By Tony Mazur
My grandfather was a huge Browns fan. I'm not quite sure if he followed the Cleveland Rams from 1936-1945, but I do know he was a Browns fan from the beginning. When he wasn't patrolling the rough, pre-Civil Rights Movement Cleveland streets, he was listening to those championship teams on the radio. My father can recall my grandpa sulking all day after a Browns loss. In his later years, the Browns made it to three AFC Championship games, only to fall to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. He passed away on June 29th, 1990, leaving behind a devoted wife and four successful children. He cared about his family. But he certainly loved his Browns. To this day, I wonder how he would have reacted to the news on November 6th, 1995 that the Browns were relocating to Baltimore.
Eddie Mazur was a true fan. He supported the teams no matter how well (mid-'40s to mid-'60s) or how poorly (mid-'60s to early '80s) the Browns were performing. I know my grandfather wasn't the only Clevelander crazy about his football team. I'm sure each family has their share of stories, whether they be about heading down to Cleveland Municipal Stadium on those frigid November/December days by Lake Erie, or listening to the radio after attending Sunday mass. Fans nowadays cannot relate.
I really do have a problem with sports fans in this day in age. Unlike the "old days", if their team isn't performing well on the field or court, they'll pretend they don't exist. In some cases, folks will completely boycott the organization via petition or blog.
I can recall going to a relative's house back in 2001, a year to forget for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Hey, the Cavs game is on."
"The Cavs?! They're terrible. I don't want to waste my time." (instead, we watched Everybody Loves Raymond, a show that I still cannot get into)
Five years later, he's one of the biggest Cavs fans around.
Fair-weather fans do not just exist in Cleveland. They're everywhere. From 1995-1998, the newly-relocated St. Louis Rams weren't drawing well. Then came "The Greatest Show on Turf". Fans packed the Edward Jones Dome for the next few years following their Super Bowl XXXIV victory over the Tennessee Titans. After the downfall of Marshall Faulk and the departures of Kurt Warner and many other players, the Rams have been bottom dwellers for the past couple seasons. As a matter of fact, during the 2007 season, a couple of Rams games were blacked out locally, due to the lack of sell-out crowds.
2007 brought a lot of success to the Cleveland/Ohio sports teams. The Ohio State Buckeyes football team started off the year playing in the BCS National Championship Game, only to lose to the Florida Gators. Fast forward a couple of months to April as we see another Ohio State team fall to another Florida Gator team, this time in basketball. The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first NBA Finals appearance in team history, only to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The Indians lost to the Boston Red Sox in seven games of the ALCS. And finally, the Browns had their best season since 1994.
For the first time in a Blue Moon, fans showed up to the playing facilities. While I was downtown working for another radio station, I saw so many people with LeBron James jerseys (most likely the kind you see hanging at JC Penny's) during the Cavs' run to the Finals. I saw more Grady Sizemore and Brady Quinn T-shirts than I can count. I saw through the phoniness. I was able to pick between the bandwagon fans and the true fans. The true fans had "Hot Rod" Williams jerseys and Cory Snyder garb.
What's going to happen to these "fans" if 2008 doesn't work out? What if the Indians' mediocre team blows its chance to reclaim another Central Division title? What if injuries hold down the Cavaliers? What if the Browns lose 11 games (which I think they will)? They won't show up. They don't care. They only want to root for a winner. And you call yourselves fans. Ha!
However, there are fans who do stick with their team. Some follow the team and cheer for the good times, but critique the bad times. Others will praise the good times and blatantly ignore the bad times. When a questionable move is made, these fans will justify the said move and attempt to turn it into a positive. These are the fans that will slam you if you say ANYTHING remotely negative towards their team (see DiaTribe Blog).
In the Cleveland area, we have some untouchable personnel. When I say untouchable, expect to get your behind reamed if you decide to critique ANY decision making. Here are Cleveland's Untouchables:
Grady Sizemore, Indians' center fielder: Grady is a terrific athlete. He can hit 30+ home runs, steal 50 bases, and make incredible catches in center field. But that's all anyone looks at. Sure he won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in '07, but I watched him the entire season. On many occasions, Grady took bad routes to the ball. Balls that he should catch were overrun or misplayed. But that doesn't come up in the box score. What does is his low batting average and high amount of strikeouts. Don't get me wrong. I like Grady. However, his strikeout numbers and poor reads on the baseball have got to go. But we all love Grady Sizemore because he's so damn cute!
