Bleacher Report - Articles by Scott Miles

Cleveland Cavaliers Midseason Report Card

Scott Miles — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:23:09 -0500

OK, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached the midway point of the season (or, for the Cavs, the 62.2 percent point of the season) and it’s time to give out the First Annual Scott Miles Cavs Mid-season/62.2 Percent Report Card.

Through 51 games, the Cavs stand at 40-11, setting a franchise record for reaching the 40-win mark earliest in the season (the 1988-89 Cavs reached 40 wins in their 52nd game). In case some of you forgot (and judging by the attendance numbers back then, you never even KNEW to begin with) the Cavs went five seasons between 1999 and 2004 without winning more than 35 games.

(Six seasons in a row, if you count the strike-shortened year in 1998-99 when the team went 22-28. Personally, I’ve deleted that season from my memory bank.)

Without further ado, here are the grades…feel free to discuss and debate below:

Daniel Gibson: C
>> Has been very, very inconsistent with his jumper this year. Unfortunately, that’s his lone offensive skill. He’s shooting career lows from the field and three-point range.

I actually think he’s a bit underrated as a defender. He’s been pretty scrappy despite his size, and people seem to forget how well he battled Rip Hamilton in the 2007 playoffs. Still, he’s on this team to hit from the outside, and he hasn’t been doing that this year.

JJ Hickson: C+
>> This was a higher mark until he forgot how to box out Lamar Odom in that debacle of a second half against the Lakers.

Overall, though, you can’t help but be impressed with what he has brought to the table and how good of a player he can be in the future.

Did I mention the fact that I am older than he is, too? I can’t wait to see him develop.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas: A-
>> Z just keeps chugging along, year after year. At 33 years old, he’s averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 points in 27 minutes per night. Translation: that’s pretty good, especially for an old center who has more screws in his feet than a hardware store has on its shelves.

And now, he’s starting to hit the three-ball a little bit, too. Who said you can’t teach a bald 7-foot-3 Lithuanian new tricks?

Darnell Jackson: Inc.
>> Rookie forward from Kansas had been MIA before getting 12 minutes against Phoenix last night. Has the size to develop into a serviceable backup in time, and definitely has more court-savvy than Hickson at this point.

Still, he hasn’t been enough of a factor to warrant a grade this year.

Tarence Kinsey: Inc.
>> After running with the third team for the first 30-35 games, Kinsey was just beginning to get some legitimate minutes in the rotation as Mike Brown utilized his versatility and size.

Then, fittingly, he gets hurt and is out for a few more weeks. He’s just 24, so it’ll be interesting to see if or how he factors into the Cavs plans in the future.

Sasha Pavlovic: B-
>> You know what I’m most impressed with about Sasha this year? He’s finally starting to dribble with his head up. I swear, pop in a game from the last two seasons and watch him stare at the floor and the ball every time he tried to drive. Most 7th graders don’t even do that anymore.

He’s hitting 47 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent of his threes and scored eight or more points in seven of the nine games he started before, of course, getting hurt.

Wally Szczerbiak: B
>> “WALLY! It’s not what you think!”

Sorry, but I can’t help but think about that SportsCenter commercial every time I defend him from the onslaught of Cleveland fans who would trade him for a pregnant Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks’ first round pick in the WNBA draft.

He’s been asked to play shooting guard and defend Ray Allen in last year’s playoffs. He’s been asked to play power forward and defend the likes of Chris Bosh this year. Through it all, he’s just kept playing and playing hard.

Wally’s not an All-Star and never will be again. But I’ll take a guy who hits over 40 percent of his threes and plays hard every night.

Anderson Varejao: B
>> He’s no longer the offensive black hole that he had been in his first few seasons. Andy’s got career-highs in field goal percentage and free throw percentage this year, not to mention scoring (nearly nine a night).

But something just doesn’t feel right with Andy. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, I just don’t feel like he’s having the same impact on the game like he has the last two seasons.

Am I crazy here, or is someone else seeing that, too? His rebounding numbers are down, but that could be explained by the fact that we don’t miss as many shots this year (hooray for guys who can hit open jumpers! More on that below).

Overall, though, I just don’t think Andy has been playing like Andy this year.

Ben Wallace: C+
>> The turning point in the Lakers game, I felt, was Ben bricking those two dunks in the third quarter. They could have helped stave off the big run the Lakers were on and energized the team and the crowd. And we know how that game turned out.

But his defense has slipped incredibly, and he has largely gotten a pass for it. He’s not quick enough for the athletic power forwards who have just been carving us up this season (see: Odom, Lamar).

And he’s not tall enough to battle with the 6-11 or taller centers in the post, especially without that leaping ability anymore (see: coming up short on two dunk attempts, Lakers game).

Though he still brings the same type of energy and hustle, he just can’t guard anyone one-on-one like he used to.

Delonte West: B+
>> For the record, I have loved Delonte West since he was at St. Joe’s. I had a serious man-crush on him in college, watched his game develop in the NBA, and was thrilled when the Cavs picked him up last year at the trade deadline.

At 25 years old, he’s really found a nice niche (say THAT 10 times fast) as the third or fourth scoring option on a very good basketball team. He’s also our best on-ball defender.

His return to the lineup, which I’m hearing will be pretty soon after the All-Star break, will be the lift that the Cavs need.

The offense has grown stagnant ("stand around and watch LeBron" time) over the few weeks he’s been out. When Delonte returns, I think the offense will start flowing like it was in the first two months of the season.

Mo Williams: A
>> Sidekick (noun): A close companion or comrade. Synonyms: assistant, associate, helper. Antonyms: Larry Hughes, Ricky Davis, Darius Miles.

Over 17 points per game. Nearly 47 percent shooting. Over 40 percent from beyond the arc (a career-high).

Fourth-best free throw shooter in the league (I can’t remember the last time I saw him miss). Did I mention the 44-point outburst last night or the All-Star nod that he FINALLY picked up?

My only complaint is that he’s let LeBron dominate the ball at times, when Williams should be taking control. But his impact on this team has been unbelievable.

Plus, we don’t have to watch him torch us with the Bucks like he had the last few seasons, so that beefs up our win total even more.

LeBron James: A++++++++++
>> Let’s be serious. I’ve been a Cavs fan, and a Cleveland sports fan, long enough to understand that guys like this don’t usually play for teams in our city.

I want you to think about whatever shortfalls exist in LeBron’s game: inconsistent jump shooter, awful from 3-point range, doesn’t post up as much as he could/should, dominates the ball a lot of times on offense.

Now, look at these numbers: 17, 29, 32, 30. Those are the win totals for the Cavs in the four years before LeBron. I’m thinking about going up and adding a few more plusses to his grade.

Coach Mike Brown: A
>> OK, I loved the rant the other night. It has some “Coors Light Commercial” potential to it. (If you missed it, here’s a small snippet.)

Was it warranted? Probably not. After all, in that Pacers loss, everyone not named LeBron combined to make 19-of-57 (33 percent, kids) of their shots and 8-of-15 free throws.

So no, we didn’t deserve to win that game. But on the heels of the second Mo Williams All-Star snub, and the NBA’s ridiculous decision to go back and take away LeBron’s triple-double, Brown played the “no one respects us” card and has decided the team with arguably the best athlete on the planet and a solid corps of role players should embrace the underdog status for the rest of the season. Well played, Coach Brown, well played.

Reason two for the high grade: Brown finally brought in an offensive coordinator to the staff. John Kuester is as responsible as anyone else (including Mo Williams) for the success we’ve had offensively.

Basketball-reference.com (my Bible) has last year’s Cavs rated as the 19th best offense in the league. This year’s version is third, and that’s with long stretches without Z and Delonte.

The Team: A
Despite some recent struggles, you can’t argue with a 24-1 mark at home and a 40-11 record overall. Need I repeat that the Cavs have never been this good, ever???

I know everyone in Cleveland is desperate to move Wally and God knows who else to pick up Amare or Brad Miller. Yes, another big man would be nice, but people...this is a good thing we got going here. Trust me.

(You want some other numbers? Hickson can’t legally go to a bar in downtown Cleveland. Gibson’s not yet 23 years old. Kinsey’s 24. Pavlovic is 25. So is West. Mo and Andy are 26. The only other team I can think of with that kind of youth that is playing at a high level is Portland. Oh, and LeBron is still just 24, as well. Just thought I’d throw that in there.)

I know everyone is in panic mode over losing twice to the Lakers, a team we may or may not face in the NBA Finals (a lot of season to be played out, remind you).

Here’s some recent history to remind you of: 88-81 and 82-78. Those are the scores of the Cavs’ regular season wins over the Spurs in the 2006-07 season, and we all know how that played out in the end.

So don’t be concerned, Cavs fans. Yes, things can be better, but who the heck cares? The Season of Dreams is back on track in C-Town, and we’re all there to Witness it.

Romeo Crennel Is The Worst Coach In The NFL, Period

Scott Miles — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:53:50 -0500

Two reasons why Romeo Crennel should be left in Nashville when the team plane returns home this evening (I have more, but I don't want this column to be longer than the 15-page research papers I'm writing this week):

Trailing 21-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, he elects to kick a 39-yard field goal instead of trying to go for it on a fourth-and-nine. Obviously nine yards is a lot to ask for on fourth down, but a field goal only makes it a 12-point game—which requires two touchdowns to overcome. Trailing by 15 points, mind you, also requires two touchdowns to overcome.

There’s not enough time left in the game to kick four more field goals, though I’m sure Crennel would have preferred that strategy. Also, getting a touchdown, field goal and safety in the final 13 minutes is unlikely.

So why does Crennel opt to attempt this field goal? Umm, well…I have no idea.

The only explanation I can think of is, uhh—actually, I can’t think of any logic behind this decision. Except that Crennel thought our defense or special teams could force another turnover (asking a lot) or that he had full faith that Ken Dorsey could engineer not just two scoring drives, but two touchdown scoring drives over the last 10 or so minutes (REALLY asking a lot.)

OK, so the field goal is good. Phil Dawson is our team MVP, after all. We’re down 21-9, and shockingly, the defense gets a stop. It’s not the turnover, but hey, they also didn’t trip all over themselves, either.

The offense has it back, there’s less than nine minutes left, and the Browns face a fourth-and-one on their own 24. It’s really about fourth-and-one foot, to be honest. And what do we do?

Trot out the punt team, of course. And 15 seconds later, after a 44-yard punt return and a 25-yard TD run, the game is over.

Again, let’s try to think along with Romeo and figure out the rationale behind punting in this situation. You hope and pray that your defense can come up with another takeaway, which (again) is flawed logic – you can’t assume the other team is going to turn the ball over.

And if the defense forces a three-and-out again, Tennessee will still have bled at least two minutes off the clock with three running plays. They’ll punt and the Browns will have to go the length of the field to score the first touchdown that they need—remember, we’re down two touchdowns here—then need to come up with another quick three-and-out or recover an onside kick and move at least 60 yards for that second touchdown.

(With Ken Dorsey at quarterback. Have I mentioned that before? He hadn’t completed a pass in the NFL in over three years before today.)

Can anybody explain this to me? Anybody? Why a 4-8 team playing on the road against an 11-1 team would have two chances to try to push for the upset but declined both of them?

Wait, I got it—Crennel figured out that even if he doesn’t make any decisions on the sideline, he still gets paid the same for the game. The less work he has to do, the better.

Enjoy your final few paychecks, Romeo. You deserve it after helping put Browns fans through another miserable season.

Derek Anderson, Romeo Crennel Need to Go

Scott Miles — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:20:24 -0400

Let’s cut to the chase: Derek Anderson needs to be benched, Romeo Crennel needs to be fired, and Phil Savage needs a wake-up call.

In Sunday’s 14-11 loss at Washington, Anderson put forth one of the most pitiful performances of a starting NFL quarterback that I can recall. Yes, Braylon Edwards dropping some passes and some questionable play calls hurt him.

But you HAVE to complete a short swing pass to your running back. You CAN’T fire a screen pass 10 feet behind your wide receiver. You CAN’T continue to leave your receivers out to dry, like he did with Josh Cribbs, throwing to him late and setting him up to get drilled. (It was Kellen Winslow several weeks ago when Ray Lewis nearly decapitated him.)

At one point, Anderson had completed 5-of-22 passes. Most of the incompletions weren’t even close to his intended receiver. The Plain Dealer pointed out that Anderson threw eight passes to Winslow, and only one was completed. The other seven weren’t in the same hemisphere.

The biggest thing that concerns me is that the chemistry and rhythm Anderson and Edwards had last year has evaporated. The two aren’t on the same page, the same book, or even in the same library. Anderson’s final poor throw, when he couldn’t connect with Edwards around the Redskins’ 10-yard line, cost us a shot to send the game to overtime, if not to take an outright lead.

A lot of fans were ready to run Anderson out of town following his poor showings down the stretch of last season. I thought he was ready to take the next step forward, as last year essentially served as his rookie year, his first real chance to play.

But now that we’re seven weeks and six games into the 2008 season, it has become clear that Anderson never progressed.

After a nearly flawless performance against the defending Super Bowl champions, he never looked confident once just six days later. If anything, a quarterback needs to be confident in his abilities, that he can and will go out and complete that next pass.

You don’t get that sense from Anderson. That’s disconcerting, and that’s why Brady Quinn should start this week. It can’t get any worse, right?

Now, for Romeo Crennel…

I can honestly say that he might be the worst coach in any league right now. I’m talking NFL, CFL, AFL—if there were a professional football league in Antarctica, I’d put my money on the penguins being able to out-coach him.

How many more dumb penalties must this team commit? How many more timeouts will we waste with the plays not coming in on time? Those are signs of a team ill-prepared to play.

Then, factor in his terrible decision to go for it Sunday on a 4th-and-goal, instead of kicking a field goal, which would have made it a 14-6 (ONE POSSESSION!) game with over five minutes left. You have to get points in that situation. You absolutely, positively MUST get points.

And what happens? Anderson has his 14th pass batted down at the line of scrimmage, we turn it over on downs, and find ourselves down TWO possessions with five minutes left.

That’s just dumb. It makes no sense to me.

Crennel set the tone for the season, and the offense, in week one against Dallas by trotting out Phil Dawson on fourth-and-short to kick a field goal with the Browns trailing 28-7 in the fourth quarter. Not only did the field goal keep us down three possessions, it also belied a lack of confidence in the offense to succeed.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons wrote that he looks at Crennel on the sideline and thinks Romeo is picturing the Subway “Five Dollar Footlong” commercial.

I think Bill Simmons is correct. Not once have I looked at Crennel and thought, “Yup, this is a coach who can lead a team to a Super Bowl title.” And so, Romeo must go.

Finally, Phil Savage needs a kick in the seat of his pants.

He has made some wonderful personnel decisions and enabled the team to go 10-6 last year. He has pieced together a defense that is exceeding everyone’s expectations, and stuck to his guns in believing that Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald could be successful starters at corner this season.

But Phil, you can’t check on Winslow ONCE while he’s in the hospital? Really? Your Pro Bowl tight end, who has continually played through injury and matured since he’s gotten to the league?

You have to take care of these guys. And Winslow, battling his second staph infection, is not being taken care of. This is a serious health issue—five other Browns players have had staph infections in the past four years, including Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, and LeCharles Bentley.

Free agents aren’t going to want to sign with the Browns if they think they’re going to contract a staph infection anytime they get hurt. They also won’t want to sign with Cleveland if they don’t believe the front office is looking out for their best interests.

These are three situations that need to be rectified, and soon. The organization has already lost too much ground in 2008, and 2009 will be no different if no changes are made.

Derek Anderson, Browns Will Struggle With Giants

Scott Miles — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:35:04 -0400

The long-standing phrase in the city of Cleveland is that the most popular athlete is the backup quarterback—the rationale being, of course, that he’s not the one leading the Browns to a defeat every Sunday.

Case in point: In 2007, Derek Anderson was the hottest commodity in town the first few weeks after taking over for Charlie Frye, but long before the end of the season, everyone in Northeast Ohio started clamoring for Brady Quinn.

