Apathy and I Watch the Browns Together

Apathy. Apathetic. Two words a person would never really want to be associated with. To be lazy, to not care, to not give much effort, to be referred to as apathetic is a slap in the face. One group of people that have never, ever been referred to as apathetic are Cleveland Browns fans, myself included. For nine years now we have filled Cleveland Browns Stadium each and every Sunday the Browns had a home game. Even though the Browns have had only two winning seasons since their much anticipated return in 1999, you could never say we didn't care about our team. I have watched Ford Field be half full for most home games for years now. Hell the Rams won a Super Bowl in 1999 and went back to one in 2003 and now after two bad years their fans are non-existent. Not in Cleveland. It was a sense of pride, a sense that Cleveland truly does have some of the best sports fans in the nation, and I don't mean that in the sense that a GM went down on the field, took a microphone, and thanked his half empty stadium for their support and for being the best fans in the land while three people applauded. But I can feel the apathy creeping up on me every week this year. I felt it sitting next to me at the bar last year as I watched the Browns get crushed in their home opener by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who do not even count as a valid rival anymore. Only after Derek Anderson launched his aerial assault against the Bengals in week two did Apathy get up and walk over to the bar across the street. He has returned in full force this year, ordering a burger and a pitcher of Bud Light during each Browns game he watches with me. Each week he offers me a drink, and I am getting closer and closer to taking one. Why? Well besides the fact that I enjoy beer, let me tell you.
I am tired of watching expectations stomp all over a Cleveland team's confidence. It took out the Indians this year and it is wreaking that same havoc on the Browns. After a 10-6 year in which the Browns showed great improvement in all areas of the game, they stand at 4-8 with a third string quarterback who we all remember getting tossed to the ground by Will Smith on fourth down as Ohio State went on to win the National Championship in 2003. How far the Browns have fallen since Derek Anderson opened training camp as the star quarterback and Braylon Edwards was seen catching balls in training camp. The signings of Shaun Rogers (who has truly been a beast) and Corey Williams hid the fact that the Browns have no linebackers who can rush the passer. Kamerion Wimbley has turned into a ghost on the field, and Eric Wright, who once did his own Deion Sanders impression after an interception return for a TD against the Giants, has looked more like DeAngelo Hall since then. Derek Anderson proved that he truly is just a backup, and Brady Quinn decided to throw with a broken finger and ended up ruining the rest of his season. Kellen Winslow thinks everyone has staph and Braylon Edwards took to many 5 Hour Energy pills and is so wired during games he cannot catch anymore. All of this after a 10-6 season and a thrashing of the defending Super Bowl champs? Really?

I tire of comments from players telling us how much they love Romeo Crennel. No one cares how much you love your coach and how hard you want to win for him. We have been watching this team flop year after year, and your love for your superiors really has no business with winning football games. If you loved Crennel so much you would be undefeated this year. Derek Anderson seems to be a broken spirit after being benched and booed by the fans. If pulling a Vince Young is how DA is going to handle being demoted, then he should not be a starting QB in the first place. Before bashing us Browns fans for being such jerks for booing, why don't you step into our shoes for a second. Here is what we see. A tight end and a wide receiver who both made the Pro Bowl last year. A starting quarterback who also made the Pro Bowl last year. A Pro Bowl return man. An improving defense. A coach who won three Super Bowl rings and who headed one of the best defenses we have seen in the past ten years. A general manager committed to solidifying the offensive line and bringing talent to this team. Yet, here we are again, watching another Cleveland team fail to meet expectations. Crennel's poor time management, inability to control his players and get them to play hard, and his weird obsession with not playing Jerome Harrison more than 3 times in a game has deservedly brought calls for Cowher. I could go on and on but I won't. Because next week I will be at the bar with my friend Apathy, laughing and sipping a Bud Light while the Browns game plays dully on the TV in front of us. My Braylon jersey will lay on my floor at home, waiting for the day when I put him back on. But until that time comes, Apathy and I will have the best time we can. Go Cavs.

