciting.

Baseball has been soiled by steroids. The strike zone is the size of a postage stamp. Pitchers are forced to serve up grapefruits for hitters to feast on. Banjo hitters and journeymen pitchers routinely earn millions.

Football is close to what it once was, but we seem to hear the antics of a Terrell Owens or a Pac-Man Jones more than anything else. And you never saw Johnny Unitas slide.

But you watch a hockey game, and you get the sense that it’s still very much the game that was played in years past. I realize that the NHL has discussed rule changes that would encourage more offense. But a check’s a check. A pass is a pass, a deflection’s a deflection, a save is a save. Face-offs are wonderfully chaotic and rough. Benches are separated by mere feet, and teams still line up to shake hands when it’s over.

Have any hockey players used steroids? Probably. Do they have run-ins with the law? I’m sure some do. Do stars get preferential treatment? I wouldn’t know it if I saw it, but my guess is, yes, they sometimes do.

But the beauty, speed and skill of the game remain constant. Like I said, I’m no expert, and I can’t promise that you’ll see a steady stream of hockey posts on this blog. But Monday’s game was one for the ages. And, for all the excitement of the moment, you could imagine Howe, Hull, Orr, Gretzky or Lemieux out there with the Penguins and the Red Wings (perhaps minus the helmets, in some cases), going toe to toe, loving every minute of it.

I may not be the hockey fan that some people are, but even I can appreciate the genuine nature of the game. And I’m definitely looking forward to Game 6 Wednesday night

Think This Year Is Bad? Check Out These Tribe 'Stars' of '67...

2008-06-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

The Indians lost 6-1 to Kansas City on Sunday. They dropped two of three to the Royals and tumbled to 25-31 on the season. ESPN's Jayson Stark recently wrote that since the introduction of the wild-card playoff system, only 13 of 104 teams that had losing records at the end of May went on to make the playoffs. Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer boldly opined today that if the Indians return home on June 10 more than six games out of first (they're five out as of this writing), they should look to the future and trade unsigned veterans like C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd. Not sure how popular that would be among the Tribe faithful, but I'm inclined to agree.

With such dire news coming out of the Tribe camp these days, I couldn't resist pulling out a few more items from yesteryear -- when dire news was the order of the day. These photos are from the 1967 Indians yearbook, which was actually a pocket folder with individual color photos of, presumably, the team's top players going into the season. On the backs of the photos were printed the career stats and a brief bio of the players. While there were some solid performers in the bunch, the collection that season was pretty much made up of nobodies and never-would-bes.

Of the nobodies, the name I remember best is that of Gus Gil. When I pitted the Tribe against opponents with my trusty baseball card game during '67, Gil was often penciled in at second base (that is, when I was giving the equally illustrious Vern Fuller a night off). He only lasted one season in Cleveland, thanks to a .115 batting average. He managed to hit .222 with the Seattle Pilots the next season before finishing up with two forgettable seasons with the franchise after they moved to Milwaukee. I love this from his bio: "One of the brightest infielders the Indians have ever acquired is this young second baseman who bears a strong resemblance to all-time Indian great, Bobby Avila." That's the best selling point they could come up with -- that he looked like somebody? Also mentioned: the fact that Gil was a draftsman during the off-season. Players up to and during that era typically held down off-season jobs to make ends meet.

Next up was another light-hitting infielder, Pedro Gonzalez. I guess he wasn't always a light hitter; Gonzalez did bat .277 in part-time duty for the 1964 New York Yankees, who won the A.L. pennant before losing the World Series to St. Louis. He was also a .300 hitter three times in the minors, peaking at .371 with Modesto in 1959. Gonzalez was traded to the Indians early in the '65 season and was out of baseball after the '67 campaign, bowing out with a .244 career average. The bio on the back of Gonzalez' photo described him as "a smiling, polite resident of the Dominican Republic." I wasn't aware that the country was otherwise populated by frowning, rude people, but I guess the Tribe's PR staff felt it was important to point that out. He is also referred to in the bio as "Speedy" Gonzalez. Nothing like trotting out a few stereotypes. This obviously wasn't the era of political correctness.

I have little recollection of Bob Allen, really. A check on Baseball-Reference.com reveals that he was a lefthanded reliever who had experienced modest success as a starter during seven minor league seasons, compiling a 57-46 record during that time. His major league totals in parts of five seasons were 7 wins, 12 losses and a 4.11 ERA. Like Gonzalez, Allen would be out of baseball after this 1967 season, when he was 0-5 despite a 2.98 ERA in 54 innings. In this day and age, a 2.98 ERA would earn a pitcher a lucrative contract, but this was 1967, after all. Of course, in those days players didn't necessarily leave the game because they couldn't cut it anymore. Many left for purely economic reasons, to start other careers while they were still young. That's hard to fathom today, when utility infielders like Jamey Carroll make a million bucks a year, but such was the case in that day and age. Six-figure salaries were rare, and the free agency boom was still several years away.

