2002.07.03

I have sat silent for as long as I can. There are a few things I need to get off my chest. I am going to shoot straight from the hip. I am not going to pull any punches.

I love Cleveland. I love the Cleveland Browns. I love the Cleveland Indians. I love the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I was a huge Cavs fan back in the late 80 when Michael Jordan destroyed the Cavs. I watched Mark Price, Craig Elho, Larry Nance, Brad Daughtery, and "Hot Rod" John Williams work their magic. They were an amazing team. But, they never won a NBA title. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and company was too strong. Management decided to make some changes. Management fired Coach Lenny Wilken and traded / released everyone on the team. They decided it was time to REBUILD. Nearly a decade has passed since the house cleaning. The Cavs are still rebuilding. Game attendance is steadily declining.

The Cleveland Browns were awesome in the late 80's. Bernie Kosar, Ozzie Newsome, Reggie Langhorne, Webster Slaughter, Brian Brennan, Kevin Mack, and Ernest Byner made the Browns a tremendous team. The Browns made it to the conference championship only to be defeated by John Elway and the Broncos. How does management react? They fire the coach, Marty Shottenhiemer. After a couple of awful seasons under Bud Carson, the Browns decide to REBUILD. Several years later, the Browns began to peak. The Browns were starting to look like a serious threat in the NFL. Management decides to pick up the team and move to Baltimore. A couple seasons later, Baltimore won the Super Bowl. Browns fans were screwed by management. But, we have the "new" Browns. The "new" Browns team is still BUILDING.

The Cleveland Indians pretty much sucked from 1955 until 1994. The Indians spent 40 years rebuilding. Finally, Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Carlos Bearga, Dennis Martinez, and Orel Hershieser carried the Indians into the playoffs and into the World Series. Some the names and faces changed over the next couple of years but the Indians were still sitting on top of the American League Central Division. First place in the division was not good enough. Management decided to fire manager Mike Hardgrove. Now, the Indians have entered into full-blown REBUILDING mode.

Manny Ramirez, Sandy and Roberto Alomar, Kenny Lofton, Juan Guanzales, Bartolo Colon are all gone. It seems clear that Omar Vizquel and Jim Thome will be gone after this season. Mark Shapiro, General Manager of the Cleveland Indians is a total idiot.

Why should I buy a $40 ticket to watch any of these teams? Why should I spend my hard earned money on teams that are constantly REBUILDING? It makes me sick to see the teams I care about self-destruct. I have waited more than 20 years a Cleveland team to win the big one. It has not happened.

Do you know why pro-wrestling is great? Do you know why sports entertainment is wonderful? It is simple, the good guy eventually wins. The good guys might get beat up or out-smarted 11-months out of the year. But, we all know when it comes time for WrestleMania; the good guy will finally get revenge. The good guy will finally capture the championship belt. The fans will be rewarded for their viewership.

If only more sports were like wrestling.