Thus begs the question: How long will Anderson maintain the starting job before the pressure overwhelms him?

You take a look at his numbers and assume that he has been terrible—he’s completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, has six interceptions to just three touchdowns, and has yet to throw for more than 166 yards in a game.

But it isn’t just Anderson that is to blame here. Braylon Edwards clearly hasn’t been healthy this season, and when he’s gotten open, he can’t hang on to the football. Then, with the injuries to Donte’ Stallworth and Joe Jurevicius, the number two and three receiving options have been Syndric Steptoe and Josh Cribbs—not exactly awe-inspiring.

Finally, the dominant offensive line play from 2007 has been compromised this year. I’ve seen Joe Thomas get beat around the edge at left tackle more times this season than I can remember all of last season. Eric Steinbach, Rex Hadnot and Ryan Tucker have all been nicked up this year.

The offense is going to be in a lot of trouble Monday night against the Giants. Though Stallworth is expected to play—provided he doesn’t hurt himself walking out of the locker room—Kellen Winslow has just been ruled out.

New York comes into the game with the NFL’s third-rated defense, behind Cleveland’s AFC foes Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Giants allow just 236 yards per game, 154 through the air. They already have 15 sacks through four games, led by Fred Robbins (four) and Justin Tuck (three).

Yes, it’s going to be a long night on ESPN. But don’t expect to see Brady Quinn anytime soon, barring an injury to Anderson. Though Anderson has been far from perfect, he is a large reason why the team had a shot at the postseason in 2007.

And when would you like to see Quinn make his debut? Against the Giants defense? The Redskins or Jaguars? The Ravens? Bills? Titans? Eagles? Steelers? All but the Jaguars rank in the top-15 in total defense, and I believe Jacksonville’s strength still lies in its defense.

Yes, this has been a disappointing season so far, and there’s plenty of blame to go around. But let’s not lay it all on the starting quarterback, who is just one part of 11 that needs to play well in order for an offense to be successful.

Positives To Take From Ohio State's Beatdown Against USC

Scott Miles — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:15:22 -0400

Well, it’s barely 12 hours after the “Colossus Collapse at the Coliseum”, as ABC should have called it, and you know what? I’m still fuming. It’s just absolutely embarrassing to watch your team get smoked consistently.

Still, I was able to find some silver linings from Ohio State’s disaster last night against USC. Feel free to add your own below.

1. The team was able to visit historic LA Coliseum: It’s the only stadium in the world to host two Olympics. Super Bowls have been played there. World Series have been played there. And for most of our Buckeyes, it was probably their first trip to California. I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as I did watching them.

2. USC is not in the Big 10: Neither is Florida or LSU. This fact cannot be stated enough.

3. All the pressure is off for the rematch next year: Think that game’s going to be hyped as much as this one? We’ll be lucky if it’s shown on ESPN 12.

(This would have been a ripe place to insert a Big Ten Network joke, but since they came to an agreement with Time Warner three weeks ago, more than nine percent of households in the Midwest get it now.)

USC will come to Columbus as 17-point favorites.

4. We don’t have to worry about a national title game loss this year: Or probably for the next four or five years to come, because that's how long it will take to restore national credibility. A one-loss Ohio State team this year will finish lower than a three-loss MAC team in the final BCS standings.

5. Beanie Wells should be nice and rested for our tough two-game stretch against Troy and Minnesota: Although it should be noted that Troy’s nickname is also the Trojans, which means Todd Boeckman might panic and try a few more left-handed throws. Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers barely escaped at home against Montana State, who lost 69-10 to Kansas State the week before. Gotta love Big 10 football right now.

6. We’re still better than Michigan: And that’s why this can still be a successful season. Bludgeoning the Wolverines in the ‘Shoe will be pretty cathartic for the Buckeye state.

Ohio State-USC Postmortem: Buckeyes Must Get Introspective

Scott Miles — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:27:03 -0400

It was late in the second half. I knew it was coming because I had been thinking the same thing myself.

“Scott,” my friend Mick asked, “you cannot write about this game. Don’t do it. Please.”

And part of me agreed. I really wanted to erase this night from my memory, bury it in the depths of my mind that no one can touch. I want to just move on and forget about it.

But you can’t. Not now. Not after the team you’ve bled and died for since birth garners nothing but constant ridicule across the nation. Not when there are variables left unanswered. Not when the moment that’s been on your mind for over eight months blows past you in a heartbeat.

Ohio State-USC, the game that had been hyped for months and months, turned into a laugher shortly after halftime. More importantly, it left an entire state and a nationwide fanbase wondering what’s next.

The Buckeyes have turned into college football’s version of the Buffalo Bills, only with a negative perception. The similarities are there—teams with great individual talent (Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, etc.), rolling through lesser opponents (a fairly weak AFC in the early 90’s), only to get blasted when they reached the be-all end-all (particularly Super Bowls XXVI-XVIII).

But those Bills teams of the early '90s are now considered loveable losers. The Buckeyes are treated with disrespect nationwide, and that I’ll never understand, because they remain one of the top-10 or -15 programs in the nation, year in and year out—regardless of the outcome against Florida, LSU, or now USC.

Really, the most disconcerting thing for me, as we analyze Ohio State’s current status, is that, despite the great number of individual talents, they do not seem to mold well together as a team.

The Buckeyes have had as many, if not more, players drafted—and drafted in the first or second round—than any other college over the past 10 years. Players such as James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, and Alex Boone would have been high draft choices last year, but opted to return for one more season, one last shot at a national title.

Then 35-3. Poof.

So are these guys not as good as we think? Are the scouts and the NFL teams wrong in their evaluations? Or—gasp!—is Jim Tressel and his coaching staff just not as special as we thought, and is he not preparing the team for these big games?

I realize that that’s damn-near blasphemous to say in Ohio, but it’s a valid point to be made. I hate losing as much as the next guy, but if we had played Florida, LSU, and USC tough, down to the wire, then you can live with that. Call it a “Hey, we gave it our best shot—orange slices for everybody!” kind of mentality.

But when the game is basically over when you start the fourth quarter...three consecutive times against highly ranked opponents...after talking ad nauseam about learning from mistakes of the past...well, it makes a rational Buckeyes fan think a little. And it makes me scared, to be honest.

Ohio State can and probably will rebound and still win the Big Ten, fly back to California for the Rose Bowl, and hammer the Pac-10’s second-best team (I say that after watching Cal and Oregon scuffle against mediocre teams Saturday.)

And it will still be a successful season, by most accounts. Ninety-eight percent of the teams in the country would love to have the kinds of problems that Ohio State has.

But nothing—smacking around Michigan, winning the Rose Bowl, etc.—will ever fully erase the sting of another embarrassment on the national stage.

Ohio State Will Beat USC: And Here's How It Will Happen

Scott Miles — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:28:12 -0400

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a pretty big football game tonight. A football game so big it’s been on everyone’s mind since, I don’t know, the first week of January. A football game so big that it requires me to pull on a pair of lucky boxers that I haven’t worn in those eight months.

Yes, I’m talking about Wisconsin at Fresno State, and I got my Bulldog boxers out and ready…

(What, I can’t have a little humor on a Saturday morning?)

All right, it’s Ohio State-USC. The Collision in the Coliseum. The Game of the Century. Whatever moniker you want to insert here. And all we’ve been hearing about for weeks, months really, is every analyst in the country’s thoughts on this game.

Well, I have nothing new to add to everything that’s already been said by every media outlet in the free world. But obviously, I wanted to preview this showdown. So what’s a columnist to do?

Simple: I played the game. And you’re about to get a blow-by-blow account of it here, courtesy of my roommate Tyler’s XBOX 360 and our copy of “NCAA Football 2009”.

I set the game up (five-minute quarters, on my “Super-Heisman” mode with jacked-up computer AI levels) and we’re underway…

“Ohio State needs good play out of its defense, especially this LB [James Laurinaitis] to slow down this offense,” Kirk Herbstriet says before kickoff. I win the toss and elect to receive, and Ray Small takes the kick to my 35.

On my first play, I try a fake to Brandon Saine (yes, I took Beanie Wells to make it realistic) and look downfield for Brian Robiskie, but Todd Boeckman’s sacked immediately. Then there’s a holding penalty to make it 2 & 29—just the start I’m looking for.

(Where’s that damn reset button…)

I spread the field with five wide and hit Dane Sanzenbacher for 18 yards, then get Brian Hartline dragging across the middle to convert on 3 & 11. “Great throw by the quarterback there,” Lee Corso says. Thanks, Lee. But I only pick up two yards on the next three plays and have to punt.

My defense comes out and sets the tone, nearly picking off a screen pass, and Laurinaitis drops Trojan tailback Stafon Johnson for loss of four as we force a three and out.

I decide to go for the punt block, and USC has to keep everyone in to protect. This leaves a HUGE open field for Small, who fields it at my 25 and crosses midfield, going all the way to the USC five before the punter knocks him out. Two runs by Saine gets me to the one, but Boeckman gets stuffed on a sneak to make it four and GL.

Decision time. Well, more just a matter of deciding what play to actually call, because anyone who kicks a field goal from the one foot line in a video game should have his or her hands cut off. I spread the field with four wide and send Saine up the middle, who breaks a tackle in the backfield and squeezes in to make it 7-0 Bucks with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Defense takes over after Joe McKnight takes the kick back to the 41. USC gains nine yards on the first three plays, and Pete Carroll tries to go for it on 4 & 1. Bad call. Laurainaits and Austin Spiller stuff Johnson for a loss, and I take over in Trojan territory.

(I don’t know about you, but reading the words “Trojan territory” make me giggle a little bit.)

I hand off to Saine on my first play and he plows over USC linebacker Brian Cushing for 12 yards—Cushing has to leave briefly with back spasms. I get another first down on a pass to Rory Nicol slicing in front of Rey Maualuga, but the all-everything linebacker gets the better of me on a few runs and I have to settle for a 39-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 2:42 left in the half.

Then, the big plays happen.

I send Marcus Freeman on a blitz when USC gets the ball back, and Mark Sanchez rushes his throw. He completes it…to Malcolm Jenkins, who returns it 37 yards untouched to put me in front 17-0.

No time to relax, though. Two plays later, Johnson breaks a couple of tackles— I’m piping mad at that—and runs 63 yards for the TD to make it 17-7 with 1:53 left.

I try to answer, but throw a terrible pass with Boeckman that gets picked off when Taylor Mays steps in front of Saine.

Big possession here before halftime. USC moves inside my 10-yard line, but faces a 4 & 2. Again, Carroll goes for it, and Sanchez lofts a ball into the corner for Patrick Turner. But Jenkins is there to slap it away, and I run out the clock to halftime. “This one is far from over as they head to the locker rooms,” Nessler declares as the little animated men stream off the field.

USC gets the ball after half, and pick up a 3 & 15 when Turner catches a short pass and spins out of two tackles for the first down. (Unrepeatable words by me uttered here.) That gets the Trojans deep into my territory, but I’m able to stop them again, and Carroll settles for the field goal to make it 17-10.

I know I need to answer points with points, and open up the playbook a bit. Boeckman hits Brian Hartline for eight yards and Brian Robiskie for five. I slip Saine out of the backfield with a screen and get 26 yards, down to the USC 32.

Drop back to pass again, and find the speedy Small matched up with a linebacker, and the completion nets me 19 yards. On 3 & 8, USC blitzes its corners and I get Robiskie on a hitch for eight and a half yards and the first to end the third quarter.

“A great game so far and it looks like it will be decided in the fourth” intones Nessler.

It actually took about four seconds to decide it in the fourth. I run a toss to the right side, and Saine has more than enough speed to get around Meaualuga and to the corner for the TD. 24-10, Bucks.

“These guys [USC] need to get off their horse and find a new horse, because the old horse isn’t going to get them two scores as quickly as they need them,” Corso says.

“That’s an analogy I’ll never understand,” answers Herbstriet, and the playful, fake banter ends.

USC picks up a few first downs, but I stop them on a 4 &10 inside my 30 when Jenkins slams Turner to the ground after an eight-yard pickup. With 3:07 left, it’s a steady dose of Saine, Saine and more Saine, while Boeckman mixes in a play-action pass to Nicol for a third-down conversion to ice the win for the Bucks. 24-10, final.

As we watch the replay of the Pontiac Game Changing Performance—the Jenkins interception and return—Corso says that he’s “pretty darn impressed. Ohio State faced a pretty good opponent and marched through ‘em. These guys are for real!”

So that’s roughly how it should play out tonight. Because, obviously, video games are an accurate portrayal of real life and should be treated as such.

But seriously, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it did go this way, especially when I looked at the stats. Boeckman was 13-for-16 with 140 yards, no touchdowns and a pick; Saine was held to 44 yards but had the two touchdowns and also 31 yards receiving; and Sanzenbacher and Nicol were my top receivers, with three grabs each.

For USC, Sanchez finished 12-of-19 with 117 yards and a pick, Johnson rushed for 92 yards and a score while Turner hauled in five passes for 66 yards. Maualuga had nine tackles, Mays had eight, and Cushing returned from his killer back spasms to make three tackles for a loss.

The team stats were also pretty even and belied the defensive dominance that everyone assumes will be the case in the, uhh, real game. USC had 205 yards of total offense and just six first downs, while my Bucks tallied 182 yards. I did convert 7-of-10 third downs though, limiting USC to 2-of-7 and 0-for-3 on fourth downs.

Now, if you’ve actually made it through the first 1,400 words to this point, you are either: 1. A really good friend of mine; 2. Really, really obsessed with soaking up every word written about Ohio State or USC; or 3. A video game junkie.

But no matter what category you’re in, or if you just scrolled to the bottom of this article to see if I actually had a point or if I’m just insane, I say thank you and Go Bucks!

Now it’s time for me to sit back on the couch, enjoy my day off, and watch college football for the next 13 hours…

LeBron James No Match for Former Division III Player

Scott Miles — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:10:49 -0400

Everyone knows about LeBron James' struggles at the free throw line and his inconsistent jump shot. Now you can add one more weakness to the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar's game: the art of the trick shot.

James went head-to-head with former Capital University men's basketball player David Kalb in two games of "H-O-R-S-E", the game that requires a player to match his or her opponent's shots from a certain part of the court.

Not only did Kalb take down the recent Olympic gold medalist in the first game, he accepted LeBron's challenge to a rematch and proceeded to shut him out, giving LeBron all five letters without accruing one himself.

"I really believed I had a chance to beat him," Kalb said.

With a dizzying variety of shots from behind the basket, around and through the basket, the transplanted Bucyrus, Ohio native - he now resides in California where the games were played - earned his way into the spotlight on ESPN, being featured on SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays" and getting discussed on shows like "Pardon the Interruption" and "First and 10".

"I heard [‘PTI' co-host] Tony Kornheiser was ripping on me, but I haven't seen it yet," Kalb said. "The media attention has been crazy. I've never done so many interviews in my life, and it seems weird getting all these phone calls."

So how did Kalb get to match up with one of the most recognizable faces in professional sports? Cub Cadet, for whom LeBron is a pitchman, sponsored a "Trick Shot Challenge" on its website, asking fans to create a video featuring their best basketball trick shots.

"A buddy of mine heard about it and called me," Kalb said. "I knew it was right up my alley."

So Kalb, who works in a warehouse, called up his brother and started planning his entry video. Kalb admitted that he was so excited about scheming his shots, he had problems sleeping.

"It was all I could think about," he said.

He and his brother eventually came up with the idea to put a basketball hoop on a forklift and start spinning it around, while attempting to bounce a ball off the wall and into the hoop. This was no easy feat; it took nearly an hour for him to successfully make that and a second shot, in which he did a backflip and bounced the ball 32 feet in the air and into the hoop.

Kalb learned at the end of July that his entry won, not only giving him $5,000 in Cub Cadet equipment, but a chance to match his basketball skills against LeBron's. Just winning the right to face off with LeBron seemed to be the hardest part, who didn't have a set plan in place come game day.

"I never specifically practiced any shots to use against him," Kalb said. "I play ‘H-O-R-S-E' a lot with my roommates [former Capital basketball players Evan Hartman and Kraig Frymier] so I just used the same shots we've been doing for years."

