Browns 20, Ravens 16
Final record: 6-10
Final divisional record: 1-5
That stick in the divisional win column is magical, isn't it?
OK, maybe not. But going winless in the division for the first time in franchise history would have entered uncharted waters of embarrassment for a team that has had an ongoing relationship with embarrassment for the past seven years.
The downside: the draft positioning. a 5-11 team will likely pick within the top 10. The Browns, at 6-10, could pick as low as 14.
But first things first. We don't know how/when/where/if the Browns will pick in April. Friday, we didn't even know who the general manager was.
In true Cleveland Browns fashion, allowing bad things to happen at the worst possible time, rumors began swirling Friday afternoon that GM Phil Savage was fired and/or resigning as the team's personnel chief after 11 months on the job. The purported reason was a philosophy difference with team president John Collins. Collins, it turns out, had a low opinion of Savage as a money manager.
It must be pointed out that Savage was hired as talent guru, not as a money man. That's what the Browns wanted as a GM last winter, and that's what they acquired. Money-managing abilities didn't come up, at least not publicly.
The protracted and apparently contentious Braylon Edwards contract negotiations this summer looks to have soured Collins on Savage's GM abilities a bit. So Collins wanted to take the contract-negotiatng responsibilities away from Savage and hand them to a new guy. Savage didn't like it, and a long silence apparently followed.
Collins came on local radio station WTAM Friday to tell sports yakker Mike Trivisonno that he, Savage, owner Randy Lerner and head coach Romeo Crennel "renewed our vows" and Savage wouldn't be fired.
But this is America, where sadly, half of all marriages end in divorce. The "Savage resignation radar" was still beeping at media headquarters all weekend. Savage remained mum. With good reason.
He wasn't leaving. Collins was.
Man, were we faked out. Like defending Allen Iverson's crossover. Our shoes are at the other end of the court. Collins resigned Tuesday as Browns president, made public in a statement from Lerner.
"I am more committed than ever to this franchise and to helping the organization bring the Browns fans a winner," Savage reportedly said Tuesday.
Apparently the distraction of philosophical differences is over for now. But the Browns now don't have a president, and the whole organizational realignment undertaken last year, with a football operations wing overseen by Savage and a non-football wing overseen by Collins, appears to be up in the air.
The Browns are in a state of transition again. How shocking. At least it looks like the Browns will have a GM from now until the draft, and that the organizational philosophy won't suddenly go from building a dominant defense to building a spread offense.
Sixteen games after an opening loss to Cincinnati, and what have we learned about the Browns? Hard to say, and that's the problem. Reuben Droughns looks like a franchise running back. Beyond that, I struggle to find the building blocks for next year.
But that's why Savage makes the big bucks, and talks of bringing Cleveland a winner. It's his job to identify the strong points and build around them. If he doesn't, it won't matter if John Collins or Phil Collins is the team president.
(Sorry, Zach, I didn't want to rip off your joke, but I can't think of another famous Collins).
Up next: hopefully, better days ahead
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Fiesta all year
This could be me looking a gift horse in the mouth, but what exactly stopped Ohio State from competing for a national title this year?
The Buckeyes are a big-game team with a big-game coach. But the biggest game, the one that now sticks out like a sore thumb, is the loss in September to Texas.
Think about it. If Ohio State beats Texas, there are a whole slew of one-loss teams led by Ohio State and Texas. With the win, the Buckeyes would have gotten the tiebreak over Texas for a berth in the BCS championship. At least that's the popular theory.
Instead, the Buckeyes stubbed their toes not once but twice, losing also to Penn State, and have to settle for the at-large BCS bowl game while Southern California and Texas square off Wednesday night.
They were rally kings against Michigan, and dominated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl even more than the 34-20 final score would indicate. If quarterback Troy Smith played all games like he did against Michigan and Notre Dame, he'd be a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Instead, we have a reverse-John Cooper factor. During Cooper's years, Ohio State generally took care of business leading up to Michigan and the bowl games, and sputtered thereafter. Now, Ohio State wins the two most important games of the year, but has to guard against mental lapses in the months leading up so they don't ruin their national championship chances.
This was an Ohio State team that should have been competing for a national title. They certainly had the defense, and the last two games have shown the offense has an ability to kick it into a higher gear.
Smith is a mad bomber, capable of finding Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes and Anthony Gonzalez downfield? Prior to Michigan, who knew?
In a big game, there are few coaches I would rather have on the sideline than Jim Tressel. His ability to remain cool under fire and make his team rise to the occasion is becoming legendary. But he also needs to get his players to realize a loss in September means something, too. The loss to Texas sure did this year.
I am happy Ohio State is once again Fiesta Bowl champions. But not ecstatic. This team could have accomplished much more.
The Buckeyes are a big-game team with a big-game coach. But the biggest game, the one that now sticks out like a sore thumb, is the loss in September to Texas.
Think about it. If Ohio State beats Texas, there are a whole slew of one-loss teams led by Ohio State and Texas. With the win, the Buckeyes would have gotten the tiebreak over Texas for a berth in the BCS championship. At least that's the popular theory.
Instead, the Buckeyes stubbed their toes not once but twice, losing also to Penn State, and have to settle for the at-large BCS bowl game while Southern California and Texas square off Wednesday night.
They were rally kings against Michigan, and dominated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl even more than the 34-20 final score would indicate. If quarterback Troy Smith played all games like he did against Michigan and Notre Dame, he'd be a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Instead, we have a reverse-John Cooper factor. During Cooper's years, Ohio State generally took care of business leading up to Michigan and the bowl games, and sputtered thereafter. Now, Ohio State wins the two most important games of the year, but has to guard against mental lapses in the months leading up so they don't ruin their national championship chances.
This was an Ohio State team that should have been competing for a national title. They certainly had the defense, and the last two games have shown the offense has an ability to kick it into a higher gear.
Smith is a mad bomber, capable of finding Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes and Anthony Gonzalez downfield? Prior to Michigan, who knew?
In a big game, there are few coaches I would rather have on the sideline than Jim Tressel. His ability to remain cool under fire and make his team rise to the occasion is becoming legendary. But he also needs to get his players to realize a loss in September means something, too. The loss to Texas sure did this year.
I am happy Ohio State is once again Fiesta Bowl champions. But not ecstatic. This team could have accomplished much more.
Friday, December 30, 2005
LeBron turns 21
Happy legal drinking age, LeBron! The next time you suit up at The Q, for Saturday afternoon's game against the Pistons, you'll be able to legally visit the bar at Gordon's afterward.
Twenty-one is a milestone for anybody, but in the case of LeBron James, it's a landmark.
It's a landmark for professional basketball. And certainly a landmark for Cleveland sports.
Nobody in the history of professional basketball has been this good this quickly. Not Magic Johnson. Not Michael Jordan. Not Kobe Bryant, who was the previous king of the under-21 class.
LeBron has averaged 20 points per game in each of his first three seasons. This year, he is averaging 30, even with the scoring help of Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones.
Last season, he was one of three players in league history to average 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a season. Jordan and Oscar Robertson were the others.
It's difficult to define a player's game as "limitless." There really is no such thing. But LeBron is the closest I've seen anyone come to no boundaries.
He honestly can be as good as he wants to be. If he wants to score 50 points, he can do it. Dish out 20 assists? Check. Be a top-10 rebounder? He could probably do that, too.
If the defensive fire continues to grow in his belly, he can be a shutdown defender in the mold of Ron Artest as well.
Other players have the athleticism of LeBron, but not the size (Allen Iverson). Some have the size and scoring ability, but not the passing (Amare Stoudemire). Still others are burdened by selfishness that won't let them be a conduit for their teammates (Bryant).
LeBron has the speed to burn defenders in single-man matchups. He has the size (6'-8" and nearly 250 pounds) to draw contact inside and still be able to put the ball in the hoop. He has the ups ... well, if you've ever seen him elevate his elbow above the rim before a throwdown dunk, you know about his ups.
He has the coordination to dribble through traffic and thread the needle with his passes. He has the width to defend and post up. He has the height, quickness and coordination to rebound. And he does it all with a team-first mentality that allows him to always look for the best way to help his team win, be it by scoring himself or by finding his teammates.
Keep in mind that he has required no major development as a pro. LeBron came into the league requiring some sanding and polishing, but no major construction or reconstruction for his game or attitude.
He is 21, but at 18 already had the look and mentality of a veteran. That is incomprehensibly rare. Some great players (Artest, for one) might never learn to grow up.
Everything he has improved since coming into the league he has taken on himself. He worked on his outside shot over the past two summers, and now is an upper-echelon shooter. Now, with defensive-minded Mike Brown as his coach, LeBron is starting to value defense. He's still coming along, but we are starting to see flashes of LeBron's potential as a defender.
Could LeBron be the greatest ever? He has a long way to go. He needs to stay healthy and win some rings along the way, hopefully in a Cleveland uniform.
LeBron already has only Jim Brown standing between him and the title of "greatest Cleveland athlete ever." If anybody is going to break the four-decade title drought in Cleveland sports, LeBron stands the best chance. Now that he has the people around him to help get it done, hopefully he sees things the same way. Realistically, the best chance of getting LeBron and an NBA championship in Cleveland at the same time is probably going to require at least one contract extension. The Cavaliers can offer LeBron a maximum contract beginning July 1.
But it's so Cleveland to worry about the the thunderclouds that might or might not form on the horizon two or three years from now. In the meantime, Northeast Ohio's boy wonder has officialy become a man. And he is taking us all on the ride of a lifetime. We should enjoy every minute of it.
Twenty-one is a milestone for anybody, but in the case of LeBron James, it's a landmark.
It's a landmark for professional basketball. And certainly a landmark for Cleveland sports.
Nobody in the history of professional basketball has been this good this quickly. Not Magic Johnson. Not Michael Jordan. Not Kobe Bryant, who was the previous king of the under-21 class.
LeBron has averaged 20 points per game in each of his first three seasons. This year, he is averaging 30, even with the scoring help of Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones.
Last season, he was one of three players in league history to average 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a season. Jordan and Oscar Robertson were the others.