Equally undistinguished was the career of Steve Bailey, who pitched in 32 games for the Tribe in 1967 -- and one more in a lateseason stint in '68 -- never to see the majors again. He, too, had experienced modest success in the minors, winning 43 games over six seasons. "This high-kicking relief pitcher is a resident of Lorain, Ohio," says his bio, which goes on to document that he pitched his Lorain High School baseball team to the state title his senior year, during which he threw successive no-hitters at one point. Bailey won 2 games and lost 6, with a 3.88 ERA, during his brief time with the Tribe. Of course, this was the era of the pitcher -- Bob Gibson and Luis Tiant posted unthinkable ERAs of 1.12 and 1.68, respectively, in 1968. So ERAs around 4.00, like Bailey's and Bob Allen's, weren't considered to be as impressive as they would be in today's offense-oriented game.

Regardless of the less-than-illustrious stats of Tribe players of this era, they were still our heroes, from "Our Tribe," as Pluto dubbed the team in his 1999 book by that name. And they wore what I think are some of the coolest uniforms in team history. Don't ask me why, but I loved the vests, the abundance of red, and the Chief Wahoo emblem sewn on the front. It's probably the connection to my childhood that causes me to recollect them with such fondness, but the uniforms alone made the dog days of the 1960s bearable. After all, the '67 Indians finished in eighth place in the then 10-team, pre-division American League, 17 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Red Sox.

Farewell, EJ, Kenny and Sir Charles

2008-05-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, the end of the broadcast season on TNT. My basketball viewing will drop off significantly, Finals or no.

That's because, like most other people, I tune in TNT on game nights not for the games, necessarily, but for the pre- and postgame shows, and halftime. There's simply no other studio show on TV quite like that of the NBA on TNT.

Simply put, these guys are great: Ernie Johnson, the traffic cop of a host who knows when to enforce the rules and when to let his guys off with just a warning; Kenny Smith, the straight man who has mastered the art of getting in his observation before all hell breaks loose; and Charles Barkley, the most refreshing voice on television, period. Charles is at once someone to be taken seriously for his basketball knowledge, and a comic relief from all the staid and stuffy commentary that takes place on televised sports.

Spencer Hall wrote a great piece about the trio in the June 2 issue of The Sporting News. It captures perfectly the controlled chaos that is the TNT studio set, and provides more than a few laughs. That's because the things he writes are things we can identify with, things similar to what we've seen and heard while watching the show over the years. And it all revolves around Barkley -- as Hall points out in the last few paragraphs by offering a few of Charles' best lines. (Perhaps my favorite, a reference to the constant stream of promos for "The Closer," TNT's hit series: "If I see Kyra Sedgwyck one more time, my head's gonna explode.")

Kelly Dwyer alluded to the same magic in a 2005 article in Sports Illustrated. As Dwyer pointed out, the TNT show is just fun (unlike ESPN's, which he called "depressing"). No pretense, no maliciousness, just fun. And Barkley's blatant honesty, which has rubbed off on Smith. During this year's Cleveland-Boston series, Barkley complained loudly about the Cavaliers' "crappy offense" and Smith quickly, and enthusiastically, agreed.

The key to Barkley's appeal is his total transparency, his willingness to be honest with himself and with others. As Phil Taylor wrote in the June 3 issue of SI, "Part of the reason Barkley gets away with outrageous statements and acts...is because he doesn't deny, deflect or dissemble, like so many other sports figures do when caught in a sticky situation." It's that singular characteristic that makes Barkley so genuine, so believable, and so successful.

Some critics have lamented the guest appearances by Magic Johnson next to TNT's dynamic threesome over the years, but he's clearly grown as a TV commentator, primarily because the TNT format (and personalities) encourage him to simply be himself. He doesn't have to carry the show; he need only fit in. In fact, Magic now comes across as an elder statesman, and his simple insights add to the show's appeal.

I'll be checking in on the rest of the postseason, obviously. But I won't go out of my way to watch the studio shows, which pale in comparison to the lively banter and honest insights of the guys on TNT.

A Snapshot of What Ails the Tribe

2008-05-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Indians dropped another winnable game Wednesday, this one by a 6-5 score to the White Sox. Patrick McManamon wrote in today's Akron Beacon Journal that Eric Wedge was openly angry with his team after the game, as he should have been.

In addition to Wedge's frustration with reliever Rafael Betancourt -- something with which I have no firsthand knowledge but can't blame him for, either -- the skipper expressed disappointment, and rightfully so, with the final two at bats of the game, by Ben Francisco and Victor Martinez.

With one out in the ninth and runners at second and third, Francisco swung at the first pitch from Sox closer Bobby Jenks. The first pitch! Pop up, two outs.

