Mike Holmgren Speaks to Cleveland Media
December 29, 2009Top 10 Moments/Stories in Cleveland Sports in 2009
December 29, 2009The tweet pictured above comes from Browns linebacker Eric Barton. As you can see, it occurred on Christmas Day as the Los Angeles Lakers were getting worked by the Cleveland Cavaliers. You can all guess what ensued shortly thereafter…
Browns player. Plays in Cleveland. Cavaliers play in Cleveland. Browns player rooting against the Cavaliers? Nooooooo…
“You’re a lakers fan? I hope the Browns release you” – Victhequick
“You’re a Cleveland Brown now, you’d better remember that” – Cavalette23
“Don’t cry because your Lakers [edited] today” – Luke4MVP
“No need to be rude. Cleveland fans are passionate. You’d be wise to not disrespect the same fans that support you every Sunday.” – NickPapa
Naturally, if you root for another team that plays another sport other than those that call Cleveland home, you should be released. Naturally.
Of course, this led to Barton firing back at several fans of the Cleveland collective, telling them to “get a life,” among others. After receiving the select few tweets above, Barton then posted the following…
Obviously, Eric has not been paying too much attention to the media frenzy that insues whenever LeBron James wears a Yankees hat, or finds himself on the sideline of the Dallas Cowboys. However, there is an obvious difference in the two situations: Eric Barton is not LeBron James. There is also the one where James is actually from here and Barton (along with teammate Eric Wright) are west coast guys.Â
In a brief interview we had with Shaun Smith last season, he told us that being from Brooklyn, he was a fan of the Knicks and Yankees.Â
When Barton was asked if he was going to be a member of the Browns next year, he replied with “I hope so.”  He continued with “I love my teammates and the Browns fans.” Unfortunately, if Barton wishes to not have a select few fans lash out at him, he may want to keep his fandom to himself when his team is playing ourteam. You know, sort of like when LeBron took his Yankee hat off mid-game?
(Update: As some of you have mentioned, one select “fan” decided to use Eric Wright’s recent car accident as ammunition for being a Lakers fan. Really classy.)
27 Comments
People need to get over the fact that players on the Browns or Indians or Cavs might actually like other baseball teams or football teams, etc. I think Mo Williams is a St. Louis Cardinals fan (don’t quote me). Will anyone ask for his release? It was one thing to kind of be upset with LBJ, even though I could really care less, but to tell a guy whose lived on the West Coast that he should be released for rooting for a team from another sport is ridiculous.
Even if he rooted for the Raiders 16 times outta the year, I’m sure he wouldn’t root for them when they played the Browns, nor would he try to throw a game so they could win. Fans need to get a clue.
I really don’t get the whole twitter thing. Seriously, unless you are a reporter, and you have breaking news, and it’s the fastest way to release it, what’s the point of writing something stupid and irrelevent to ANYONE ELSE’S LIFE on the internet, and then being pissed when other people respond and mock you for it? Also, who are these people on Eric Barton’s twitter? Does anyone really care that Eric Barton has to let you know he had a cheese steak for lunch?
ya, imagine the chaos if one of the WFNY writers came out and said he was a Michigan fan
This always cracks me up.. What is with you people? Just because he plays in Cleveland he has to like the other teams here? Let me ask you this, if you went to play a professional sport would you abandon your Cavs, Indians or Browns? I know I wouldnt. Big deal, who cares?
ya, imagine the chaos if one of the WFNY writers came out and said he was a Michigan fan
HAHAHAHAHA! YEAH, KILL HIM!
🙂
I think Browns Fan took it a tad over the edge there. It’d be another thing to root for, say, the Bengals in the playoffs this year.
It’s a whole nother sport…they’re not from here, Browns Fan. All that matters is that they love being a Cleveland Brown and they love Browns fans. You can’t ask for more than that.
Considering LeBron is actually from here…that’s a unique situation.
Dirty Mich1gAAn fan.
@Tron: You probably don’t understand Twitter. I have one, it’s a great way to keep in touch with my friends, since most of them have one. If you don’t like it, don’t go on it. That’s fine. I love it cause I can follow some of my favorite athlete’s, Bill Simmons, Windhorst (which is great for ingame updates and breaking news), and friends. I’ve talked to Eric Wright, Eric Barton, and Jalen Rose on there a few times. I thought it was pretty cool.
I’ve never seen the “Mich1gAAn” thing before.. thats pretty hilarious.
Don’t forget to post the tweets of @mikeyscislo who swore at Eric Wright on Twitter when Wright retweeted Barton’s tweet, then cracked on Wright’s car accident.
Oh, wait, you can’t. @mikeyscislo deleted those tweets.
