What Cleveland K8 Thinks Today....

It's time for a BCS Playoff System

2012-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know about you, but the excitement of last nights BCS National Championship Game kept me on the edge of my seat and chewing my fingernails. Not. It was all I could do to stay awake. Don't get me wrong - I love a good defensive football game almost as much as I love an offensive shoot-out. However, as the game progressed, all I could envision was the great debates that would start today regarding who really is the #1 team in College football and how to fix the system in order to answer that question.

For me, it's easy: Playoffs. When this is mentioned to the NCAA, the BCS Bowl Committee, or various other's in "the know" they quickly point out all of the reasons why there can't be a playoff. But I call "Shenanigans!" I spent three hours this afternoon checking out this years bowl game schedule, the top 25 college rankings as of Week 15, and the champions for each conference and I worked out a very simple playoff bracket making use of the existing bowl game schedule. And if I do say so myself, I'm freaking brilliant. (Yeah, you're smiling)

I based my system on a 16 team playoff: 12 conference champions and four at-large teams. To pick the at-large teams, I simply looked at the top 25 and chose the four highest ranked teams that were NOT their conference champion. I also set up the brackets so that the at-large teams are on the same side as their conference champion because, frankly, I never want to see two teams from the same conference in the National Championship Game ever again. Ever. I mean it. Done.

The only real drawback is that the current system has 35 games which means 70 different teams. In using the existing bowl schedule, and a 16 team playoff, I had to eliminate a few teams and cut back to just 56. But really, isn't 56 teams playing in the bowl games good enough? Is team #57 going to call me and threaten to beat me up? I don't think so.

So: Here's my playoff bowl list. Let me know what you think!

First Round - left

12/17 R&L Carriers Bowl
SEC Champ LSU
WAC Champ Louisiana Tech

12/17 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
ACC Champ Clemson
Independents BYU

Winners 12/27 Little Caesars Bowl (winner to Semi-Final)

12/21 SD County Credit Union
Mountain West Boise State
At-Large #1 Alabama

12/20 Beef O'Brady's Bowl
Conference USA Southern Miss
At-Large #3 Arkansas

Winners 12/28 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl (winner to Semi-Final)

Semi-Final 01/02 Gator Bowl
(winner plays for National Championship)********************************************************************

First Round - right

12/17 Glidan New Mexico Bowl
Big 12 Champ Oklahoma State
Sun Bel Champ Arksansas State

12/22 Maaco Bowl
Pac-12 Champ Oregon
MAC Champ Northern Illinois

Winners 12/27 Belk Bowl(winner to Semi-Final)

12/24 Sheraton Bowl
Big 10 Champ Wisconsin
At-Large #2 Stanford

12/26 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Big East Champ West Virginia
At-Large #4 Kansas State

Winners 12/28 Military Bowl (winner to Semi-Final)

Semi-Final 01/02 Rose Bowl
(and the chance for it to still be Pac12 vs B1G!)****************************************************************************

01/09 Allstate BCS National Championship Game
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Maybe we take the Gator/Rose options and alternate years with Fiesta/Sugar or something. I'm flexible. My point is simply this.... If I could figure this out in one afternoon, what the heck is stopping the BCS folks from doing the same thing?

Respecfully Submitted,
Kate

Help Wanted - Sheriff

2012-01-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

"...there's a new sheriff in town. And his name is Reggie Hammond. So y'all be cool. Right on." - Eddie Murphy, 48 hrs

That is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies. With all the swagger he can muster, a young Eddie Murphy strolls through a red-neck cowboy bar looking for information. He uses the strength of his personality to take control of the situation and get the information he needs - plus he gets out alive! It's also what Cleveland sports fans are looking for: a new sheriff.

In all of the great old Westerns, there's a town in trouble, a Sheriff, and a group of bad guys/outlaws looking to oppress the people of the town in some fashion. And the Sheriff is the hero of the film, saving the townspeople from the outlaws and wearing a white hat and getting to kiss the prettiest girl in town. Sometimes the Sheriff has been in office for a while and knows it's his job to save the day. But my very most favorites were the ones where just a simple cowboy, going about his business, was forced into a situation where he suddenly became the Sheriff. Where he was thrust into the position of saving the whole town. And he does!

We've had Sheriff's in the past here in Cleveland. Men who stepped up and, with their personalities and athletic talents, took control of this city. They are still (mostly) regarded with awe and respect even though their careers are over. You know some of the names... Jim Brown. Bernie Kosar. Sandy Alomar. LeBron James. (Yes, I said LeBron. Before the fateful decision, he was a Sheriff in this town. The fact that he joined the other side and became an "outlaw" doesn't change what he was to this town and Cavalier fans.) Browns, Indians, Cavaliers. We've had Sheriff's come from each team during different periods of time and in different ways.

The question now is: Who will be our next Sheriff? Which team will supply us townsfolks with the hero to save the day and bring our sports pride back?

It doesn't have to be a player. For a while, I thought perhaps Mike Holmgren could take on that job. He came to town and filled Browns fans with the hope & faith that he could build a winning team here, that he could put together the Super Bowl Champion that we've all been dreaming about. This season not only left us with a dismal 4-12 record, it also left Browns fans with little faith and less hope. We didn't see the progress that we expected which makes the losing record that much harder to handle. And it makes it very difficult to believe that the Browns are on the path to success.

If you ask me (and since this is my blog let's assume that you did), the Cavaliers show the most promise of providing fans with the Sheriff that will give us hope, make us feel safe, give us something to look forward to in trying economic times. Byron Scott, as head coach, is ruling with an iron fist. He is in complete control of the Cavs and is showing that he has what it takes to develop this group of young players into a really great basketball team.

And then there's Kyrie Irving. In his first five games as a professional basketball player, this young man has already exhibited signs of leadership many veterans don't possess. Admittedly, he has a long way to go towards becoming a great ball player, but with the little bit I have seen so far, he has promise and poise. He has the opportunity to take control of this city and it's fans. He has the chance to be the Sheriff of this town, to save us all from the oppression of bad sports teams, and to get the girl. Or the ring. However you want to look at it.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

How do we punish Penn State?

2011-11-09T11:58:00.001-08:00

Everyone is talking about the child abuse scandal rocking State College. Everyone has opinions on how the people involved should be punished. And these are very different opinions. I'm personally glad to see that Sandusky will be facing 40 criminal charges and, if found guilty, should do some serious and hard jail time. I'm glad that Curley and Schultz are facing criminal charges and may very well learn about life in jail as well. Rumors today indicate that Spanier and Paterno are losing their jobs and I'm good with that also. Smarter people than I will make these final decisions, but as a fan of the game of football, what concerns me now is this: How do we punish Penn State?

We, as a nation, have created a monster and it's called College Football. NCAA rules have been violated at more schools than I can recount here and they have faced punishment. But up until now, these rules violations directly affected the football teams and players at these schools. The situation at Penn State should never have been about football. It should have been about a football coach who found out that someone witnessed a former employee of the school abusing a child. And it should have been reported to the police. It was not and the only reason I can see for this is the fear that it would tarnish the football program. People in authority positions put the welfare of children behind the money that is generated by their football program.

People are throwing around punishment options like cancelling the rest of Penn State's football season, de-certifying them from the Big Ten Conference, and even giving the program the Death Penalty. I don't like any of those options. It punishes players who had no idea what was going on, who were not part of the cover-up, who are not guilty of anything. My punishment is one meant to send a message to the NCAA and also allow the NCAA to send a message of it's own; take away the money.

The NCAA needs to announce that all money made this year, including pay-outs for teams playing in bowl games, will be donated to charities that assist victims of child abuse. They can find charities located near member schools and divide up the millions that they bring in and make a difference for these kids. And send a message that they really aren't about money, that kids matter.

And yes, I mean every single school in the NCAA. This is not a Penn State issue. This is not a Big Ten issue. This is an NCAA issue. This is a wake-up call for college football and it's fans. It's time to put the student back in "student-athlete" and stop the gravy train. The power, prestige, and MONEY involved in NCAA football created the environment where incredibly bad decisions (even criminal decisions) were made. And children have been irrevocably harmed as a result.

We are no longer talking about players getting free rounds of golf or tattoos. We are talking about the abuse of children. If this isn't enough to make the NCAA take strong action, cut back on the money it's making and spending, scale down to be what it was intended to be all along, then what will it take?

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

College Football: We've created a monster

2011-11-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

We've created a monster in this country, and it's called "College Football." As fans of the sport, we've spent obscene amounts of money supporting our favorite teams by purchasing tickets and jerseys. Alumni (and people just wanted to be close to the programs) have donated millions of dollars to these schools to in the name of charitable support but in reality it was to give themselves personal access to the coaches and players.

The price we've paid for being entertained on Saturdays between August and January is the loss of our moral compass, the inability to distinguish between right and wrong. We now make excuses for breaking the rules because we want our team to play in Bowl Games and we want our favorite players - the really good ones - to be on the field. We've allowed our desire for this game to send the message to our children that the rules don't matter. And neither do they.

There have been many "Football Scandals" over the years. Most involve recruiting violations, giving gifts to young men to influence them to play for a specific school, and players receiving "improper benefits" while already in a program. We justify breaking NCAA rules by crying about how much money the NCAA makes and how broke these poor college kids are. We set the example to our children that if you don't like a rule, just break it. Why try to change it?

This week, allegations of child abuse have hit one storied program and should bring home to each and every one of us exactly how far up on a pedestal we have put College Football in this country and exactly how much damage this has done. At first, I tried to understand why it was being labeled as a "College Football Scandal" instead of just a "College Scandal." Yes, it involves a former coach, but he was not working for the school when the abuse was discovered and it didn't involved any team players. Now, I realize that his behavior was allowed to continue in an effort by the university to AVOID scandal hitting the football program. And that is truly disturbing.

One thing that each and every one of us can agree on: child abuse (in any form) is the single most despicable, terrible, horrendous thing that an adult can do. Children rely on adults to care for them, nurture them, act in their best interests. There is a sacred trust placed on every adult on this planet that children are to be cared for and, in my book, the abuser is just as guilty as someone who knows of the abuse and says nothing. You simply cannot allow anyone to hurt children. Period.

The allegations at Penn State University, from articles that I've read over the past few days, are this (based on grand jury findings):

1999 Jerry Sandusky retires as defensive coordinator to work full time at "Second Mile," a group home for boys

2002 Grad student witnesses Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy around 10 years old in the locker room at Lasch Stadium. He tells Coach Joe Paterno what he saw. Coach Paterno reports his story to AD Curley. University VP Schulz and AD Curley interview the grad student and then inform Sandusky that he is banned from bringing children onto campus. University President Spanier was informed of the ban and approved it.

Done. That's it. No further action was taken. No effort was made to find the child involved and see to his care. No report was filed with the police so that they could investigate the allegations. And as a result, Sandusky was free to continue to "help" boys for 9 more years. Who knows how many other boys have been assaulted in this time? Who knows how many young lives have been forever tainted. Who knows how much money the families of these boys will get in their lawsuits?

I am shocked that the investigation has taken three years to finally end up with grand jury charges, but I guess I've been spoiled by "Law & Order SVU" where we wrap everything up neatly in 60 minutes. And as I said, I considered this to be a failure of the University to report the alleged abuse to the police and not necessarily a football scandal until I saw this: Pennsylvania’s attorney general cited incidents involving Sandusky that ran from 1994 until 2009, including the above act.

The appalling fact that the allegations go back to 1994 tells me that rather than being concerned about the welfare of children, Curley and Schultz were worried about the football program, worried that Sandusky had taken advantage of his coaching position WHILE HE WORKED THERE to have access to children and that further acts of abuse would come out that would cover the Football Program. They were worried about losing all of the money that the football program brings in, not to mention their own jobs and the perks that go along with their positions.

In other words, they sacrificed a few children to keep their ivory tower supplied with riches. I'm deeply troubled by this. Sickened. And I feel partly responsible. I have contributed to this situation, I helped build this monster, we all have.

Perhaps this is finally the wake up call we all need to put College Football back where it belongs.... these should be student-athletes playing a sport as a way to get a college degree. Or officially just separate the team from the school and form a Minor League Football program for the NFL.

But something must change. It is not enough that a few men will lose their jobs or do time in prison. Punishment of the offenders is necessary but it does nothing to get to the root of the problem. It's time that we all faced the fact that we have created a monster.

If the abuse of children isn't a good enough reason to prioritize the importance of College Football in this country, then I don't know what it will take to wake us up and make us face the monster.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Edited November 7, 2011

I didn't think it was possible, but I am even more outraged today as new information comes to light. This morning, I was thrilled to hear that Curley and Schultz have left their positions at Penn State, one to a "leave of absence" and one to "retirement." I figured it was just a matter of time before President Spanier also resigned.

Then I read an article on Yahoo! Sports by Dan Wetzel that says numerous people have come forward to say that Sandusky was on campus last week watching a practice and working out in the weight room.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? How do you testify before the grand jury and then let this monster on campus? I was willing to let Head Coach Joe Paterno off the hook. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he, in good faith, thought that the administration had reported the allegations and agreed to the ban placed on Sandusky to keep him off campus in 2002.

But to hear that he was on campus last week? That apparently the ban was simply against him bringing his victims to campus? That he was still allowed to associate with the program? ENOUGH.
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An Open Letter to the NBA...

2011-10-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, David Stern announced that the talks between the NBA Team Owners and the NBA Players Association had stopped, that they had not made any progress, and that, as a result, he was "sorry to report" that the first two weeks of the NBA season had been cancelled. This is an open letter to all involved, BOTH the owners and the players. GET OVER YOUR EGOS AND GET THIS DEAL DONE!

I must start by saying I'm not a huge NBA fan. Yes, I like basketball but find the college game more to my liking. I'm a football girl and I spent my summer waiting and hoping and praying that the NFL lockout would end so that I could have my season. I can empathize with the die-hard fans that are going to miss at least two weeks of their season. And there is not much hope that it will be limited to two weeks.

I can understand the players point of view - they signed an agreement six years ago and now the owners want to change it. However, this isn't any different to me than a player asking to renegotiate his contract and holding out at the beginning of a season until the team agrees. Players have been using extortion to get the money they want for years - why shouldn't the owners be given the same option?

I can understand where the owners are coming from - a team that you bought for $300 million is having cash flow problems in this tough economy and cut backs must be made. The owners answer to this is to ask the players for concessions. It's no different than any employer being forced to lay off employees when profits are down. But before you spend $300 million dollars on a basketball team, don't you consider how the economy is? Don't you consider that there might be good times and bad times? It's it YOUR risk as an owner to look at all of the contracts and agreements surrounding a business before you buy?

Both sides made mistakes in the contract that was signed six years ago. And both sides should have to live with those mistakes. The simple fact is that if the economy doesn't pick up, seats will remain empty and dollar dog night won't be enough to get people to buy tickets. People will not spend $125 on a jersey, no matter how much they love their favorite player. The BRI value itself will go down because people can't afford the product that the NBA is offering.

And the real people being hurt in all this are the ones making minimum wage to clean the arenas, park your cars, sell those dollar hot dogs. And what about business owners in the NBA cities? Who's going out for beers at a pub on Tuesday night if they are not going to a basketball game afterwards? How many people will struggle even more in the current economic conditions when you take one of their busiest seasons away from them?