Then Martinez, long the best hitter on the team, took a low and away pitch. On TV, Rick Manning mused that Jenks would waste another pitch and, if Martinez didn't bite, probably walk him to load the bases and create a force at any base.

He didn't have to. He wasted a pitch, alright -- high and outside, and Martinez bit. Pop fly to left, game over. You had to believe Manning's blood pressure rose a bit, watching that.

Let me issue a bit of a disclaimer here. I've coached sports at various levels for 30 years, most of it with kids. Yes, I've managed baseball teams. But I've never considered myself an expert at it. For that, I've attended seminars, and listened to those who have coached at levels far beyond mine. I also spent a couple of years broadcasting minor league baseball, and had the chance to talk about the game with coaches and players along the way.

One thing I've learned from it all, and tried to convey to teams I coached: When you've got a situation that's in your favor, be smart. Jenks was in trouble. Yes, he's good. But the Indians had the ideal situation. One out. Tying run on third. Winning run on second, in scoring position. Logic dictates that you work the count. Make Jenks throw strikes. Keep him on his heels. Wait for a mistake.

Instead, on three pitches, the game was over. No work. No sweat. No worries. Just, game over.

I was stunned, watching it. I'm sure Manning was stunned. The fans in the stands sure were. As Wedge himself put it, "They swung at pitches you're not going to be able to do anything with." And the Indians took that now customary long walk down the tunnel, while another opponent celebrated a win in a scene becoming all too familiar this season.

It needn't have been that way. But the Indians are shooting themselves in the foot with regularity. And it's mystifying.

I don't envy Wedge or Mark Shapiro right now. Who do you bench? Who do you send packing? What do you do to shake this team out of its lethargy before it's too late?

One is reminded of the two-bit carny hypnotist in "The Natural," who said, "Losing...is a disease."

He later added that it's "curable." For the Tribe's sake, let's hope so.

A Look at the Browns' Offseason Activities

2008-05-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

While Clevelanders wring their hands about what Danny Ferry should do next to improve the Cavs, or what Mark Shapiro should do now to improve the Indians, Browns GM Phil Savage has somehow been flying under the radar as he has quietly added some key players to a team with high expectations for next season.

Think about it: You know the Browns are better. But you also haven't been giving it much thought, preoccupied as we all are with the other teams in town. Well, don't look now, but Savage has taken the Browns' newfound status -- and 2008 schedule -- seriously with some shrewd moves.

Start with the most significant of all. Faced with the prospect of losing Derek Anderson and forcing Brady Quinn into the starting role prematurely, Savage preempted other suitors and locked up Anderson with a three-year deal. I wrote about it in my May 16 post. It's a solid move because Anderson responded so well when given the opportunity last season. Nobody expected the Browns to click like they did, and few honestly expected it to be with Anderson at the helm. I know I didn't. When someone steps up and performs the way Anderson did, they deserve the trust and confidence that comes with it. I remain curious about what Quinn will contribute when his time comes, and I suspect it could be very good. But I have a good feeling about Anderson, and am intrigued to see what 2008 will bring.

If signing Anderson was offseason move number 1, then signing Jamal Lewis to a new three-year deal was move 1a. What's not to like? Here's a guy who has rushed for more than 9,000 yards in seven seasons. He's never gained fewer than 900 yards in a season. Doesn't exactly make you long for William Green, does it? Lewis showed up, suited up, and plowed his way to more than 1,300 yards (fifth in the league) and nine touchdowns in his first season in a Browns uniform. Running behind a revamped offensive line, Lewis helped propel the Browns rushing attack to 118 yards a game, tenth in the league. Gone are the days of Browns fans lamenting the lack of a running game.

Suffice it to say that having Anderson and Lewis on board stabilizes an offense that got even stronger with the signing of Donte Stallworth. Here's a legitimate NFL receiver, a complement to Braylon Edwards' emergence as a true number one guy. Joe Jurevicius wanted a reduced role, as his body can no longer withstand the rigors of a starting position. Stallworth's still can, and he's a solid option as the number two wideout, with excellent speed. Opposing defenses will have to pay attention to him, which will open things up for Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Stallworth has his doubters, in part due to reports that he is in the NFL's substance abuse program. CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco has already labeled Stallworth as the Browns' most overrated player -- this without having played a snap in the orange and brown -- because of his "inconsistency." Well, 279 catches and 31 touchdowns over six seasons will fit into the Browns' offense very nicely, I think. And with Jurevicius still around -- not to mention Josh Cribbs -- the receiving corps is that much better.

