Mistake By the Lake
Yes, I'm in Cleveland, and it was snowing when the plane landed this afternoon, an hour late. Yeah, I know: boo-hoo, poor sportswriter getting paid to fly around and watch NFL games in person. Still, late is late, snow is snow, and Cleveland is Cleveland.
And, to make matter worse, it was just late enough to remove any opportunity to see LeBron James and the Cavaliers face off at what used to be the Gund (now named, believe it or not, for some online loan program) against the Pistons, on pace for the second 70-win season in NBA history. LeBron, the Cavs and the 70-win season are expected to resurface in America's consciousness in roughly mid-February, after the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, chaos does indeed reign in the Browns' front office, according to today's Plain Dealer, where the lead story in the entire paper dealt with how ex-Ravens front-office favorite Phil Savage is in a brutal power struggle with team president John Collins. Bottom line: Savage wasn't fired, but he doesn't appear to be getting his way. Interesting tidbit in the story, which I admit I wasn't aware of: the Browns were close to hiring Marvin Lewis away from the Ravens in '01, but passed on him when Butch Davis changed his mind, accepted their offer of full control, and left the University of Miami to take over. Fine choice, there.
It all sort of explains why, even with the wretched season the Ravens had, they're still not in last place in the division. And at this pace, they won't be any time soon.
One last note worth mentioning: traffic on the way to D.C. and in the city left me to see only the second half of the Wizards-Heat game Friday night. So I missed most of Gilbert Arenas' 47 points (mainly because he scored only three in the fourth quarter). But I didn't miss one of the year's nastier dunks, Dwyane Wade completely undressing Antonio Daniels on the left wing before sailing in and throwing down one-handed. By all means, catch a highlight when you can.
Happy New Year.
Comments
As an Ohioan who seeks out commentary by the opposing camp after contests involving Cleveland sports teams, I have to say Mr. Steele's off-hand remarks about my city strike me as the sort of cornball snickering that went out of fashion when Johnny Carson left the air two decades ago.
I've spent time in Baltimore, and never found reason to criticize the town even though it obviously has no more room to feel good about its condition than Cleveland, or any number of other decaying former industrial centers.
I suppose a certain amount of the attitude toward Cleveland has to do with suppressed guilt left over from 1995. Most of the football fans here, however, have long since put away the resentment of a giddy Gov. Glendening crowing about his city's wonderful accomplishment in heisting our franchise.
I don't think an analyst as intelligent and perceptive as Mr. Steele needs to fall back on time-worn invidious sterotypes in order to sell his columns.
Posted by: Steve Gaylo | January 2, 2006 7:13 PM
lighten up clevelander! man, you are touchy! people make fun of our city all the time too- it's just good natured fun. philly gets joked on nationally and it is one of the biggest cosmopolitan centers in the country. maybe the truth hit a little too close to home, huh?
Posted by: calloutthewhiner | January 5, 2006 4:58 PM