Tyler Schleich, who has known Kalb since high school and played with him at Capital, also wasn't surprised about the outcome. Hearing him talk, one almost feels sorry for LeBron for not knowing what he was getting into.

"I knew he would win based on the fact that I saw the things he did after practice
everyday," Schleich said. "He is the craftiest, most random guy I've ever met - and I mean that in a good way. On the grand scheme of things, the victory [may not be] a big deal, but for David Kalb to get not just his 15 minutes of fame but 24 hours and a lifetime of stories [is] just priceless."

Kalb's life, now well over a week removed from it, may have begun to settle down again, but it's the memory of a lifetime for him.

"[Capital's men's basketball coach] Damon Goodwin told me to cherish every moment of it, and I have," Kalb said. "And LeBron couldn't have been nicer, taking pictures and signing autographs with everyone who was there. It was just a great experience."

Mo Williams Close to Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Scott Miles — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:44:16 -0400

Let’s give Danny Ferry credit for trying.

No, it hasn’t always worked—Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall come to mind—but you have to agree the Cavs GM is doing everything he can to get Cleveland a championship ring, and get LeBron to stick around for a little bit longer.

Word today is that the Cavs, along with the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle/Oklahoma City SuperSonics, are finalizing a trade that would send high-scoring Bucks guard Mo Williams to the Cavs, who will send Joe Smith to Oklahoma City and Damon Jones to Milwaukee.

(I can’t believe I’ve had to type “Oklahoma City” now three times in an NBA column. It just does not flow right at all.)

So what would the Cavs get in Mo Williams? First of all, they get a guy who has absolutely torched them in the past—he averaged 26 points per game just against the Cavs last year. But beyond that, he’s averaged 17 points and 6 assists per game the last two seasons as a starting guard for Milwaukee.

His field goal and 3-point percentage have increased solidly in his five years in the NBA, shooting 48 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc last season. As importantly, he’s an 85 percent free throw shooter. And he's just 25 years old.

OK, those are good numbers…but why will he turn out differently than Hughes, famously signed, famously injured, famously pouted, and famously flamed out as LeBron’s sidekick?

Simple—Cavs fans were easy to overlook Hughes’ flaws as a player. He was a scorer with a low field goal percentage (career, 41 percent) who couldn’t make jump shots. Hughes is also a 30 percent shooter from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the charity stripe—all numbers below Williams’ averages, who has great quickness to the hole but a more than respectable jumper, as well.

According to John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Ratings, Williams was the 12th best point guard in 2007-08, ahead of Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo and Jameer Nelson. He would have been the third-highest rated Cav, behind LeBron (obviously) and just slightly behind Z.

(He was also significantly ahead of any Cavs guard on that list—Delonte West was 40thamong SG, Boobie Gibson was 50th and DJ 53rd among PG. Hughes was a spot behind West in the SG and completely off the reservation when compared to Williams.)

So what are we losing? In Damon Jones, nothing but flash, style and flamboyance, as well as the fact that Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ” just won’t sound the same to me ever again. Mike Brown wanted nothing to do with DJ, and thus, DJ was a less valuable member of the team than the waterboy.

I will miss Joe Smith—he averaged eight points and five boards a night off the bench and was real solid in the playoffs. Getting rid of him means the team must have faith in Anderson Varejao, who is eight years younger but causes 800 times the headache of Smith, as well as first-round draft pick J.J. Hickson, who excelled in the summer league.

Personally, I would have rather dealt Andy—he’s had problems with management, he’s going to want a huge contract extension, and he’s a black hole on offense. I think it’s easier to replace a big guy with hustle like Varejao than it is a skilled big guy who can knock down 15-foot jumpers like Smith.

Smith would have been a more valuable member to the Cavs these next two years than Andy will be. At this point we can’t think any longer than two years down the road.

(In case you missed it, two years from now is when LeBron can become a free agent. Just a heads up, because this topic has been shoved aside for the Brett Favre fiasco and that Olympic thing in China.)

Finally, in terms of the current roster, things don’t look so good for Delonte West returning. I love West’s game and wrote about how important he is to the future of the team, and how well he played at the end of the season.

But Delonte, come on now bud—you can’t threaten to sign with the Siberian national team and then continue to holdout. He gained the upper hand on the negotiating table with that ploy, so Ferry looked elsewhere—and now West’s days in Cleveland, and a chance to compete for a title with one of the all-time greats, might be out the window.

If Cavs fans, and LeBron, aren’t convinced that Ferry is doing what he can to develop a winning team, they’re crazy. He’s spent Dan Gilbert’s cash, he swapped out ineffective parts at the trade deadline, and he looked for—and may have found—an answer at the point guard position.

And that might be enough for a Cleveland team to finally finish off the Season of Dreams…

Open Mic: Cleveland Cavaliers All-Time Starting Five

Scott Miles — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:35:06 -0400

As prompted by Bleacher Report earlier this week, I am here to present my all-time starting five for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I thought about doing all-time starting lineups for the Indians and Browns as well, but decided that that would just be too much work. I’m on summer vacation, after all, and to sort through 100-plus years of Tribe history, and then to decide on 22 guys from the Browns history...

Well, let’s just say it’s a bit more appealing to pick five guys from 38 years of play, especially when the team stunk for about 25 of those 38 years. Anyway, this is my list, with positions and years of their time with the Cavs. Feel free to comment below.

Without further ado:

PG: Mark Price (1986-1995)

A four-time All-Star, Mark Price was the player every kid growing up in Cleveland emulated in the late '80’s and early '90s. Well, him—and that Michael Jordan guy. Price holds franchise records in assists, three-pointers made, steals, and free-throw percentage.

In his nine seasons with the Cavs, Price averaged 16.3 points and 7.5 assists per game and was the first player in franchise history to be named to the All-NBA First Team. Really the only negative thing anyone can say about Price is regarding his disastrous turn as a color analyst for the team on FSN Ohio during the 2004-05 season, which still gives me nightmares.

SG: Austin Carr (1971-1980)

“AC” was the first relevant player in team history, a highly-touted guard out of Notre Dame who was a scoring machine. Unfortunately, injuries likely robbed him of his true potential as an NBA player, as he averaged over 20 points per game in his first three seasons before missing significant time the next two years.

Like Price, Carr spent nine seasons with the Cavs and averaged 16.2 points per game. Unlike Price, Carr has had a successful stint as the color analyst since 1998. No, he’s not always the most insightful, but his energy—and chuckles after LeBron dunks—are infectious.

SF: LeBron James (2003-???)

Any debate on this one? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

He’s scored 10,689 points in five seasons. He led the team to its first conference championship. He's a global icon. Leaving him off this list would be like leaving the Beatles off of a list involving the greatest British bands of all-time.

PF: Larry Nance (1987-1994)

Talk about a stat-sheet stuffer. He averaged 16.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in his time with the Cavs—and this includes his final season when he played in just 33 games and made 19 starts.

Nance was a three-time All-Star, twice with the Cavs, and made the All-Defensive team three times with Cleveland as well. Before his tenure with the Cavs, Nance won the first NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1984—no “small” feat considering he’s 6'10"—and according to his Wiki page, he is currently an IHRA drag racer.

C: Brad Daugherty (1986-1994)

His career ended after eight seasons at the age of 28 due to chronic back injuries, so who knows what the five-time All-Star could have accomplished had he been healthy? (This is a common theme among the players on this list, none of whom played after age 34—LeBron, please stay healthy!)

Daugherty averaged 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game with the Cavs. Steady and consistent—statistically, his rookie season was his worst and he still put up 16 and eight a night—Daugherty was the team’s all-time leading scorer until that LeBron fella came along. He’s still the all-time leader in rebounds and is probably the only Cavs to transition from basketball to NASCAR commentator –—aybe every once in awhile he gets to see Nance at an IHRA event, too.

Others receiving consideration (in no particular order): World B. Free, Phil Hubbard, Shawn Kemp, Mike Mitchell, Andre Miller, Bingo Smith, Craig Ehlo, John “Hot Rod” Williams, Ron Harper, Jim Chones, Terrell Brandon, Zydrunas Ilgauskaus, Larry Hughes (just kidding), Eric Snow (really just kidding)

(Special thanks to basketball-reference.com for the stats. Between that and sister site baseball-reference.com, I don't know where I'd be in life right now.)

Bye Bye Byrdie? Cleveland Indians Should Deal Paul Byrd Soon

Scott Miles — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:28:46 -0400

“Hey Mark, it’s (insert name of GM from playoff contending team). So what have you been up to recently?”

“Oh, not much, just been busy shuffling some ‘employees’ around. How are you?”

“Doing great, thanks. We’ve rattled off like eight out of ten or something like that, so that’s been nice.”

“Yeah, I saw that, congratulations. Looks like you’ve got yourself right back in the mix of things.”

“Yessir, and that’s why I’m calling. We—“

“Paul Byrd for a mediocre guy in Triple-A and another guy in Single-A who has some good ‘upside’. We’ll pick up the rest of Byrd’s contract for the season. That’s my asking price after the Blake deal. And no, Byrdie hasn’t been pitching better due to taking any more HGH, either, if that was your next question.”

“Ummm…OK, we have a deal.”

***

That’s kind of how I’m imagining the conversation will go between Tribe GM Mark Shapiro and the general manager from one of the 15 or so teams still in contention. And that conversation could happen shortly, particularly after Paul Byrd worked 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers Monday night, allowing just four hits in the process.

Byrd got a standing ovation from the Jacobs, err, Progressive Field crowd, and deservedly so. He’s pitched fairly well in his last three ballgames, and since he’s going to be a free agent after the year, and with the team in full firesale mood, he’s likely a goner.

There was a point—gosh, I don’t know, maybe two weeks ago—where it seemed unlikely that the Indians could give Byrd away. Now, with the trade deadline looming Thursday, you have to figure it’s just a matter of time before some desperate GM comes calling to bolster his pitching staff.

No, he didn’t pitch very well this year. But he knows how to pitch in big games. During the big run the Tribe had in late August and early September last year, he started four games and won them all, including a complete game four hitter over the White Sox. And he won both of his starts in the postseason, allowing four earned runs in 10 innings pitched.

So Paul, best of luck to you should you be dealt, and like CC and Blake, hopefully you get the chance to play for a World Series title.

***

Speaking of Casey Blake, it continues to amaze me the amount of “Thank God he’s gone” comments I’ve been hearing following his trade.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not upset that we traded him, especially in light of the fact that it seems we got a couple of somewhat promising prospects back for him. But allow me to throw some FACTS at you about Casey Blake’s five and a half years with the Tribe…

1. Averaged 143 games played in his first five seasons, and only a fluke injury running the bases in 2006 which limited him to 109 games is lowering that average.

2. Batted .264 with 104 home runs (21/season) and 359 RBI (72/season) in those five seasons.

3. Was second on the team in RBI in 2003 and 2005, was third on the team in 2004 and 2007, and fourth in 2006 despite not playing a full season.

4. Tied with Travis Hafner for the most home runs (28) in 2004, had the second most in 2003 and the third most in 2005.

5. Moved to right field in 2005 so that Aaron Boone could play third base and all Tribe fans discovered he has a cannon for a right arm.

6. Batted .346 (9-for-26) with a home run and two doubles in the ALCS against Boston in 2007.

7. At the time of the trade, was batting .289, best on the team, with 11 HR and 58 RBI, which is also best on the team.

So just thought that should bear some mention. I don’t understand where the Casey Blake bashing originated from or what, but he’s a guy that we basically signed as a minor league free agent in 2003 who earned himself a spot in the everyday lineup—and proved he belonged, the team's top run-producer behind the trio of Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore—not a bad group to be fourth banana to.

I’d be disappointed if Shapiro doesn’t make a run to re-sign him after the season. He can play both corner infield and corner outfield positions, which have been areas of concern for the team since, I don’t know, 1999 or so.

And just remember—we could still have Aaron Boone playing third base. Doesn’t that send enough chills down your spine as it is?

That's Called A Winning Streak!: Tribe Sweeps Four From Rays

Scott Miles — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:16:00 -0400

Let me get this straight.

After enduring one of the worst losing streaks in the 107-year history of the organization...

After trading away the best pitcher the franchise has had in 30 years...

After cutting last year's AL saves leader and turning the closer role over to the former hot-dog eating champion of the world...

After trotting out a pitcher over the weekend that hadn’t won in the big leagues in four years, and another whom Indians fans felt hadn’t won in four years...

The Indians, last place in the AL Central, swept a four-game series from the team that had the best record in baseball.

Sure, it was the Rays, an upstart in the big-market, big-payroll landscape of modern-day baseball. But it still makes you wonder, What in the name of Rocky Colavito is going on around here!?!?

Just like that, a 10-game losing skid, gone. CC Sabathia, God bless, but you’re gone, too.

Matt Ginter, with as many major-league victories as yours truly since 2004, throws five shutout innings. Jeremy Sowers, who still looks like he’s 14-years old and has pitched like he belongs in the Pony League, not the major league, for the past two summers, somehow managed to survive issuing seven free passes in four innings.

Overall, what does this mean for the rest of the season?

Well, absolutely nothing, of course—for God’s sake, we’re still 12 games under .500 and staring up at Kansas City in the Central standings. And oh, by the way, the four-game winning streak comes as we head into the All-Star break, likely killing any momentum that this streak might have generated.

(If it’s any consolation, Tribe fans, according to baseball-reference.com’s “Pythagorean Won-Loss” formula, we should be a game over .500 right now. The same formula said the 2006 Indians squad, which finished 78-84, should have gone 89-73. I was never one much for the Pythagorean Theory in high school, and I don’t know if this has any relation, but I still don’t understand it.)

(Random side note: With the Cleveland Gladiators getting throttled 70-35 in the AFL conference championship Saturday, I have to pretend to care about the Indians season again. At least until Browns training camp starts on the 23rd. The easy joke about the Gladiators is that no one in Cleveland is surprised that a Bernie Kosar-led team failed to win the conference championship game, but I’ll take the high road in this one.)

Good news though, Tribe fans. Fausto Carmona is making a rehab start Monday at my old haunt, Classic Park, with the Lake County Captains. Grady Sizemore’s power surge has him in the Home-Run Derby, where hopefully he won’t injure himself or damage his swing.

Andy Marte, whom I propose should be nicknamed “Paralyzer” for what he’s done to the organization—plus it solves the question of walk-up music too, thanks to Finger Eleven—hit a home run today, his first since... (Ah Christ, I can’t find it, to hell with it!)

Down on the farm, Matt LaPorta continues to tear up AA pitching in Akron, begging the question: What the heck is he still doing down there?

A slew of Aeros, particularly highly-touted prospects Trevor Crowe and Wes Hodges, are playing great as well. While in AAA, Asdrubal Cabrera (.326 BA, 4 HR) seems to have ironed out his swing and David Huff continues to impress in the rotation.

I’ve grown numb to this Indians ballclub, and the only thing to get excited about now is how quickly Mark Shapiro can unload Paul Byrd and when Spring Training starts in 2009. While the four-game streak is nice, it’s more of an aberration, a blip on the radar, than a sign of good fortune for the rest of the summer.

Sayonara C.C. (and Other Cleveland Indians Talk)

Scott Miles — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:41:45 -0400

There comes a time, in the summer following your senior year of high school, when you have to say goodbye. Goodbye to your friends, goodbye to your family, and goodbye to your home.

It’s a time to move on, move away, and enter the second phase of your life. You’ll never forget about your experiences or your memories, but it’s exciting, it’s fresh, and it’s new.

C.C. Sabathia is that person going away. Tribe fans are happy for him for all that he has done, and some, like proud mothers, have tears in their eyes as he packs up his bags and walks out the door that final time.

Unfortunately, the analogy ends there.

In baseball, there are no Thanksgiving trips home, no care packages from the parents, nothing. C.C.’s likely only lasting a semester in his new school (Milwaukee) before transferring elsewhere for a bigger scholarship (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.).

He won the Cy Young award in 2007, putting together one of the better seasons you will find in the modern game of baseball—a 19-7 record, a 3.21 ERA, an incredible 241.0 innings pitched, and 209 strikeouts to just 37 walks.

