Mark Mattis / Merth

I am a fan of all things Cleveland. I root for all Cleveland sports teams. The Browns have thus far had an AMAZING off-season. They have signed: LeCharles Bentley (C), Kevin Shaffer (LT), Joe Jurevicius (WR), Ted Washington (NT), Willie McGinest (LB), and Dave Zastudil (P). All of these guys have playoff experience. Three of these guys have Super Bowl rings. As excited, as I am to see them on the field, I am more excited about the level of experience and character they bring to Cleveland.

The 2006 NFL draft is still over a month away. The Browns should be able to draft two or three more starters next month. I am excited for the upcoming NFL season. Sadly, the NFL season is still almost 6 months away.

To fill the void, I will follow the day-to-day exploits of the Cleveland Indians. The Indians won 93 games last season. The Tribe was still playing meaningful game in the final week of the season. The question is - can they get over the hump?

This leads me to... "Major League" is one of my all-time favorite movies. The movie hit theatres in the early 1990's. I first saw the movie as a teenager. The story - the Cleveland Indians are an awful baseball team that comes together to challenge for the AL pennant.

In one of the climatic scenes of the movie, the Indians need one more out in the top of the ninth inning of a tie ball game. The manager walks to the mound, he signals for a relief pitcher. The bullpen gate opens and "Wild Thing" Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) walks to the pitchers mound. The song "wild thing" blares over the PA system. Old Cleveland Municipal Stadium erupts with 60,000 fans going crazy. Vaughn proceeds to blast through one of the New York Yankees top hitters to record the final out.

That scene used to give me goose bumps. But, it was just a movie. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in real life - does it?

A couple years ago, I was flipping through the channels. I stumbled onto an L.A. Dodgers baseball game. If I remember correctly, it was an inter-league game against the New York Yankees. I put the remote down to watch the final couple of innings. It seemed like a fairly typical - mundane ball game.

As the 8th inning came to a close, the Dodgers were clinging to a 2 or 3 run lead. The stadium started to buzz. The crowd became noticeably louder. But, it was not the kind of "hey we just scored and took the lead" it was sustained. It wasn't a quick "pop" of excitement. It was like a low roar that was building.

As the game moved to the top of the 9th inning, the heart of the New York Yankees lineup was due to bat. Ordinarily, this would be a cause for concern. Personally, I would be sitting with my fingers crossed just hoping and praying to get out of the inning in one piece. I witness the Yankees throttle the Indians on a regular basis.

Suddenly, the scoreboards started flashing, "Game Over". The TV cameras zoomed in on this for a moment. The stadium erupted. The crowd noise and electricity in the facility was simply amazing.

Eric Gagne

The bullpen door opened, Eric Gagne made his way to the pitchers mound. The frenzied crowd did not decrease in volume. Eric Gagne had a determined - "time to go to work" look as he warmed up.

Gagne delivered fastball after fastball. Gagne did not shy away from the pressure. Gagne did not pitch around the tough Yankee hitters. He blew past the batters and recorded his 80th consecutive save.

I am not a Dodgers fan. I only really watch a half-dozen baseball games each year. But - even now - a couple of years later, that moment... that electricity... sticks out in my mind as an unbelievable sports moment.

That moment symbolized everything good about sports.