T.O. or not T.O., That is the question...

So the buzz this week seems to be about Terrell Owens, his ACL injury, and which team will sign him this fall - if any. As a football fan, I have to consider the pluses and minuses of having him on my Cleveland Browns. As a girl, I'm dying to know how he hurt it in the first place.

Speculation is running rampant on the Internet and on the twitter-verse. Reports range from the injury occurring at a taping of a reality TV show to happening during a personal workout to denials that it happened at all. I don't know for sure what he did, but I do know how he DIDN'T hurt himself.

1. Rock of Love. There's no way T.O. tripped when he was exiting the "Rock of Love" bus. The tramps that want to be Brett Michael's next conquest are only looking for rock stars, not athletes. Now, when it comes to paychecks, maybe they should reconsider, but frankly, they aren't there yet.

2. Real Housewives of Atlanta. While it is very possible that T.O. and NeNe got into an argument and she flipped him over a large piece of furniture in a WWE move worthy of The Undertaker, I have to think he is smarter than that. No body crosses NeNe.

3. The Biggest Loser. I just can't see T.O. being tripped by one of the Big Boys in a race to the last twinkie... T.O. has more respect for his body. Plus, he's wicked fast!

4. Swamp People. "Tonnerre mes chiens. I can't read much or nothin, cant spell, but in the basin I know just about everything there is to know about to make a dolla. There's a gator. If he's making bubbles, he's caught. Lache pas la patate. Laisse bon temp roullez." Yeah, T.O. ain't going that far south.


Now enough of the silliness: would T.O. be a good addition to the Cleveland Browns? First, he'd have to get past the fact that his 2010 season was cut short due to a tear of his meniscus cartilage in his left knee in a game against the Browns on December 19th. For the record, in the week 4 Browns v Bengals game last year, he had 10 catches for 222 yards so who knows how much damage he would have done in week 14 if he hadn't been injured! The Bengals were pretty sad last year, so it's not like he missed out on the playoffs but he did miss the last three games of the season and left people wondering if he would be back this year.

Second, the addition of the ACL injury rumors don't help his prospects. He'd most likely be asked to pass an extensive physical before getting an offer. But that's if you want him to actually play as a starter. I think T.O. has reached the point in his career where his value to a team may be higher off the field than it is on the field. In 2010, a season where he lost three games due to injury, he still managed to get 983 receiving yards. For nine of his fifteen years in the league, he had over 1,000 yards plus two years in the 900's. You can't ignore that, even if he is a bit dinged up. It makes him a real threat whether starting or coming off the bench.

One thing you could always say about T.O. is that he knows how to work. None of his coaches or teammates has ever questioned his dedication to the game. He doesn't "take plays off." He gives everything when he is on the field and knows the game. Even when he played for a bad team like the Buffalo Bills, he got his catches and during that season became only the 6th NFL player to accumulate 1,000 catches!

Admittedly he had some issues in Philadelphia. He was criticizing his coaches and teammates and complaining that he wasn't getting enough passes thrown his way, etc. But he has grown a lot since then. He has been a team player and has kept himself out of trouble off the field. He makes the other players around him better by keeping a defense focused on him while others get the catches. He has "football smarts" and not all players understand the whole field like he does.

I'd like to see him come to Cleveland as more of a mentor to our young receiving core instead of an expected starter. I think he could teach these kids a lot about the game, about winning, about life. While there are benefits to having a young team as far as athleticism goes, these are also kids who don't have the experience necessary to handle what comes along with being an NFL player. And I think T.O. would do a really nice job helping them to learn those things.

Would T.O. be willing to fill that role? For the right offer, I think he would. And would the Browns like to have someone on the roster that is the ONLY NFL player to score TWO touchdowns against all 32 teams in the league? Oh, I think they would!


Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

How my laziness affected the NBA draft...

That's right - I'm lazy. I'll own it. I let others do the research: on the best players in the NBA draft, on what teams needed, on what players were best suited to fill those needs. I didn't watch film and check out the players and form my own opinions. Guilty as charged. And I paid for it.

In my defense, I'm a football girl. I live and breathe football from August until February. I watch every college and NFL game I can find, sometimes DVR-ing them so I can watch them again during the week. When the NFL Draft comes along (my idea of Holy Week), I watch the selections and know who the players are. I may occasionally ask "WHY?" when a player is taken, but I never have to ask "WHO?". I understand the rules of the draft, the trades that go on, etc. I'm a football girl.