Only a four-start stretch of games in August, when the offense sputtered and he received just 10 total runs of support, kept him from winning more than 20 games.

In short, it was the finest single season of pitching that I had personally witnessed from a Tribe pitcher. And what made it all the more special? He was OURS.

There are very few players on the current Indians' roster who have come all the way through the farm system, and obviously fewer still who have had the impact that C.C. has had on the organization.

C.C. came in at the tail end of arguably the greatest stretch of baseball in franchise history, making his debut in the 2001 season. Just 20-years old when the season started, he won 17 ballgames, and hasn’t slowed down since.

He’s gone on to post double-figure win tallies in each of his first seven seasons. After a horrid start to the 2008 season, he posted a 2.44 ERA in May and a 1.89 ERA in June.

It was six, long years for him, and the organization, between postseason appearances—he was the bridge between what was and what Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge tried to build to.

In the lean years of 2002, 2003, 2004, the only thing to look forward to was C.C.’s duels with the other aces of the game. I went to a game where he went toe-to-toe with Pedro Martinez, and while C.C. came up on the short end, I’ll always remember it as one of the defining moments of his career.

One of the greatest treats has been watching him grow up and mature over the years. He went from being a thrower, who just dialed up the fastballs harder when he ran into problems, into a pitcher who learned to mix speeds and locations and not just overthrow.

He’s quieted talks of his weight over the years by continuing to pile up win after win and strikeout after strikeout. With a big smile, and his hat cocked to the side of his head, it was hard to question his work ethic.

Though he pitched horribly in last year’s playoffs, that Tribe team wouldn’t have even sniffed the division title without him. When I went through my recent boycott of the team, the only times I would watch or listen were games that C.C. pitched.

I knew I only had so few opportunities left to watch him, the most dominant Tribe pitcher in my lifetime, pitch in an Indians uniform.

So where does the organization go from here?

The pitching staff, so strong last year, is in shambles. Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook are injured, as is the tantalizing Adam Miller at AAA. Jeremy Sowers is pitching like he has no clue, and Paul Byrd, the Eddie Harris of this staff, has forgotten to bring the Vagisil to the mound with him this summer.

(Yes, I played the Vagisil card. I will leave you, the reader, to make the inference.)

The times are so desperate we’ve signed Jeff Weaver to help bolster the staff. Yes, that would be the Jeff Weaver who used to be fairly good with the Tigers for a couple years, lost his career with the Yankees, regained it with a good postseason for the World-Series winning Cardinals a few years back, and now is coming off a 6.20 ERA last year with Seattle and a 6.22 ERA in AAA this summer.

Pardon me for not being excited. And I haven’t even touched the second-worst bullpen in baseball, nor do I have any desire to because, well, I don’t feel like vomiting.

So, for the 2009 season—because let’s face it, this team is deader than __ right now—we’re looking at a rotation with Carmona, Cliff Lee, and Aaron Laffey at the top, and two giant question marks after that.

David Huff has rocketed up the system and is pitching well in Buffalo (3.38 ERA in six starts) and should have a shot to make it, leaving Sowers/Miller/other miscellaneous washed-up stiff to compete for the fifth spot.

The offense will likely see little change as well. The organization is relying heavily on Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner to return healthy and produce like they’re capable of. For Victor, I fully expect him to hit again. For Travis, well, not so much, but I can’t completely give up hope on a guy who averaged 32 HR, 109 RBI, and a .298 batting average from 2004-2007.

I can’t wait to watch this Matt LaPorta kid hit, because he will be the first power-hitting corner outfielder for the Indians since, uhh, Manny Ramirez. Yes, that’s how high I am on this kid, and he hasn’t played a game past AA.

(Actually, besides Hafner, he might be our only power-hitter in the past seven years. Not counting Grady Sizemore’s recent Brady Anderson-esque surge, that is.)

I don’t know how much he has left to prove in the minors—he’s hit .294 with 32 homers and 32 doubles in just 112 minor-league games—and he could be that spark that this team has been lacking. Yes, I like Shin-Soo Choo and Franklin Gutierrez, but they aren’t impact players in the outfield. LaPorta can be that player.

Next, there’s been a lot of debate on the AMP—the Andy Marte Problem. My problem is that he’s still on the team. You know how he went two for four the other day in Minnesota? That was his first multi-hit game since Apr. 10. Apr. 10, 2007, that is.

At least with Brandon Phillips you could see flashes of his talent. He was always there defensively, and within his .206 batting average with the Tribe, you could see the makings of a good hitter who had a good swing.

I don’t see those flashes with Marte. And the organization, paralyzed by the Phillips blunder, will do nothing with him.

All right, that’s enough focus on the Tribe for right now. I’ll finish emptying my head later this week when the dust continues to settle on the trade and the spectacular failure of this season.

And C.C, best of luck to you in Milwaukee. Every Tribe fan wishes you nothing but the best.

Step Aside, Tribe—It's Gladiators Time

Scott Miles — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:36:50 -0400

A funny thing happened to me tonight as I prepared to watch the first game of this make or break series for the Tribe against the White Sox.

It was the Arena Football League playoffs, Cleveland Gladiators versus Orlando Predators at The Q. And I was hooked.

I turned it on with about five or six minutes left before halftime, right in the middle of an interview with Bernie Kosar, former Browns legend and current Gladiators owner.

Listening to him talk, the genuine passion in his voice about the team, the city—I couldn’t turn it off.

You know why? Bernie spoke with the kind of energy and emotion that I have never once heard from any Indians player, manager or executive. Ever.

Especially not this year.

Entranced in Bernie’s words, and watching the Gladiators rally to score the final 10 points of the half to take a 34-33 lead into the break, I completely lost track of time.

I watched a few ESPN2 ads before I realized that it was past 8:30 and the Tribe game had started.

I flipped over to Sportstime Ohio and saw we were up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. It didn’t even faze me.

Jeremy Sowers was on the mound and I knew he wouldn’t protect the lead—my faith was rewarded just moments later when Jim Thome blasted a three-run shot, and I changed it back to the AFL halftime show.

Is this an anti-Indians column or a pro-Gladiators column? I have no idea.

But in the course of about 30 minutes, I realized that I’d much, MUCH rather spend my evening watching a team that played with excitement and energy than a group of disinterested, unenthusiastic mopers who had been dragging me and thousands of Tribe fans down over the past month and a half.

I’d been casually rooting for the Gladiators all season, but outside of the quarterback, Raymond Philyaw, I couldn’t name anyone else on the team or the coach.

I knew nothing about them—heck, these guys weren’t even stars in college, or journeyman NFL players—yet they had pulled me away from the team of my childhood, of the sport I loved obsessively.

Judging by the large and loud crowd at The Q, I wasn’t alone, either. I even saw a kid in a St. Ignatius shirt sitting next to a kid in a Solon shirt.

What, in the name of bitter high school rivalries, of east side versus west side, was going on here?

This was the jumbled mess inside my head as the second half kicked off, and the Gladiators came up with a quick score.

I yelled, to no one in particular since I was sitting by myself in my living room, in celebration.

But the Predators struck back.

Their quarterback, Shane Stafford, who is whiter than the Pillsbury Doughboy, celebrated a touchdown with one of his receivers by slipping into a voice reminiscent of Young Jeezy:

“Yo, I was goin' ta find you! You know I was goin' ta find you!”

Fine time to mention here that all the players and coaches were miked up, and let’s just say the ESPN censors were kept pretty busy throughout the game. Gosh, who knew pro football players were so vulgar?

With the Predators up six to close the third quarter, which came to an end when Philyaw was sacked, the energy just sucked out of the Q.

I was deflated, sitting on my couch. Seeing the Indians down 8-1 on the ESPN2 ticker, thanks in large part to a Nick Swisher granny, didn’t even affect me.

The fourth started with a Gladiators touchdown, and the fans were back. Some of them started barking and woofing as if they were in the Dawg Pound, and I almost got chills. Not quite, but almost.

Quick flip to the Tribe to see the score 8-2 and Ryan Garko snapping out of a 0-for-17 slump with a base-hit. Yippee. Can't believe I was missing out on this.

The lead changes again on another Predators touchdown. Now the Gladiators face a fourth-and-five with just over six minutes, and we hear the play-call from the offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski (no, not really)—he wants a slant.

Shaun King, the former Tulane and Tampa Bay Buccaneer QB—not to mention one-year wonder on me and my dad’s fantasy football team way back when—was doing the color commentary and diagrammed the play beautifully on the telestrator before the snap.

Philyaw hit the receiver in stride, who waltzed into the end zone for a 62-60 Gladiator lead.

Bedlam ensued. King, who had earlier proclaimed that Cleveland was as good as any team in the AFL playoffs, went nuts.

Up two with six minutes left, ESPN immediately flashed the inevitable montage of Cleveland sports heartbreaks over the years.

I think I blacked out. The whole sequence was a little hazy.

But when I came to, they were showing Cavs banners in the rafters and King was lavishing praise on LeBron James, calling him the best player in the league, even better than Kobe.

Have I mentioned that Shaun King is my second favorite ex-NFL quarterback, behind Bernie Kosar?

Random interruption number two: I remember more about watching Vinny Testervarde and Eric Zeier playing QB for the Browns than I do Kosar, but if you grew up or lived in Cleveland at any point, you know Bernie is the man.

Who else has been immortalized in a song to the tune of “Louie Louie”?

We needed a defensive stop. Unfortunately, those are tough to come by in Arena Football, unless you get a turnover.

The Predators were marching, and when Stafford hit their top receiver, TT Toliver, over the middle with no defender in sight, it appeared as if the Predators had taken the lead.

Except for one thing: Toliver tripped over his own feet, stumbled to the ground…and fumbled the ball.

The Gladiators recovered inside their five-yard line. Jubilation swept the Q, and my living room.

There’s two minutes left in the game, and I have legitimate butterflies in my stomach. Cleveland went for the kill—this doesn’t happen—throwing deep on its first play. Incomplete.

But you know what? It’s Arena Football! They dialed up the long ball again and completed a pass inside Orlando’s 15.

Now it’s time to salt the game away. A sweep play, an actual running play, results in a touchdown, and the extra point is good. 69-60 Cleveland with 52 seconds left.

It’s a two-possession game, but 52 seconds is an eternity in the AFL. The Predators score with 21 seconds left .

Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, are the thoughts running through my head.

They’re going to try an onside kick, and recover, and score, and we’ll chalk it up to another Cleveland heartbreak.

The Gladiators, in their first season in the city of Cleveland, having moved from Las Vegas last year, put that to the test.

They recovered the onside kick—YES! YES! YES!—and then fumbled on the first play with the ball—NO! NO! NO!

But a Gladiator fell on the loose ball, and three throwaways later—the clock stops automatically if you kneel the ball, an entertaining yet heart stopping rule—the game ended in sweet, sweet victory for the home team.

I threw both hands into the air. A sweet, sweet victory indeed. The new team avoided the old city curse, for one week at least.

Yes, I’ve found my new boys of summer in 2008—and it’s the Cleveland Gladiators.

The Muffin Man: A Look at Vintage "Base Ball"

Scott Miles — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:40:21 -0400

I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass of the press box of Ohio Wesleyan’s Littick Field this afternoon.

Outfitted in a red long-sleeved shirt, a plain white painter’s cap, and white baseball pants yanked high to show off red socks, I, and the eight other individuals who were dressed the same way, looked absolutely ridiculous.

It’s a good thing none of us were overly self-conscious. (I gave up on that after two summers interning with the Lake County Captains, having spent time both in fish suits and as the furry green mascot Skipper.)

Why were we dressed this way, though? What could possibly make nine grown men give up their Sunday afternoons to look like something out of the 1870s?

Uhh, actually, that was exactly it—we were playing a vintage baseball (or “base ball”, as it was back then) game as members of the Delaware Lenapes versus the Ohio Village Muffins.

The rules of the game, as we learned quickly, have changed quite a lot over 130 years. Here’s a sampling of some of the differences:

1. You can’t overrun first base—this one could not be stressed enough to us before the game.

2. Any ball fielded on one hop is an out. You could smoke a liner to the outfield, but if it was fielded on one hop, the hitter is out. (Should probably mention here that there were no gloves back then. The balls were a little softer—kind of like a hard rubber—but it took a lot of getting used to; standing in the field with two bare hands).

3. Pitches were thrown underhand, like in slow-pitch softball. There were no balls or strikes called, but pitchers (“hurlers”) were trusted to make good pitches and batters (“strikers”) were trusted to swing at them.

4. No swearing or spitting allowed—the two aspects of baseball that I was actually decent at when I played.

(There were quite a few more differences, but I was so excited to play that I kind of zoned out for a few minutes while these were being explained.)

The home team was determined by—and I kid you not—a stone toss. The umpire, or “arbiter”, had a stone and spit on one side for “wet”, while the other side was “dry”, then tossed it like a coin. We won the toss and opted to be the home team.

We went down quickly and took the field. I played center field, because our captain, Jason, thought I was “fleet of foot”—his words, not mine.

As members of Capital’s baseball team can attest, my skills in the outfield are somewhat limited, although it was a cloudy day so the chances of me losing a fly ball in the sun and catching it with my forehead, leaving me concussed and with 20-plus stitches in my forehead, were minimal.

(Not that that, uhh, ever happened to me. You know what, forget I said anything. Let’s just move on.)

We got out of the first with a beautiful double play—apparently those were rare in the 1870s because the Muffins were very appreciative—and came to bat in the second. I was due third and stepped to the plate after the first two hitters were retired.

I took a few practice cuts with the wood bat and stepped to the “line”—not a batters box, just a line that marked where you could stand next to the plate. A lot of the Delaware Cows players were there, and I was chatting with them while I waited on-deck. “Hey, rip one Scott,” “Take it to right field,” “Come on, get a hole of one,” they shouted at me.

“I just want to warn you guys that I could barely hit my weight in high school,” I told them.

I had vowed to take the first pitch so I could get comfortable up there. But the pitcher lobbed a perfect one right down the middle and, overanxious, I took a big rip at it, hitting a little dribbler in front of the plate. I was thrown out by a mile.

Then, as has been the theme of the weekend in central Ohio, the rains came. The Cows had games washed away on both Friday and Saturday, and both teams were forced to take shelter in their dugouts as puddles formed on the infield. It appeared our afternoon was over, which had all of us bummed out.

Thankfully, the rain passed after a 15 or 20-minute delay, and we were able to resume our game on the practice football field adjacent to the baseball field. We tore up some cardboard boxes and put them down as bases and resumed play.

Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was finally learning the rules, or maybe it was the fact that the Muffins—average age of probably about 55, to ours of about 25—stiffened up during the delay, but we caught fire in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

We had been down 2-0, and we ended up winning 15-3. Every time a run scored—or an “ace was tallied”—the runner would go to the scorekeeper (“tallymarker”) and give his name, then loudly ring a bell that was set up next to the tallymarker to officially signal that he had scored.

The game ended with both teams lining up next to each other behind home plate, saluting one another with three rousing "Hip Hip Huzzahs!" before dispersing, each thanking one another for the opportunity to play. (The Muffins play upwards of 60 games a summer, we were told.)

Personally, I smacked three line-drive singles in my next three at-bats, realizing to just treat it as a slow-pitch softball game and keep my weight back, not lunge and try to kill the ball. My final hitting-mark stood at 3-4, with two “aces” and two RBI, which wasn’t an actual stat back then, but I’m crediting myself with them anyway.

(Unfortunately, by this point, none of the Cows players were around to see the clinic I put on at the plate. It also has made me contemplate if I could have been a Hall of Fame hitter had I been born 150 years earlier. And yes, I am basing that solely on my success in one game against men who get discounts at Bob Evans with their Golden Buckeye cards.)

I’m also proud to say that I had a perfect fielding percentage. Only one ball was hit to me in the air, which I played perfectly on the first hop for the putout.

(It is considered a “manly catch” to snag the ball in the air, but I was not about to take any chances. I haven’t injured myself in a month-and-a-half, and I wasn’t about to be the guy who got hurt playing in a vintage base ball game.)

