Why YOU WILL Win The Billion Dollar Bracket

When Warren Buffett announced that he and Quicken Loans were going to offer up to 15 million people the opportunity to guess the NCAA Tournament perfectly and win a billion dollars, it immediately stirred up a storm. All I have read are a bunch of articles about how you have no chance at winning. I can’t stand such negativity. So, I’ve put together the only article out there as to “Why YOU WILL Win The Billion Dollar Bracket.” Here are the facts:

1. Mathematical odds/the analytics movement is overrated.

People will say that there is a 9.2 quintillion to one chance of getting a perfect NCAA bracket. To those people, I respond, “What’s a quintillion? Sounds made up by the same people that caused the 2008 financial crisis.” With the Sloan Sports Conference, Nate Silver and FiveThirtyEight, and other such representations of the advancements of analytics, the facts show that it really won’t work out. For all the success of “Moneyball,” how many championships do the Oakland A’s have? Exactly. The best still wins. You’re the best. You’re better than math. You got this.

2. Warren Buffett is an idiot.

So, this guy is the most noted American businessman and knowledgeable on economics in so many ways? He’s worth billions, and has the kindness to donate much of it to worthwhile charities? He’s one of the most savvy investors in the world and highly respected by pretty much everyone on Wall Street? So what? He’s all old now. He’s probably senile. His time is over. It’s now your time, baby! With his billion dollars! 

I really hope a librarian wins the billion dollars.

 3. You know college basketball (even if you don’t).

Come on, you watched practically every game that was available to you on cable this season. You know these teams hands down and have analyzed everything that could possibly happen. And, sure, the NCAA Tournament never has any surprises. Or, come on, you watched the night that Michigan State played Kentucky and Duke played Kansas, and never watched a game again this season. You know college basketball. It’s in your blood.

4. You’re probably due.

Look, life hasn’t treated you well in some way. You’re certainly not Warren Buffett. You work a crappy job. You hate your significant other. You’re obviously depressed in some way. All you live for is sports or lottery tickets. This is that wonderful moment where you can bring both of them together. God owes you a billion dollars. Life sucks, and now it won’t thanks to your perfect bracket!

A Timeline of the Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic

While on my recent trip to Orlando, I got to check out the Amway Arena for the first time. On Sunday night, a clearly epic battle occurred as the Magic squared off against the Philadelphia 76ers. Here's a timeline of my experience at what may have been one of the most meaningless games this NBA season.

4:00 PM – I'm taking in the Ohio State-Indiana basketball game at a bar right near Lake Eola in a park in downtown Orlando. It's a beautiful sight, and no surprise that the outdoor bar is backed on such a clear and perfect weather day.

4:51 PM – I actually poop in the park public restroom, making me only slightly above the homeless when it comes to behavioral standards in a park public restroom. As it turns out, my poop was probably synonymous with the level of entertainment the Magic and 76ers would provide later in the day.

4:59 PM – I notice a group of people dancing on a stage at the lake. I guess this auditorium is used for random events like this. Kind of cool, but kind of weird. I like Orlando.

6:01 PM – The game has already started, but we still need tickets. Numerous scalpers annoy us. We just want to get into the building, so we buy $10 tickets off of a scalper. According to the Ticketmaster paper, the original price of the tickets was $5 (Amway offers $5 tickets? No idea.) The name on the tickets is Miguel. I assure you that if the guy I bought the tickets from was named Miguel, then my name is Joe Biden.

6:14 PM – We get into the building with absolutely no intention of ever going to our seats. We go to the Budweiser Bar Pavilion where you get a great standing room level view from behind one of the backboards and all the numerous shots that are being missed by each respective team.

6:21 PM – A guy is throwing free stuff. Pretty exciting. As it turns out, he ends up handing us what he's throwing. They are those “thunder sticks” that you can use to cheer on the team. I must say it's disappointing when you receive a free thing that's not very exciting. It's double disappointing when it's handed to you, and you didn't catch it. I thought to myself, “This is crap, and I didn't even earn it.”

6:33 PM – “Kiss Cam” comes on the screen! It's a little sad when you're digging for “Kiss Cam” near the end of the first quarter. This is something that better teams would show later in the game. But, hey, got to keep these Orlando faithful excited somehow.

6:50 PM – Stuff the Magic Dragon appears! Stuff starts messing around with the audience. Stuff is actually doing some decently hilarious material for arena crowd work. Stuff wins MVP honors for me for this game, and should have appeared more. 

Bob Dole and Stuff! Highly doubt Bob Dole was in attendance at the 76ers-Magic game.

6:58 PM – The cheerleaders continue to be more interesting than the entire Magic roster. I'm far more excited when they're announced off the bench than when the name, E'Twaun Moore, is heard.

7:25 PM – At the half, the 76ers lead the Magic. The 76ers have been terrible defensively this year. At the least, I was hoping this would be an offensive explosion for each team. But, no, they both are looking pretty crappy.

7:48 PM – I grab a bottomless souvenir Horace Grant cup of Mountain Dew from the concession stand. The man working the counter is unbelievably nice. It's his pep that would be the only reason I ever come back to an Orlando Magic game.

8:10 PM – I'm realizing that Magic games are great ways to look at the attractive women in Orlando. Also, it's pretty obvious they don't care about this team, either, so this looks a pretty decent social event with a $10 cover.

8:21 PM – The Magic have waged a comeback much to the delight of whoever in the crowd is actually paying attention.

8:35 PM – I return for a refill on my Mountain Dew. This guy is just really nice. I also am going to be completely wired for the drive home.

8:55 PM – The game concludes. Magic wins, 92-81. They can now prepare for Dwight Howard's return on Wednesday in a game I would have much rather watched.

9:06 PM – The Amway Arena has an interactive area on the first 25 years of the Orlando Magic. It has shoes that Shaq wore, cardboard cutouts of the players that you can stand next to, and random trivia that will remind you that Reggie Theus once played for the team. Also, I read about their 2009 run to the NBA Finals and almost broke down into tears knowing the likes of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis beat LeBron James.

9:44 PM – We stop at a pizza place for a snack after the game. I accidentally leave my Horace Grant souvenir cup at this pizza place. Some lucky person or garbage can now has my Horace Grant souvenir cup.

In conclusion, the Amway Arena is a fun night out. It's got cheap tickets, expensive brews, hot babes, and a lot of history, so the kids will learn something, too!

The NBA at the Halfway Point

The NBA All-Star game is today. At the halfway point of the year, NBA fans probably feel exactly the same way I do, and it has perhaps been unprecedented. I am extremely excited about how one conference's playoffs are going to look and horrified at how the other conference's bracket will go. The disparity between the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference is obvious, and the points scoring barrage that can happen when two quality West teams face off against each other is only countered by the stinky poo poo entertainment that has been any Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets game this year.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and what the playoffs will bring. Let's take a look at the matchups that would happen if the playoffs started today.

Eastern Conference

Indiana (1) vs Charlotte (8)

Charlotte has been impressive only in that they haven't been the complete embarrassment of the league this year. I'd expect the Pacers to make quick work of them. God, why are these best-of-seven series again? Can the NBA really make that much money off Pacers-Bobcats?

Miami (2) vs Brooklyn (7)

This series is only entertaining in that the Nets were expected to actually contend with the Pacers and the Heat this year. But, the combination of Jason Kidd's poor coaching skills and ability to dress more like a model than the team's coach has only complicated an aged roster. The Heat have taken the season easy to get into this position. It will be interesting to watch LeBron bury Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett one final time. But, again, best-of-seven series? Yikes.

Quality coaching.

