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February 9, 2010 - By Gary Benz
The NFL Players Association and the NFL Management Council are on a collision course at the moment, a semi-high stakes game of chicken as they both run toward the edge of a cliff that is still just a spec in the distance. But each day the representatives of each, DeMaurice Smith for the union and Roger Goodell for the owners, posture and preen draws them one step closer to mutual self-destruction. In Gary Benz's latest, he takes a look at the behind the scenes saber-rattling, and how it could affect the NFL in 2010 and beyond.
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February 9, 2010 - By Dave Kolonich
Although the ultimate narrative of Sunday's Super Bowl will surely focus on the figurative rebirth of an American city, the actual game should be remembered for Sean Payton's gutsy playcalling. Showing the kind of true grit wrapped in cryptic common sense, the Saints delivered a stunning message by recovering an onside kick to open the second half. As for how all this relates to the Browns, let's consider Eric Mangini. In a similar situation, would Mangini have made this call? Dave Kolonich gives us his thoughts.
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February 9, 2010 - By Andrew Clayman
Forty-four years ago, when the NFL and AFL’s elicit affair birthed the Super Bowl, pro football in America essentially hit the reset button. The game’s new crowning jewel proved so bright that, as a consequence, nearly half a century of pre-merger history was cast in a permanent shadow—acknowledged, but statistically bordering on irrelevant. This is why it sometimes seems like only Northeast Ohio still remembers the Cleveland Browns’ four NFL Championships of the ‘50s and ‘60s. And it’s also why virtually no one—including Northeast Ohioans—remember the Akron Pros: first ever World Champions of the NFL. Andrew Clayman takes a look back.
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February 8, 2010 - By Chris Hutchison
The offseason is upon us. Time for months of speculating about potential free agents and draft picks. One might argue that the Browns could do little better than they already have this offseason, what with the acquisition of both Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert (not to mention the plethora of new Heckgren underlings and hirelings). On paper, it's really hard to argue that the Cleveland professional football organization hasn't made leaps in the right direction. In Chris Hutchison's latest edition of The Browns Outsider, he primes our readers for the off-season, touching on all the winter developments with the organization ... and by taking a position by position look at where the Browns stand in terms of personnel and talent.
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February 8, 2010 - By Brian McPeek
What a well-played football game. I mean Super Bowl-caliber play by both clubs. There were very few penalties, very few errors and, after a slow start to the scoring, the game took off and became what we thought it might be when the match up was determined two weeks ago. Right up until the moment Peyton Manning committed the only turnover of the game and threw a ball intended for Reggie Wayne directly to Saints DB Tracy Porter instead. Porter took it back for a 31-17 lead with just three minutes remaining and delivered the city of New Orleans its first Super Bowl title. Peeker hits on the Super Bowl and all the latest developments in the world of Cleveland sports in The Weekend Wrap.
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February 7, 2010 - By Paul Cousineau
With winter imposing its snowy will on the North Coast over the weekend and now knee deep into 14 hours of Super Bowl pre-game coverage, time to bring Paulie C back in for his regular Lazy Sunday piece here on the site. It's been another slow news week in terms of Indians coverage, with the biggest "story" of the week was Grady Sizemore addressing reporters for the first time to discuss the "coffee cup" incident that occurred earlier in the off-season. Paulie hits on Grady and his contract status, points out some incredibly irresponsible journalism, and addresses the notion that the Indians simply don't have any money to spend on the free agency market.
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February 7, 2010 - By Dave Kolonich
The list of Super Bowl virgins has been reduced by one, as perhaps the hardest of hard luck franchises, the Saints, have emerged as a worthy contender. Now, the Browns stand alone with the woeful Lions and two franchise start-ups in Jacksonville and Houston as the only teams to never reach the league's big dance. Because our Super Bowl slate is wide open, we're resigned to the nether regions of the Super Bowl basement, holding onto archaic facts from the 1950's and a littany of soul-crushing what-if's. So, until our beloved franchise can finally reach the pinnacle of NFL credibility, Dave Kolonich can only offer the following top Super Bowl memories for Browns fans - and believe me, it's petty. You've been warned.
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February 7, 2010 - By Jesse Lamovsky
What started out as a celebration at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night turned into a grim battle for survival, as the Cavaliers built a 24-point lead but had to hang on for dear life against the spirited Knicks. Despite a terrifying fourth period Cleveland held the lead throughout- by the hardest- and pulled out its eleventh consecutive win, 113-106. It's been a weekend of upsets in the NBA- the Magic blowing a 21-point lead at home to the Wizards, the Lake Show falling at home to the Nuggets sans Carmelo Anthony- and for much of the harrowing final period it looked as if the Cavaliers would be the latest victim. But LeBron James made sure that wouldn't be the case.