Shoring up the offense, Savage added Rex Hadnot to an already formidable offensive line. He was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2004 and has missed only one game in his career, logging time at guard and center. And that's the key. His versatility enables Romeo Crennel to use him at multiple positions on the interior line. That's already become important, because Ryan Tucker went down early with a hip injury that threatens his availability for training camp this summer. The projected line during organized team activity practices this month included Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at left guard, Hank Fraley at center, Tucker at right guard and Kevin Shaffer at right tackle. The addition of Hadnot, and the offseason re-signings of Seth McKinney and Lennie Friedman, give the Browns veteran depth up front.

On the defensive side of the ball, trades in February and March brought defensive linemen Corey Williams from Green Bay and Shaun Rogers from Detroit. There's no question the duo will immediately upgrade the defensive line. Williams and Rogers had seven sacks apiece last season, and Rogers has recorded 29 sacks in his seven-year career. Williams will likely pair with Robaire Smith on the ends in the Browns 3-4 scheme, while Rogers will share time with Shaun Smith at the nose tackle position. Crennel has said, however, that Rogers may also see time at defensive end.

Continuing to focus on the defense, Savage quickly tried to offset the loss of cornerback Daven Holly to a season-ending injury by signing veteran Terry Cousin to a two-year deal. Cousin has appeared in 156 games, with 68 starts, in 11 NFL seasons. He'll likely backup Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald and see time in the Browns' nickel packages. Cousin's experience includes a Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance with Carolina, one of six teams he played for before signing with Cleveland.

As for the draft, Savage claimed linebacker Beau Bell from UNLV and tight end Martin Rucker from Missouri with his remaining top picks, both fourth-rounders. Bell had 320 tackles during a four-year career at Las Vegas and earned 2007 Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference. He's known as a hard hitter, something the Browns felt was lacking on defense last season. Rucker's numbers improved each year at Missouri, capping off with an All-American season that included 84 catches, 834 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year. He caught 203 passes during his four years with the Tigers.

In all, it's been a productive offseason for the Browns, one that was needed considering the schedule they'll be facing in the fall. Non-division foes include: the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, plus Dallas, Washington, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Tennessee, all of whom finished above .500 last year; Philadelphia, who was 8-8; and Denver and Buffalo, both of whom were 7-9. The Browns were 10-6 a season ago, and the road to that record or better won't be as easy this season. But the new additions to the roster give them a much better chance to enter the ranks of the NFL's elite in 2008.

A Memorable Weekend of Youth Baseball -- and One Organization Doing Something for the African-American Community

2008-05-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of simple observations today, after the Indians' fate was sealed Monday night against the White Sox when they couldn't hold a 3-1 lead in the seventh. (Did you really think they would score any more runs? Were you at all surprised that it was Chicago that pulled it out in the twelfth inning?)

A proud dad, and delighted fan

Over the weekend our youngest son played in a 13-and-under baseball tournament in Alliance. He plays for the traveling team from North Canton. Their most formidable opponent was a big team from Pittsburgh, and, sure enough, the Pittsburgh team outlasted them, 9-8, when they met in pool play.

The two teams met again in the championship game on Sunday. My son was asked to start on the mound, and he put together five solid innings that would make any dad proud. He had done well growing up in Little League, but this is different. The field is bigger, the pitching distance is further, and he hasn't really had his growth spurt yet. So when he was able to hold the strong-hitting Pittsburgh team at bay, it was no small feat, and our guys took a 7-4 lead into the sixth inning.

As they'd done the previous day, Pittsburgh came back to tie it in the bottom of the seventh. And they had a workhorse of a kid on the mound in relief who was throwing heat and looked like he'd be tough to get a hit off of, let alone score against. But in the tenth inning he allowed a couple of walks, then a wild pitch, and after a throwing error and a double by one of our guys, we ended up winning, 10-7. The picture that accompanies this was taken after they won the title game.

Obviously, winning beats the alternative, but I was struck mostly by how talented these two teams were, and by how they played each other down to the wire on consecutive days. Mind you, they're 13 year old kids. But they made plays, got key hits, and kept battling. It was entertaining -- and an enjoyable way to spend a holiday weekend.

I was also reminded of something else. Given the choice of watching millionaires play baseball in the majors, or these kids play on sandlots everywhere like the ones this weekend in Alliance, I'd take the kids any day. There was drama, all-out effort, courage, grit (more than one kid played despite bumps and bruises sustained during the weekend) and good sportsmanship.

That's not to say I don't enjoy the Indians and major league baseball in general. Of course I do. But this was just as entertaining, and just as hotly contested. There's nothing quite like watching people -- kids or otherwise -- playing for the love of the game.

African-Americans and baseball...

Much has been said and written in recent years about the declining number of African-Americans in professional baseball. One of the chief causes is the lack of emphasis on the game in urban areas, where kids typically play basketball, if anything. Programs have been launched in urban communities across America to try to rekindle interest in baseball.

