Eric's Talking Sports

While my mind never wanders far from thoughs of the Cleveland Browns, this is plainly put the slowest time of the year in football. We are stuck in the middle ground between the Season and the Off-Season, or Business Season. At this point the college all-star games are over and the guys are gearing up for the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis at the end of the month. To occupy my time, I've ventured into thinking about other sports. Here are a few of my thoughts unrelated to the Cleveland Browns, sorta.

Cavs:
I know almost nothing about basketball. Not only do I find it hard to relate to anyone in the game, but I also like to tease my basketball buddies about the thug culture of the NBA (hi Jeff!) and the fact that the guys need to toughen up. I will never understand the way fouls are called in this sport. Having said that, the success of the Cavs over the past few years has made me a huge Cavs fan, a borderline NBA fan and a football fan still waiting for something to happen.

So now, here I am, a Cavs fan that still really does not like basketball, yet I can not stop looking at or thinking about trade rumors. I NEEED to know now what the Cavs will do to win a championship and keep LeBron. I need Amare here yesterday, or at least tell me Jamison is on his way now. This it torture.

Browns:
Speaking of torture, I'm sick of this lull in the NFL Off-Season. Also if the Browns would just win a Super Bowl I would not have to care so much about whether the Cavs win. I am just so desperate for a Championship, that I'm willing (starting to like) to watch basketball.

Winter Olympics:
Speaking of winners, we live in the United States of America. We are the greatest nation on the planet. There are times when the people of this nation or the government do really stupid things. However nothing gets me more pumped than watching the Olypics. (At least nothing I've experienced, lets go Browns) The U.S. is amazing, did you see us roll in with over 200 athletes in the opening ceremony? That is bad ass.
Good for Bode Miller. My college roommate had an almost unhealthy man crush on Bode Miller in the 2006 games. To see the failure and heartbreak in 2006 only to see Bode rebound for a Bronze this year is a great story. He looks like hes having fun and is just happy to be there. Thats really what the Olypmics are all about. The spirit of the Olympics can not be rivaled anywhere else. U.S. Curling has some serious work to do, not a proud display yesterday people. U.S. mens hockey looked good, but um... so did Canada wow! That should be a fun game on Sunday. The winter Olympics are the best. I love the skiing, the jumping the ice skating. It all looks sooo easy and graceful. Its also a reminder about how great our country is. Its nice to be part of a winner, even if we do have to technically include cities like Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincy in our great Nation.

Indians:
I am sure we will be irrelevant again. I wish we had an owner like Gilbert for the Tribe. Dolan is a cheap-ass and its annoying because we all know you can't be a regular playoff team with a baby boy team salary. But in the meantime, its nice to know that we will continue to be the farm system for the rest of the MLB.

USA!!!! (America's version of the Browns winning the Super Bowl)!!!

-Eric

Happy New Year!!!!

So for the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl Someday became yesterday. I will start by saying congratulations to the Saints and their fans. It was a great game and I'm thrilled for Drew Brees.

And... now its time to move on. They have had more than 12 hours at this point and lets be honest, enough is enough. Happy Next Year!!! This is it, last year is over this year is THE year. A couple quick fixes and there is no reason we won't be playing in Dallas in 52 short weeks. We just need to get a Pro-Bowl QB, a better line, better receivers, better backs, a better TE, better D-line, better LB's and a better secondary. And all of those must be a lot better.

This year has begun and its time for decisions to be made. We are 3 weeks from the start of Free Agency, and before that roster decisions must be made. I expect we will no longer see DA in the Brown and Orange and lets hope J Lew makes good on his promise to retire. It is an exciting time to be a Browns fan, its the OFF-SEASON!!! As our guy Adam Schein says... HAPPY FOOTBALL MONDAY!!!


SUPERBOWL!!!!!

Reflections on Super Bowl Sunday

Over the course of the last 26 years, I was unconsciously thrust into the life long anguish known to many as being a Cleveland fan. I did not want to become a Cleveland fan, or ask to become a Cleveland fan. Yet I have no doubt that being a Cleveland fan has had a profound impact in my life away from game day. Mind you, I have not dealt with so many problems that people have suffered through in life. But what I have suffered through is a drought of sports success; constant failure made worse only by the times we have been so close.

Every day I wake up and appreciate what I have in my life. Despite the feeling that something is missing, I walk out into the world full of hope. I hope for a better world, happiness for me, my friends and family, and a championship. Today, on Super Bowl Sunday, I would like to pause for a moment and renew my sense of hope. It is after all, our sense of hope that has sustained us as a people for the last half century. As I venture to the Super Bowl party where 2 teams I don't care at all about battle it out for a week and a half of glory on ESPN, an admittedly pretty cool Sports Illustrated Commemorative Special, and a year of bragging rights, I think "wouldn't it be great if the Cleveland Browns were playing today?" To be honest, I'm not sure how I would feel. I would be nervous, excited, cautious but a part of me would have died along the way. The hope, the constant yearning, the depression and the self-deprivating humor would all be snuffed out like a candle.

So heres to another year! Another year of hope and smart-ass comments (that only we can make). Lets make this season the best yet, so that in one year from today we may bid our sadness farewell and bask in the satisfaction and glory of winning the Super Bowl.

Tomorrow is National Signing Day!!!

For those college football enthusiasts among us, tomorrow is national signing day, the first day that high school football players are able to sign their letters of intent, thereby choosing officially the school at which they will obtain their higher education.

College football diehards feel the way about National Signing Day as we here at SBS feel about the NFL Draft.

Feel free to keep an eye on any big stories, out there, as I will not be bringing them to you. We will talk about these players in 3-4 years if and when they are good enough to help get the Browns to the Super Bowl.