I Think I'll Go To Boston....

The Cavaliers have tied up their series with the mighty Boston Celtics 2-2 and are heading into a crucial Game 5 at the Garden. If they want to win this series they have got to go in there and stun Boston Wednesday night. As these playoffs have moved along, we have seen the Cavs finally start to come together as a team. Here is what I have been noticing. I am also in a great mood after Game 4, so this is a very positive column. Also, Bill Simmon’s column this morning about how Doc Rivers has no idea how to coach makes me laugh. It is awesome to see frustrated Celtics fans vent. So much for the best team in the NBA huh?

-The defense is back to where it was a year ago. No one seems to want to talk about this, but the Cavaliers have held their opponents under 90 points in 8 of their 9 playoff games. They played this same kind of shut down defense a year ago that propelled them to the finals. Anderson Varejao did an amazing job on Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter, not allowing him to score a point. He also hit a few open jumpers, something he has not been doing the entire playoffs. He finally stopped trying to drive when he receives the ball and trying to make some crazy shot. Andy is at his best when he is rolling to the hoop for a lay-up, or hitting open 10 or 15 footers, not when he is trying to create on offense. Monday night Andy got back to playing defense and rebounding, the things he does best. He had not helped this team until Monday night, and the Cavs need to see more of it.

-Players are finally starting to find their roles. I must admit I was not a huge fan of Wally Szczerbiak when he arrived in Cleveland. He was hyped as a great shooter, yet struggled with his shot and often tried to force things when he received that ball. He would back a defender down and shoot a fadeaway jumper or force up a bad three. He seemed to be trying so hard to score and impress his teammates that he forgot what kind of player he was, and was also a step slow on defense. But in this Celtics series, Wally is one of the few players who is knocking down shots consistently, and that is because he has learned his role. Wally needs to be a Peja Stojakavich type of player for the Cavs. Getting open for threes and then being able to go off the dribble to the hoop when his 3’s are falling. He has been huge in this Boston series.

-What can you say bout Boobie Gibson? The kid looks like he is 12 but has ice for veins. Hitting backbreaking 3’s is what Gibson does, and has a beautiful shot to go with it. If the kid could drive a little bit more he would make the defense respect him ten times as much. He has got to start hitting those big three’s on the road. LeBron will always find you Boobie, keep shooting.

-Delonte West has really impressed me. He has been extremely aggressive in this series, especially at times when LeBron has seemed a little passive. He is fearless going to hole, as was evident in game 3 when he hit a floater over KG in the paint. He pushes the ball, and although careless at times, he has really been the X-factor for the Cavs in this series. He has played great defense too, he was the one that got back on defense when Paul Pierce had a breakaway lay-up, and he made him miss it. Boobie then hit a 3 on the other end, and that pretty much sealed it.
-A big shoutout to Ben Wallace and Z. Ben is in Detroit form with his rebounding and defense, and Z is everything you could want him to be, tapping in offensive rebounds and putting up his smooth J.

-The offense still gets stagnant, to many times is the shot clock down to 5 before the Cavs even get a shot off. This team could be amazing if they ran a better halfcourt set. I noticed, especially when leBron went out in Game 4, that the offense really stood around while Wally of all people dribbled the ball for much too long. LeBron even yelled at them from the bench “MOVE THE BALL!” It seems so simple yet the Cavs cannot figure how to be consistent on offense.

-I can remember so many moments when LeBron has thrown down an absolutely devastating dunk that has shot energy through my body. His dunk over Delonte West when he was with Boston, his dunk over Damon Jones in Miami, and his dunk over Rasheed Wallace in last years playoffs. But the ferociousness with which he dunked over KG Monday night was unbelievable. It changed the game and could ultimately change the series like his dunk over ‘Sheed last year did. Both dunks sent me running out of the room, yelling like a maniac. The man is special and I am thankful I am alive to be watching him. When LeBron retires (hopefully as a Cav) I will look back and remember each time I was sitting watching a Cavs game and he got me out of my seat because of a ridiculous dunk he had. Let’s get it done in Boston on Wednesday!