Mark Shapiro, Indians' GM: Former Indians GM John Hart took home six Central Division titles in seven years, and made two World Series trips. How did he accomplish that feat? He went out and spent money on veterans (Orel Hershiser, Dennis Martinez, Paul Sorrento), picked up top prospects (Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar, Jr.) and drafted pure hitters and sluggers (Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez) to help lead his team to victory. After the 2001, season, he handed his job over to his assistant, Mark Shapiro. Since '01, the Indians got rid of every player mentioned above in favor of younger (and cheaper) talent. Since '01, the Indians have been to the postseason ONE TIME. After the Red Sox celebrated their World Series victory, Mark Shapiro has refused to make moves. Instead, he has resigned the guys who blew the 3-1 ALCS lead. Why do you have to rip on Shapiro? They won 96 games! I'm sick of hearing that line.
Jim Tressel, Ohio State football coach: Jim won a BCS National Championship Game in 2003. He was blessed to have a talented quarterback (Troy Smith) lead him to many wins. But if you think about it, Jim Tressel has not won a National Championship with HIS RECRUITS. They lost two straight National Championship Games to SEC teams. Tressel loves to recruit within the state of Ohio, which is fine if other schools weren't importing recruits from other areas. If the game plan fails and the Buckeyes lose, it's not Tressel's fault. His assistant coaches should be fired for not doing their jobs.
In the three major professional sports, fans have the opportunity to vote for the starting lineups in their respected All-Star Games. Name recognition is huge when it comes to the voting process. Detroit Tigers' catcher Ivan Rodriguez started in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game. Not only should he have not started, but he shouldn't have been in the game. There were four to five better catchers than I-Rod last season, but since everyone knows "Pudge", we'll put him in the game. The same goes for Penny Hardaway. His best years were behind him, but fans STILL voted for him, based on his history with the Orlando Magic and his nickname.
No matter how you put it, fans annoy me. If you're going to support your team, go ahead. Don't make excuses as to why they may not be performing well, but also don't ignore or boycott them if their season is in the crapper.
Meanwhile, I cannot wait to see all of the die-hard Tribe fans come out to Progressive Field to cheer on their team....in April. 10,000 people and 32,000 ass-less green seats.
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
BCS Title Game preview
By Rick Morris
EDITED TO ADD POST-GAME THOUGHT: Two years in a row, Ohio State has jumped out to an early lead in the National Title game only to end up getting smoked. If the Buckeyes make it to the championship game again next year, could we spot them another 14-21 points off the bat just to make it competitive?
The final game of college football's screwiest season ever matches two teams who arrived under fairly controversial circumstances. This has been the most difficult season ever to narrow a title game selection to two teams -- and when you look back over the last few decades, that's saying a mouthful.
Nevertheless, the BCS title will be decided tonight, and with Georgia and USC both rolling in their respective bowl games, LSU won't worry about having to share a disputed crown again as they did four years ago if they win tonight. Here are the major factors in the game:
^ Two quarterbacks who can make the plays they need to, but who are erratic -- and both could end up splitting time with backups tonight.
^ Like Florida a year ago, LSU does have superior speed, but injuries to some of their top players negate their advantage in athleticism to a certain extent.
^ Wanting to avoid the fate of Michigan, LSU will jam the box and try to take Beanie Wells out of the game. If Todd Boeckman can avoid mistakes (a big if!), the Two Brians could thrive in single coverage.
^ The wars in the trenches on both sides of the ball will be awesome, with the talent on both offensive and defensive lines.
^ Intangibles are fairly even: LSU has been getting rightfully disrespected for being underachievers this year and will have that motivation -- plus what remains of the Hurricane Katrina storyline -- at home no less. Ohio State came in doing the "Hollywood" routine a year ago and got humiliated in front of the world. Think they'll be amped up?
^ Ohio State has the edge in special teams, although a punt or kickoff return for a TD won't be followed by a group pile-on this year!
Ultimately, Ohio State has a ginormous edge in coaching. Les Miles has yet to prove that he is a big-game coach, and last year aside, Jim Tressel has a sizable resume in that regard. In the BCS era, a team with a significantly inferior coach has never won one of these games. Look for a game played mostly between the 20 yard lines, with a few intermittent big plays. Ohio State wins on a late field goal, 23-20.
