Evidently the Cavs are Finished

I have yet to read one NBA forecast that has the Cavs returning to the NBA finals this season. In fact, some outlets have them as the 5th best team in the East. Everyone seems to be jumping on the Leprechaun train. And I mean everyone. Is the media not the most predictable industry in the world?

What gets me is that the media receives their information from themselves, the media. They don't research and get into each team's camp, the prospects, the true hearts of each NBA franchise. Yes, the Suns will be good. Yes, the Celtics will be better. Yes, the Cavs didn't go out and sign every free agent in the world this off-season. Yes, Yes, Yes! We all can see these things. But what doesn't the media see?

What they don't seem to put into their predictions is that the Cavs ran the table last year. They beat and ran over the Eastern Conference. Lebron is still young, very young and getting better. Scary better. What Jordon did to will his team to wins will soon be nothing compared to what Lebron can do as a one man show for his team. His outside shot has improved tremendously this off-season and he will only get better at driving to the basket. Something he didn't do with real determination and passion until the playoffs last season.

And believe it or not, the supporting cast actually got better. Gibson will now be a starter. He didn't develop until the very end of last season and saw little playing time early on. Hughes will be better. With the injuries and personal issues behind him, fans will see a better Larry Hughes. Gooden is still young and his continual yearly improvement will still be there. Look for Gooden to have his first double-double average year.

The Center position has been an issue with me for a couple years now, but if they made it to the finals with Big Z in there last year, then they can do it again this year. I'd like to see Pavlovic signed and with the team this year, but as for Varejao, good-bye and good luck. I'll miss the charges he takes, but that's really all he brings to the team. The hype about the emotion he brings to the team is just that, hype. He didn't do much on the boards and was of zero help on offense. What's killing the Cavs now is the salary cap and Varejao would just be a huge strike against it, now and during the years that some other contracts free up.

Now, on to the two reasons why I feel the media and predictors have really missed the boat this year - Mr. Brown & Mr. Brown. And I'm not talking about the coach Mr. Brown either.

Shannon Brown is going to be good. Real good. I was excited when they drafted him last year and from the very, very few times he was on the floor for more than five minutes last year, my excitement level was satisfied. He's fast, explosive, can shoot, can penetrate, is quick on defense and can put up 15 points a game this season. The injuries hurt his playing time last year, but he was still able to develop more.

The other Mr. Brown is the Cavs only real off-season acquisition, Devin Brown. The major and glaring flaw in the Cavs game is that they haven't had scorers other than Lebron. The guys that can hit a wide open 14 foot jump shot. Devin is one of these guys. Shannon is that guy. Larry can be that guy. Daniel is that guy. Sasha is that guy.

Lebron should be a 10 assists a game player. The best indication of how this team is performing will not be by the number of points that Lebron is averaging a game, but by the number of assists. There were and will be three guys open every time Lebron has the ball. All this supporting cast has to do is knock down the wide open shot. This group above can do that.

The world revolves around Lebron as we know, and it's that world around him that will help lead the Cavs back to the Championship series this season. But once in the playoffs, look for Lebron's killer instinct to develop more. He is extremely close to having the ability to will any team to victory.

Hats Off to Boston, but Not Happy

Great comeback by Boston. You have to tip your hats to the Red Sox. They played hard and their line-up showed up from top to bottom the last three games. They showed what Cleveland seemed to lose all of the sudden after game 3: Heart! May you please roll over Colorado in the series and bring the World Series back to the AL.

As far as having the same attitude that Philly, Chicago or Arizona fans had when they lost, there is no chance. I am not satisfied that the Indians made it this far. I will not say that they gave it their all. I will not say they weren't supposed to make it this far anyway. I'm ticked off, sickened to my stomach and not one bit happy with a season that ends this way.

There is no excuse for being up 3-1 in a series and losing. There is no excuse for being up 3-1 in a series and getting crushed three games in a row. There is no excuse for having the look of quitters, while getting laughed at by an entire city that just knew they had it won heading in game 6, still down 3-2 in a series.