It's difficult to define a player's game as "limitless." There really is no such thing. But LeBron is the closest I've seen anyone come to no boundaries.
He honestly can be as good as he wants to be. If he wants to score 50 points, he can do it. Dish out 20 assists? Check. Be a top-10 rebounder? He could probably do that, too.
If the defensive fire continues to grow in his belly, he can be a shutdown defender in the mold of Ron Artest as well.
Other players have the athleticism of LeBron, but not the size (Allen Iverson). Some have the size and scoring ability, but not the passing (Amare Stoudemire). Still others are burdened by selfishness that won't let them be a conduit for their teammates (Bryant).
LeBron has the speed to burn defenders in single-man matchups. He has the size (6'-8" and nearly 250 pounds) to draw contact inside and still be able to put the ball in the hoop. He has the ups ... well, if you've ever seen him elevate his elbow above the rim before a throwdown dunk, you know about his ups.
He has the coordination to dribble through traffic and thread the needle with his passes. He has the width to defend and post up. He has the height, quickness and coordination to rebound. And he does it all with a team-first mentality that allows him to always look for the best way to help his team win, be it by scoring himself or by finding his teammates.
Keep in mind that he has required no major development as a pro. LeBron came into the league requiring some sanding and polishing, but no major construction or reconstruction for his game or attitude.
He is 21, but at 18 already had the look and mentality of a veteran. That is incomprehensibly rare. Some great players (Artest, for one) might never learn to grow up.
Everything he has improved since coming into the league he has taken on himself. He worked on his outside shot over the past two summers, and now is an upper-echelon shooter. Now, with defensive-minded Mike Brown as his coach, LeBron is starting to value defense. He's still coming along, but we are starting to see flashes of LeBron's potential as a defender.
Could LeBron be the greatest ever? He has a long way to go. He needs to stay healthy and win some rings along the way, hopefully in a Cleveland uniform.
LeBron already has only Jim Brown standing between him and the title of "greatest Cleveland athlete ever." If anybody is going to break the four-decade title drought in Cleveland sports, LeBron stands the best chance. Now that he has the people around him to help get it done, hopefully he sees things the same way. Realistically, the best chance of getting LeBron and an NBA championship in Cleveland at the same time is probably going to require at least one contract extension. The Cavaliers can offer LeBron a maximum contract beginning July 1.
But it's so Cleveland to worry about the the thunderclouds that might or might not form on the horizon two or three years from now. In the meantime, Northeast Ohio's boy wonder has officialy become a man. And he is taking us all on the ride of a lifetime. We should enjoy every minute of it.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Your Catholic duty
I am not Catholic. I don't profess to know what it is like to be Catholic. So would someone please explain to me this hallowed position the University of Notre Dame holds among Catholics nationwide?
I have nothing against rooting for Notre Dame. The campus is beautiful and there is most definitely a magic about football there, something you don't need to even watch the movie "Rudy" to sense.
It's more this sense that Catholics (at least the ones I know) almost feel it their duty to root for Notre Dame. Like God views it as a sin to root against the Fighting Irish. This is coming from people who have no connection to Notre Dame beyond their Catholicism and have never been to South Bend.
Would an Ohio Catholic even root against Ohio State in next week's Fiesta Bowl, an Ohio Catholic who is an avid Wolverine-despising Buckeye fan under any other circumstances?
Maybe not. But apparently the Notre Dame factor makes loyalties waver more than you'd realize.
Poll the Catholics you know. Not the Catholics in name only. Poll the ones who go to mass every week. You might be surprised at how many are at the very least walking the fence ("Does there have to be a loser?")
It's a unique phenomenon. Kind of like, "Man, I do want Ohio State to win. I really do. But if I root against Notre Dame, God might be looking over my shoulder, tapping his foot like a parent who caught his kid going through cookie jar before dinner."
No other school enjoys the benefit of implied wrath of God. And you wonder why Notre Dame will never join a football conference.
Notre Dame could really exploit their position if they wanted to. My guess is that if they wanted to build a new football training facility, they could get the money in about two weeks. Just place donation bins in every Catholic church narthex in America.
The tithing priorities for your average Midwestern Catholic:
1. Starving children in Africa
2. World Youth Day
3. Notre Dame
4. Local soup kitchen
5. Restoration of the Sistine Chapel
6. Notre Dame
Sometimes I wonder if other Catholic schools feel left out. Do officials at St. Bonaventure sometimes say "Hey, where's our piece?"
But the Bonnies don't wear gold-flake helmets. They were never asked to "win one for the Gipper." And they certainly don't have "Touchdown Jesus" painted on the side of their library.
Every religion has their pilgrimages, their own holy places. Muslims have Mecca. Jews have the wailing wall. Catholics have a college in northern Indiana where football and Christ are both kings.
I have nothing against rooting for Notre Dame. The campus is beautiful and there is most definitely a magic about football there, something you don't need to even watch the movie "Rudy" to sense.
It's more this sense that Catholics (at least the ones I know) almost feel it their duty to root for Notre Dame. Like God views it as a sin to root against the Fighting Irish. This is coming from people who have no connection to Notre Dame beyond their Catholicism and have never been to South Bend.
Would an Ohio Catholic even root against Ohio State in next week's Fiesta Bowl, an Ohio Catholic who is an avid Wolverine-despising Buckeye fan under any other circumstances?
Maybe not. But apparently the Notre Dame factor makes loyalties waver more than you'd realize.
Poll the Catholics you know. Not the Catholics in name only. Poll the ones who go to mass every week. You might be surprised at how many are at the very least walking the fence ("Does there have to be a loser?")
It's a unique phenomenon. Kind of like, "Man, I do want Ohio State to win. I really do. But if I root against Notre Dame, God might be looking over my shoulder, tapping his foot like a parent who caught his kid going through cookie jar before dinner."
No other school enjoys the benefit of implied wrath of God. And you wonder why Notre Dame will never join a football conference.
Notre Dame could really exploit their position if they wanted to. My guess is that if they wanted to build a new football training facility, they could get the money in about two weeks. Just place donation bins in every Catholic church narthex in America.
The tithing priorities for your average Midwestern Catholic:
1. Starving children in Africa
2. World Youth Day
3. Notre Dame
4. Local soup kitchen
5. Restoration of the Sistine Chapel
6. Notre Dame
Sometimes I wonder if other Catholic schools feel left out. Do officials at St. Bonaventure sometimes say "Hey, where's our piece?"
But the Bonnies don't wear gold-flake helmets. They were never asked to "win one for the Gipper." And they certainly don't have "Touchdown Jesus" painted on the side of their library.
Every religion has their pilgrimages, their own holy places. Muslims have Mecca. Jews have the wailing wall. Catholics have a college in northern Indiana where football and Christ are both kings.
Blog bash, Day 2
Today, we highlight some suggested posts from Zach Baker, like myself and Joel a decorated veteran of The BG News who remains in the professional biz. His blog was really the impetus for me to start my blog. Unlike my blog, which pretty much focuses solely on sports, Zach fearlessly switches between sports, music and politics. Zach's many loves include the music of Van Morrison and being perpetually suspicious of Indians owner Larry Dolan.
Zach's selections:
St. Belichick, February 7
Erik's comment: Pure hyperbole, but what can you expect from a bitter Cleveland fan? We sat here and watched an inexperienced Bill Belichick help run the Browns into the ground in the early '90s, either intentionally or unintentionally adding fuel to Art Modell's movement to relocate the team. Five years later, with the Baltimore Ravens hoisitng a Super Bowl trophy and Cleveland left with a miserable expansion facsimile of their team, Belichick resurfaces in New England and becomes the greatest coach of his generation. Modell and Belichick get the hardware, Cleveland gets screwed. Sucks to be us, I guess.
Summer is over, October 3
Erik's comment: Another post born out of bitterness. Every year, summer ends for me when the Indians season ends. But this past year, it was especially bitter. The Indians might not have gotten past the White Sox, since Chicago was having a season on loan from God in 2005, but that could have been them playing the White Sox in the ALCS instead of the Angels. They had the pitching to get there, and enough offense to get by. The last week of the regular season killed all of that.
Redemption in Buckeye, May 14
Erik's comment: I ususally use my blog as a diversion from work writing, but when Buckeye's school board took sports away due to lack of funding, I had to blog about it. The lives of most high school kids exist in the small world of their school. Who they are within those walls is how they view themselves. To take sports away is to take a huge piece of a 16-year-old's athlete's identity. Three days after the tears, however, there was redemption. The school board voted to accept an alternate funding proposal from district boosters, using donations, fundriasers and pay-to-play fees. Buckeye is still trying to pass a levy that would restore district funding for athletics.
Zach's selections:
St. Belichick, February 7
Erik's comment: Pure hyperbole, but what can you expect from a bitter Cleveland fan? We sat here and watched an inexperienced Bill Belichick help run the Browns into the ground in the early '90s, either intentionally or unintentionally adding fuel to Art Modell's movement to relocate the team. Five years later, with the Baltimore Ravens hoisitng a Super Bowl trophy and Cleveland left with a miserable expansion facsimile of their team, Belichick resurfaces in New England and becomes the greatest coach of his generation. Modell and Belichick get the hardware, Cleveland gets screwed. Sucks to be us, I guess.
Summer is over, October 3
Erik's comment: Another post born out of bitterness. Every year, summer ends for me when the Indians season ends. But this past year, it was especially bitter. The Indians might not have gotten past the White Sox, since Chicago was having a season on loan from God in 2005, but that could have been them playing the White Sox in the ALCS instead of the Angels. They had the pitching to get there, and enough offense to get by. The last week of the regular season killed all of that.
Redemption in Buckeye, May 14
Erik's comment: I ususally use my blog as a diversion from work writing, but when Buckeye's school board took sports away due to lack of funding, I had to blog about it. The lives of most high school kids exist in the small world of their school. Who they are within those walls is how they view themselves. To take sports away is to take a huge piece of a 16-year-old's athlete's identity. Three days after the tears, however, there was redemption. The school board voted to accept an alternate funding proposal from district boosters, using donations, fundriasers and pay-to-play fees. Buckeye is still trying to pass a levy that would restore district funding for athletics.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Blog bash, Day 1
Today we highlight a few preferred posts of Joel Hammond, a fellow Bowling Green grad who recently started his own blog.
