Author Archive
Josh Cribbs: A Link to Cleveland’s Past, and Hope for the Browns’ Future
Posted: 12th December 2009 by Tom Delamater in NFL
Cleveland sports fans recall the distant past like it was yesterday. There was so much to celebrate; there were so many reasons to be proud. áIn the 1940s and Æ50s, Cleveland was home to champions. The Browns and Indians were winners, and the mood of the city reflected it. áNeighborhoods were close-knit. Shopkeepers waved at customers and called them by name. Factories were humming. Schools were teeming with students. Streets ...
The Cleveland Cavaliers Can Dominate You on Any Given NightùBut So What?
Posted: 9th December 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
It was during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night that it hit me.
Just like the Grizzlies are now a team that can beat you on any given night, the Cavaliers are a team that can dominate you on any given night.
However, it doesn’t mean they’re the championship team a lot of people, myself included, thought they were. It just means they can steamroll a team ...
Mangin-o Resigns? For Browns Fans, What a Difference a Vowel Would Make
Posted: 4th December 2009 by Tom Delamater in NFL
When I heard ôMangino resignedö on Thursday, my heart leapt for a second.
Then reality set in. Mark Mangino resigned, as head coach at the University of Kansas. Eric Mangini remained, defiant as ever, with his heels dug in as coach of the Browns.
And so the 2009 season drones on in Cleveland. As Steve Harvey so eloquently phrased it in his latest Bottom Ten column, their next loss is at home ...
LeBron, Shaq and the Cavs Need to Cut the Chatterùthe Time to Win Is Now
Posted: 28th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
I really feel for Magic Johnson today.
The poor guy had to begin and end his career in Los Angeles. Before he even had a chance to dazzle a crowd at the old Forum in Inglewood, Magic had to resign himself to life with a legendary center in the middle. Darn that Kareem.
Magic also had to share backcourt time with Norm Nixon, and then Michael Cooper. He had to pass the ...
J.J. Hickson: The Key to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Surge
Posted: 26th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
Following their relatively easy 98-88 win over Detroit on Thanksgiving Eve, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in their customary spot atop the NBAÆs Central Division with an 11-4 record.
LeBron James, the reigning MVP, is also the current Eastern Conference Player of the Week after a four-game stretch in which he averaged 34 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Mo Williams continues to complement JamesÆscoring, tossing in 17 points a game. Anthony ...
The Key to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Surge Is…J.J. Hickson?
Posted: 26th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
Following their relatively easy 98-88 win over Detroit on Thanksgiving Eve, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in their customary spot atop the NBAÆs Central Division with an 11-4 record.
LeBron James, the reigning MVP, is also the current Eastern Conference Player of the Week after a four-game stretch in which he averaged 34 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Mo Williams continues to complement JamesÆscoring, tossing in 17 points a game. Anthony ...
Rookie Mistake by Eight-Year Vet Hank Poteat Costs Browns, Brady Quinn
Posted: 22nd November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NFL
What was Hank Poteat thinking?
The Browns and Lions played what was, for them, a classic game on Sunday. Cleveland had taken a late 37-31 lead, and Detroit was down to a last-gasp throw by rookie Matthew Stafford.
Almost tackled as he scrambled for his life, Stafford uncorked a Hail Mary pass into the end zone with no time on the clock. It was intercepted by Brodney Pool, and the game should ...
LeBron James Needs to Take a Hintùand Take His Game Inside
Posted: 20th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
Still a team in search of its identity, the Cleveland Cavaliers stutter-stepped their way to an 8-4 record through the first month of the season, placing them barely ahead of Milwaukee atop the NBAÆs Central Division.
A stinging loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday illustrated one of the teamÆs glaring weaknesses, while an ongoing trend points to a surprising development in their offensive arsenal.
First, the good news: This team,ábelieve it ...
From Chop to Flop: The Coaster Rolls On for Cleveland’s Brady Quinn
Posted: 18th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NFL
Brady Quinn has caused quite a fuss this week.
On the one hand, his actions Monday night following his second interception throw, when he undercut Baltimore's Terrell Suggs with a chop block during the Ravens' return, drew cries of outrage on the Internet and, on Wednesday, a fine from the league.
On the other hand, his shockingly bad performance led others, at long last, to label Quinn as an out-and-out flop.
For the ...
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Shaquille O’Neal Should Be Sixth Man of the Year
Posted: 10th November 2009 by Tom Delamater in NBA
Word out of Cleveland is that Mike Brown isnÆt worried. The Cavaliers are a work in progress. Certain things have been dismantled so that other things could be tried.
Yes, Shaquille OÆNeal changes things. His presence in Phoenix put a screeching halt to the Suns fast-break offense, which has been revived since the Big Anchor moved on.
HeÆs doing the same thing in Cleveland, where the suddenly schizophrenic Cavs donÆt know whether ...