Randy Lerner Selling the Browns to "Steelers Fan" (Fuck you ESPN)

So unless you've been living under a goddam rock you've heard the news that Randy Lerner, Cleveland's second most liked sports owner is selling the Browns to Tennessee investor Jimmy Haslam III. Let me say this first: I never disliked Randy Lerner. I never understood people who disliked Randy Lerner. The man inhereted a football team from his father and opened up his checkbook for the organization, relocated his family to Cleveland, and made--what people thought at the time--logical hires. Who complained when Lerner brought in Romeo Crennel coming off a Superbowl winning strech in New England? What about the Director of Player Personell for the rock-solid Ravens organization, Phil Savage? How about hounding Bill Cowher to come back to the sidelines to coach the Browns? Sure, Mangini wasn't many people's first choice to replace Romeo, but I know many people that were cautiously optimistic and argue that if Brett Favre wouldn't have gotten hurt at the tail-end of the 2008 season Mangini wouldn't have gotten fired in the first place from New York. As if that wasn't enough, I wasn't the biggest fan of bringing in Mike Holmgren to run the front office of the Browns but I understand why he did. How many people do you know that complained about that hire? I don't know many. All I'm saying, as I've said before on this site, is that Lerner made choices that made sense to a lot of people at the time and wasn't afraid to cut his losses and move on, even if it meant continuing to pay multiple people after the fact.

Alright, enough about Randy Lerner, onto our soon-to-be new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III, or, as ESPN calls him, a "Steelers fan." Shut the fuck up ESPN. If anyone is legitamitly upset by the fact that a Steelers minority owner is trying to buy the Browns, they're retarded. And to say that Haslam is a Steelers fan because he claimed to be a "1000% Steelers fan" or some shit on the Steelers website is retarded too. Haslam also said he used to be a Cowboys and Colts fan before buying stake in the Steelers. Let me ask you this: if someone came up to you and was like, "I'll sell you the Broncos [or Patriots or Detroit Pistons or Detroit Tigers or any other pro team]" and you could afford it would you? I would say FUCK yes. And then guess what? I'd prolly start rooting for the team that I just freaking bought.

Here's what I think about the sale of the team. I'm cautiously optimistic. I love that Haslam spent time working with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh the past few years, hopefully learning the proper way to run a sports organization. I hope he doesn't turn out to be an Al Davis/Daniel Snyder type of owner, but I don't get the feeling that he will be. I never had a problem with Lerner not being as open to the public as some people may have liked, but I also won't have a problem with Haslam being out in the spotlight more, so long as he doesn't try to get so involved in the football side of operations that it hinders the team.

All I ask from Mr. Haslam is to give us stability. Give us a sense of respect around the league. Something the fans of this city long for maybe more than anything else. And it starts with the owner and works its way down.

Lastly, don't worry about Haslam trying to relocate the team, it's really a non-issue.* And if you really aren't that excited about this sale, look at how mad it's making Steeler fans, that should cheer you up.

*I swear to God Haslam if you try to move this team...and you better not fuck with our logo (or lack thereof) either. Aside from that, welcome to Cleveland!

Why Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Isn't The Right Fit

When watching the national championship Wildcats it was hard to ignore the impact that Michael Kidd-Girlchrist made during most every game.  His hustle, rebounding, defensive activity, and finishing on the fast break all jump off of the screen.  His 6'7" frame along with his 6'10" wingspan are all more than adequate measurements for the small forward position in the NBA and he is ready to contribute right away. With all this said, is he the best fit for the Cavaliers at the #4 spot? I say no, and here's why.


The Cavs leading scorer on the wing this season was Alonzo Gee who averaged just a hair over 10ppg while only starting about half of the season.  Gee has similar measureables and offensive game as MKG, but his jump shot is further along and more mechanically sound at this point.  The other highest points per game from the wing belonged to Boobie Gibson and Anthony Parker where they both shared the paltry number of 7.  Point being, why bring another wing that will struggle to score in the half court? 


MKG scored most of his points in the transition game, and those aren't points that you can count on night in and night out.  Many of these fast break opportunities come from the #1 overall pick Anthony Davis patrolling the middle of the lane on defense.  Great shot blockers and rebounders (Davis, Terrence Jones) generate fast breaks, and while Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao are competent defenders, neither are going to dominate in the type of way that Anthony Davis did in the lackluster SEC.  Another telling statistic from Kentucky's national championship team was that MKG was used only 18% of the time on offense, ranking seventh on the team.  While there were upperclassmen around him that were gone to more, you would want to see a little more action in the half court from a guy that you are depending on being your 4th pick in the draft.  