Toronto (3) vs Washington (6)

This may be the most fun series if only because I am very impressed with the Raptors and I'm happy for the city of Washington that they have a playoff team for the first time since Gilbert Arenas had a pile of guns in the locker room. The Raptors dealt Rudy Gay and only got better. Washington is seeing John Wall step up into the role as the leader at point guard that they wanted him to be. Toronto seemed like they were going to tank after the Gay deal where as the Wizards seemed like they were hitting for the fences with the Gortat deal prior to the season. From a basketball standpoint, it's intriguing. But, remember, there may be no one in the rest of the world other than Toronto and Washington that cares about a Raptors-Wizards battle. Remember, guys, best-of-seven series.

Chicago (4) vs Atlanta (5)

This only really becomes fun if Derrick Rose returns for the playoffs. Atlanta has looked impressive given how underwhelming their roster looked on paper and GM Danny Ferry has set up the team for a bright future. It's unfortunate Al Horford went down for the year, but I like what Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap have managed to do for this team. The Bulls are being the Bulls again. Just a solid team that is well coached by Tom Thibodeaux and finds a way to get into the playoffs and have an impact even without their superstar.

Main point:

We're just waiting on the Heat-Pacers conference final, which is going to be awesome. Until then, we'll suffer through weeks of mediocre basketball in the East.

Western Conference

Oklahoma City (1) vs Golden State (8)

This is such a great 1 vs. 8 series. Kevin Durant has been playing out of his mind, and with the impending return of Russell Westbrook, the Thunder seem poised to take the West. Golden State is one of the most entertaining teams into the league to watch, but their first half of the season was up and down to the point that it is very possible they could not make this year's playoffs, which would be a shame. A series of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry? My God, I love the best-of-seven series!

San Antonio (2) vs Phoenix (7)

Phoenix is the biggest surprise of this season, and Jeff Hornacek may have already put his name on the Coach of the Year award. This is an intriguing match up for the aging Spurs. Gregg Popovich will always have something up his sleeve, and the team rested, but this is a great first round battle to potentially have the young, upstart team against a package of veteran All-Stars looking at one more chance at a ring.

Houston (3) vs Dallas (6)

It would be a Texas showdown in the first round, and expect the point totals to be high. It would be nice to watch Dwight Howard face off against one of the teams he spurned in free agency. But, while I'll love Dirk Nowitzki, this year's Dallas Mavericks have been kind of non-descript. Could they slip out of playoffs in the second half or take it up a step to put themselves in the conversation as one of the top 4 teams in the West?

L.A. Clippers (4) vs Portland (5)

Another potentially great series. Blake Griffin has come into his own this year, and the Clippers finally seem like a team that has the depth and the organization under Doc Rivers to make a legitimate run at the title. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge all on the same floor? Best-of-seven series, I love you!

Main point:

The West feels a lot more wide open and will make for some really entertaining games. It still seems like it's the Thunder's conference to lose, but we never know what to expect from the Spurs, and with the return of Chris Paul, the Clippers appear more legitimate than ever. Also, keep an eye out for the Memphis Grizzlies. They are on the outside looking in right now, but they've been playing stifling defense, and have finally gotten healthy to a point that they can make an impact. I expect them to make the playoffs, and unfortunately eliminate one of these other eight fine teams.

Final point:

Between LeBron and Durant, whoever doesn't win the MVP will have a major chip on his shoulders. These guys both want it (and the championship) but there may even be an extra incentive if they don't get this honor. I love what both of them are doing on the court right now, and as much as I'd love to see the Pacers take it to the next level and be in the NBA Finals, a Heat-Thunder collision course in June would be fantastic to watch.

Now, for no reason other than it is All-Star Weekend and my buddy Justin Golak reminded me of it, here's Reggie Miller's hilarious broadcasting moment during a 3-pointcontest.

The Winning Ways of Jimmy Haslam

Jimmy Haslam is a maniac obsessed with winning to a point that he does not know the appropriate approach to go about doing it. Or, Jimmy Haslam is so obsessed with winning that he’ll do anything to make it happen, and just made a genius decision that will pave the way for a winning team in Cleveland. I’m a patient man (clearly unlike Mr. Haslam), so I’m willing to wait before giving a clear verdict, but to most fans, Haslam is looking more like the former than the latter. In a little over a year, Haslam has fired two head coaches and two front offices, a frightening statistic in a league that has proven that consistency wins championships.

At the time, the hiring of Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi didn’t look particularly impressive. Banner had years of experience with the successful Philadelphia Eagles, but his departure from the team came from a reported rift with head coach Andy Reid, which then begs the question of how much Banner was really involved in the team’s success. Lombardi already had an unfavorable history with the Browns, and was a reminder of the unsuccessful Bill Belichick era and subsequent move of the team to Baltimore. Yet, Haslam went with these guys.

From a fan’s perspective, it didn’t seem quite clear who was doing what. Banner appeared to be the face of the front office, who would speak to the media. After his initial press conference, Lombardi simply disappeared, and was presumably doing player evaluation. At times, it was conveyed that Lombardi was making personnel decisions and Banner was presenting them. Then, it seemed that Banner was entirely responsible for personnel decisions, which then led to questions of what Lombardi was even doing and why he wouldn’t appear at press conferences. Even though fans didn’t have an idea as to what was going on, the owner should know, but when taking questions after the firing of Rob Chudzinski, Haslam’s response to Lombardi’s lack of presence was that he hadn’t thought much of it. With yesterday’s firings, Haslam may have been more clueless than we thought.

If the timeline of events seems right, then Haslam simply did not do his homework and took things for granted. He chose Banner perhaps for his experience, but perhaps never truly asked around as to his reputation in the NFL community. He didn’t take into account Lombardi’s reputation among Cleveland fans and previous history in front offices, and relied on Banner’s opinion of him. He fired Pat Shurmur under the presumption they could bring in Chip Kelly, and ultimately settled on Rob Chudzinski. He fired Chudzinski under expectations that he would do better as a first-year coach based off the performance of other first-year coaches even though other first-year coaches didn’t have to work with three different quarterbacks, a non-existent running game, and a front office clearly working on a rebuilding project for the next season. He then took 25 days to have Mike Pettine, clearly not either Banner or Lombardi’s first selection, hired as the head coach. Whatever happened in that coaching search and whatever disagreements arose between Banner, Lombardi, and Haslam clearly led to yesterday morning’s announcement. Haslam has to be embarrassed, and either he’s looking to rid himself of embarrassing actions of a first year in one move or he is the cause of all the embarrassment and will continue to be.

Jimmy Haslam, not at a press conference for a change.

Haslam has decided to keep Alec Scheiner on as President. He has hired Ray Farmer as the General Manager. Both are younger executives who have developed a good reputation in the league. Haslam has defined their roles. It may be a good sign that Farmer was the top choice of the Miami Dolphins for their GM position, but turned it down to remain with the Browns. The Dolphins (dysfunctional in their own way due to the Jonathan Martin scandal this season) were looking to right their ship and gain a better front office perception in the league (particularly after the Davone Bess issue that strangely involved the Browns as well) with Farmer.

The big question marks are still there. Farmer openly stated he played no role in the interview process to hire Pettine. So, will he and Pettine even get along? Farmer also worked as the assistant to Mike Lombardi. Was he just following under Lombardi’s watch or did some of his decisions and advice lead to some of the Browns’ problems? Most importantly, Haslam has said that both Farmer and Scheiner will report to him. It’s not clear what that means. If it means that Haslam would just like to be involved and have knowledge of the football operations (because he clearly had no clue with Banner and Lombardi), then that’s acceptable. If Haslam is looking to start making football decisions and rely on impulse feelings, then Browns fans may be looking at a new GM and coach again next year.

Why Do We Care About Joe Namath?