There was no fight in this team. They completely rolled over and let the Red Sox Nation plow over them. And it all starts with the Tribe's two Cy Young hopefuls. I don't know if Sabathia & Carmona were simply afraid to pitch to Boston's line-up or if they just think they are that good and that guys will swing at their pitches off the plate. It may have worked during the regular season, but come playoff time, you have to throw strikes and these two completely dropped the ball for their team.

I'm not going to rah-rah this team and say it was a good year, because it wasn't. There were good moments during the season and during the playoffs, but the way this team folded does not leave me looking forward to next year. This team has a lot of holes that need filled, especially the huge, gaping one that seems to be right about the sweet spot of their number three hitter's bat; Pronk. They need a closer. A real closer and if moving a middle man to closer is the solution, then they need more help in middle relief. They need a shortstop that can move more than 2 or 3 feet to his left or right to make a play. They need more power from the 3B position. After a collapse like this, you can go on all day with the problems that this team has.

Am I being too hard on the Indians. I don't think so, as the Red Sox will be even better next year with the young talent they have. The Blue Jays will be better, the White Sox will insist on turning it around and most importantly, the Tigers will be back with the best rotation in baseball again and have every Indians game circled on their schedule.

Cleveland should be headed to the Jacob's Field to be playing games 1 & 2 before a weekend in Denver right now. Instead, the Indians and Indians' fans are left with a full off-season of questions and continual frustration. And I don't blame the Curse of Rocky Colavito!

I Couldn't Disagree More Mr. Rome

As a Steelers fan, I should have been at Barnes & Noble the day My Life in and out of a Helmet was released. Especially being a big Bettis fan, but as usual, I let time go by until one day a couple weeks ago when I was watching Rome is Burning.

Rome went on a mini-rampage about how Jerome Bettis is completely in the wrong for faking an injury in camp a few years back to avoid being cut by the team. Once on the IR, Jerome became untouchable, so to speak, and was still able to draw a pretty nice paycheck.

Rome beat Bettis up for being unethical, a poor role model and for misleading his former employer. Unlike what Rome probably did, in simply hearing this second hand from a producer on the show or separate media outlet, I went ahead and took the time to read the book. It was a quick read, maybe four hours tops. Great read and always nice to see a run through the Super Bowl from a player's perspective. Now I can form my own opinion.

Rome misses the boat again and in a big way. The fact is, when in a job, especially one that pays what a starting RB in the NFL pays, you do what ever it takes to keep that job. Jerome went on to break records, proving he still had a ton left in the tank and was a key part of the Steelers Super Bowl XL run. If anything, he did his employer a huge favor by faking the injury. If an employer can cut you without regard, then an employee can do what it takes to make it without regard as well.

I guess Rome has never done what it takes to be successful. I guess in his younger days he never pushed the envelope or crossed the line to get to the next level. Rome hasn't ever faked an injury, but he has always and will continue to do whatever it takes to be successful and to reach his goals, be them unethical or not.

Definitely a case of calling the kettle black in this case Mr. Rome. When I have kids, I only ask they they have as much passion about their industry that you Rome and Jerome Bettis has had with theirs.

Manny Being...an Idiot, but that's Boston

I always say I am going to let things go, but with the constant replays on ESPN and many other postings on the web, I have to get my two cents in on Mr. Manny Ramirez.

Having been a Tribe fan my entire life and during Manny's time spent in Cleveland, I can't say I remember a time, walk off or insignificant home run, where Manny, while with Clevleland, pulled a show boat move like last night. This seems to be his thing now with the Red Sox.

Is it really Manny being Manny or simply Manning fitting in just right in the most arrogant city in America - Boston. It's a simple fact, everyone from the Boston metro area is extremely arrogant about their sports teams. They are the best and there is no discussion. Well, that's until they start losing, then they go radio silent on you. Or better yet, they start to turn on their own, which is why I stay so close to my many Bostonian friends. It's when the tide turns that I get my enjoyment.