Like yours truly, Joel did just about everything a sportswriter could do at The BG News, the student newspaper of our hallowed alma mater. He was a dutiful foot soldier, a respected sports editor, page designer, columnist and is now making it in the outside world at a paper in Greenville, S.C.
He also gets the title of being the only writer to ever say he "pulled an Erik Cassano" in a column.
Joel's selections:
Harken the masses, February 9
Erik's comment: I am surprised and pleased anyone picked this post, the as-yet-unfinished Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo Crennel. I thought it started out kind of lame, and might leave some readers scratching their heads. Truth be told, I gave up on it because I thought the story would drag on and get pointless. Then the Cavs season heated up and I forgot about it.
An inferiority complex, January 12
Erik's comment: An appropriate selection in the wake of the Browns' 41-0 loss to the Steelers. If you are a Browns fan, really, what football ammo ccan you come at Pittsburgh with?
The Browns-Indians dynamic, December 12
Erik's comment: When you get right down to it, it's the fans threatening to boycott the Indians every year that pisses me off. Don't agree with their moves? Fine. But let's not treat the Indians like Nike using Vietnamese peasants to make $120 shoes. Not unless you are willing to boycott the Browns for the same principles. And we know that won't happen. Asking Clevelanders to give up the Browns is like asking Clevelanders to give up cheap beer.
Five stages of bracket death, March 30
Erik's comment: It was a post that just kind of happened naturally. It was truly how I was feeling at the time. I came into the 2005 NCAAs with all kinds of dynasty sugarplums dancing in my head. I won the 2004 pool at work, and apparently was in need of a dose of humility, which I got, and then some. My Final Four completely folded by the championship round, and if I remember correctly, I barely missed going from first to worst in a year. The only consolation would have been geting my $10 entry fee back, but even that didn't happen
Like yours truly, Joel did just about everything a sportswriter could do at The BG News, the student newspaper of our hallowed alma mater. He was a dutiful foot soldier, a respected sports editor, page designer, columnist and is now making it in the outside world at a paper in Greenville, S.C.
He also gets the title of being the only writer to ever say he "pulled an Erik Cassano" in a column.
Joel's selections:
Harken the masses, February 9
Erik's comment: I am surprised and pleased anyone picked this post, the as-yet-unfinished Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo Crennel. I thought it started out kind of lame, and might leave some readers scratching their heads. Truth be told, I gave up on it because I thought the story would drag on and get pointless. Then the Cavs season heated up and I forgot about it.
An inferiority complex, January 12
Erik's comment: An appropriate selection in the wake of the Browns' 41-0 loss to the Steelers. If you are a Browns fan, really, what football ammo ccan you come at Pittsburgh with?
The Browns-Indians dynamic, December 12
Erik's comment: When you get right down to it, it's the fans threatening to boycott the Indians every year that pisses me off. Don't agree with their moves? Fine. But let's not treat the Indians like Nike using Vietnamese peasants to make $120 shoes. Not unless you are willing to boycott the Browns for the same principles. And we know that won't happen. Asking Clevelanders to give up the Browns is like asking Clevelanders to give up cheap beer.
Five stages of bracket death, March 30
Erik's comment: It was a post that just kind of happened naturally. It was truly how I was feeling at the time. I came into the 2005 NCAAs with all kinds of dynasty sugarplums dancing in my head. I won the 2004 pool at work, and apparently was in need of a dose of humility, which I got, and then some. My Final Four completely folded by the championship round, and if I remember correctly, I barely missed going from first to worst in a year. The only consolation would have been geting my $10 entry fee back, but even that didn't happen
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The first year
One year ago today, I sat down at my laptop, logged into Blogger.com for the first time, and created "Erik Cassano's Weblog."
It has been a busy first year chronicling the ups and downs of Cleveland sports, and sports in general. From the Cavs' springtime collapse to the Indians near-miss of the playoffs in October to yet another long, highlight-challenged season for the Browns, I have strived to post my takes on all of it.
This post is my 300th. A nice, round number for the first year.
Since setting up a CQ hit counter on April 27, I have netted 2,169 hits and am averaging eight visits a day. Thanks to everyone who has visited my site over the past year, in particular Zach, Joel, Dave, Marc and Abrasivist. And to anyone else, please come back often and post your comments.
I have asked Zach, Joel and Dave to point out some posts that have stood out to them in the past year. Anyone else is invited to contribute as well by e-mailing me at TheChief87@aol.com.
Over the next few days, I will highlight the posts selected by my readers as past of my first anniversary "blog bash."
It has been a busy first year chronicling the ups and downs of Cleveland sports, and sports in general. From the Cavs' springtime collapse to the Indians near-miss of the playoffs in October to yet another long, highlight-challenged season for the Browns, I have strived to post my takes on all of it.
This post is my 300th. A nice, round number for the first year.
Since setting up a CQ hit counter on April 27, I have netted 2,169 hits and am averaging eight visits a day. Thanks to everyone who has visited my site over the past year, in particular Zach, Joel, Dave, Marc and Abrasivist. And to anyone else, please come back often and post your comments.
I have asked Zach, Joel and Dave to point out some posts that have stood out to them in the past year. Anyone else is invited to contribute as well by e-mailing me at TheChief87@aol.com.
Over the next few days, I will highlight the posts selected by my readers as past of my first anniversary "blog bash."
The Morning After: Pittsburgh
Steelers 41, Browns 0
Record: 5-10
Divisional record: 0-5
Blogger's note: Yeah, I know this is actually three mornings after, but so what? After that performance, I'm not bending over backward to analyze it over the Christmas weekend.
Believe it or not, the final score isn't what bothers me the most about Saturday's death-star ass whupping. I truly believe it was an abberation. The Steelers aren't that good, and the Browns aren't that bad.
But the Steelers are still much better than the Browns, and that's what bothers me.
The Steelers don't always beat the Browns 41-0, but they almost always beat them. You have to go back to October 2003 to find the last time the Browns beat their purported arch-rivals. You have to go back to 1989 to find the last time the Browns were markedly better than the Steelers.
The Browns are now 3-11 against Pittsburgh since returning to the league in 1999. They are 5-20 since Bill Cowher took over as Pittsburgh's head coach in 1991, including a pair of playoff losses. When your record against your arch-rivals begins to resemble the 2003 record of Tigers pitcher Mike Maroth, things aren't going well.
You think John Cooper had it bad against Michigan? At least he only faced his rivals once a year. The Browns have to go through this twice, sometimes three times, in a year.
Some might even question whether this is a rivarly anymore. The Browns are 0-5 against all division rivals this year, and Pittsburgh has had bigger fish to fry recently, like Baltimore and New England.
It appears to be a rivalry kind of like Ohio State and Illinois is a rivalry. Long-time conference mates? Yes. Game has meaning? Yes. Big for Illinois? You bet. Big for Ohio State? Well, kind of.
But, as The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi pointed out, the Pittsburgh players still treat it like a rivalry. They relish coming in here and beating Cleveland's brains out, something that makes Cleveland fans fume, and stokes the rivalry's flames.
Now, if we can only get Cleveland's players and coaches to think the same way. Coach Romeo Crennel was non-committal when asked if he thought the fans deserved an apology for such a pathetic game.
"If you go out an purposely lay an egg like we laid, then an apology was definitely needed," he told The Plain Dealer.
Great. Just so long as you were trying, Romeo.
Luckily, Reuben Droughns apparently felt differently.
"We have to apologize," he reportedly said. "They (the fans) wanted a better showing than that, especially against a rival."
Droughns, however, said he was upset by fans who left early, leaving Cleveland Browns Stadium to be taken over by Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans at game's end.
It seemed approporiate, however, since the only thing keeping the Steelers from owning Cleveland Browns Stadium is a title deed. They have won five straight in Cleveland.
Droughns offered this bit of defiance in Tuesday's Plain Dealer:
"(The Steelers) better enjoy it now because it won't happen again. We just can't accept a loss like that."
You're preaching to the choir, R.D. Tell it to your teammates.
Up next: Baltimore, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (season finale)
Record: 5-10
Divisional record: 0-5
Blogger's note: Yeah, I know this is actually three mornings after, but so what? After that performance, I'm not bending over backward to analyze it over the Christmas weekend.
Believe it or not, the final score isn't what bothers me the most about Saturday's death-star ass whupping. I truly believe it was an abberation. The Steelers aren't that good, and the Browns aren't that bad.
But the Steelers are still much better than the Browns, and that's what bothers me.
The Steelers don't always beat the Browns 41-0, but they almost always beat them. You have to go back to October 2003 to find the last time the Browns beat their purported arch-rivals. You have to go back to 1989 to find the last time the Browns were markedly better than the Steelers.
The Browns are now 3-11 against Pittsburgh since returning to the league in 1999. They are 5-20 since Bill Cowher took over as Pittsburgh's head coach in 1991, including a pair of playoff losses. When your record against your arch-rivals begins to resemble the 2003 record of Tigers pitcher Mike Maroth, things aren't going well.
You think John Cooper had it bad against Michigan? At least he only faced his rivals once a year. The Browns have to go through this twice, sometimes three times, in a year.
Some might even question whether this is a rivarly anymore. The Browns are 0-5 against all division rivals this year, and Pittsburgh has had bigger fish to fry recently, like Baltimore and New England.
It appears to be a rivalry kind of like Ohio State and Illinois is a rivalry. Long-time conference mates? Yes. Game has meaning? Yes. Big for Illinois? You bet. Big for Ohio State? Well, kind of.
But, as The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi pointed out, the Pittsburgh players still treat it like a rivalry. They relish coming in here and beating Cleveland's brains out, something that makes Cleveland fans fume, and stokes the rivalry's flames.
Now, if we can only get Cleveland's players and coaches to think the same way. Coach Romeo Crennel was non-committal when asked if he thought the fans deserved an apology for such a pathetic game.