Pardon my recent apathetic blogitude...

In case you didn't know, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have already reached semi-final play, where as the NBA Playoffs won't reach that point until late October. Here are some highlights:

Boston vs. Montreal: The Canadiens lived up to their number 1 seed, until they squandered a 3-1 series lead. Carey Price faltered like a normal 20 year old rookie, and the Bruins forced a game 7 back at the forum, in which they were promptly shut out by a 20 year old rookie. But credit the play of the Bruins, along with the Original Six match up, for sparking interest in a very troubled franchise. Something is A-Bruin in Boston, that's for sure.

Washington vs. Philly: Another exhilarating 7 game series that showcased two of the NHL's most improved teams. Of course, only the Capitals have Alexander Ovechkin, who played a huge part in the series; most notably leaving Joffry Lupul open in front of the net, allowing Lupul to tap in a rebound for the series clinching goal in overtime. 

Im pretty sure some stuff happened out west too....but trust me, aside from the Sharks/Flames series, in which the Sharks played like shit and almost choked, nothing interesting happened.

Second round? Penguins won the series in overtime, which was the series' only good game. Gary Bettman must have been happy to see Sidney Crosby playing on the nations biggest stage on national TV (Yes, NBC televises games on the weekend.)

Karma came around and lacerated Sean Avery's spleen. Awesome.

In a battle between two hockey rich markets, San Jose and Dallas played an incredible series the consisted of four overtime games. The last being an actual four-overtime game which the Sharks dominated, but were out-dominated (?) by Marty Turco, who turned away 473 shots. 

The Sharks, unfortunately, were my pick to win the cup. They have the size (only four guys under 200 pounds, one being a goalie, and one being Brian Campell who hits like a truck), talent (Thornton, Campbell), youth (Pavelski, Michalek), leadership (Marleau, Roenick), and most importantly, goaltending (Nabokov won 46 games with a 2.14 GAA). Unfortunately, Marleau and Nabokov were the only ones to make any sort of impact on the series, which allowed an old ass Dallas team to skate with them for two full games before winning the series on the power play (with Campbell in the box, no less)

Even worse, the Sharks were the only team that could beat the Red Wings. The Wings have choked in the last several years, but I think they are finally experienced enough not to. IThis message was made clear in an 8-2 dismantling of the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in the deciding game. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are mature enough to step up, which will take some of the load off the youngsters like Filppula and Lilja. They also have this guy named Nick Lindstrom, who is about to win his 69th Norris Trophy. 

So we're left with the interstate rivalry of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the East, and Dallas and Detroit in the West. And even though Dallas and Philadelphia have played extremely well this postseason, neither stand a chance. The Penguins have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and hired gun Marian Hossa, all of whom can score at will. With Sergei Gonchar running the point, the Penguins are one scary offensive team. That being said, Marty Biron has played like a man possessed for the Flyers and will be responsible for at least one win, but the Pens' onslaught will be too much.

As for the Stars, I guess its not so much that they've played that well, as it is their opponents playing poorly. With the best players on that team all hovering around their 30's, there is no logical explanation for the victories over the Ducks and Sharks (Arguably the two best teams in the West), other than lack of effort from the opposing bench. They'll pick up a win or two, just so long as their best players keep playing well (Modano, Morrow, Turco), but in a 7 game series, Detroit has few predators.

New cup prediction? Wings over Penguins in 4...maybe 5. Maybe Osgood or Hasek will have an off game, but at the end of it all, the Wings are too damn good, too damn experienced, and too damn overdue.

