ugh

1.0 IP 7 hits 8 runs 8 earned runs 2 BB 1 K 2 HR

And this is why you almost never want to have players from your favorite team also on your fantasy team.

ugh, indeed

The NHL

So, I really didn't understand the clamor in the media back in 1995. After the baseball strike and the canceled World Series. Perhaps it was my youth, or perhaps it was my living in a city going through a baseball craze. But I didn't get how one nasty experience, even as nasty as a canceled World Series, could drive you away from watching a sport.

Until it happened again. No, not in baseball. But in hockey. An entire season canceled. No Stanley Cup awarded. And now, here we are, two years later, and I still don't give a crap about the NHL. I watched exactly one game this year: when the Cup was in the building. I watched because I wanted to see the Cup awarded, not because I wanted to watch hockey.

However ... if Bill Simmons covered the NHL season like he did the NHL Draft, I'd be much more likely to watch. Classic Simmons humor. Awesome.

NBA Draft

So, the NBA draft is coming up. There's a ton of buzz surrounding it. Durant, Oden ... two possible cornerstone players.

I just can't get excited. My team doesn't have a single pick in this draft. Not a single pick. In what's being touted as one of the deepest drafts ever.

I want to get excited for it, but it seems like I'm just waiting for every team but my own to get better.

*sigh*

At least I can go enjoy Jiri Welsch, since he's really our first round pick this year.



Crap.


Thanks a lot, Jim Paxson

hmmm ...

Does this mean I need to start following NASCAR a little closer?

Questions I Can't Answer

Let me start his off by saying that this year of sports will only be complete when the Indians get swept in the World Series, and the Steelers lose by 4 touchdowns in the Super Bowl.

Seriously, look at the year my teams have had:

Ohio State football: rolls through the regular season, gets whomped (completely and totally, the actual whomping may have been illegal in a few states) by Florida in the National Title Game.

Ohio State basketball: have a good-if-not-great season, have thrilling tournament victories, and then can't hit a shot to save their life in the championship game against Florida.

Cleveland Cavaliers: have a good-if-sleepwalked-through regular season, sleepwalk through two playoff rounds, dominate Detroit, and then never get a complete game together in a sweet at the hands of the Spurs.

At this point in time, I'm checking to make sure the Avs didn't get swept in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (after I check to make sure the NHL still exists)

So, this begs a few questions:

1. Is it better to make the championship game/series and get blown out, or to not make it at all?




My inclination here is to say it's better to make the championship game/series. If you can't be #1, #2 isn't a bad place to be. But it hurts more this way.

It hurts more this year to get swept by the Spurs than it hurt last year to squander away victory in the second round against Detroit. It hurt more to lose to Florida in 1997 than it did to lose to Seattle in the first round the year they won 100 million regular season games. No loss in the Wild Card or Division Round has felt as bad as the losses for the Steelers in the AFC Title games, or in Super Bowl XXX.

At the same time, it hurt a lot less to get whomped by Florida this year than it hurt all those years the Cooper-lead Buckeyes choked away a shot at a National Title by losing to Michigan or Michigan State.

So, I guess this question is up for debate, but totally leaning towards better to get there. At least you can talk some smak to 28 other teams (or whatever)




2. Is it better to get whomped in a championship series/game or lose a nailbiter?




I can directly compare two things here: The 2007 NBA Finals (Cavs swept handily by Spurs) against the 1997 World Series (Indians lose a heartbreaking game seven to the Marlins).

And I can say without a doubt that the 1997 World Series hurt more, was more devastating, and just without a doubt sucked more. But, I think there are some other factors to consider that keep this question from being answered:


• This Cavs team is young, ahead of schedule, has a bright future, and should be back. That Indians team was nearing the end of their window of opportunity, never got back, and had the "veteran " experience edge over Florida.


• The Spurs are a team built the right way, and have been there before, and handle business properly (for the most part, cheap shots by Bowen and Horry not withstanding). The Marlins bought that championship, then fire sold it away, and for the most part felt like a completely undeserving franchise and fanbase.


• Baseball has always been my first love. Basketball has always been at best third, though I'm not sure if the Cavs rank higher than the Steelers, for reasons of my hometown being attached to one and not the other



So, I'm leaning towards saying it's better to get whomped, but I'm not able to say for sure.

So, two questions, no real answers. Anybody got any thoughts?

One Win

... at a time.

What we always say, right?

Helps us keep the faith, keep perspective on the long seasons.