My Dad has always had an interest in financial investing. As a result of subscribing to a variety of financial magazines, he would also receive junk mail related to them. When I was in elementary school, he once received a VHS tape from a company named S&K. God knows what S&K was doing or trying to sell, but we figured it would be entertaining to watch what they had to say. We watched the instructional video, and I don't remember at all what S&K's angle was, but my Dad told me that it was all a scheme. From that young age, I understood how certain “businesses” look to get money out of innocent individuals. Who was the pitchman in S&K’s video? Joe Namath. 

By that point, I knew that Joe Namath was a famous quarterback. I knew that he made a guarantee to win a Super Bowl as a huge underdog and backed up that guarantee. But, beyond that, what else was there to know? From the S&K video, all I really knew now was that Namath was either a sleazy guy, a retired player desperate to get money one way or the other, or both.

So, when Namath appeared in yesterday’s Super Bowl XLVIII, he was being the oddball “Broadway Joe” that I’ve known for my entire life. He showed up in an insane fur coat. He botched the coin toss. He seemed to half-jokingly stare down the referee after his mistake. He then did the coin toss. Of course, social media erupted ripping into Namath for his coat, his coin toss mistake, and poking fun at his openly admitted battle with alcoholism. But, for me, it led to a bigger question. Why do we care about Joe Namath? Why does the NFL keep putting this guy out in public when he clearly doesn’t belong there anymore?

It seems to come from a history that is more lore and personality than football numbers. I obviously never saw Joe Namath play live, but his colleagues at the time described him as smart and that he transformed the quarterback position. But, even playing in a time that was run heavy, Namath's numbers are unimpressive. He threw 173 touchdowns compared to 220 interceptions with a 50.1 completion percentage. Even during their Super Bowl year, he had 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Namath was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. In what has now become a statistic obsessed culture particularly when determining who gets into the Hall of Fame, Namath would have no shot today.

But, Namath was an icon. He was attractive and had great personality. His guarantee of winning Super Bowl III has become a legendary story. His post-playing days found him acting and doing commercials. He had crossed over into the landscape of pop culture.

As I mentioned though, if you were born in the mid-1980s or later like I was, the obsession with Joe Namath is a little weird to you. With my experience with S&K, Namath didn't exactly come off as the most trustworthy or knowledgeable guy.

Then, of course, there was this moment:

I watched this live, and it was just as awkward as it is to watch it now. In the wake of it, you could laugh at it. Namath was clearly drunk, and the announcers were trying to cover it up in their own hilarious way. But, it actually proved sad when Namath revealed his problem with alcoholism. Additionally, the moment downgraded the abilities of Suzy Kolber from a knowledgeable sideline reporter to just a cute girl worth kissing. It's been over ten years, and Kolber's career is still remembered most for this awkward moment. “Broadway Joe” now just seemed like a creepy old man.

As a result, Namath hasn't truly moved on from it, which was what made the coin toss so awkward again. The number of easy jokes on social media related to Namath's alcoholism were endless. Namath now feels like an old, bumbling fool rather than an icon. To some it's a joke, but to me, it just seems sad. If Namath is having fun doing it, then all power to him, but for some of us (especially Phil Simms below) it feels like Joe has been making us feel uncomfortable for a long time now.

 Phil with a comfortable smile.

Apparently, Phil has dealt with this before.

There's a reason Namath was at The Super Bowl in New York. He's the icon for Jets fans. No one else comes close in their long history. He's immortal to the fans of a team in the biggest market in America (there are similarities to Bernie Kosar and Cleveland on a smaller level). So, it makes sense. But, I think we still have to acknowledge for all the history that Joe Namath brought to football and pop culture for 25 years, he's managed to make it very weird and uncomfortable for the ensuing 25.

Here's apparently Joe's version of S&K for 2013. I'd also like to add that some of my stand-up comedy clips have more views than this. Seriously, what is Joe Namath doing here?

 

Looking Back...NFL Season Predictions

A few weeks into the NFL season, I was sitting with my friend and fellow comedian Dylan Shelton at a show, and Dylan said something along the lines of, "Your NFL predictions sucked." He was right. Just a few weeks into the year, and it was already pretty obvious I was headed for a bad season based off my September 5 predictions post. It makes me feel slightly better than many prognosticators and bettors haven't had a great year dealing with the NFL. Bill Simmons's regular weekly picks columns have covered his own personal demise this season. But, it still seems worth it to look back on what went horribly wrong.

AFC East

This isn't impressive. It's pretty easy for anyone to pick New England to win the division, and that's what happened. The records I predicted were all off with the New York Jets actually doing far better than expected and possibly having the chance to be a playoff team had they had any consistency at the quarterback position. I did predict that the Miami Dolphins would not make the playoffs, but had them at 7-9 and not even in the hunt rather than them fizzling out in the final weeks of the season when controlling their own destiny.

AFC North

I had three teams from this division making the playoffs. Oops. Despite the Ravens overspending for Joe Flacco, I still thought they had the elements that always got them to the playoffs. They didn't, and neither did the Steelers (my selection from the AFC to make the Super Bowl. Yikes.) The Bengals dominated the division. The Browns did even worse than I predicted as usual.

AFC South

Houston's incredibly disappointing year highlights this division. With a difficult schedule, many expected Indianapolis to not make the playoffs (I had them at 8-8), but they won the division. To my expectations, Tennessee did better yet still fired head coach Mike Munchak. Jacksonville did better than many expected and have some hope with new coach Gus Bradley.

AFC West

It seemed pretty easy to expect Denver to win this division and Oakland to be at the bottom. But, even with an easy schedule, I didn't expect Kansas City to start off the season 9-0 and make the playoffs. San Diego was also impressive under new head coach Mike McCoy. They were enigmatic at times, and likely could have even had a better record, but found their way into the AFC Wild Card berth.

NFC East

If there's one immediate regret that I had with my predictions, it was thinking that Washington would win this division. They seemed very set up for the wreck of the season that they did have, but the NFC East was wide open with teams that didn't look impressive. Surprisingly, first-year coach Chip Kelly led the Eagles to the title. I was correct in predicting the Cowboys at 8-8, but so was probably everyone else.

NFC North

Green Bay won the division, but not as easily as I expected, but with one of the most entertaining games of the season in a win over Chicago. As the season progressed, Detroit became a disappointment and Jim Schwartz was deservedly fired. For the foreseeable future, this still seems like Green Bay's division.

NFC West

I didn't realize it until now, but I hilariously did not include my records for the NFC West in my original post. I had Seattle winning the division and San Francisco making the playoffs, which wasn't a surprise that it happened. Though, Arizona's performance this year is worth noting, and was nice to see them in the hunt.

NFC South

With the way the season started, Carolina looked like they were preparing for another disappointing year and Ron Rivera to be fired. But, they stepped it up, and won the division with Atlanta being yet another huge disappointment that I expected to win the division. As I predicted, New Orleans did come in as a Wild Card, but it's looking less likely that they'll win the Super Bowl as I forecasted.

Now, for what I expect will be extremely wrong predictions on how these playoffs will turn out:

AFC PLAYOFFS

Indianapolis defeats Kansas City
Cincinnati defeats San Diego

Denver defeats Indianapolis
Cincinnati defeats New England

Cincinnati defeats Denver

NFC PLAYOFFS

New Orleans defeats Philadelphia
Green Bay defeats San Francisco

Seattle defeats New Orleans
Green Bay defeats Carolina

Seattle defeats Green Bay

SUPER BOWL

Seattle defeats Cincinnati

Should I stick by New Orleans? In a way, I should. But, if the road to the Super Bowl runs through Seattle, it's going to be very difficult for any team to walk in there. It's just too difficult to bet against Seattle. In recent years, there's always a team from the first weekend of games that finds their way to the Super Bowl. Despite suspect quarterback play from Andy Dalton, I'll take the risk and say that it's Cincinnati, but I do think that San Diego, New Orleans, and Green Bay have the potential to be those teams as well.