EDITED TO ADD POST-GAME THOUGHT: Two years in a row, Ohio State has jumped out to an early lead in the National Title game only to end up getting smoked. If the Buckeyes make it to the championship game again next year, could we spot them another 14-21 points off the bat just to make it competitive?
The final game of college football's screwiest season ever matches two teams who arrived under fairly controversial circumstances. This has been the most difficult season ever to narrow a title game selection to two teams -- and when you look back over the last few decades, that's saying a mouthful.
Nevertheless, the BCS title will be decided tonight, and with Georgia and USC both rolling in their respective bowl games, LSU won't worry about having to share a disputed crown again as they did four years ago if they win tonight. Here are the major factors in the game:
^ Two quarterbacks who can make the plays they need to, but who are erratic -- and both could end up splitting time with backups tonight.
^ Like Florida a year ago, LSU does have superior speed, but injuries to some of their top players negate their advantage in athleticism to a certain extent.
^ Wanting to avoid the fate of Michigan, LSU will jam the box and try to take Beanie Wells out of the game. If Todd Boeckman can avoid mistakes (a big if!), the Two Brians could thrive in single coverage.
^ The wars in the trenches on both sides of the ball will be awesome, with the talent on both offensive and defensive lines.
^ Intangibles are fairly even: LSU has been getting rightfully disrespected for being underachievers this year and will have that motivation -- plus what remains of the Hurricane Katrina storyline -- at home no less. Ohio State came in doing the "Hollywood" routine a year ago and got humiliated in front of the world. Think they'll be amped up?
^ Ohio State has the edge in special teams, although a punt or kickoff return for a TD won't be followed by a group pile-on this year!
Ultimately, Ohio State has a ginormous edge in coaching. Les Miles has yet to prove that he is a big-game coach, and last year aside, Jim Tressel has a sizable resume in that regard. In the BCS era, a team with a significantly inferior coach has never won one of these games. Look for a game played mostly between the 20 yard lines, with a few intermittent big plays. Ohio State wins on a late field goal, 23-20.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Jim Tressel's next bee-yotch will be Les Miles
By Rick Morris
Any Michigan fan will tell you that the process of rationalizing losses to Jim Tressel is painful though necessary because of the repetitive nature of those results (every year since 2001 except '03). Fortunately, the Wolverines' leading coaching candidate comes ready to spin any ugly occurrence!
Les Miles actually bragged in a press conference that his team did not lose in regulation this season! Unfortunately, for Coach Les "Results Relative to Talent and Expectations" Miles, the NCAA engages in the goofy habit of counting ALL game results in the won-loss columns -- even the games that stretch into one or more overtime periods. Imagine that!
Buckeye fans probably thought that nobody could be more entertaining-in-a-surly-way in defeat than the departing Coach Lloyd Cooper. But apparently the real comedy will enter the OSU-Michigan rivalry in the coming years when the new whiny underachiever for That School Up North starts dropping his excuses for the continuing domination of The Sweatervest.
Any Michigan fan will tell you that the process of rationalizing losses to Jim Tressel is painful though necessary because of the repetitive nature of those results (every year since 2001 except '03). Fortunately, the Wolverines' leading coaching candidate comes ready to spin any ugly occurrence!
Les Miles actually bragged in a press conference that his team did not lose in regulation this season! Unfortunately, for Coach Les "Results Relative to Talent and Expectations" Miles, the NCAA engages in the goofy habit of counting ALL game results in the won-loss columns -- even the games that stretch into one or more overtime periods. Imagine that!