When the tip comes tonight, the Cavs and their fans have to leave the mindset of "we're down 3-0" behind, and have the mindset "this game is 0-0". Right?

And we can get this win, right?

I'm certain we can.

I'm hoping we see a lineup something like: Snow, Sasha, LeBron, Gooden, Z to start the game, with Boobie first off the bench (spelling either Sasha or Snow, depending on if we need more offense or just a fresh look), followed by Marshall (much higher basketball IQ than Gooden) and AV (much more energy than Z).

One win ... one game at a time ... it's not 3-0 Spurs, it's 0-0 in Game 4.

Hope ... springs ... eternal?

Mama said they're be days like this

1-0.

12 innings.

ugh.

When you're starting pitcher throws nine innings of shut-out ball, you need to win that game. Period.

+16 in the 4th quarter

-11 for the game

ugh.

When you play like crap for three quarters, you can't win a game.

Any truth to the rumor the starting line-up for game 3 is: Boobie, Jones, James, Marshall, and Andy?

if that's the case, I'll stop calling (in Charles Barkley-like nicknames) Marshall the Large Splot of Missed Shot and Jones the Tall Stiff whose shots just whiff.

More Boobie, Please

So ... that's what it feels like to watch a NBA game with your team involved?

I'm not sure I like it.

Ugly, ugly game for the Cavaliers for 7/8ths of the game. The offense never looked in rhythm, the defense seemed unprepared, and the team never got an advantage on the boards, which has been their coup de grace all season.

And yet, despite that, they had a chance to make a game of it. A better shot, and it's a five point game with 90 seconds left. And then who knows.

At least the solution seems simple:

More Boobie. More minutes. More touches. More shots.

Less Hughes. Yes, it's a gutty performance to play through the injury, but he's not in a flow of the game at all on offense. And if you just want his defense, play Eric Snow, who has much better defense.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing a rotation of Snow, Gibson, James, Gooden, and Illgauskas. Snow can play the point and distribute to four guys who can hit shots.

The analyst in me wants to say that this game proves the Spurs are the better team, with better experience and better coaching, which trumps the best individual player on the court. The fan in me still believes though.

Game two will really tell the story ... if the Cavs can respond and win or make it a last possession game, they've got a real chance to win when they go home and win the series. If they come out flat and get beaten down again ... the series might be over.

One last thought to hang my hat (and hopes) on: The Cavs have never lost consecutive games in the NBA Finals.

The Day has finally come

The NBA Finals start tonight. After a long layoff. Seems like it's been forever since the Cavs played. I'm just eating up the experience right now. Taking in everything I can get.

Here's what everyone's saying today:

Gov. Strickland making sure the "witness" sign remains in place

Scouts Inc. has Spurs in six ESPN.com Insider required

$15K for a ticket?

True Hoop gives the Cavs some chance, but still won't pick them

Stat Geek Smackdown also has little love for the Cavs

Even Brian Windhorst is picking the Spurs

And, words from the expert:

"I think [the Cavaliers] might only be the fourth-best team San Antonio has faced in the postseason" -- ESPN.com's John Hollinger

Nice John ... I think ESPN has replaced usual East Coast bias with Western Conference bias when it comes to the NBA. I guess I was imagining that two of the last three NBA champions came from the East? I get you slotting the Suns above the Cavs, but the Nuggets and the Jazz, too? Come on, John.

Still looking for a member of the media not based in Cleveland to pick the Cavs to win ... still looking ... still looking ...

Happy to be There?

In a word: Yes.

In a sentence: Yes, but I'd like to win four more games.

In a longer explanation:

I'm thrilled to have dispatched the Detroit Pistons in six games. I'm thrilled that the Cavaliers are in their first ever NBA Finals. I was very close to cloud nine as I watched the final seconds tick off the clock and the trophy presentation. It felt as good ... maybe even better ... than 1997 when the wheel play worked to perfection, and the Indians defeated Baltimore and headed to the World Series.

At the start of the season, I predicted the Cavs (along with Bill Simmons, BTW) to win the east, and then lose in the NBA Finals. Sports Guy, if I remember correctly, predicted Suns over Cavs, I predicted Mavs over Cavs. My honest expectation was for the Cavs to reach the Eastern Conference Finals and take it to 6-7 games. Hence, the Cavs have reached both my expectations and my predictions for them.

So, will I be sad if they lose the Finals to the Spurs? Yes. I want them to win. I want them to win (believe it of not) more than I wanted the Steelers to beat Seattle (or maybe that's just the present in me talking ... we'll see how I really feel in 2 months or so). But, at the same time, I won't be crushed if they lose, the way I was crushed after game seven of the 1997 World Series (and I still haven't forgiven you, Jose Mesa).