All in all, it was a great time and a great experience. Apparently, we had lost the last two years to the Muffins, including a bad beating last summer, so to break that streak, and actually having helped to contribute to the victory, was a rewarding feeling.

The best news of the day, though? We got to keep the red shirt and the painter’s hat. Yup, it couldn’t get much better than that....

Cleveland Cavaliers: Northeast Ohio Rejoices As Cavs Pass on Kosta Koufos

Scott Miles — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:48:05 -0400

I just saw an article on ESPN.com about the worst lottery picks in NBA history. Cavs players littered the list.

Danny Ferry. Dajuan Wagner. DeSagana Flop—err, Diop. Luke Jackson. Chris Mihm. Trajan…

(No, to this day I refuse to admit Trajan Langdon was a bad draft pick. He was the 2008 Euroleague MVP! Come on—you’re telling me he couldn’t have produced in the NBA? He couldn’t have cracked the Cavs' rotation this year? Please.)

I have reservations about the Cavs and the NBA draft every year. We either don’t have draft picks (the Jiri Welsh trade, anyone?) or screw them up (See: list above). Some of our better draft picks—Carlos Boozer and Jason Kapono—are long, long gone.

So with all that being said, I am pleasantly surprised with the selection of J.J. Hickson. Actually, considering I still have nightmares about the DeSagana Diop era, I’m downright giddy.

Judging by the pulses of all my friends, as long as the Cavs drafted anyone but Kosta Koufos, the fans would have been happy. David Stern could have announced my grandma as the Cavs' pick, and I would have gotten the same excited text messages: “Thank God it wasn’t Koufos!”

I'm not as down about Koufos as everyone else is. He's like a Diet Zydrunas Ilgauskaus, a soft player who does his damage on the perimeter. No, he won't tip in as many missed shots as big Z—but he can shoot the three, which balances that out. He'll be a good NBA player, but I'm much happier with Hickson right now.

Being fairly well-schooled in ACC basketball, I’ll tell you what I know about Hickson. He’s still got some work to do in terms of offensive production, but he’s a beast on the glass—he had over 10 rebounds in nine games, including a 23-rebound effort against Clemson.

He’s also got decent size—6'9", 240 pounds—which has proven to be big enough to be successful at the power forward position in the NBA. He’s in the same mold as a Boozer or David West, except I think he can be a much tougher player on the blocks than the latter two.

I also think that this means Anderson Varejao is on his way out. Remember that he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and he’s going to want a long-term extension—again. If I recall correctly, he was holding out for like a $40 or $50 million deal last summer, which isn’t even realistic.

(That’d be like me asking the Delaware Cows for $250,000 to announce their games this summer, because I hustle to get the lineups before the game and my curly Jewish hair bounces around when I run.)

I was also excited to see that Josh Duncan from Xavier went undrafted, because I’m hoping the Cavs can somehow pick him up. He was one of those college guys that I just grew really attached to over the basketball season, and he always played great whenever I saw him play.

He’s 6'9", 230 lbs, and shot over 40 percent from three-point range and nearly 50 percent from the field. He played great in the Musketeers' four NCAA tourney games (18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds per game). Duncan can immediately. be a real solid player off the bench for an NBA team.

One final note: As flawed as this Cavs roster is—and you’re blind if you can’t see that—the team isn’t that far away from winning an NBA title. Keep in mind that Cleveland played Boston tougher than anyone else in the postseason, and had a legitimate shot to win six of those games in the series.

The biggest weakness is not in one specific position or player. It’s in talent and athleticism. Biggest example? Ira Newble played in 41 games with the Cavs this season, including 13 starts, and averaged over 16 minutes per game. After he got traded? How about seven total games and fewer than 50 minutes of court time with the Sonics and the Lakers?

Nothing personal against Ira, but he didn’t sniff the court in the playoffs with the Lakers. With the Cavs, he was a key part of the rotation. That’s the difference between making the playoffs and competing for a championship.

As we all know, LeBron is good enough to erase a lot of the flaws on this Cavs roster. They don’t need another All-Star to pair him with—just more talent in whatever way possible.

Hickson provides that, immediately. And that’s why Cavs fans, after enduring the Diop’s and Wagner’s and Jackson’s, can finally be excited about the draft.

Paul Pierce's Injury? Spare Me

Scott Miles — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:54:26 -0400

So let me get this straight.

LeBron James gets clotheslined, or otherwise slammed hard to the floor. He stays on the ground for a minute, catches his breath, regroups, stands up and plays 45 minutes of basketball—just like every night.

For that, he gets criticized for being a crybaby, a drama queen.

Paul Pierce goes down. Two teammates pick him up and carry him off the floor. A wheelchair is brought out to send him to the locker room. Three minutes later, he’s running up and down the court as if nothing happened.

And now this is the greatest thing since Willis Reed. Really, the only thing that could have topped this would be if Barbaro magically healed to finish the Preakness two years ago.

Can someone explain this to me?

If LeBron was playing for New York or Boston, and Pierce on the Cavs or Pacers, would we be looking at this differently?

Look, if it turns out Pierce actually tore something in his knee, I’ll retract this whole thing; I will.

Until then, I could really care less about Pierce’s gallant return from such a “grievous” injury.

He played a great game tonight, nothing less—and certainly nothing more.

Cleveland Indians Woes: Tribe Still Can't Hit After 55 Games

Scott Miles — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:01:11 -0400

Could there be anything more frustrating than watching the Indians try to hit with runners on base?

They remind me of small children flailing haplessly at piñatas. Whiff, whiff, whiff.

Twelve blows later, finally, a small crack opens up. But for the Tribe, no rush of candy emerges. All the treats remain stranded in scoring position.

In allowing the Kansas City Freaking Royals to snap their 12-game losing streak Saturday night, the Indians left a staggering 22 runners on base.

Royals starter Kyle Davies—he of the 6.16 career ERA, including an 0-3 lifetime mark against the Tribe—yielded only one run and continuously danced out of trouble.

Grady Sizemore left five runners on base. Victor Martinez left five runners on base. Shin Soo “Big League” Choo, in his season debut, looked to be in midseason form by going hitless and leaving four runners on. Even Travis Hafner, currently on the DL, managed to leave three runners on base.

The Tribe continues to rank last in the AL in hitting, at .234 (the next worst is Baltimore, all the way up at .246.) Only two teams have lower on-base and slugging percentages.

Miraculously, we’ve managed to score more runs this season than both Baltimore and Kansas City, so I can’t even imagine how putrid their offenses must be.

Give credit to Eric Wedge for trying, though. The Indians have the second most sacrifice hits in the league, and we’re in the middle of the pack in stolen bases. That's not bad, considering I could beat everyone except for Sizemore and Franklin Gutierrez in a footrace.

Martinez’s batting average has dropped over 60 points since the start of the month. He’s only had three multi-hit games in May (he had eight in April). Worse, he’s gone hitless in seven games this month, as opposed to just three in April.

Did I mention he’s leading the team in hitting?

Sizemore is second on the team—with a .254 average. He followed up a two-homer performance Friday with a giant 0-fer Saturday.

No one else on the team, besides Ben Francisco (.307 in 25 games), Martinez and Sizemore is hitting over .250. Yes, the Indians have only three regular players who average more than one hit every four at bats.

The big offseason acquisition to bolster the lineup, Jamey Carroll, is hitting .232. He plays the game the right way, is always hustling and giving his best effort, but he can’t be the answer to the offensive problems that started after last year’s All-Star break.

The Indians can’t hit at home (.238), can’t hit on the road (.229), can’t hit during the day (.232), can’t hit at night (.235), can’t hit on turf (.202), can’t hit on grass (.236). They can’t hit righties (.231), they can’t hit lefties (.243).

Sensing a trend here?

Perhaps instead of taking BP before today’s series finale in Kansas City, they can take turns swinging at a piñata. Then again, they’d probably only pop it up to short or hit a weak ground ball with it.

Cleveland Indians: Ex-Tribe Players Lighting Up the Rest of MLB

Scott Miles — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:34:45 -0400

It seems like every time I've turned on SportsCenter over the past few weeks, all I've seen are highlights of Ryan Church of the Mets and Ryan Ludwick of the Cardinals, either coming up with key hits at the plate or making great plays in the outfield.

Why did I notice those two players so much on ESPN? Why, because both of them happened to play for the Indians, that’s why! Now, with the Tribe scuffling so much, it led me to thinking, “Who else is out there right now that could be helping us win some games?”

(Note: I played this same game two years ago when the Indians stunk, too. You can read about that list here).

So what I did was spend about two hours this afternoon on baseball-reference.com, which is one of my favorite websites, looking at the rosters of the 29 other teams and finding all the guys who were, at one point or another, a member of the Tribe organization and now playing in the big leagues.

(Yes, thank you, I have no life right now. I’m well aware of this fact, okay?)

What I came up with was 49 players once in the Tribe organization, now playing on 21 other MLB teams. Two years ago, I found 60 former Indians players who were, at that time, playing for other organizations in the big leagues.

I’m sure that these numbers are roughly the same for every team, who have all made dumb (sometimes smart) trades or other roster moves. I know I definitely picked up on a lot of guys who used to play for the Tigers while I was browsing through these rosters.

And if I missed someone that you know of, feel free to throw his name down below in the comment box. Also feel free to moan and groan or rant about guys who were terrible with us only to play great later (cough cough, Brandon Phillips), guys you wish we’d never given up (Brian Giles, Jeff Kent) and the guys you never knew even existed (Tim Byrdak??? Don’t ask me how I remembered how he was with the Tribe because I just don’t know.)

The stats listed are their 2008 ones with their current teams. I list how/why we lost these guys after their stats, once again helping you to relive infamous trades. (Where have you gone, Jeriome Robertson?)

Anyway, enjoy:

Angels:
1. Macier Izturis (.210, 12 RBI, 6 SB) – traded w/Ryan Church for Scott Stewart to Expos in 2001.
2. Justin Speier (0-3, 5.00 ERA) – traded to Mets for Brian Jenkins in 2001.

Orioles:
1. Luke Scott (.263, 4 HR, 16 RBI) – traded to Astros for Jeriome Robertson (2004).
2. Jeremy Guthrie (2-4, 3.86 ERA, 39 K, 63.0 IP) – signed off waivers in 2007.

Red Sox:
1. Manny Ramirez (.287, 8 HR, 28 RBI, one high-five to fans in LF bleachers) – signed as free agent (2001).
2. Coco Crisp (.295 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB) – traded w/Josh Bard and David Riske for Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach, Andy Marte and Randy Newsom (2006).
3. Sean Casey (.355 BA, .420 OBP, 7 2B) – traded to Reds for Dave Burba (1998).
4. Alex Cora (9 hits, 22 AB, 14 GP) – traded to Red Sox for Ramon Vazquez (2005).
5. Julian Tavarez (6.39 ERA, recently demoted) – traded w/Jeff Kent, Jose Vizcaino and Joe Roa to Giants for Matt Williams and Trinidad Hubbard (1996).
6. Bartolo Colon (5.0 IP, 2 ER in lone start) – traded w/ Tim Drew to Expos for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens (2002).

Cubs:
1. Bobby Howry (0-2, 5.70 ERA) – signed as FA w/ Cubs (2005).

White Sox:
1. Jim Thome (.208 BA, 9 HR, 25 RBI) – signed as FA w/ Phillies (2003).

Reds:
1. Brandon Phillips (.295 BA, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 8 SB) – traded to Reds for Jeff Stevens in 2006.
2. Dave Weathers (1-3, 5.02 ERA) – signed off waivers by Reds (1997).
3. Kent Mercker (13 G, 3.86 ERA) – signed by Red (1996).

Astros:
1. Tim Byrdak (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.3 IP) – released in 2002, signed w/ Padres in 2004.

Dodgers:
1. Jeff Kent (.234 BA, 4 HR, 22 RBI) - traded w/Julian Tavarez, Jose Vizcaino and Joe Roa to Giants for Matt Williams and Trinidad Hubbard (1996).

Brewers:
1. David Riske (0-1, 4.71 ERA, 1 SV) - traded w/Bard and Crisp for Mota, Shoppach, Marte and Newsom (2006).
2. Guillermo Mota (1-2, 3.44 ERA, 1 SV) – given to the Mets for nothing, literally nothing, in 2006.

Mets:
1. Ryan Church (.315 BA, 9 HR, 32 RBI) – traded w/Macier Izturis to Expos for Scott Stewart (2004).

Yankees:
1. Billy Traber (4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP) – signed off waivers by Red Sox in 2004.

Athletics:
1. Alan Embree (1-2, 4.22 ERA) – traded w/ Kenny Lofton to Braves for Marquis Grissom and David Justice in 1997.
2. Keith Foulke (3.18 ERA, 11.3 IP) – “retired” in 2007, signed by A’s in 2008.

Phillies:
1. Chad Durbin (1-1, 2.08 ERA) – signed off waivers by D’Backs in 2004.
2. Rudy Seanez (2-3, 2.89 ERA) – traded to Dodgers for Dennis Cook and Mike Christopher (1991).

Pirates:
1. Jason Michaels (.278 BA, .350 OBP) – traded for player to be named later about two weeks ago.
2. Luis Rivas (.215 BA, 4 RBI, 2 SB) – signed w/ Pirates in 2008.

Padres:
1. Josh Bard (.200 BA, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 30 GP) - traded w/ Riske and Crisp for Mota, Shoppach, Marte and Newsom.
2. Kevin Kouzmanoff (.274 BA, 4 HR, 19 RBI) – traded w/ Andrew Brown for Josh Barfield (2006).
3. Brian Giles (.307 BA, .407 OBP, 3 HR, 20 RBI) – traded to Pirates for Ricardo Rincon (1998).
4. Jody Gerut (.208 BA, 1 HR, 58 AB) – traded to Cubs for Jason Dubois (2005).

Giants:
1. Omar Vizquel (.306 BA, 4 RBI, 36 AB) – signed as FA w/ Giants in 2004.
2. Dave Roberts (.118 BA, 17 AB) – traded to Dodgers for Christian Bridenbaugh and Nial Hughes in 2001.

Mariners:
1. Richie Sexson (.206 BA, 8 HR, 19 RBI) – traded w/ Marco Scutaro, Kane Davis, and Paul Rigdon to Brewers for Bob Wickman, Steve Woodard, and Jason Bere (2000).
2. Arthur Rhodes (2-0, 2.79 ERA) – traded to Phillies for Jason Michaels (2006).

Cardinals:
1. Ryan Ludwick (.336, 12 HR, 35 RBI) – signed as FA w/Tigers in 2005.
2. Brian Barton (.250 BA, 5 RBI) – selected in Rule V draft by Cardinals (2007).
3. Ron Villone (1-1, 4.26 ERA) – released and signed by the Reds in 1999.

Rangers:
1. Ben Broussard (.159 BA, 3 HR, 8 RBI) – traded to Mariners for Shin-Soo Choo and Shawn Nottingham (2006).
2. Milton Bradley (.322 BA, .433 OBP, 8 HR, 27 RBI) – traded to Dodgers for Franklin Gutierrez and Andrew Brown (2004).
3. Ramon Vazquez (.337 BA, .434 OBP, 2 HR, 9 RBI) – signed as FA w/ Rangers in 2007.
4. Kevin Millwood (2-3, 4.88 ERA, 9 GS) – signed as FA w/ Rangers in 2005.

Blue Jays:
1. Marco Scutaro (.263 BA, .387 OBP, 12 RBI, 3 SB) - traded w/ Sexson, Davis and Rigdon to Brewers for Wickman, Woodard and Bere (2000).
2. John McDonald (.182 BA, .280 OBP, 34 Web Gems) – traded to Blue Jays for Tom Mastny (2004).
3. Joe Inglett (.318 BA, 6 RBI) – signed off waivers by Blue Jays in 2007.
4. Hector Luna (1 AB, 0 hits) – we’ve had him three times, most recently signed off waivers by Blue Jays in 2007.
5. Brian Tallet (1.27 ERA, 21.3 IP) – traded to Blue Jays for Bubbie Buzachero in 2006.