Well, I'm looking forward to my predictions going just as wrong as the season went for me.

    These frightening people get a Super Bowl?

Looking Back...The 5 Keys To The Browns Improving This Year

The Cleveland Browns ended their season in a familiar manner, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a pathetic fashion to end another pathetic season with a 4-12 receord. Surprisingly, though, they ended their season exactly as they did last season by firing their head coach.

Let's take a look back at my post from September 8 on how the “5 Keys to the Browns Improving This Year” panned out this season:

1. Brandon Weeden must become the starting quarterback.

As we know, this key to victory did not remotely happen. Weeden got injured after two lackluster games and Brian Hoyer was anointed the starter. Hoyer looked like a far better quarterback and leader in guiding the team to two straight victories before a knee injury ended his season. Weeden returned as a starter only to perform so poorly that he was benched for backup Jason Campbell. Weeden came back yet again when Campbell got injured only to receive more boos from Cleveland fans that had enough with his lowest point coming in a Jacksonville loss in which he inexplicably was responsible for three turnovers in the last three minutes of the first half. Weeden finished the season with 1,731 yards passing, 9 TD, and 9 INT, for a quarterback rating of 70.8. He's likely to be released by the team, and at the age of 30, may at best be third on a team's depth chart next year.

2. Trent Richardson must have a 1,000 yard rushing season.

Richardson was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick on September 19. At the time, it was a shocking trade that angered most Browns fans. But, Richardson's poor performance with the Colts makes the Browns look like the winners of the deal for the time being. It's still possible that Richardson could turn his career around and that the Browns pick they received in exchange could be a bust. Richardson finished the regular season with 458 yards rushing and 3 TD with a 2.9 yards per carry average. He was benched by the Colts in favor of Donald Brown.

     3.  The Browns need to have a top 15 defense.

The Browns ended the year as the number 9 ranked defense in the league. But, the numbers that determine who has the best defense in the league by the NFL's standards can be deceiving and rely solely on yards given up. Football Outsiders ranks the Browns as 24th. Their second half defense was likely even worse. The Browns were 8-6-2 in the first half of games this season.

 Chudzinski likely had a similar reaction when being handed his pink slip.

4. No dumb coaching mistakes.

It's unclear whether Chudzinski can really be blamed for any specific miscues. Any mistakes didn't stand out as badly as Pat Shurmur's did last season. But, there were definitely major gaffes that cost the team games particularly the special teams performance in the game in Cincinnati. A coach doesn't lose seven straight games to end the season without some dumb things going on.

5. Don't be the Cleveland Browns.

This key may be the saddest one that I wrote because, by the end of the season, the Browns were even more Browns than they have ever been. After one season, the front office fired Chudzinski, making the team seem even more dysfunctional than it has ever been since returning in 1999. By firing Chudzinski, Haslam defied the points that he made in this interview with Peter King, and chose against consistency at the head coaching position. In their press conference on the firing, Haslam and president Joe Banner regularly mentioned their determination to win. It's nice for Browns fans to have a group that claims to be passionate about winning. But, there's a fine line between the mad genius determined to win (Bill Belichick) and someone who is just plain mad in his decision making when trying to win (Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones). Browns fans are hoping that Haslam isn't the next Daniel Snyder, but with Haslam's Pilot J scandal still lurking, an entire coaching overhaul again, and uncertainty at the quarterback and running back positions, the Browns look as lost as they have ever been. The Cleveland Browns are looking like the organizational equivalent of Dwayne Rudd's helmet throw.

Revisiting the 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers

Tonight, the Miami Heat play the Cleveland Cavaliers. When the season began, the Heat were ready to begin their quest for a third straight NBA title while the Cavs were hoping to turn a corner and make a run for the playoffs. But, the season has started off the way all of the previous years have gone for each team with the Heat looking determined to win another title while the Cavs look like they are headed towards another spot in the NBA Lottery.

LeBron James was heavily criticized while in Cleveland, and has shut the mouths of most of those people by winning two titles and simply being the best basketball player on the planet. Now, the focus instead can turn to why he couldn't win titles in Cleveland. Following "The Decision," criticism went squarely back to his supporting cast, which was far different than anything provided to him while in Miami. Considering that LeBron was rebounds and Spurs' missed free throws away from losing the 2012-13 title with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, and a flurry of talented role players, it further cements how difficult it is to win a NBA title without a great team.

It's worth questioning then. How bad was the supporting cast for LeBron in his last year in Cleveland and how have four years away from King James treated these players?

Antawn Jamison, SF: (2009-10 highlights: 15.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG) Acquired prior to the 2010 trade deadline, Jamison was expected to be the insurance policy that would put the Cavs title hopes over the top that season. It didn't work out that way, and people will continue to second guess whether the front office should have made a bigger push to trade for Amar'e Stoudemire. Jamison led the team during the horrible 2010-11 campaign, and served the Cavs well without any complaints. He left prior to the 2012 season to join the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't work well in Mike D'Antoni's system (neither has anyone else on that team really), and signed this past offseason with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mo Williams, PG (2009-10 highlights: 15.8 PPG, 5.3 APG) Acquired in 2008 from the Milwaukee Bucks for Joe Smith (yikes) and Damon Jones (double yikes), Williams looked like a scoring threat that could bring up the ball and complement James. He did that to a certain extent and the biggest highlight of his time in Cleveland is shown in this great Bill Simmons column, which equally reveals how simple the Cavs offense was. Since departing the Cavs, Williams has been a serviceable point guard at best for the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and currently the Portland Trailblazers. The silver lining for the Cavs was that his trade to the Clippers led to their acquisition of the #1 overall pick used to take Kyrie Irving. 

Shaquille O'Neal, C (2009-10 highlights: 12.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG) Acquired prior to the 2009 season from the Phoenix Suns for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, $500,000, and a 2010 2^nd round draft pick, O'Neal was seen as the Hall of Fame post threat that could put the Cavs in the driver's seat for the title. But, it was clear O'Neal was aged and his skills had diminished. In the horrible Game 5 playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, while LeBron allegedly didn't step up, Shaq did. He had 21 points and 4 rebounds. Following LeBron's departure, O' Neal spent a season with the Celtics before retiring. 

There were a lot of laughs and title expectations prior to the 2009 season.

 

Delonte West, SG: (2009-10 highlights: 8.8 PPG, 3.3 APG) West was acquired in 2008 along with Wally Szczerbiak from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall (talk about a trade involving the most meaningless role players). West's off the court situations trumped any effect that he had on the court over the years with the Cavs. His legal troubles, the allegations of an affair with LeBron's mother, and his bipolar disorder put him into more of a limelight than anything else. After brief stints with the Celtics and Mavericks, West is now playing basketball in China.

Anderson Varejao, PF: (2009-10 highlights: 8.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG) Varejao has been a career Cavalier and was a spark plug for the LeBron-era Cavs. He continues to be a part of the current Cavs team, but with the team's horrible play, he is constantly the subject of trade talks with his favorable contract and energetic play. Had it not been for a season-ending injury last year, Varejao may have been headed to his first All-Star appearance. He is a fan favorite, and perhaps the only person from the 2009-10 Cavs with a strong value in the NBA.