"If you go out an purposely lay an egg like we laid, then an apology was definitely needed," he told The Plain Dealer.
Great. Just so long as you were trying, Romeo.
Luckily, Reuben Droughns apparently felt differently.
"We have to apologize," he reportedly said. "They (the fans) wanted a better showing than that, especially against a rival."
Droughns, however, said he was upset by fans who left early, leaving Cleveland Browns Stadium to be taken over by Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans at game's end.
It seemed approporiate, however, since the only thing keeping the Steelers from owning Cleveland Browns Stadium is a title deed. They have won five straight in Cleveland.
Droughns offered this bit of defiance in Tuesday's Plain Dealer:
"(The Steelers) better enjoy it now because it won't happen again. We just can't accept a loss like that."
You're preaching to the choir, R.D. Tell it to your teammates.
Up next: Baltimore, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (season finale)
Friday, December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas
This will probably be my last post before the holiday weekend, so let me take a moment to wish the best to you and yours.
Stay tuned next week for my first-anniversary blog bash, as I celebrate the first year of "Erik Cassano's Weblog."
Happy Holidays.
Stay tuned next week for my first-anniversary blog bash, as I celebrate the first year of "Erik Cassano's Weblog."
Happy Holidays.
From triumph to tragedy
The Indianapolis Colts are 13-1 and are still the odds-on favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl despite losing their first game of the season last Sunday. But that must all seem so far away to coach Tony Dungy right now.
He is preparing to bury his 18-year-old son, James, after he was found unconscious and not breathing in his Tampa-area apartment early Thursday morning. Efforts to revive him were not successful.
Pre-autopsy reports list James Dungy's death as a suicide.
Tony Dungy has fought uphill battles in his football life before, but probably none like this, none where his personal and public lives collide so sharply.
Dungy is one of the NFL's true good guys, soft-spoken but at the same time a strong leader and excellent tactician. As coach of the Buccaneers, he was unfairly pigeonholed as merely a defensive specialist with no feel for the offensive side of the ball. Three appearances in the NFC championship game with no victories only perpetuated the myth. No one seems to remember how good the Buccaneers were on defense, that they held the high-octane St. Louis Rams to 10 points in the 1999 NFC title game.
Nobody remembers the Bucs had a slog-it-out offense, relying on running backs Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott while limiting the effect revolving-door quarterbacks like Trent Dilfer and Shaun King had on the game.
Dungy made the sad-sack Bucs a league force for the first time in franchise history. His reward? To be fired after the 2001 season and replaced by Jon Gruden, who promptly led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl win.
That year, the Bucs had Brad Johnson for a quarterback, a sizeable upgrade over anybody Dungy had under center.
Dungy landed in Indianapolis, where he took over a team that had offense in spades, but no defense. He molded the Colts defense into one of the fastest units in the NFL, and paired with the Colts' dominant offense, led Indy to a 13-0 start this season, prior to a loss to San Diego this past week.
Somewhere, the 1972 Dolphins were toasting the end of this lastest, failed attempt at a perfect season.
Dungy has handled all the near misses, all the close brushes with greatness, with the same quiet dignity that has made him popular in NFL circles. No matter the failure, he always seems to be working toward the next goal. It is a great trait for a coach to have.
Now Dungy and his Colts will have to endure a horrible time that will test the mettle of the team. James Dungy's death could unify the Colts and steel their resolve, but that is asking a lot a mere 48 hours after his death.
There will be too much grief, too much stress, and too many distractions these final two weeks of the regular season as the Colts try to maintain a grip on their rudder, the rudder Dungy has so expertly handled this year.
Football has been on the minds of the Colts pretty much nonstop since July. It is a shock, two weeks from the start of the playoffs, when football seems so distant. But there is still a job to do.
If the Colts can emege from James Dungy's death a stronger team, it should cement Dungy's greatness as an NFL coach, even if he never wins a Super Bowl.
Sometimes, greatness isn't measured in hardware. Sometimes, it is measured in your ability to maintain inner strength through the pain life deals you.
He is preparing to bury his 18-year-old son, James, after he was found unconscious and not breathing in his Tampa-area apartment early Thursday morning. Efforts to revive him were not successful.
Pre-autopsy reports list James Dungy's death as a suicide.
Tony Dungy has fought uphill battles in his football life before, but probably none like this, none where his personal and public lives collide so sharply.
Dungy is one of the NFL's true good guys, soft-spoken but at the same time a strong leader and excellent tactician. As coach of the Buccaneers, he was unfairly pigeonholed as merely a defensive specialist with no feel for the offensive side of the ball. Three appearances in the NFC championship game with no victories only perpetuated the myth. No one seems to remember how good the Buccaneers were on defense, that they held the high-octane St. Louis Rams to 10 points in the 1999 NFC title game.
Nobody remembers the Bucs had a slog-it-out offense, relying on running backs Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott while limiting the effect revolving-door quarterbacks like Trent Dilfer and Shaun King had on the game.
Dungy made the sad-sack Bucs a league force for the first time in franchise history. His reward? To be fired after the 2001 season and replaced by Jon Gruden, who promptly led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl win.
That year, the Bucs had Brad Johnson for a quarterback, a sizeable upgrade over anybody Dungy had under center.
Dungy landed in Indianapolis, where he took over a team that had offense in spades, but no defense. He molded the Colts defense into one of the fastest units in the NFL, and paired with the Colts' dominant offense, led Indy to a 13-0 start this season, prior to a loss to San Diego this past week.
Somewhere, the 1972 Dolphins were toasting the end of this lastest, failed attempt at a perfect season.
Dungy has handled all the near misses, all the close brushes with greatness, with the same quiet dignity that has made him popular in NFL circles. No matter the failure, he always seems to be working toward the next goal. It is a great trait for a coach to have.
Now Dungy and his Colts will have to endure a horrible time that will test the mettle of the team. James Dungy's death could unify the Colts and steel their resolve, but that is asking a lot a mere 48 hours after his death.
There will be too much grief, too much stress, and too many distractions these final two weeks of the regular season as the Colts try to maintain a grip on their rudder, the rudder Dungy has so expertly handled this year.
Football has been on the minds of the Colts pretty much nonstop since July. It is a shock, two weeks from the start of the playoffs, when football seems so distant. But there is still a job to do.
If the Colts can emege from James Dungy's death a stronger team, it should cement Dungy's greatness as an NFL coach, even if he never wins a Super Bowl.
Sometimes, greatness isn't measured in hardware. Sometimes, it is measured in your ability to maintain inner strength through the pain life deals you.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The Browns-Indians dynamic
There is a double standard in Cleveland sports I can't ignore any longer. The past few weeks have laid it out for me.
I'm really starting to get irritated by the favored-child status the Browns have in this town, and the whipping-boy status the Indians have.
Does this exist in other cities? No matter how lousy the Browns are, we still hear fans calling up talk shows, plotting out draft picks, talking about this player and that player and how they are the guys the team needs to build around. This year's golden boy is obviously Charlie Frye.
No matter how good the Indians are, all we hear about is how cheap owner Larry Dolan is, and how the team is doomed to fail because they won't spend any money.
The Indians won 93 games last year, remember? They did it with farm system-grown talent and a payroll that ranked near the bottom of baseball. The Browns, playing in a parity-driven league with a salary cap, have so far have won five of 14.
In a stuggling economy that has forced many to do more with less, the Indians did just that. The Browns are trying to claw out of years of wasteful management. Do fans of cash-strapped Cleveland, Ohio admire their "little guy" baseball team that so embodies who they are? No. Maybe it's too much like looking in a mirror.
Fans come to sports to forget about things like financial constraints and the daily struggle to make ends meet. They want their teams to spend like Daddy Warbucks, and storm through the opposition like Patton taking North Africa. The Indians, however, scrimp and save and are unable to make dream purchases, just like you.
Maybe that breeds contempt.
The Browns, meanwhile, might make fans upset by posting losing records year after year. But seldom do their fans doubt, and never do they entirely lose faith. That perplexes me.
When you get right down to it, the right team left Cleveland in 1995. Fans rasied holy hell to get their Browns back. I don't think the same effort would have been put into keeping the Indians or Cavaliers around.
Even when the Browns make questionable offseason moves, fans seem to take a wait-and-see attitude. The geniuses that run the Browns, after all, might have a larger plan in mind. But don't you dare try to sell Indians fans on Paul Byrd over Kevin Millwood. They just might threaten to boycott the Indians all summer (some have, just like they threatend to boycott the Indians when they traded David Justice, Roberto Alomar and Bartolo Colon, and let Omar Vizquel leave.)
Only with the Indians would retaining a 45-save closer from the year before be viewed as an underachievement. Only with the Indians could the return of Danny Graves be met with a lukewarm reception, after fans pined for him for years, lambasting John Hart for the short-sighted John Smiley trade.
And yet, fans are still divided to this day on whether the Browns should have cut ties with Tim Couch, who is now out of football. Somehow, they think Couch still had a chance to be a Pro Bowler, even after being jerked around by Browns coaches and management for five years.
The Indians do things the right way, even with limited money. General manager Mark Shapiro has surrounded himself with young, talented executives who have replenished a farm system that was withering in 2000 and 2001. The farm system has yielded wins, from 68 in 2003, to 80 in 2004, to 93 last year.
Certainly, the Indians haven't had a great offseason. But let's not forget that all the young guys who helped the team get to 93 wins are still here, and there are still trades that can be made. If anybody is going to figure something out, it will be Shapiro and his crew.
In my mind, the Browns are where most of the skepticism belongs. They are the team with the questionable track record. They are the team with more to prove.
But apparently, I'm in the minority in feeling that way.
I'm really starting to get irritated by the favored-child status the Browns have in this town, and the whipping-boy status the Indians have.
Does this exist in other cities? No matter how lousy the Browns are, we still hear fans calling up talk shows, plotting out draft picks, talking about this player and that player and how they are the guys the team needs to build around. This year's golden boy is obviously Charlie Frye.