Nationals:
1. Ronnie Belliard (.194 BA, .316 OBP) – traded to Cardinals for Hector Luna (2006).
2. Aaron Boone (.323 BA, .405 OBP, 3 HR, 9 RBI) – signed as free agent w/Marlins (2006).

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James: What's Next?

Scott Miles — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:57:26 -0400

The Cavs have had a great string of success the past three seasons. One NBA Finals appearance and two conference semifinal runs both went a full seven games. Cavs fans are left wondering: Where does the franchise go from here?

After the Finals ended last season, I wrote that the Cavs had three major holes on their roster. No one could run an offense, no one could hit a jumper consistently, and no one could block shots.

With the acquisition of Ben Wallace, the last issue was addressed somewhat, though at a steep financial price and at a sacrifice for offensive balance.

Let’s face it. Wallace touching the ball on offense is like trying to swim through the Bermuda Triangle.

The other two issues were not adequately addressed, though.

The ongoing quest for a point guard continues. Delonte West is a nice player, but he’s a mediocre ballhandler and distributor who turns the ball over too much to be an efficient point guard. I love his toughness and willingness to step up in big situations, but I just don’t think he’s the answer.

West, along with Boobie Gibson, are restricted free agents, and with Damon Jones still under contract as well, the Cavs have essentially three undersized shooting guards on their hands. (They also have a regular-sized shooting guard, Sasha Pavlovic, who can’t shoot, period.)

But what other alternatives are out there? Unrestricted free agents at the point guard position include Chris Duhon, Anthony Carter, Tyronn Lue, Dan Dickau, Smush Parker, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, Carlos Arroyo ,and Kevin Ollie.

Now, if the Cavs go after Parker or Ollie again I might need to be committed. And I really have no desire to see Lue (31 years old) or White Chocolate (38 percent shooting, just 4.5 assists per game last season) in the wine and gold.

However, Duhon, Carter, Lue, Dickau, and Arroyo are intriguing possibilities. Duhon (solid 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio) will be looking for a fresh start because I doubt he has any desire to return to Chicago.

Carter, 32, is probably on the downside of his career, but he could be reliable for two to three more seasons in the mold of Andre Miller. Dickau averaged 13 and five in his one season as a starter. Arroyo is more of a scorer than passer, but he is still a solid player.

I think the Cavs’ efficiency on the offensive end would vastly improve if any one those guys mentioned above could be brought in. Like last year, though, the Cavs have one of the highest payrolls in the league and are into the luxury tax, so it will be extremely costly to sign one of those players.

(By the way, It still kills me that the franchise that once had, in succession, Mark Price, Terrell Brandon, and Andre Miller running the point and now has to rely on its small forward to even bring the ball up the court.)

Problem number two is actually scoring the basketball. Wally Szczerbiak, like every other role player, had his flashes of greatness. On the whole, though, he was extremely disappointing. His numbers were down across the board as he averaged five fewer points per game in Cleveland than he did in Seattle.

Pavlovic, after holding out and missing training camp, had a flat out terrible season. He hit just 36 percent of his shots. In the month of December alone, he shot 29 percent from the field. That’s just miserable.

Better yet, the Cavs will pay Szczerbiak and Pavlovic a combined $17 million next season. Excuse me while I vomit.

Look, at least one of those guys is going to have to figure it out next year. If one of them had it going in the Celtics series, I would probably be putting together a preview for another go-around with the Pistons instead of this.

I have no idea what their problems are, but I know that the Cavs become instant title contenders next year if they can get a combined 20-25 points per night out of those two.

The final question lies with the big -an rotation, and this will really come down to a philosophical approach from Mike Brown and Danny Ferry.

There is no doubt that the Cavs, offensively, are at their best when there is one power forward/center and three shooters surrounding LeBron. When the Cavs go “small” on offense, they’re much deadlier than they are with either Wallace or Andy Varejao on the court.

But…

The Cavs defense will suffer greatly if neither Wallace nor Andy are playing. No one else, for instance, would have stood a chance defending KG in the Celtics series. Opposing teams would find it much easier to score around the basket, the Cavs’ rebounding numbers would suffer as well.

(Not to mention the two are on the hook for over $20 million next season.)

So it seems like six of one and a half dozen of another, right? If the Cavs play better on offense, their defense won’t be as strong. When the Cavs play better defensively, they can’t put it together on offense.

That’s the rut we’re in. With Brown in charge, though, the focus will remain on the defensive side of the ball. As it should—the Spurs won four titles with defense, the Pistons made it to six straight conference finals with defense.

And though Wallace and Andy are liabilities, the other four players on the court—LeBron, Z/Joe Smith, Szczerbiak/Pavlovic/miscellaneous shooting guard, and Boobie/West should still have plenty of opportunities to score, because LeBron is just that good.

But here’s what separates those Spurs and Pistons teams from the Cavs right now: great point guard play and the ability to score when needed. Until the Cavs can achieve those goals, they’ll be looking at lots of frustrating playoff defeats for years to come.

More breakdown of the Cavs offseason goals and needs will come later this week, including a look at potential help in the draft (yes that’s right, the Cavs actually have a draft pick this year!)

Please Come to Boston: Cavaliers Knock Off Celtics in Game 6

Scott Miles — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:29:51 -0400

Well, basketball fans, if you’re surprised that the Cavs won Game 6, or rather that the Celtics dropped yet ANOTHER one on the road, you should probably stop reading this right now and go back to Facebook stalking or whatever website you were looking at before you stumbled upon this article.

(Go ahead, I’ll wait. I’ve got all day.)

(And yes, I just turned 21 and I have a Dave Loggins reference in my headline. Don't judge me because I love 70's soft rock.)

Right, now down to business…

1. As has been the trend throughout this series, the Cavs used huge runs to take leads and let the Celtics slip back into things. Once again, the lack of a killer instinct and ability to put teams away has and continues to hamper the Cavs.

A 17-2 run to close the second quarter, coupled with the first seven points of the third quarter, gave the Cavs a 16-point lead. The Celtics crept within three on a pair of occasions before the Cavs regained ANOTHER double figure lead at the start of the fourth. Once again, that frustratingly melted away, but the Cavs still held on despite only scoring five points in the final four minutes of the game.

By my count, the Cavs have led by double figures in Games 2-6 and also held a two-point with 1:30 left in Game 1. Yes, I know they’re playing the team with the best record in the NBA, but if the Cavs can’t close this series out on Sunday they have no one to blame but themselves.

2. LeBron James is rounding back into form. The scary thing is that he dropped 35 points in Game 5 and 32 tonight but he’s not even close to playing his best basketball.

What I noticed tonight was that the Cavs floor spacing wasn’t as good as it should have been. When the Celtics came to double LeBron, he didn’t have any passing lanes, which forced him into many of his eight turnovers.

Part of the problem, no doubt, is the absence of Boobie Gibson. But the Celtics did a good latching onto the outside shooters and not giving them any breathing room to separate or be in a position to catch the ball. Hopefully Mike Brown will address that issue before Game 7 because I doubt 74 points will be enough to win in Boston – but who knows with the way this series is going?

3. Speaking of points and scoring… in the regular season series, the Cavs averaged 95.0 points per game, and that included the 80-70 LeBron-less loss. The Celtics, for their part, averaged 97.3 points per game, including a game without KG.

The average score for games in this series? Cavs 84.0, Boston 81.8. And no one’s been sitting out this series. It’s remarkable the difference between a game played in February and a game played in May.

4. Boobie’s absence was clearest in the back-to-back plays from Sasha Pavlovic in the fourth quarter when he drove headfirst into about 12 Celtics defenders and threw up crazy shots. I was ready to commit homicide (just check my text message log.)

Pavlovic, one of the leading vote-getters for the NBA’s Least Valuable Player and Most Regressed Award, had a clunker of a night. Mike Brown also dusted off Damon Jones for three uninspired minutes, while Devin Brown – you know, the most consistent sub, the Sixth Man all season, continued to rot away on the bench.

(I don't know who's playing worse right now, Sasha or Kendrick Perkins. But I'm sure some clown like me in Worcester gets the same giddy feeling every time Sasha touches the ball like I get when Perkins has it for the Celtics.)

5. I know Boston fans will be griping about those two plays at the end. I’m trying to be as unbiased as possible, but come on guys. First, Ray Allen’s shot attempt hit the padding on the sideof the basket, and Delonte West only got a fingertip or two on it anyway – unless it was the Keith Hernandez Magic Loogie from Seinfeld, it wasn’t going in. No goaltending, not even close.

Secondly, the charge on Paul Pierce was the same play LeBron has been whistled for several times in this series. If you extend your off arm or lower your shoulder, it’s going to be called a charge. Especially on the road.

6. The Cavs shot 33 percent – that’s a pretty good batting average, pretty bad field goal percentage – and only had 10 assists. Sixteen offensive rebounds, and a 45-37 edge on the boards overall, rescued them, as well as a stunning (for them at least) 84 percent at the free throw line.

This team’s success is predicated heavily on getting to the free throw line. I made this point last year in the Pistons series – the two games the Cavs lost, they shot 33 total free throws. In the four games they won, they averaged almost 35 attempts per game.

When you have as miserable of an offense as the Cavs do, you need as many free and easy points as possible.

(If the Cavs shot 84 percent from the line in Game 5, they would have scored six more points. They lost by seven. Hmmmmm…)

7. So what’s the key for the Cavs to become the second (as of this posting) road team to win a game in the conference semis? They must get back to what they do well – pound the glass and get second and third chance opportunities to score. They must get some type of production out of Wally Szczerbiak or Delonte West – preferably both, because if they falter than Sasha Pavlovic must step up, and I have more faith in the Kennedy’s giving up drinking than that happening.

And LeBron’s going to have to be electric. As I said before, he’s been good but not great the past two games. He must be great for the Cavs to win Sunday.

(I’m going to share a little secret – I think he has it in him, I really do.)

Cleveland Sports "Heroes": My Love for the Underdogs

Scott Miles — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:54:45 -0400

After reading about Jody Gerut and reminiscing about him and other former Indians, I wanted to devote a column to some of my favorite, lesser-known athletes that have played for the Browns, Cavs and Indians over the years.

These are guys who weren’t stars – heck, most of them hardly even played – yet for whatever reason I really liked them and pulled for them. Of course, for those of you who know me, the biggest name of all on this list for me is a former Duke star who graced a Cavs uniform for several seasons and never got a fair shot to crack the rotation even though he was incredibly deserving and…

(OK, slow down buddy. Right. More on him later.)

Without further ado, here’s the list. It’d be great for you guys to share your memories of these or any other players I failed to mention as I’m sure there are numerous I forgot and left out.

Cleveland Browns

1. Eric Zeier, quarterback, 1995: Loved him because of the name. Plus, as everyone knows, the backup quarterback is always the most popular athlete in Cleveland. Did You Know: Zeier set 67 school records at the University of Georgia and 18 SEC records as well? He currently broadcasts UGA football games.

2. Darrin Chivarieni (’99-’00) and JaJuan Dawson (’00-’01), wide receivers: Guys who probably shouldn’t have been in the NFL, thus fitting perfectly on those expansion-era Browns teams. Dawson had a huge game in the season-opener one year and wasn’t heard from again, and I vaguely remember Mike Trivisonno ranting on the day we traded Chivarieni to the Cowboys.

3. Ben Gay, running back, 2001: He might have received the most buzz and media attention for someone who never accomplished anything. I know he had a crazy backstory, like bouncing around several colleges and doing or dealing drugs or something like that.

4. Terry Kirby, running back, 1999: Kirby was one of the few “name” players the first Browns team had, in that he had actually played on real NFL teams before. Unfortunately, he was just as bad as the “non-name” players for the Browns that year. My mom and I went to training camp one day and he was laughing and joking and having a great time out there – it doesn’t hurt that he and Wayne Kirby are brothers too.

5. Travis Prentice, running back, 2000: Touchdown Travis, baby! Ran for eight touchdowns in 2000, then we got rid of him and he went to the Vikings after that. I have no idea why we got rid of a player who we drafted in the third round and had a productive year as a rookie, but then again, that’s how the team was run back then.

6. Frisman Jackson, receiver/Hail Mary quarterback, 2002-2005: Played quarterback in college at traditional powerhouse Western Illinois and is probably better known for having the strongest arm perhaps in Browns history. He was the guy we’d bring in if we needed a 60-yard heave. Judging by how crappy those offenses were, we should have tried it more often. Caught one touchdown in, uhh, 34 career games. Right, moving on.

7. Spergon Wynn, quarterback, 2000: The fact that he played in 10 NFL games gives hope to you and me that we, too, can be NFL quarterbacks. Threw 152 passes with the Browns and Vikings in two seasons and had one touchdown and seven picks.

8. Earthwind Moreland, cornerback, 2001: Strictly the name. I’m listening to “After the Love Has Gone” and “September” right now on my iPod, actually. He was supposed to develop into a nickel back for us. Appeared in two games with the Brownies. Did You Know?: Earthwind played for the AFL’s Las Vegas Gladiators in 2007? He didn’t make the cut when the team moved to Cleveland this year, though.

9. Wali Rainer, linebacker, 1999-2001: Probably one of few – very few – Brownies who could have played for real NFL teams during that era. Between him and Szczerbiak now, I guess I have a thing for guys named “Wali”, too. It rolls off the tongue nicely.

10. Mason Unck, special team extraordinaire, 2003-2006: Needed a special teams tackle? Unck was your man! I think former Bill and current CBS announcer Steve Tasker had a man-crush on Unck. And you know what? So did I.

11. Brian Kinchen, tight end, 1991-1995: I have no idea, I really don’t. I think I liked his name a lot, because I thought it was “Kitchen”, not “Kinchen”. Did You Know?: According to Wiki, Kinchen “was a commentator for ESPNU but was suspended after making a comment during a game that receivers needed to use their soft hands to ‘caress’ the ball and responding to his comment as ‘kinda gay.’”

12. Jamel White, third down back/kick returner, 2000-2003: He was so small! And he went to South Dakota! He was like a JV version of Eric Metcalf. I always wanted to see him used more, but the coaches were probably concerned he’d be broken in half or something. He had a monster against Green Bay in 2001, running for 131 yards and 85 yards receiving, in a, uhh, 30-7 Browns loss.

Cleveland Cavaliers

1. Trajan Langdon, underplayed and underrated shooting guard, 1999-2001: OK, Trajan Langdon is my favorite athlete of all-time. I’m coming out and saying that right now. If you want to read a 3,000-word story about him that I wrote, then just click here, it will be worth your time and explains everything. I’m still bitter about how his whole situation turned out with the Cavs, who drafted him in the first round and never played him even though he did everything right in practice and played well when given the opportunity…

(Here I go again, getting all worked up. Just trust me on this. The Alaskan Assassin would have made a hell of a pro in the NBA!) Did You Know?: Trajan was a sixth-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 1994? Such a great athlete! He was also just named the 2008 Euroleague MVP playing for a team in Moscow – keep up the good work buddy!

2. Derek Anderson, shooting guard, 1997-1999: What’s ironic about this is that he was my favorite player before Trajan, then he was traded after we drafted Trajan because who needs two identical players? Heck, who even needs a shooting guard when we can deal away a good one and not play his replacement?

3. Chris Mills, small forward, 1993-1997: When I was six, I thought his name was “Chris Miles” and he was a relative of mine. Mooooving on…

4. Matt Harpring, small forward, 2000-01: Such a hard-nosed player. Scrappy. I got floor burns just watching him play when me, my buddy Stu and his dad were three of approximately 415 fans who still went to Cavs games at the time. Did You Know?: Georgia Tech retired his jersey number, and Harpring and Mark Price – that name sounds familiar – are the only Yellow Jackets to be named First Team All-ACC three times?

5. Lee Nailon, small forward, 2003-04: Picked him up in a midseason trade and boy, could he score some points. (“Some” being the operative word there.) He was instant offense, for like three or four minutes, and that was it. A fun player to watch though.