The first basketball draft I ever watched was in 2003. I watched the Cavaliers select LeBron James. And then I went to bed. One and done. That's me. Didn't watch another one until last night.

Kyrie Irving was the #1 pick by the Cavaliers. No brainer. Even someone as lazy as I am could see that behind the smoke and mirrors and entertaining chatter, there was no one else for them to take. My problem is, I bought into they hype that this draft wasn't about the #1 pick - it was about the PACKAGE - putting together a duo at #1 and #4 that would be the building blocks for the Cavs future.

I listened to the radio and read the blogs, news articles, tweets, with all of the different possible combinations and made the mistake of thinking that was all I needed to do. That I was now an NBA Draft expert and that I knew what was best for the Cavs. Yeah, right, uh huh. So when they took Tristan Thompson at #4 I felt outraged and betrayed. And foolish.

Here's the deal - there are people working for NBA teams making these decisions that have information I will never have or that I am too lazy to find. These people make big money and spend day-in and day-out looking at these players and they know what they are doing. Why on earth do I think I have a clue? Because I'm a fan and because I truly do love all aspects of sports and because I want to be the smartest kid in the class.

Well my reality check came last night and I am cashing it in. From now on I will stick to my "Fan" status and take off my "GM" hat. I will continue to comment on players on field/court actions. I will celebrate "our" victories and lament "our" defeats. And I will continue to love all things Cleveland Sports related.

But I hereby promise to no longer think that I know what's best for these teams.
At least until next year's draft. ;)


Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

How do you solve a problem like Carmona?

There's been a lot of talk amongst Tribe fans this week regarding the performance of Fausto Carmona and his struggles on the mound. Currently, his record is a dismal 4-9. Not good for any MLB starter, let alone your Ace. All kinds of crazy suggestions are coming from frustrated fans but let's look at the realities of this situation.

Stats can tell part of the story, so let's look at that. The headline that jumps out is an ERA of 6.17 with 96.1 innings pitched. Not good. But if you dissect that number, you can find six really bad innings in those 13 games where he just lost control of everything. If you take away those six bad innings (welcome to hypothetical land) his ERA drops to 2.8. I think any fan would take that kind of an ERA. This tells me that Carmona is a good pitcher who has gotten into some trouble. I think that is something that can be fixed.

So how do we solve a problem like Carmona? In reading posts on Twitter, some fans want to send him to triple-A Columbus for a while to get some perspective and find his groove again. Well, in baseball you have to have "options" in order to get sent down to the minors. The Tribe is out of "options" on Carmona so if they want to send him down, they have to put him on waivers and I'm sure that some other team would grab him up. Skip this one.

Next, there's talk of putting him in the bullpen. Philosophically, your starting pitcher should go six or seven innings. That leaves bullpen work for the 7th/8th and a closer for the 9th and then "Ball game!" How can you take someone who is having trouble giving up big innings - and I'm talking six to ten run innings here people - and put him in the bullpen? Nope, I'll skip this option also.

Other suggestions are just benching him for a while or moving him from the first spot in the rotation to the 4th or 5th spot. Pitchers are creatures of habit. They need to be on as regular a schedule as possible. That's why managers set up the rotation in the first place, to make sure they get the right number of days rest but are still throwing regularly. You also run the risk of Fausto getting further into his "own head" and getting deeper into trouble.

What would I do? I'm glad you asked.... I would change the way manager Manny Acta handles Carmona instead of moving him around. Managers track pitch count and usually limit the number of throws a guy makes when he starts. This is to reduce stress on the arm and also measure how well he is doing against the batters. If you've thrown 80 pitches through three innings, something is wrong. I say that instead of worrying about Carmona's pitch count, we look at his "hit count" and the runs he is giving up. Up until now, it seems that when Carmona gives up two or three runs, Acta leaves him in so he can "turn it around." Um, Manny, he ain't turning things around!

I vote that we give him a three-run leash. Once he let's two runs score, the bullpen needs to be warming up and after the third run he's pulled. Period. Stop the big inning from happening. Staunch the flow of blood before it is out of control. Frankly, Indians hitters this year have not been lighting up the scoreboard so when a pitcher gives up six or more runs it is that much harder to come back and win the game. If we hold them to two or three, it changes the mind set of the batters and they don't feel all of the pressure to hit homers and can just keep playing smart baseball.

