Written by Andrew Clayman

---

While the dust has long since settled on “The Decision” and the literal fires left in its wake, a resigned and resilient Cleveland fan base is still searching for a new identity and a successor to its departed king. For many of us, a question that once required zero contemplation now comes across more like a riddle: Who is the face of Cleveland sports? In other words, who truly stands out among the men currently representing the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers? It’s got to be somebody your kid admires and your papa respects. A player all the diehards love and the novices have actually heard of—a local hero and national ambassador. …Not such an easy call is it? In fact, based on what we’ve seen lately, the best answer could easily change from one week to the next. That’s why I’ve decided to actually track this quest for a new icon in the form of a regular, gimmicky segment called the “Cleveland Sports Power Rankings.”

Yeah, it’s pretty much like your standard, wholly subjective power rankings format, except instead of teams, I’m ranking current Cleveland sports figures. And instead of looking at statistics, I’m using an extremely unscientific formula built around four key categories: On-Field Performance (OP), Local Recognition (LR), National Recognition (NR), and Marketability (M). Graded on your basic 1-10 system (10 being best, obviously, for god’s sake), we can then come up with a composite STAR POWER RATING for each individual-- a rating which can easily fluctuate from week to week.

Make sense? No? I don’t care. Let’s just check out the official Star Power board and figure out who Cleveland is counting as its heroes at the moment.

Cleveland Sports Power Rankings: October 4, 2011

#1 Peyton Hillis 33.0
Running Back, Browns | OP: 7.5, LR: 9, NR: 9, M: 7.5
A breakout 2010 and an unlikely Madden cover have made him the most visible Cleveland athlete of the moment, but contract questions and limited playing time already have Peyton’s position atop these rankings looking veeeeery precarious.

#2 Josh Cribbs 32.5
Receiver, Browns | OP: 7, LR: 9, NR: 7.5, M: 9
Electric as Cribbs has been over the past six years, it’s still kind of a sad testament to the weakness of the current Cleveland sports climate that a special teams guy with a pretty minimal role in his team’s overall playbook is still the second most celebrated player in town.

#3 Jim Thome 32.0
DH, Indians | OP: 7, LR: 6, NR: 10, M: 9
With his longevity, career achievements, and national esteem, Thome ought to easily rank #1. It’s just that whole issue of Cleveland fans booing him bitterly for the previous nine years that makes his anointment a challenge.

#4 Dan Gilbert 30.5
Owner, Cavaliers | OP: 6, LR: 9.5, NR: 8, M: 7
Above any of the actual players on the mostly anonymous Cavaliers, comic sans fan and team owner Daniel Gilbert is still riding the public favor he miraculously mined out of losing the biggest star in the city’s history.

#5 Joe Haden 30.0
Cornerback, Browns | OP: 7.5, LR: 9, NR: 5, M: 8.5
Thanks to his almost unprecedented embrace of all things Cleveland, the Browns #1 pick in 2010 has vaulted himself into the top five, possibly for years to come. His stellar on-field performance certainly hasn’t hurt.

#6 Asdrubal Cabrera 29.5
Shortstop, Indians | OP: 8.5, LR: 8, NR: 7, M: 6
The clear MVP on a surprisingly competitive 2011 Tribe team, Droobs suddenly emerged as a major middle-of-the-order threat and flashy gold glove candidate.

#7 Colt McCoy 29.5
Quarterback, Browns | OP: 4, LR: 9, NR: 7, M: 9.5
While some of the fan optimism might be fading, McCoy is still the unchallenged starting quarterback of your football team, which makes his exclusion from the top ten virtually impossible in this day and age.

#8 Mike Holmgren 29.0
President, Browns | OP: 4, LR: 9, NR: 10, M: 6
Despite all the young Browns players ranked above him on this list, Holmgren remains the best source of hope for a beleaguered fanbase. Right or wrong, Browns backers still seem to trust the former Super Bowl winning coach to turn things around… eventually.

#9 Joe Thomas 28.5
Offensive Tackle, Browns | OP: 8.5, LR: 9, NR: 7, M: 4
He’s the best player on the Browns by most accounts, and is now paid accordingly, but Thomas—as a quiet guy playing a less than glamorous position—is unlikely to crack the top five of the Power Rankings any time soon.

#10 Justin Masterson 28.0
Starting Pitcher, Indians | OP: 8, LR: 8, NR: 5, M: 7
Along with establishing himself as the Tribe’s new ace in 2011, Masterson also earned some local fanfare for his humanitarian work and general selflessness.

#11 Kyrie Irving 28.0
Point Guard, Cavaliers | OP: 2, LR: 8.5, NR: 8.5, M: 9
Yes, the top ranked Cavs player in the Power Rankings has yet to suit up for the team, and it might be quite a while before he does. In the meantime, the #1 pick in the 2011 draft remains the team’s best hope for a new star.

