t's just astounding watching the vitriol pour out of some people when it comes to someone else making a decision -- and this decision doesn't even really strike home.
It is more than amazing the percentage of college students planning to leave Ohio upon graduation -- 60%, according to some reports -- doesn't make our sluggish vox populi move an inch, but a 25-year old who skipped college and went right to work after graduating from high school? One daring to consider leaving Ohio for potentially greener pastures, leading to so much hate and hurt feelings?
It's pathetic.
The harshest critics of today's LeBron James -- as opposed to last month's LeBron James, who led the Cavaliers to their NBA-best record and what seemed to be a lock for the title so desperately desired by Cleveland sports fans -- owe it to themselves to take a really deep look in the mirror.
What really matters here?
Ohio's had James for seven years as a pro, ten years overall. The basketball world spun around Akron's Chosen One, even when the Cavaliers weren't contending for the title. It was a replay of what Browns fans saw when another young man from Boardman took up the weight of northeast Ohio on his shoulders, to lead the team to Super Bowl glory only to see The Drive and The Fumble dash those prayers on the rocks of Red Right 88.
Bernie Kosar would later get his Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys, "America's Team." All the love and admiration, in the long run, meant nothing when it came to a now-despised owner and now-admired coach decided it was time to cut their losses over "diminished skills." I remember when Bernie got that ring; fans here were happy for him, knowing it just wasn't going to happen otherwise.
I don't remember 1954, but I wonder if there was a similar outcry when Bob Feller and company stumbled badly against Willie Mays and the Giants and coughed up what should have been a certain World Series victory from the then-most-ever winning team in baseball. Was Feller a traitor, a bum, a guy who took a fall? Nobody in their right mind would ever say that to Rapid Robert's face, much less behind his back. Here's a guy who came out of the cornfields, made Cleveland his home, went to war for us at the peak of his performance for God's sake.
Feller still wears that uniform with pride and accomplishment, and fans still line up and shell out their money to grab a photo or signed baseball. They properly pay tribute to greatness, and effort, and heart.
LeBron James had a 77% chance of playing somewhere else when the 2003 lottery fell Cleveland's way. For once, northeast Ohio had fortune smiling upon our undeveloped, grim shores: the Chosen One would play for us. Home would remain home. But that deal didn't have "forever" written in the fine print.
As King James weighs his options, I can't imagine another case where we would encourage a favorite son or daughter to not seek the best arrangement possible to be the best they could be. If your children were actors, wouldn't you want them on the world's biggest stage? If they were lawyers, wouldn't you want their advocacy in the most important cases? If they could play an instrument or sing like a bird, wouldn't you want them to fly high rather than perform their song in a cage for a select local few?
One of the ugly sides of being a Cleveland sports fan is this recent vicious, personal reaction when we don't get our way. That's ironic, considering we really haven't gotten our way since 1964 -- even counting coming close with Kosar, or nibbling at the dream in 1995 and 1997 in the house Akron's Dick Jacobs built.
Now Bernie's bankrupt and the field we once called "the Jake" isn't even named after the local boy who rescued the hometown team.
It is the way things are; former ballplayers don't get another chance for fame and riches once the carousel takes them farther away from the brass ring. Owners only stand tall when they continue to pay the freight for naming rights.
Current players know all too well that winning isn't guaranteed just because they have talent and work hard, or even enjoy a streak of good luck now and then. Too many variables still make being a winner a crapshoot, especially when the only definition of winner is found in the rings on their fingers.
If the Cavaliers are a place where LeBron James continues to prosper and win a championship -- or two, or three -- then it's where he should be, and my guess is a place where he will want to be. If, however, it's the kind of place where fans so quickly put the entire weight of their dreams and aspirations on a 25-year old's shoulders and then bitterly denounce him when the effort falls short, maybe it's time to take another view: one from a rear-view mirror.
Cleveland fans, keep barking, crying and reaching out to tear down one of the best examples of success we've seen brewed here at home in generations. It'll lead to another drive, and this one will be just what you really deserve.
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Sports With A Tu-Tu
Up at a really stupid time on a Monday night, as indicated by the time stamp which shows it's really Tuesday and that's what I get for caring about the Browns.
Thank God for my sister Patti, who must live on YouTube to constantly find gems like Paul Hunt to remind me of what sport is really all about. Thanks, sis...