That's why I was impressed over the weekend to again see a couple of teams from Canton in the annual Memorial Day Tournament sponsored by the North Canton Little League. The Canton teams were from the Mitey Mite program, which is operated by the J. Babe Stearn Community Center.

Babe Stearn was a legendary figure and former sheriff in Stark County. More than 50 years ago, Stearn launched the Mitey Mite baseball association in Canton, and over the years it has afforded thousands of kids the chance to learn and play the game. It's similar in many ways to Little League, but a separate entity. The picture featured here is from a Mitey Mite game in the 1960s.

Following my son's final tournament game in Alliance on Sunday, we made it back home in time to see the championship game of the tourney at the North Canton Little League complex. The game paired the North Canton Indians and the Mitey Mite Rangers. It was interesting to observe that the Rangers' roster was made up entirely of African-American players and coaches. Anyone who says that more programs are needed to sustain interest in baseball among African-American children need only to come to Canton to witness the fine work being done by the J. Babe Stearn Community Center and Mitey Mite baseball. Obviously, not all players in the program are African-American, but a large percentage are.

The Rangers fell behind early and, despite a late rally, lost in the championship game, 7-3. But they were competitive, well-coached, and enthusiastic about the game. It was great to see. Congratulations to the Rangers and to all those who are working to rekindle enthusiasm for baseball among the children in Canton, particularly in the African-American community.

The Grandstand Managers Association

2008-05-23T12:38:00.001-07:00

Check out my official Grandstand Managers Association membership card for 1973. I still have one from '72, and I'm sure I had them in the years before that. The Grandstand Managers idea was the brainchild of the late Hal Lebovitz, the legendary columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The name was borrowed, I believe, from a famous promotion by Bill Veeck when he owned the St. Louis Browns in the 1950s. All you had to do was send in a coupon that appeared in the PD, and you received your membership card and a general admission ticket for an Indians' game. Hey, tickets were expensive back then -- a whopping $2 for a general admission seat! But we loved it.

This was in old Cleveland Stadium, of course -- the home of the Tribe until they moved to Jacobs Field in 1994. What a cavernous place to watch a ball game. But it was the only stadium most of us knew back in those days -- certainly was for me. It's the only place I saw a major league game until I lived in Southern California in the late '70s and early '80s and took in games at Dodger Stadium and Anaheim Stadium.

I also came across a scorecard from an Indians doubleheader on July 12, 1970. They lost both games to the Red Sox, 6-2 and 8-2. Vada Pinson had a big day for the Tribe, going 2-for-5 in the first game and 3-for-5 in the second. But there wasn't much else to shout about. Tony Horton homered for Cleveland in game one, and Ted Uhlaender followed suit in the nightcap. Carl Yaztrzemski had a hit in each game for Boston.

More significant, to me, were my notes for game two. Remember, I was 13 at the time: "In the first inning Lasher hit Tony C. Yaz went to 2nd. Tony C. charged Lasher, exchanged punches. Both benches emptied. Tempers flared, Tony C. ejected, replaced by Fiore who went to 1st. Yaz to left field, Billy C. to right."

"Tempers flared?" Who did I think I was, Red Smith?

Of course, "Tony C." was Tony Conigliaro, who had an understandably short fuse when it came to beanballs, having been seriously injured when he was struck in the eye by a pitch from the Angels' Jack Hamilton in 1967. Conigliaro, a rising star at the time of that beaning, never achieved the level of stardom that was originally expected of him. So when Fred Lasher nailed him, out to the mound he went.

By the way -- "Billy C." was, of course, Billy Conigliaro, Tony's brother.

And now for some lighthearted fun -- some selected concession prices as listed in that program:

Beer .50
Soft Drink .25
Coffee .20
Peanuts .25
Popcorn .25
Pizza Slice .30
Hot Dogs .40
Hamburger .50

And so on. This was also a time when you could buy cigarettes in the stadium for 60 cents, and a cigar for 15 cents. Smoking was, of course, permitted everywhere.

Reading those prices confirmed one thing: If the Indians ever have a "turn back the clock to 1970" night at Progressive Field, with prices to match, I'm there.

Another Injury - and Memories of the Most Legendary Brown of All

2008-05-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

The injury bug bit the Browns in a big way again on Tuesday, when cornerback Daven Holly blew out a knee during a practice at the team's facilities in Berea. Holly was expected to battle for one of the starting cornerback positions this season, but instead will apparently be lost for the year. Reports released Wednesday said Holly jumped for a ball during practice and came down awkwardly on the knee. His injury was the second serious setback for a Browns player in the past week. Right guard Ryan Tucker suffered a hip injury May 14 and had to undergo surgery. He'll miss most, if not all, of training camp, but is expected back in time for the season.

Remembering the glory days...

