George Kokinis Back in Baltimore
June 1, 2010Indians 3 Tigers 2: Jake’s Extended Showcase
June 2, 2010While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com
Let him go: “The Chosen One might not choose Cleveland, and the suffering that would ensue has been dissected everywhere. […] Take a moment to whisk off two years’ worth of ten-cent predictions of doom, and you might just notice that we’ll be better off without him here.
It’s all well and good to love LeBron the ballplayer and pine for his return to the Q. But somewhere on our way to idol worship we’ve lost our collective stones to groveling, in hopes he won’t leave us as so many others have. LeBron in Cleveland validates our place on the map; LeBron anywhere else wipes us out. It’s sad, but no more so than our false belief that the guy ever loved us in the first place.” [Vince Grzegorek/Scene]
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Remembering Jeriome Robertson [Castro Turf]
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Taking the wind out of the media sails: “Hold the presses: There is not going to be a free-agent summit after all. CNBC’s Darren Rovell spoke to agents for Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amar’e Stoudemire, who put the kibosh on the most anticipated summit conference since Potsdam. Rovell reports that agent Henry Thomas, who represents Wade and Bosh, actually told that to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last week, but other news outlets have been slow to pick it up.” [MSB/The Plain Dealer]
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Former Browns safety Brodney Pool says that he has only had one concussion throughout his career. Perhaps he subesequently forgot about the others? [ProFootballTalk]
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And finally, more advice for LeBron. This time, from Kareem: LeBron James is getting plenty of advice approaching July 1, which only looms as one of the most-anticipated days in NBA history. But not many people giving that advice have the credentials of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Abdul-Jabbar is the leading scorer in NBA history, a record James one day could challenge. The trade of Abdul-Jabbar from Milwaukee in 1975 to the Los Angeles Lakers is likely the biggest shift of teams by a player in NBA history. And James, if he bolts Cleveland after likely becoming a free agent July 1, also could offer a challenge there.
“The only thing I would tell LeBron is take your time,” Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with FanHouse. “There’s a lot to think about. I would just tell him to take his time.” [Chris Tomasson/NBA FanHouse]
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(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
18 Comments
Great Potsdam reference by Boyer. Totally makes up for the use of “Kibosh”
The argument that we are better off without LBJ is so weak. So very, very weak.
I agree the groveling is unnecessary but if he leaves it is a slap in the face. Especially after saying we have an “edge.” Whatever the hell that means.
Well, looks like Vince has been reading Roosevelt’s comments on WFNY. Except while I agree that we have to collect our dignity, I’m not foolish enough to say we’re better off without him.
Re: The summit, lets survey the evidence. We have all the players saying they’ll get together, and all the agents denying it. Hmmm. Whom to believe?
Kareem Shmareem, Lebron doesn’t need advice, and we don’t need more headlines about it. I saw a headline last week that said “Agent: Lebron wants xyz.” Well, they got their click, and it turns out the agent was someone else’s former agent. Enough has been enough for weeks now. KG’s advice? Active player, small market languishment, later championships… Maaaaybe interesting. Mark Schlereth’s advice? Not so much.
@TSR3000 If you read the entire piece, you’ll see the argument isn’t that we’re better off without LeBron in 99% of possible ways… nor is it that I want LeBron to go. That’d be bad for the Cavs, bad for the city in innumerable and severe ways. But the cities, both Cle and Akron, are acting pathetically and treating his decision as a one-man referendum.
@Roosevelt — the “let him go” title and positing that we’re “better off without him” were a little tongue in cheek. Mainly they were ways in which to tackle the ongoing PR war and collective ass-kissing the region is doing and arguing why LeBron doesn’t deserve it for anything he’s done off the court.
Yeah, I had the same misconception, and when I read the piece, I see what you meant. Great post, Vince.
@ TSR – King put a lot of words into LeBron’s mouth. “Ringleader” was one, and “edge” was another.
Vince, you did well in that piece. I enjoyed it much.
I think Vince is retconning his post a bit. You wrote that the Northeastern Ohio community will be better off without him. All the kowtowing is obnoxious and a bit pathetic, but let’s not act like LeBron forced Cleveland to do it. He didn’t make people pathetic, they started out that way.
LeBron never owed the community any more than he gave them. On the whole he did a fantastic job of making the community look good on a national level, and his largest affronts were about handshakes, not sexual assault, guns or drugs.
I don’t want to hear about loyalty when only 2000 people were in the seats for the final minutes of LeBron’s last game this season. The people of this community only care about LeBron if he’s winning basketball games for them. Both sides – the player and the fans – are using each other. And Cleveland would kick LeBron to the curb the moment that he stopped being great.
Free LeBron 7/1/2010!!!!
Ohians groveling? I think the term groveling should only be used when referring to the Knicks, Bulls and the Nets.
I graveled my drive last summer.
@ MattyFos – it’s apt when referring to a lot of the subservient sad crap that people in Ohio do as well. Certainly the other markets are groveling as well, but let’s not act like the rampant idolatry that goes on in Ohio is any better (or worse). It’s all silly.
Denny- Yes, it’s a little extreme.
BUT HE’S OUR PLAYER AND WE ARE ALLOWED TO GROVEL IF IT MAKES THE KING HAPPY!!!!!
(I don’t know exactly how to tell you I was stomping my feet in frustration there… So I’ll just come out and tell you…)
I was stomping my feet like a little child while I was typing
I can’t say I’ve seen much groveling, at all.
I’ve seen a couple media stunts. Newsy outlets are aggrandizing every move and utterance, selling copy, and getting clicks. People respond to it, and the leaven does its work.
Ohioans are busy.
Frankly, I thought the fake “Larry King to LeBron James” questions going around the twitter-verse yesterday were more interesting/entertaining/insightful than the actual interview. Regardless, my policy is to believe nothing that anyone says about anything LeBron-related prior to July 1. The same policy applies to anything having to do with Brett Favre before September 1–it just makes life more pleasant.
I think we can learn a lesson from the Simpsons “Rib-wich” episode in which a guy gives Homer his car for the last Rib-wich. He eats it, and immediately says, “I have the buyer’s remorse!”
Really, there’s no point here. I just wanted to type “Rib-wich” a couple of times.
mmmm….Ribwich. “now without lettuce”
Vince – Excellent article. You put in to words what I’ve been trying to tell my family/friends when discussing Lebron. Do I want him to stay? Absolutely! Do we really need “Please Stay Lebron” with Dick Goddard dueting with ‘Intimidating Lawyer’ Tim Misny to convince him to stay? Heck No! Whether he stays or goes has nothing to do with the needless pandering that is getting thrown his way. I enjoyed your article very much.