So stop telling us that you are "sorry to report" that you are cancelling games. Stop tweeting about free agency signing deadlines in the NFL. Stop whining that you will have to get a job at Home Depot or mowing lawns in your neighborhoods. Those are honorable jobs and people who try to make ends meet every day work in those places. Perhaps instead of talking about your humble beginnings and about how you made something out of your life you should try to answer these questions: What if it was YOUR mother who was laid off as a ticket-taker at the Q because of the shortened season? What if it was your father who lost his job because the restaurant he worked and couldn't pay the electric bill in December?

REAL people are being hurt by your inability to reach an agreement. It's time to think of the people who MADE you stars for a change and stop thinking about only yourselves. These people are the real losers in all of this.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

The Peyton Hillis Situation

2011-10-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was not a good one for Cleveland Browns fans. Or Ohio State Buckeye fans. There is nothing worse for a fan than watching your favorite team play badly when you know they are capable of more. If they play their best, leave it all on the field, and still lose? Well, I can tip my hat to the opponent, say congrats, and go on with my day. But when they are not putting in the effort, when the coaches aren't setting them up to succeed with the right play calling, when stupid mental errors cost them, it's hard to remain positive as a fan.

I could spend time breaking down the good and bad I saw this weekend but, really, is they why you read my blog? Smarter folks than I can do a much better job. And real sports fans already know what went wrong. You come here to read my thoughts on "off the field" situations and antics because I usually have something to say about them. And you would be correct again today.

Peyton Hillis. #40. Madden Cover Boy. The White Buffalo. The Wampus Cat. He has many names but we know that he has become the heart and soul of the fan base, beloved by all of Cleveland, the cornerstone of our offense. Or is he? Much talk is going on regarding his contract situation and his battle with the streptococcus bacteria last week. And I'm here to say that talk better all be wrong.

We'll start with the contract. As fans, we'd love to have Peyton locked in to a three or four year deal. To secure what we feel is the basis for our running game, something this team desperately needs to have. To compete in the AFC North, you need a running game. You need a tough defense, and a running game. Am I repeating myself? Yep. You need someone who can run the ball in snow in December. And for the first time in years, Browns fans think Peyton is that guy.

The question is: does Mike Holmgren think he is that guy? If he does, then they are working on a contract. I don't like contract deals in the middle of a season, but no one asked me for my opinion on THAT before doing all of these other extensions. If they don't want to keep him, then he should be working on game film so that he can get an offer from another team (or a good trade offer) at the end of the year. Either way, I don't understand keeping him off the field. If you can figure out why he's not playing, please let me know.

I do think that the deals already announced are the Browns' way of showing both fans and players where their priorities are. Quick deals with the low money guys. Big deals for the O-line and Defensive guys that this team will be built on as they move into the future. I'm good with all that. The "sexy" players come last. But as a professional, don't you dare let those contract talks get in the way of the game on Sunday.

Next on my mind is the strep, Peyton being send home, and the rumors today that players think he was sandbagging and should have played I say: Shenanigans. SHENANIGANS! To even for a second consider that Peyton would sit himself down because of the contract, blame it on illness, and leave his teammates out there alone is ridiculous. That would be a total punk move and I don't for one second believe that. Speaking from experience, strep is one of those bugs that knocks you out physically and it can linger for a long time. I know I'm not a professional athlete, but I've been fighting a cold for six days and I'm still not back to 100%. You don't risk him infecting teammates and you don't risk him being injured because he's weakened by the illness. Anyone who thinks he was playing some kind of contract game can come to my house right now, say it to my face, and get a smack upside the head.

Whew. I feel much better now. Here's the bottom line, people. If this contract is turning into a distraction on this team, it needs to get done now. NOW. We have a multitude of issues to deal with so that this team can get back to making progress towards the future. We have players to evaluate and everyone needs to be at their best. We still have games to win because there are 12 more games this year. 2-2 is a start I can live with, no matter what road we traveled to get there. But there needs to be nothing but the game plan in these guys heads right now so this needs to be settled.

I think the Browns agree with me on that one. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't announce at some point during this time off for the Bye Week that a deal has been done. Personally, I've revised my opinion on how much money it should be. (Again, no one has asked me but this is my blog so I get to say whatever I want). I'm good with 6 million per year over 4 years. That's 24 million. Three years guaranteed with the fourth year being a renegotiation opportunity based on performance. Done. It's just that easy. Now, if I only ran the world....

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

CSF Radio - NEW SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT: "JOHN AND K8 TALK SPORTS!" Saturdays 10am-12pm

2011-09-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

CSF Radio - NEW SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT: "JOHN AND K8 TALK SPORTS!" Saturdays 10am-12pm

Bathroom Remodel - almost done!

2011-09-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

So after MONTHS of work (well maybe "month" of work and a break that started back at Easter and finally ended Labor Day Weekend) my bathroom is close enough to finished to make me happy. Just needs a little paint on the window frames and some kind of curtains and we are DONE!

Before: stark white bathroom with peach counter tops. Yeah, I said peach. Sigh. It's a really great master bathroom with double sink, whirlpool tub, separate room with commode and shower, and a walk-in closet. Needed updating plus the shower just had a rod/curtain which is a pain to keep clean.

Here are some pics of the process. This is Joe putting tile on the wall above the shower, and the new shower door. No more mildewy curtains! Yeah! Oh, and there's a toilet now where that roll of paper towels is on the floor. LOL

Bathtub: Kept the tub, put new tile around walls and tub, created new front panel to hide motor for jets, added heater so the water stays at 104 degrees. Because having a 65 gallon tub and a 40 gallon hot water tank just wasn't working for me!

And here is my beautiful double sink. I truly believe that the "Double Sink" was invented by a married guy who got tired of moving all of his wife's crap out of his way so he could brush his teeth and shave! And the counter tile comes in sheets of 16x16 glass tiles. I did not make Joe lay out hundreds of little one inch tiles.

Hockey? Yeah, I love it...

2011-09-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Games use to be a very big deal in this country, especially the Winter Olympics. Growing up in Ohio where there is a lot of snow from November until March, we were always looking for excuses to stay in the house. Mom was a firm believer in fresh air - and I suspect getting us out of the house on snow days - so we were bundled up and sent out whenever possible. Except during the Winter Olympics. Mom would make hot chocolate and my brother, sister, and I would sit with her during the day and watch whatever events were on TV.

We loved Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. I wanted to be Dorothy Hamil. The skiing was amazing and the jumps - Whoa! They still take my breath away. We laughed about forming our own family curling team, and I even took curling as a phys ed elective in college. And we watched hockey.

Like many people, I first fell in love with hockey in 1980 during the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY. Growing up during the "Cold War" is hard to explain to kids now. We had nuclear bomb drills at school where we were told that we would be safe under our desks. We watched movies like "War Games" and "Red Dawn" and even "Rocky IV" where we were told over and over about the evil Soviet Union. And we were afraid. But when the US Men's hockey team defeated the team from the USSR we shed some of that fear. We revelled in our victory as a nation. And hockey fans all over the USA were born.

When it came time for me to pick a college in 1984, I chose Bowling Green State University. Not because they had a great academic program for my chosen major or because they were close to home. I chose them simply because the BGSU Falcons won the NCAA Hockey Championship that year. Cleveland did not have a hockey team between 1978 and 1992 and I wanted to see hockey. I also wanted to see a winning program. Plus, their colors were brown and orange just like my Cleveland Browns.

One of the girls that lived across the hall from me in my freshman dorm was from Buffalo, NY, and was a Sabres fan. So, I became a Sabres fan. My favorite player was their goalie, Tom Barrasso. Coincidentally, when I got married in 1987, my husband was going to grad school at SUNY Buffalo so we lived in Cheektowaga, NY, for 3 years. I got to see actual Sabre games, and also Buffalo Bill football games in Orchard Park. I was still a Cleveland Browns fan, but during those years, I could root for the "home" team and enjoy Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith.

After moving back to Ohio, we started having kids so it was much harder to keep up with hockey news, especially because we didn't have any hockey teams in NE Ohio. I'm not sure why Cleveland has never been a big hockey town. It seems like the perfect place to me, but then again, being a Browns fan takes a lot of strength and heart and hope so maybe there's just not much left for anything else.

So all of this leads me to the fact that we do have hockey in Cleveland: The Lake Erie Monsters. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL Colorado Avalanche. The AHL is the primary developmental league for the NHL. It has four divisions and we are in the North, along with Grand Rapids Griffins, Hamilton Bulldogs, Rochester Americans, and Toronto Marlies. The Monsters finished 2nd in the division last year with a record of 44-28 and went to the playoffs. They lost a tough seven game series to Manitoba 3-4 but at least they made the playoffs!

I think this years team has a shot at winning the North and I'm hopeful for a great hockey season this year. Opening game is October 7th at Quicken Loans Arena. I'll be writing more about them as the season gets underway so I hope you are ready for hockey news. I know we are a town full of football fans, but seriously, hockey is awesome plus they play on all different days of the week and I know that waiting on next Sunday to get here when it's only Tuesday can be pretty boring. Hockey can help spice things up a bit! Trust me.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Lingerie Football League. Really?

2011-09-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of going to the Cleveland Indians game on Friday night for the "Jim Thome-coming" celebration with my husband and some friends. I had a great time at the game, ate TOO many hot dogs (7.5 to be exact) and watched a 16 year-old girl enjoy her first ever major sporting event. Overall it was a wonderful evening that will give me more Indians Memories to add to my list. And then I started looking at Twitter and seeing tweets about the Cleveland Crush.

I'm quite addicted to Twitter. I love to send out random tweets during the day when I should be hard at work. I love tweeting during sporting events and chatting with other fans - whether we agree or not - about the Indians and Browns. I'm looking forward to hockey season this year because I've found some tweeps who like hockey as much as I do. Should be a fun season. But at the Indians game Friday, amongst all of the tweets about the Tribe game, I started seeing tweets about the Lingerie Football League and their game that night at the Q. Oy.

The Cleveland Crush is the Lingerie Football League team in Cleveland. Yes, you read that right. Ladies that play full contact football wearing uniform-like bras and panties. And that is my problem. There were tweets all night from the guys that were going to the game talking about how hot the girls were. I saw a few actually related to how they were playing but even after searching high and low through my time line the next morning, I never did see a final score or if the Crush won or lost. That tells me the people tweeting weren't there for a sporting event. They were there to check out the girls.

I'm all in favor of equal opportunities for women. I'm a big fan of Title 9 and making sure girls have access to sports and scholarships in high school and college. But when you take a sport and turn it into a spectator event, you cheapen the sport and the people playing. I've seen some stories on the ladies playing for the Crush and they are very talented. They work hard and are very good at the game of football. I could never take a hit like they do or catch a pass thrown hard right at me. But I wouldn't even try if I was required to do it in my underwear.

Women's rights have taken quite a few steps back in recent years. As a woman, I still think that a gentleman should open the door for me. That is just polite. That has nothing to do with equal rights. And I think that there is definitely a place for a woman's professional football league. I just truly believe that making the women wear skimpy outfits demeans all women and makes it harder for men to take us seriously in other areas beyond the arena.

Don't try to tell me that I'm overreacting. I asked six different women that I am friends with and that are big sports fans if they knew the name of the Cleveland Lingerie Football League Team and they didn't even know what I was talking about. I asked six men and they all knew, smiled and said they couldn't wait to watch it on TV. To call this a sport, when it is only marketed to horny guys and is shown on MTV2 is a joke, and it saddens me that any women at all were willing to participate.

Now, you can call me jealous or say that if I was a "hot young thing" I'd have a different opinion, but I will tell you that you are very, very wrong. I am a fan of both women AND the game of football. To cheapen either with this kind of "entertainment" is wrong. And sad - very, very sad. No, there aren't any pictures in this blog. If you want to see pictures of the ladies playing in their "uniforms" then you are exactly the audience the league is looking for and you should just go spend your time and money at Christie's or the Diamond Men's Club. At least those kinds of places are honest about what they are doing and don't try to pass themselves off as anything else.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

CFB Picks - By Mascot - Week 3

2011-09-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

EDITOR'S NOTE: Final record 3-3. I guess the Mascot Theory doesn't work. Perhaps next week I'll do it by uniform color..... :)
***********************************************

As we get close to kick off for the Week 3 NCAA College Football games, I was scanning my twitter timeline and saw a tweet that actually made me spit coffee on my screen...

@VinnieP52
Don't know anything about Michigan St.

@Jobu_Lives
their mascot wears a skirt

Yep, "Sparty" wears a skirt. Does that fact alone doom Michigan State to lose to Notre Dame? The ND mascot, after all, is a drunken leprechaun.... Which gave me the idea to pick six games this week based solely on mascot. I'm just trying to have a bit of fun so just sit back, enjoy, and don't get offended.

1. Michigan State (15) vs Notre Dame: Guy in a skirt vs leprechaun. I think Mich loses their first game of the year today so yeah, I'm taking ND.

2. West Virginia (18) vs Maryland: Mountaineers literally eat turtles for lunch. Turtle soup. I've had some, it ain't bad. Gotta take WV on this one.

3. Eastern Michigan vs Michigan: Eagles and Wolverines. Aside from being my favorite X-men character, Wolverines are nasty little buggers. Gotta take UM. Sigh.

4. Pittsburgh vs Iowa: Panthers and Hawkeyes, hmmmm.... If it was the whole hawk I'd be like sure they'll win, but just the eyes? Ew. Or is it like "Hawkeye" Pierce from M*A*S*H? Great doc but had a bit of a drinking problem. Either way does not bode well for Iowa. Taking Pittsburgh on this one.

5. Oklahoma (1) vs Florida State (5): Sooners taking on Seminoles. Wow - this is straight out of American History Books. Rugged old west families trying to make a new life by crushing the spirit of a proud Native American race? I think it's payback time for the tribe. I'm taking the Seminoles.

6. OSU Buckeyes (17) vs University of Miami Hurricanes: Yes, hurricanes are mighty meteorological events, but Buckeye trees thrive because they bend and don't break. Taking the Buckeyes in this one. (Big shocker, I know)

And that's it for me. Good Luck Notre Dame, Florida State, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Michigan and THE Ohio State University. If you lose today, at least you can console yourselves with the fact that your mascots are bad-ass. HA.

Hope you enjoy the games, regardless of who wins!

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

OY! OchoCinco!

2011-09-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

We are all familiar with social media like Twitter. One of the things that I like about it is the interaction with professional athletes. For example, I follow Chris Perez and Scott Fujita. There are a ton of players on twitter but these are just two guys that are active – they tweet every day, they answer fans tweets, they bring us – the fan – into their world a little bit.

They also open themselves up to criticism. Fans that are angry about a certain play or game feel like they can criticize the players on twitter – like it’s ok to say mean and nasty things to someone who missed a tackle or blew a save. Well;, I say its not ok. As fans, we have to remember that athletes are people as well as pros’ and we need to behave a little better.

But the athletes are finding a new down side to twitter coming from their peers – everything they say is getting reviewed by other athletes, commentators, sports professionals. An example of this happened to OchoCinco. Now, we all know that Ocho is quite a character. Along with being one of the best WR of the past few years, and perhaps the best to ever wear a Bengals uniform, he is also an outspoken personality who uses the media to enhance his public persona. Well, you gotta take the good with the bad when you do that.

Ocho tweeted last week about how amazed he was to watch Tom Brady in action as he threw for over 500 yards against the Miami Dolphins. And Teddy Bruschi came down hard on him – just ripping him all over ESPN for “sitting back and watching instead of being part of the team.”