No matter how good the Indians are, all we hear about is how cheap owner Larry Dolan is, and how the team is doomed to fail because they won't spend any money.
The Indians won 93 games last year, remember? They did it with farm system-grown talent and a payroll that ranked near the bottom of baseball. The Browns, playing in a parity-driven league with a salary cap, have so far have won five of 14.
In a stuggling economy that has forced many to do more with less, the Indians did just that. The Browns are trying to claw out of years of wasteful management. Do fans of cash-strapped Cleveland, Ohio admire their "little guy" baseball team that so embodies who they are? No. Maybe it's too much like looking in a mirror.
Fans come to sports to forget about things like financial constraints and the daily struggle to make ends meet. They want their teams to spend like Daddy Warbucks, and storm through the opposition like Patton taking North Africa. The Indians, however, scrimp and save and are unable to make dream purchases, just like you.
Maybe that breeds contempt.
The Browns, meanwhile, might make fans upset by posting losing records year after year. But seldom do their fans doubt, and never do they entirely lose faith. That perplexes me.
When you get right down to it, the right team left Cleveland in 1995. Fans rasied holy hell to get their Browns back. I don't think the same effort would have been put into keeping the Indians or Cavaliers around.
Even when the Browns make questionable offseason moves, fans seem to take a wait-and-see attitude. The geniuses that run the Browns, after all, might have a larger plan in mind. But don't you dare try to sell Indians fans on Paul Byrd over Kevin Millwood. They just might threaten to boycott the Indians all summer (some have, just like they threatend to boycott the Indians when they traded David Justice, Roberto Alomar and Bartolo Colon, and let Omar Vizquel leave.)
Only with the Indians would retaining a 45-save closer from the year before be viewed as an underachievement. Only with the Indians could the return of Danny Graves be met with a lukewarm reception, after fans pined for him for years, lambasting John Hart for the short-sighted John Smiley trade.
And yet, fans are still divided to this day on whether the Browns should have cut ties with Tim Couch, who is now out of football. Somehow, they think Couch still had a chance to be a Pro Bowler, even after being jerked around by Browns coaches and management for five years.
The Indians do things the right way, even with limited money. General manager Mark Shapiro has surrounded himself with young, talented executives who have replenished a farm system that was withering in 2000 and 2001. The farm system has yielded wins, from 68 in 2003, to 80 in 2004, to 93 last year.
Certainly, the Indians haven't had a great offseason. But let's not forget that all the young guys who helped the team get to 93 wins are still here, and there are still trades that can be made. If anybody is going to figure something out, it will be Shapiro and his crew.
In my mind, the Browns are where most of the skepticism belongs. They are the team with the questionable track record. They are the team with more to prove.
But apparently, I'm in the minority in feeling that way.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Losing out on Booz
Carlos Boozer bolted Cleveland in the summer of 2004, and the running has yet to stop.
Tonight, for the second straight season, Boozer will be thousands of miles away nursing an injury when his Jazz pay a visit to the Cavaliers.
Last season, it was a foot injury. This year, it is a tender hamstring that has sidelined him all season.
Boozer might have this plotted out so he can duck Cleveland from now until the end of his career. Next season, a stomach virus. The following year, a chipped fingernail. Sure, his injuries are legit, but so is his desire to stay away from the wrath of Cleveland fans.
Boozer could soon be finding ways to duck Utah fans if this season is any indication. He bought a 10-bedroom, 13-bathroom mansion in Malibu, Calif. during the off-season, and has reportedly made himself scarce in Salt Lake City, opting to stay in California and rehab with a hand-picked personal staff of trainers and physical therapists.
Rumors have begun to swirl that Boozer would like a trade to the Lakers. Apparently that "next Karl Malone" thing isn't working out so well in Utah, where he has played only 51 games in nearly a season and a half. Perhaps now he's thinking the next James Worthy?
Boozer was called out by Utah owner Larry Miller for a lack of toughness last year. This year, the Jazz had to call a news conference to reassure everyone that, yes, Boozer really is injured, and no, he isn't sandbagging it.
Only Boozer know for sure. What is certain is that Boozer's career is spiraling downward. The Cavaliers, perhaps being naive, trusted him enough to let him out of the final year of his contract with the anticipation he would sign a new deal in Cleveland. To roll the dice on a purported franchise player, the Cavaliers must have gotten some assurance from Boozer's camp that he was staying. But then Adonal Foyle inked a ridiculous five-year deal with the Warriors. Then the Jazz came calling with a six-year, $68 million offer, and Boozer reneged on his Cleveland promise.
It was then Boozer's true colors showed. It was then his career took a bad turn.
Boozer played the part of a nose-to-the-grindstone yeoman basketball player his first two seasons. He looked like the type of guy that put personal gains aside to help his team win.
But underneath that workman exterior was a self-centered, bitter individual, who apparently felt his blood pressure rise every time a reporter reminded him he was a second-round draft pick in 2002. He put up 15 points and 11 rebounds per game in the 2003-04 season. Current Cav Drew Gooden, picked fourth overall in 2002, has yet to have a 15-and-11 season, but made far more money than Boozer his first two years.
Boozer was looking for a payday that would prove he was as good or better than any other power forward picked ahead of him that year, and apparently was willing to step over whomever he needed to so long as he got the money.
Boozer has been branded as selfish since then, and the negative things have kept happening to him.
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com calls it bad karma for "screwing over a blind man," meaning former Cavs majority owner Gordon Gund, who lost his sight to retinitis pigmentosa at age 21.
Predictably, Boozer's reaction has not been to meet questions or criticism head on, it has been to go into hiding. In the months after he left Cleveland, he spent much of his time in his native Alaska, waiting for the heat to die down. Now, he is hunkered down in Malibu, hiding from two cities.
Boozer is becoming a basketball version of Roberto Alomar without the superlative ability. He is making a habit of quickly wearing out his welcome wherever he goes. It doesn't seem to bother him, so long as he can keep running away.
If and when he does get traded to the Lakers, expect him to buy a house in San Antonio and begin dreaming of becoming Tim Duncan's understudy shortly thereafter.
Tonight, for the second straight season, Boozer will be thousands of miles away nursing an injury when his Jazz pay a visit to the Cavaliers.
Last season, it was a foot injury. This year, it is a tender hamstring that has sidelined him all season.
Boozer might have this plotted out so he can duck Cleveland from now until the end of his career. Next season, a stomach virus. The following year, a chipped fingernail. Sure, his injuries are legit, but so is his desire to stay away from the wrath of Cleveland fans.
Boozer could soon be finding ways to duck Utah fans if this season is any indication. He bought a 10-bedroom, 13-bathroom mansion in Malibu, Calif. during the off-season, and has reportedly made himself scarce in Salt Lake City, opting to stay in California and rehab with a hand-picked personal staff of trainers and physical therapists.
Rumors have begun to swirl that Boozer would like a trade to the Lakers. Apparently that "next Karl Malone" thing isn't working out so well in Utah, where he has played only 51 games in nearly a season and a half. Perhaps now he's thinking the next James Worthy?
Boozer was called out by Utah owner Larry Miller for a lack of toughness last year. This year, the Jazz had to call a news conference to reassure everyone that, yes, Boozer really is injured, and no, he isn't sandbagging it.
Only Boozer know for sure. What is certain is that Boozer's career is spiraling downward. The Cavaliers, perhaps being naive, trusted him enough to let him out of the final year of his contract with the anticipation he would sign a new deal in Cleveland. To roll the dice on a purported franchise player, the Cavaliers must have gotten some assurance from Boozer's camp that he was staying. But then Adonal Foyle inked a ridiculous five-year deal with the Warriors. Then the Jazz came calling with a six-year, $68 million offer, and Boozer reneged on his Cleveland promise.
It was then Boozer's true colors showed. It was then his career took a bad turn.
Boozer played the part of a nose-to-the-grindstone yeoman basketball player his first two seasons. He looked like the type of guy that put personal gains aside to help his team win.
But underneath that workman exterior was a self-centered, bitter individual, who apparently felt his blood pressure rise every time a reporter reminded him he was a second-round draft pick in 2002. He put up 15 points and 11 rebounds per game in the 2003-04 season. Current Cav Drew Gooden, picked fourth overall in 2002, has yet to have a 15-and-11 season, but made far more money than Boozer his first two years.
Boozer was looking for a payday that would prove he was as good or better than any other power forward picked ahead of him that year, and apparently was willing to step over whomever he needed to so long as he got the money.
Boozer has been branded as selfish since then, and the negative things have kept happening to him.
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com calls it bad karma for "screwing over a blind man," meaning former Cavs majority owner Gordon Gund, who lost his sight to retinitis pigmentosa at age 21.
Predictably, Boozer's reaction has not been to meet questions or criticism head on, it has been to go into hiding. In the months after he left Cleveland, he spent much of his time in his native Alaska, waiting for the heat to die down. Now, he is hunkered down in Malibu, hiding from two cities.
Boozer is becoming a basketball version of Roberto Alomar without the superlative ability. He is making a habit of quickly wearing out his welcome wherever he goes. It doesn't seem to bother him, so long as he can keep running away.
If and when he does get traded to the Lakers, expect him to buy a house in San Antonio and begin dreaming of becoming Tim Duncan's understudy shortly thereafter.
These are the Packers?
If you are the Green Bay Packers, now is the time to cover your face.
Kyle Boller dropped 48 points on Green Bay on national television Monday night, passed for 253 yards, three touchdowns, and led the Ravens, who had scored 20 points in a game only one time previously this year, to 24 in the first half.
Sure, it was a statistical abberation. But so are plane crashes.
Remember all the fuss about how the Texans were leading the Reggie Bush first-pick sweepstakes? Well, the Packers (3-11) are very much in the Bush fray, too.
If it's any consolation, I think the Packers, a winning organization, would have a much better idea of what to do with Bush than Houston or any other scrub team chasing the first pick (that includes Cleveland).
Kyle Boller dropped 48 points on Green Bay on national television Monday night, passed for 253 yards, three touchdowns, and led the Ravens, who had scored 20 points in a game only one time previously this year, to 24 in the first half.