J.J. Hickson, PF: (2009-10 highlights: 8.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) Drafted by the Cavs with the 19^th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Hickson proved to be a product of LeBron's success. He had his strong moments on LeBron's team, and his youth and potential upside was enough for the Cavs front office to not ship him in a potential trade with the Suns for Amar'e Stoudemire. But, once LeBron left, it was clear Hickson was not the player the Cavs thought him to be. In 2011, he was shipped to the Sacramento Kings for Omar Casspi and a conditional first-round pick. He bounced over to Portland last year and is now currently part of the Denver Nuggets. With an injury to JaVale McGee, Hickson has been getting increased playing time. He is averaging 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C: (2009-10 highlights: 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG) Beloved by Cleveland fans since being drafted by the Cavs in 1996, by 2010, Ilgauskas was aged, but still capable of having an impact by being a big man with a good outside shot. Paired with O'Neal, it didn't lead to a championship for the Cavs. Ilgauskas also departed for the Heat, but retired before Miami's championship run. The Cavs will retire Ilgauskas's jersey number this season.

Anthony Parker, SF: (2009-10 highlights: 7.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG) Parker joined the Cavs as a free agent in 2009 to be another role player for a championship run. Parker likely accomplished what he was brought in to do, but his role at times was more significant than it likely should have been on a championship contender. He remained on the team following LeBron's departure, and announced his retirement in 2012. He is now a scout for the Orlando Magic.

 

Daniel Gibson, PG: (2009-10 highlights: 6.3 PPG, .447 3-PT pct.) Gibson was the darling of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2007 playoff run. After James left, he posted a career high 11.6 PPG on the horrible 2010-11 team. How meaningless was Gibson from 2010-2013 for the Cavs? Wikipedia doesn't even have any biographical information for him over those years. “Boobie” is currently a free agent. However, he is drawing bigger news as of late for reports of his marriage falling apart and a summer arrest.

Jamario Moon, SF: (2009-10 highlights: 4.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG) Moon was acquired by the Cavs as a free agent in 2009. He played a mostly insignificant role on the LeBron-led Cavs. He was dealt along with Mo Williams to the Clippers as part of the Baron Davis deal. He is currently in the NBA D-League.

Others who appeared on the roster included Jawad Williams (now playing in Paris), Leon Powe (already with a serious knee injury at the time with the Cavs, he has since retired to work in some capacity in sports business), Cedric Jackson (currently playing in Slovenia), Darnell Jackson (currently playing in China) and most notably Danny Green (significant contributor to the San Antonio Spurs that nearly knocked off the Heat last year).

LeBron's supporting cast has amassed zero All-Star appearances since he left the team. More of the players have retired or played internationally or in the D-League than have made a significant impact on any NBA roster. Arguably, the most successful player has been Green, who got the lowest amount of playing time when on the team.

In 2010, fans and pundits were convinced that LeBron James could take this team to a NBA title. They impressively (and perhaps surprisingly) finished with a 61-21 record to earn the #1 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference. But, championships are won by supporting casts as much as they are won by superstars. As time has shown, the criticism was right. LeBron didn't have the teammates to win the title. He found those teammates (along with his prime) in Miami.

LeBron's decision will always leave a sour taste in the mouths of Cleveland fans. But, none of his supporting casts could remotely compare to what has been provided to him by Pat Riley and the Heat organization. And, with the current state of the Cavs, the idea that LeBron would come back to the team via free agency seems like a fantasy as far fetched as a championship during his time with the team.

Why I Don't Care About The Buckeyes and The NCAA Anymore

(This post was originally written two weeks ago, and was supposed to be released prior to Ohio State's first game of the season. When it wasn't completed in time, I chose not to post it. However, in the wake of Sports Illustrated's profile of Oklahoma State's program and Yahoo! Sports' recent report on SEC programs, it only added fuel to the flame. Dan Wetzel is referenced in the post, and his column on the subject hit the nail on the head generally better than what I wrote below).

I was born in Cleveland. When it came to college football, if you wanted to cheer for the sport, you only had one option: the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Cleveland State Vikings had no football team, and unless you had a family connection to another Ohio college, there was absolutely no reason for your football allegiance to not bleed scarlet and grey. I remember as a kid that I would follow the same format. I'd tune in to watch the Ohio State game and see Eddie George scamper for touchdowns on ABC followed by a local high school quiz show called Academic Challenge and the state lottery game show, Cash Explosion. My fall Saturdays were highly entertaining even if Ohio State wasn't the best team in the country.

At that time, fans were fully aware of the NCAA's rules, but they often disregarded it. They turned a blind eye to it mostly because there was no reason to pay attention to it. The only scandal that I can recall from that era was Gene Stallings's Alabama team, and that did not seem to get the type of national media attention that it would today. As fans, we accepted that players got full scholarships, and that a free education was a proper reward for whatever they did on the field.

With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series, things started to change. In Death to the BCS, written by Dan Wetzel (in my opinion, the best current sports columnist), Josh Peter, and Jeff Passan, the authors detail the level of greed and lack of logic behind the system that determines the national champion in college football. The bowl system relies on its supposed history and prestige to be appealing to schools and their fans, but the reality is that it only lines the pockets of conference commissioners and bowl leadership. Over the years of the BCS, it's become clear: the people at the top will not allow anything to stop them from making as much money as possible.

When it comes to being an Ohio State fan, everything turned with the notorious and annoyingly named “Tattoo-gate.” It was one thing to be exposed by reports, but now the NCAA had no choice but to investigate and make an example of the Buckeyes based off their rules for student athletes. The ordeal cost coach Jim Tressel his job, even though Tressel probably did the same actions (or lack thereof) that most NCAA head coaches would have done in the situation he was placed in. With the opportunity to provide appropriate punishment based off their rules, the NCAA instead gave the players involved in “Tattoo-gate” an out and allowed them to play in the Sugar Bowl that year. For any Buckeyes fan with decency towards rules and logic, that game left a sour taste in one's mouth. The NCAA wasn't even truly standing behind the rules that they established. They were looking at what was best for their product. They were looking at the money, and as usual, the Louisiana Superdome was packed with fans from both Ohio State and Arkansas.

College football got even more complicated and disturbing with the Jerry Sandusky revelations at Penn State. The subsequent investigation ultimately brought down the reputation of head coach Joe Paterno. With that, it also allowed us to examine how we look at college football as fans and what it means to us. We often put college football on a pedestal of history and appreciation. We prop up coaches like Paul “Bear” Bryant, Woody Hayes, and Paterno, even though all had their own faults and legacies affected. Yet, they supposedly created great players and greater men and were an ideal for all people in sports to attempt to reach.

The best coaches in the game are not far off from their predecessors. Under the guise that they are positive role models, they still are fearless in the recruiting process and the money generation that is involved in college sports. Nick Saban acknowledged that he would rather be out recruiting than coaching in the national championship game. Urban Meyer, who has a cloud of criticism regarding his past recruiting actions, allegedly reported on his former school, Florida, for an infraction. The best coaches don't seem like good guys. But, winning still cements one's legacy in college football over the success of any player as an individual, a human being, or a scholar. The best coaches know how to coach football, but they also know how to work in a system that's more about big business than it is about what college is actually supposed to be about. 

My reaction to the NCAA is not far off from Urban Meyer's face here.

The Johnny Manziel case highlighted just how far things have gone. The NCAA punished Manziel for a half for allegedly selling his signatures for money, a clear NCAA violation. Unless the evidence was right in their face, the NCAA would not have done anything anyway. Manziel is money. He needs to be on the football field. The fact that the NCAA punished him for a half (an unheard of punishment prior to this announcement) furthers just how much the organization insults its fans. They know they have the swagger to enforce their rules in any way that they see fit and that their fans will seemingly accept it.