6. Eric Williams, small forward, 2003-04: Basically the same player as Matt Harpring only without the same dental plan. Williams was one of those high-character guys the Cavs tried to surround LeBron with his rookie year – aka the anti-Ricky Davis and Darius Miles. Known most for his gap-toothed grin because his family couldn’t afford to send him to the dentist as a child, and he worked hard to provide low-income families with dental care. All around good guy, I really liked him a lot.

7. Jeff Trepagnier, high jumper, 2001-02: The buzz about Trepagnier when we drafted him out of USC was his phenomenal athletic ability. I sipped the Kool-Aid. He scored 18 points – total - in a Cavs uniform. Did You Know? Trepagnier finished second in the PAC-10 in the high jump in 2000? He averaged nine points per game as a senior as the “shooting guard” connected on 23.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. Let me editorialize here for a minute and ask, “WHY THE HECK WAS HE THE 35TH DRAFT PICK???”

Cleveland Indians

1. Bill Selby, utility guy, 2002-2003: Bases loaded. Ninth inning. Down by one. Mariano Rivera on the mound. Selby narrowly misses ending the game with a shot down the right field line that just lands foul. Just when you think we missed our shot, Selby yanks one deep to right field…and GONE for a walk-off grand slam against the game’s top-closer. It was one of 11 career homers for Selby, and probably one of my top-five Indians moments of all-time. Thank you, Bill Selby.

2. Chris Magruder, outfielder, 2002-2003: I loved “C-Mags” so much and I have no clue as to why. He was just one of those guys I latched on to and haven’t forgotten about over the years. I remember him just making some good hustle plays. C-Mags also broke up a potential no-hitter from Jeff Weaver – when Weaver was with the Tigers and actually a good pitcher.

3. Jolbert Cabrera, supersub/gunshot victim, 1998-2002: A pretty valuable member to some decent Tribe teams who could play any position. I think he was also the bullpen catcher and waterboy, too. Of course, what I remember most about him was getting shot in the butt while someone tried to carjack him down in Colombia. Did you know? Shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Jolbert are brothers.

4. Candy Maldonado, outfielder, 1990, 1993-94: The name. Strictly the name.

5. Cam Caincross, Aussie pitcher, 2000: Australian born lefty who appeared in 15 major league games. He was having a monster year in the minors when we brought him up to help bolster the bullpen. He had a 3.86 ERA with the Tribe and I don’t think has been heard from since.

6. Mark Clark, pitcher, 1993-1995: He was just one of those guys who wasn’t bad but wasn’t good either. They’re my favorite players, which is why I’m one of 13 Casey Blake fans left alive. If I was a professional athlete, I would want to be an average, mediocre guy who you could depend on to be reliable and nothing more.

7. Chad Ogea, pitcher, 1994-1998: I don’t have the data to back this up – I’m stealing that line from Matt Underwood, by the way – but it just seems Indians pitchers have proven to be the best hitters in National League parks over the years. Ogea’s two-hit performance in Game 6 of the ’97 World Series is just one of a long list of successful hitting clinics our pitchers have put on. I love Chad Ogea for that. Love him. Did You Know? Ogea is in the Kinston Hall of Fame.

8. Herbert Perry, first/third base, 1994-96: One of those guys who just never got a chance to crack it because they were behind All-Stars. Batted .315 in 162 at bats in 1995, and got a total of 21 at bats in 1994 and 1996 combined.

9. Jeff Manto, Quadruple-A player, 1990-91, 1997-1999: The ultimate definition of a guy too good for the minors and not good enough for the majors. His transaction pagelooks like Chris Henry or Pacman Jones’ rap sheet – I swear to God, every day I'd pick up the paper back then it the Indians were either cutting or re-signing him. A .280 hitter in the minors with 146 home runs, he hit .230 in the big leagues with 31 dingers.

10. Bip Roberts, second base, 1997: See: Maldonado, Candy and Zeier, Eric.

11. “Hard Hittin” Mark Whiten, outfield, 1991-92, 1998-2000: I think it was Joe Morgan on the NBC broadcasts in the playoffs who would just repeat, over and over again, “Hard Hittin’ Mark Whiten”. Whiten could be sitting on the bench and Joe Morgan would be saying, “Look at Hard Hittin’ Mark Whiten sittin on the bench over there! Hard Hittin Mark Whiten! Hard Hittin Mark Whiten!” Did You Know? Mark Whiten’s nickname was “Hard Hittin”?

So there you have it, my list of 30 – count ‘em, 30! – former Cleveland athletes who have been some of my favorites over the year. Once again, I’m asking you guys to share your memories of these players or any other “lesser-known stars” from over the years who hold a special place in your heart.

Cavaliers-Celtics: Miscues Doom Cleveland in Game Five Loss

Scott Miles — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:57:15 -0400

It was midway through the second quarter of Game Five when I came to an abrupt realization: I was feeling extremely calm, collected, and—most of all—confident.

Confident as the Cavs defense continued to smother the Celtics. Confident as the ball moved around the court on offense. Confident as LeBron James drove and dished and shot as well as he possibly could.

Could they be turning the corner? I thought after James’ nifty little step-back jumper gave the team a 14-point lead. Are they really doing this?

Reality flattened me like a 98-mile-per-hour fastball careening toward my head. And credit Rajon Rondo—plus numerous Cavs mental and physical errors—for bringing that about.

Rondo nailed two three-pointers, also assisting two other baskets, to spark a 14-3 Celtics run over the final three-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter. The Cavs had dared him all series to take those shots; he did, and tonight he made them.

Kevin Garnett continued to show his range on outside jumpers and Paul Pierce shook off a sluggish start—forcing shot after shot—and hit some big free throws down the stretch.

The Celtics also hammered Cleveland on the boards, claiming a 38-30 advantage overall and—most importantly—12-7 on the offensive glass. The Cavs thrive on offensive rebounds, and keeping the other team away from the offensive glass. But tonight, collectively, Cleveland’s group of post players were outworked, outhustled, outplayed, and LeBron only grabbed three rebounds himself.

(Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been a non-factor for two games in a row. I don't like that one bit. Not at all.)

The Cavs also shot themselves in the foot with their woes at the free-throw line. It’s one thing to get to the line; it’s another to actually punish the opponent by sinking them. Shooting 68 percent from the line and missing 13 free throws isn’t going to cut it, especially not on the road.

In particular, the Cavs shot just 3-for-8 from the line in what proved to be the decisive third quarter. With the offensive quagmire, you have to convert on a higher percentage to keep yourself in the game. By missing five-of-eight, the Cavs went from “facing a moderate deficit” at the end of the quarter to “barely holding on by a thread.”

(I don’t know what’s more inept in Cleveland right now: the Cavs offense on the road or the Indians offense, period. Can the Browns let Rob Chudzinski help the other teams out?)

Sixteen turnovers also spelled trouble for the Cavs. It wasn’t necessarily the number, but just how they came about. Three shot-clock violations—yikes. Two terrible miscues to start the second half—Delonte West slipping on the first possession and throwing a terrible pass, followed by an awful pass from LeBron—just gave Boston five free points. Inexcusable mistakes at this point in the season.

Miraculously, the Cavs nearly rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final three-and-a-half minutes. If you’re a Celtics fan, you have to be absolutely horrified at your team’s execution down the stretch. The closing minutes reminded me of a college game, and there’s no doubt in my mind that if Wally Szczerbiak hit that trey (which would have cut the deficit to three with about 1:30 left) that the Cavs would have won the game.

Another point for concern for Celtics fans: the Cavs could have legitimately won all three of these games in Boston. Game 1 was, well, awful, but still there for the taking. In Game Two, the Cavs blew a 12-point lead. And tonight, they blew a 14-point lead.

My point is, the Cavs (and potentially the Pistons and whatever Western Conference team emerges) aren’t the Atlanta Hawks. Real teams aren’t scared of playing in the TD Banknorth Dunkin’ Donuts Liberty Mutual Garden. This series could be over.

Alright. Enough racking my brain for tonight. At least the Indians won. And at least there’s about a 97.2 percent chance that the Cavs will have one more shot to crack the Celtics in Boston.

Cavaliers-Celtics: LeBron James, Cleveland Slam Boston in Game Four

Scott Miles — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:52:49 -0400

WHOOOOOOOO!!!

Sorry, I’m still screaming after LeBron’s throwdown in the face of KG, the face of the Celtics defense, the face of the 66-win franchise, that knotted up this best-of-seven series at two apiece.

A tough, hard-nosed, physical game—how about only one foul being whistled in the last nine minutes?—came down to three possessions. Up 76-73, with both teams scoreless for over three minutes, LeBron dribbled around a HUGE screen from Andy and nailed a three.

You just knew he wasn’t going to keep missing jumpers. No, he’s not a great jump shooter, but he does and can make jump shots. None was bigger in the series than that one.

After Paul Pierce made a tough jumper, the Cavs went to another pick play for LeBron. For the first time perhaps ever, the Cavs used a double screen with Boobie and Andy. LeBron rolled around to Andy’s side, and three—three!—Celtics defenders jumped to follow him.

That left Boobie wide open, and he doesn’t miss those shots. His make put the Cavs ahead by seven with just 2:30 left and had the Celtics reeling on the ropes.

The knockout blow was the thunderous jam heard ‘round The Q, heard ‘round downtown, that may—should the Cavs pull out two more wins—serve as the defining moment in a series that’s been devoid of them to this point.

You could feel his momentum gathering as soon as LeBron came around the corner. For the first time all series, no Celtic defender awaited him, as Pierce and James Posey melted away. LeBron charged, and charged hard, and all the Kevin Garnett’s in the world would not stop him.

Here we are now, tied at two. The series has started all over again. And the Cavs can prove to everyone that last year’s run was no fluke by taking care of business on the road in Game Five.

Other thoughts and notes as my stomach slowly unwinds from the knot it’s been tied in…

1. For the second straight game, LeBron got the help he needed. Z did not play very well, but Andy and Joe Smith carried the way for the post players. This is the Andy Varejao that I know and love as a player, and who has been MIA for the entire postseason.

He finished with 12 points and six rebounds and harassed KG all night. What works to his benefit defending Garnett is that they are nearly the same height. Ben Wallace gives up about five inches—he’s listed at 6-foot-9 but everyone knows he’s closer to 6-foot-7—allowing KG to shoot over the top of him. Andy’s length makes that more difficult, and he played much, much more physically with him in the post as well. Great all-around performance for the Brazilian.

Smith continues to knock down 16-foot jumpers as if they were layups. I love his game. I’m still shocked that he’s bounced around the league as much as he has.

2. Harping on a point Reggie Miller made during the broadcast but one that bears repeating, Boobie went to the basket a lot more off the dribble tonight than I can remember. If he can do that somewhat consistently, he becomes a viable threat to score 16-20 points a night and be “that guy” LeBron needs.

His ballhandling is still a bit suspect, and I don’t know if he’ll develop into that “true” point guard, but Boobie can put the ball in the hoop, and that’s still an area of weakness for this team.

3. Another solid performance by Wally’s World tonight. He hit the open shots that he needed to, and his defense on Ray Allen has gone largely unnoticed. He’s fought through baseline screen after baseline screen to chase after him, and Allen has shot the ball well in only two quarters (out of 16) in this series.

4. Curious officiating came up in the second quarter, with lots of touchy, ticky-tack fouls that swung the game back towards the Celtics. The two that stuck out in my mind were the calls against Joe Smith (hedging on a screen against Allen) and Varejao and KG bumping down the court (the foul that put Boston in the bonus with eight minutes left.)

Then, with LeBron picking up his third defending Allen—I honestly didn’t see where this took place but it very well could have—the Celtics seemed poised to surge into the lead going into halftime.

The Cavs certainly struggled but held on to take a two-point lead into the break, which was the same margin it was after the first, even though LeBron sat four minutes in that frame.

5. The Cavs won two games on the road in the first round. They won Game Five in Detroit last year. They won in New Jersey. Honestly, if any team in this NBA postseason is going to win a game on the road, it will be the Cavs.

(And they better. They should arguably be closing this series out Wednesday night.)

Finally, one last random rant from Saturday night…who else saw that horrible locker room conversation between Bill Russell and KG that ABC staged? And that cheesy, overly dramatic music ABC had it set to made me want to rip my ears off.

I don’t know why any of that was necessary. I’d rather watch a non-stop loop of LeBron’s Fave Five arenas to play in…

Well, on second thought, maybe I will watch a little more of Bill Russell…

Cavaliers-Celtics: Who Wants a Road Win?

Scott Miles — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:41:30 -0400

There is an interesting phenomenon in sports that is shining clearly in the NBA playoffs.

It’s called “Playing like absolute garbage on the road.”

I don’t know where or how this phenomenon started, but it has a grip on nearly every team — none more so than the Boston Celtics.

(As a Cavs fan, I certainly have no complaints about that.)

In two games at Boston, the Cavs averaged about 58 points per game on 10 percent shooting from the floor and looked as lost offensively as an American League relief pitcher trying to swing a bat.

Then, playing at home, the Cavs jumped to a big lead early and were never seriously threatened, scoring 108 points, shooting 54 percent from the field and hitting 10-of-19 three-pointers.

Meanwhile, the Celtics muddled their way through the first quarter and dug themselves a hole so deep they were halfway to China.

That’s what I don’t understand. Isn’t the game the same regardless of where you play? The court is the same length, the rim is the same height, the rules are the same, the concept of the game is the same.

Who cares if you have 20,000 fans screaming for or against you? They’re still screaming, they’re still loud.

In this second round, road teams only have one win. Detroit squeaked one out last night in Orlando that they probably shouldn’t have. I just don’t get how a team can look and play radically different from how it did 48 hours earlier just because the venue changed.

If you can’t get fired up to play — on the road or at home — during the NBA playoffs, then you probably shouldn’t be out there. Just my two cents on that.

Obviously, the key to the Cavs’ win last night was the opening quarter, and then the first few minutes of the second period as well. I knew the Cavs were in good shape when, early on, Ben Wallace had as many points (six) as the Celtics had as a team.

Big Ben was all over the court, and if he plays like that the rest of the series — or the rest of the postseason — this Cavs team will be very difficult to beat.

The fact that the Cavs didn’t choke away their big first quarter lead was critical as well. Boston had a huge second quarter in Game Two; that didn’t happen last night.

Finally, the biggest help to the Cavs defense yesterday was the presence of Rajon Rondo on the court. Thankfully, he has the shooting range of Eric Snow, allowing Delonte West to play free safety and help on everyone else.

Every time Rondo tried to go to the basket, he was swallowed up by Z, Wallace and — most posterizably, if that’s a word — LeBron. Definitely expect to see more of Sam Cassell in Game Four.

And what about Ray Allen? Did he get really old, really fast or what? He’s averaging just 14 points per game and shooting under 40 percent in the playoffs. He’s had one good quarter against the Cavs in the three games. And with Paul Pierce scuffling offensively as well, this Celtics team has become vulnerable.

LeBron was in “benevolent” mode early on in this game, and thankfully his teammates responded. Wally’s World was huge in the first quarter, Delonte West was huge the whole game, Joe Smith was near-perfect, Z played like Z, Ben almost scored 10 points…what an absolute team effort.

It was a refreshing performance from the Cavs, and one they’ll need to repeat three more times against Boston.

Cavaliers-Wizard: Delonte Delivers As Cleveland Wins Game 4

Scott Miles — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:06:32 -0400

Cavs fans, meet Delonte West: our new “corner” 3-point assassin who has, for one game at least, taken the role of the departed Donyell Marshall.

Marshall, now forever remembered by Cavs fans for missing the spot-up three against the Pistons in the playoffs last year, was part of the trade for West in February.

Marshall was notorious for nailing three after three from either corner. I’m not even joking when I say he made 60-65 percent of his three-point attempts from the corner for the Cavs.

But he missed a critical one and now resides in basketball purgatory, somewhere between Seattle, Oklahoma, and the end of the bench.

In Game 4 against the Wizards, West claimed the "Corner 3-Point Assassin" title from Marshall, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

He finished with 21 points, hitting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, including 3-of-4 from the corners, all in the fourth quarter.