I still believe that Fausto Carmona can be the Ace Pitcher that the Indians need if they want to make the playoffs this year. I just think that the manager needs to step away from his habit of letting guys work things out for themselves and he needs to SAVE them from themselves. I'm quite certain Fausto would rather be pulled after a small meltdown than suffer through a scoring free-for-all.


Respectfully submitted,

Kate

PS: Apologies to all of the "Sound of Music" fans reading this if the title of today's blog puts a chorus of nuns in your head for the rest of the day. :)

What happened to our Boxing heroes?

R.I.P. "Smoking" Joe Frazier.

Here's a blog I wrote back on June 18th with my thoughts on Boxing.
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On Friday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a no-show at court where he was ordered to appear to face defamation of character allegations. Fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao claims that Mayweather repeatedly told people the he was using performance-enhancing drugs, a charge Manny vehemently denies. None of Mayweather's people could be reached for comment. Naturally, Pacquiao's attorneys have asked the court to rule in their favor since Mayweather violated the court order and did not appear. And this is "big news" in the boxing world. What happened to "big news" being about an actual fight? Where have our Boxing heroes gone?

This may come as a surprise to you, but my three favorite sports are Football, Hockey, and Boxing. Boxing used to be a big sport in this country. It was on prime time TV, there were pay-per-view and HBO specials, there was hype for months prior to big fights building the public's anticipation of the battle to come. Mike Tyson made history on March 7, 1987 when he unified the title by defeating James "Bonecrusher" Smith. How can I possibly remember the exact date of this fight? Because it was my wedding night and yes, my husband and I watched the fight on TV in the honeymoon suite of our hotel. Boxing was THAT big of a 20+ years ago.

Even people who don't like boxing know the names: Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), "Sugar" Ray Leonard, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, the list goes on and on. When you see Don King, you think "Boxing." These guys had personalities that transcended the ring. We had heroes and villains; guys we rooted for and guys we rooted against. We made movies about boxing like "Raging Bull" and "Rocky." In fact, on December 7th, 2010, Sylvester Stallone was selected to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame for his portrayal of "Rocky Balboa" and his impact on the boxing world.

Perhaps it was about the ultimate test, mano y mano, that drew people to the sport. Watching two guys stand alone, no teammates to help them, facing each other in the squared circle kept us on the edge of our seats. Watching the dance, the footwork, the blows - both the ones delivered and the ones taken - fascinated us. There were rules and a gentlemanly quality to the fight that kept it civilized and yet there was still the brutality that viewers wanted to see. But that seems to have changed. Now, people want the entertainment of the WWE and the violence of the UFC. We've changed as a society to the point where we need over-the-top scenarios to keep us entertained. Or maybe the personalities in the ring are just not what they used to be.

Sports has always been a way for kids from poor neighborhoods to get out, to make a place for themselves, a better living for their families. They use sports to learn discipline and self-defense, to belong to a group when they have no stable family life. They get college educations, Olympic medals, and if they are truly lucky (or blessed) they get jobs as professional athletes. There is a hunger and drive to succeed that you find in the best athletes. For them, it's not about the money and fame, it's about the game and the challenge.

I fear we have changed so much as a society that it's rare to find an athlete these days who still plays for the love of the game. It has, unfortunately, become all about the money and we are all seeing an inferior product on the field and on the court as a result. And in the ring. Boxers like Kelly Pavlik and Nonito Donaire and Amir Khan are rare. Amid all of the fanfare, these guys are still all about the fight. And that gives me hope that boxing will find it's way again, back into the public eye and the forefront of sports entertainment. Until then, I think I'll go dig through my boxes of video tapes and see if I can find some old Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini or Tommy Hearns fights and reminisce about the good old days....

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

LeBron haters are racists. REALLY?

I was in the car today listening to the Jim Rome Show when he did an interview with author Buzz Bissinger. I found the interview interesting because, although I had not read the book "Shooting Star" about LeBron James, I had read "Friday Night Lights" and loved the movie. Mr. Bissinger brought some interesting thoughts to the table regarding LeBron and his recent struggles. He said he thought that RACE played into the hatred that LBJ was getting and, more shockingly, Jim Rome AGREED with him!