I jumped into the middle of that on Christmas after some d-bag referenced Eric Wright’s car crash in a totally out-of-line way.
JK, you said it best. If any of us were talented enough to play a pro sport and did so in another city, we would never change fan allegiances. It’s unrealistic to expect any of the athletes we root for to support the other Cleveland teams just because they happen to work in this town. They’re here to do a job, not join some bizarre Clevelans sports fan cult.
Eric Wright and Eric Barton are both from California. Hmm. What is it with Erics and the west coast? Does this mean Eric Mangini can run the west coast offense?
@ DP – If we ever find him we’ll banish him from this site forever.
oh yeah, almost forgot DP….6 in a row….
🙂
I agree with #1. If any of us played for the San Diego Padres I assume we would still pull for the Browns v. Chargers.
Also, go Blue.
I like Twitter and all, but in some cases it’s like giving a 2 year-old a machine gun. A classic example was when Villanueva signed with Detroit instead of with Cleveland. The stuff Cleveland fans were putting on there was insane and I have a dark sense of humor.
Actually, Barton is from Virginia and played college ball at Maryland. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE THAT HE IS A LAKERS FAN.
This is sort of ridiculous. I mean, this is completely ridiculous.
It’s one thing when hometown hero LeBron James flaunts his love of the hated Yankees at an Indians playoff game when noone in this town has won squat for 40+ years. I think that’s seriously misguided.
It’s another thing when a 2nd string LB tweets as a fan of another team.
Ugh, Eric Barton went to the same high school I graduated from in Northern VA. I think some fans took it a little far…but whatever happened to players having loyalty to where they are from? Not saying he should be a Cavs fan, but shouldn’t he be a Wizard/Bullets fan? I am sure he was when they were actually sniffing the post season only to be sent packing by the Cavs each year!
Stop bashing the fans. Let them say what they want. If you don’t want to be on the receiving end of trash talk, get OFF of Twitter and delete your account.
I’m tired of celebrities and famous athletes claiming they have their delicate sensibilities tarnished when they have to communicate and mingle with the unwashed masses. Get over yourselves! This is the internet and people have been throwing around insults and making fun of each other since the beginning.
No one forces these athletes to read the giant, slur-ridden, graffiti-tagged bathroom wall that is Twitter. They get on there to boost their own egos and promote themselves or their product endorsements.
Barton’s a moron for picking a fight that he can’t win.
Barton’s a scrub people, relax.
People are seriously mad that Barton isn’t a Cavs fan? That’s dumb. The guy is an adult who b/c of his job has to move from one place to another. If you were in his shoes (not cleats) and your job required you to move from city to city ever few years, would you root for the home teams in your new area? Or would you stay true to your original favorite teams? Chew that one over.. you little freaks. He played in Oakland from 99-04.
hahahah, this is the funniest thing ever.
Obviously you can’t expect a professional athlete to be a fan of every team that calls “his” city home. Outside of the sport he plays, he’s just as much a fan as the rest of us. So if he wants to be a Lakers fan, fine. But when he roots AGAINST his city’s other teams, he’s just asking for trouble. The same people that cheer for his team cheer for this one too, so there’s no sense in upsetting his own fanbase. Stew in silence for one afternoon, then go back to cheering out loud once the Cavs leave town.
Haha, I cant tell you how surprised I was when I actually saw that this whole dispute ended up here. Then again, after what was said about Wright I thought for sure in a few hours I’d be seeing it on ESPN or profootballtalk or something…
Anyways, I’d like to just correct what was posted about me. While the quote is correct it was a little mixed up. After Barton said, “get over yourself,” that is when I said, “No need to be rude. Cleveland fans are passionate. You’d be wise to not disrespect the same fans that support you every Sunday.”
In the end, this whole situation got taken WAY out of hand, especially when Eric Wright was disrespected. It’s hard as fans to understand how he can support the Lakers, but you must remember your own pride. If I was an athlete I would never lose my Cleveland love… If I played MLB in Pittsburgh I certainly would never hide my love for my Cleveland Browns. Then again I’m not sure I would say it all over twitter either.
Cliff note: Eric Barton will not be a Cleveland Brown next year me thinks. He’s old, slow, and David Bowens has proved a much better option at ILB due to his versatility. If an ILB isnt drafted or brought in from FA the starters should be DQ52 and Bowens.
When Shaq tweeted that he wanted the Steelers to win, and many fans were upset with him–he publicly apologized to Cleveland fanson tv. He said that Big Ben was a friend of his, who appeared on his Shaq VS. show, over the summer.
@26… That’s because Shaq’s been in the media spotlight for years. He knows how to handle situations like this the right way. Barton obviously isnt used to the same sort of limelight as Shaq.