10 Random Hump Day Sports Thoughts

1. ESPN2 will lead all cable channels in sports ratings tonight. Why? Akron U football is center stage.

2. America's number one sports channel could use a better college football analyst than The Bachelor.

3. I'm eating my words #1 - The Cavs are hurting and need some help. I love the win at Golden State last night, but tonight's game at Utah can tell a lot. Back-to-back road west coast games. Tough way to start season.

4. I'm eating my words #2 - Shannon Brown is disappointing and probably gone next year. Devin Brown is underachieving to date as well. Key to Cavs going all the way is with a Brown though - Coach Mike Brown. Get rid of him and this team has a chance.

5. I'm eating my words #3 - The Celtics are good, real good. The Nuggets are no pushover, but you wouldn't know that tonight. Not sure how Doc Rivers is doing it, but things are looking bright in Bean Town.

6. America hates Ohio State and Red Sox fans. Not so much because the teams have been pretty darn good lately, but because fans of both are the most arrogant there is about their winning ways. Go Bucks!

7. Thad Matta has created an NBA factory with Ohio State hoops and I support it 100%. Better it be O-H-I-O that figured it out, than that team up North.

8. The Sporting News reported a couple weeks ago on who may be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft next season. Yep, another Buckeye - Kosta Koufos. Best 7 foot offensive center in hoops and only a freshman.

9. The rich get richer. No, not the fact that the Patriots have the 49ers first round pick next year. How that happens, I don't know, but because Ohio State hoops have top five rated recruiting classes for 2008, 2009 & 2010. If Koufos goes #1, the Buckeyes could break unprecedented ground with five straight #1 freshman picks in the NBA Draft: 2007 - Greg Oden, 2008 - Kosta Koufos, 2009 - B.J. Mullens, 2010 - work in progress, 2011 - either DeShaun Thomas, Jared Sullinger or Trae Golden (all top 10 recruits). Could this actually happen, no. Am I an idiot, yes. Go Bucks!

10. How does a fantasy football team lose a game by the score of 126.56 to 126.52? Yes, how does a fantasy football team lose by .04 points in head to head play? Shoot me a line and I'll let you know.

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.

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."