There is little doubt that MKG will be a good defensive player in the league. He is his 18 years old with room to grow into a better offensive player, but there are more pressing needs on this team. The Cavs were 25th in the league in scoring and shot the second worse percentage from the field last year.  This team needs players that can put the ball in the basket, preferably without Kyrie Irving having to put him in a perfect spot every play.  Players like Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, and Terrence Ross (if they trade back to get Lamb/Ross) all seem to be more natural fits next to Irving, who will be the only natural scorer on the floor with MKG in our projected 5.  Will it be the end of the world if the Cavaliers take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at #4? No, but it wouldn't address the team's two biggest needs, a wing scorer and a legitimate center, both of which can be had at picks 4-11.  

Cavalier's Draft Scenarios

When the Cavs were left out of the top 3 of the draft people started to sour on the type of player that could be drafted at this position.  What people are now realizing, is that after Anthony Davis there is no player that has separated himself from the pack to be the clear-cut second pick as Derrick Williams did last year.  In the next few scenarios I will break down what the Cavaliers should do in each instance.  I will be leaving Thomas Robinson out of the discussion because of Tristan Thompson. If Robinson is picked by the Cavs that will almost guarantee Thompson to be traded and I am not willing to speculate that far.   

1. Anthony Davis- NO 2. Andre Drummond- CHA 3. Bradley Beal- WAS

This is the scenario that I think will end up playing out once the draft rolls around, and this will leave the Cavaliers with a good amount of options at the 4th pick.  The short list that I could see here is Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and a few dark horses in Jeremy Lamb and Terrence Ross.  I believe the Cavaliers would take Harrison Barnes with this pick and I am not sure it would even take them that long to hand in the card with the sweet shooting Tar Heel on it.  Barnes, who is great friends with Kyrie Irving, would be the perfect second option in Byron Scott's offense.  Barnes is a great shooter from the 3 point line averaging nearly 36% on attempts taken from deep and he is a fantastic mid-range player.  Barnes won't dominate the ball and won't take shots away from Irving.  There will be enough ball to go around for these two and you won't be seeing the kind of "I'm gonna get mine" attitudes that we are seeing in the Finals between Westbrook and Durant.  Barnes' maligned athleticism was also put to rest as his 6'8" frame was able to register one of the best standing verticals (38 inches) that the NBA Combine had ever measured.  He is also a willing defender and rebounder with a large chiseled NBA frame.  This would be a win scenario.

1. Anthony Davis- NO 2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- CHA 3. Thomas Robinson- WAS

If the 2nd and 3rd picks end up being safer selections, leaving the Cavs with Drummond, Beal, and Barnes, I believe things will start to get rather interesting.  The much anticipated head to head match up that will be going down in Cleveland tomorrow between Beal and Barnes will be interesting to say the least.  Barnes has about 4 inches on Beal so I'm a bit confused as to the competition.  Will they be shooting drills? Races? Athleticism?  I couldn't imagine that they would just start playing one on one against one another because it really wouldn't be a fair test for the smaller Beal.  While many think that this workout will determine who the Cavaliers will take at 4, I believe that Drummond will throw a large wrench into this logic.  If Drummond falls to 4 I believe the Cavaliers have to take him.  You don't draft in the top 5 very often in the NBA and when you are there you have to swing for the fences.  Whoever the Cavaliers take at 4, chances are that they won't be in the top 5 again next year (and if they are then expect changes, once again) so they must swing for the fences here in my opinion.  Having picks 24/33/34 also makes this pick less risky as they do have the ammo to move up and take one of the wings that falls in this draft.  Drummond is the type of player that will either get Chris Grant fired or applauded in 2 years.  Drummond has the size, athleticism, and defensive ability that will make the 18 year old playable right away.  He needs to develop his back to the basket game but with Kyrie Irving at point he could get 8 points a game easily on just Irving's penetration.  If Drummond realizes his potential you could be looking at the next Dwight Howard/Amar'e Stoudamire.  I think that alone is worth the risk, if he's there.

1. Anthony Davis- NO 2. Andre Drummond- CHA 3. Michael Kidd-Girlchrist- WAS

This would then come down to Barnes vs. Beal, and while I think that there is going to be a lot of stock put into their Saturday workout, I don't think that this is going to end up as the be all end all.  Beal is bigger than many thought, measuring out to 6'4" with shoes on (who cares what he measures without them on? Who is playing with out shoes on anyways?) so that problem can be put to rest. His wingspan is very long, stretching to 6'7". He rebounds very well for a guard and has shown play making ability as well.  He was touted as a shooter in the same breath as Ray Allen, but only shot 34% from deep.  That isn't a bad percentage but we were all expecting a little bit more from such a highly respected shooter. His mechanics are sound however, and hopefully that was just an aberration.  He can also get to rim at a successful rate and really showed his full array of offensive skills in the NCCAs where he shot 58.5% from the field.  Basically, this will come down to which of these two players, Barnes or Beal, will become more of an impact franchise type player.  Beal is going to be 19 on draft day while Barnes is already 20.  I really think that if this scenario plays out it will be a tough one for Christ Grant and company but I am still leaning towards the larger, more mature Barnes.  It will be easier to find a quality 2-guard at 24/33/34 than a scoring three, but that is just my opinion. 