Buckeye fans probably thought that nobody could be more entertaining-in-a-surly-way in defeat than the departing Coach Lloyd Cooper. But apparently the real comedy will enter the OSU-Michigan rivalry in the coming years when the new whiny underachiever for That School Up North starts dropping his excuses for the continuing domination of The Sweatervest.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Lllllloyd Carr drives into the sunset
By Rick Morris
Some of the Detroit Red Wings blogs I enjoy reading have a fitting nickname for Detroit Free Press columnist/author/talk show host Mitch Albom: The Delicate Genius. His writing talent and creative abilities are beyond dispute, but he doesn’t have an internal meter to keep his tendencies to become overwrought and maudlin in control. Witness his piece earlier this week bemoaning the circumstances surrounding the departure of
It is quite possible to buy into one of the larger points of Albom’s column: that Carr is a much nicer guy than his gruff public persona would indicate and that he is a rare figure in the sports world with a sense of perspective about the place of his profession. Certainly, Carr’s insight about the worth about sports vis-à-vis the rest of the world is refreshing and necessary, especially in a week when a jerk like Nick Saban wallows in self-pity and compares a football loss to 9/11 and
True, Carr’s career coincided with the period in which big money (TV deals, endorsements, sponsorships, alumni organizations, etc.) really ran amok. Point well taken. But to suggest that Carr might be “the last good guy?” What hyperbole. What garbage.
Frankly, one need look no further than
Again, I don’t have a problem with what the main thrust of Albom’s column seems to be. College football has become a lot sillier and more like a circus in the last quarter-century – although some coaches have continued to thrive in this climate without selling their souls. And Carr has probably been one of the good guys in the game and has a record better than many. But Lloyd Carr, when it was all said and done, was unable to be any better or worse than a mirror of what was happening in
Saturday, November 17, 2007
OSU/Michigan liveblogging wrapup
By Rick Morris
On the day that Lloyd Carr probably coached his last game in the OSU/Michigan series, the day had a certain old-school, Woody-and-Bo feel to it.
A year after the two teams met in the most hyped and consequential version of college football's greatest rivalry and exceeded the expectations with one of the greatest games ever, the next edition had a bit less at stake and the game had far less excitement. But the outcome remained the same as Ohio State defeated Michigan 14-3 in what might be Carr's final game at the Big House. If Carr does end up walking off into the sunset, this rivalry will be a tremendous reason why as the nearly unprecedented dominance they achieved over the Buckeyes in the John Cooper era has given way to a 1-6 record against the Scarlet and Gray since Jim Tressel took the helm.
A year ago, the #1 Buckeyes turned back #2 Michigan, 42-39, in an absolute classic to advance to the BCS Title Game and relegate the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl. Today, for two teams on the outside looking in regarding the national title picture, the Rose Bowl was the prize at stake and OSU will play there for the first time since 1997, barring a continuation of the extreme set of dominoes falling at the top of the polls in this crazy year.
Michigan's talented trio on offense of quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart and offensive tackle Jake Long passed up NFL riches a year ago to return for their senior season and to help the 2007 graduating class to avoid an indignity that Michigan had not suffered in decades: losing four in a row to Ohio State. But they were unsuccessful, owing in large part to Henne and Hart having to play through injuries.
In a game that always features so many playmakers for both teams on both sides of the ball, very few of them stepped up today. The two who did the most were both Buckeyes: Chris Wells with 220 yards and 2 touchdowns on 39 carries and Vernon Gholston serving as a constant presence in the Michigan backfield and coming away with three sacks.
Just as Tressel assumed the head coaching job in Columbus in 2001 in what looked to be a hopeless situation, so too does Carr's likely replacement face a disheartening picture in terms of moving back towards parity in the rivalry. Michigan returned a solid veteran core from 2006, the Buckeyes did not, the game was in Ann Arbor and they blew this chance. Even with some early departures to the NFL, Ohio State will still be more experienced than Michigan next year and the game will be at the Horseshoe, dealing the Wolverines a tough hand in terms of avoiding a half-decade without victory in the series.
On the day that Lloyd Carr probably coached his last game in the OSU/Michigan series, the day had a certain old-school, Woody-and-Bo feel to it.
A year after the two teams met in the most hyped and consequential version of college football's greatest rivalry and exceeded the expectations with one of the greatest games ever, the next edition had a bit less at stake and the game had far less excitement. But the outcome remained the same as Ohio State defeated Michigan 14-3 in what might be Carr's final game at the Big House. If Carr does end up walking off into the sunset, this rivalry will be a tremendous reason why as the nearly unprecedented dominance they achieved over the Buckeyes in the John Cooper era has given way to a 1-6 record against the Scarlet and Gray since Jim Tressel took the helm.