Sure, it was a statistical abberation. But so are plane crashes.
Remember all the fuss about how the Texans were leading the Reggie Bush first-pick sweepstakes? Well, the Packers (3-11) are very much in the Bush fray, too.
If it's any consolation, I think the Packers, a winning organization, would have a much better idea of what to do with Bush than Houston or any other scrub team chasing the first pick (that includes Cleveland).
Monday, December 19, 2005
No Nomar
Suprise, surprise. Nomar Garciaparra isn't coming to Cleveland, opting instead to wear Dodger blue for the upcoming season.
But Nomar's decision probably had less to do with money and more to do with Mia Hamm.
Garciaparra and his soccer-star wife own a house in the Los Angeles area, something that had to have contributed to his decision.
Nomar's contract isn't beyond Cleveland's grasp, either: one year at $6 million. It's a reclaim-my-career contract, similar to the one Kevin Millwood signed with the Indians for the 2005 season.
Play one year. If that goes well and the injury bug stays away, the door is once again opened for the big bucks.
The difference is, the Dodgers will have a fighting chance to keep Garciaparra if all goes well next season. Cleveland, not so much.
The Indians, meanwhile, put some names in the hopper for the right-handed set up man's job, signing a pair of blasts from the past --Danny Graves and Steve Karsay -- to minor-league contracts today.
Graves' career is in tatters after a couple of dismal years with the Reds and Mets. Karsay was cut by the Yankees midway through last season with recurring back problems.
It is a similar approach to what the Indians took in signing Scott Sauerbeck and Bob Howry two years ago. Roll the dice on a player down on his luck and rub your rabbit's foot. With Sauerbeck it worked. With Howry it worked too well, as he bolted to sign a multiyear deal with the Cubs last month.
In New York and L.A. and Chicago, the suspense comes on the field in September and October. In Cleveland, it comes over the news wire in December.
But Nomar's decision probably had less to do with money and more to do with Mia Hamm.
Garciaparra and his soccer-star wife own a house in the Los Angeles area, something that had to have contributed to his decision.
Nomar's contract isn't beyond Cleveland's grasp, either: one year at $6 million. It's a reclaim-my-career contract, similar to the one Kevin Millwood signed with the Indians for the 2005 season.
Play one year. If that goes well and the injury bug stays away, the door is once again opened for the big bucks.
The difference is, the Dodgers will have a fighting chance to keep Garciaparra if all goes well next season. Cleveland, not so much.
The Indians, meanwhile, put some names in the hopper for the right-handed set up man's job, signing a pair of blasts from the past --Danny Graves and Steve Karsay -- to minor-league contracts today.
Graves' career is in tatters after a couple of dismal years with the Reds and Mets. Karsay was cut by the Yankees midway through last season with recurring back problems.
It is a similar approach to what the Indians took in signing Scott Sauerbeck and Bob Howry two years ago. Roll the dice on a player down on his luck and rub your rabbit's foot. With Sauerbeck it worked. With Howry it worked too well, as he bolted to sign a multiyear deal with the Cubs last month.
In New York and L.A. and Chicago, the suspense comes on the field in September and October. In Cleveland, it comes over the news wire in December.
The Morning After: Oakland
Browns 9, Raiders 7
Record: 5-9
It was exactly the game I expected from a pair of 4-9 teams. Low-scoring and full of mistakes.
The Browns continued to bring Charlie Frye along with training wheels, while the Raiders are just spinning their wheels.
It was a game in which the Raiders could not make the Browns pay for a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, in which the Browns needed a Reuben Droughns fumble call overturned to set up Phil Dawson's game-winning field goal as time expired.
It was a game in which the winning team failed to reach the end zone, a game in which the winning team was probably the losing team in the long run. Five wins might be enough to force the Browns to draft as low as 10th in April. A sixth win almost assuredly would drop Cleveland to 10th or below.
The Browns' lone chance at a touchdown was stuffed in the first quarter. I'd like to credit the Raiders and their defensive front for stopping everything the Browns threw at them, but that would give Cleveland too much credit. Inside the Oakland five yard line, Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon elected to run Droughns up the gut four straight times, and he was stopped all four times.
I recognize the need to keep things simple for the inexperienced Frye, but there is a saying credited to Albert Einstein. It finds its way onto office walls every now and then:
"The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result."
No harm in mixing in a sweep, or even an old-school option play. Lee Suggs, noticeably faster than Droughns, is healthy for his annual December breakout. He is pretty good at turning the corner with a head of steam.
I'd also like to give the Browns defense credit for holding the Raiders to one Kerry Collins-to-Randy Moss touchdown pass, but again, that would paint an inaccurate picture.
Collins' game was in discord after being benched for Marquez Tuiasosopo last week, then being re-inserted as a starter this week. He and Moss were speaking different football languages all afternoon, save for the touchdown pass, which was mostly due to some soft Cleveland coverage in the secondary, and the Moss' height, which allowed him to snare a high over-the-middle pass from Collins.
The Browns allowed another 100-yard rushing game, as preseason fantasy favorite LaMont Jordan racked up 132 yards, mostly inconsequential due to Oakland's impotent passing game.
An assist in the win also goes to Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski, possibly the most overrated kicker in the league. The former first-round pick badly missed a second-half field goal that would have pushed Oakland to 10 points.
Up next: Pittsburgh, Saturday, 1 p.m. ET.
Record: 5-9
It was exactly the game I expected from a pair of 4-9 teams. Low-scoring and full of mistakes.
The Browns continued to bring Charlie Frye along with training wheels, while the Raiders are just spinning their wheels.
It was a game in which the Raiders could not make the Browns pay for a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, in which the Browns needed a Reuben Droughns fumble call overturned to set up Phil Dawson's game-winning field goal as time expired.
It was a game in which the winning team failed to reach the end zone, a game in which the winning team was probably the losing team in the long run. Five wins might be enough to force the Browns to draft as low as 10th in April. A sixth win almost assuredly would drop Cleveland to 10th or below.
The Browns' lone chance at a touchdown was stuffed in the first quarter. I'd like to credit the Raiders and their defensive front for stopping everything the Browns threw at them, but that would give Cleveland too much credit. Inside the Oakland five yard line, Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon elected to run Droughns up the gut four straight times, and he was stopped all four times.
I recognize the need to keep things simple for the inexperienced Frye, but there is a saying credited to Albert Einstein. It finds its way onto office walls every now and then:
"The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result."
No harm in mixing in a sweep, or even an old-school option play. Lee Suggs, noticeably faster than Droughns, is healthy for his annual December breakout. He is pretty good at turning the corner with a head of steam.
I'd also like to give the Browns defense credit for holding the Raiders to one Kerry Collins-to-Randy Moss touchdown pass, but again, that would paint an inaccurate picture.
Collins' game was in discord after being benched for Marquez Tuiasosopo last week, then being re-inserted as a starter this week. He and Moss were speaking different football languages all afternoon, save for the touchdown pass, which was mostly due to some soft Cleveland coverage in the secondary, and the Moss' height, which allowed him to snare a high over-the-middle pass from Collins.
The Browns allowed another 100-yard rushing game, as preseason fantasy favorite LaMont Jordan racked up 132 yards, mostly inconsequential due to Oakland's impotent passing game.
An assist in the win also goes to Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski, possibly the most overrated kicker in the league. The former first-round pick badly missed a second-half field goal that would have pushed Oakland to 10 points.
Up next: Pittsburgh, Saturday, 1 p.m. ET.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Cool to the Heat
When Damon Jones signed with the Cavaliers in September, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com wrote a pretty bold column insinuating that Jones might be in the Cavs' camp, but still very much yearned to be with the Heat, where he was the starting point guard on a conference finalist last year.
I thought it was a dose of East Coast arrogance from Bucher, a "How could Jones take Cleveland over Miami without being forced?" dig at the Cavaliers and Cleveland's cold, snowy winters.
Three months later, I'm starting to think there was some validity to the column. Most of my suspicions have been aroused by what has come directly out of Jones' ever-moving mouth.
Turns out, Jones thinks Heat GM/coach/puppet master Pat Riley had a pretty good thing going last year, and is more than a little bitter that Riley saw fit to whitewash the team around Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, tossing Damon and Eddie Jones aside for the likes of Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.
Jones is a spurned lover. He is on the Cavs' arm now, but makes no bones about looking with hurt and longing in Miami's direction.
Losing the starting point guard job to Eric Snow didn't help matters for Jones, who clammed up to the media for most of November because of his bench assignment. Once he opened up again, he reportedly likened his Miami-to-Cleveland transition as going from being in the Beatles to being a backup singer for the Isley Brothers.
During the Cavs' win over the Nuggets last week, TNT's broadcast team of Marv Albert and Steve Kerr shed light on the comment. Albert called it "an insult to the Isley Brothers."
What about the Cavs, who now pay Jones? Seems pretty insulting to them, too.
Jones' bitterness fully blossomed leading up to Saturday's win over Miami at The Q. He hit Riley with both verbal barrels, saying recently-resigned Heat coach Stan Van Gundy was "set up to fail" because Riley was looking for a reason to re-install himself as Miami's head coach.
Jones could very well be right, but the truth seemed less important than sticking it to Riley, the author of Jones' one-way ticket out of Miami.
Riley didn't take the verabl shots laying down, firing back prior to the Heat-Cavs game. He said Jones was "being Damon Jones," an apparent hint that Jones' relationship with Riley has been less-than-fuzzy for some time.
Riley doesn't want anything to do with Jones. The trouble is, Jones would probably put up with Riley again in a heartbeat if it meant he could go back to being the starting point guard for the Heat, the team with which he had his breakout season, the place where he was a favored member of Shaq's court.
Not that being a second lieutenant for LeBron James is a bad gig, but the first thing Jones acknowledged when he signed with the Cavs was that they are more than a few miles behind the Heat in terms of being a title contender.
Jones is a bit reckless when it comes to shooting three-pointers, but he is a professional. He has shown a willingness to take the job assigned him and perform it with enthusiasm. In Cleveland, that means coming off the bench.
