Browns inch closer to playoffs

Thanks to Phil Dawson and the Blizzard Bowl, the Browns are even closer to clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.  Keeping true to his word, Jamal Lewis continues to get stronger in the bad weather, rushing for 163 yards.  And with a win on Sunday over Cincinnati or a Tennessee loss, the Browns will be playing in January.

Oh, and if you haven’t been paying attention, there is now a tie atop the AFC North.  With all the success being spread throughout Cleveland sports, one has to assume there is some terrorist plot to systematically implode each team’s stadium.  Or perhaps destroy the entire city by learning to create and control the lake-effect weather, burying Cleveland in hundreds of feet of snow.

However, no team has won its respective championship in 2007.  In a cruel sense of irony, the Gladiators will probably become AFL champions next summer.

The best rumor I’ve heard in a while

Supposedly, the Indians are looking to trade for Dan Haren, the ace of the Oakland A’s.  Quite frankly, this deal needs to get done – quickly.  Maybe Mark Shapiro is more of a genius than anyone gives him credit for (although he does get a fair share of compliments already, I’m sure).  The Tigers go out and trade for more offense, which they certainly had a surplus of last season.  The rotation is relatively the same, only with newcomer Dontrelle Willis, the Motown Kitties now have a pitcher who had a 5.17 ERA last season.  To combat not only the addition of Willis, but to stifle what will most assuredly be a prolific Tigers offense, Shapiro is reportedly looking at Dan Haren, the starter for the AL in last season’s All-Star Game.

Haren also comes cheap, making $4 million in 2008, $5.5 million in 2009, and $6.75 million in a club option for 2010.  A third ace in a rotation that already contains two would still make the Indians the front runners to repeat as division champs.  Good pitching truly does beat any offense.  Just ask the Yankees.

If the Indians were to grab Haren without giving up too much (the usual Laffey or Sowers, Cliff Lee, Franklin Gutierrez, and Kelly Shoppach deals have been thrown out there), he could also act as some insurance should the Tribe be unable to re-sign C.C. Sabathia to an extension.  But imagine if Sabathia did sign an extension, much like the one Peavy has signed with San Diego.  Three legitimate aces in a strong five-man rotation.

The corner of Carnegie and Ontario would suddenly become Murderer’s Row.

Sound the alarms

That big red “Panic!” button for every Cleveland Indians fan is sitting there idly, just begging to be pressed.  After the Detroit Tigers acquired both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins without having to give up any key player (other than some top prospects), the fans of Cleveland starting sweating just a little bit more.  The rumors of a potential Jason Bay trade began to swirl again and the idea of a Cliff Lee trade started to look even more promising.  However, Tribe management denied the Bay rumors and explained their desire to not rush into anything.

Indians fans really should be thankful for a front office with its head screwed on better than almost every other team.  Unlike the Boston-New York “I’m going to get involved in every deal you’re in” rivalry that usually exists among children, the Indians are letting the Tigers do what they want.  That’s because the Indians know what they need and are confident in a team that was one game from a World Series berth in 2007.  Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro have both said that they are obviously monitoring what the other teams in the division are doing, but they are not going to make any risky decisions right away just because the Tigers have been busier so far this off-season.

After all, the main concern of the Indians should be to re-sign C.C. Sabathia.  If that deal gets done and the big man stays in a Tribe uniform, there should be no reason to believe that the Tigers have locked up the division for 2008.  Fausto Carmona and C.C. were the two of the best pitchers in the American League last year,  sandwiching Josh Beckett of the Red Sox.  Those two and a great bullpen will continue to keep the Tribe fighting for the top spot in the AL Central.

Also, as Wedge has pointed out numerous times, Travis Hafner is still a member of the Cleveland Indians, despite his total absence during the season and playoffs.  Should Hafner return to form, which is a definite possibility, and the Indians acquire a stronger, everyday left fielder, there is no reason to start pushing that glowing red button.

Next season is going to be exciting and essentially a two-team race to the finish.