Top 5 Fan Bases I Love to Hate

In honor of the Eastern Conference Finals, in which two of my most despised teams are currently battling for a trip to the NBA Finals, I began to wrestle with the argument of which fan base is worse: the Miami Heat's or the Boston Celtic's.I tweeted this and got the expected, "What's-a-Miami-Heat-fan" jokes, but I still think it's an interesting debate. Rather than just debate between these two, however, I'm going to do a countdown of my 5 most annoying fan bases in sports--professional or college. Naturally, being from Cleveland and living in Ohio my entire life my rankings are going to be pretty biased due to geography, but it's my list so if you don't like it too goddamn bad.

5. Miami Fans (Dolphins, Heat, Marlins)


I'll say this about Miami fans, you don't often hear them refuting the fact that they're fair-weather. Sure, they never show up until the game is halfway over. Sure they probably have no fucking idea who is on their team or what sporting event their even attending, but they won't deny it. Even Sir Charles says that Miami has the worst fans in professional sports. Sure, the Heat are #5 in the NBA in attendance, but it helps having two mega-stars and one Bostrich roaming the court every night. I would argue it's a disappointment they aren't one or two. The Dolphins, on the other hand, boast the league's 31st spot in attendance (for the record, I went by "home percentage," which I'm assuming is the percentage of seats filled throughout a given season). And then there are the Marlins, who have a beautiful brand-new stadium, sit only 1.5 games back of the NL East with a 28-22 record and still rank only in the middle of the MLB attendance ratings.

No one is going to refute that Miami fans are horrendous, but they sit at number 5 for that very reason--even they don't deny it.

Oops, sorry. It's 1-9 now. OSU beat Ryan Mallett in '10!

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (Football, Basketball, Womens Tennis, Soccer, Fencing, Etc.)


I'm not an Ohio State hater. I'm really not. I give credit where credit is due. If Ohio State blows, I'll say they blow. If they are a good fucking team, I'll say they are a good fucking team. Sure, I give my Buckeye friends a little shit just to rile them up, but who doesn't give their friends a hard time just for the sake of giving them a hard time? My contempt for Ohio St. fans stems back from this. Young high school Buck used to be a casual Ohio St. fan. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't the greatest, most involved or passionate Buckeye fan growing up. I was a Browns kid. I'm still a Browns kid. I'll always be a Browns kid. When going to college, I had a lot of high school friends come out of the woodwork and declared themselves Ohio St. super-fans. The type of fans who [pretend to] know everything about everything Ohio St. related. Ohio St. "fans" who I'd known for years who literally told me, "I've always liked Ohio St. women's soccer!" Honest to God. Look, I don't have a problem with 'adopting' a team, especially a collegiate one once you establish a legitimate connection with the school. But don't pull the I'm-not-going-to-talk-to-you-for-months-because-you-made-a-joke-about-that-Penn-State-loss card. That shit's weak and stupid as fuck. Obviously not all Ohio St. fans are like this, but I know way too many that are to let it slide as some sort of anomaly.

PS: Buckeye/Wolverine fans that think you own the biggest rivalry in college football, go down to Alabama and tell that to Auburn/Bama fans and wait till they pull a shotgun out of their '84 Ford pickup and shoot you in the dick.

Whoa! Sellout!

3. Bengals Fans

I went to Miami University for about a year and a half. For those of you that don't know, Oxford is only about 45 minutes or an hour to Cincy. That being said, I was surrounded by Bengals fans. Every where. Well, if you want to call them Bengals fans. Or you could just call them people walking around in Bengals jerseys. That's the thing about Bengals fans, they don't understand that knowing Carson Palmer throws the football doesn't make them a good fan. And hey, Bengals fans! Carson Palmer doesn't throw the football anymore. I went to multiple Browns/Bengals games with fellow blogger JP during my time at Miami, and every time we sat about 6 or 7 rows back of the end zone, directly behind the goal post. If we were in Browns Stadium, we would have been in the Dawg Pound. Needless to say we were expecting (dare I say hoping?) to get heckled by throwing ourselves right into "The Jungle." Jesus, were we underwhelmed. Probably 1/3 of the people sitting around us were Browns fans, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I felt like I was at a high school football game back home in Cleveland. That was the atmosphere of the game. No cheering, to emotion, pretty much nothing. Look, I'm not saying you need to know every player on the roster/practice squad like I do to be a good fan, nor am I saying you need to be jumping up and down and screaming and shit all game. But don't pretend. Don't walk around in your '04 TJ Houshmandzadeh jersey and pretend you're a goddamn mega-fan. Fuck you, Bengals. You'll always be Paul Brown's bastard child to us in Cleveland.