My first reaction was to pick up the phone and call the show. I called the show once before and was lucky enough to get on-air to talk about the Cleveland Browns leaving town to go to Baltimore and become the Ravens. To know me is to know how passionate I am on that topic. For me to call a nationally syndicated sports talk show is much harder than just picking up the phone and calling the guys at WKNR. I have to really feel something strong about the topic at hand. For only the second time in five years of listening to Rome, I was reaching for the phone.

But timing is everything and I wasn't in a good place to make the call. I was actually on the Ohio Turnpike with my dad headed to Akron to visit my daughters. Rebecca is getting ready for her 3rd year and AnnMarie is going to be a freshman in the fall. Fear the ROO! They are renting a house in Cuyahoga Falls (translation - my hubby and I are renting the house but it's way cheaper than dorms). I was taking a few things to them and my dad wanted to see where they were living. Going 70 miles per hour on the turnpike wasn't the right time for me to be on the phone. So, I listened to more of the interview and tried to calm down a bit.

Jim and Buzz were comparing the hatred that LeBron received to that of, say, Jason Kidd who has been accused of abusing his wife, or Michael Vick who was convicted and served time for cruelty to animals as a result of killing/torturing dogs in a dog fighting club. They seemed to think that what LBJ did to Cleveland was no where near as bad as what Kidd allegedly did to his wife or what Vick did to those dogs, and yet people hate LBJ far beyond what they feel about those two guys. And then the comment was made that race was part of the hatred. Obviously just a small part, but part of it just the same. Are you kidding me? I just got more and more upset. To think that these two intelligent men were going to take us back to the 1960's and say the world hated LeBron, in part, because he was black.

Let's be straight on one thing: sports fans are shallow. I know I am and if you are honest, you know you are too. A multitude of sins can be forgiven if you lead your team to victory. Just ask Ben Roethlesberger or Ray Lewis. For our own varying reasons, we all want our sports teams to win, to be champions, so we are willing to forgive and forget many things if a key player is necessary to the team's success. Michael Vick is the perfect example of this. While the Philadelphia expected picketing, boycotts, and loud complaints from their fans when they took a chance on Vick after his release from prison, that all stopped when he humbly apologized for his actions and then took the field and won games.

Do we hate him because he grew up in this area and came to the Cleveland Cavaliers promising to win us a championship and didnt? Yep. Do we hate him because he basked in the glory we gave him, jumped up on the pedestal we created and named himself the King, the Chosen One, and won nothing? Yep. Do we hate him for the "summer of LeBron," the way he flirted with other teams right in front of us, wouldn't commit to us, and then broke up with us on national TV? Yep. Do we hate him because he is black? NO.

I spent most of the day being very angry about this accusation. I was waiting to put pen to paper (so to speak) until I had cooled down and could think coherently. I spent the evening playing with my three-month-old grandson. And the anger left me, to be replaced with saddness.

People, it's 2011. Are we still playing the race card? Don't get me wrong, I know that racism exists and that there are still far too many places where people don't get an equal shot at jobs or education or car loans or whatever. But I thought things were changing. I thought we were at a point where intelligent people could have discussions about legitimate reasons to dislike someone without their race being a factor. I thought my grandson would grow up in a world where racism was a thing of the past. I am truly sad today that it looks like his generation, High School Graduates of 2030, will still be judged by some based on skin color. I am sad that his being half-Chilean will be held against him.

I have always believed that ending things like racism start at home; that if I raised my kids right, and they in turn raised my grandkids right, we could get rid of racism. Today I was reminded that it will always be there - that there will always be someone with a national voice to remind us that we are different like it's a bad thing, instead of celebrating and embracing our diversity. And in the end, I am just very, very sad.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Dallas - doing some things the right way

This week, all of Cleveland celebrated the victory of the Dallas Mavericks over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. If you don't know why Clevelanders were so happy about this, then you must live under a rock. Even people who don't like sports are aware of the LeBron James Decision and what it has done to northeast Ohio. The media has made sure of that by ripping the scab off of our wounds daily/weekly for the past year so that we can't forget it.


I've been talking to friends in the Dallas area all throughout the playoffs, getting their spin on things, talking game strategy, and asking about the local media coverage. The Dallas newspapers and TV stations spent more time talking about the Heat than they did the Mavs. Their "hometown" coverage was all about LBJ, the Big 3, the Heat Dynasty, etc., etc. I believe this was a benefit to the Mavs because without the tight scrutiny, they were able to just keep their heads down and play their game. They let their on-court actions do their talking. They got the job done and took home the big prize.

