WFNY East Meetup: Thursday, April 2 at 5 PM
March 26, 2009Is the “Wildcat” Heading to Columbus?
March 26, 2009
OK, I know this site is dedicated to ALL Cleveland sports, and in trying to bring you the most updated information all day, every day, it behooves us to go across all sporting lines.
Look at what is going on with our Cavaliers and Indians right now. Last night, the best team in the NBA, YOUR Cleveland Cavaliers, set a franchise record with their 58th win of the season. They look more and more everyday like the lock #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and if they can keep up this tremendous pace, could have home court advantage throughout the NBA Finals.
Lebron James playing at an MVP level, leading his team to a preposterous 33-1 home court record. Danny Ferry has put together the best supporting cast of his tenure (the Mo Williams for Damon Jones trade was GENIUS) and their depth is the envy of the NBA. The wine and gold seem to be on a mission.
As for the Indians, Spring Training at the beautiful new Goodyear, Arizona complex is still a few weeks from completion, but things are starting to take shape. Scott Lewis jumped to the front of the pack and grabbed a spot in the rotation. Anthony Reyes has been healthy and effective as well. Carl Pavano, who struggled early on, opened eyes yesterday with six innings of two run ball (I’m still very concerned about him). Kerry Wood is ready to take the ball for the ninth. The bullpen depth is among the best in the league.
Grady Sizemore is raking, hitting over .400 this spring. Jhonny Peralta is absolutely killing the ball and seems happy to be set at shortstop. Mark DeRosa and Shin-Soo Choo are back from successful stints at the WBC. Victor Martinez looks back to full strength and ready to return to his role as the emotional leader of the Tribe. Sure, Travis Hafner is still a major concern, but Eric Wedge’s 1-9, top to bottom lineup shouldn’t fall into the April and May swoon it did last season.
The Cleveland State Vikings basketball team just finished an NCAA Tournament where they were the darlings of the first weekend after thrashing Wake Forest in the first round. There is just so much to like about the sports scene in this town right now. So much positivity going on.
Yet, why is it that with all of these wonderful things happening, people in this town STILL want to talk Browns Football first? It sickens me. So much so that I am calling for a moratorium on all Browns talk until draft day. Answer me this, what have they done for you to deserve this much attention?
(SIDE NOTE: This doesn’t mean WFNY will go Browns-free, but I certainly will.)
Last night, I was watching More Sports and Les Levine on Time Warner Cable. Les spent the first segment talking about the Cavs pursuit of their 58th win and Scott Lewis winning the final rotation spot. Naturally, the first caller out of the box says “hey Les, did you hear the Browns are going to bring in Brett Favre as an instructor at Training Camp?”
WHO CARES?
Shaun Rogers showing up for voluntary workouts is front page news in this town, despite the fact that the season is still six months away and even with Rogers being so dominant, the Browns still finished 4-12. When David Patten is signed to play WR, it’s bigger news than Lewis beating out Aaron Laffey for a spot in Eric Wedge’s rotation.
What universe are we living in where the worst team in town by leaps and bounds – a team on its third regime in 10 years and has been to exactly one playoff game – still is the first love of the championship starved fans? My passion for the organization is at an all-time low. Instead of wasting my time with the signings of no-names like RB Noah Herron, I concern myself with whether or not Travis Hafner is going to return to form or how fast Wally Szczerbiak can recover from his tweaked knee.
You should all be feeling the same.
So to all WFNY readers, I implore you, sideline the Browns talk and give your love an attention to the team who ACTUALLY HAVE A CHANCE to win something. I am speaking of the Cavaliers and the Indians.
86 Comments
I kind of feel the same, but, this is a football town, and a football championship would mean more to this town than a basketball or baseball championship, and it isn’t even close. People want the Browns to be good and it is a big deal when they aren’t, remember the Cavs before LBJ got here? They couldn’t give tickets away, nobody cared. Its the way it is and the way it will always be in Cleveland
Please site this article in any conversation about who has the best fans in the NFL. Just goes to show that Cleveland is a football town, even in the off season, even when the Browns stink, even when the Indians or Cavs are great, for most Clevelanders, the Browns are #1.
