Cleveland Sports Minute

In a day where a lot of the news will focus on the two upsets that occurred in the NFL yesterday, as well as the Terrell Owens breakdown, I’m awaiting the LeBron James news to make big time headlines.  James was caught doing 101 mph in a 65 zone, about 15 miles south of Cleveland on December 30th – which happened to be his 23rd birthday. 

 The only thing that I’m a bit confused about is the fact that if this happened two weeks ago, how are we just finding out about it now?  The night that James’ mother was arrested for driving under the influence, it was front page news immediately following the arrest.

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As tough as it may be, after watching last night’s game between New England and Jacksonville, I think we as Clevelanders should all be Colts fans today. Even with a defense as good as Jacksonville’s, New England was still able to produce a bunch of scores. Assuming that games will then get into a shootout, I’d choose to root for the team with the more prolific offense – especially in crunch time – and that is the offense of the Colts.

Yes, they may have indirectly hurt the Browns’ chances of being in the playoffs, but let’s face it. Unless you’re rooting for history to happen with the Pats hunt for 19-0, which I am definitely not, you’re pulling for the Colts in today’s game. If there’s any consolation, there may not be a more exciting player to watch on defense than Bob Sanders.

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Hello, all.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer made the Jacobs Field/Progressive Field the front page piece today, which is not very surprising. Also not surprising was the mixed reactions, with most being negative. A lot of Cleveland fans are more of the traditional variety, and similar to a church-and-state discussion, they feel that corporations and sports teams shouldn’t mix.

While it will always be “The Jake” to me, being in the business world, I can understand both sides. The Indians can always use more money, and if it’s not coming in a 20 percent boost in ticket prices, I’m alright with that. Progressive is a Cleveland-based company that employs thousands. If they can flourish through advertising, it’s better for the city whether it is realized or not. It is especially better than the company packing its bags and heading to a more lucrative city.

Cleveland desperately needs funding, and where better to produce this funding than the companies based within? The banking industry has been turmoiled as of late with several of the regional banks dropping considerably in market value as well as the number of employees. So, as long as this is a sign of things to come in terms of corporate funding into the city, I’m alright with it.
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If one thing was decided during the National Championship game that took place this past Monday, it is that Todd Boeckman needs to drastically improve for the Ohio State Buckeyes to flourish next season – weak schedule or not.

Well, this piece by the Free Press will not make matters much better.  According to Rivals.com, the number one quarterback recruit in the country is one Terrelle Pryor out of Jeannette, Pennsylvania.  He is 6′6″, 235 pounds and possesses a 40-yard dash time of around 4.4 seconds.  And yes, he’s a quarterback.  Until mid-December, Pryor listed Ohio State University as one of his five possible landing spots for next season.  And now, there’s a sixth: The University of Michigan.

Pryor, who listed Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and West Virginia as his favorites to attend as of Sunday, told Superprep.com to “add Michigan to my list” following his conversation with [Rich] Rodriguez.

“He’s excited and so was I,” Pryor told Rivals.com. “Michigan was on my early list, and now their right up there again. He’s a great coach and I like his offense.”

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While LeBron James’ fourth quarter average went up a bit against Toronto, last night may have brought it back down – but this is a good thing.  James was able to watch the fourth quarter from the bench as the Cavaliers rolled over the Seattle Supersonics 95-79.

James finished with 22 points, but it was his teammates that deserve the credit in this one.  Sasha Pavlovic finally woke up during his 22 minutes of play, finishing with 13 points – his first double-digit game since December 11th.  And he’s the starting shooting guard, people.  Boobie Gibson knocked down five three-balls (Got it! – Tait), Larry Hughes actually wasn’t that bad (4-11, nine points, three steals) and Andy Varejao finished off the solid night with 14 points and nine rebounds of his own.  Well done, boys.

This is six wins in the last seven games, placing Cleveland above .500 for the first time in quite a while.  The next three contests (at Atlanta, home against Charlotte, at Memphis) are very winnable.  I would love to have nine of ten games in the “W” column before heading to San Antonio to face the Spurs.

And the final Cavs note, this piece from the Globe and Mail is worth a look as it discusses LBJ’s hecklers from this past weekend.  Best line of the article:

“She’s free to do what she wants,” [Raptors forward Chris] Bosh said of his No. 1 fan. “But I said, ‘Don’t talk to LeBron any more.’

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Just going through a few hypotheticals here, so bare with me.