The improbable and the expected

Last night was…interesting, to say the least.  With the combined losses of West Virginia and Missouri, it would seem that Ohio State is about to fall backwards into the #1 ranking in the country without having played in weeks.  Buckeyes fans should be jubilant over this improbable turn of events (and as a fan of Ohio State, I am), but something feels a little off.  This “accomplishment” seems a little empty without the team playing any sort of meaningful game since Michigan.  I doubt anyone in Columbus will really be worried about that, though.  What’s more interesting is the team’s possible opponent in the BCS Championship Game.  BCS “experts” say that LSU is the favorite based on whatever it is they look at.  I’ve heard from a very reliable source that the despised BCS computer system is actually nothing more than a bunch of guys randomly throwing darts at pictures of various college teams.

The Cavaliers played the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon, in Boston.  It was the second game in a row that the team played without LeBron James and, believe it or not, they lost 80-70.  There are days when I get the feeling that LeBron James is kind of like the mother of that team and the rest of them are helpless infants.  Highly paid infants, but infants nonetheless.  Without LeBron, his supporting cast has no successful teet to suckle from, thus making them a collectively soft, exposed group of babies.  The Cavs need their Mommy.

Hey, uh, go Sooners!

The Buckeyes are not playing tonight, but everyone watching the Oklahoma-Missouri game is going to be a Sooners fan.  Should Oklahoma lose, it is most likely that Ohio State will sneak into the BCS Championship Game.  So, uh, get out your OU gear and cheer Bob Stoops and Co. on to victory.

Reason #1 to end my existence: Either the Red Sox or the Yankees manage to pull off a trade for Johan Santana.

Believeland

This is why the NFL is the most well-run league in American sports.  Damon Hack, on SI.com, wrote an article about the Browns titled “Believeland.”  For any Browns fan, it acts as one of those I-can’t-believe-this-is-actually-happening moments where one wonders how a national publication like Sports Illustrated actually found the Browns to be a compelling story.  The best part is, I’m not even being sarcastic there because the Browns are actually one of the best stories of the year, right behind the resurgent Brett Favre and his Green Bay Packers.  Oh, so why is the NFL the best league in the country?  Because fans have to wait an entire week until their football team plays again, letting the excitement brew until kickoff.

On another note,  LeBron James is currently performing at a level that is beyond this world.  Cleveland is suddenly the most overachieving sports city in the country.  It pleases me.

A trap every step of the way

The Browns beat the Texans 27-17, but you already knew that.  It was a satisfying win that kept them in the playoff chase in what continues to be an unbelievable season.  Seriously, if I am still asleep, someone please have the common courtesy to wake me up.  Smack me, punch me in the face – anything to get me up.  With five games left to play, the Browns are sitting pretty with the easiest record in the NFL (if I’m wrong about that, find me a team with a better final stretch).  However, it concerns me that every team Cleveland plays from now on will essentially be a patsy, if those even exist in the NFL.  Every game acts as one of those dreaded “trap” games, where an upset is lurking behind every corner.  A team runs into those every once in a while, but the Browns have to worry about that for the rest of 2007-08.  If they play their game offensively, great.  They’ll be sitting pretty in the playoffs.  The defense needs to step up and get healthy to prevent any upsets.

I’ll say it again: the Indians should go after Miguel Cabrera.  I realize this is not any earth-shattering statement, because plenty of people have been clamoring for this deal to take place, but it should be reiterated as much as possible.  For what the Marlins are asking, it would be an easy deal for the Tribe, if they are willing to give up, oh, I don’t know, Cliff Lee.  He was great down the stretch and in the playoffs, remember?  I’ll take my chances giving up Ben Francisco, Andy Marte, Jeremy Sowers, Asdrubal Cabrera, or even Rafael Perez (though not all at once) if it means Miguel Cabrera will be putting on an Indians uniform.  People don’t want to see those guys leave, especially with their potential, but how many of them will end up playing at a higher level than Cabrera?  He is a rare, outstanding player, and would fit in nicely at third.

“But what about Casey Blake?!” you might say.  He’ll be fine in the outfield again.  He’s got some pop; it’s like we got a better corner outfielder for free.

And if the deal takes place, and Cabrera bombs (or every prospect we trade turns out to be great), oh well.  They’ll be in the NL anyway, where our crushed dreams can wither away in far-off Florida.

Let’s see what Tim Kurkjian says

I am a subscriber to ESPN the Magazine, but it often takes me a long time to get caught up on the issues.  I’ve got a pile of them in a basket right next to the toilet for some light reading.  Perhaps a bit too much information.  Anyway, I was flipping through the college hoops preview issue (the one with “superfrosh” Derrick Rose of Memphis on the cover) and I found my way to the “K Korner” on the MLB Insider page.  No matter what sports publication it is, I always search for some shred of news or insight on a Cleveland team, and with the Indians’ recent success, there has been much more to write about; specifically, about C.C. Sabathia.

