A stunning collapse in the ALCS; a disappointing sweep in the NBA Finals; a 10-win team missing the NFL Playoffs by a tiebreaker; and TWO embarrassing blowout losses to Florida in NCAA National Championship Games! To most fan bases, this would sound like one of the most disastrous calendar years on record. For Cleveland, it just might have been our finest hour. This was 2007, and yes, it feels a lot longer ago than that.
Obviously, a truly demoralizing sports climate like the one in which we currently find ourselves will result in a little of that "don't know what you got til it's gone" sort of hindsight. But there's something extra crushing about realizing just how recent this collective Cleveland sports slide has been.
The first time I conducted a revisitation of the 2007 sports calendar was in the immediate aftermath of "The Decision" back in 2010. In the two years since, the Browns, Indians, Cavs, and Buckeyes have only managed to float further from the shores of relevance-- reinforcing just how special their simultaneous excellence actually was a mere five years ago.
Compared to the euphoria of the Jacobs Field magic in 1995 or the rise of the Dawg Pound a decade earlier, 2007 seemed rather tame as we stood in the midst of it. Pessimistic outlooks have always been the norm around here, of course, so even as all of our beleaguered franchises seemed to be synchronizing their respective rebuilding processes into actual on-field success, the reaction from the fans was on a bit of a delay—like a satellite feed from the Middle East. Why, for example, should we have put our faith in a Cleveland Browns team that went 4-12 in 2006 when the same incompetent personnel was still in charge in 2007? And why would there be any reason to take an Indians team seriously when Eric Wedge’s club had fallen apart down the stretch in 2005 and stumbled to a 78-84 mark in ’06? At the Q, a not-yet-villainous LeBron James had become the focal point of the local sports universe, but even the most obnoxious of pipe-dreaming "witnesses" would have had a hard time believing a starting line-up with guys named "Sasha," "Boobie," and "Drew Gooden" could find its way to a championship. Down in Columbus, the Buckeyes were obvious title contenders, but that’s the case every year. No one was impressed. After all, it wasn't like Coach Tressel's job was ever going to be in jeopardy.
I’ve got a plan to save over 30,000 lives a year. Guaranteed. 30,000 people that would otherwise die in 2013 will be saved under my plan, and it is foolproof. Is there any reason not to implement it?
As I pen this, I’m currently stuck in the Denver airport in the middle of a four hour layover, trying to get home and trying to keep my sanity.
Earlier this week, I’m having dinner with some business colleagues. Amid the wine and martinis, the topic naturally turns to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I avow that the conspiracy theories are crazy flights of fancy, and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting Kennedy. Everyone else at my table seemed to have a different opinion.
Being that summer is winding down, yesterday I blew off a little work and went to the public pool with the family. It was a hot day, and a very large and popular pool, so as such it was quite crowded with people from all walks of life. Viewing this random sampling of America, all I can say is that I am horrified for the future of this nation.