It’s a noble sentiment, TD, but ultimately a futile one. The Browns are to Cleveland what the Yanks are to New York: they have other teams in other sports, and they love them to varying degrees, but off-season news on what stupid thing A-Fraud does or a Steinbrenner says will push Eli, the latest Mets chokejob, the J-E-T-S, and the team formerly known as the Knicks all off the front page of the sports section every single time. The browns are the identity of the city, for better or worse. I just hope people are paying attention to the fact that they have a once-in-a-generation talent playing at the Q.
/stands up
/slow claps
/sits down
Cheers DP. I’m with you approximately 700%.
“A football championship would mean more than basketball or baseball” – probably because the Browns are so far off from winning a Super Bowl that by the time they have, the Indians and Cavs will have won 3 championships already. Each.
I say eff the Browns. The more and more I read about Mangini, the more and more I want to be done. I’m sick of this franchise. Sick and tired. On the other hand, I couldn’t be more thrilled with everything else happening on the sports scene here. Nice article sir!
I didn’t realize the Browns had ever come back. Certainly these impostors who’ve been posing as a football team on our Lakeshore these last ten years aren’t supposed to be the CLEVELAND BROWNS……..
Watch the “History of the Cleveland Browns DVD” from the days of Otto up through the move…..and tell me it just doesn’t make you want to cry that these guys represent the same franchise.
You want to know why? Because Cleveland is a football town. No matter how bad the Browns are, NE Ohio is captivated—from the pee wee level on up—by football as it is a reflection of how we see ourselves: Blue collar, hard working, ready to stand our ground, etc . . .all those clichés that are more anachronistic than actual.
Moreover, the weather in NE Ohio gives us an innate feel for football. Believe me, once you move away from Ohio you realize that it has some of the most depressing weather of any place in the country and football, a sport meant to be played under a charcoal sky where the threat of inclement weather has no bearing on the action at hand, allows Ohioans to revel in it. Some Floridian may make an argument that football is made to be played in 95 degree heat but Korey Stringer might think otherwise . . .
Baseball reigns supreme in places like SoCal, where the weather is always perfection, and New York, where the playoffs are just about a guarantee every year (until MLB institues a salary cap) but like it or not Cleveland is a football town.
Any Cleveland fans not paying attention to what LeBron and the Cavs are doing is making a huge mistake. He’s not playing at an MVP, he’s playing at a once-in-a-generation level. Yet still people are more concerned about which of their two crummy QBs will lead the team to a 4-12 record next year.
Its a joke, but like Ricky said, not sure anything will change. The allegiance and love towards the Browns are part of the reason I love Cleveland fandom, and part of the reason I’m starting to hate it.
Todd, I am so with you but you are urinating into the wind. Five and a half months before the season, and everyone is totally breathless: “Shaun is a NO SHOW for voluntary off-season work outs!!” “The coach didn’t say HI to him!!” Brady might be TRADED!! OMG!!!” It’s true, it’s a football town. But I can’t help but think that if we treated our respective pro franchises as a meritocracy when doling out our attention and finite resources, the Browns just might be a little better right now.
I love the Cleveland Browns. Why shouldn’t I love them?
Yes, I love the Cavs and the Indians, but the Browns will always be first. I am greatly enjoying this Cavaliers season and am anticipating the Tribes return (it is an odd year afterall), but to put a moratorium on the Browns would be giving up being a Browns fan even for just a little bit. I am not willing to do that. No way.
“What universe are we living in where the worst team in town by leaps and bounds still is the first love of the championship starved fans?”
a universe called cleveland, td, a universe called cleveland. (where, ironically we haven’t seen a td in what seems like 6 and a half years)
Nice post TD, I stopped paying attention as soon as they brought in the J-E-T. It’s an absolute shame the production that they’ve gotten out of the talent that they have put on the field since the return. But like a lot of people are saying it won’t ever change, ever.
Go Cavs.
I don’t think we are trying to ignore the awesome season the Cavs are having. I think it is more we don’t know how to act with it. We have never had to do this. I know I kind of treat it like a pitcher who is having a no-no going. I think with our woe is us Cleveland thinking that if we talk about it something bad will happen like it always does. Trust me I am watching every game, reading every article on the Cavs, talking at the water cooler about them. I am pumped, but until they hoist the trophy the “when is the nightmare going to happen” feeling will be in the back of my mind. I got excited when the Tribe had their runs in the 90’s only to see that “snake” bite us. So if we don’t want to jinx it by talking about the Cavs, let’s talk about something that can’t get any more jinxed. haha!