The hypocrisy towards their own rules has reached such a level that it has ultimately tarnished how I interact with collegiate sports, particularly football. It would be one thing if the NCAA did not allow players to earn any money beyond their scholarship, did thorough investigations of such possibilities, and then enforced those rules properly. Instead, they need the media, whistleblowers, and other such sources to put these issues in front of their faces. Even then, they only punish based off what is best for their product and what will produce them the most money. It's frustrating and insulting to its fan base. By going to games or purchasing collegiate apparel, it feels as if one is lining the pockets of people on Wall Street in 2013 who were directly responsible for causing the financial crisis in 2008.

When I bring up my issues with college sports with friends, they often point to professional sports and their recent issues that have tainted their games from the Alex Rodriguez/Ryan Braun PED scandal in baseball to the Aaron Hernandez trial in football. With professional sports, there comes a certain level of greed, crime, and immoral behavior that come to be accepted by its fans. The main difference is the word, “professional.” These individuals are being paid hefty amounts to do these sports as a job. They get a piece of the pie when it comes to the use of their likeness, jersey sales, and the monetary success that can be gained from their name. Their negative actions receive punishment from their organizations and draw attention from the public that will forever shape their legacy, but it doesn't have an effect on how much they have already generated in earnings from being who they are as professional athletes.

The current Ed O'Bannon case has the potential to open up many doors for student athletes. But, it also will generate far more issues as well. People will debate over how athletes will get paid, if the lower budget sports programs will get sacrificed, and so many other factors if O'Bannon and the rest of the plaintiffs in the case are victorious. I have every belief that they will be victorious, but I also have every belief that the NCAA will find ways for new rules to never truly be enacted properly and for its hypocrisy to continue.

With conference realignment, lack of proper enforcement of its own rules, and an overall approach that shows that money matters over an appreciation for the game, it's hard to be a fan of the NCAA. Personally, I've had enough. As good as the Ohio State Buckeyes will be this year, I won't really be keeping on top of what they are doing. I'll go out to watch games if it's an event that my friends would like to do. I'll still support them from afar since they are still a part of my sports make-up. But, it's hard to really care about wins or losses when you know that the only people that keep winning are the millionaires in suits at conference offices just trying to squeeze out more and more money at the sacrifice of logic and fair play for their student athletes and fans.

5 Keys to The Browns Improving This Year

The Cleveland Browns season begins today. As Browns fans eagerly await today's game against the Miami Dolphins at the newly named FirstEnergy Stadium, I've compiled my five keys to the Browns improving this year (also known as the five ways to keep Browns fans sane this year). 

1. Brandon Weeden must becoming the starting quarterback.

Though the organization gave Weeden the thumbs up that he is the starter for Week 1, he is still on a short leash. He likely has the first four weeks of the season to prove himself. In this four weeks, he must show three important traits: leadership, a positive TD-INT ratio, and wins. All three of these traits don't have to be accomplished, but if after four weeks, Weeden has shown poise, has 9 TD, 4 INT, and the Browns are 2-2, we will have no problem anointing Weeden as the starter for the rest of the season and the “future of the Browns” (at least, the relative future as Weeden is about to turn 30). If Weeden shows any consistent signs of the type of play fans saw from him last season or during the preseason game against the Colts, the Browns have immediately taken a step back. Weeden is now a wasted first-round pick and the Browns are back to the drawing board in trying to find a long-term, consistent solution at the quarterback position. Weeden must show that he is a formidable starter in the NFL otherwise the Browns will continue to be haunted by another quarterback change.

2. Trent Richardson must have a 1,000 yard rushing season.

Richardson rushed for 950 yards last season even while having a broken rib injury. With a much better offensive system in place, Richardson seems poised to get a 1,000 yard rushing season. But, this is still the Cleveland Browns, and Richardson is certainly susceptible to injury with his aggressive running style and willingness to grind for extra yardage. Richardson also must thrive in receiving yards, which should be accomplished in Norv Turner's offensive system.

      3.  The Browns need to be a top 15 defense.

The Browns defenses have consistently been terrible since their return in 1999. It didn't matter who the personnel or the coordinator was, there never has been a season where the defense was considered threatening to opponents in the league, which is sad considering the history of intimidating defenses that Cleveland once had. With Ray Horton aboard as the coordinator, players are excited at the packages and blitzes being mixed in. However, with real questions in the secondary, there may be some growing pains for this defense regardless. Or, we may be in store for another year of a defense ranked in the 20s in the league.

4. No dumb coaching mistakes.

The Pat Shurmur coaching era in Cleveland was marked by numerous dumb coaching errors. Since the Browns usually lost, Shurmur was second-guessed on many of his decisions. However, in some cases, there were a lot of dumb mistakes leading to unnecessary timeouts being used and poor play calling (remember, we did a running play to tight end Alex Smith). In his first year, Rob Chudzinski needs to avoid these situations at all costs otherwise he will begin to hear it from Cleveland fans and media. With balanced coordinators like Turner and Horton calling plays on both sides of the ball, it gives far more hope that such mistakes won't happen.

     5.  Don't be the Cleveland Browns.

You know what I mean. The Browns find amazing ways to lose and look illogical in the process. The Browns have had only one opening-day win since they returned to the league in 1999. A victory in a winnable game against the Miami Dolphins will put this new organization and coaching staff in the right direction with fans. Please, no more moments like this one.

NFL Season Predictions

The NFL is a fickle place, particularly when it comes to prognosticating its upcoming season. It's hard to tell which teams will turn out great and which ones with high expectations will bottom out. Though it's the best league to bet on individual games as the season progresses, it's rather difficult to determine who the Super Bowl winner will be. It takes a combination of presumptions on how a team did in the previous year with what their offseason may have produced for this season. In this era of parity, it's hard to believe that the same teams will return again to the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, I quickly put together my outcome of how the season will turn out with game-by-game selections of each week. Here are my predictions that will probably amount to nothing as we wait for tonight's season opener:

AFC EAST

New England 11-5
Miami 7-9
Buffalo 4-12
New York Jets 4-12

AFC NORTH

Pittsburgh 10-6
Baltimore 10-6
Cincinnati 9-7
Cleveland 7-9

AFC SOUTH

Houston 9-7
Indianapolis 8-8
Tennessee 6-10
Jacksonville 3-13

AFC WEST

Denver 12-4
Kansas City 8-8
San Diego 6-10
Oakland 4-12

NFC EAST

Washington 11-5
New York Giants 9-7
Dallas 8-8
Philadelphia 7-9

NFC NORTH

Green Bay 12-4
Detroit 9-7
Chicago 9-7
Minnesota 4-12

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta 12-4
New Orleans 10-6
Carolina 8-8
Tampa Bay 6-10

AFC PLAYOFFS

Baltimore defeats Houston
Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati

Denver defeats Baltimore
Pittsburgh defeats New England

Pittsburgh defeats Denver

NFC PLAYOFFS

New Orleans defeats Green Bay
Washington defeats Seattle

New Orleans defeats Atlanta
San Francisco defeats Washington

New Orleans defeats San Francisco

SUPER BOWL

New Orleans defeats Pittsburgh

Why not dream of Roger Goodell handing the Vince Lombardi trophy to the Saints organization?

Drew Brees celebrates his second Super Bowl title.

Josh Cribbs: Forever A Brown

Three former Cleveland Browns players likely at the end of their careers were released by their respective teams yesterday. The New York Jets cut Braylon Edwards, the Washington Redskins did the same with Donte’ Stallworth, and the Oakland Raiders let go of Joshua Cribbs. Edwards and Stallworth will likely have no place in Browns lore. Edwards pushed his way out the door (both with Browns fans and members of LeBron James’s entourage) and Stallworth inexplicably is not still in prison. But, Cribbs was the polar opposite to Browns fans.