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February 6, 2010 - By Scott Swerbinsky
UFC 109 took place in Las Vegas last night and this is the first time in a long time that my cousin was let down in a UFC event. Seven of the eleven fights went to the score cards, and there were no memorable knockouts or matchups. In the main event, "The Natural" Randy Couture pretty much ended the career of Mark Coleman last night with a dominating submission victory. Scott Swerbinsky recaps that fight as well as the rest of the card in his latest piece for us.
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February 6, 2010 - By Dan Wismar
Jim Tressel and OSU recruiting coordinator John Peterson finished off National Signing Day Wednesday just about the way they started it...with commitments from 18 football players... resulting in a 2010 recruiting class in the top 15 or 16 or 20 or 26 in the country, depending on which experts you believe. The signing day story for the Buckeyes this year was how a few big fish got away at the last moment, but Dan Wismar says that's mostly because the media only pay attention to the last few days of a 365-day recruiting cycle. In his latest edition of Buckeye Leaves, Dan gives us an excellent and comprehensive breakdown of all 18 members of the 2010 Buckeye recruting class.
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February 6, 2010 - By Paul Cousineau
The starting rotation. Unquestionably the linchpin for the 2010 Cleveland Indians campaign and the reason that most are predicting a "transitional year" (to be charitable) for the club that occupies the confines at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. It's the one topic, the one area of the team getting the most discussion as we get set to head into spring training, and for good reason. It's a huge question mark. Enter Paulie Cousineau. Today he unleases the first installment of a multiple part piece looking at the rotation, breaking it all down for our readers in a way only Paulie can.
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February 5, 2010 - By Scott Swerbinsky
Las Vegas is the home to many wild and crazy things. It just also happens to be the stomping grounds of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Many events are held there and will continue to take place in "Sin City." This Super Bowl Saturday UFC 109 card will feature a first, something Las Vegas hasn't even seen. Two active members of the UFC Hall of Fame will step inside the octagon for the first time. Mark Coleman is the first ever UFC heavyweight champion. Randy Couture is the first fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes. My cousin previews their battle, as well as the rest of the UFC 109 card in his latest piece.
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Successful poker players may lose many small pots and still be totally happy, for their goal is to win the occasional big ones. The same thinking comes naturally in football. When the "Browns are in a fourth down, "moving all in", in the meaning of going for it, is worthwhile only if the odds for success are good enough. In most other cases, it’s probably wiser to just "fold" the hand, as in punting the ball away. In the same way, winning or losing a single yard means nothing as long as they manage to get a first down.
February 5, 2010 - By Mitch Cyrus
Mitch was Johnny on the Spot with his Best Picture nominee predictions in last week's Crystal Ball, correctly guessing eight of the ten films that ended up getting nominated. Mitch sees it as a four film race for Best Picture, and in this week's Crystal Ball, he tells us who he thinks it's going to come down to. Mitch also breaks down this week's releases at the theaters and on DVD, which do feature a couple of the films up for the aforementioned Best Picture honors at Oscars. And in his calendar watch section, Mitch talks about what's coming down the pike, including the latest Scorcese/DiCaprio collaboration ... which hits the theaters two weeks from today.
February 5, 2010 - By J.D. Shultz
J.D. Shultz does not want the Cavaliers to trade J.J. Hickson. Not for Andre Iguodala . . . not for Amar'e Stoudemire . . . definitely not for Troy Murphy . . . and not even for Antawn Jamison. J.D. says that we have the best team in the NBA, we have two starters coming off the disabled list, and an intriguing piece in Leon Powe that will join the team after the All-Star break. And that Hickson is evolving to the point where he gives us some of what some of the players the Cavs are rumored in would provide, in addition to a bright future as a long time running mate of King James.
February 5, 2010 - By Jesse Lamovsky
The game was as dramatic as a Game Seven should be. With rookie phenom Jaret Wright shutting down Florida's offense, the Indians crept ahead 2-0 in the third on a Tony Fernandez single. Wright sustained the shutout until the seventh, when Bobby Bonilla's leadoff home run cut the Cleveland lead to 2-1. Wright, Mike Jackson and Brian Anderson nursed the slim lead through the seventh and eighth, putting the Indians three outs from the crown. The Indians put men on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth but failed to score an insurance run, putting the smallest of margins in the uncertain right hand of Jose Mesa. We all know how that turned out. In Jesse's latest, he wonders what if ... Jose Mesa HAD saved Game Seven of the 1997 World Series?