Boston fan will scream to the high heavens about great acquisitions like J.D. Drew or Dice K and say they have the best defensive CF in the game. You can't even argue with them, they are right. With players like this, we will dominate anyone and everyone, they say. They love these players, they welcome these players to their city, they buy their jerseys, wearing their name on their own back. Oh, how the tide has turned. Oh, how it has turned.

The tide will soon turn on the Patriots as well and then onto the Celtics. All the sudden everyone is a Celtic fan again. Go figure. Where were these fans last year or the year before or the year before that. I'm all for fair weather fans and supporting a winner, but what I hate is the mouths. Boston has the mouths and I'm praying Cleveland can shut them up for good, tomorrow night.

Well, it will never be for good. As a close friend said last night after the Tribe game, "You may have us now, but it's just on to Patriots season for us here. That's the great thing about being from Boston." They support their winners, I'll give them that, but just show a little class in doing so and maybe it won't spill onto the field in the form of Manny Ramirez after an insignificant home run.

A Sox fan emailed Bill Simmons last night during the game and Simmons put it in his post today. Pretty much sums up Manny Ramirez:

Mark from Philly offers an inspiring defense for Manny's home run preening: "When Manny went deep, my first thought was, 'Quit posing, Manny, we're still down 7-3.' Then it dawned on me that Manny probably had no idea what the score was. In fact, he probably isn't aware that baseball games are determined by which team scores more runs. Manny's only point of differentiation comes when, after hitting a home run, he sees his teammates waiting for him at home plate -- it's at that point he knows it's time to go to the strip club."

How Good are these Akron Zips?

The Akron Zips football team is off to a good start this season with a 3-3 record. Like me, at first glance, most people would consider a 3-3 record as a big disappointment. Digging deeper into the Zips three losses tells a different story.

Their first loss came at the hands of the Nation's #3 team, Ohio State, in Columbus. Of note though, the Zips were in the game at half time and held Ohio State to a season low of 20 points. Akron turned right around and headed to the #29 team in the country, Indiana. Again, they played competitively, but were handed their second loss. Keep in mind that Indiana only has one loss this season and that loss came against Illinois, who are ranked 18th in the country and who have only one loss at the hands of Missouri, who are ranked 10th in the country and undefeated. The Zips 3rd loss came against Connecticut. Yes, Connecticut, the 34th best team in the country and one of only 10 undefeated teams left in D-1 football. And they are in the Big East.

The losses are justified, but where the question of just how good are these Zips is with the wins. They beat a bad Army team to start the year, won a hard fought game against local rival and pretty talented Kent State and won with a thrilling finish at Western Michigan. For those that haven't seen the finish, please play the video below. ESPN is saying the Zips may have an ESPY winner this year. Not big time wins by any means, but wins none the less.

It's always easy to keep up with the likes of Ohio State, but being on the West Coast, keeping up to speed on the Zips is a difficult one. I'm always sure to check up on two blogs that are all over the world of the Akron Zips - Rasor on the Zips and Morgan's MAC Attack. David Lee Morgan had a great quick hitter Monday on the Zips talented wide receiver Jabaru Arthur.

Through 6 games, Arthur has 49 catches for 642 yards and 7 touchdowns. His 107 yards per game is good for 8th best in the country. He is a Senior, so keep an eye on Arthur come the NFL draft next year.

As with everything, only time will tell how good this Zips team really is. They should roll over Temple to get to 4 wins, leaving them with 5 more games. If they can go 3-2 in those five games, finishing the season off with a 7-5 record, the bowls will have to look Akron's way.

**Get your votes in as well. Zippy has made it through 4 weeks and is in the final 12 of the Capital One Bowl Mascot Challenge. Zippy is up against Seymour from Southern Mississippi and with my vote is trailing by only 133 votes at 13882 to 13749. Get your vote in by clicking here!

Bye-Bye TBS - Hello Fox Sports

I'm curious, does anyone know when Frank TV starts?

This show better be to the level of Entourage the way TBS is promoting it. For sports fan not familiar with Frank or the fan who only watches sports come playoff time, I wouldn't be surprised if you are saying to yourself that you will boycott this show because you are so sick of the Frank TV commercials.