Terry Pluto wrote an excellent column on Cribbs following his release. It details just how hard Cribbs worked to get on the team and the sacrifices he took to his body on his way to three Pro Bowl appearances as a special teamer during his tenure with the Browns. It was this type of work ethic that won him over with Browns fans.

Since 1999, the Browns haven’t lived up to the legacy that they established prior to their move. There has been a general disconnect between the team’s carousel of front offices and the fan base. Of the mountain of players that have come through the Berea training facility, only Cribbs and Phil Dawson have been admired at the level of players from the 1980s Browns teams. That’s because Cribbs and Dawson got it. They understood that the Browns were about being a community. They understood that the fans liked hard work, putting the team and city first, and laying their absolute best out on to the field. While the rest of the league’s fans laughed at the Browns faithful gushing over a couple special teamers, Clevelanders were just happy that someone understood them and played their hearts out for them on Sunday.

Cribbs played his heart out for teams that didn’t even deserve that. At best, a return specialist on a better team and functioning organization, Cribbs did that along with being a gunner on special teams, a second/deep threat wide receiver, and a potential quarterback in the Wildcat offense. Such use led to some scary moments and potential major injuries, and yet, as Pluto’s article points out, Cribbs only missed two games in the last seven years. He was this generation’s Eric Metcalf for Browns fans, an entertaining lightning rod overused at a position he wouldn’t play on any other team in the league.

Time may have run out on Cribbs’s athletic career. The Raiders, an organization that could play the game, “Who’s More Dysfunctional?” with the Browns over the past several years, released him, which likely means there won’t be much of a market for a special teamer with diminished skills. This is the time for the current Browns organization to reach out to Cribbs with an understanding of what he means for this community. Plenty of former Browns players have been welcomed back, and if it interests Cribbs, he should be offered some type of position in the organization that stresses his social and communal strengths that made him so loved by Clevelanders.

Cleveland is a loyal city. It loves the people that have been faithful to them (Bernie Kosar), and are even forgiving of the ones who brought great memories and left (Jim Thome). If his career is over and there isn’t a place for Cribbs on any other roster, there will always be a place for him in Cleveland. It’s time to bring #16 back home.

Changing Cleveland Team Nicknames?

On Grantland, Zach Lowe recently wrote, “The Definitive Guide to NBA Team Names.” On the list of 30 NBA team nicknames, Lowe ranked the Cleveland Cavaliers as #29. With such a low ranking, it made me wonder how I would react as a fan if the Cleveland Cavaliers were to change their name.

Are the Cavaliers deserving of a ranking this low for their nickname? Sure. Though, I'm not sure that I care all that much about their team nickname. It's likely because the Cavaliers will always be the third team in town for Cleveland fans unless LeBron James returns (frankly, the Cavaliers could have been called the Cleveland Urinals as long as LeBron was in a uniform and playing for them). It also might be that team nicknames don't have much of an impact on me. Then again, Cleveland is the home to sports teams who have had a uniquely different history when it comes to their nicknames.

For me, the Cavaliers were a team to cheer for when I was growing up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Larry Nance, the team was filled with talent and had the potential for a NBA title if Michael Jordan never existed. The Cavaliers were really the Cavs as evidenced by their iconic logo and appealing blue and orange jerseys. There was something special to the Richfield Coliseum and the Cavs logo on the floor.

If the Cavaliers are deserving of any criticism, it is the creation of possibly the most horrifying jersey in NBA history. In the wake of the move to the new Gund Arena, the Cavs chose to change their jerseys. I'm not sure who designed it, but it looked like the Saved by the Bell opening credits vomited out a basketball jersey. The jersey became a symbol of the mediocrity of the mid-1990s Cavs shuttling through journeyman players and starters that would be bench players on other teams with the only highlights coming from barely All-Stars in Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill. The era was highlighted by the acquisition of fat Shawn Kemp, which led to one unimpressive first-round playoff series loss to the Indiana Pacers.

This is sad in so many ways.

If the Cavaliers wanted to change their nickname, it should have come when Dan Gilbert acquired the team. Instead, Gilbert changed the team colors back to wine and gold, which made sense because all Cleveland fans really wanted to remember those glory days of Ted Stepien.

If anything, I'd care more about the Cavs going back to blue and orange. I don't have much of a feeling to the Cavaliers changing their name because, for all the reasons that Lowe states, it is meaningless. But, the Cavaliers are the Cavs, and they've been the Cavs for as long as I've lived, and even the name makes no sense, it's kind of become ingrained in Cleveland fans' minds enough to not touch it.

On the other hand, the Cleveland Indians have long been mired in controversy of whether or not they would change their team name. The Indians have more history than the Cavs, and defenders of the name say it was made as an homage to former player Louis Sockalexis. But, that point has never been verified as actual fact, and defenders will often find ways to use “history” and “tradition” as a means to cover up racism. Chief Wahoo is an odd and uncomfortable logo, and the long, sad history associated with Native Americans in this country is enough to say that no sports team really needs a nickname like this one. I'm more likely to want and not be affected by the Indians changing their name than the meaningless Cavaliers.

The interesting part to Cleveland nicknames is the Browns. In the wake of the Browns move, the city desperately wanted to keep the teams records, logo, and name. The idea of the Baltimore Browns was disturbing. When that was accomplished, it was a bizarrely accepted runner-up prize to the loss of the franchise for fans. Of course, time has told the story, and I think any Browns fans would rather be the Cleveland Pierogies and have two Super Bowl wins under their belt while seeing the Baltimore Browns be insignificant than the exact opposite occurring.

In the end, the Cavaliers are a terrible nickname, but I'm not sure it matters in the whole scope of Cleveland sports. We have had bigger issues with team nicknames, and the fan base of Cleveland likely wouldn't care what our team name was as long as we win one title.

Now, for another memorable moment that the mid-1990s Cavs brought us:

Browns Organization Looking Surprisingly Sane

When the Cleveland Browns named Brandon Weeden their starting quarterback yesterday, it was yet another sign for fans that the current organization may be sane. While this may be a first sentence more fitting for an article in The Onion, it’s actually a sad reality to the dysfunction that has plagued the Browns’ front office since the team returned to the league in 1999.

The best organizations in the league have succeeded with a sound front office and a highly skilled quarterback with strong leadership ability. In fourteen seasons, the Browns have shown the exact opposite skill set. The front offices and coaching staffs don’t fully support their starting quarterback and a constant carousel of all of these positions occur in a comical and depressing fashion (from Spergon Wynn throwing passes directly into the ground to Phil Savage resigning but then John Collins being fired instead to George Kokinis’s quick dismissal to Romeo Crennel flipping a coin to determine a starter to fans cheering Derek Anderson as he lay injured on the field).

When Jimmy Haslam purchased the Browns last season from Randy Lerner, Browns fans reasonably had mixed feelings. A new owner likely meant another organizational change for the most inconsistent front office in the league. But, after cleaning house, Haslam selected an experienced CEO in Joe Banner. They smartly didn’t hire Chip Kelly either via Kelly’s own decision or their own (the Browns didn’t have the proper quarterback in Weeden to run Kelly’s offensive system, which would have led to yet another starting quarterback in a Browns uniform), and then went with Rob Chudzinksi.

While an odd choice in a way, Chudzinski brought three positive attributes: his history of being a Browns fan, an explosive offensive mind that would fit Weeden far better than Pat Shurmur’s West Coast system, and seasoned coordinators in Norv Turner and Ray Horton. Browns fans need to be able to relate. The fan base has had too many coaches who seemed distant from them either due to their aloofness in press conferences (Crennel and Shurmur) or apparent total disregard for criticism (Butch Davis and Eric Mangini). With Chudzinski once being a fan, he has an understanding of the history and make-up of the Browns' supporters. Turner and Horton serve well as coaches right by Chudzinski's side, and his ability to grab a two-time Super Bowl winning offensive coordinator along with a defensive coordinator who easily could be the Arizona Cardinals head coach right now was impressive.