I don’t understand where Bruschi was coming from. It entirely possible there are other issues at play here and not just that tweet. Kind of like when I yell at my husband about dirty socks on the floor when I’m really mad that he forgot our anniversary. If Bruschi is upset about some other issue with Ocho or the Patriots, that's fine. But he needs to own up to them and tell us what is really bothering him. Hiding behind a tweet is ridiculous, especially when so many other things that Ocho has said and done over the years were far more worthy of his disdain.

But as a Browns fan and someone who’s watched a lot of AFC North football, I can see how watching Brady was very different for Ochocinco than watching Carson Palmer. Don’t get me wrong, Palmer is a very good quarterback, but he’s no Tom Brady. While Ocho and Tom may have had their differences when they were on opposite sides of the field, I'm fairly certain they will find a way to "click" now that they are on the same team.

Lighten up on the Ocho a bit, Bruschi. I think it's was great that an NFL player can still enjoy the beauty of football and be amazed at what someone like Tom Brady could do. I know it amazes me every Sunday.

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

This week is why I need Fantasy Football

2011-09-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of the NFL is almost in the books. Just two games left and then it's on to start planning your party and tailgating activities for Week 2. Unless you are a fan of teams like the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, or Kansas City Chiefs. YOU are left today with a bad taste in your mouth, a sense of foreboding that a really bad season looms ahead of you. A depression from a poorly played game that will linger all week. Unless you play fantasy football.

One thing I like about baseball is there are games nearly every day of the week. Days off are rare, so when you suffer a humiliating - or just ugly - loss, you don't have time to dwell on it. There's another game tomorrow. But the NFL is a different animal. There are only 16 games and they are (usually) a week apart. That is seven days for you to over analyze and agonize over each and every mistake your team made. Seven days for you to swear you knew they couldn't win and brag about how you tweeted that they were going to lose. And then Saturday arrives and you start talking smack again with this week's opponent. You wash your game-day jersey and pack the cooler to head down to the stadium on Sunday. And it starts all over again.

I use to spend Sunday night and all day Monday in a "Football Hangover." I'd get so frustrated during games that my family makes me watch them in a separate room. I scream and yell at the TV, I pace, I throw things, I have a referee voodoo doll that I rip to pieces. And when they win I celebrate in the front yard doing my happy dance wrapped in my Brownie the Elf flag. But if they lose, my family is ordering pizza for dinner, tip-toeing around the house, and avoiding me until Tuesday.

This year, Opening Day was especially difficult. I am a world renowned "Kool-aid" drinker. I bought into everything. I tried to keep some objectivity and realize that there would be problems, but oh lord, not like that. To make matters worse, we lost power just as the 3rd quarter of the Browns - Bengals game was starting so I didn't even get to SEE anything for the rest of the game. Listening on the radio isn't helpful to me. I actually like to watch the linemen, the secondary, check out how the routes are being run, etc. I try to see the good things so that if the game ends badly I have some positives to build off of for next week. Not so much today.

But wait. What is that? What is calling my name out of the depths of my depression and telling me that I have to go on, I have to live, I have a purpose? Fantasy Football! I am in six leagues this year. This is the most I have tried to do in my seven years of playing Fantasy Football. Perhaps it was a psychic voice in the back of my head warning me that I would need the distraction during (yet another) rebuilding year. I don't know.

What I do know is that instead of scarring my grandson for life by having him witness me having a complete conniption fit followed by a nervous breakdown yesterday, I was able to look forward to the Cowboys - Jets game. I was able to celebrate each yard gained by Dez Bryant as it took two (yes, TWO) of my FFL teams closer to victory. I was able to live again. I was able to find joy in football games that did not include the Browns.

So, when you are gathered around the water cooler today talking smack and boasting about the great moves you made in benching Jermichael Finley and starting Ben Watson (yeah, that's me), and someone walks by and says "I just don't understand your fixation with Fantasy Football" never fear. I understand. When you love a professional team that always seems to find ways to let you down, it's the Fantasy world you can turn to for happiness.

However, if your Fantasy Football team sucks just as bad as the pro team you love, remember one thing: Dr Kate is in the house and is here to help you. Just tweet me @ClvlndK8 anytime and I will help you work through your depression as well as the tough lineup decisions. We are in this together!

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Why can't Cleveland get behind the Tribe?

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

With the most important series of the season starting today at home against the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Indians face an off-the-field dilemma: where are out fans? Why isn't Progressive Field sold out? Why is this pennant race being ignored by so many people? Why can't Cleveland get behind the Tribe? To answer this, I have to go back a bit in time. And share a bit of my personal history with you so you understand where my opinion comes from.

As a woman who likes sports, nothing makes me madder than when my opinion is discounted because of my gender. I know more about sports than most of the guys I come into contact with on a daily basis, and I have no problem sharing my thoughts and opinions with them. I laugh when the "new guy" at work looks at me strangely when I say something about sports and the other guys are all like "dude, she knows what she's saying. Don't roll your eyes." Which is why I am deeply ashamed of the way I treated my mother.

We moved from California to Ohio right before my 9th birthday in 1975. My parents are both from Pittsburgh, so it made sense that dad would be a Steelers fan. Mom liked them too, but she also like the Miami Dolphins since her cousin Doug Crusan played for them at the time. I, naturally, loved the Browns. Sure, part of it was rebellion against dad, but the other part was that Browns information was the vast majority of what I could find. This was the 1970's people. If you wanted sports information, you got about 8 minutes on the evening news or else you had to read a newspaper. And almost all of the information was about local teams.

I would read the paper on Monday to see how the Browns had done then dad and I would talk about it, argue about it, share it, while mom looked on. We never included her in those conversations. Dad wasn't much into any other sports so it was all about football. As I grew older, I learned baseball and basketball, but I did that on my own. After my mom died of cancer in 2007, I was helping dad go through some boxes in the basement and I came across a box full of baseball memorabilia. Apparently, mom loved baseball. Who knew? When I asked dad about this he said "oh, yeah, she and her sister use to go to games in Pittsburgh all the time back in the 40's and 50's." She had old baseball cards and newspaper clippings with box scores circled or simply cut out and clipped together highlighting her favorite players.

So now I am ashamed and saddened that I never talked with mom about sports. I can't be sure about why she never brought up the subject with me, but as a mom of four daughters I can guess the reason. When my girls find something to talk about with their dad, to connect with him, I try to stay out of it and let them have their time together. Maybe mom figured that sports was something for me and dad to connect with but I really wish she had told me about baseball. I'm sure she had some great stories and I missed out on that.

Which brings us back to today and the Cleveland Indians. As I said, dad wasn't into baseball so we didn't go to games. But I remember my friends going to games, taking their gloves in case of a foul ball no matter where there seats were, buying pennants to hang up in their rooms. There were baseball fields (sandlots) all over and kids would gather after school or on Saturday's and play. Most of us who are 40 or over share these memories. But that has changed for the next generation.

My kids were not raised on baseball because we were a "Football Family." They didn't play with friends in the neighborhood or go to Jacob's field to watch the Tribe. I was a stay-home mom but most other kids were at a babysitters or in day care. There were no other kids in the neighborhood anymore. On Saturday, the baseball fields were being used by organized leagues so if you weren't "organized" you couldn't play. And Jacob's Field never felt to me like a classic baseball field.

From 1995-1999 we had no football so I gave baseball a chance. I went to quite a few games at Jacob's Field and took my daughters. Frankly, it didn't feel the way I thought baseball would feel. It wasn't like the movies. It was corporate guys in pink polo shirts eating sushi and talking on their cell phones. It wasn't dads & kids with gloves and beers watching the action on the field. It just felt wrong. So I watch at home or listen to the radio. And I guess my "lack of attendance" is being interpreted as "not being behind the Tribe."

I think that plays into what the Cleveland Indians are seeing now. A generation of people who were raised on a different kind of baseball and who are not comfortable at Jacob's Field/Progressive Field. Football came back, the Indians record got worse, and people stopped going to the games. It's easy to say this is just a football town, or that after everything that Cleveland sports fans have been through we are afraid to "Hope" again.

But I think it goes back to the atmosphere at the ballpark and how our kids were raised. Baseball is a "slow" game. It isn't action packed like football or basketball. It isn't like a video game where you have something to watch every second. It's poetic and paced and relaxing. Kids today can't handle that. They can't appreciate the beauty of the game. They weren't raised on it like our parents were. So they don't want to go to the ballpark. They think watching baseball is boring.

I don't know how other ballparks are doing with regards to attendance. I don't know if this is a national issue or a Cleveland one. But I don't think it's fair to say we are not "behind the Tribe" because we are not going to games. There have to be other ways to measure fan appreciation for a team and the Indians need to find those ways. I may not be going to games, but I am watching. I am looking for score updates on the other teams in our division. I am blogging and tweeting about the Tribe. Many of us are. And Tribe Fans find it insulting when our dedication is questioned.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kate

Buckeye Nation: My "State of the OSU" Address

2011-09-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

College Football Fans:

ATTENTION College Football Fans: Whether you are part of THE Ohio State University family or not, the things that have happened to the Buckeyes in the past year are a concern to you. At least they should. Even if you are a Michigan fan, while you are celebrating the downfall of Coach Tressell, you should also be concerned for the state of College Football and what these "happenings" may mean to your program. You should be concerned about what the NCAA might do next.
I know that I am.

I should start by saying that I am a Buckeye's fan. My family are Buckeye fans. The picture you see here is of my husband and I and two of our daughters forming O-H-I-O on the Great Wall of China in 2009. I love this picture. Not just because it is of my family, all decked out in scarlet and grey, doing something together, but also because of the memory of all the people BEHIND the person taking our picture. They were also taking our picture. As the only non-asian people on the wall that day, we drew quite a few stares. I'm not quite sure what they thought we were doing, but one thing I am sure of: we were the topic of conversation at many Chinese dinner tables that night!

With that being said, I think I can still objectively look at the current situation of the football program at OSU. The announcement of three suspensions this week for the University of Akron (Fear the ROO) game blindsided many of us. It stems from three players that attended a charity event in which all attendees were given gift bags. The exact worth of the bag is not known, but only reported to be "under $300." This is because the NCAA classifies improper benefits in categories based on dollar value in order to assign penalties. It doesn't mean the bag was worth $299.99. The timing of the announcement seems suspicious to many but I'm guessing it was decided a while ago and only announced this week as part of the line-up listing for the game.

I've said publicly that my biggest concern with these new suspensions is that the school, via Gordon Gee & Gene Smith, STILL doesn't know how to share information with the public in a way that gives them the complete story and cuts back on the speculation and innuendo that can do more damage to a program than the truth. Perhaps they need to hire a "Spin Doctor" to teach them how to do a proper press release. The one that OSU sent out was one that just begged more questions, and those questions have been all over the radio, internet, and social media like Twitter. People are slamming these three young men for not knowing better, for not caring about the school, for being stupid. My biggest question about everything remains unanswered: When was the charity event?

If the event was in July, I'd like to take these three players and the compliance officers at OSU out to my back yard and tell them to select a switch, as my dad used to do with us as kids. It is unacceptable to think that with everything else that has gone on in the past year, the sensitivity meter isn't cranked up to FULL. These guys shouldn't even be buying a box of cereal at the grocery store on the off change that the secret toy surprise could be considered improper.

If the event was back in late spring, April or May is the latest rumor, then I'm much more inclined to be lenient. It was a gift bag that all attendees got so I could see how the players might think it was ok.

The other thing I am hearing is that part of the problem is that they players did not clear their appearance at this charity with the school. Again, the lack of information from OSU is just fueling this fire. Were they just attending in support of a charity? Were they advertised as special guest to sell tickets to the event? Did they sit at a table together in the back or were they set up in the front signing autographs? All of these question matter and the fact that we have to ask them, and will get no answers, makes the school look bad and does it a disservice.

The University is failing these young men in leaving them out there for people to criticize. It should come as NO surprise to anyone that in this day and age of social media the players are being painted as villains, being called out by anyone with a Twitter account, being asked to turn in their uniforms. I, for one, will not be that harsh against these young men until more facts are on the table. Unfortunately, OSU has a habit of keeping their cards close to the vest (no pun intended) and will most likely never tell us the whole story.

Today the Buckeyes took on the Akron Zips. Two of my daughters, and most of my money, go to Akron. Fear the ROO! I support Akron sports and go to as many games as I can. My niece is a senior on their Lady Zip Volleyball team. We go to those matches. It is a good school with a great group of kids involved in these sports and I feel that being OSU's first game after everything that has gone on is so unfair to them. They were put under a microscope that they never asked to be under and from what I am hearing, the staff and players have all handled themselves very well. Kudos to a great program. I truly wish them luck, but with all that said, my personal loyalty starts with Ohio State so I'm happy we won.

Once today is over, some of the attention that OSU has been getting will go away. Some outlets will move on to other stories. And some will just sit back and wait for another opportunity to scream from the rooftops that OSU has done something wrong and that more sanctions are on the way. I understand all of that - any person, team, business, etc. that has success paints a target on it's own back for these kinds of things. That's just the way it is.

From a coaching perspective, talk has been going on all summer (and I heard some again today) about who the the Head Coach should be. Um, hello? Luke
Fickell? Remember him? Can we please let him coach ONE GAME before we decide he's not "the guy?" I absolutely understand that coaching a program like the OSU Buckeyes is not just about wins and losses. It's also about public image. It's about representing one of the most respected programs in the country. It's about living a high profile life and handling it with class. And it's about credibility. All of these things play into the recruiting aspect of college football.

The two big jobs for a CFB Head Coach are 1) winning football games and 2) recruiting for the future. In the NFL, players are chosen by the front office so the coach just has to deal with what he gets. In CFB the head coach is the key. He visits players, he talks to families, he builds his team himself. Yeah he has a staff of guys to help, but you know what I'm saying. High School players don't just choose a university based on the school itself. They also choose based on the head coach.

It is far too soon to be talking about how Ohio State needs Urban Meyer or Jon Grudin. Yes, they are quality coaches that any program would love to have. I would die if either of them walked into my living room and asked if my grandson would please come and play football for them. (I have four daughters so it's up to my grandson to give me a football player in the family)

Who were they when they first started? Someone gave them their first job. Someone let them walk into a living room so they could sign their very first recruit. Why are we so quick to assume that Luke can't be "that guy?" I am willing to give him some time this year and see how the team looks on the field. I truly believe that the OSU name is enough to get Luke into some living rooms and proving he knows how to win will be the ink in the pen for recruits to sign with him.

Where does this all leave us, the college football fan? Well, that's up to the NCAA. Which school is next to be on their radar? When will the NCAA move on to the "U" of Miami situation? When will those facts all be dealt with, meetings held, sanctions offered? How about the Oregon Ducks? There are cancelled checks for gosh sakes to a guy in Texas that claimed to be a scout but was actually steering kids to the Oregon program? The Ducks are one of the teams I root for - when they are not playing the Buckeyes - and yet I want them to be dealt with for their problems. It's only fair.

At some point the NCAA will have to move on from OSU and tackle these other issues. At some point the NCAA will have to take a good long look at itself and fix the problems. I am NOT in favor of paying players. I don't want to change the rules. I read an article in Sports Illustrated back on August 18 that was simple and brilliant in offering a solution to this mess. Josh Luchs suggested that the school compliance people NOT be employees of the school, but be employed by the NCAA itself. Brilliant. Read the article yourself and you'll see why I love it. No further comment needed by me since he puts it out there so well.