However, there is one thing that has really upset Mavs fans - the after party. I found it strange to see all of the tweets and pictures on Twitter of Mark Cuban and the players having a ball at Miami Night clubs with rappers like Lil Wayne and hoisting up the Larry O'Brien Trophy for all to see. And I asked myself one question: why are you in Miami and not Dallas? It's a 2 hr 30 minute flight from Miami to Dallas. Why not just leave the arena, head to the air strip, and go home to party with your fans?




My friends in Dallas asked the same question. The night clubs all close at 2:00 am, but really, you don't think they could have stayed open a little longer for an event like this? Oh, I'm sure all of Dallas would have stayed up partying all night long to celebrate the first Championship in Mavericks history.

So I asked myself, "Self - why would they stay in Miami?" I've got two possible answers. First, because Miami is a sweet place to party. Let's face it, that is part of the reason LBJ went there in the first place. I'm sure Dallas knows how to throw a party - heck, I've been to a few myself - but I'm also sure it's not like a Miami party... Plenty of rappers, beautiful Latino women in skimpy clothes, the perfect place for a group of guys to cut loose and have a blast.

The second reason? I'm certain that the team does whatever Mark Cuban wants at a time like this and I have to think this was his personal slap at Miami... "Yeah, Miami, your citizens are going to party like crazy tonight, but it will be for MY team, not yours." I could not even imagine the opposing team in ANY sport winning a championship in Cleveland and then staying around to party with the people living here. They would quietly leave town and go party at home. As Cleveland sports fans, we are many things, but tolerant of the enemy we are not. The only pictures you would see on Twitter if this happened in Cleveland would be the mugshots of the residents that were arrested after the brawl was over.

With all of this in mind, I come to two very obvious conclusions... Miami Heat fans are not really sports fans. They are the pretty people that want to follow the front runners and celebrate with the rich and famous. They don't ever cry or bleed for their team. And Mark Cuban knows how to take jabs at someone in a much subtler way than Dan Gilbert. Perhaps Mr. Gilbert can take a few lessons from Mr. Cuban - one of them being you don't have to call someone out in the media or on twitter to make a point... you can just throw a two million dollar party in their backyard. That's the best way to shut someone up.



Respectfully submitted,

Kate

TWC: Crack for Old People

Background: My mom passed away four years ago. One of the many things I learned afterwards was that my father had Alzheimer's. Looking back, I can see that my mom did a lot of things to compensate for his dementia, but at the time I was oblivious. He was able to live at home for about 2 years. Then, we when he could no longer drive, we moved him into an assisted living facility. It was really nice, but very expensive. Since we had an extra bedroom, I talked my husband into letting my dad move in with us back in March. And that is when I learned about The Weather Channel (TWC) and Crack For Old People.

The Weather Channel is a neat idea. 24 hours per day, you can turn it on and see your local weather forecast. The programming repeats all day so you usually only have to watch about 20 minutes worth to find out what you need to know. That is, if you are an adult who just wants to know what to wear when leaving the house. If you are a senior citizen with dementia, TWC is Crack, plain and simple.

My dad wakes up each day around 7 am. He gets dressed, walks his dog, makes a cup of coffee, and by 7:30 am is ready for a full day of TWC. That's right - the whole day. I come home from work at 5:30 and there is his, in the "old man cave" watching Jim Cantore tell chilling tales of destruction. For the fifth time that day. Or he watches the local weather and tells me how the earth is changing and how we've never had storms like this before and we have the same conversation every day. Then we have dinner. Then he gets ready for bed. Same routine everyday.

The repetition mostly doesn't bother me. Having the same conversations every day are part of the disease and I am handling that pretty well. What troubles me are the napkins and papers on the table with writing on them. Names of medication and "800" phone numbers for me to call for all the things he can no longer live without.

He needs Nasonex for his runny nose, Prilosec for his heartburn, and Enzite because he's not sure what it does but those people look so happy and he is sad without mom. Oh, and the AARP has some new insurance he should get to cover his medical bills. And does he have enough life insurance so that when he dies we can pay for his funeral? And he wants an Aluminum Wallet. Suddenly, he is concerned with someone stealing his credit card information when he is walking down the street and this new Aluminum Wallet will protect him. Hm, pretty sure he doesn't have any credit cards. Look Katie - we can grow tomatoes upside down in the kitchen!