West's final basket, with just 5.4 seconds showing on the clock, lifted the Cavs to a 3-1 series lead and the chance to close out the Wizards for a third consecutive year.

Through the first three quarters, West and Daniel Gibson struggled. Yes, they hit some shots, but there were many bad turnovers. The two combined for six in the game. West could not dribble around Gilbert Arenas, who kept poking the ball away from him.

Thankfully, come crunch time, the young guards stepped up. Gibson nailed a pair of big threes in the fourth, both pushing the Cavs from perilous three-point leads to six. Someone needed to complement LeBron, and those two did the job.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times – in order for the Cavs to win, it only takes one or two other guys who can take some pressure off of LeBron. When someone makes shots – particularly threes – the Cavs are a tough team to beat.

Looking at the numbers, it's surprising that the game was that close. The Cavs hit 13 three-pointers, shot 33 free throws, were plus-20 on the glass (including 18 to six on the offensive boards) yet still needed a last second shot to win.

Give credit to the Wizards for not folding, and they had help from the Cavs and their 18 turnovers.

A few other thoughts…

1. Thanks to ABC’s cameras and microphones, we saw Mike Brown intoning to his team: Close out quarters strong. The best teams finish out each quarter strong.

Now, most of the Cavs players seemed more focused on the Jumbotron or staring at their shoes when Brown was saying all this between the first and second quarters, but the message must have somehow stuck.

After being outscored 12-4 to close the first, the Cavs responded with a 23-5 surge to close out the half.

That momentum carried over into the third as the Cavs, taking advantage of the Wizards missing 19-of-21 shots at one point, led by as many as 15.

Even when the Wizards looked like they were going to come all the way back at the end, Cleveland scored the final five points of the third to regain a seven-point cushion.

Couple that with the end of the fourth, and the Cavs proved to be the dominant team to close out the second, third and fourth quarters. Not a surprise, then, that they won the game.

2. Why do lesser players antagonize stars? I saw it last night with Al Horford and Paul Pierce, and now I’m thoroughly convinced that Pierce is going to score 45-50 points in Game 4.

The Wizards were handling the Cavs pretty easily at the start of the second quarter until Soulja Boy smacked Jay-Z across the head.

LeBron, fired up after that flagrant foul, scored 10 of the Cavs’ next 13 points and went into his “I’m going to do whatever I want and you can’t stop me” mode.

God, do I love watching him when he gets riled. I hope Soulja Boy or Brendon Haywood does or says something stupid to him at the start of Game 5 and LeBron records the first 50-point, 19-rebound, 12-assist game in NBA playoff history.

3. Every time Anderson Varajao or Ben Wallace dribbles, I get frightened.

Varejao was nothing short of miserable today. He missed two point-blank looks and had two turnovers in 13 minutes of play.

He needs to understand that he’s the seventh or eighth offensive option (out of the five players on the floor). He has absolutely no business trying to create his own shot. None.

Wallace was great today, though. I noticed his intensity off the opening tip, when he violently snatched the loose ball from a Wizards player.

Twelve rebounds, two blocks, two steals: that’s all we need out of Wallace. The question is, can he do it on a consistent basis at his age anymore?

4. Wally Szczerbiak seemed primed to have a big game, but foul trouble limited him to just 16 minutes. He missed an open three early, but I liked his aggressiveness on the offensive end.

5. The Cavs got 30 points from their bench, largely behind Gibson’s three-pointers and nine combined free throws from Joe Smith and Devin Brown. The bench players also grabbed 17 rebounds, compared to five from the Wizards bench.

6. The Cavs attempted 28 three-pointers, which is a lot for them. However, most of the attempts (read: the ones LeBron didn’t take) were the result of good ball rotation and finding open guys.

I’m OK with that, especially when it’s Gibson and a red-hot West shooting the majority of them.

LeBron made 3-of-8 and it seemed like he was really settling for jump shots. But he also shot 14 free throws, so he was attacking the basket too, much more so than in Game 3.

7. 34-12-7. I love him.

Daniel "Boobie" Gibson a Big Hit to Lift Cavs Past Wizards in Game One

Scott Miles — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:34:50 -0400

LeBron James was clearly the star throughout the first game between the Wizards and Cavs, but Daniel Gibson rescued the Cavs in a big way.

Washington had erased a five-point Cleveland third quarter lead and the Cavs offense was looking downright pathetic – actually, about par for the course for the Cavs for the majority of games, but I digress.

The Wizards led 67-61 after a layup by Antwan Jamison, and the Cavs, in desperate need for a bucket, got one from Gibson, who stroked a three to stem the Wizards’ momentum. His shot ended a nearly four minute scoring drought and settled the game down a little.

Gibson followed with another big 3-pointer in the fourth that gave the Cavs a 72-70 lead, setting up the Cavs to play from ahead throughout most of the fourth quarter.

He finished with 11 points and – almost as importantly – five assists in 28 minutes off the bench. It was easily the most comfortable he has looked in the now 11 games since his return from injury. He averaged just a shade over five points per game in his last eight contests, missing 25 of 30 3-pointers and 38 of 50 field goal attempts overall.

In short, he was playing like Sasha Pavlovic. And since we already HAVE one of those…it was time for Gibson to step up, and he did so. Playing the supporting role like he did so well in last season's playoff run, Gibson's contributions and value to this team can not be overlooked.

Obviously, LeBron was LeBron. He made the free throws to give us the lead, for good, then followed those with two drives to the hole that resulted in scores and gave the Cavs an 89-84 lead and, essentially, the ballgame.

I’m still concerned about his health, though. Seeing him walk up the court on offense in the third quarter was painful for me to watch. Not surprisingly, it also coincided with the dry spell that the Cavs went on at the time.

Given all the hype that has gone into this series, I think this first game victory was critical for the Cavs. Yeah, I know, every game and every win is important in the playoffs, but this victory should provide a big morale boost for a Cavs squad that scuffled down the stretch. No, none of the new guys particularly shined, though Delonte West was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line, but it has to build confidence that the new-look team can still win in the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers: An Ode to Devin Brown

Scott Miles — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:05:20 -0400

My friend TJ always had a saying in high school: "There's hope where there's no hope."

To this day, I'm still not exactly sure as to what the hell that means, but I think it applies to the Cavs-Sixers game tonight. And thus, I give you the hero of tonight’s game…Devin Brown!

(I’ll pause while that digests in your systems.)

(It’s OK, I’ve got time.)

With 15 seconds left, Brown, standing idly by in the corner as about 17 Sixers players charged at LeBron, calmly caught the King’s pass and made a driving scoop shot near the basket over a Philly defender to give the Cavs a one-point lead.

After Lou Williams made a ridiculous jumper with five seconds left, and LeBron’s last-ditch layup attempt was blocked, it appeared all was lost for the Cavs.

But the ball landed in Brown’s hands as he cut up from the baseline. And he didn’t hesitate with it, flipping it up to the basket as fast as he could.

It bounced off the front of the rim. Confetti dropped from the rafters. Fans danced in the seats. Jubilant Sixers players streamed off the court --- all except for one.

Samuel Dalembert banged his head on the hoop’s support and raised his hand in the air in frustration, signaling that he had committed the error. He knew what happened, even before the refs went back to replay and see if his foul – lowering a shoulder into Brown’s body – occurred before or after the final horn sounded.

The refs put two-tenths of a second on the clock. Brown, the cagey veteran, ignored the hostilities of the crowd, ignored Andre Miller’s stalling tactics, and calmly sank both free throws to give the Cavs a 91-90 victory.

Brown scored 13 points in just 20 minutes off the bench. He epitomizes the “Sixth Man” because he does everything you need him to. He can score; he plays great defense; he always hustles; he can rebound and pass; there isn’t anything on the court that he can’t do.

So Devin Brown, thank you very much for everything you did tonight. This team needed a surge of energy, some type of spark before the playoffs, and you very well could have provided it.

Three Reasons Why the Cavs Will Win...and Three Reasons Why They'll Lose: Part Two

Scott Miles — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:12:21 -0400

Roughly ten months ago, I wrote a column before the NBA Finals. It was called “3 Reasons Why the Cavs Will Win (And 3 Reasons Why We’ll Lose)” and I started it by stating my belief that the Cavs would win the series in six games.

Umm, yeah.

That’s why I tend to shy away from predictions with my teams, particularly when I’m all emotional after stomping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Consider it a lesson learned.

Still, with just four regular season games left and the Cavs holding a tenuous two-game lead on the fourth spot, I figured I’d take another stab at this whole “3 Reasons Why” article.

(Scott’s Disclaimer: I take absolutely no responsibility for anything that happens to the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise in the impending NBA postseason. Unless they win it all. Thanks.)

Three Reasons Why the Cavs Will Win This Postseason:

3. Experience – Every key player in the rotation has at least some postseason experience. Ben Wallace and Devin Brown have rings. Most of the key guys—LeBron, Boobie, Andy, Z and DJ—played together as a unit in the last two postseason runs.

The coaching staff also got their feet wet and learned what it takes to overcome adversity—an 0-2 deficit in the EC Finals—and reach the championship.

2. Home Court Advantage – The Cavs are 26-13 at home this season. If the playoffs were to start today, the Cavs would face the Wizards, who won both match ups at the Q this year and went 3-0 against them (including playoffs) last year in the Q.

The Cavs also defeated potential second round opponent Boston twice at home this season. The Cavs are 11-2 at home against EC teams in the postseason the past two years.

1. LeBron – This really requires no explanation.

And now, the three reasons why I don’t think the Cavs will win this postseason:

3. Coaching – Mike Brown can’t manage a rotation.

Damon Jones actually plays well and gets almost entirely yanked for Boobie, who has struggled in his return. Sasha not only played, but was in the starting rotation, well after he proved his ineffectiveness.

And not only has the team not improved on the offensive end, their defense has gotten worse.

Often times, Brown has the same expression on his face that I would have if I was trying to solve a nuclear physics equation. But other than all of that, I have the utmost confidence in our coaching staff heading into the postseason.

(Look at that picture above! Look at it! That's the face of a guy who's breaking a now 44-year old championship drought in the city of Cleveland?! Really?! And the best part is, he has that expression on his face about 84 percent of the time, too.)

2. Health – Boobie’s still not at 100 percent. Wallace will probably never return to 100 percent. And now LeBron is starting to wear down near the end of the season and is complaining of back pain.

1. Improvement in the East – Following the NBA Finals I wrote the following: “I want to know if the Bulls will get better, if the Heat will get younger, if the Pistons will…well, not repeat their implosion of this year. I want to know if the Wizards will get healthy, if the Nets will remain intact, if the Magic and Raptors will keep improving.”

Clearly, I missed on the Bulls statement, but other than that, not too shabby, huh? (The lesson, I guess, is that if you make ENOUGH predictions, you’re bound to get some right.)

Anyway, the East is markedly better this season than last, with the Celtics, Pistons, Magic and even the Sixers all vastly improved.

The Cavs right now, in my opinion, are no better or worse than last year, even with all the trades.

Yes, we made it through the first two rounds last season essentially playing two high school JV teams, but steamrolling the Pistons in the final four games of the EC Finals validated the Cavs’ place on top the East.

Really, the only area in which the Cavs have improved this year is in the individual play of LeBron. He has been flat-out ridiculous, and having the opportunity to watch him on a nightly basis is a blessing for Cavs fans.

No, he won’t finish in the top-two in MVP voting this year, but without him the Cavs are as worthless of a team as the Miami Heat. They would probably get banished to the D-League or fold as a franchise, and I don’t know think Chris Paul or Kobe Bryant could carry this supporting cast the way LeBron does. (No wonder his back hurts him so much.)

If you want a postseason prediction from me, don’t hold your breath because you’re not getting one. However, no other team in the league has LeBron James, so our odds aren’t that bad.

(Of course, no other team in the league has Mike Brown, either…)

Arena Football and March Madness: In April?

Scott Miles — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:48:55 -0400

As if watching football in April wasn’t fun enough…

My first Arena Football League experience came Saturday night as the Columbus Destroyers took on the Tampa Bay Storm. Thanks to my friend Taylor, who works for the Destroyers, my other buddy Dan and I had free tickets behind one of the endzones.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I mean, I’d watched some Arena games on TV every now and again, but never for more than a few minutes. I could name probably about eight or 10 games who had played in the league, and I could maybe name half the teams.

Here’s some random observations from the game…
1. The first thing I noticed at the game was the “chain gang”. At the start of each possession, they sprinted from the endzone to set the chains up against one of the side walls before sprinting back off before the start of the play. One of the guys then had to run out after every down to move the and change the down marker. I definitely was not ready to see that.

2. I also loved the excessive sponsorship. Every penalty was an “1800 Tequila Yellow Flag” – imagine parents trying to explain thatto their kids. The PA announcer, who was ridiculously over the top to begin with, was going nuts with all these sponsorships. I never want to hear the words Germain or GetGo again.

(Kids at Saturday’s game might have been traumatized when, during a mascot relay race, one of the mascots head’s fell off, exposing the guy underneath. The best part was that about three of the other mascots ran over to cover him up while he scrambled to pull his furry cover back over his head. Priceless.)

3. In the Destroyers’ own game notes, they praised running back Harold Wells for his “torrid” rushing pace. He was second in the league, entering last night’s game, with 39 carries for 114 yards.

(For you non-math majors, that works out to less than three yards per carry. Apparently, by AFL standards, that qualifies as “torrid”. For the record, he had five carries for one yard last night. Torrid, indeed.)

4. Being a running back or defensive back in the AFL might be the most worthless and thankless positions in all of sports. But linemen have to love playing in the league because teams – well, at least Tampa and Columbus – run so many throwback passes to tackle-eligible receivers. It reminded me of a flag football game.

5. Could you imagine a quarterback like Peyton Manning playing in the AFL? Good grief, he would massacre league records. After all, this is a league that has Justin Zwick on a roster, for God’s sake. Last fall, I was covering a high school football playoff game in Ashland and Zwick was there announcing it. Now, he’s a backup QB and placeholder on a professional roster – though to his credit, he did a great job snagging an errant snap on the final kick and got the hold down.

6. Rasheed Marshall, a receiver who has been on an NFL roster before, never had a pass thrown his way by the Destroyers. Quarterback Matt Nagy didn’t even look at him. Marshall also got lit up on a kick return that knocked him into next week.

7. I’d never seen a false start penalty called on the defense before, until last night.

All in all, it was a fairly enjoyable experience for us. I would love to go back to another game sometime, especially if it means watching Harold Wells break off a run of longer than two yards.

Some other reflections on the weekend in sports…

1. Nothing makes me happier than Carolina going down. I don’t know if it’s better that they were getting waxed and almost came back before Kansas blew it open again – making it more heartwrenching for the Tar Heel fans – or if Kansas had simply crushed them by like 50. Either way, I’m pretty happy right now. It’s just too bad Tyler Hansbrough didn’t sob at the press conference again.

2. I had picked UCLA to win the title in all my brackets. Clearly, that was a poor decision as Memphis ran them out of the gym. I didn’t think Memphis had it in them to win the big game, but then again, it’s not like UCLA has won the “big game” either in the past two years. I think the title game will be pretty good, and it has to be in order to get something positive out of a rather pedestrian March Madness.

3. It’s nice to see the Cavs are limping their way to the finish line. With LeBron at less than 100 percent, the Cavs are a very mediocre team. Actually, they’re a pretty pitiful team. Anytime people cite his supporting cast (read: Skip Bayless) as the reason for the team’s success are out of their bleeping minds.

Sure, every once in a while someone has a big game in addition to LeBron, but let’s be honest – without LeBron, this is a 13-win Cavs team. Substitute LeBron for a solid, not-quite-a-star player – say an Andre Igoudala – the Cavs are a 20-win team. Substitute LeBron for a star – Caron Butler, perhaps – and the Cavs win 25-30 games. And substitute LeBron for the superstars – Kobe, Chris Paul – the Cavs are in the same position as they are now, the fourth-best team (by a thread) in the Eastern Conference.

At this point I’d be shocked if the Cavs make it out of the second round. Heck, with the way they’re playing right now, even a first round win is no guarantee.