But if you are one of those Cleveland fans who thinks every player who suits up for your teams should only have eyes for Cleveland, avoid eye contact with Damon Jones, because you'll probably see images of Shaq, Dwyane and palm trees.
I thought it was a dose of East Coast arrogance from Bucher, a "How could Jones take Cleveland over Miami without being forced?" dig at the Cavaliers and Cleveland's cold, snowy winters.
Three months later, I'm starting to think there was some validity to the column. Most of my suspicions have been aroused by what has come directly out of Jones' ever-moving mouth.
Turns out, Jones thinks Heat GM/coach/puppet master Pat Riley had a pretty good thing going last year, and is more than a little bitter that Riley saw fit to whitewash the team around Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, tossing Damon and Eddie Jones aside for the likes of Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.
Jones is a spurned lover. He is on the Cavs' arm now, but makes no bones about looking with hurt and longing in Miami's direction.
Losing the starting point guard job to Eric Snow didn't help matters for Jones, who clammed up to the media for most of November because of his bench assignment. Once he opened up again, he reportedly likened his Miami-to-Cleveland transition as going from being in the Beatles to being a backup singer for the Isley Brothers.
During the Cavs' win over the Nuggets last week, TNT's broadcast team of Marv Albert and Steve Kerr shed light on the comment. Albert called it "an insult to the Isley Brothers."
What about the Cavs, who now pay Jones? Seems pretty insulting to them, too.
Jones' bitterness fully blossomed leading up to Saturday's win over Miami at The Q. He hit Riley with both verbal barrels, saying recently-resigned Heat coach Stan Van Gundy was "set up to fail" because Riley was looking for a reason to re-install himself as Miami's head coach.
Jones could very well be right, but the truth seemed less important than sticking it to Riley, the author of Jones' one-way ticket out of Miami.
Riley didn't take the verabl shots laying down, firing back prior to the Heat-Cavs game. He said Jones was "being Damon Jones," an apparent hint that Jones' relationship with Riley has been less-than-fuzzy for some time.
Riley doesn't want anything to do with Jones. The trouble is, Jones would probably put up with Riley again in a heartbeat if it meant he could go back to being the starting point guard for the Heat, the team with which he had his breakout season, the place where he was a favored member of Shaq's court.
Not that being a second lieutenant for LeBron James is a bad gig, but the first thing Jones acknowledged when he signed with the Cavs was that they are more than a few miles behind the Heat in terms of being a title contender.
Jones is a bit reckless when it comes to shooting three-pointers, but he is a professional. He has shown a willingness to take the job assigned him and perform it with enthusiasm. In Cleveland, that means coming off the bench.
But if you are one of those Cleveland fans who thinks every player who suits up for your teams should only have eyes for Cleveland, avoid eye contact with Damon Jones, because you'll probably see images of Shaq, Dwyane and palm trees.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Thursday roundup
There were a few story threads to follow around the Cleveland sports scene Thursday, but not enough to sustain an entire column. So I'm going to bounce around a bit today.
The Cavaliers looked about as good as they have looked in quite some time in dropping the Nuggets Thursday night at The Q, 94-85.
Two days after their worst performance of the season in a loss to Atlanta, the Cavs rebounded with tight defense and clutch shooting to snap a three-game losing streak.
LeBron James did what he ususally does when the Cavs win: eschewed his own scoring to get his teammates involved. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Jones finished with a season-high 17 points. He was still a bit reckless in heaving threes, but exhibited more control over his game than recently.
Defensively, the Cavs prompted me to ask "Where has this been since Thanksgiving?" Their spacing was good, energy up, and LeBron, possibly motivated by playing good friend Carmelo Anthony, helped hold him to 23 points on 23 shots. At one point in the second quarter, the Cavs had four straight defensive stops.
All you Browns fans who think linebacker Andra Davis is overrated and underproductive, I have bad news: he's going to be here for a while after inking a five-year contract extension Thursday.
It's not as bad as you think. Davis was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week following Cleveland's 22-0 win over Miami four weeks ago. While he's not a franchise defensive player, he could be a nice compliment to an as-yet-unacquired stud linebacker (A.J. Hawk, anyone?)
After struggling early to adjust to coach Romeo Crennel's 3-4 schemes, Davis apparently looks like a keeper to the Browns. The contract is a huge vote of confidence for Davis, considering how crucial linebackers are in a 3-4 defense.
It also might help reverse the fortunes of Davises in Cleveland, which haven't been too good recently (Ricky, Butch, Andre).
The Indians are still waiting for an answer from free agent Nomar Garciaparra, which could come by today. If general manager Mark Shapiro gets Garciaparra to spurn offers from the well-endowed Astros, Dodgers and Yankees to sign with Cleveland, he might have a future in sales if this whole baseball thing doesn't work out.
The Cavaliers looked about as good as they have looked in quite some time in dropping the Nuggets Thursday night at The Q, 94-85.
Two days after their worst performance of the season in a loss to Atlanta, the Cavs rebounded with tight defense and clutch shooting to snap a three-game losing streak.
LeBron James did what he ususally does when the Cavs win: eschewed his own scoring to get his teammates involved. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Jones finished with a season-high 17 points. He was still a bit reckless in heaving threes, but exhibited more control over his game than recently.
Defensively, the Cavs prompted me to ask "Where has this been since Thanksgiving?" Their spacing was good, energy up, and LeBron, possibly motivated by playing good friend Carmelo Anthony, helped hold him to 23 points on 23 shots. At one point in the second quarter, the Cavs had four straight defensive stops.
All you Browns fans who think linebacker Andra Davis is overrated and underproductive, I have bad news: he's going to be here for a while after inking a five-year contract extension Thursday.
It's not as bad as you think. Davis was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week following Cleveland's 22-0 win over Miami four weeks ago. While he's not a franchise defensive player, he could be a nice compliment to an as-yet-unacquired stud linebacker (A.J. Hawk, anyone?)
After struggling early to adjust to coach Romeo Crennel's 3-4 schemes, Davis apparently looks like a keeper to the Browns. The contract is a huge vote of confidence for Davis, considering how crucial linebackers are in a 3-4 defense.
It also might help reverse the fortunes of Davises in Cleveland, which haven't been too good recently (Ricky, Butch, Andre).
The Indians are still waiting for an answer from free agent Nomar Garciaparra, which could come by today. If general manager Mark Shapiro gets Garciaparra to spurn offers from the well-endowed Astros, Dodgers and Yankees to sign with Cleveland, he might have a future in sales if this whole baseball thing doesn't work out.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Soul searching
It's only mid-December, and I don't think the Cavaliers have reached an "hour of reckoning" point of the season just yet.
But the Cavs are in a stretch of 10 home games in 13 prior to taking off on a long, tough West Coast trip in mid-January. A poor showing over the next 13 games combined with taking their lumps on the West Coast trip could jepoardize the season.
So far, the Cavs are 0-2 in the stretch of 10 home dates. Denver, a playoff team last year, comes into The Q tonight.
Cleveland is 2-7 in its last nine games, causing their record to careen from 9-2 to 11-9. The Cavs now sit a mere half-game out of last place in the stacked Central Division, where the Bulls are bringing up the rear with a 10-9 record.
Tonight's game isn't a must-win, but as the losses continue to pile up and the West Coast swing draws closer, the pressure to start winning will grow. Many of the players and coaches weren't here to witness last spring's collapse that caused the Cavs to miss the playoffs, but after narrowly missing the postseason two years in a row, the pressure to make the playoffs is great this year. If the Cavs are below .500 and in lottery position come mid-February, the likelyhood of the team narrowly missing the playoffs for a third straight year is high. That's not progress. And the "LeBron is leaving" murmurs will grow louder. Even though LeBron has played a hand in the Cavs' recent skid.
Below, I size up some Cavs players and coach Mike Brown, and find out what they can do to help the Cavs rebound before it's too late.
LeBron James
What he is doing: Carrying the scoring many nights, being a willing team leader, not getting down on himself or his team.
What he is not doing: playing consistent defense, spreading the workload around, demanding more of his teammates.
What he needs to do: LeBron has the athleticism to be a lockdown defender, but too often, he is trying for the steal, missing, and consequently giving his man a clear path to the basket. LeBron needs to begin taking as much pride in his defense as he does in his almost-limitless offensive game. While it is great he is not badmouthing his team, there comes a time when LeBron needs to assert himself and demand more of his teammates. Like last season, when the going gets tough, LeBron puts all the weight on himself, and allows his teammates to become passive observers. That's not going to win any playoff series, let alone championships.
Damon Jones
What he is doing: bringing energy on a nightly basis, showing an unwavering confidence in his outside shot.
What he is not doing: playing any kind of real defense, showing good judgment when hoisting three-pointers.
What he needs to do: Jones is, at the moment, not doing a good job of playing within himself. He appears obsessed with the three-ball. During a game against New Jersey last Friday, he grabbed a long-carom rebound at the free-throw line off a missed Donyell Marshall three. Instead of taking the ball to the basket or trying to draw contact inside, he dribbled back out to three-point land and hoisted another miss.
Jones is not Reggie Miller. He is a good but not a great outside shooter, and needs to realize that anytime is not a good time to hoist a three. Jones would also be best-served to focus his energy at the defensive end, and at least be an undersized, disruptive pest even if he can't really guard anyone.
Larry Hughes
What he is doing: being that long-sought scoring compliment to LeBron, showing fearlessness when penetrating to the basket.
What he is not doing: Living up to his reputation as a first-team All NBA defender.
What he needs to do: This is where a Ron Artest trade becomes intriguing again. Artest and LeBron in the lineup could move Hughes to the point. At 6'-5", rail thin and quick, Hughes has the body of a modern NBA point guard, and could shut down smaller guards on defense. But as long as he is a shooting guard, he needs to use that quickness to at least slow down opposing two-guards, if not stop them.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
What he is doing: Getting to the free-throw line, playing well within his limitations, showing a willingness to work at his defensive game.
What he is not doing: like LeBron, not demanding more of his teammates.