Cheering on a team that exceeded expectations, and has a chance to win the title is a great place to be. I want to enjoy it.

Because win or lose this year, the expectation is that the Cavaliers win the 2008 NBA Finals. And that will put me in a totally different mindset.

pwnage?

I'm used to the idea of seeing a team/city dominate another team/city thoroughly.

I'm not used to my team/city being on the giving end of the whooping.

And yet, it seems that I'm staring that down.

The Cavs are up 3-2 on the Detroit Pistons with game six tonight in Cleveland with a chance to move to the NBA Finals for the first time in history.

The Tribe has won five in a row against the Detroit Tigers to open up a 4.5 game lead in the AL Central.

And the most recent wins for both teams seemed to rip the heart out of their Detroit counterpart. The Pistons held all but one player scoreless for the last 12+ minutes of the game, including both overtimes, and lost. The Tigers pounded out 11 runs and have a four-run lead in the ninth inning, and lost. Cleveland didn't just win those two games. They took shot after shot on the mouth, and then demoralized Detroit and won anyways. They left Detroit shaking their heads, wondering if they could do anything. Believe me, I know. I've seen my teams on the wrong end of those types of games all too often.

It seems like pwnage is happening. By the Indians. By the Cavs. By the city of Cleveland.

And yet ... the Clevelander in me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. For something like "the Shot" or "The Mesa" or "The Drive" or "The Fumble" ... but I feel like it's not gonna happen this time. This isn't like last year against Detroit, where I was amazed the Cavs won three games and had a chance. This isn't like 1997 where we had a lead in a back-and-forth World Series. This is a basketball series we've been dominating, and losing by not making a clutch shot, not getting dominated and winning a game or two with luck. This is the type of run the White Sox had against the Indians two years ago.

It really feels different.

God, I hope it is.

Hatred

One of the best things about being a sports fan, is you get an outlet for anger and hatred. These are natural, human emotions that shouldn't be placed onto singular humans in a "real" context. But, in the world of sports, during a heated contest, the outlet is there. And as long as you can separate the worlds, it's very healthy.

And, so, I've come to the conclusion that you really need someone, something, somewhere to hate in the world of sports.

And I've always been a little torn on finding something/one/place that I can really hate the whole year round.

I grew up in Cleveland, and most folks there hate Pittsburgh. It's a great rivalry that stems from football, the Browns and the Steelers. The problem though, is that while I'm a Cleveland fan almost all the time, my one exception is football. I'm a Steelers fan to the core. It's how my dad (Youngstown native) raised me. I can't change it, even if I want to. So, while I grew up hating the Browns, I can't hate Cleveland all year 'round, because of my love for the rest of the city.

So, I've been honestly searching. Until this past weekend. When it finally hit me.

I hate Detroit.

Hate them with a passion.

This past weekend, I was simultaneously watching Cavs-Pistons on TV while gamecasting Indians-Tigers online. And every ounce of my sports being was venomously rooting against Detroit. I found myself hating them, the way I hated Ric Flair as a young NWA/WCW/Sting fan. There was nothing more satisfying than seeing them lose, except seeing them lose to my team.

And it fits the criteria. I can hate them the entire year. As an Indians fan, I've been without a real rival ... well, my entire life. As a Cavaliers fan, the only team I could possibly ever hate as much as Detroit is Chicago, and the sting of "The Shot" isn't quite as potent when compared to the magic of MJ. He did it to everyone, we were just one victim. As an Avalanche fan, I already hate the Red Wings. And, who knows, maybe my renewed hatred of Detroit will give me a renewed interest in the NHL?

That only leaves football. And, I'll admit, it's hard to hate Detroit when they're so pathetic, such a non-threat, and not even in the same conference as my favorite team. But, I found a loophole. Detroit is close enough to Ann Arbor. So football season is covered, too.

At long last, I have my year-round place to hate. And I love it. I feel my sports fandom is finally becoming complete.

I'm No Analyst

And that's why I'm changing up this blog.

It's fun to pretend that I'm an analyst. Fun to pretend I really know what I'm talking about. But, really, I have too much bias, and I'd rather just talk about what i like and what I hate, and what it means to be a fan and the joys and frustrations of fandom, then to try to break down match-ups and make prognostications.

So, I'm refocusing my efforts to emphasize the fan side more than the analyst side.