I would agree with most people saying Cleveland in a football town. I personally love the browns, and I love football way more then I will ever like the Cavs or Indians, and thats nothing against them, but football is just way more entertaining to me then seeing a guy get paid 15 mil. to shoot 50 percent and say its good. Not saying that I don’t pay attention to the Cavs, Ill root for them, but its not the same.
Also, how much is there to say about a team thats good, thats winning? Its just much more exciting to talk about a team filled with question marks, or that is really bad in other words.
The saddest part about it never changing and always being a Browns first town is Lerner can continue to put the same crap out on the field over and over again and never worry about ticket sale decline or loss of revenue. Years ago when the Cavs were crummy and unable to give away tickets, they had to make a change and produce a winner in order to get people back in the seats and making money. Unfortunately it’s much easier to turn around a 12 man team when you’re lucky enough (or actually bad enough) to land the best player in the game. I do honestly hope this new regime does get things turned around because I’m in agreement with everyone else, the Browns are my first love among Cleveland teams.
Go Browns….always and forever…don’t let these whiners bring down my brown and orange…Cleveland will always be Browns first….Here we go Brownies here we go!
The Browns are Winnie Cooper and we are Kevin Arnold. We love them unconditionally for no apparent reason while they treat us like garbage.
@TD, I’m in. Have been on that bandwagon for a month anyway.
I think Clevelanders like to talk about the Browns so they have something to complain about besides the weather.
/ducks
I hate to say this, but this isn’t a unique sentiment to Cleveland. As I have moved around, I have found people are the same way in their respective towns. Face it, people like winners. The Cleveland Browns aren’t winners. I hate saying that, b/c usually my “friends” who are Steelers fans like to use my own words against me. But I can’t take it back. The Brown’s disappoint, and they have for quite awhile. Why don’t people just savor the Cavs right now, or the Indians…a team, by the way, that has been around far longer than the Browns and provide a richer tradition than the Browns (I would argue that at least). I’ll never support any NFL team other than the Browns….but I am certainly not going to waste my time with them as long as the ownership, management, and players won’t take winning as seriously as–well–the other winning teams of the NFL. Time is precious, I’ll spend it with Cleveland sports played well.
“The Browns are Winnie Cooper and we are Kevin Arnold.”
that is brilliant…well done Tom
@ CJG
I would say 8 titles in 60 years is better than 2 titles in 100.
This column is at least borderline offensive. Football was born here. This is Browns Town. No logo needed.
@ bobby – “football is just way more entertaining to me then seeing a guy get paid 15 mil. to shoot 50 percent and say its good.”
Are you saying that basketball isn’t entertaining because they don’t make every shot? What kind of logic is that? Have you ever tried to shoot a basketball with defenders flying at you?
So I guess baseball isn’t entertaining because a player who hits .300 is considered good?
This reminds me of all those people that say things about the president like, “Doesn’t he have better things to do other than (fill in the blank)?”
I don’t give up any level of fandom for the Cavs or Indians because I talk about the Browns all year long. Just like the president who can focus on many different things at once, I too can pretty successfully divide my attention between all the Cleveland teams without missing much of a beat on any of them. Following sports teams is not mutually exclusive.
Also, if you haven’t noticed, the NFL has deliberately made it so you can follow your team for 12 months. Between training camps, free agency, combines, private workouts, the draft and pre-season the NFL pretty well spreads itself out perfectly to be followed at all times. Don’t blame Cleveland fans for just doing what comes naturally.
I was born in, raised in, and currently live in Dayton, OH. I am a life-long Browns fan. I follow them more closely than the Buckeyes(close 2nd), the Cavs (3rd) and the Reds(4th).
Being a Dayton-based Dawg is an interesting situation. Many of my friends are Bengals/Reds fans and they wonder how it is that myself, and many other Dayton area Browns fans follow the Reds and not the Indians. I think this is due to the fact that Dayton area football fans followed the Browns in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s before the Bengals were founded. Some fans jumped ship and latched on to the clloser, Cincinnati based team, while many others were too firmly rooted in their devotion to the Cleveland team. These fans were and are Browns/Reds fans. So there’s your answer for why you don’t catch me following/commenting on the Indians. Maybe this applies to some others?