 

Bring On The Celtics

-The Boston Celtics were dragged along to the finish line, which came in a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7. A very strange series between those two teams. The Hawks had no idea how to play on the road but played like a team possessed at home. We talk about how Detroit could not get their energy up in their first round series, how about Boston thinking they could just go into Atlanta and win two. Instead they got a full dose of Joe Johnson, who emerged as one of the next superstars in a league full of them right now.
-The Celtics had not played a meaningful game in over a month, that is the so-called explanation for the struggles they had with the Hawks. But let us not forget that the Celtics “superstars” have not been experiencing the playoffs very much lately. Ray Allen made the first round with the Sonics three years ago, Paul Pierce has not been to the playoffs in a few years, and the same with KG. The fact is, none of the Big Three have much recent playoff experience. The intensity of the playoffs may have taken the Celtics by surprise, and the amount of fans in Atlanta’s seats may have also surprised them.
-Let us look ahead to my Cavaliers taking on the Boston Celtics. Joe Johnson went off at home against the Celtics. The Cavaliers have a player by the name of LeBron James who is maybe ten time better than Mr. Johnson. If the Celtics had trouble figuring out how to guard Joe, what is LeBron going to do to them? Do we remember last year when he went off for 48 against Detroit in game 5?
-If Boobie and Wally can continue to shoot the way they did in Game 6, it is going to space the floor. Game 6 vs. the Wizards was a perfect example of how the Cavs need to run their offense. No more of LeBron standing around at the top of key trying to go one on five. Moving the ball around, getting open shots or Boobie and Wally, that is the way the Cavaliers need to play. Also, Zydrunas must be more involved this series. He has had a quiet first round, and is crucial to get going early in this series.
-The Cavaliers are a mentally tougher team than the Celtics right now. The Celtics won zero games on the road, while the Cavs won two. Game 1 is a very winnable game for the Cavaliers.
-There is a lot of bad blood here between the Cavs are Paul Pierce. Expect another very physical series between these two. Keep roughing up Pierce as he goes to the basket, he definitely got rattled at times in Atlanta.
-This series could go seven games, and I am confident that the Cavaliers have a chance in this series. Game 6 was one of the best games they have played all year. Game 1 is huge for the Cavs to set the tone for the series. Cleveland is not the Hawks. Go Cavs.

April Showers Bring Joe Mauers(and the rest of baseball, too!)

Alex Fiore joins us once again to discuss the early baseball season.