My brother suggested I post scans and photos from days gone by. There was a time when our dad had a couple of programs from Browns games in their pre-NFL days of the 1940s, when they were the dominant team (and only champion) in the four-season existence of the All-America Football Conference. Those programs may still be around, but we haven't come across them in several years. Maybe in a box somewhere.

Meanwhile, I went back to our old baseball/football card collections to pull out a few gems from the 1960s. The photo on the left is of the 1962 Jim Brown card from Post Cereal, one of an ongoing series issued on the backs of cereal boxes. That was a great idea for the time. We'd buy the cereal just to get the cards. Post did it for several years with baseball, but only 1962 for football. We didn't anticipate at the time that cards like this would ever be worth anything more than the stock they were printed on, so we cut them out with scissors and collected them, nothing more. The ones I still have are all cut unevenly and have rounded corners. Who knew? And who cared? It was Jim Brown, for crying out loud, and that's all that mattered. Look at him. Still the prototype for the NFL running back. 12,000+ yards in nine seasons. Everybody else takes a back seat. (Yes, you can see a cleaner image at the Vintage Football Card Gallery, but their cards obviously weren't mangled and worn with love like ours were. That's just boring.)

These next two cards are cool for different reasons. First is JB's 1964 Philadelphia card, part of a series that featured a hilarious set of player shots from the Browns. For whatever reason, unlike the other teams who appear to have had their shots taken at training camps per usual, the Browns players all had their card photos taken outside next to a parking lot. I'm guessing this might have been outside of Cleveland Stadium, or maybe at their training facility. But that Cadillac convertible (I think that's what it is) behind Brown is in the photo on every card of a Browns player I have from that season. (There's one of linebacker Galen Fiss that just cracks me up. Maybe I'll post it another time.) At any rate, the same season that this card was released, the Browns won the last major professional sports championship by any team from Cleveland, defeating the Colts in the 1964 title game, 27-0. I love Brown in this photo. Where the photographer tried to get guys to use typical football poses (like the one in the card above), you can tell Brown just thought, "Are you kidding? This is a sidewalk, with a car behind me! Just take the stupid photo," and crouched down.

Finally, there's the Jim Brown card from the season that never was. This is his 1966 card, and he never played in the 1966 season. The previous year, he ran for 1,544 yards and 17 TDs and averaged 5.3 yards a carry, leading the league (again) and just missing out on a second straight NFL title (the Browns were toppled by the Green Bay Packers). During the offseason Brown, an aspiring actor at the time, was in London shooting "The Dirty Dozen." The story goes that Brown intended to play at least one more season, although he admittedly had an eye on an acting career. However, when it appeared that the movie's schedule would overlap the start of Browns training camp, owner Art Modell proclaimed that Brown would be fined for every day of training camp that he missed. Bad idea. Never one to have things dictated to him, Brown simply retired, stunning the sports world. He had dominated the NFL for nearly a decade, but he walked away, and that was it. I remember feeling heartbroken at the time. Now, I can't imagine anything cooler. As Brown himself said, the way he went out was preferable to the way so many aging athletes do, "sitting on a bench, limping around, invoking sympathy."

Amazing, what memories a few old cards can invoke. Maybe over time I'll pull out a few other treasures to share.

Hole-y Bats, Batman!

2008-05-21T09:20:00.001-07:00

Somebody at CBS Sportsline has been having some fun with the Indians.

In the site's article about last night's 4-1 loss to Chicago, they named Grady Sizemore as Cleveland's "Player of the Game." Sizemore went 0-for-4, but apparently earned the designation by driving in the Tribe's only run. Pretty meager stats, but what's an editor to do these days? The Indians' bats are as silent as a Charlie Chaplin film.

And so it goes in this strange odyssey that is the 2008 season.

Last night it was four hits, one run, and yet another wasted outing by a Cleveland starter. Once again it was C.C. Sabathia, who surrendered only two runs -- both on solo home runs -- in seven innings while striking out eight. The score looked worse because Jensen Lewis blew up in two innings of relief.

The problem with writing a column like this, during seasons like this, is that there's little to say that readers don't already know. Pitching's great. Defense is OK. Hitting stinks. Next?

However, some ominous signs are developing. Jhonny Peralta's on-again, off-again career is apparently in an off-again season. He went .292 with 24 home runs and 78 RBIs in 2005, dropped .257-13-68 in '06, rebounded to .270-21-72 last year, and so far is stumbling along at .225-8-15.

But hey, he should be really good next year.

Travis Hafner has been struggling for so long that it might be time to face facts. Either something's wrong, or he just can't hit like he used to. That's rather hard to fathom after the numbers he put up from 2004 to 2006, when he averaged 34 homers and 111 RBIs while batting over .300 each season. Given that track record, Eric Wedge has to wait for him to try to work out of it -- but how long can Wedge afford to wait?