College Football is back today and I can't wait for the kickoff. Whatever happens in the coming weeks/months will have to wait until after the end of the 4th quarter. THE Ohio State University will rebound from this and be better than ever. The Buckeye Family will have it no other way. That's how things are in a family - no matter how badly they screw up, we love them anyway and we are going to be there for them. We are going to support them while they fix the issues. Because we know they will fix them, we know they are better than this.

O - H ....

Respectfully Submitted,
Kate

Dear Peyton Hillis, Can I trust you?

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Peyton,

I read today that you would like to sign a long term contract with the Browns. That you really love being in Cleveland. That you said this team, this city, represents who you are. My question is simple: Can I trust you?

You've been here long enough to know about the trials and tribulations that we, Cleveland Sports Fans, have been through over the years. We've had people tell us they loved us, wanted to be here forever, wanted to "win us a ring." And then they left. And a little piece of my heart died each time.

I try not to be bitter. I still love my teams and try to maintain a hopeful attitude as each season begins. Sometimes I vent my frustrations with the players that have betrayed us, but always there is love for the team behind it.

I still buy game tickets and t-shirts repping the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers. I bought "Madden 12" for my husband (Shh - don't tell him. It's a surprise). I still believe. But I only own two players jerseys. I have #32 BROWN jersey for the great Jim Brown; a legend in this town no matter what has gone on in recent years. And I have the #17 VAREJAO that my daughters had made for me three years ago for Mother's Day. They had to have it custom-made because he wasn't popular enough at that time to warrant his own spot in the nba.com store inventory. My daughters totally get me.

I've tried to live the cliche: "Root for the team on the front of the shirt, not the name on the back." But you tempt me. Oh, you tempt me to run out and buy #40 jerseys for my whole family. You tempt me to believe that this one time, a player really does love us and wants to be here and a part of us for his whole career. That we matter to someone. But I don't think I could survive the pain if you left, like so many before you.

It doesn't matter if you are chasing a ring or cashing in for big money, rejection is still rejection. And, right or wrong, we take that personally. That is just part and parcel with this town. We can't understand things like "It's just business" because this is personal for us.

So I'm asking you: Can I trust you? Will you stay as long as the Browns Front Office wants you? Will you be a part of this town, this team? Will you proudly wear the brown & orange?

Will your break my heart?

Respectfully Submitted,

K8 - Cleveland sports fan

The "Reid" Rule or "How Throwing a Red Flag Cost Me 15 Yards"

2011-08-26T06:27:00.001-07:00

Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Defense. 15 yard penalty.

What? What did I miss? (rewinding DVR) I'm watching the TD play. I don't see any defenders making contact afterwards. I don't see any defenders acting a fool on the field. Wait - what did the announcer just say? The penalty is on Head Coach Andy Reid? Well heck, what did he do, punch an offensive player? No? He threw the Red Challenge Flag? I'm so confused.

TE Alex Smith made a great catch on a pass from Seneca Wallace that was batted around a bit. He caught, tucked, and rolled with the ball and the refs signaled touchdown. The TV camera angle showed him from behind so I was not at all surprised to see the Red Challenge Flag come flying from the Eagles sidelines. Even though it's preseason, the review crew needs practice too.
But apparently, that was the wrong call.

On his attempt to have a Cleveland touchdown reception reviewed which led to a 15-yard penalty and the play not being reviewed:

"I blew that one. The tough thing is that the referee has a little buzzer on him. The kicker is getting ready to kick the (extra point) and you're hoping that the referee knows the rule (that all scoring plays are automatically reviewed). I shouldn't have thrown (the challenge flag), but when you see someone step out of bounds, you expect the review to happen right now. You're sitting there waiting, and waiting. It's a new rule, and we're learning with it, so I should have just held onto the flag."

Along with the stupid new kickoff rule (don't even get me started on the emasculation of the national football league), there is a rule in place starting this year that ALL scoring plays are now Booth Review Only. Great. Awesome. Love it. But god forbid that after 19 years of coaching in the NFL you forget for just a moment and grab your Red Flag and whip it out there.... or you'll get a 15 yard penalty! Oy. How about a warning for the first offense? 15 yards is WAY harsh - even for the Browns opponent - on something that had nothing to do with the actual game. Again I'll say it. Oy.

I love the Booth Review for all Scores rule. Too many times the Red Flags have made a difference in the game. Instant Replay is important because we all want the same thing: to get it right. Whether the call goes for or against your favorite team, we all really just want it to be the RIGHT call. So as a coach, it must be hard to decide the throw the flag, knowing that you only get a limited number of challenges. Knowing that a bad challenge now could mean giving up a bad TD later that you CAN'T challenge. You have to weigh the risk/reward of every Challenge when you really just want the calls to be right. So I love the new rule. All scores will be reviewed by the booth. Yeah, most won't need review. But at least in the 4th quarter with the game on the line, I won't be crying in my beer because Mangini wasted a call on some stupid incomplete pass that wouldn't have given us the first down anyway (sorry, still have a bit of PTSD from last year).

So at the end of the day, it's obvious that the preseason isn't just for players to get back into the groove of playing the game. It's also for the officials to practice blowing calls and for the coaching staff to get smacked on the hand for not remembering the brand new rules. Yes, it's their job to know the rules. I totally get that. All I'm saying is that when you change something that had previously been such an ingrained habit - question the call, throw the flag - that you need to give people a bit of a break. A warning during the preseason would have been nice.

But then again, Football is not Nice. And I'm willing to bet that this is one of those calls that only gets made once. Meaning - Andy Reid learned a powerful lesson last night - one that ALL Head Coaches in the NFL will be talking about today. And I don't think we will see it called again for the rest of the season. Sometimes the harsh lessons are the ones that people all learn from.

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

Making Sense of the Pryor situation

2011-08-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

Today, the NFL announced that Terrelle Pryor will be eligible for the 2011 Supplemental Draft, but that his NCAA imposed five game suspension will be carried over into the NFL season. If he is taken, he can practice until week 1 and then cannot play or practice until after week 5. And people are losing their minds. Since I can't get all of my thoughts into 140 characters or less, I'll do it here.

The Supplemental Draft was set up for two main reasons: to help players who missed the filing deadline for the regular draft or because issues developed which affected their eligibility to play college football. And that second reason is what we have here. The NCAA suspended Pryor for the first five games of the 2011 season due to tattoo-gate last year. Now here is where it gets sticky. For all intents and purposes, Pryor intended to return to OSU and sit out that suspension. I can deduce this by the fact that he did not declare for the regular draft.

So why the supplemental draft? What changed? Reports are out that the NCAA was still digging into Pryor's activities at OSU. Players are required to submit bank records to the NCAA if asked. According to reports, Pryor was asked and submitted those records and then promptly began talking about the supplemental draft. Hmmm. This makes me think he was concerned about further sanctions. Either way, the NCAA hasn't actually charged him with anything or given him any sanctions. This means his playing situation and eligibility have not changed. This means he is not eligible for the supplemental draft. Period.

And yet Pryor petitioned the NFL for entry and the NFL postponed the supplemental draft to review his case and meet with him. And today we have the decision: Pryor will be allowed to enter the supplemental draft but he will have to serve his 5 game NCAA imposed suspension. Either Roger Goodell has taken the "God" in his name to heart or the NFL is taking the recent NCAA scandals into account and are laying the groundwork for a future partnership with the NCAA. Maybe I'm giving the NFL too much credit, but I think that is where they are heading.

We can all agree that the NCAA is a big moneymaker. Most of us would also agree that there is something unbalanced in the NCAA making all this money while the players are living under strict financial rules. This is not the time and place for my opinions on paying players or the NCAA rules, but it is the situation the NCAA is living in. The NFL admittedly uses the NCAA as a minor league system; letting players grow and learn while scouts use their games to create lists of potential NFL stars. At some point, it is only natural for them to form some kind of partnership, even if only in spirit.

When a player is found guilty of committing NCAA violations, he and the university are punished. However, if the player is good enough, he can escape this punishment by declaring for the NFL draft. No harm no foul to him. But the university still faces the loss of scholarships or bowl games. Wait - what? Reggie Busch is a good example of a player who was already out of school and playing in the NFL when penalties were assessed. USC is still paying the price for Busch's activities and he is living the big life. Yes, USC shares the blame for what went on, for not monitoring or reporting, but should their penalties outlast those of the players? Maybe. As an institution they should have the higher responsibility. But where is the deterrent for players to follow the rules?

For those concerned about "setting precedents" and "slippery slopes" keep this in mind: negotiated entry into the supplemental draft as a new rule ONLY affects a future players eligibility to enter the supplemental draft. Goodell didn't grab a current player and punish him for past sins. He didn't grab a player getting ready for the regular draft and tell him HE would have to suffer any NCAA sanctions that had already been imposed on him. Simple answer: to avoid NFL game suspension, file for the draft before the deadline. Yeah, it's just that easy.

Perhaps if the threat of NCAA sanctions following a player into the NFL becomes a reality, they will start turning down yacht rides and hookers, stop trading memorabilia for tattoos, stop taking free cars... (it could happen)

Perhaps the NFL wants to help keep the NCAA clean of the influence of unscrupulous characters who will lure unsuspecting players into the sordid life of girls, gambling, and ponzi schemes.... (not bloody likely)

Or, Perhaps the NFL sees the hypocrisy of the NCAA rules and by taking this action, will get the NFLPA into the fight to help force the NCAA to take another look at the system and come up with something that makes the college football business more balanced for both sides.... (I kinda like the conspiracy-theory in this one)

At the end of the day, Pryor really is not eligible for the supplemental draft. No amount of whining by him or his attorney can change that. Roger Goodell's offer to let him in but keep his 5 game suspension is a compromise Pryor must have agreed to or else the NFL statement would have simply said he remains ineligible. Maybe Pryor fans, instead of complaining, should be grateful that they only have to wait until week 6 for the chance to see him play again instead of an entire year.

Then again, what do I know. I could just be a biased Buckeye Honk. (and proud of it)

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

Fantasy Football is no place for "Homers!"

2011-08-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year – yep, Fantasy Football Draft parties are starting next week. And frenzied managers are looking all over the internet for tips and tricks to get the best players in their league.

Well, I would just like to remind everyone that: Fantasy Football is no place for “Homers!”

I’m a “Homer.” I love the Cleveland Browns and think that they can win every week. I cheer for them and talk trash with my friends that are fans of other teams. And believe me, there’s lots of trash-talk - especially during Browns-Steelers week. That is my Holy Week… a week of name calling and bad jokes and crazy bets.

I’m much more practical when it comes to Fantasy Football. I’d love to have a few Browns players on my roster so that when they win on Sunday I also score a ton of points in my league. And I don’t want any Steeler or Ravens on my team because I just can’t root for them to do well. It’s a dilemma. But lucky for me, there’s plenty of talent in the NFL so I can field a pretty good team without any Steelers or Ravens.

If I put my “homer” status aside, are there any Browns that are truly worth picking up in Fantasy Football? And what about actually starting? I’m here to tell you there are 3 that should be starting in every Fantasy Football league, and a few more guys that could turn out to be starters by the end of the season, or at least good bye-week replacements.

The Obvious first choice is Peyton Hillis. Cleveland’s own Madden cover-boy is ranked 4th best RB overall in most of the online stat comparison’s I’ve seen from last year. With Hardesty still recovering from the knee injury, Hillis will be sharing carries with Brandon Jackson.
While Jackson looks to be a good 3rd down back, Hillis should still be getting the majority of the carries as well as the goal line shots so his fantasy numbers will remain strong this year.

Next, and this one may surprise you, is Phil Dawson. This is a team with a new Head Coach learning a new offensive scheme in a shortened practice season. I anticipate it will take them a while to get everything clicking so in the meantime; Dawson’s field goal kicking will be a big part of the offense.

Finally, at tight end we have Ben Watson and Evan Moore. While Ben did well with the fantasy points last year, Moore has been burning up training camp. He’s clicking with Colt McCoy and is showing that he wants to be the man this year. The Browns also have some questionable talent in the wide receiving group, so while they are sorting that out, the tight ends will be the “go to” guys for Colt on his progressions. Watson is the smart choice for a fantasy starter but Moore is a great pick up if you want to hedge your bets for later in the season.

As a “homer” I hope and pray that Colt McCoy becomes fantasy gold. But this year if you want to take a chance, pick him up in later rounds. This offense could start clicking mid-season and you might find you’ve got a good bye-week or injury replacement. Also, if he does prove to be the QB of the future, he would make a good Keeper for next year. As for Josh Cribbs, it’s hard to know exactly how he will be used this year. As a kick returner? With the new NFL rules on kicks I don’t see many opportunities for the big run-back for a TD so that hurts Cribb’s value. As a WR? Too risky for me. But again, he is a guy you could grab in round 14 and hold on to “just in case.”

So to all you wannabe NFL Managers out there… don’t overlook the Browns.
Don’t assume that because they’ve been knocked down to the 28th position in the NFL power rankings that they don’t have a few stud players. Because they do. And that should give all “Homers” like me the hope that the Browns have some great pieces to build around and that the future is nothing but bright for the team and all of my fellow “Homers.”

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

Really, how important IS the QB in the NFL?

2011-08-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Colt McCoy. #12. Camp Colt. Rookie. Longhorn. Future. Or should that one be Future "?". This year will decide Colt's fate as a starter in the NFL and as the future of the Cleveland Browns. Head Coach Pat Shurmer has named Colt the starting QB. This has fans debating the need for a veteran WR to be picked up in free agency. They are also saying that we'd have a better chance to win with Seneca Wallace taking snaps. I take more of a long-term view of this season, and a more realistic one.

Let's first face the reality that this team, no matter how much we love them, is not going to the Super Bowl this year. There, I said it. Not gonna happen. And that's ok. No, it's not ok that the Browns can't dominate the AFC but it is ok that I can see this team for who they are, that I can see the direction Holmgren and Heckert are moving in, that I can "drink the koolaid" and see a future where the Browns are a team that makes me proud.

As long as they are making progress, I'm willing to give them a little more time for this rebuilding process. I understand the frustration with the word "rebuilding." Heck, we've been doing it since 1999! That is unacceptable, and yet I feel that we are finally getting the right people in the right places at the top to create our dynasty. One of the keys to doing that is selecting the right QB, or at least that's what everyone tells me.

Having Seneca Wallace or Jarrett Brown start doesn't make sense. I've heard the argument that "Seneca gives us the best chance to win now." Fine, so we win 8 games, finish 8-8 and in third place in our division and... what? Season over. But what did we learn? What do we know about the team for next year, or about Colt McCoy? How do we enter next year's draft without knowing if we have our QB of the future? We don't. Colt has to play this year to we can figure out exactly what we have. And we have to give them time to learn the West Coast Offense to see if that is the right scheme for this group of players. And if we are lucky, Holmgren-Heckert-Shurmur have come up with the right formula of players and game plans and we are going to see some great things going forward.

Picking up an veteran WR in free agency sounds great. Give Colt a set of sure hands to catch his passes and evaluate his skills. And give us fans some wins. But at what cost? How much are we willing to pay for a rent-a-receiver for the year? A WR isn't the final piece we need to get to the playoffs... it'd be very nice, but it's really not necessary. Sorry, but that's the reality of this team. I once argued for getting a WR - Derrick Mason in particular. However, you can still evaluate Colt's skills without great WR's. You can still judge his accuracy, his arm strength, his leadership while guys are dropping balls. And you can judge the guys currently on the roster. This receiving core needs to be evaluated as well. As a fan I think it is going to make for some bad games. But it's still the truth. We are rebuilding and this is part of the process.