February 5, 2010 - By Nick Allburn
The Cavs took care of business on Thursday night, beating the Miami Heat 102-86 and pushing their winning streak to a league-best 10 games. Once again, they won in spite of serious attrition at guard, except this time there was a new wrinkle. Daniel Gibson, who has been filling in for injured guards Mo Williams and Delonte West, was scratched from the starting lineup so he could tend to his fiancee, who was having some minor complications with her pregnancy. Jawad Williams started in Boobie's stead, and LeBron served as the de facto point guard as per usual. At the end of the day the end result was what we've been used to seeing: another impressive Cavaliers win. Nick Allburn tells us about it.
February 5, 2010 - By Erik Cassano
Shaquille O'Neal's first two months in a Cavaliers uniform required a big-picture definition of success. If you were to believe that the soon-to-be 38 year old man-mountain was going to help the Cavs win a title, you had to believe in what he could give the team in the long run. Because on a night to night basis, he looked like a fading star whose time had come and gone. But these past two weeks have been a different story. He scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting against Indiana, and followed that with 16 points and 12 boards against the Clippers, and 13 points and a season-high 13 boards against Memphis. And is making a big time impact at both ends of the floor. Erik Cassano talks Shaq in his latest.
February 4, 2010 - By Tom Mieskoski
With Cleveland State (10-12, 6-4 Horizon League) only a half-game behind second-place teams Wright State and Detroit, who are both 7-4 in Horizon League play, CSU head coach Gary Waters is calling this weeks road trip to Chicago "the two most important games of the season." CSU faces Illinois-Chicago (5-16, 1-10) tonight at 8 p.m. and Loyola (12-9, 3-8) on Saturday at 4 p.m.. If CSU is going to have a chance to claim the second seed in the Horizon League Tournament next month, which comes with a bye into the semifinals, the Vikings can't afford to lose either of these two road games. Tom Mieskoski got Gary Waters thoughts on the crucial road trip in his latest column for us.
February 4, 2010 - By Greg Popelka
Time to bring Greg Popelka back in for his latest installment in the excellent "Blast From the Past" series he pens for us. And today, Greg talks about John "Hot Rod" Williams, the excellent sixth man for the great Cavaliers teams of the late eighties and early nineties. As many of us may remember, Hot Rod's career as a Cavalier got off to an uncertain start as he was forced to sit out hs rookie season due to point shaving allegations after being selected by the team in the second round of the 1985 Draft that also netted the Cavs Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, and Mark Price. Greg takes our readers on a trip down memory lane in his latest.
February 4, 2010 - By Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State takes the road this week looking to continue a three game winning streak. The road-trip is a short one as the Vikings play two games in Chicago before returning home next week for big matchups with Valparaiso and Butler. The Vikings (10-12, 6-4) are now a half game out of second place in the Horizon League, although CSU is tied in the loss column with the two teams directly ahead in the standings (Wright State and Detroit at 7-4). This week's trip takes CSU to Illinois-Chicago on Thursday and Loyola on Saturday. Ryan Aroney previews both contests for our readers.
February 3, 2010 - By Mitch Cyrus
There seems to be a consensus with the fans of "24" that Mitch has run into over the past three weeks. And that is that this season is pretty damn lame so far. The biggest problem seems to be with the subplots, in that the entire Dana/Jen/KevinBob bit is just so unbelievable as to be painfully, laughingly embarrassing to watch. The other problem is that most seem to think that Cherry Jones just isn't believable as President. What are Mitch's thoughts on the season so far? He tells us, updates "The Bauer Body Count" and "Odds of Survival", and also recaps Monday night's episode in his latest column for us.
February 3, 2010 - By J.D. Shultz
J.D. Shultz is a Cavaliers fan that is living on the west coast in Southern California. And during halftime of Sunday's Cavs/Clippers telecast on Fox Sports West, they ran a cool feature where they talked to every member of the Cavaliers about why they chose their current jersey numbers. Since many of us here on the north coast didn't get to see it, and since some of the answers were very interesting, J.D. hit the rewind on his DVR and transcribed the answers all the Cavaliers players gave, and made it the basis of his latest column for us.