It’s hard to believe, but the 2008 baseball regular season is already 1/6 over. It’s been a wild April, and I’m just the man to fill you in just in case you missed something. Arizona is running on all cylinders, and I have no conceivable notion of how they would ever lose a seven-game series, throwing Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Micah Owings twice, with Randy Johnson picking up Game 4. The title of best team in the Majors is theirs to lose at this point, and in what appears to be a mediocre at best NL West, there’s no reason they can’t keep it that way.
The Florida Marlins are in first place in the NL East, but don’t get too excited. This team is still three years away from a World Series title (Think about it. Team formed in 1993, won in ’97 – four years. Won their next World Series in ’03 – six years later. Simple math tells me they will win their next title eight years after that – 2011, pending GM Michael Hill agrees to sell the entire roster minutes after the trophy is presented.
The Cubs lead in a much-improved NL Central, behind the hitting of Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome. The club started slow, but has really picked it up these last few weeks and closer Kerry Wood looks –dare I say – adequate? With a semi-reliable bullpen, the classic downfall of the Cubs, this team can be very good. Nipping at their heels are the Cardinals and Brewers. The Brew Crew trots out the same good team as last year, but a little more experienced. They still trust Eric Gagne to close out games, so don’t take them too seriously. The Cards are going to be a team to watch as the year goes on. The first month, half their rotation belonged in AAA, but they were able to win games. With Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter on the way back, this team could be very good.
Over in the American League, the Chicago White Sox hold first place in the Central. The team has been riding the pitching of youngsters Gavin Floyd and John Danks to the tune of 16 wins, but one injury to the pitching staff and this team will go down in flames like Roger Clemen’s life. The Indians and Tigers are starting to hit, which should put fear in the rest of the American League. Both of those teams finished below .500 on the month, but I wouldn’t bet on that happening again. The Royals had their first week success, giving false hope to people all over Kansas City, but have since started to slide back to their rightful place at the bottom of the division.
The two most winning teams in the AL reside in California, with Oakland and Los Angeles taking care of business. Oakland is a team that does not appear to be very good on paper, but the team is playing good baseball, and riding high on the pitching of Dana Eveland (who?) and Joe Blanton. Anaheim is as good as advertised, and new centerfielder Torii Hunter is fitting in just fine. With the return of Howie Kendrick and John Lackey in the next week or two, expect this team to be even better. Many people’s pick to win this division, Seattle, is floundering in third place. The team is hitting .253, 11th in the AL, and closer J.J. Putz just recently returned to the bullpen. This team still has the talent to compete, but they need to start swinging first.
The AL East is the closest division after a month, with all the teams flirting with .500. The Red Sox, Rays, and Orioles are all tied for first, with the Yankees just a game behind. This division is going to be a fun one to watch, although I don’t see the O’s sticking around too long. The Rays have the young talent to compete for the year, but they remind me too much of last year’s Brewers – a team with tons of young talent, but isn’t ready to handle the pressures of contending for the division, especially against the likes of Boston or New York. The Red Sox will start hitting, and the Yankees can’t be counted out, although the recent injury to catcher Jorge Posada is going to hurt. The Blue Jays have a nice-looking team, but they just don’t have the bats to keep up in this hitter-heavy division.
Let’s check out the stat leaders. Like any other April, the tops of the charts are filled with lightning-in-a bottle guys who might be benched by mid-June. The top five in RBI-leaders include thunderous bats of Josh Hamilton (27), Emil Brown (25), Mark Reynolds (24), and Xavier Nady (23). Chase Utley leads the MLB in homers with 10, followed by Lance Berkman and Pat Burrell (what is this, 1999?) with eight apiece. There are a slew of guys in the top ten that will be nowhere near the top in September, including power threats Mike Jacobs, Joe Crede, Edwin Encarnacion, Casey Kotchman, Nate McLouth, and Carlos Quentin.
Pitching has some more recognizable names atop its win leaders, including Brandon Webb (6-0), Chien Ming-Wang (5-1), Dan Haren (4-1), and Cliff Lee (4-0, and sporting a 0.28 ERA). Seattle ace Felix Hernandez is leading the MLB in strikeouts with 41, and Frankie Rodriguez has the most saves with 10. The biggest signing of the off-season, Johan Santana, is noticeably not atop any of these lists, working his way to 3-2 record and 3.12 ERA. I still have no doubt he’ll turn it around and we’ll see why he is worth $130 million (well, maybe not that much).
And last but not least, here are three predictions for the month of May.
Brandon Webb will continue his winning ways, having another undefeated month, going 4-0 and keeping Arizona in first place.
Chase Utley (my early MVP pick) will continue to pound the ball, and hit eight more homers by the end of may, bringing his 2-month total up to 18.
The Seattle Mariners will continue to struggle and still be in third place by June, only this time they’ll be much farther out.
So there you go, we are one month in and its been a great season so far. With close races and fun players performing, the next month should continue to be some exciting baseball.

Jay-z is rapping, Deshawn is throwin bows, and the Wizards are down 3-1

-Do you think the Wizards are getting tired of losing on last second shots to the Cavs? Damon Jones, LeBron James, Delonte West. I’m surprised that the Verizon Center didn’t just empty as soon as Gilbert hit that shot to tie it up with about 28 seconds left. “Well honey start the car, LeBron has the ball with 28 seconds left! Who wants to go to Mickey-D’s?”
It’s like, back when the Patriots were winning Super Bowls. If Tom Brady had over a minute to drive his team down the field for the winning score, that game was over. This series is done and over with and I am damn glad it is. I hate Washington more and more every game.