Thank God for my sister Patti, who must live on YouTube to constantly find gems like Paul Hunt to remind me of what sport is really all about. Thanks, sis...
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Sports Suckers
We are such chumps. For a shining Sunday moment we believed the Browns really had a shot.
We should know better.
The latest from MSNBC and WFAN, New York's sports talk station, with reports Titans backup QB Kerry Collins says Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy must have been talking because it was clear Indy wasn't going to contest losing Sunday's game. The Titans win knocked the Browns out of the NFL playoffs since Cleveland needed an Indy win to slip in.
Now the fact the Browns had to depend on another team to beat the roadblock standing between postseason and playing golf in January should be enough to throw some cold water on those playoff dreams for Cleveland fans; anytime you depend on the "other guys" to do your work for you it's a sure signal you put yourself in a crappy position. Having said that, however, doesn't get the Titans and Colts coaches off the hook for what looks, sounds and smells like collusion, especially given Dungy's postgame comments that three division teams made the playoffs.
So what's worse: the crooks on the sidelines or us suckers sidelined?
Keep telling yourself it's a game, just a game.
It isn't your kid making the honor roll at school -- that actually has a payoff later when they get accepted on a full scholarship to some pricey university and embark on a career that leaves you in retirement in Boca Raton.
It isn't whether your employer has a heart and vision as well as a constant eye on the bottom line -- that has more to do with your personal happiness and ability to pay your bills than whether a gang of millionaires owned by a group of billionaires claw their way up the ladder to play in-between :30 second ads as Big Sports hooks up with Big Media for the Big Game.
It sure as hell isn't as important as the time you spend helping your parents fix stuff around the house you grew up in or your neighbors dig out from the latest snowfall -- those are the "pay it forward" things most of us do without a second thought because it makes us feel better and besides they're the right things to do.
Is it possible the NFL had the fix in ahead of the Indy-Tennessee game? Is there a remote chance the Colts understood winning the game that meant nothing to them was a favor to a team they didn't really care about? Could the pitch we hear from professional sports on how "winning is the only thing" really be convenient sales babble anyone with a lick of intelligence would dismiss out of hand in a heartbeat?
Count me among the reformed sports suckers: believe the worst, watch for entertainment, but don't give 'em your heart. Leave the love for folks who deserve it.
We should know better.
The latest from MSNBC and WFAN, New York's sports talk station, with reports Titans backup QB Kerry Collins says Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy must have been talking because it was clear Indy wasn't going to contest losing Sunday's game. The Titans win knocked the Browns out of the NFL playoffs since Cleveland needed an Indy win to slip in.
Now the fact the Browns had to depend on another team to beat the roadblock standing between postseason and playing golf in January should be enough to throw some cold water on those playoff dreams for Cleveland fans; anytime you depend on the "other guys" to do your work for you it's a sure signal you put yourself in a crappy position. Having said that, however, doesn't get the Titans and Colts coaches off the hook for what looks, sounds and smells like collusion, especially given Dungy's postgame comments that three division teams made the playoffs.
So what's worse: the crooks on the sidelines or us suckers sidelined?
Keep telling yourself it's a game, just a game.
It isn't your kid making the honor roll at school -- that actually has a payoff later when they get accepted on a full scholarship to some pricey university and embark on a career that leaves you in retirement in Boca Raton.
It isn't whether your employer has a heart and vision as well as a constant eye on the bottom line -- that has more to do with your personal happiness and ability to pay your bills than whether a gang of millionaires owned by a group of billionaires claw their way up the ladder to play in-between :30 second ads as Big Sports hooks up with Big Media for the Big Game.
It sure as hell isn't as important as the time you spend helping your parents fix stuff around the house you grew up in or your neighbors dig out from the latest snowfall -- those are the "pay it forward" things most of us do without a second thought because it makes us feel better and besides they're the right things to do.
Is it possible the NFL had the fix in ahead of the Indy-Tennessee game? Is there a remote chance the Colts understood winning the game that meant nothing to them was a favor to a team they didn't really care about? Could the pitch we hear from professional sports on how "winning is the only thing" really be convenient sales babble anyone with a lick of intelligence would dismiss out of hand in a heartbeat?