February 3, 2010 - By Brian McPeek
It was just another wire-to-wire romp in ‘The Q' on Tuesday night when the Cavs faced off against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies team that beat the Lakers must have remained on Beale Street partying late into the night after their win over Los Angeles because they certainly didn't show up in Cleveland in time for Tuesday night's 7pm tip. The most impressive part of the 105-89 win over Memphis was the fact the Cavaliers never let the Grizzlies sniff a whiff of hope. Cleveland got out to a big lead early, pushed it to a bigger lead at the half and then kept the pedal down to the floor. Brian McPeek recaps the beating.
February 3, 2010 - By Tony Lastoria
Tony's countdown of his Top 50 prospects in the Indians farm system marches forward today as Tony profiles his second batch of players, #45-#41 in his rankings. Included in today's lot is the player we recieved in the Kelly Shoppach trade, an outfielder the Indians took high in this year's draft out of Ole Miss, the team's second round pick in the 2006 draft, and a couple more live arms coming off big minor league seasons in 2009. Stay with us all winter as Tony profiles all of the Indians most promising minor league players and educates us on the guys that will be the future of the organization.
February 2, 2010 - By John Hnat
The Wine and Gold are now working on an eight-game winning streak, have won 23 of their last 27, and are now only one game off last year's 66-win pace. They went an NBA-best 12-3 in the month of January, and lost those three games by a combined total of six points. If you're the rest of the NBA, the scary thing is that the Cavs are dominating without their starting backcourt from last season, and with Shaquille O'Neal only now rounding into form. In other words, they may have a little more room to get better. Maybe even a bit more than that, if they can pry a quality player loose from a team looking for nothing more than salary relief. John Hnat gives us The Good, The Good, & The Good of the last week of Cavaliers basketball.
February 2, 2010 - By Jesse Lamovsky
Cleveland sports history will- or should- remember this as the Cavaliers' answer to Warfield-for-Phipps. On November 6th, 1989, the team broke up its sensational young nucleus, sending Ron Harper off to the Los Angeles Clippers and getting back very little in return. As another team from the same division rolled up one Championship after another, claiming the glory the Cavaliers once thought would be theirs, Cleveland fans couldn't help but wonder ... would it have been different had the high-flying ex-Miami Redskin not been sent packing to the L.A. Junior Varsity? What if ... the Cavaliers hadn't traded Ron Harper for Danny Ferry?
February 2, 2010 - By Gary Benz
It's quiet time in Cleveland at the moment. That's a good thing for it means the Browns' season and attendant drama is behind us, the Indians season is still a little too far away to get excited about and the Cavs, well, they just keep on winning. But just as losing brings a whole set of issues, so too does winning. Perhaps the biggest issue at the moment is whether the Cavs should try to improve their odds by further deepening an already deep team. Doing so would almost certainly mean the Cavs would have to deal Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Is Danny Ferry willing to do that? Gary Benz opines.
February 1, 2010 - By Erik Cassano
The NFC Championship Game sent the Saints to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. It also had the type of ending that only the NFL can provide: One team, one drive, one possession, one field goal. The Vikings offense never took the field. From the moment Minnesota lost the overtime coin toss, they were fighting a steep uphill battle. Do the overtime rules in the NFL need changed? In Erik Cassano's latest piece, he takes on the topic, giving our readers his thoughts on five other possible proposals have been bandied about as replacements for the current sudden death system.
February 1, 2010 - By Jesse Lamovsky
Two clubs moving in opposite directions met Sunday evening at the Q. The Cavaliers came in white-hot despite a rash of injuries, winners of seven straight and just tipping off a seven-game home stand that will roll right through the All-Star Break. The Clippers, on the other hand, had dropped three straight and four of five on their East Coast swing, including losses to the horrific Timberwolves and historically horrific Nets, and hadn't won in Cleveland since the 2001-02 season. And this one was over early. With LeBron and his teammates on fire from the perimeter, the Cavaliers exploded for a club-record 46 first-quarter points and rolled to a 114-89 victory that was never in doubt almost from the opening minute.
February 1, 2010 - By Brian McPeek
We're still in the dead zone of the Cleveland sports calendar, leaving Brian McPeek with a hodge podge of odd topics to discuss in his latest edition of The Weekend Wrap. Peeker talks about the Pro Bowl and also hits on the continued re-shaping of the Cleveland Browns organization with the hiring of Mike Holmgren's long-time friend Gil Haskell as a consultant. Peeks also touches on what kind of honeymoon period new Tribe manager Manny Acta is going to be given by Cleveland fans and media and the Buckeye basketball team's solid run.