Peralta and Hafner are symbolic of what ails the entire lineup. There may be no quick fixes, other than to bring Shin-Soo Choo up from Buffalo when he's ready and see if he can team with Ben Francisco to pump some life into the offense. Barring that, GM Mark Shapiro will have to consider a trade or two to overhaul what has become a shockingly anemic attack.

"I know coming up soon we're going to explode," said Sabathia after the game. Well, that was nice of him. Of course, he might also want to add that if "we" don't, "we" can all expect to see him in another uniform next season. It can't be satisfying to lose as many games as Sabathia has over the years because of no run support.

The hitters have to get it done. That's what they're paid to do -- millions of dollars a year, at that. Wedge and the coaching staff can only do so much. It's up to the guys in uniform.

The Cavaliers Need to Get Better -- But How?

2008-05-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

The postmortems will now commence on the Cavaliers and run all the way until next fall. This much is certain: Nobody knows what will happen.

It's always that way. Who saw the "big trade" coming before it was made in February? Fans and the media didn't, and, once it occurred, they didn't know whether to get excited or scratch their heads in bewilderment. Still don't. (Personally, there are days I really miss Drew Gooden, who, lest we forget, was the Cavs' second option on offense. But, on we go. )

So the Cavs enter the offseason coming off a disappointing playoff loss. But ask yourself: Were you surprised that their run ended earlier this year? Other than LeBron, and maybe Ilgauskas, this is a collection of NBA journeymen, role players who are asked to do more than just play a role.

The teams in the conference finals are just that -- teams, collections of talented players who make contributions across the board. That includes the Lakers, since the addition of Pau Gasol. As important as he was in providing support to Kobe Bryant, he also made Lamar Odom their third option on offense. Not bad.

And the Spurs? When you've got Manu Ginobili as your sixth man, you can play with anybody. (The Cavs had to thrust 32-year-old Joe Smith into that role for the final games of the Celtics series.)

Delonte West and Daniel Gibson are restricted free agents. The Cavs should keep West. They have no better option at the point. He put up decent, if not spectacular, numbers (about 10 points, 4.5 assists) during the regular season and the playoffs. He was given an opportunity and did more with it than anyone else has in the past couple of years. Whether he's a pure NBA point guard or not isn't the issue. Right now he's the best Cleveland has.

The argument for Gibson is that he's a solid shooter, and in Cleveland's system -- where LeBron handles the ball as often as does the point guard -- you need a shooter as much as you do a ballhandler at the point.

Devin Brown is an unrestricted free agent. He's bounced around in his career, yet at one point this season appeared to have solidified his place with the Cavs. He started and played well much of the year -- then rode the pine throughout the Boston series. How that happens, I don't know. This is a guy, remember, who averaged 11.6 points and four rebounds a game last year for New Orleans. What, Mike Brown had better options?

The Cavaliers remain "LeBron James and everyone else," and that's no formula for a championship. Ilgauskas is still a serviceable center, although he's not getting any younger. But there's no Scottie Pippen-like player, nobody who can take over a game if the defense keys on James.

The Lakers of the '70s and '80s weren't all about Magic. They were loaded, with players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Jamal Wilkes and Michael Cooper. The same with the Celtics of that era. It wasn't just Bird. McHale, Parish, Ainge -- they were stacked as well.

The Cavaliers fall woefully short by comparison, and need to do something to beef up their lineup -- and soon. But they're hindered by the salary cap and will have to exercise some creativity in order to pull off a trade that could bring a big name to town. LeBron has two years left on his contract, and no doubt feels comfortable playing so close to home in Cleveland. Yet he knows that great players are measured not only by personal achievements, but by championships. It's not likely he'll stand still for too many more missed opportunities.

Call It What It Was -- A Great Game

2008-05-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's the day after, and time for Cavs fans to come down from the lofty perch that is the NBA Playoffs. The season is over for the wine and gold, and that's never an easy thing to accept. But, if the Cavs were going to go out, at least they went out in style.

Paul Pierce and LeBron James put on an impressive show Sunday, and, as expected, the Celtics defended their home court with a 97-92 win that sends them to the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.

My general impression as these two opponents duked it out all afternoon: What a great game.

It was enjoyable to watch. It had drama, plenty of big plays, a few momentum shifts, and a compelling story line. I didn't need LeBron's postgame comments to remind me of the Larry Bird-Dominique Wilkins duel in the 1988 playoffs. I was already thinking of that memorable game by halftime of Sunday's contest. James and Pierce didn't disappoint, turning in stat lines for the ages in a classic matchup.

LeBron: 45 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists. Pierce: 41 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists. It was mano-a-mano, and it was truly enjoyable to watch.

That aside, Boston won because they're a better team. They earned the right during the regular season to have home court advantage during the playoffs, and it paid off on Sunday. They took the lead early in the game and, despite a late Cavs rally, never relinquished it. Hats off to them.