#12 Carlos Santana 27.0
Catcher/1B, Indians | OP: 7, LR: 8, NR: 6, M: 6
While he didn’t quite win over the world in his first full season, Santana was actually extremely productive—recovering from a serious knee injury to play in 155 games and pace the club in homers (27).

#13 D’Qwell Jackson 26.5
Linebacker, Browns | OP: 9, LR: 7, NR: 5, M: 5.5
After being off the radar for two years, Jackson just became the first Brown since Eric Turner to win an AFC Defensive Player of the Month award, rocketing back into the Power Rankings.

#14 Travis Hafner 26.0
DH, Indians | OP: 6, LR: 8, NR: 6, M: 6
A brief resurgance in the first half of 2011 made old Pronk somewhat relevant again, as his lingering name recognition keeps him hanging around the Power Rankings. His .811 OPS was also, amazingly, best on the team.

#15 Anderson Varejao 26.0
Center/Forward, Cavaliers | OP: 5, LR: 8, NR: 6, M: 7
After missing most of last season (lucky for him), Andy’s stock has certainly dropped a tad, but he’s still the most recognizable and colorful cast member on a rebuilding club.

#16 Grady Sizemore 25.5
Center Fielder, Indians | OP: 2.5, LR: 9, NR: 7, M: 7
Like Hafner, Grady showed brief hints this year of the superstar he once was. But for the most part, his hopes of returning to the top five—or even to the Indians, for that matter-- look pretty bleak.

#17 Shin-Soo Choo 25.0
Right Fielder, Indians | OP: 5, LR: 8, NR: 7, M: 5
Once a legitimate contender for New Face of Cleveland Sports, Choo had a nightmarish 2011 that saw injuries, slumps, and DUIs damage his reputation on and off the field.

#18 Scott Fujita 24.5
Linebacker, Browns | OP: 6.5, LR: 6.5, NR: 6, M: 5.5
One of the few guys in Cleveland sports who fills that “respected, hard working veteran” role this city has always appreciated. Still, hard to envision the 32 year-old moving up much higher than this spot.

#19 Ubaldo Jimenez 24.0
Starting Pitcher, Indians | OP: 3, LR: 5.5, NR: 8, M: 7.5
Thanks to his all-star track record and the blockbuster deal that brought him here, Ubaldo is essentially the axis around which the next two years of Indians baseball will spin. How he handles that will determine whether he climbs these rankings or completely falls off the map.

#20 Baron Davis 23.0
Point Guard, Cavaliers | OP: 5, LR: 3.5, NR: 7.5, M: 7
Will he be Kyrie Irving’s lovable mentor, an out-of-shape team cancer, or playing somewhere else entirely? For his potentially controversial antics alone, Baron cracks the Power Rankings.

#21 Jason Kipnis 22.5
Second Baseman, Indians | OP: 6, LR: 7, NR: 2.5, M: 7
For all the talk about Lonnie Chisenhall in spring training, it was this slightly less heralded young infielder who became the cult hero of the 2011 Indians—a scrappy, Chase Utley type with boundless upside.

#22 Manny Acta 22.0
Manager, Indians | OP: 7, LR: 7.5, NR: 4.5, M: 3
A rare, refreshing lack of manager bashing in Cleveland this year, as Acta nearly got a winning record out of one of the league’s lowest payrolls.

#23 Phil Dawson 20.5
Kicker, Browns | OP: 8, LR: 7, NR: 3, M: 2.5
Obviously, a place kicker will NEVER be the face of a city’s sports scene. But as the lone original member of the “new Browns,” Phil Dawson deserves some sort of medal for the crap he’s had to kick through.

#24 Vinnie Pestano 20.5
Relief Pitcher, Indians | OP: 7, LR: 6.5, NR: 2, M: 5
While closer Chris Perez proved too erratic to sustain Cleveland’s admiration this year, his set-up man Vinnie Pestano emerged from nowheresville to become the team’s most dominant power pitcher and a fan favorite.

#25 T.J. Ward 20.0
Safety, Browns | OP: 4, LR: 7, NR: 4, M: 5
A year after earning Eric Turner comparisons for his vicious, timely hits, T.J. has seemingly taken a step back in 2011, barely holding on to a spot in the Top 25.

 

So, with the Tribe season done and Cavs season in question, what Browns players might take advantage of an opportunity and jump up the boards in the weeks ahead? Will current #1 Peyton Hillis see his brewing contract controversy turn the tide of popular opinion against him? Could a youngster like Phil Taylor or Greg Little crack the list? Will Walt and Jesse find a way to kill Gus? Click on the next edition of the Cleveland Sports Power Rankings to find out.