Before last night’s game, Ohio State lost to Illinois at home, giving them their only loss of the season.  LSU, Georgia, USC, Missouri, and West Virginia all had two losses.  Regardless of Ohio State losing to the Illini, the selection committee felt that LSU was the “best of the rest” per se, allowing them to play in the National Championship game.

But what if Ohio State wouldn’t have lost that game to Illinois, and went into the National Championship game undefeated?  Even if they lost to LSU, and finished with one loss, what would the pollsters say? 

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First, let me say that I cannot get over the fact that it is the eighth day of January, at 8 o’clock in the morning, and it already “feels” like it is 61 degrees outside.  Just don’t click on the 10-day forecast, unless you like finding out that it is going to be (Spoiler Alert!)  30 by Monday.  But I’m sure that many of you would give back a few of these degrees for a few more points on the football field.

So, why can’t college football games only last about two or three minutes?  If this was the case, not only would Ohio State be back-to-back Champions, but it would also give Fox’s broadcasting team a smaller window of time to say things like, “Don’t let Jim Tressel’s sweater vest fool you. He’ll show a lot of sets.”  You can thank Chaz Davis for that one.  But it would also not allow for a complete meltdown over the next three quarters of play, as that seems to be Ohio State’s thing.  Personal fouls and blown coverage.  Sums it up right there.

If you’re reading this, I don’t even need to link a score as you already know what happened during last night’s National Championship game.  Buckeye fans should obviously prepare for the backlash that they will hear for the next few months, likely including (but not limited to) words like “inferior,” “undeserving,” and “pathetic.”  You cannot say that you didn’t see this coming.  It is what happens when other teams – though not getting the job done themselves – feel that they can cast judgement, thanks to a system that is obviously not the answer.  I’m not going to make excuses, as the Buckeyes just did not get it done from the second quarter on.  Todd Boeckman makes Craig Krenzel look like Johnny Unitas at times, and as good as the defense has been this year, it is far from the days of Will Smith, Chris Gamble, and Tim Anderson.

If you do one thing today, it should be this: Get out a marker and circle September 13th on the calendar.  This will be the long-awaited contest where Ohio State travels to Southern California to take on the Trojans.  The same Trojans that are fresh off of a borderline bludgeoning of the Illinois Fighting Illini – also of the Big Ten.  If Bill Plaschke feels that we weren’t even a top-10 team this year, you can only imagine what they’ll be saying once James Laurinaitis, Vernon Gholston, and Malcom Jenkins declare for the NFL Draft.

The Buckeyes were ranked 12th at one point in the season, and that was after winning their season-opening game, so maybe they shouldn’t have been in the National Championship.  But to those that question Ohio State’s schedule in the past, the USC game will be the true test.  Will it be like Texas in 2005, or more like Texas of 2006?  As long as it isn’t like either of the past two National Championship games.

Two quick things.

1) Orson from EDSBS is reporting live from New Orleans. Word on Bourbon Street is that the OSU fans are out-classing the LSU fans. Plus, he uses the term “adult gymnastics,” making it that much better. Check it out here. (h/t to Rick over at Halftime Adjustments)

2) If you’re catching the game from home tonight, make sure to swing by Awful Announcing for a live blog of the game as well all of the wisdom of Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis.  You won’t be disappointed. Also, Busted Coverage will be handling the duties over at Epic Carnival, but I would make sure the kids are asleep by the time you head that way.

Go Bucks. See you all tomorrow.

I shed some of my thoughts on the Cavs/Raps game yesterday.  However, I would like to add my feelings on the Damon Jones run as well.  Similar to the end of last season where the Cavs were spouting off a bunch of wins, including that big playoff win over the Pistons, Damon Jones being on the floor provided LeBron James with a ton of open space.  Case in point was yesterday, when the Raptors closed in on James, Jones came in with a handful of clutch three-pointers. 

While this is all great when you’re down 10 points with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter and you’re attempting an all-offense comeback, what you’re also doing is hoping that the other team simply misses their shots on the other end as Jones could be the biggest defensive liability in the league.  Sending him out there in a “Hail Mary” type of offense will work once in a while, but it is far from the long-term answer.  At least it was good to see Coach Brown give him a shot – as it may help the old self confidence a bit, while showcasing at the same time.  Oh, and this always helps.

Now on to tonight’s game.  Doesn’t it seem like tonight is a completely different season from the game against Michigan?  Let’s get one thing straight: I love being the underdog tonight.  I love the fact that the entire world of NCAAF followers has despised every win that we have produced all season long.  I love that the beloved SEC is once again our opponent, I love that the weight is on their shoulders. 