I decided to do a little research and looked at the past five seasons in the NFL, 2006-2010. I looked at wins, loses, playoffs, and the number of QB's to start each game. STARTING QB. Not everyone who took a snap. Just Starters. Well surprise surprise - we are not the worst team in the NFL! Oh, it's close, but still.... three teams in worse shape than us!

Detroit Lions 23% wins, 6 QB's, 0 super bowls
St Louis Rams 26% wins, 7 QB's, 0 super bowls
Oakland Raiders 30% wins, 8 QB's, 0 super bowls
Cleveland Browns 35% wins, 8 QB's, 0 super bowls

Seeing a pattern here? Let's look at the top four teams:

Pittsburgh Steelers 64% wins, 3 QB's (because of Ben's injury), 2 super bowls
San Diego Chargers 69% wins, 1 QB, 0 super bowls
Indianapolis Colts 76% wins, 1 QB, 2 super bowls
New England Patriots 79% wins, 2 QB's (injury to Brady), 1 super bowl

Wow - Only team to have more starting QB's over the past five season is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 9 but they've had a ton of injuries and STILL managed to land a 44% winning stat.

What have we learned here, people? Well, I've learned that if you don't have that top Go-To Guy, the "Ace" QB, the Leader in the Huddle, statistics show that your team is going to suck. Harsh reality, but there it is. So, if H.H.S. needs some time to evaluate Colt and decide if he's our guy, I'm willing to let them have this year to do that. Because that is the single biggest question facing the Browns right now. I know that we are ALL tired of rebuilding but won't it be nice to at least have the QB piece of our puzzle nailed down? Then fans can feel good about buying their ticket to ride the Colt Bandwagon. I know I will.

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

Up close and TOO personal? Fans vs Athletes

2011-08-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Back in the good old days - and I mean the 1980's - if you wanted to send a message to your favorite pro athlete, it took some time. You had to write a letter, put a stamp on it, mail it, and about five days later it would arrive at the offices of the team he played for. Then maybe, just maybe, within another week or two it would actually get to the player. And usually, between the time that you were motivated to fire off a letter and your actually getting it ready to mail, you were no longer really upset by whatever motivated you to write in the first place. You had some cool-down time. And you just tore up the letter and went on with your day.

Typically, it was kids who actually mailed fan letters to their sports heroes. If they were very lucky, they would check the mailbox everyday for a month or two and one happy day, find either a form letter or a picture with a machine printed signature on it. And danced all the way into the house to show dad what they got.

In the '90's, we all got computers and the Internet. We could look up players on websites and get their email addresses. We could fire off nasty emails when they made us made, either by bad game play or by something that they reportedly said. Either way, our actions were immediate - we angrily banged the keys on the computer and fired off a wickedly rude email. And then we were done. On the other end, who knew if the player ever even read the emails. My guess was that they had assistants who would "filter" the emails and shield them from the rough stuff sent by crazy fanatics.

Then we come to today. We have FaceBook and Twitter. We have the Blogosphere. We have fans expressing opinions on talk radio. Whoever you are, if you have an opinion on a team or an athlete, there are MANY venues for you to use to get your message out. And there are no filters. And once you say something, it's out there for anyone to see. And you can't take it back.

To make matters worse, our favorite athletes are also out there, trying to be more accessible than ever. They are FaceBook-ing and Tweeting every day, and responding to fans like never before. Fans are now able to get up close and personnal with athletes, and, in my opinion, TOO personnal. No one on either side of the fence THINKS before the TWEET. They just fire off the first thing that pops into their heads. That is both the "Beauty" and the "Beast" of social media like FaceBook and Twitter.

Sports is a Passion for fans but has become a Business for the athletes. As fans, we often forget this fact. We expect them to have the same love and devotion for our team and our city that we do and that is just not the case. We lash out without thinking because we FEEL so much for out team. We don't take the time to consider that the person on the receiving end of our sharp tongue/key strokes is, indeed, a PERSON. We would never say these things to one of our friends or family members, yet while we feel that we "own" our team's athletes, we don't treat them very well.

Now, I am not advocating censorship or even filtering. I'm just asking people to think a bit about what they are putting out there. A simple "lol" at the end of a comment let's everyone know that you are being sarcastic or kidding or not intending to hurt someone's feelings. And if you really are angry, and if you really would say the same things to a person who was standing in front of you, then please don't be surprised when athletes react. They are people too and have the same feelings that you do. And are equally guilty of lashing out when they feel attacked. It's all part of the new world we live in.

So the next time you want to criticize an athlete, by all means, go ahead. But don't expect them just to take it. And don't be surprised if they strike back. I understand that they make obscene amounts of money to play a game and be in the public eye. For that compensation, they lose their privacy and there are expectations placed on them by the "people paying their salaries." A thick-skin is required as part of the deal when they sign on the dotted line. I get all of that.

But I am also incredibly thankful that every mistake I make isn't viewed by millions of people. And that those people don't have permission to rip me to shreads for it wherever the can. #JustSayin

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

Class of 2011 NFL Hall Of Fame

2011-08-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Getting lost in all the hype over the end of the NFL lockout and the rapid-fire trading going on is the fact that this weekend is the Enshrinement Ceremony for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2011. Shannon Sharpe, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Chris Hanburger, and Les Richter are this year's inductees. I think each of these gentlemen has left his mark on football - and in the records books.

Shannon Sharpe - wasn't always a commentator for CBS Sports. He was also one of the best Tight Ends to ever play football. With 815 catches and over 10,000 yards, Shannon sets the mark for other TE's. Except for two years spent in Baltimore working under the watchful eye of one of his heroes, Ozzie Newsome, he spent his career as a Denver Bronco. He won two Super Bowls as a Bronco and one as a Raven. Since I hate both of those teams, that is all I have to say about that. Oh, except that his brother, Sterling, a former NFL player himself, will introduce him at the ceremony.

Deion Sanders - Prime Time - may truly be the most feared pass defender to ever play the game. Ranked as the 4th fastest football player in NFL history, Sanders is one of the best athletes of all time. He started his career as a baseball player before moving to football. He remains the only player in history to hit a home run and score a touch down in the same week. He is also the only player to be in the World Series AND the Super Bowl. Finally, is only the second player to score a TD in the NFL six different ways: punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, fumble recovery, and interception return. Damn!

Marshall Faulk - 1999 NFL Offensive player of the year and Pro Bowl starter, Faulk is known best for his rushing, but it was his receiving abilities that made him truly dangerous. The Tennessee Titans found this out first hand in Super Bowl XXXIV where Jeff Fischer was able to scheme his defense so that Faulk was held to just 17 yards rushing. However, the 90 yards he got through the air was enough to win the St Louis Rams the Lombardi Trophy. He retired due to knee problems in 2006 with 12,279 rushing yards and 6,875 passing yards. That's nearly 20,000 yards in 13 seasons people! Do the math!

Richard Dent - Da Bears. That's what I know about him. I remember the SNL skits withe Da Bears fans and the refrigerator Perry and Jim McMahon wearing his Rozelle sweat band. And through all that,
Dent just kept kicking butt and taking names on the defensive side of the ball and earned himself the MVP of Super Bowl XX trophy. He also was on the Super Bowl XXIX San Fran 49ers team even though he was injured most of the season. Now, in my opinion, the best film to watch of Dent involves YouTube and search term "Super Bowl Shuffle." But that just might be me.

Ed Sabol - was the president and one of the founding members of NFL Films. He is partly responsible for "Hard Knocks." Enough said.

Chris Hanburger - "The Hangman" - a linebacker who played his entire career with the Washington Redskins, 1965-1978. Like many players of his generation, he went into the Army before going to college at UNC. After playing both sides of the ball as a Tarheel, Center and Linebacker, he was drafted by the Redskins. The nine-time Pro Bowler and 1972 NFL Defensive Player of the Year still couldn't get past the Miami Dolphins during their perfect season. While the Redskins only allowed 14 points to the Dolphins in Super Bowl VII, it was all Miami needed. On a side note, my mom's cousin Doug Crusan #77 was a member of that Dolphin team, so it's all good.

Les Richter - Drafted in 1952 by the Dallas Texans, he was then traded in one of the most lop-sided eleven-player trades in NFL history and ended up a Los Angeles Ram. (For the record, the largest player trade remains at 15 between Cleveland and Baltimre back in '53. Don't get me started on THAT! Who trades away Don Shula!) As a Linebacker & Guard, his stats include 16 interceptions. His stats also include 106 extra points and 29 field goals. Yep that's right - he was also the team's kicker! I could not even imagine the whining and crying that would go on now if a player was asked to play both sides of the ball on every down or play linebacker and THEN kick the ball. Unfortunately, the NFL waited too long to give the HOF to Richter as he has passed away. I'm sure it will be an emotional day for his son who will be at the enshrinement on his behalf.

So there you have it - the Class of 2011. I'll be at the enshrinement ceremonies so that I can see these seven pieces of NFL history be given their accolades. And I'll be clapping and celebrating for all of them. Without these guys, and especially Hanburger and Richter, we wouldn't have the NFL that we all know and love today. Thanks guys!

Respectfully Submitted,

K8

I miss baseball - stuck with Cricket!

2011-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm in Liverpool, UK, on vacation with my daughter and suffering from Sports Withdrawal. I've got limited Internet time and with the time difference (5 hours ahead of US), it's hard to track what's happening on my timeline. In an effort to get my sports Jones soothed, I'm watching the English sports channel SKY. They are showing Cricket. Oy.

As best as I can figure, and using baseball terms, there are two teams of 11 players. The game is divided into innings and a game can last for up to five days. One team takes the field, the other team sends out two batters (batsmen). The inning is over after teach member of the batting team has had an at-bat. Also, there are no "outs" like in baseball - you have to retire the batter. All eleven of them. I guess now I see why it can last up to five days.

So. The pitcher (bowler) throws the ball and tries to hit the catcher (wicket). A wicket is a set of sticks set up behind the batter so the batter hits the ball away from the sticks. If the pitcher hits the sticks, or if one of the outfielders catches the ball after it has been hit but before it hits the ground, the batter is "retired." He can hit the ball even if it bounces on the way to home plate. If the ball is put in play, then he is still "up." The other 10 players in the outfield are in a circle around this little rectangle between home and second base. It's called a "pitch." Now, the second batter is standing behind the pitcher at second base. If the batter puts the ball into play, he and the guy on second try to run straight across the field (pitch) and change places. This is how they score a run.And that's all I got. Watched for an hour, listened to the commentators, and that's about all I've been able to figure out. Now, these people may speak English but I'm telling you it's like the announcers have marbles in their mouths because I could barely understand them. And maybe it's just because I'm a typical American Sports Fan with ADD, but Cricket reminds me of Soccer from the standpoint that this game can go on for days and no one seems to care. I kinda like having an idea when a game will end... but maybe it's just me.

I love football, but I've grown to like baseball quite a bit over the past 15 years or so. And one of the things I like is the relationship between baseball and the number 3. I'm a numbers girl and typically

I only like even numbers, but there is something magical about the number 3 - at least that is what I was taught by School House Rock back in the 70's. (see You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA69pmhrBiE) And 3 is all over baseball.

3 outs per inning. 3 sets of 3 innings per game (3x3+9). 3 bases (home is a plate, not a base) 3 important stats in the box score: Runs, Hits, Errors. And most usually, 3 hours from first pitch to last. The 3's are all over the game and seem somehow comforting to someone like me with OCD. But Crickett? Well, it's just not for me. Too bad there's nothing else on the telly over here.

I sure do miss baseball...

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Cleveland Indians - No Trades, Size Matters

2011-07-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the writing's on the wall and it ain't pretty. While the Cleveland Indians have managed (through great pitching and timely hits) to stay in first place, people still don't seem to believe. And by "People" I mean Team Management. I don't think THEY believe in this team and with what's happened over the past week, I'm willing to bet they don't make ANY moves before the trade deadline.

The injury to Grady Sizemore that has him on the 15-day DL - AGAIN - For the THIRD time - was the final straw. They were this close (holding my thumb and forefinger really close together) to being a serious World Series contender.
All they needed was another bat. The pitching is straightening itself out with a little help from the minors - see David Huff. We've got arguably the best Bullpen and Closer going right now, so if Justin (Just Nasty-son) Masterson and Josh Tomlin could get a little help on the starting side, our pitching is looking pretty good. The problem, as we all know, has been hitting.

The Indians are not good enough to live by the "long ball." They played smart baseball at the beginning of the year, getting hits and bunting and sac flies; doing the little things as directed by Manny Acta to get runs on the board. But as the season has gone on, pitchers are lucky to get 2 runs out of the offense and that lack of run support has hurt.

Shapiro and Antonetti have been clear that the Tribe is working it's "Rebuilding Plan" and that being in first place this year has been a surprise. They are at least a year ahead of schedule. They are not willing to sacrifice prospects just to add a rent-a-bat. But pressure from fans was changing their minds. I could feel them sway to the side of "well, maybe we better take another look at do something."

As Cleveland Fans, we all know that there's no guarantees for "Next Year." We've learned to appreciate the moment and take what we've got and run with it. We need to run with this team, not tell them they are playing above their heads and that they really aren't any good. These guys are exactly where their talent has taken them. And if Asdrubal's web gems every day aren't enough, we've got a guy on pace to win 20 games (Tomlin) and another guy going for 40 saves (Perez). Hello? That is awesome and we should be celebrating it.Indians management should be getting these guys the help the need to cross the last hurdle. Instead, they have been dragging their feet. And now Grady is hurt. I truly believe that this is the end of trade talks. Other teams are going to be tough to negotiate with and Management is going to use that as the excuse for not getting a deal done.

The reality is much simpler: they don't believe in this team. They won't give up Pomeranz, Kipnis, White, Hagadone.... for a bat because they don't believe. If they truly believed in this team, they would give up one prospect for a World Series shot. We all would. But Size matters. And this injury to Grady Sizemore has tipped the scales away from "Hope" and back to "Rebuilding." I just wish Management believed in this team as much as the fans do. Even if we don't go to the games, we still believe.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Browns Preview - All about the "Six M's"

2011-07-17T05:52:00.001-07:00

The end of the NFL lockout is looming - and the sun about to shine on me again. I have been lost the past months without talk of training camp, possible trades, injury reports, etc., to use in planning my Fantasy Football team for this year. Since I can't figure out a way to get a Head Coaching job in the NFL, that is as close as I can get to the sport I love. And with talks of the upcoming season finally getting underway, it's time to take a look at the Cleveland Browns and my expectations for them this year.

The struggle we've had has Browns fans has largely been due to the teams under performance for the past 20+ years and I blame that on the inconsistencies at the top. Coaching and GM changes have left us without an identity, without a direction. I am finally hopeful that, under President Mike Holmgren, things will change. And I am also hopeful that Head Coach Pat Shurmur will be here a while so that we can regain our identity, and our pride, as Browns Fans.

We've already been told that we are moving to the 4-3 defense and the West Coast offense. The lockout has hindered that effort, but reports are everywhere that the players themselves are trying to keep the movement going. Major props to Scott Fujita for taking the leadership role with the defense. On the one day that the players were able to go to the facility and talk to coaches, he was given a play book and has used this off time to work with the defense. Equal props to Colt McCoy who is working with his offensive counterparts on the WC. No matter how well Fujita and McCoy prepare their teammates, no one can deny that these two have stepped up and taken the leadership roles for this team and that they want to be the guys to lead us into a new future with "Winning" as a core value for a change.