-Sure, I am a Cavs fan, but the Washington Wizards make me sick, like when you Google search the word pooh bear and all of the sudden up comes a picture of a guy doing a bear. Yea, you know what I am talking about. Brendan Haywood dunks over Boobie Gibson then decides to put his nuts Gibson’s face. Boobie ends up with a technical because he retaliated. Give me a break. This whole Wizards team is going to remembered as a decent team with one guy who wrote a funny blog but could never get out of the first round of the playoffs.

-I think that DeShawn Stevenson is the Freddie Mitchell of the NBA. For some reason, this mediocre basketball player continues to feel that he has some sort of right to talk shit about LeBron James. Yesterday he said LeBron is not the type of player you lose sleep over, like Kobe is. Does DeShawn think he is now a supposed analyst on TNT? Congratulations on being able to sleep the night before you play LeBron James. I hope your dreams are excellent. You still are about to lose the series though, so does it really matter? DeShawn Stevenson will have just about as famous of a career as his boy Soulja Boi will.

-In case anyone was wondering if Hubie Brown listens to hip hop, he does not. He instead rocks out to smooth jazz and he has sex with his wife while Nancy Grace plays on the television.

-Mike Tirico really does not like Soulja Boi. At all. At least three or four times he referred to him as a one-hit wonder and said he has getting a lot of media time he doesn’t deserve. It is safe to say the Mike might be jamming to some smooth jazz on that ABC bus with Hubie.

-DeShawn partied with Soulja Boi after Game 3. Soulja Boi is underage. I am currently waiting for those drunken pictures to surface.

-This whole LeBron-DeShawn thing has gotten a little out of hand. Jay-Z has officially made a song dissing DeShawn. In the meantime, DeShawn is being supported by Soulja Boi and some rapper from D.C. who no one has ever heard of rapping over Hova's own "Public Service Announcement" beat. Kind of fitting for the series huh? DeShawn being backed by nobodies while LeBron has the kingpin of hip hop by his side. Note to Drew Gooden and DeShawn, please do not ever have a beard growing contest again. It looks awful for both of you, and I know your women per night average has steadily declined.

A Little Playoff Update

The Cavaliers took games one and two from the Wizards. Game 3 was ugly. Here is my expert analysis.


What a difference homecourt makes in the playoffs. After blowing out the Wizards in Game 2 by thirty, the Cavs lost Game 3 by 36. Yes ladies and gentlemen, 36. After watching the Cavaliers play one of their best games of the season, they come out with this awful performance. DeShawn “I wave this hand in front of my face because when I retire no one will ever have heard of me so it’s like you can’t see me” Stevenson actually had a good game, while everything Jamison put up went in. The Cavs played absolutely horrid defense and reverted back to their old selves on offense. You know, the old, stand around while LeBron dribbles the ball for 15 seconds then lazily puts up a jumpshot. With Washington’s crowd chanting “overrated” you would have thought Bron Bron would have come stronger than that. Speaking of Washington’s crowd, let’s go through some of the big names that came out to see their team play. Colin Powell everyone! He was part of one of this worst presidential cabinets in history! Ladies and Gentleman, Soulja Boi! Single-handily ruining hip hop! I understand the rivalry here between these two teams, but really Washington fans? You guys are going to chant “Overrated” when LeBron is at the line? Didn’t he boot you guys out of the playoffs two years in a row? Didn’t he just drop 30 plus on your guys two games in a row? Didn’t he average 30 8 and 7 this year? That chant made all of us Clevelanders and everyone watching around the U.S. chuckle. Come up with a new cheer there Washington crowd. Glad you guys showed up for once.
The Cavs have got to win Game 4. I don’t want to see this thing go back to Cleveland all tied up at 2 a piece. The Cavs must move the ball around on offense like they did in Game 2, and Boobie has got to hit those threes on the road like he did at home. Z has to be more involved down low. Hopefully Coach Brown makes adjustments and the Cavs take Game 3, because tonight was an embarrassment.