A year ago, the #1 Buckeyes turned back #2 Michigan, 42-39, in an absolute classic to advance to the BCS Title Game and relegate the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl. Today, for two teams on the outside looking in regarding the national title picture, the Rose Bowl was the prize at stake and OSU will play there for the first time since 1997, barring a continuation of the extreme set of dominoes falling at the top of the polls in this crazy year.
Michigan's talented trio on offense of quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart and offensive tackle Jake Long passed up NFL riches a year ago to return for their senior season and to help the 2007 graduating class to avoid an indignity that Michigan had not suffered in decades: losing four in a row to Ohio State. But they were unsuccessful, owing in large part to Henne and Hart having to play through injuries.
In a game that always features so many playmakers for both teams on both sides of the ball, very few of them stepped up today. The two who did the most were both Buckeyes: Chris Wells with 220 yards and 2 touchdowns on 39 carries and Vernon Gholston serving as a constant presence in the Michigan backfield and coming away with three sacks.
Just as Tressel assumed the head coaching job in Columbus in 2001 in what looked to be a hopeless situation, so too does Carr's likely replacement face a disheartening picture in terms of moving back towards parity in the rivalry. Michigan returned a solid veteran core from 2006, the Buckeyes did not, the game was in Ann Arbor and they blew this chance. Even with some early departures to the NFL, Ohio State will still be more experienced than Michigan next year and the game will be at the Horseshoe, dealing the Wolverines a tough hand in terms of avoiding a half-decade without victory in the series.
OSU/Michigan liveblogging pregame
By Rick Morris
We will have liveblogging coverage of the Big Game today in Ann Arbor. Here's the keys to the game for each team:
For Ohio State:
^ Avoid turnovers. The best hope for the underdog in this game is to replicate the damaging turnovers Illinois inflicted on Ohio State last week.
^ Work Brandon Saine into the offense. For all the talk about spicing up the game with Ted Ginn Jr. prototype Ray Small, screen passes to Saine would work even better because they would be so out of character for the Buckeyes. My FDH partner Jason Jones has been screaming for this element all year long, rightfully so.
^ Get Malcolm Jenkins back playing at the level of his potential. He's had a tough November and is facing a hot Mario Manningham, perhaps the best wide receiver in the country. If he has a "Shawn Springs circa 1996 moment" against the Wolverines, his team may not survive.
For Michigan:
^ Have "healthy quality" play from Chad Henne and Mike Hart. If these two play up to the level they did last year, Michigan could well win. Last year, both offenses achieved near-perfect balance, keeping the defenses on their heels the whole way. Ohio State is likely to play a well-balanced offensive game; Michigan must do the same.
^ Channel the emotion of what's likely to be Lloyd Carr's last OSU/Michigan game. 20 years ago, a less talented Buckeye team went into Ann Arbor and shocked their archrivals in Earle Bruce's last game at the helm. Today, a lesser team on paper (especially defense) looks to do the same.
The prediction? With a Rose Bowl berth at stake, an Ohio State team that has been better prepared and usually more talented since 2001 does what it did last year -- match a raised level of play from Michigan and prevail on ability. The Buckeyes go to Pasadena with a 26-20 win.
We will have liveblogging coverage of the Big Game today in Ann Arbor. Here's the keys to the game for each team:
For Ohio State:
^ Avoid turnovers. The best hope for the underdog in this game is to replicate the damaging turnovers Illinois inflicted on Ohio State last week.
^ Work Brandon Saine into the offense. For all the talk about spicing up the game with Ted Ginn Jr. prototype Ray Small, screen passes to Saine would work even better because they would be so out of character for the Buckeyes. My FDH partner Jason Jones has been screaming for this element all year long, rightfully so.
^ Get Malcolm Jenkins back playing at the level of his potential. He's had a tough November and is facing a hot Mario Manningham, perhaps the best wide receiver in the country. If he has a "Shawn Springs circa 1996 moment" against the Wolverines, his team may not survive.
For Michigan:
^ Have "healthy quality" play from Chad Henne and Mike Hart. If these two play up to the level they did last year, Michigan could well win. Last year, both offenses achieved near-perfect balance, keeping the defenses on their heels the whole way. Ohio State is likely to play a well-balanced offensive game; Michigan must do the same.