The West Coast Offense is, simply put, a way to use the horizontal pass to open up the run game and the long pass game. With this in mind, my key players to watch this year, the guys who will decide if the Browns "sink or swim," are the "Six M's": McCoy, Montario, Moore, Massaquoi, Mitchell, and Mack.

Colt McCoy is the obvious choice for key player. As the QB and leader of the offense, it's up to him to work out the new WC offense and manage the games. While he ran hot and cold last year (v New England and v Pittsburgh), he showed that he has the "Football Smarts" we need in a QB. He will have the advantage of being the named starter which means he'll be taking all the practice snaps with the first team and that wasn't the case last year. He managed to play really well at times while not having the necessary practice time and coaching that a starting QB gets. This year, he'll have no excuses for bad games.

Montario Hardesty missed the 2010 regular season due to injury. As a second round draft choice, he is expected to have an immediate impact on this team. With Peyton Hillis - The Great White Buffalo - having such a great year last year, we should have serious competition for the main running back position. In his one and only game before being injured, he had 7 carries for 25 yards and a TD. Not too shabby. Perhaps he needs to keep a copy of Madden '12 in his locker to remain focused on the goal. I hope he does make a better RB than Hillis... two RB's that get 10+ TD's and 1,100+ yards? The "H & H Factor" could be amazing.

Moore, Massaquoi, and Mitchell. TE, WR, and WR. A lot of concern has been expressed regarding the receivers for this team, their lack of experience, and their lack of production. The Browns scored a mere 13 passing touchdowns last year, and two of those were to Peyton Hillis and one was thrown by Massaquoi himself. The Browns ranked 30th in the NFL for passing touchdowns scored. 30th! I find that unacceptable, and I have to assume that the conversion to the West Coast Offense means that Mike Holmgren does as well. If these three players can increase their production to simply five TD's each, then we've already improved over last year.

Alex Mack. As one of the top three centers in the NFL, he has proven he has what it takes to anchor the offensive line and, with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, can open spaces for Hillis and Hardesty to run through. They can also give Colt the time he needs to get the ball out quickly, a key in the new WC offense. After being selected to the Pro Bowl last year to replace an injured Nick Mangold, Mack should play well enough this year to make it there on his own. It's looking more and more like FB Lawrence Vickers will not be a factor for the Browns rushing game this year, so that just makes Mack and his fellow lineman more important.

Pundits and sports authorities will throw out a bunch players to watch and suggest players that the Browns should be trying to get in Free Agency. I submit that we have all of the pieces that we need right now to make a run at winning the AFC North division. No, we are not ready for the Super Bowl - I'm not that crazy. But I do believe that winning the division is possible with the help of the new offensive and defensive schemes, as well as the improved play of the "Six M's." We should be able to get back the respect that we lost years ago and that alone is enough to make any Browns fan smile.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

James Harrison - Crazy? or Crazy like a Fox?

2011-07-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

If there’s one thing you can say about Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, it’s that they are “Nice Guys.” And if you were asked to say one thing about Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker James Harrison, “Nice” wouldn’t be that thing.
I’m sure you’ve all heard about the stupid things Harrison said last May to an interviewer from Men’s Journal which they conveniently waited to release until this week in their August issue. Well, calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "stupid," "a puppet" and "a dictator" isn’t “Nice,” and it also isn’t “Smart.”

While Brady, Brees, and Manning are repping the players organization to try and get a deal done to end this lockout, which, by the way better be done by July 26th because that is when I get back from vacation and I will need to get my fantasy draft kit ordered or the NFL and I will have serious BEEF. ARGrrrrr! Where was I, oh yeah, the lockout.

I understand the majority of issues the players and owners need to work out and I believe that things need to change for the NFL to continue. And, if you sort through all the crap that Harrison is quoted as saying, there are also some very valid points. The problem is, people listen to guys like Brees and Manning because they are “Nice” and “Civilized.” Unfortunately, people will disregard what Harrison said because he comes off as some kind of gun toting wacko, just another of the NFL’s problem children.

But sometimes a good message can be delivered in a really crappy package…. And I can see two serious issues that Harrison raises which need to be addressed as they are a large part of what needs fixing in the NFL. First – player safety.
Adding more games to the season will almost guarantee more injuries. Throwing flags and handing out fines isn’t going to stop them either. I’m hopeful that the new agreement involves some type of guaranteed contract terms for all players. Tackling someone high up may risk concussion, but from a players prospective it’s better than blowing out a knee and missing the rest of the season. With some kind of guaranteed terms in all contracts, players can go back to tackling the old fashioned way – low and hard and mean.

The other issue that Harrison brings up is the fact that Goodell, as the NFL commissioner, has the final say on fines and sanctions. Now, Harrison doesn’t come right out and say this. No, that silly rabbit tried to accuse Goodell of being a racist and of assessing different fines against him based on the color of the player he hit in the game. I’m really getting tired of the racism card being thrown around by highly paid athletes so I’m just ignoring that.

But the basis of what he said is still valid – The league imposes a fine and then the player has to appeal it to Commissioner Goodell. Yeah, like those fines ever get reduced or rescinded. I’m again hopeful that the new agreement sets up a different system for team and league sanctions to be assessed, as well as the appeal process that follows along with them.

As much as I want the lockout to end, I do truly believe that the NFL needed to take a hard look at itself and make some changes and I hope that the new system takes care of the both the current players properly AND the retired players.

And finally, I hope that James Harrison can explain his comments in a “Nice” way to the Rooney family once the lockout ends and they are allowed to talk again. Because at the end of the day, no matter how many times he is the Defensive player of the year, no matter how many Pro Bowls he goes to or Super Bowl rings he has, I don’t want Harrison in a Browns uniform. I’m not saying the Browns players should be “Nice” but they sure as heck need to be “Smart” – and we can all agree that Harrison sure isn’t “Smart.”

I’m Kate – and that’s my Take.

Kate's Take - Getting over it

2011-07-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard a lot of talk and speculation lately on why people are not going to Indians games and I have the answer. I blame LeBron.

A year ago I was nervous and excited about watching “The Decision.” A year ago our sports lives were all changed very dramatically. But that decision taught me more about ME as a fan, than it did about LeBron.

LeBron James, his on-court shrinkage, his not finishing games, his leadership problems – those are his problems. They are not mine, and they are not yours. Not anymore. We need to look at OUR behavior as fans over the past year, and it’s not pretty. We’ve been the butt of jokes; we’ve been portrayed as bitter, angry, uneducated and unsportsmanlike. And that is what bothers me. “Unsportsmanlike.”

I have never rooted against a player like this before. I never wished harm on Terry Bradshaw or Franco Harris – unless it was at the hands of Sam Rutigliano’s boys , Thom Darden, and Dick Ambrose. I didn’t celebrate when Big Papi struck out – unless it was against Cliff Lee. I never wished them the kind of pain I wished on LeBron. I have never been “Unsportsmanlike.” Until now.

Before the decision, being a fan was about having a TEAM. Yes we rooted for individual players but we always knew in some part of our logical mind that they were just playing on a team that we were competing against. It wasn’t personal like that. It was city vs city. But WE took the decision personally. And I don’t like the kind of fan that I became this year.

People are still telling us to get over it, and most of us say we have, or that the media won’t let us. I disagree. In order to truly get over it, we have to “own” our part in what happened. WE let a single person become bigger than a team. WE let a single person bear the weight of all the hopes & dreams of an entire city, no, of a country with Cleveland Sports Fans transplanted all over, and we felt cheated when he left without bringing us that ring.

Well, we need to know that it wasn’t our fault as fans that he left; which brings me right back to the Tribe. I truly do believe that there are fans staying away from the Indians games because of LeBron. Our hearts were broken last year and many of us are afraid to connect to another team, another player, that way again.

So we watch from home, cheer when they win, and say “I told you so” when they lose. We complain about the players, the price of parking & beer, and the traffic. And through all that, the Indians are still in First Place. We can’t deny it anymore – this team is for real.

Now, I am calling “Shenannigan’s.” Stop making excuses and just admit that you are afraid to hope again. We are Cleveland. We are Believe-land. We can’t distance ourselves from our sports. It’s not who we are. We are sports fans who live and breathe with our teams. And it’s time to let it go and embrace the Tribe again.
Today I am going to take my first real step towards getting over it – I am buying tickets to the game tonight and I am going out on a date with the Indians. I think that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship for us. And I think you will feel a lot better if you try it too.

I’m Kate, and that’s my take.

MLB All-Star Game: time for a change

2011-07-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well. I think we can all agree that there are flaws in the MLB All-Star game process. Controversy abounds every year regarding player selection, pitching line-up, and DH/no DH ballparks. And it is warranted by virtue of the fact that the MLB is the only major sport who's All-Star Game has an impact on deciding the champion for that season.

Perhaps the other sports can offer some insight on how to keep the MLB ASG entertaining while also being meaningful.

NFL Pro Bowl. Let's face it, the Pro Bowl game is boring. I've never once had a debate with someone regarding Pro Bowl selections. I don't even care how they do it. Until last year, the Pro Bowl was played in Hawaii a few weeks after the Super Bowl and was considered nothing but a boondoggle (party trip paid for by the boss) by my friends and I. We never watched the game, had trouble finding it on TV even if we wanted to, and aside from being proud that one of our players made the roster, didn't really care about the outcome.

In 2010, the NFL tried to change that by putting the Pro Bowl on the weekend between the AFC/NFC Championships and the Super Bowl. Epic Failure. No player who was going to be in the Super Bowl would play. Why risk injury before the biggest sports championship in America? Not gonna happen. And frankly, the NFL can't have it all. For entertainment, we have the NFL Draft, Thursday Night Football, all day Sunday Football, Monday Night Football, Fantasy Football - geez - we love our football, but you can saturate the market. It's ok that the Pro Bowl is irrelevant. Just move it back into late February. I promise - it's ok.

NHL All-Star Game: little known fact - proceeds from this game go to the players pension fund. I kinda like that. During Olympic years, there is no All-Star game. This is so that players can represent their home countries without missing games since the Olympics line up with the midpoint of the Hockey season - at least that is how they schedule it. I kinda like that too. Finally, this year they changed the player selection format.
Fans select 6 players, NHL Hockey Operations selects 36 players, and then they vote on Captains, one for each conference (east & west). THEN, the captains hold a "fantasy draft" and pick their teammates. Conferences no longer matter. This year, it was "Team Lidstrom" vs "Team Staal." I really like that. It's more fun for the fans as well as the players and since it's just an exhibition game that is meaningless, it should be about fun and entertainment.

NBA All-Star Game: Here is where sports truly meets entertainment. The NBA definitely knows how to put on a show and All-Star Weekend is just one great event after another. Whether you are a basketball fan or not, I bet you've seen the "Dunk Contest" or the "Three-Point Contest." They are just fun to watch and it doesn't matter which team or player is your favorite. There is something in this spectacle for everyone.
The players in the NBA All-Star Game are chosen in a two-step process. First, fans vote to set the starting line-up for each squad. Then, the coaches for each squad vote for players to fill out the roster - and they are NOT allowed to vote for their own players. Oh snap! In case anyone selected cannot play due to injury or some other reason, the commissioner picks a player to fill his spot. Clean and simple. A little popularity contest filled in with some smart strategic votes to get a great group of players for a game that is all about entertainment and means absolutely nothing to the season. Works for me.

Conclusions? It seems as if the other sports have gone for "Entertainment" instead of "Meaning." I really like that the MLB ASG means something. The problem is, it feels like the game is easily manipulated to give an advantage to one side over another. Balloting has become a popularity contest. PEOPLE! This isn't Peyton Hillis getting the cover of Madden! That is a popularity contest and it works just fine for it's purposes. Vote Responsibly! The fans vote for the starting line-up so we end up with multiple starters from large market teams. My suggestion is simpler and I think works better.

First, fan voting continues HOWEVER the players chosen are the two largest vote-getters from EACH TEAM, regardless of position. That makes 30 players per division. Current roster is 34 so it should be expanded to 36. Now, coaching staff selects the starters and would pick an additional 6 players to make sure each position is covered and has a back up. Done. Simple. Everyone is happy (happier?) and frankly, each team better have two guys that the fans can vote for.

Also, it removes the dilemma of strategy. Are pitching rotations being moved around so that a guy can work the ASG? Are the ASG Managers picking their own players with an eye towards winning the game or giving them the three-day-off holiday to refresh them for the second half of the season? This game give the winner home field advantage for the World Series and in a league where pitching and DH's mean so much, that advantage is huge. I think my way appeases everyone and still makes the game fair and meaningful.

If you don't like my idea, then tell me yours... because we can all agree that something has gotta change!

Respectfully Submitted,

Kate

Cleveland Gladiators: Playoff Race!

2011-07-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Cleveland Gladiators are tied with the Pittsburgh Power atop the American Conferences Eastern Division with records of 8-6. There are only 4 games left, and Cleveland needs to win out to ensure a playoff berth. The Gladiators play the hapless Milwaukee Mustangs this week, who are a sad 4-10. The mustangs lost to Pittsburgh last week by a score of 39-38. Milwaukee had the lead and fumbled with 22 seconds left and let the Power score to lose the game. The Gladiators beat the San Jose SaberCats last week 82-21 with some amazing defense and nine turnovers. They should beat the snot out of the Mustangs this week.

Defensive beasts Levy Brown (Florida A&M) has 83 solos tackles, Joe Phinisee (Walsh)has 62 and Demarcus Robinson (Henderson State) has 52. They should have a monster game this week. They, along with Tim Cheatwood (OSU) will be the key for the Gladiators as they finish up the season. QB Kurt Rocco is impressive, as are his favorite targets Robert Redd and Troy Bergeron, but it will be their defense that steps up and wins this for them. They are tied for 5th in the AFL power rankings this week in part because of the great defensive play against the SaberCats.

After Milwaukee, the Gladiators travel to Philadelphia to play the Soul. They beat them earlier this season by a score of 59-41 in a game that was closer than the final score would make you think. However, they should win that one as well. It will all come down to the following game at home – July 15th - against Pittsburgh. Assuming that Pitt wins their next two games, that home game could will decide the winner of our conference and a trip to the playoffs.

It's great to have a winning team here in Cleveland and fans should really take a look at the AFL. I know the Indians are trying to get a division win, but if you love football like I do, then the AFL is the best place for you to be.

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

2011-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-06-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

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

Here's a blog I wrote back on June 18th with my thoughts on Boxing.
************************************************************************

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?

2011-06-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

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

I think I hate cable TV

2010-03-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

So maybe those are strong words, but can someone explain to me why my cable company keeps changing the channel numbers? I just got use to the new numbers, and woke up this morning to them all being gone.... and new ones have taken their place.

I mean really? Why does it matter if USA is on 441 or 1201? There were already too many channels of "yuck" to sort through to find the few shows I like to watch and now they've added another 600 or so to the mix?

And that's all I have to say about that.....

A meaningful anniversary

2010-03-07T08:42:00.001-08:00

So, today is J and my 23rd wedding anniversary. It used to be that you only made a big deal about the "even" numbers.... 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. Well, it seems to me that they should all be a big deal. In this day and age of the easy divorce, every year that we have together means something. Some have been good, and some have, frankly, been bad, but we've found a way to stay together for 23 years and that matters. At least it does to us. And I have to say it's kinda cool that our kids are as excited about it as we are.