As for the Cavs. I am 31 years old. I became an NBA fan in the early 90’s. The Cavs aren’t as firmly entrenched here, and as such there isn’t a real passion for them here, at least not like it is with the Browns. I’ll be completely honest: I had stopped following the NBA alltogether until the Cavs drafted LeBron. At that point I decided to give the NBA a try, and why not go with the in-state team who just happened to draft the most hyped player in the history of the game? 6 years later, I can now say that I love the Cavs! I follow them religiously, but not quite on the same level that I do the Browns.
Hope I didn’t ramble on too much, but that sums it up for me. Hope that answers your question!
@ Tom
You can’t really count those AAFC titles.
@ Glaumdawg – What about the Dayton Flyers?!
TD — you’re the new guy right? Haven’t seen an interesting article from you yet.
I don’t read this site for what I “should” be a fan of. Screw you, I don’t want your fat, bloated opinion, justified or not. You’re not Triv, and if you were, I’d discontinue stopping by this site.
Keep giving us info. I don’t mind a polite editorial, but I don’t need you to tell me what I “should’ be interested in. STFU, rookie.
It depends on what you played most when you were growing up, as well as what you watched with your Dad.
Me, I played a huge amount of baseball and basketball, and went to Indians and Cavs games. The Indians have had several great runs during my lifetime and the Cavs have had a few themselves. The Browns have left the city and otherwise been generally terrible except for a few minor sparks that didn’t carry them that far.
Like many have said, I still only watch and cheer for the Browns, but I don’t pay much attention to them during the offseason.
Look, I love the Browns too. But to me, when the first thing out of the box is Brett Favre being an instructor at camp or the signing of some scrub backup RB and poeple would rather talk about that than The Cavs or the Tribe RIGHT NOW, I think there is a fundamental problem with it. I grew up and still live here. Trust me, I understand the Browns own this twon, but I just dont understand why they do anymore. They have done nothing to warrant this love and attention.
@ Boomhauer
Its a reach I know, so the Browns still win 4-2.
easy Russ = its called “my opinion.” You all can talk about this scrub dog team right now. I just don’t understand why. And no, I’m not new. I’ve been at at since December….
As for not finding my stuff interesting, like my thoughts on this subject, its your opinion and you are more than welcome to it. But I can assure you I wasn’t brought over to the site because I don’t write anything of interest to the readers.
This will improve the site. Browns coverage only clutters up the other actual stories. I’d rather read about the Blue Jackets penalty kills than who will the the QB next year or who is getting in trouble or getting a giant bonus I can’t even fathom
@ #29: Whoa, try the decaf. No reason to get so personal.
Seriously Russ, perhaps you don’t like TD’s writing style, but it’s not like TD is Branson Wright…
Unconditional love is great and the Browns certainly have that but I have to second the opinion of this editorial. We have two organizations in Cleveland that are at the top of their game and they take a backseat to an organization that looks like it’s run by a gang of unpaid interns.
I understand that Cleveland is a football town and I’m all for hearing about the offseason signings of the team, especially with a new coach, but they need to be presented as the jokes that they are. If we really are such a football town then why don’t players want to come here and play for our team. My guess is that it’s the organization and by talking about the signing of David Patten or Noah Herron in stead of talking about the lack of direction we’ve had since 1999 we are doing a disservice to ourselves and to the legacy of the Cleveland Browns.
@ Boomhauer
You’re thinking like a Steeler fan…”It only counts if it’s a Super Bowl.” Bull! A league championship is a league championship. I guarantee you if it were the Steelers having those 4 championships, we’d all hear about it daily.
@Tom
Kudos for the Wonder Years reference.
As a follow up to my post, let’s not forget about the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have a great core of young players and look to be on the way to the first playoff run in franchise history. With fan support we can keep our great players while bringing along new guys and have a third top-tier professional organization.
Randy Lerner and the rest of the Browns organization need to realize there’s competition in town and while we will always love the Browns you can’t keep putting a loser on the field and expect passion.
Oh and I almost forgot, I am a football fan first. I never liked basketball, and baseball I only dig when I can actually go to the games. So I usually only come here to read when the article is about the Browns. I support all my Cleveland teams, but just love football.