2. The Yankee-Cowboys-Lakers etc. Band-wagoners


Is there anything worse than the typical, "I started rooting for them when I was little and they were good" argument? You know, the argument like the douche bag above follows. It pretty much says, I'm too weak to  stick up for my hometown team if they weren't good when I was growing up. Obviously not all people are privy to this. Some people may not have had a hometown team or stuff like that. But the frustrating thing is when fans that do say "fuck you" to their home town and go hop on the who's-good-now bandwagon. That's part of the thrill--and agony--of sports: suffering through growing-pains, endless rebuilding periods, and torturous defeats with your fellow fans. As far as I'm concerned, those who skip those steps lose out on the true meaning of sports and should be embarrassed to call themselves fans.

1. Boston Fans (All of them)


Ahhh yes, the Kingpin of sports shitbags. Baahhston fans. Whether it be griping about how the city is cursed,  blaming every Celtic loss on David Stern rigging the NBA playoffs, or treating Bill Belichick as God himself, Boston fans are by far the most obnoxious and ass hole fans in all of sports. First thing's first. The Sox. Fucking Red Sox. The classic example of the Yankees-are-only-good-because-of-their-massive-payroll argument, except, the Red Sox just turn around and do the same thing. There is not much that's more refreshing in sports than to see the Red Sox bringing up the rear in the AL East, as they are now.

And the damn Celtics. I once had a friend originally from New England who was a big Pats fan during their (now oh-so-distant Super Bowl wins). We used to ask him about the C's and he'd just turn and say, "dude I don't give a shit about basketball." Typical Boston fan. 'I don't give a shit unless the team is doing awesome.' Lo-and-behold, the Big Three come of Boston and my friend, (we'll call him Maggie) turns into a big Celtics fan. One night we're watching the Celtics-Cavs series and say, "Maggie, when did you turn into a big Celtics fan? You hate basketball." and he responded by telling us that we're crazy, he's always been a big Celtics fan. Again, typical. And while we're at it, is is just me, or is every Celtic playoff win a fairly officiated game and every loss blamed on inept officiating or, like I said earlier, Heir Stern rigging the playoffs. Get over it, Boston, the refs don't make Ray Allen shoot 1-7.

Finally, the Pats. Ohhh the Patriots. Led by Jesus Christ Belichick himself. The Greatest of All Time. Unless you look at his 51-62 record without Tom Brady. The defensive mastermind. Unless you consider the fact that he's had a top-10 defense 5 times in 26 years of being a head coach. Sure, talk about Tom Brady. The dude is good. He's even great. But go ahead and keep knocking down Peyton Manning like he's not the greatest QB of his generation. Go ahead and knock Eli Manning. He'll just knock you out of the building when you meet in the Super Bowl. If there is a more blind following of an individual (Belichick) and team (Pats), I'd love to see it.

PS, New England: This is your most well known fan that represents you when people think of Boston sports:

Should Pure Rage Calm It Down? Hell No

A closer has one of the most thankless jobs in professional sports.  He is counted on to come into high pressure situations in close games and to shut the door.  There is no love for a closer that cannot do his job.  You won’t be the closer long if you don’t get 25, 26, and 27.  There is always another young flame thrower or two just biting at the chance to be the ninth inning man.  You need the “closer’s mentality,” the innate ability to look at the heart of the other team’s lineup and say, “here I am, come and get me.”

The Indians have Chris “Pure Rage” Perez in the back of the bullpen to slam that door shut.  Perez has long crazy hair, a beard, and a fiery attitude on the mound that seems to get under the skin of just about every team he faces, most recently the Royals.  After striking out Royals Jarrod Dyson, Perez pulled out a WWE John Cena move by waving his hand in front of his face to say “U Can’t C Me.” Perez claims that this motion was done to his teammates and that he has also been doing it as far back as college.  After covering first for the last out on grounder to Kotchman, Perez did a celebratory spiking motion that almost had him on his behind.  This isn’t the first time that Perez has been making waves this season.  He called out the fans for not coming to the ballpark and watching their first place team.  .  Are these antics too much or should Perez be able to act like himself after leading the AL with 17 saves? 

It is much harder to get someone excited for something than it is to calm them down.  This goes back to the closer’s mentality.  If Perez is making hitters think about something other than the pitch count, the moment in the game, or whether he’s going to throw a piping fastball on the corner of the plate, good.  Any distraction that these batters are going to have to face while they aren’t paying attention to their at bat is a good thing.  Perez is clearly intimidating and rustling other people’s feathers, but the key is that he is still being effective.  After Opening Day people were concerned about Perez but he has been nothing short of brilliant since then.  Perez, keep talking, keep fist pumping, and keep closing games, because as long as that continues , I am all for the Pure Rage.  

-Luke

@LakeEffectBro