Now they move on, and the Cavs move out of the way. For Cleveland, it will be an important offseason. Many questions will be raised, questions that will have to be answered.

Is the Cavs roster acceptable as is? Probably not, but "getting help" is easier said that done -- and a topic for another day and another discussion. But it's clear that LeBron had to shoulder almost the entire load in Game 7. To think that he almost pulled off a victory show just how determined and resilient he is. Not to mention talented. (I happen to think that you could take any other MVP candidate from the past two or three years, put him on the Cavs teams of those years in place of LeBron, and get nowhere near the results. From a sheer talent standpoint, James does things that no one else in basketball does.)

But all that analysis is better left for later. For today, we're left with vivid memories of a tremendous game that featured remarkable performances by two remarkable players.

Tribe time

It looks like nothing will come easy for the Indians this year. Just as they start to ride the crest of the wave that has been their starting pitching, they go to Cincinnati and drop three in a row to the Reds. Ugh. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Reds did something no other team had been able to do this season: Beat Cliff Lee.

So it's back to reality for Cleveland, and the reality is that their offense is as bad as...well, as the Cavaliers' is, come to think of it. Team batting average of .236. Apart from Victor Martinez and new arrival Ben Francisco, the Indians couldn't hit the broad side of a glacier, which is the only thing as cold as they are.

Jhonny Peralta is hitting .225. Casey Blake, .226. Travis Hafner, .228. Franklin Gutierrez, .232. Ryan Garko looks like a stud in this lineup, at .241.

Jamey Carrol, the utility man, is hitting a mighty .194 -- and he's ahead of Asdrubal Cabrera, who is plodding along at a dismal .180 clip.

What in the name of Chico Salmon is going on?

Problem is, we're at the point of the season where the team will either have to put up or shut up. You don't alter the entire lineup and expect good results. Eric Wedge will have to ride the horses he has, and hope they start to produce.

The Indians' pitching should keep them around the top of the A.L. Central, which isn't loaded with any powerhouse teams. If the hitters don't take advantage of it and start to produce, they'll have no one to blame but themselves.

An Offensive Offensive Display

2008-05-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

You know, I'm tired of the debate.

The Celtics scored 69 points Friday night and the Cavs won. Great defense? OK, sure. Did the Cavs get "stops"? Yes. They swarmed, they hustled, they denied, they rebounded. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Then why do I have the nagging feeling it's not why they won? Why is that ALWAYS the nagging feeling in games like this?

Because their offense is so uninspired, that's why.

I'm sorry, but a physically gifted superstar going to the line 15 times is not a sound offensive strategy -- it's the advantage of playing at home. Give credit where credit is due -- LeBron made 13 of those -- but does anyone really think he'll get those opportunities in Game 7 in Boston?

The Cavs shot 32.9 percent from the field. CLANK. But they "got to the line" 25 times, and made 21. Boston was a more efficient 11-of-13 from the stripe. You think those 10 points didn't make a difference in an offensive stinker like this one?

Yes, credit the Cavs with having much to do with Boston's 39.7 shooting percentage from the field. But the fact remains, the Celtics outshot Cleveland from the field and the line, and had almost twice as many assists, and lost. That's because they were called for far more fouls, and the Cavs made enough of their free throws to win.

That's not going to happen in Boston.

So where does that leave us? With the Cavs having to make shots. And that, as anyone knows, is scary. Not because they can't shoot. But because they end up settling for so many bad shots, out of position, in an offense that seems, inevitably, to lead nowhere.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas appeared totally uncomfortable from the opening tip Friday night, going 3 for 11. Wally Szczerbiak shot 2 for 11. Ben Wallace -- well, we won't count Big Ben. Anderson Varajeo, 2 for 6. Sasha Pavlovic not only went 1 for 6, he looked awful doing it. Damon Jones got in briefly, missed the first two shots he's taken since Roosevelt was President, and came back out.

Devin Brown must be wondering what a guy has to do to get some court time, something the key contributor throughout the season hasn't had this series.

You're left scratching your head sometimes, wondering if the Cavs know what they're supposed to be doing out there other than getting out of LeBron's way, or looking to get the ball back to him as soon as they get it.

Are the Cavs good because of their defense? Because they got stops? Because of their rebounding?

Not really. They do those things well sometimes, maybe even most of the time. But they're good -- in the "championship caliber" sense of the word -- because of LeBron James. It showed again on Friday night.

It doesn't make for a good scenario for Game 7. No way LeBron gets that charge call at the end of the game in Boston. No way the Cavs get the advantage at the line they enjoyed Friday night, in a game that could -- should -- have been a runaway but ended up a squeaker.

That's not to say Game 7 isn't winnable. But it's not likely to be winnable the way Game 6 was won.