Hey Russ.. “Screw You” and “STFU”? Wow. Did you learn those insults on your way to or from your paper route this morning? Weak stuff Russ. WFNY is not the Plain Dealer.. for a reason… if you want just straight “info” than you need to go to http://www.cleveland.com. TD is a damn good writer and.. AND.. it is refreshing to read a column that isn’t always dripping in brown and orange!
and i love football numebr one (browns and buckeyes) but ive had it…we have a champiosnhip level team in the cavs….indians can be there too and all people talk about is browns browns browns…we should be savoring lebron and how special this years cavs are…not obsessing about rodgers or favre
the new slogan for the browns should be changed from “theres always this year to” “cleveland browns football…i’ll believe it when i see it”
Wow TD, I think you struck a nerve with alot of people. Touchy aren’t they?
Yes, yes, we all understand it’s a ‘Browns Town’ first and foremost people. But like TD is trying to convey to you, they haven’t done a damn thing worthy of the attention in over a decade. Hell, I’d put it at 15-20 years since they’ve had a solid team(Which, yes, is over half my life for pete’s sake). Seriously. Why the hell are we fawning over them so much?
Enjoy what you have, and what you have is an excellent basketball team who’s about to drive deep into the playoffs, and (at the least) and intriguing baseball team…before the injuries start rattling off (I kid, I think).
Wow Russ – TD’s not the new guy. I’m the new guy (along with some other new guys – but more about that some other time).
With a growing staff of writers you’re going to have dissenting opinions. There is no cut and dry with anything. It’s the OFFSEASON. There is nothing of interest going on with the Browns for another month in the draft. The Cavs are playing their best ball, and the Tribe is about to start. In TD’s opinion (as well as my own) there are more important things going on.
Thanks for being an ADULT.
Ha! Yeah, you’re not new, you’ve been here for four months. Heh.
I tempered my comments only to get published., folks. I’m trying to find a way to see TD’s posts, but can’t find an author specific view… I know I’ve been annoyed by his poor writing in the past, which is the only reason I pointed out his lack of experience.
If TD truly backs up this opinion, I think he should leave this site or WFNY should simply stop writing about Browns, if they stand behind this editorial. Otherwise it’s just BS hot air.
I have never paid as much attention to the Cavs as this year, I love it when the Tribe contends. I’ll admit it, I’m a fair-weather fan of other sports. I’m not offended that others call that out, or if someone else is a fair-weather BRowns fan. But telling me how I should feel, the kind of fan I should be (“You should all be feeling the same.”) is BS. And saying it only to inflame your readers is BS. And not having the integrity to do anything about your whinging ways is BS.
For this article, like the rest of them, TD=BS.
Go on, tough guy, stop writing Browns on your avocational web site. And if the rest follow your lead, I’m betting you’ll be here with people who are _only_ fair weather fans.
TD, trust me on this: Most sports fans in this town don’t want to have an honest conversation about the Browns. You can holler until you are blue in the face that the Browns aren’t worth their time, money, and concern, but all these fans will do is scream at you and tell you that you’re a fairweather fan. It doesn’t matter that Dan Gilbert, Danny Ferry, Larry Dolan, and Mark Shapiro are running competent, classy, first-rate organizations. People in this town wear the Browns’ stupidity as some sort of badge of honor because they think that supporting the team in spite of it makes them look like diehards. The sad part is that the Browns don’t deserve a single dollar from this town until they get their act together. At the same time, people should be out supporting the Cavs and Indians in droves. Sadly, out on the street, you’re still 10x more likely to see someone in Browns gear than Cavs and the indians will be lucky to draw 27,000 a game again this year. The whole thing just makes me ill.
Russ reminds me of (Don’t Call Me) Francis from Stripes.
Gah, thought we could embed images.
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png
Just figured I’d chime in here …
TD’s definitely allowed to have his own opinion. All of the writers here have their own opinion and writing styles. TD chooses to focus on the now. As you’ve likely seen by my work, I tend to talk about all sports at all times. I just publised something about the OSU football season, and that’s equally as far away. Those that choose to discuss can. No one is forced to believe a certain way. We’re our own individual voices, coming together on the same site to discuss our similar passion.