If we lose, the world can let out a collective “I told you so,” and then begin to argue for a split title.  Well done, LSU.  If we win, the state of Ohio as well as displaced Buckeye fans can do the exact same, but have the title all to themselves.  While I may be a bit biased, as this is obviously a Cleveland-based blog, it needs to be pointed out that while LSU is from the SEC, they are not last year’s Florida team.  They’re not as fast, they do not run the spread offense (a big weakness of the younger OSU defense), and this may actually be a football game that is decided on the ground – for once – instead of the Arena football-esque games that we tend to see from time to time in the NCAA.

This game will come down to Chris Wells’ ability to hit the holes, Vernon Gholston’s ability to get in to the backfield, and Todd Boeckman’sability to not make mistakes.  If tOSU turns the ball over like they did against Illinois, they may as well call it a game right then and there.  Fans may not want conservative play-calling, but if we win the turnover battle and the game results in a low-scoring affair, so what?  I couldn’t care less if people watching across the nation find the game “boring.”  It’s about winning.  But, good news is, it may not be too late to get your very own Jim Tressel Sweatervest T-Shirt!  For more on what others think, head over to The Wizard of Odds.

A bit of a tangent, but did you all know that Cleveland’s own Val Waugaman is Siren on the new American Gladiators?  The official press release is over on Cleveland.com, but to direct some traffic her way, check it out at her official blog.  If you’ve been to the downtown Octane Cafe or seen the “flex cam” at the occasional Cavs game, you’ll know who she is.

And if you need a Browns fix, check out Ryan Wilson’s post at the FanHouse.  Could Miami be sending the first overall selection to the Browns for Derek Anderson?  While Glen Dorsey would be a very nice addition to our defensive line, I’m not getting my hopes up in any fashion.  But I will be watching Dorsey very, very closely tonight.

And for hockey fans, Epic Carnival did a some fine research on the Columbus Bluejackets Power Patrol.  Could be considered NSFW…if you work with little kids or something.

That’s all for now.  Go Bucks.

It is no secret that Sundays have been brutal for the Cavaliers. In about a half of an hour, the Cavs will lock up with the Toronto Raptors. A lot of talk is taking place regarding the Raptors already having played five Sunday games to this point in the season, with Cleveland only playing twice. While I agree that conditioning may be an issue as this game will be played while the sun is still up, this specific contest needs to be more about getting back to .500.

LeBron and Company have won four of their last five, but it hasn’t been easy on the road – where they have lost eight of their last nine. T.J. Ford, a typical Cav-killer, will not be suiting up in this one as he’s still recovering from a brutal neck injury. Be forewarned that Jose Calderon is far from a pushover and that double-digit assists are not out of the question. I wonder how much FSN will talk about Chris Bosh’s YouTube lobbying…

If you want to jump in the not-so-way-back machine, LeBron James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists during the first meeting between these two. And it may go without saying, but Larry Hughes could use a nice game to bounce back from his dismal night against the Kings.

For a bit of NFL, I don’t think many people were too surprised by the outcomes of yesterday’s games. For those that don’t know, the Seahawks topped the Redskins and the Jaguars beat the Steelers – despite valiant attempts at a fourth quarter come backs by both teams. If only Ben Roethlisberger didn’t complete those two passes to Rashean Mathis. That one that was taken back for a TD hurt a bit.

Today’s match-ups should be pretty good, especially the Tampa Bay/New York contest. I think it will be a bit closer than most expect, but the Bucs should come out on top. I just can’t bank on Eli Manning in a game with meaning. And the Chargers should whoop the Titans. It’s a bit different when a team plays their starters.

In Buckeyes news, PFef from Around the Oval is Hollywood! Check out his interview on NBC by clicking here. Yes, I know I’m a couple of days late to the party, but it’s worth checking out. And it looks like we (Ohio State) may have some formidable foes in our corner for tomorrow’s game. Check out Nittany White Out for their thoughts. But if you ask me, everyone outside of New Orleans should be rooting for the Buckeyes, if only to avoid this mess.

And no Browns today. While it’s a sad, sad day in TV land, here are some goods for you to check out from the luxury of your own home. Or a sports bar near by, whatever you prefer:

1:00p: NFL Football – NFC Playoffs (Giants at Buccaneers) – FOX
1:00p: NBA Basketball (Cavaliers at Raptors) – FSN
4:30p: NFL Football – AFC Playoffs (Titans at Chargers) – CBS

And to get you all geared up, ESPN Classic is running American Gladiators reruns all day long. The return of AG is tonight, at 9p on ABC. What’cha gonna to, brother?

Enjoy your Sunday.