Last night, we went out to dinner with some friends to "Zocalo," a mexican restaurant in downtown Cleveland and then over to Hilarities 4th Street Theater to see Dom Irrera. It was a great night - very good food at a surprisingly reasonable price ($80 for the four of us, without alcohol, for two appetizers, four dinners, and a shared dessert - and that ain't bad!). Definitely will go back. And Dom Irrera was a scream. We laughed and laughed and just had a great time.

But what sticks out for me the most was our daughter Lafawnduh. She's a freshman at the University of Akron and came home for the weekend because of our anniversary. She was helping me do my hair last night and said "I just thinks it's cool that you and dad still love each other." Almost made me cry. It's memories like this that I think about when I wonder if we've been good parents.

If you are lucky enough to have a wedding anniversary, whether it's a traditionally big one or just a small one, whether it's year 6 or year 26, make sure you celebrate. Make sure you say a little "thank you" to whatever god you believe in. An really, just take a moment to pat YOURSELF on the back. Marriage sure as hell ain't easy, but if you are in a good, one, it's worth the work.

Respectfully Submitted,
K8

Alice in 3D

2010-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

The Cheese and I like to go to movies. I enjoy any time that I can spend with my ultra-independent 17-year-old. Tonight, we went to see "Alice In Wonderland" in 3D.

Very cool movie - effects were awesome. A little of the "flying in your face" stuff, but not much. Mostly, the glasses added a depth to the screen that was very cool. I think I am the only person left on the planet who has not seen Avatar, but I hear the effects are similar.

Not my favorite Johnny Depp performance, but Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover were amazing. Definitely worth seeing in the theater - don't wait for the DVD and watch it at home. Some movies are best with the big screen experience.

And if you have a teenager at home, take them to the movies. While you may think this is not a "quality time" endeavor because you can't talk during a film, my beautiful daughter talked my ear off in the car the whole way there and home again. I think we talked more tonight than we have in the past month. That, my friends, was worth the price of admission.

Respectfully submitted,
K8

Nothing much happened today

2010-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Nothing much happened today. The same people at work irritated me, but I didn't kill anyone. I made lamb chops, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles and chicken for dinner and everyone ate every bite. The boys came over and worked in the basement some more. Lafawnduh came home from college for an emergency orthodontist appointment. The dog didn't crap anywhere in the house. No one took my van keys and none of the cars broke down. It was a fairly boring day.

Oh, except I found a new way to get the boys to leave before midnight... I just texted my husband and offered him sexual favors if he said good night to the boys right now. He's walking them to the door. Gotta go! Woo Hoo!

Maybe something "much" WILL happen today.
:)

Respectfully Submitted,
K8

The little things.... that tick me off

2010-03-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

It takes a lot to tick me off. I'm not entirely sure why. It could be a lot of things that shaped this particular trait of mine, but I don't think the reasons matter. I tend to roll with it. After all, when a problem arises, I can't fix it if I am busy screaming and yelling. I accept it, roll with it, and move on. Except for today.

This morning, J got up later than he wanted to. Apparently, he had a 7:30 meeting that he forgot to mention which means I was suppose to psychically know that he wasn't suppose to hit the snooze button twice and I was suppose to yell at him to get up and go to work. Ooops. My bad. Who knew? So, while he was in the bathroom getting ready, and muttering to himself, I made sure our daughter The Jew was up and moving because she works for him and they ride together. I could hear D1 (or is he D2? or maybe R2?) moving around so I assumed he got the message about the earlier-than-usual time of departure.

The three grumpy amigos scooted out the door at 6:50, which isn't bad since J wanted to leave by 6:45, and off they went. That just left me and The Cheese at home. At 7:30, as she is asking me (yet again - get a job woman!) for lunch/gas money, I grab my purse. Lunch money? check. Crackberry? check. Van keys? Um, van keys? Hello... van keys? no check. Crap. Who drove my van last? The Jew. The daughter in the car that is already on the turnpike and headed for Akron. I feel a bad sense of foreboding....

I quickly text her thinking to avoid 20 minutes of key-searching by simply asking her where the keys are. "Oh, mom, I'm so sorry" is the text I get in return. The keys are in her purse. She calls me, all "sorry" and "I feel so bad." Eh. Shit happens. She offers to drive her dad's car home when she gets to work and bring me the keys. No worries, I tell her. I'll have The Cheese take me to work. And I meant it. It wasn't a big deal. A little inconvenient, but really, we could work around it. As she hung up the phone I could hear J in the background yelling about the situation. Not sure what he was mad about - HE wasn't going to have a 17 year old drive HIM to work. But that's one of the biggest differences between me and the hubby. He hasn't learned to just say "Eh."

I get to work and share my morning events with the rest of the peeps in the "bullpen." You see, I work in a room with five other people and we call it a "bullpen." We each have our own space, but really no privacy. Everyone sees and hears everything. After five years, I thought I was use to it. Today we would learn otherwise...... dun dun dun insert melodramatic music here... The guys are all like J, outraged at the situation and sharing their righteous anger at the stupid things kids do and they launch into their own "oh, yeah, well my kid once did this" stories. I just shrugged my shoulders and said "Eh."

All good, right? The day went on, work was done, meetings were had. It was typical. Until lunchtime. The guys all go to lunch together almost every day. Today, they decided to grab sandwiches from a deli next door and eat at their desks. And that's when the problem started.

One of the guys bought a bag of potato chips. As I sat at my desk, with my back to him, I could hear the bag rip open and the crinkle of the chips. I heard every crunch he made as he ate, as if it were fingernails on a chalk board. I couldn't hear anything else. For 15 minutes. I thought I would go nuts. And then I started to notice other things, the way he makes this "slurp" noise when he drinks, the way he "heavy" walks across the room so that my monitor sways, the way he breathes through his mouth as if he just got done running a marathon.

What happened? Where did this all come from? Why did I want to walk across the room and choke the life out of him and tell him to just shut up!!!!!!!!! It was like Chinese water torture or something. I couldn't concentrate. I got nothing done all afternoon. It was like every sound from that corner of the room was magnified 1,000x and I was the only one that could hear it. I went to the boss and said, basically, I'd spent five years in the "bullpen" and needed a change. I begged him to consider reorganizing our space and moving me into one of the cubicles outside the "bullpen." He's thinking about it.

For now, I have no answer. PTSD maybe? Last straw on a camel carrying too much hay? I don't know. I shall have to think on this for a while. In the meantime, I had J hide all the guns and ammo in our house. I don't know if that will help, I just know that it's very odd for little things like this to make me as crazed as they did today. But I am a little nervous about the fact that tomorrow is another day, and hopefully there will NOT be a bag of chips waiting there for me.

Respectfully Submitted,
K8

The Remodel.... day 30 of a weekend project

2010-03-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is only funny if you can read it and the voice in your head sounds like Jacques Cousteau. If you don't know who he is, just stop now because you won't get it.... or google him and learn a little something about the best TV nature spokesman ever...... oh, and shame on your parents!

As we glide across the cool, smooth, gray cement of the basement floor in the "Calypso," we discover the never before seen world of the American mid-40's Male doing a remodeling project. Watch as the tall one exerts his dominance over the others in the tribe by wielding the power tool. The others move around in a kind of dance, watching, waiting for their turn to use the cordless drill. Alas, their turn will never come. They sweep sawdust from the floor, hand the alpha male more drywall screws, and then dip back again, staying out of his way. It is beautiful to behold and we are privileged to be the first to get this on film.

Wait... what is that short, stocky male doing? He seems to be working his way back to the leader, stalking his every movement. The tall one sets down the drill and reaches for something in a box in his pocket. Oh, it appears to be a cigarette. As the leader leans into his zippo to light the cigarette, the stocky one makes a quick grab for the drill. Success! Ah, but you can see it will be short lived. With a mighty roar, the leader once again must show his ownership of the drill. He grabs for it, but the stocky one will not release it... a tug-o-war ensues with the others in the pack backing up to stay out of harms way. Victoriously, the tall one regains his status and goes back to his work.

The divers on board the "Calypso" want to enter this mysterious world, mingle with these males but I am afraid. They seem completely unconcerned by our presence. And more disturbing, they seem unconcerned about the dust covering the wine rack - 183 bottles of the best vineyards of France. SACRE BLEU! It is a sad state to see how this pack takes care of it's environment. How they fight over what seems meaningless to us, the observer. But perhaps they just need further study. For now, it makes my heart weary and it makes me fear for the future of this species.

"No sooner does man discover intelligence than he tries to involve it in his own stupidity." J. C.

The boys are in the kitchen

2010-03-01T20:06:00.001-08:00

If you know that I have four daughters, then the logical conclusion to draw from the title of today's blog is that the boys in my kitchen are teenage friends of my daughters. Wrong. It's my husband and his buddies, D1 and D2. Hubby has known D1 since high school. Hubby and D2 lived together in college. And in the intervening 25 years, they see each other two or three times a year, remain friends, but perhaps are not as close as they once were. And yet "boys" is absolutely the right word for them. They are drinking scotch and laughing - dare I say "giggling" - in the other room and driving me nuts while reliving the glory days of their youth, brought together by "The Remodel."

Today is day 29 of "The Remodel." Most people talk and dream and plan for months or years before undertaking a remodeling project. Not us. Nope. Home Depot crazily approved us for a credit card and the next thing I knew, we decided to put a bathroom in the basement and I was shopping for a man-size toilet, shower, and sink. We have assisted almost all of our friends over the years with projects, so when this bright idea entered hubby's head, he called in a couple of markers and I've had D1 and D2 ever since.

Bathroom was complete in 15 days. Started January 31st, a Sunday, with me renting a cement cutter from H.D. so the boys could start the plumbing. "Don't worry, honey. Five days tops." Famous last words from the hubby. Naturally, boys in their 40's can't quite work as many hours as boys in their 20's.... and I know this because I watched these same boys do a bathroom remodel in one weekend back in their younger days. There was a lot more beer drinking then, but there wasn't as much cracking of bones and creaking of joints and ibuprophen....

Anyway, after being admonished to not "girly up" the bathroom, they sent me off to buy floor tile, paint, etc. I went with a brown/olive green theme that looks very nice and isn't remotely "girly." Day 15 approached and it looked like construction was complete... My husbands "Man Cave" had a "Manly Bathroom." And really it does make a lot of sense. He keeps all of his power tools, etc, down there so it would be very nice for him to have a place to clean up before coming upstairs. And also, it would be very convenient for him if he needed to go potty. Now, he wouldn't have to come all the way up the stairs to go.

But then I made my big mistake. I referred to the new bathroom as his "Office." (smack myself in the forehead) "Hey babe, we could build an office down here too." We can't build a bedroom - he informs me - because we would be required by code to add a second egress so it has to be an office. Gawd. Studs up? Check. Drywall hung? Check. Tape and Mud applied? Check. Tonight he bought the wood flooring. Next step is primer and paint, then floor, and then final little electrical things, and then I think it's done.

Did I mention that this is day 29? All day Saturday, All day Sunday, and Every day after work until at least 11 pm. For the last 29 days. That is the schedule for the boys to work. My job is to be nice and polite to the boys. To keep the coffee pot full. And to stay out of the way unless they need me to go to the store. Basically, I've been pretending to be June Freakin' Cleaver for the last 29 days and I may just explode before this is done.

Oh, and I get to pick out the paint color. Hubby said "run on up to H.D. and get some paint for the walls" yesterday. Really? Are you serious? You can't just walk up to that intimidating wall of paint samples at H.D. and "pick out a color." Have you seen it? There have to be over 1,000 color samples - and at least 500 of them are white! Picking the right color for paint requires a plan, a theme. Oh, sure, you can pick a quick color for a bathroom, but an office? A space that may substitute as a guest room? This is not something to be done lightly or without careful consideration. Kera and Miss Christy kept me sane and talked me through that process yesterday. Thanks and love, ladies! I'll write about all that later. But, if you must know, the office will be peach. :)

And now I end my day the way I've ended the past 29 days. Alone in the living room, watching reruns of Law & Order and surfing the internet. Listening to the boys in the kitchen, clinking glasses, comparing aches and pains, telling stories of their jobs, their kids, their lives. Reconnecting after being apart for too long. They've moved on from "remember when" to "guess what my daughter did yesterday." I guess it's kinda cool like that.

Respectfully submitted,

K8

An Electric Blanket Saved My Marriage!

2010-01-09T10:12:00.001-08:00

OK, so, yeah, my husband got me an electric blanket for Christmas. And I must say, upon opening it, I thought it was a kind of lame gift. Why can't I have perfume and clothes that don't fit and jewelery and kitchen gadgets like all the other wives??????? But upon reflection - and two weeks of slumbery bliss - I do believe it is the best gift EVER and may be solely responsible for my next 20 years of marriage.

I don't know about you people, but my husband and I have VERY different internal thermostats. I am always cold. He is always hot. I sleep with two or three blankets on me and he opens the window on his side of the bed. It's maddening!

Now, however, I sing a different tune. This amazing blanket has DUAL CONTROLS! That's right... magical little power cords run up each side of the bed, tucked happily between box spring and matress, from the foot to the head where the control buttons are attached. My side is set to 15. His side is set to 2. We are happy. I have had many a battery or electrically controlled device in my bedroom over the years and BY FAR this one gives me the most pleasure! (Is that Too-Much-Information? I'm just saying......)

Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Just felt like sharing..... and maybe helping another couple suffering from Bi-Thermal Marital Disorder.

Ireland... Here I Come!

2009-12-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

OK - so I'm going to Ireland and I'm sooooo excited! It's not until June of 2010, but we all need something to look forward to, and that's it for me. I think with my red-turning-gray hair and my freckles I'll fit in just fine... Heck, I may not even come back!

I've already been to the Galway Visitors Bureau website to look at stuff to do. I'm going with a friend of mine who has to speak at a conference. I don't even know all of the details, just the dates. What else is there to know? I don't know why I was so surprised that my husband said "go for it" when I asked about the possibility of my going.... I've just got to save up a little bit of money and I'm good to go. On the bright side, I made my last payment on the Mom Mini-van in December so if I budget right, I can put away my car payment money and I'll be covered. Have I mentioned that I'm sooooo excited?

Oh, and the Browns won again today... wow.... go figure!

Short but sweet for today.... I need to go search the internet for a digital countdown timer I can put on my desktop so that everyday I can see how much closer I am to Ireland.

Excitedly Submitted,
K8

Family Christmas Newsletter..... sort of

2009-12-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

So every year I get these newsletters from people telling about all the wonderful things that have happened to them this year. With my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.... here's ours. Enjoy!

************************************************************************

Greetings from NorthRidgeTucky! It's been another year of wonderful happenings at our home!

As many of you know, Joe-Bob and I celebrated our 22 wedding anniversary this past Spring. Who knew all those years ago when he knocked me up that we would still be together today! I guess having all those kids and trapping him so that he couldn't afford the child support payments really helped to keep him at home!

And speaking of the little darlings.... Whew! Another year and none of them are knocked up. I know! I can't even believe it either! But, Joe-Bob and I do keep a strict count on the tampons each month and they are all four going through them at the proper times. Woo Hoo!

Our oldest, Kellie-Mae, is in her last year of college. She managed to get through this year without getting arrested. I can't even remember the last time I had to go post bail. And the thank you card we got from the local cops was just precious. Apparently they appreciate the fact that she hasn't caused any of them to be unable to have children this year. (I do hope Officer Gilroy heals soon, but is has been two years after all, so there may not be much hope of that.)

