Gushing Goddesses

Maybe I'm just being picky about my hometown. Maybe I really want the radio talk hosts and the fans to take a step back for a moment and just look at the current sports scene in Cleveland. Maybe it's time for me to get swept up in how great things are these days. Or maybe the blind loyalty that Ohio State (and pretty much any major institution) inspires has overtaken the city.

"What a great time to be a Cleveland sports fan. Has it ever been any better?" With the Indians on fire, the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Browns drafting 2 players in the first round, including a highly touted quarterback, some form or other of the aforementioned rhetoric has made its rounds through the airwaves and is spreading on the streets. It's a bit unfair that I'm writing this after the Cavs have fallen behind 0-2 in their series, but it's been on my mind for a little while now.

As a matter of fact, yes, there have been better times to be a Cleveland sports fan - like when teams won championships, or came close to doing so. How many fans believe the excitement of the Cavs season even competes with the energy and appreciation much of the city had for the Tribe during their late 90's run? Admittedly, I'm a baseball fan first, but much of the area was so caught up that the news ran warnings to not take it as seriously as fans were. If people are getting so excited about a team that we're worried about rioting or heart attacks, depending on the outcome, I'd say that was a pretty intense time to be a fan.

Sure, during much of the team's dominance, they didn't have to compete with Browns exposure or interest in the Cavs, but did that take away from the wonder of going through our formative years when the Indians were better than they'd been in 40 years? Parents were telling us we were lucky to have such a team to watch, national media outlets swooned over the climb of such a historic franchise, even "rivals" claimed the team was easy to root for.

Going back to before I was born, I'd say the success of the Browns during the 50's & 60's might have been an exciting time. More than that though, attending a mid major school right as their football team was ranked for the first time ever and having the excitement of listening to a friend call one of team's greatest upsets and most exciting endings was absolutely mind boggling. And don't forget, Bowling Green's basketball squad lost out on going to the NCAA Tournament because Notre Dame's fans "travel better".

So, here were are in May. The Browns' don't kick off for another 4 months, the Indians are 40 games into their season and the Cavs are an uninterested team "battling" for a trip to the finals. Who knows what could become of Joe Thomas & Brady Quinn? These are the Browns, remember? The Indians are in first place now, but what's it matter? The Cavs don't look like they've got any desire to move on in the playoffs. So yea, I'm sorry everyone, but there have been better times to be a sports fan, even in Cleveland.