I for one, will not be watching for a different reason. Cox Communications, out here in the Phoenix market, has yet to pick up TBSHD. Watching these playoff games is like watching sports back in the 90's. How did we ever manage? The only time I veer away from my HD stations is when I'm forced to. And, unfortunately these TBS playoff games have forced me to.

On to the ALCS for the Indians, where Fox will be picking up the games. That's HD Channel 710 and no more Frank TV spots for me. For all you NL fans, enjoy TBS, no HD with Cox in Phoenix and Frank TV a little longer.

Blame it on the Bugs

The Indians called upon their 10th man tonight and boy did the 10th man show up. And he brought some friends. Thousands of them.

Night fell on Jacob's Field and the bugs I grew up swatting away as a child on a hot Ohio summer night came a calling.

The volume was off the TV from the 7th inning on, so I can only imagine what the TBS commentators had to say, but it was a crazy site to witness.

Like the Indians of the 90's, this Tribe team has no quit in them at all. Fausto Carmona will be a household name for a long time to come. And this young Indians team is only going to get better.

I was forced to turn the volume off the TV in the 6th inning after finally realizing that the Yankees were not concerned at all over getting smacked to the ground last night. They had Andy Pettite on the mound. The savior, the only picture they would want in this situation, the one that would turn things around for the team and the city of New York.

Man do I dislike sports commentators. There is a need for play-by-play, but please do away with ridiculous commentators. I think they go into games already having decided what they would talk about, inning after inning after inning. There are a couple good ones out there, but as a whole, I would be fine with just play-by-play.

Here's to a one and done game in New York on Sunday.

Playoffs Equals Big Attendance

Year in, year out, I am always happy to see teams packing their ballparks to over capacity limits in the playoffs. Teams that only averaged around 25,000 fans a game during the regular season are now jamming their parks full with 45,000 fans.

This is always attributed to fair weather fans. But is that truly the case? I actually wish it was the case, as it would excite more fans into attending regular season games the next year. But unfortunately, they are filling the parks with the same fans that attended 5 to 10 games during the regular season. The problem is, that with the potential of only 2 or 3 home games in a playoff series, these same fans are forced to have to attend the same 2 or 3 games versus spreading it out over a full season.

Where the fair weather fans come into play is with TV audiences. Ratings jump through the roof with fans who haven't watched one game the entire year now glued to their TV. All the sudden your dentist, doctor and neighbor is talking about the big game the night before.

What we hope to see is the fair weather watchers of the post-season translate into fair weather attendees come the 2008 regular season. Put on a good show for the TV audience with huge crowds behind you and these fair weather TV fans are sure to bite.

I for one hope this is the case. Teams like the D-backs, Indians and Rockies should be playing in front of 45,000 fans all season long and not just the playoffs. What fans are seeing now in the playoffs is absolutely wonderful, but is actually only a replay of what half the fans have been seeing all season - Great Baseball.

A Perfect MLB World Series Path

Here is how the post-season will shake out starting today with the Rockies-Phillies game. The only logic involved in this is that the Indians will win their first World Series title since 1948. Best record in baseball and best 1-2 punch on the mound.

Look for the Rockies to be playing the D-backs in the NL finals. Why will the Rockies top the Phillies? Because when the Tribe reaches the World Series, it would be much more convenient to see them play in Denver than in Philly. But, here's hoping that scenario doesn't shake out, as I have to root for my current hometown and NL team, the D-backs. Making only a 30-minute drive to watch the Tribe play and possibly wrap things up in the Series on the road would be a very sweet thing.

We already know the Indians are taking it all, but how are they getting there? Through LA of course. A nice little $98 one-hour flight is definitely in the cards for next weekend. The Yankees will go down and the Red Sox do pose an area of concern, but it's only right that on the road to a title, that the road runs conveniently close or through the Phoenix area.

So there you have it...Indians over Yankees. Angels over Sox. Tribe over Yankees. Colorado over Philly. D-backs top the Cubs and then roll over the Rockies. All to get to the 2007 World Champion Cleveland Indians.

How sweet it will be. Go Tribe!