^ Channel the emotion of what's likely to be Lloyd Carr's last OSU/Michigan game. 20 years ago, a less talented Buckeye team went into Ann Arbor and shocked their archrivals in Earle Bruce's last game at the helm. Today, a lesser team on paper (especially defense) looks to do the same.
The prediction? With a Rose Bowl berth at stake, an Ohio State team that has been better prepared and usually more talented since 2001 does what it did last year -- match a raised level of play from Michigan and prevail on ability. The Buckeyes go to Pasadena with a 26-20 win.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
When it's obligatory to root against your team
By Rick Morris
As previously bemoaned in this space, the NFL saw fit to victimize the Cleveland market (where I live) by denying us access to Super Bowl 41 1/2 last week. As such, other FantasyDrafthelp.com and SportsTalkNetwork.com luminaries and I were forced to watch the game and the very excellent contest with our Cleveland Browns at Harpo's, an outstanding sports restaurant with the biggest combination of many TVs and large-screen TVs this side of a Las Vegas sports book.
As the Browns were wrapping up an improbable victory, one seemingly destined to be remembered as the turning point away from the misery of their first seven years back in the league, I got into an impromptu debate with my friend Dave Adams. Dave is a gentleman who used to be a part of the old "Reality Check" show on STN with myself and Ron Glasenapp and his brother Jon, who was also present, is a contributor to FDH. In the fun days when we used to do the show together, the struggles of the Browns under Butch Davis were a frequent source of debate. Dave and I had, and have to this day, different ideas on how to show ultimate loyalty to a team.
Dave believes that a fan should always root for his team, no matter what. Even if your brain tells you that the team is on a dead-end path and destined to crash and burn, you should hope against hope that the the team could win games regardless of that.
I don't subscribe to this school of thought at all. In 2003, when it became clear that "Botch" Davis was putting the agenda of pushing Kelly Holcomb ahead of the success of the team, I became one of the first commentators in the Cleveland market to call for his head. For me, it was a frightening case of deja vu, as Bill Belichick was up to similar tricks a decade earlier when he mandated bootlegs for Bernie Kosar so that he could dump him notwithstanding a 2-0 start to the season.
In both instances, I began to root for the team to lose every game so as to end the misery quickly and be able to start over as soon as possible. By 2004, I was calling for Phil Savage's installation as Browns general manager on "Reality Check," a year before the Cleveland organization decided to do just that. While Davis and his stooge Pete Garcia seemed to staff the team with a shoebox that held the names of players Davis had once recruited at the University of Miami, Savage was one of the league's premier personnel experts and a tireless researcher of talent. I opined that the team needed somebody like Savage who operated from a scientific standpoint free from personal agendas and biases that interfered with team success.
To Dave, rooting for the team to lose in the short term for the necessary "enema effect" was disloyal. The concept of being a "fan in exile" for any period of time was, and still is, completely unacceptable to him.
As the Browns were completing the signature victory of their 2007 turnaround, I was motivated at the end to take a victory lap with Dave (proving once and for all that I am the same guy off-air and away from the FDH media family that I am when you see, hear and read me!). After the Pittsburgh debacle in the season opener, Dave cornered me at one of his poker games and asked me if I still thought the team was better off than they were under Davis. I answered firmly that they were, the same sentiment my partner Jason Jones and I were propagating on STN while all around us were panicking. For those who were actually bothering to look, the 2007 roster was light years better than what had been inherited by Savage after the 2004 season. So after the win over Seattle, at a time when the progress of this team could finally no longer be denied, I said to Dave, "See, if the team had listened to me and fired Davis a year or two earlier, look at how much further along we'd be!" Dave, naturally, begged to differ!
It's an interesting debate and unsurprisingly, it's one where I think I'm in the right. Where would Ohio State be if John Cooper hadn't finally hit rock bottom and kept limping along as he had been doing? There would have been no Jim Tressel era, no national championship, no reversal of the domination at the hands of Michigan -- in short, no return to glory. Rooting against one's team should never be done lightly, but I maintain that sometimes it is necessary for the greater good and the ultimate restoration of success down the road.
As previously bemoaned in this space, the NFL saw fit to victimize the Cleveland market (where I live) by denying us access to Super Bowl 41 1/2 last week. As such, other FantasyDrafthelp.com and SportsTalkNetwork.com luminaries and I were forced to watch the game and the very excellent contest with our Cleveland Browns at Harpo's, an outstanding sports restaurant with the biggest combination of many TVs and large-screen TVs this side of a Las Vegas sports book.