The hiring of Michael Lombardi as General Manager was a questionable one. With his historic connection to the departing Browns in 1995, Lombardi has left a sour taste in the mouths of most Browns fans. But, the new administration has allowed Lombardi to be quiet for better or worse, and Banner has taken the helm as the representative who speaks to the media on all decisions. During the Bernie Kosar broadcasting "scandal," Banner headed off the issue with an apology to the Rams. Counter that instance with Mike Holmgren taking a week to address the media on the far more serious issue of Colt McCoy's concussion. There were signs that the structure of the organization was better than it had ever been in the Lerner era.

But, when Jimmy Haslam's Pilot Flying J came under fraud investigation from the FBI, it looked like the new administration was already set for the usual dysfunction in Berea. The coaching staff and players have managed to decently weather the storm of any off-the-field Haslam distractions.
When Chudzinski announced there would be a “competition” between Weeden and Jason Campbell, most Browns fans rolled their eyes. It was inevitable that Weeden would be the starter otherwise the new organization was wasting away a first-round pick from the previous year for a now journeyman back-up to take over the helm. The “competition” was looked at as a way to fire up Weeden.
Strangely, at least from preseason standards, it's worked. Weeden's 18-for-25 with 229 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The offense has looked fluid. Receivers are open and, in fact, wide open, which is something Browns fans rarely saw in Shurmur's quick throwing system. It's still the preseason, but there's reason to believe that with Chudzinski and Turner, the offense will be vastly improved.

 Browns fans can only hope Weeden's arm can bring a different type of organization to town.

It's why the “competition” has worked and the announcement of Weeden as the starter at this point shows the organization has some sense. It wanted to challenge Weeden to impress them, and he did so quickly within the first two preseason games. So far, it may be a testament to both coaching and play calling along with Weeden's determination and offseason workouts. But, to announce him as starter now gives the Browns the knowledge of how they are heading forward in the final two preseason games and into the September 8 opener against the Dolphins. Weeden is their leader, and will be the first Browns starting quarterback to start the opener two seasons in a row since 2007 (Charlie Frye was the last, and he was traded the day after the 2007 opener, an embarrassing 34-7 loss to the Steelers).

The ball now falls squarely on Weeden to see if the Browns can finally have some consistency at the quarterback position. Weeden turns 30 this year. The time is slipping away, but he's also in a system that fits his skills better than ever. He has to start off strong otherwise fickle Browns fans will inexplicably be calling for Campbell's name. Cleveland is desperate now not just for a winner, but to actually watch entertaining football. It's time for Weeden to air it out otherwise Browns fans will be letting the air out of another season with a high first-round draft pick.

2013 NBA Finals Prediction

I regret that I didn’t write a blog post prior to Game 7 of the Heat-Pacers series because I forecasted that the Heat would win a blowout. Most people would say that it is easy to say in hindsight since that is what is actually happened, so I’m going to try to beat them to the punch with my NBA Finals prediction, which may end up being horribly wrong, but at least I can back up the reasons behind why I think it will be right. The reason that I was so convinced that the Heat would close things out in the Eastern Conference Finals was based off NBA history. If the Pacers would have beaten the Heat, it would have been an impressive victory that bucked all trends that have been established by the NBA, a league whose playoffs have become usually easy to forecast its results. Superstars win championships especially the best superstar in the game. It’s the simple reason why the Heat will win the title.

It’s strange to me how easy the media is quick to turn on the Heat. It’s likely because they are the villains and most people want to see David beat Goliath. But, simple statistics and history would have shown the media that the Heat were going to win the Eastern Conference Finals. How could an experienced team with at least two future Hall of Famers on it lose to a balanced talented team with no Conference Finals Game 7 experience? Not to mention that the Heat have the best player in the world at the peak of his career.

That’s where we get to LeBron James. He’s having the best season of his career by far and the most deserving of his 4 Most Valuable Player seasons. He has the added confidence of one championship under his belt. It’s ridiculous to bet against him. How easy is it for people to forget that the Heat had a 27-game winning streak? This team isn’t a bunch of chumps. On any given day, they could lose to a talented team as they did with the Pacers. But, in a 7-game series, they have the will and experience to win it all.

In looking at the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs have had a great run. I love that team. I love their organization. I love how their main core of players have stood the test of time and dominated younger teams that people would expect they would lose to. But, that’s what makes it even more perplexing for people to believe so confidently that they will defeat the Heat. It would be a different story if 2013 LeBron James were facing off against 2003 Tim Duncan. What an amazing showdown that would be that would dictate how the histories of these two players would be determined. But, that situation is left for a video game or an annoying debate between Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. This is a matchup between LeBron James at the peak of his career and an aging but still amazingly effective Tim Duncan.

Here’s the main point: if LeBron James wants to be thought of as one of the greatest players of all-time, he can’t lose this series. If his name can even come close to that of Michael Jordan’s, he can’t lose this series.

Once Jordan reached his peak, he never looked back. There was never a hiccup other than his retirement. He beat an older Magic Johnson to pass the torch, his supposed equal Clyde Drexler in an embarrassing manner, Charles Barkley, a skinny Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, and John Stockton and Karl Malone. Some of the greatest players in NBA history could never touch a ring in the 1990s because of Jordan.

That’s the same situation LeBron is in. If he wants to be considered the best, how could he possibly lose to an elder Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili? The supporting cast doesn’t matter. For your Joel Anthony, you have Jordan’s Bill Wennington. For your Shane Battier, you have Jordan’s Jud Buechler. A superstar wills his team to victory and gets his role players to do their roles. As much Dwyane Wade may be injured, he still will put it into gear and blow out his knee if he has to in order to get the production that he needs. That may mean laying an egg in a Game 6 and having his leader LeBron subtly call him out in order to help dominate a Game 7.

If LeBron enters the pantheon belonging to the greats, he wins this series. Just as I said after the 2007 NBA playoffs that LeBron was just too good to not win a title do I say now that he’s too good to not win a second under these circumstances. He’s a superstar that’s simply amazing. He has the confidence to find the way to win just like Jordan did. If he doesn’t, then it would be a surprise to me, and it puts LeBron back in the same conversations we had about him before he won a title last year. Can you imagine the current LeBron James putting up an 8-point stinker performance like he did in Game 5 of the 2011 Finals? Not likely.

 Once again, LeBron James's legacy is on the line.

The 2-3-2 format of the NBA Finals is something that I've always found obnoxious. It doesn't make sense that the format of the 7-game series suddenly changes and it's a shift that dramatically does not benefit the team not possessing home field advantage. It's very difficult to win 3 straight games at home against the same team let alone the best team from the opposing conference. Since 2000, only 3 teams have managed to win all three games in that position (2004 Detroit Pistons, 2006 Miami Heat, 2012 Miami Heat – all three teams won the title). Only the 2006 Miami Heat managed to come from 2-0 down to win the title. So, odds say the Spurs have to split the first two games to have the leverage and momentum to even do the difficult task of winning three straight games. It's even rarer that teams in such circumstances find themselves up 3-2 heading into Game 6 on the road (only the 2010 Celtics did that and then lost the final two to the Lakers). It makes the idea of winning three straight games against such a talented team as the Heat unlikely.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Spurs can win this series. Never say never. But, for anyone to have such conviction that the Spurs will win is surprising. The Heat have proven to be the favorite all year long. Any time that the media or fans have second guessed them, they've come out and played stronger and answered. It only makes sense that LeBron and the Heat shine because that's what happens in the NBA with superstars at their peak on teams that are so good.

My prediction: The Heat in 6.