The Year 2007: Diary of an Ohio Sports Fan

Inspired by Ohio State’s recent early exit in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year, I started thinking about all the disappointment, heartbreak, anger, sadness and longing we as Ohio sports fans have endured over the years. 

Everyone knows about “The Drive,” “The Fumble,” “The Shot” and “The Decision.”

There are also the events that have no clever nickname such as the 1997 World Series Game 7, 11th inning walk-off hit by Edgar Renteria and Willie Mays' over the shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series.

I would like to add another debacle to this list of letdowns, “The Year.” The year I am referring to is 2007, and the string of misfortune that occurred that year is like none I have ever seen, experienced, read about or could even dream of. 

Many of you may remember one, two, maybe even three sports memories from 2007, but I’m not sure how many of you remember the entire masterpiece painted by Ohio sports that year.  The following is a chronological depiction of what Ohio sports fans went through during “The Year.”

2006-2007 Ohio State Football

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 08: Quarterback Troy Smith #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes attempts a pass against the Florida Gators during the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizo

We begin with the 2006-07 Ohio State football season. This team began the season ranked No. 1 and continued with an undefeated 12-0 season, beating its opponents by an average score of 36-15 (that’s three TDs!).

The Buckeyes ended the regular season winning one of the greatest games in recent history against then No. 2 ranked Michigan, giving them a BCS Championship game berth against the University of Florida.

OSU was a seven-point favorite going into the championship game. Ted Ginn Jr., the team’s No. 1 receiver, took the opening kickoff to the house, however he hurt his foot amidst the celebration and was out the rest of the game.

What followed was an absolute smacking, in which Florida dominated the game beating OSU 41-14.

2006-2007 Ohio State Basketball

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ATLANTA - APRIL 02: The Ohio State Buckeyes huddle up during their 84-75 loss to the Florida Gators during the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game at the Georgia Dome on April 2, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The 2006-07 Ohio State basketball team was their best in years. The team boasted a 35-4 record ending the regular season as the AP No. 1 ranked team. Many of the Buckeyes that year were awarded all team and all conference honors.

Greg Oden, Second team All-American, First team All-Big 10; Mike Conley, Second team Big 10; Jamaar Butler, honorable mention Big 10; Ron Lewis, honorable mention Big 10; Daequan Cook, Sixth Man of the Year Big 10 and Thad Matta, Big 10 coach of the year.

The Bucks had some early round scares in the NCAA tournament against Xavier and Tennessee, but the Buckeyes coasted to the final with wins against Memphis and Georgetown. The final was a familiar matchup between OSU and Florida, resulting in the same outcome, an 84-75 victory for Florida.

Later that year the three big freshmen Oden, Conley and Cook all entered the NBA draft and were all first-round picks, ending any hopes for the next year.

2006-2007 Cleveland Cavaliers

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CLEVELAND - JUNE 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs talks with LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers before Game Four of the NBA Finals on June 14, 2007 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledge

The 2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers finished the year with a 50-32 record and the Eastern Conference 2-seed. That year Lebron James and Co. defeated the then Eastern Conference kings and the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons (4-2) in the conference finals.

Game 5 of that series showcased one the best individual performances in playoff history. Lebron James scored 48 points and the teams final 25 points in the 109-107 double overtime win, giving the Cavs a 3-2 series lead. 

Cleveland, making its first and only NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, faced a very experienced San Antonio Spurs team. The Spurs went on to end our dream season with a 4-0 series sweep.

2007 Cleveland Indians

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BOSTON - OCTOBER 21: Casey Blake #1 and Jhonny Peralta #2 of the Cleveland Indians collide while attempting to field a pop fly in foul territory against the Boston Red Sox during Game Seven of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on Oct

The 2007 Cleveland Indians regular season began on April 2 with a 12-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox and ended with an AL central division title and a 96-76 record. This was Cleveland’s first playoff appearance since 2001.

The Indians defeated the Yankees in the ALDS, giving them their first trip to the ALCS in almost a decade (1998) against the Red Sox.

Cleveland took a quick 3-1 series lead and things looked real promising for a World Series trip. Games 5, 6 and 7 were being pitched by C.C. Sabathia (2007 AL Cy Young winner), Fausto Carmona (finished fourth in votes for the Cy Young that year) and Jake Westbrook.

The Tribe lost all three games. I take that back. “Lost” is not a strong enough word to describe what happened. The Tribe was trampled by a combined score of 30-5 over the final three games, ultimately losing the series 4-3.

At least Boston went on to sweep the Rockies in the World Series though, right?

2007 Cleveland Browns

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 23: Head Coach Romeo Crennel of the Cleveland Browns watches the action from the sideline during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 23, 2007 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty

The 2007 Cleveland Browns were arguably the best since their re-entry in 1999. The Brownies went 10-6 that year and actually had multiple Pro-Bowl selections (none of which were punters, shocking I know). 

Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow Jr., Joe Thomas and Josh Cribbs were all selected to the Pro Bowl that year.

A playoff spot was right in our sights, but a Week 16 loss to the Bengals basically crushed those dreams.  The Browns ended tied with Pittsburgh for the division title but lost the tiebreaker.

Cleveland was also tied with Tennessee for the last wild-card spot but again lost the tie breaker. A season that resulted in our best record since 1994 ended in typical Browns fashion. A one-way ticket straight to the offseason.

In Conclusion

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NEW ORLEANS - JANUARY 07: An Ohio State Buckeye fan watches as the clock ticks down on their 38-24 loss to the Louisiana State University Tigers in the AllState BCS National Championship on January 7, 2008 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louis

As Ohio sports fans, we deserve some kind of medal or at least a free dinner once a year. Well, we are going to end this continuous curse of short comings just as we started it.

That’s right, the Ohio State Buckeyes football went to back-to-back BCS championships. The 2007-08 team reached the No. 1 ranking in Week 8 and started the season 10-0, but a 28-21 loss in Week 12 to an unranked University of Illinois team dropped the Bucks to No. 7. 

We needed a miracle string of losses by at least five of the higher ranked teams in the final three weeks.  This time the sports gods shined some light on Buckeye nation (don’t get excited, it got dark real soon), Oklahoma and Oregon lost in Week 13, Kansas and LSU lost in Week 14, and in the final week both Missouri and West Virginia lost putting OSU back on top at No. 1. 

Luckily we didn't face Florida in the championship game, but as I’m sure you all remember, the game ended just the same in a 38-24 thumping by LSU. Now I know the BCS Championship game was technically played in 2008, but it still hurt just as bad, maybe worse.

If you were keeping track, that equals four second place finishes, one win away from a World Series appearance and a 10-6 Browns team that missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers, all within a 12-month span. 

I’m not sure about you, but I feel “The Year” deserves a little respect in the woeful conversation that is Ohio sports.