Count me among the reformed sports suckers: believe the worst, watch for entertainment, but don't give 'em your heart. Leave the love for folks who deserve it.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Browns In -- Almost
Great lead from Tom Withers of the Associated Press on today's 20-7 win by the Browns over the hapless San Francisco 49ers: the team now has seven hours of overtime before they find out of there's postseason.
The Browns did their part today, a nice post-holiday gift for the faithful fans who steamed into the chilly lakefront stadium for the final regular season game of the season. We were treated to a win; Cribbs showing why he's Pro Bowl; even a sequence of plays from Brady Quinn spoiled only when a sure TD pass was dropped. Chilly, yes, but a ten-game winning season was enough to warm those beating orange-and-brown with a stripe of white down the middle. Think of orange and black and the suffering in Cincinnati or what it's like to be a 49ers fan.
Root for the blue and white; pray for Indianapolis to beat Tennessee even though the Colts would be incredibly stupid to put any of their starters in harm's way with a game that means little to them. Here's where you see just how much the drive to win is really on display amongst the professional sports class; no calling it in for the Indy 2nd, 3rd and even 4th string players because while this game isn't a must-win for the team it is a must-win for them to showcase their talent and heart.
- - -
Most fun game points: not on the field but off. Ray Horner of WAKR included his Dad Lou and young son Rocco in our party this Sunday. It was Lou's first-ever NFL game and while he didn't forsake his beloved Steelers he did have a good time, especially ragging Ray for our leaving early (and for leaving behind Ray's favorite team, the 49ers). It was Rocco's first-ever NFL game as well and for a five-year old he did a remarkable job staying with the game despite sitting out in the cold just-above-freezing temps. Three generations of Horner; at least Rocco roots for Ohio State.
- - -
Still a good idea to keep a close eye and ear on your kids during a Browns game. The language, for the most part, continues to be coarse (and I'm being charitable here) starting with the griping of folks getting through security before they even show their tickets, right up to simple talk in the stadium. And don't even get me started on the F--- Michigan shirts prominently displayed for all to see walking to and fro the stadium. I think the shirts are funny but could we get some compromise on not flashing it in the faces of the kids? The walk from Cleveland's bluffs to cross the tracks and enter the stadium should be a bit more kindlier and gentler than walking down the street of an Amsterdam brothel district.
The Browns did their part today, a nice post-holiday gift for the faithful fans who steamed into the chilly lakefront stadium for the final regular season game of the season. We were treated to a win; Cribbs showing why he's Pro Bowl; even a sequence of plays from Brady Quinn spoiled only when a sure TD pass was dropped. Chilly, yes, but a ten-game winning season was enough to warm those beating orange-and-brown with a stripe of white down the middle. Think of orange and black and the suffering in Cincinnati or what it's like to be a 49ers fan.
Root for the blue and white; pray for Indianapolis to beat Tennessee even though the Colts would be incredibly stupid to put any of their starters in harm's way with a game that means little to them. Here's where you see just how much the drive to win is really on display amongst the professional sports class; no calling it in for the Indy 2nd, 3rd and even 4th string players because while this game isn't a must-win for the team it is a must-win for them to showcase their talent and heart.
- - -
Most fun game points: not on the field but off. Ray Horner of WAKR included his Dad Lou and young son Rocco in our party this Sunday. It was Lou's first-ever NFL game and while he didn't forsake his beloved Steelers he did have a good time, especially ragging Ray for our leaving early (and for leaving behind Ray's favorite team, the 49ers). It was Rocco's first-ever NFL game as well and for a five-year old he did a remarkable job staying with the game despite sitting out in the cold just-above-freezing temps. Three generations of Horner; at least Rocco roots for Ohio State.
- - -
Still a good idea to keep a close eye and ear on your kids during a Browns game. The language, for the most part, continues to be coarse (and I'm being charitable here) starting with the griping of folks getting through security before they even show their tickets, right up to simple talk in the stadium. And don't even get me started on the F--- Michigan shirts prominently displayed for all to see walking to and fro the stadium. I think the shirts are funny but could we get some compromise on not flashing it in the faces of the kids? The walk from Cleveland's bluffs to cross the tracks and enter the stadium should be a bit more kindlier and gentler than walking down the street of an Amsterdam brothel district.
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