As the Browns were wrapping up an improbable victory, one seemingly destined to be remembered as the turning point away from the misery of their first seven years back in the league, I got into an impromptu debate with my friend Dave Adams. Dave is a gentleman who used to be a part of the old "Reality Check" show on STN with myself and Ron Glasenapp and his brother Jon, who was also present, is a contributor to FDH. In the fun days when we used to do the show together, the struggles of the Browns under Butch Davis were a frequent source of debate. Dave and I had, and have to this day, different ideas on how to show ultimate loyalty to a team.
Dave believes that a fan should always root for his team, no matter what. Even if your brain tells you that the team is on a dead-end path and destined to crash and burn, you should hope against hope that the the team could win games regardless of that.
I don't subscribe to this school of thought at all. In 2003, when it became clear that "Botch" Davis was putting the agenda of pushing Kelly Holcomb ahead of the success of the team, I became one of the first commentators in the Cleveland market to call for his head. For me, it was a frightening case of deja vu, as Bill Belichick was up to similar tricks a decade earlier when he mandated bootlegs for Bernie Kosar so that he could dump him notwithstanding a 2-0 start to the season.
In both instances, I began to root for the team to lose every game so as to end the misery quickly and be able to start over as soon as possible. By 2004, I was calling for Phil Savage's installation as Browns general manager on "Reality Check," a year before the Cleveland organization decided to do just that. While Davis and his stooge Pete Garcia seemed to staff the team with a shoebox that held the names of players Davis had once recruited at the University of Miami, Savage was one of the league's premier personnel experts and a tireless researcher of talent. I opined that the team needed somebody like Savage who operated from a scientific standpoint free from personal agendas and biases that interfered with team success.
To Dave, rooting for the team to lose in the short term for the necessary "enema effect" was disloyal. The concept of being a "fan in exile" for any period of time was, and still is, completely unacceptable to him.
As the Browns were completing the signature victory of their 2007 turnaround, I was motivated at the end to take a victory lap with Dave (proving once and for all that I am the same guy off-air and away from the FDH media family that I am when you see, hear and read me!). After the Pittsburgh debacle in the season opener, Dave cornered me at one of his poker games and asked me if I still thought the team was better off than they were under Davis. I answered firmly that they were, the same sentiment my partner Jason Jones and I were propagating on STN while all around us were panicking. For those who were actually bothering to look, the 2007 roster was light years better than what had been inherited by Savage after the 2004 season. So after the win over Seattle, at a time when the progress of this team could finally no longer be denied, I said to Dave, "See, if the team had listened to me and fired Davis a year or two earlier, look at how much further along we'd be!" Dave, naturally, begged to differ!
It's an interesting debate and unsurprisingly, it's one where I think I'm in the right. Where would Ohio State be if John Cooper hadn't finally hit rock bottom and kept limping along as he had been doing? There would have been no Jim Tressel era, no national championship, no reversal of the domination at the hands of Michigan -- in short, no return to glory. Rooting against one's team should never be done lightly, but I maintain that sometimes it is necessary for the greater good and the ultimate restoration of success down the road.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
"LLLLLoyd" Carr strikes again
By Rick Morris
In the biggest choke job in college football history, #5 Michigan got rolled by Appalachian State in "The Big House" yesterday, 34-32. To my fellow Ohio State fans rejoicing in the ultimate humiliation of a hated foe, I caution you thusly: Carr is Michigan's John Cooper and this game will be the tipping point in his firing (or "retirement") at the end of the season. The devil you don't know on the Wolverine sidelines could be their version of Jim Tressel, so beware the hubris of Michigan's downfall -- because in it could lie the seeds of their revival.
In the biggest choke job in college football history, #5 Michigan got rolled by Appalachian State in "The Big House" yesterday, 34-32. To my fellow Ohio State fans rejoicing in the ultimate humiliation of a hated foe, I caution you thusly: Carr is Michigan's John Cooper and this game will be the tipping point in his firing (or "retirement") at the end of the season. The devil you don't know on the Wolverine sidelines could be their version of Jim Tressel, so beware the hubris of Michigan's downfall -- because in it could lie the seeds of their revival.
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