What he needs to do: Z is the elder statesman of the Cavaliers, with 10 seasons under his belt. That level of experience lends itself to leadership. I'm sure Z works with younger players, but he and LeBron could be the standard-setters for the roster if they'd be willing to speak up more often. Not being jerks about it, but leaving strong hints that lax efforts like the one Tuesday against the Hawks is beneath the team and will not be tolerated. To a lot of players, one sentence from a teammate is worth more than an hour-long lecture from a coach.
Mike Brown
What he is doing: saying all the right things, preaching defense, acknowledging that building a team is a process. What he is not doing: building a bridge between the complexities of his playbook and his players, who have to to execute the plays, not just learn them.
What he needs to do: becoming a head coach is like being in a new country for Brown. From the high language of NBA scholars, he must now find a language that reaches the NBA's million-dollar peasants, the players. The players want simple concepts, since they not only have to learn the plays, they have to execute them on the floor. Lengthy skull sessions on the intrcacies of pick-and-roll defense only educates players to a point; after that, it bores them.
Keep it as simple as possible, Mike.
But the Cavs are in a stretch of 10 home games in 13 prior to taking off on a long, tough West Coast trip in mid-January. A poor showing over the next 13 games combined with taking their lumps on the West Coast trip could jepoardize the season.
So far, the Cavs are 0-2 in the stretch of 10 home dates. Denver, a playoff team last year, comes into The Q tonight.
Cleveland is 2-7 in its last nine games, causing their record to careen from 9-2 to 11-9. The Cavs now sit a mere half-game out of last place in the stacked Central Division, where the Bulls are bringing up the rear with a 10-9 record.
Tonight's game isn't a must-win, but as the losses continue to pile up and the West Coast swing draws closer, the pressure to start winning will grow. Many of the players and coaches weren't here to witness last spring's collapse that caused the Cavs to miss the playoffs, but after narrowly missing the postseason two years in a row, the pressure to make the playoffs is great this year. If the Cavs are below .500 and in lottery position come mid-February, the likelyhood of the team narrowly missing the playoffs for a third straight year is high. That's not progress. And the "LeBron is leaving" murmurs will grow louder. Even though LeBron has played a hand in the Cavs' recent skid.
Below, I size up some Cavs players and coach Mike Brown, and find out what they can do to help the Cavs rebound before it's too late.
LeBron James
What he is doing: Carrying the scoring many nights, being a willing team leader, not getting down on himself or his team.
What he is not doing: playing consistent defense, spreading the workload around, demanding more of his teammates.
What he needs to do: LeBron has the athleticism to be a lockdown defender, but too often, he is trying for the steal, missing, and consequently giving his man a clear path to the basket. LeBron needs to begin taking as much pride in his defense as he does in his almost-limitless offensive game. While it is great he is not badmouthing his team, there comes a time when LeBron needs to assert himself and demand more of his teammates. Like last season, when the going gets tough, LeBron puts all the weight on himself, and allows his teammates to become passive observers. That's not going to win any playoff series, let alone championships.
Damon Jones
What he is doing: bringing energy on a nightly basis, showing an unwavering confidence in his outside shot.
What he is not doing: playing any kind of real defense, showing good judgment when hoisting three-pointers.
What he needs to do: Jones is, at the moment, not doing a good job of playing within himself. He appears obsessed with the three-ball. During a game against New Jersey last Friday, he grabbed a long-carom rebound at the free-throw line off a missed Donyell Marshall three. Instead of taking the ball to the basket or trying to draw contact inside, he dribbled back out to three-point land and hoisted another miss.
Jones is not Reggie Miller. He is a good but not a great outside shooter, and needs to realize that anytime is not a good time to hoist a three. Jones would also be best-served to focus his energy at the defensive end, and at least be an undersized, disruptive pest even if he can't really guard anyone.
Larry Hughes
What he is doing: being that long-sought scoring compliment to LeBron, showing fearlessness when penetrating to the basket.
What he is not doing: Living up to his reputation as a first-team All NBA defender.
What he needs to do: This is where a Ron Artest trade becomes intriguing again. Artest and LeBron in the lineup could move Hughes to the point. At 6'-5", rail thin and quick, Hughes has the body of a modern NBA point guard, and could shut down smaller guards on defense. But as long as he is a shooting guard, he needs to use that quickness to at least slow down opposing two-guards, if not stop them.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
What he is doing: Getting to the free-throw line, playing well within his limitations, showing a willingness to work at his defensive game.
What he is not doing: like LeBron, not demanding more of his teammates.
What he needs to do: Z is the elder statesman of the Cavaliers, with 10 seasons under his belt. That level of experience lends itself to leadership. I'm sure Z works with younger players, but he and LeBron could be the standard-setters for the roster if they'd be willing to speak up more often. Not being jerks about it, but leaving strong hints that lax efforts like the one Tuesday against the Hawks is beneath the team and will not be tolerated. To a lot of players, one sentence from a teammate is worth more than an hour-long lecture from a coach.
Mike Brown
What he is doing: saying all the right things, preaching defense, acknowledging that building a team is a process. What he is not doing: building a bridge between the complexities of his playbook and his players, who have to to execute the plays, not just learn them.
What he needs to do: becoming a head coach is like being in a new country for Brown. From the high language of NBA scholars, he must now find a language that reaches the NBA's million-dollar peasants, the players. The players want simple concepts, since they not only have to learn the plays, they have to execute them on the floor. Lengthy skull sessions on the intrcacies of pick-and-roll defense only educates players to a point; after that, it bores them.
Keep it as simple as possible, Mike.
Nomar's decision
Arn Tellem, the agent for Nomar Garciaparra, said in The Plain Dealer today that his client could choose a team by the end of the week.
The finalists are reportedly the NL champion Astros (big market), the Dodgers (even bigger market), the Yankees (King Kong market) and the Indians (mom 'n pop grocery market).
To quote a little ditty from Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the others."
Can you pick out the one that doesn't belong? I'll give you a hint: it's the team whose general manager recently said, "We'd love to have Kevin Millwood back on a one-year contract," likely causing Millwood's agent, Scott Boras, to wet his pants laughing.
The finalists are reportedly the NL champion Astros (big market), the Dodgers (even bigger market), the Yankees (King Kong market) and the Indians (mom 'n pop grocery market).
To quote a little ditty from Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the others."
Can you pick out the one that doesn't belong? I'll give you a hint: it's the team whose general manager recently said, "We'd love to have Kevin Millwood back on a one-year contract," likely causing Millwood's agent, Scott Boras, to wet his pants laughing.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Life at the top
No one can guarantee that the White Sox will win another World Series in the next few years, but they certainly are setting themselves up to dominate the AL Central for the foreseeable future.
While the rest of the division is standing pat or making marginal improvements, Chicago has gone out and bolstered their championship roster with big names.
Jim Thome was added in a trade with the Phillies last month. Today, the White Sox added Javier Vazquez to their starting rotation in a trade with Arizona.
The largest price they paid? Aaron Rowand to Philadelphia and Orlando Hernandez to Arizona.
Did I mention they kept free agent slugger Paul Konerko, too?
While the Tigers keep attempting to crawl out of the muck of previous regimes' bad management, and the Indians, Twins and Royals are handcuffed with extremely limited finances, the White Sox have gone out and made the few bold brushstrokes that will ensure "Chicago" will be the name at the top of the AL Central standing for most of 2006 and possibly 2007.
There is a catch. Sooner or later, Thome's contract will be an albatross as he gets older and more injury-prone. Sooner or later, all these big names and big contracts will take their toll, and toward the end of the decade, Chicago will likely have to do some payroll-trimming.
But heck, if they get another world championship or two out of this cast of characters and go down in history as the "team of the 2000s," they will have gotten their use out of them.
The good jobs Cleveland and Minnesota have done in building up their farm systems should keep some semblance of competitive balance in the division. In other words, Chicago probably won't be able to pencil themselves in as division champs on April 1, as the Indians did so often in the '90s.
But the White Sox have the most resources in the division, and they have the rings, which means a predictable bump in attendance and merchandise sales. So while the rest of the division, sans Detroit, is dealing in "Monopoly" money, the White Sox will consistently have the ammo to go out and make meaningful acquisitions. And that will probably be the difference maker come September and October.
If you are a fan of the Indians, Twins, Tigers or Royals, be thankful for the wild card. It might be your team's only chance at the postseason for the time being.
While the rest of the division is standing pat or making marginal improvements, Chicago has gone out and bolstered their championship roster with big names.
Jim Thome was added in a trade with the Phillies last month. Today, the White Sox added Javier Vazquez to their starting rotation in a trade with Arizona.
The largest price they paid? Aaron Rowand to Philadelphia and Orlando Hernandez to Arizona.
Did I mention they kept free agent slugger Paul Konerko, too?
While the Tigers keep attempting to crawl out of the muck of previous regimes' bad management, and the Indians, Twins and Royals are handcuffed with extremely limited finances, the White Sox have gone out and made the few bold brushstrokes that will ensure "Chicago" will be the name at the top of the AL Central standing for most of 2006 and possibly 2007.
There is a catch. Sooner or later, Thome's contract will be an albatross as he gets older and more injury-prone. Sooner or later, all these big names and big contracts will take their toll, and toward the end of the decade, Chicago will likely have to do some payroll-trimming.
But heck, if they get another world championship or two out of this cast of characters and go down in history as the "team of the 2000s," they will have gotten their use out of them.
The good jobs Cleveland and Minnesota have done in building up their farm systems should keep some semblance of competitive balance in the division. In other words, Chicago probably won't be able to pencil themselves in as division champs on April 1, as the Indians did so often in the '90s.
But the White Sox have the most resources in the division, and they have the rings, which means a predictable bump in attendance and merchandise sales. So while the rest of the division, sans Detroit, is dealing in "Monopoly" money, the White Sox will consistently have the ammo to go out and make meaningful acquisitions. And that will probably be the difference maker come September and October.
If you are a fan of the Indians, Twins, Tigers or Royals, be thankful for the wild card. It might be your team's only chance at the postseason for the time being.
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