The worst are the commercials for the cancer treatment centers and all of their success stories. I get home from work and he asks about them and how maybe they could have saved mom if she had gone there and could he have done something different when she got cancer. Breaks my heart. And pisses me off.

Do the people at the weather channel understand that there are probably millions of old folks out there who spend the day watching the same shows over and over again? Part of the dementia entails memory loss so he really thinks he's watching a new show the first three or four times he watches a show. I can tell when he realizes he has seen something already because he mutes the TV and tells me what they are saying. Seriously.

It's like crack. He's addicted. He needs his TWC everyday so he can see how much damage the weather does and so he can keep up with the rest of the world. And make sure his doctor is giving him the right medications. He usually won't go out to dinner with us or go shopping because he needs to keep an eye on whatever storm is wreaking havoc across the midwest.

And I am starting to feel like the people at TWC know exactly what they are doing. Like they are a bunch of con-artist preying on the part of our society that should be revered and protected. Well, I'm here to make sure he isn't actually buying all of these things, but how many other people are alone and fall prey to these ads? Maybe the Department of Justice should take a look at their marketing practices before worrying about ball players using steriods or how the BCS sets up the bowl game match-ups.


Respectfully Submitted,
K8

LeBron vs Tressel: Yeah, I'm going there

Anyone who knows me (or Cleveland sports) knows that I am sick of hearing about LeBron. However, recent events involving Coach Jim Tressel and THE Ohio State University beg comparison to the events of last summer and LeBron's Decision. And the similarities between the two situations cause me to be very concerned about the near future of OSU football.

The Cavaliers and their fans waited from the end of the season in May until July 8th to find out if LBJ would return. During that time, the Cavs were unable to sign any big name free agents to the team because even they were waiting to find out what LBJ would do. They also needed a new head coach since Mike Brown was fired. The Cavs would be two completely different teams depending on his decision and I can't blame other players for wanting to know the deal before signing to play here. I would love to know what Byron Scott was thinking when he took the coaching job. Did it matter to him what LBJ would do? I know that if I was interviewing for a new job, that would be my FIRST question.

Coach Jim Tressel resigned on Monday, May 30th. Now OSU and their fans wait to learn the fate of the university's football program and player status until the NCAA hearing on August 12th. How do you recruit new players when you don't know the extent of the sanctions that will be imposed? The school could lose athletic scholarships, bowl game eligibility, etc., for anywhere from a few games to a few years. How do I tell my son that it's still OK to commit to the school? Frankly, if my son is just a good player that wants to use football as a means to get his education, I'm sending him. However, if he's a great player? With a possible future in the NFL? Sorry - tradition and world-wide popularity aside, I'm sending him somewhere else where he can get the exposure and experience he needs to be drafted by an NFL team.

OSU also needs a new head coach. Again, same questions - how do they interview candidates for the job when they don't know exactly what the job will entail? Luke Fikell is a great choice as interim head coach and it would be very smart of the school to keep him there for at least a year; let this whole thing settle out and see exactly what the future holds. If Coach Fikell is smart - and I believe he is - then he will use this year as a one long job interview and try to prove to the boss that he is the right man for the job long term.

The bottom line is this: I suffered through a terrible basketball season this year. The team, crippled by "the decision," finished 19-63. Embarrassing. Terrible. Abysmal. And directly related to the waiting game we all played last summer.

What fate awaits OSU as a result of the waiting game they must play now? The NCAA is doing the program a grave disservice by making everyone wait until August 12th for THEIR decision. The coaches must get the players ready to play a game against the University of Akron on September 3. How distracted will everyone be while they are waiting? How bad will this team be with star players out at least the first five games, new prospects possibly going to different schools, and a coaching staff that isn't secure in their own futures?

I barely made it through a terrible Cavs basketball season and I don't think I can make it through a losing OSU football season. But I like to think that I can learn from history, that I can see the mistakes of the past and improve my choices in the future. Hopefully OSU will take a look at the pain the Cavs suffered and try to make better choices this summer, clean up the program, convince coaches and players that everything will be ok, and give all fans a reason to hold their heads up with pride this fall. O - H .....

Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland K8