In his little notes column on that Insider page, Tim Kurkjian said this:  “C.C. Sabathia will be a free agent after 2008 and will cost Cleveland a ton of money to re-sign.  With the shortage of pitching this winter, the Indians would be wise to see what they can get for their ace.”

Thanks for the insight Tim, but I could not disagree more.  It is as if Kurkjian gives the Tribe no chance of reaching the postseason at all next year.  The Indians are returning just about everybody from 2007’s team (the most important players, that is) and are poised to make another run at the division title at least.  The main reason for the team’s success this year was the dynamic 1-2 punch of C.C. and Fausto Carmona, so why in the name of all things holy would Mark Shapiro simply give up on signing C.C. and trade him away, crippling any hope of returning to the playoffs and shattering every fan’s dreams as early as November or December?  Who could the Indians get in return that would ever justify trading away the 2007 AL Cy Young winner without trying to re-sign him multiple times?  Let’s see…oh, Florida – you need to give us Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis…um…and then we’ll trade Franklin Gutierrez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Kelly Shoppach, and Rafael Perez for Johan Santana (because the Twins are never going to re-sign him).  Show me that deal and I’ll consider it.

Shapiro’s main focus this offseason is to re-sign C.C.  If it can’t be done before the season, the Tribe should at least utilize his services for another run at the World Series.  If all hope is lost and there is no way the Indians can come up with the money, then a trade should be made, but only if the team tanks and has no chance of reaching the playoffs.

Racial tension at its best

 

Did anyone else read the following article title and simply laugh out loud in a “Did they really just make that the article title?” kind of way?

Indians claim another prestigious scalp

NEW YORK (AFP) — The Cleveland Indians picked up their second major award in as many days when Eric Wedge was named the American League Manager of the Year on Wednesday…

A tale of two weekends

This weekend has been undoubtedly better than last.  Saturday = great.  Ohio State certainly took care of business against Michigan, and it felt good to clinch the outright Big Ten title in Ann Arbor.  Even if it was a wet, sloppy, low-scoring game, a season still feels like a huge success if The Game can be won.  However, I think I feel bad for Lloyd Carr.  Don’t assume that I am starting to get soft on Michigan or anything like that.  It was just like Ohio State was beating up on a poor old man who simply couldn’t cut it anymore.  Imagine getting into a fistfight with your grandfather.  You wouldn’t want to do that; you want a fair fight.  That’s what I want.  The best thing that could happen would be for Carr to step down and let some young, hotshot coach take over.  That way, the Wolverines can be arrogant again – and thus more easily hated – and the Buckeyes can continue to dominate them.  The wins will be more satisfying, and the losses will be more crushing for them.

Sunday = even better.  On the pro end, the Browns have also impressed much like they did against the Steelers, only this time they came out with a win against the heavily despised Baltimore Ravens.  Personally, I think every Browns fan should hate the Ravens more than any other team simply for what they represent, but that’s a long, long digression for another day.  Oh, and if you weren’t watching the game, you missed what is probably the strangest, most exciting way to continue a game I have ever seen.  When it was first determined that Phil Dawson missed the field goal, I simply turned around like I always do after a crushing loss, let out a few expletives and began the sulking process.  Then it all turned around and I learned what good luck tasted like.  It tastes like heaven.

Before the Browns inexplicably blew their lead, I had something written that criticized the Ravens’ defense.  It went something like “…as opposed to the Ravens, who were much more willing to just attempt to scare the Browns by getting in their face and making their usual convulsing, “I just made a huge play and now I’ll act like I’m possessed” moves.  That used to work when you were actually a force to be reckoned with (I’m looking at you Ray “How am I not in prison for murder?” Lewis), but not anymore. “  It took OT to win, but the Ravens are humiliated enough and I’ll take the win.

The offense is sputtering in the second half on a regular basis and the defense is giving up too many big plays to guys like Kyle Boller.  However,  the team fought through poor play and numerous “What the #@!$” moments and won.  Now comes the easiest stretch of play in Browns history and, hopefully, a drive to the playoffs.  Let’s all take a large, collective breath and get ready for Houston.