Written by Rich Swerbinsky

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The way I see it, if I continue improving this website in some way each month, I could have something really special 2-3 years from now. Today, we unveil Click Em & Pick Em here at The Blurbs. A free contest, with cash prizes, and absolutely no strings attached. Just another enhancement to the best damn Cleveland sports website in the land. About a year ago, it hit me.

There are no good Cleveland sports websites.  There are some great websites that cater to one of the teams we live and die over.  There are a host of good blogs and bloggers, many of whom we feature here at The Blurbs.  But there are no good Cleveland sports websites.

I started drawing up a blueprint of what I would want out of a website that catered to my favorite teams.  I talked to a couple of web designers.  I put a bug in the ear of some of my core guys, the Buffum's, the Lastoria's, the Cyrus's of the world.  I had convinced myself I could do this thing.

The promises I made to myself at the outset were as follows ...

~Take this thing seriously.  This is a project for life.  Do not become one of those people that builds a pretty cool website, then abandons it.

~Find good people.  Be honest with them.  Don't make any false promises.  I am nothing without my talented stable of writers.

~Don't set unrealistic expectations.  Don't expect to make money off of this.  Don't force your readers to pay for anything.

~And lastly, devote time every day thinking of ways to improve the website, even if it's five minutes on the drive home from work.

The last item in my mission statement is a lead in to what we unveil today at The Blurbs.  The Swerbs Blurbs Click Em & Pick Em contest.  Competely free to play.  No strings attached.  No email marketing.  No hidden agendas.  Just a complimentary enhancement to some of the other things we offer here at The Blurbs. 

Click here to register, and begin playing.

The concept is simple, and one you're probably used to from contests on Yahoo or ESPN's websites.  Just pick the winners daily, with no point spreads.

We've set the module up to track lifetime win-loss records for all entrants, as well as individual standings for each season of each sport.  We'll be running separate contests for both the NFL season, which starts September 7th, and NCAA Football season, which starts on August 31st.  We will also be running a contest for the MLB Playoffs, which commence on October 3rd.  There is no entry fee, you don't need to sign up for anything to enter. 

I'm looking for sponsors for the contests now, but even if I come up empty handed ... I'll come out of pocket for at least $150 in cash prizes for the winners of each contest.  More specific rules about winner eligibility and contest prizes will follow soon.

We'll also be running contests for the NBA and NCAA hoops season, when they tip off in late October.  Same with the college bowl season, and NFL Playoffs.  Once interest and participants grow to a certain level, we can start doing weekly contests as well.  And the MLB regular season games are up there now, to help everyone get acclimated with the module we've built.

Hope you all enjoy the contests!  And as always, your feedback is appreciated!