Next in line is Kandie-Kay. After dropping out of high school we really worried about her, but she's doing really well at "Roxanne's Club for Men." She's moved up to be the Feature Pole Spinner on Saturday night and the convention season was really good to her. The manager tells me that she has a real future there, and that she is the best pole polisher he's ever seen! Her stage name is "Kitty Litter" and they are talking about a statewide tour so if you see her coming to your town, be sure to catch the show!

Kimmie-Sue just graduated from Rehab. She was in the honors program, the fast-track, that they reserve for people who not only use drugs but also sell them. She's only been home a few days, but so far it's been nice. We are working out a program with the dentist to replace some of her teeth but she says she likes not having any in the front. Eh. Go figure. She'll have to find a new line of work, but maybe one of her friends down under the bridge can help with that.

Lastly, there's Kristie-Lee. Her new boyfriend, Thug, is real sweet. The tattoo's don't bother me too much, but Joe-Bob doesn't like the piercings. Kristie-Lee says the spikes in his chin just add to her pleasure, so who am I to argue?

Lt. Dan, our three-legged cat, is also doing well. He doesn't meow much these days, but he still likes to fight with the dog. Why, just the other day I saw him swinging his shoulder and swatting at the dog like he still had a leg there...... ha ha. Just cracks me up thinking about it.

Well, that's about it for now. Hope you and yours are all doing fine. We've got nothing but love going on here at the trailer park. It's so much nicer than when we were living in the station wagon!

Kisses and Smooches,
The Farclaster Family

Cookie Time!

2009-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about Christmas is making cookies. We make at least 20 dozen cookies every year. There are anywhere from four to eight different kinds, depending on how long we can stand working in the kitchen together. And every year the first thing we do is throw out the two dozen odd cookies we find in the pantry left over from last year's baking....

Each year brings a different dynamic to the baking process. The only constant though 22+ years of doing this is my husband, Joe. He is a marvelous chef. Simply mah-velous, dahlink! I think that comes from his chemistry background - got his masters degree in Inorganic Chemistry back in '89. So, when it comes to saucing and spicing and creating amazing meals, there is no one I know who does it better. I am the sous chef.... I chop up little things and I do the dishes. This is a mighty big job because he insists on using every pot, pan, spoon, spoonula, whisk, mixing bowl, whatever (!) he can find in the kitchen. It's my job and I like it.

Baking, however, is a different story. Baking is, in itself, a science. There is no playing around. There is no experimenting. Eggs. Butter. Sugar. Flour. Baking soda. No, baking powder is not a good substitute. Those are the basics. And the proportions matter. If you are out of something, you can't just look around and grab something else. It just won't work. I absolutely ADORE following a recipe. Joe absolutely EXCELS when he is out of something and has to whip up a cream sauce using whatever he finds. It always comes out great. Only real problem with that is we can never duplicate his efforts! Experimentation in cookie world simply means we were looking in the cookbooks and found one we hadn't tried before. But we followed the directions precisely!

The making cookies is something he instigates. He is always the one who announces to the family: "We are making cookies this weekend. We will have family fun time. Or else." Cookies galore flow forth from the oven. But there are always little nuances and the occaisional casualty along the way.

We have four daughters and each one likes to help with one type of cookie or another. Or not help at all. Over the years, my help hasn't changed much - I either help or I don't. Some years, depression gets to me and I just don't want to deal with the hassle. Other years, I'm all about the cookies. It's not a big deal. And really, this has turned into father-daughter time lately and I'm cool with that. They seem to work in shifts. Joe will say "let's do this kind next" and, like a batter stepping up to the plate, the appropriate kid will head for the kitchen.

Lafawnduh is 18 and home from college on Christmas Break. She is #3 in birth order, but the first one to move out and into a dorm for college. She is also the most like her dad. Listening to them bickering in the kitchen is a hoot. She likes things her way - he likes them his way. She did a lot of "giving in" yesterday, but I know that today she is doing the cut cookies and icing them - all alone with no one to tell her that she's doing them wrong. Creative little minx.

Miss Sparklezz (22) and Jewbie (20) are too busy for baking. Oh, they'll walk through the kitchen, get swatted with a dish towel, and steal a few "samples" along the way, but that's part of the game. They just want to wait for the decorating part, so they better keep an eye on Lafawnduh today.

The Cheese is 16 and likes the peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kisses in the middle. She is also hilarious. She is the funniest kid I know, but not in a "tell me a joke" way, in a sarcastic, one-liner way that I know will get her into trouble in some circles, but I just love it. There are many times when I am laughing out loud while thinking "as her mom, I shouldn't be laughing at this but damn this kid is funny!"

Saturday was all about nut horns... time consuming little buggers... plus, we had to get organized for the Sunday Marathon. Sunday we did Christmas Pretzels, Russian Tea Cakes, and Mexican Hats. Cut cookies are today. Next weekend will be Buckeyes... and who knows what other great things we'll decide to try. I already learned something new from Cheese this year....

Me: Cheese, can you help me unwrap kisses for the Mexican Hats?
Cheese: Mom, you can't call them that anymore.
Me: What? Why not?
Cheese: Because it's politically incorrect and could be offensive to Mexicans. You have to call them peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses in them.
Me. Well, crap. What about Russion Tea Cakes? Is there a new name for them?
Cheese: Yep. Sawdust.

.... yeah, that's my kid.

Respectfully Submitted,
Clvlnd K8

The Dreams of Trees....

2009-12-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

When I was little, I asked my mom why some trees died in the winter and others were still green and pretty.

“They don’t die honey. They go to sleep. They use up so much energy growing big and tall and providing shade to us that they need a nap. The other trees just sit around looking pretty all year so they don’t need to rest.”
“But the leaves don’t sleep. They fall off and die!”
“Don’t worry about the leaves. Their work is not done…. They provide bedding for birds and squirrels and some of them even become food for the trees.”
“Well I hope they don’t become food for the tree they fell off of! That would be like a momma eating her babies!!!!!”

I smile as I think about that conversation now. I developed this idea that trees went to sleep in the winter… a nice peaceful sleep…. That they hid from the cold and the gloom and had peaceful dreams until it was time to wake up again. But this year, something feels different.

I’ve worked at the same place for 11 years. I’ve seen the same trees – mostly – for 11 years. Today, while standing outside, watching the trees, they didn’t seem peaceful. They seemed angry, rebellious. The wind was howling and the trees were swaying and
they cried out to me “NO – Not yet! – I’m not ready for winter!”

The younger, thinner trees sway with vigor. They move back and forth, almost violently, as if daring the wind to knock them over and they bounce back up…. The older, thicker, and maybe wiser trees move more slowly. They give way to the wind because they know how strong it is, but then never give all the way… they gently sway back into their upright position when the wind isn’t watching.

As I watch I get the feeling that they each have different personalities, that maybe they are alive in a way I hadn’t considered before. I know I’m feeling fanciful today but frankly, I have no clue why I was watching the trees.

I’ve never really looked at them before. But all of the movement made them alive for me for the very first time.

Perhaps that is all just my own heart crying out those words. I’m never ready for winter. I understand the reason for it, the renewal and rebirth and the symbolism and all that…. But I’m never ready for it. And it feels like the trees aren’t ready for it this year either.

There's only ONE way to load a dishwasher....

2009-12-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

I sat at the kitchen table eating pecan pie with my dad last Sunday and he commented on my husband. J was unloading and then reloading the dishwasher. My dad seemed to think this was woman's work and questioned why - with 4 daughters - did my husband do the dishes. I replied very simply.... because I mow crooked lines in the lawn. As puzzling as this was to my dad, it made perfect sense to me.

There is only ONE way to load a dishwasher. My way. I've taught the girls my way of doing things. The right way to fold towels. The right way to hang clothes on hangers. The right way to load a dishwasher. No need for me to explain these things to you - we all have our own way. But I have a touch of OCD so I need things done a certain way. It's not a "monk" kind of thing or a problem like I can't leave the house, but it does make things easier for me to have a certain "order" about my day. Probably because of the chaos inherent in a household full of women.

My daughters think it is hilarious. I try to chew an even number of chews on each side of my mouth at meals. I like the volume on the radio or the TV to be an even number. I take an even number of steps. I have "stutter stepped" many a time to keep an even number of steps on tile before the pattern changes. My husband likes to adjust the TV volume and leave it on an odd number. I've tried to leave the remote alone, but the best I've done is 30 seconds before I pick it up and click once - up or down - to get back to even. My girls like to walk around the mall, zig-zagging across the walkways, over the various patterns, and watch me try to step around colored tiles placed in random patterns. It's sort of become a fun thing to do, no malice intended, and we laugh about it.

However, the dishwasher has always been sacrosanct. If you load it wrong, you must unload it. I put them away in a certain order and if it is not loaded the proper way, I can't put them away. The Cheese understands where I am coming from and does a really great job of loading it properly. The rest, not so much. So, if they've been coerced into loading, they must unload.

In the early days of our marriage, I didn't want to label jobs as "his" and "hers." Mostly because we had four daughters so that would leave a whole bunch of chores for J and a lot of help for me. Being such a modern wife, I would try to help out and mow the lawn. I did this exactly four times. Then, no more. You see, my husband fancies himself the greens keeper on a golf course or something because each time I mowed, he would thank me and then point out where the lines were crooked. Frankly, in a passive-aggressive sort of way, I decided that he didn't appreciate my efforts and I would stop. We didn't discuss it. I just stopped. I didn't mow again until last summer.

Last summer, he casually mentioned that the lawn needed mowed. I said I would see if I could pay one of the neighborhood kids to do it if he didn't have time. He asked me why I couldn't just do it. I was astounded. Didn't I have enough to do? Why was his time more valuable than mine? I said as much to him.... Why should I mow the lawn when he was just going to complain about the crooked lines? And then he responded with something that astounded me even further. He said... "You mean like the way I don't help with the dishes because you just take everything out and put them back in your way?"

A light went on for both of us. At the end of the day, we both needed to accept help in whatever form it was offered, be gracious, and don't sweat the small stuff. He really doesn't need straight lines in the lawn and I really don't need the dishwasher loaded "just so." It's nice to have someone pitch in and help around the house - to see that maybe you've had a rough day and want to just sit and drink some coffee - or a cold beer on a hot August afternoon. It's actually nice to loosen up a little on our tight reins of control.

So the next time my dad is over and my husband is loading the dishwasher, I may ask dad to lighten up and give J a hand.

Respectfully Submitted,
Clvlnd K8

John Elway - the AntiChrist

2009-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

I've been a Cleveland Browns fan since 1975. After doing the west coast tour for United Air Lines (San Fran - Salt Lake - LA), my father was transferred to Cleveland. I arrived in February, a cute little freckle faced 9 year old who only knew snow from our trips into the mountains. This was a different world for me. The Midwest is a very different world from the West Coast. Here, I discovered football.

For me, football was all about my dad. Looking back, I don't even think my dad liked football, but for some reason I thought he did. As the oldest of three kids (younger set of twins - boy/girl), I was always looking to get my dad's attention. I was definitely a "people-pleaser" in general.... got good grades, was involved in everything, had a million friends but no one really close to me, band geek.... but I think I particularly wanted my dad's approval.

I learned about football so we could watch games together and talk about sports. But we never watched games together or talked about sports. I was still a girl. My dad had firm ideas about how boys were different than girls. Mom dealt with us girls and Dad dealt with my brother. This made me angry. My way of dealing with the anger was to become the world's biggest Browns fan.

One of the great shameful secrets that I keep is that my parents are from the Pittsburgh area. They say things like "warsh the dishes" and "jeet yet?" and they are Steelers fans. Seems silly to be ashamed of this, but by the time I was 13 I was in full fan mode and hated (HATED!) all things black and gold. Instead of being mad at my dad, which would have been completely unacceptable, I chose to hate his football team. I don't think he ever really knew or cared, but there it is.

I will say that I do dearly love the game of football. While my friends were falling in love with Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, I was hanging up posters of Brian Sipe (Browns QB - '80's). I was memorizing stats. I was watching games. I still get so excited at kickoff. I joined the band in the 5th grade with all of the other aspiring musicians - except they wanted to rock n roll or maybe play in an orchestra someday. I couldn't wait for high school and marching band. It was a way for me to be connected to the football games every week. My only regret is that I didn't learn to play the sousaphone and go to OSU and have a chance to dot the "I."

At any rate, I am left with a love of almost all sports, but football in particular. And I am left now, at 43, in a love affair with someone who has broken my heart more times than I can count. The Drive. The Fumble. The Tramp Stamp. Oops, forgot to mention that one. After years of thoughtful consideration, last summer I had a Browns Helmet tatooed on my lower back. My children informed me that it is called a "tramp stamp." Who knew? Anyway, they are now blaming my tat for the utter agony that has been this year's season. But I digress....

There are certain rules that I live by now as part of my Browns Fan-dom. I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers. I hate the Baltimore Ravens. I'm suppose to hate the Cincinnati Bengals, but really, they are more worthy of my pity than anything else. Their fans know my pain. AND, I hate John Elway.

The next shameful secret came when my oldest daughter - at the age of 16 - announced that she was a Steelers Fan. O. M. G. Where did I go wrong? What parenting rules did I break? Was someone going to call children's services and take my baby away for being abused? Something must truly be wrong with me if I raised "one of those" kinds of people..... But I finally figured out that she like the Steelers for reasons much like why I began to love the Browns in the first place. It gives us a safe place to fight. We argue about football. We yell during games, talk smack during the week, insult each others players, and then we hug each other. It's been a great way for us to work through anger about other things in a safe place so that we don't really hurt each other. I'm so glad I understand it even if she hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Next hurdle... my daughter Lafawnduh is dating a new boy. They'd been friends for a few years and she asked me for permission to date him. I said "why would you need my permission" and that's when she dropped the bomb... "he's a Steelers fan." Oh, baby.... what good could come from this? What about my grand babies? I will not suffer grand babies in black and gold onesies! She has promised me that if they marry and have children, they will raise them in My Faith - the church of the orange and brown - and I trust her to do just that. It will be a difficult road for them in a mixed marriage, but that is a long way off. I will wish them the best. At least she didn't bring home John Elway.

John Elway is the AntiChrist. I blame John Elway for our lack of a Super Bowl Championship. It's all his fault. He knows it, I know it. There is a special place in hell for him - right next to Art Modell. (Wow - just saying all that felt really good.) I've been to Denver twice in my life. I love to golf there. It's beautiful and the people are really cool. But if you ask me to meet you there for dinner and the restaurant is owned by John Elway, I ain't going. People have tried. I have made scenes. It wasn't pretty but I made my point.

I don't know John Elway and I guess, ultimately, he's probably not that bad a guy, but you have to consider the source. I'm a Browns fan. Good, bad, ugly, I go on hoping and dreaming that someday they will make me proud. Until then, I'll keep waiting. And watching. And drinking the Pepto Bismol.....

Respectfully Submitted,
Clvlnd K8

The Naming of Kids is a Difficult Matter....

2009-12-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

My children have been known, from time to time, to complain about their names. I'm not sure really what their problem is since we don't call any of them by their real names anyway, but complain they did. On this particular day, I felt the need to sit them all down and explain to them how lucky they were.

I've always taken names very seriously. I often wondered what parents where thinking when it came to naming their children... Tommy Thompson? Dick Trickle? Really? This was the best you could do? You had 9 freaking months to come up with something and THIS was it? Geez. (yeah, I'm judgemental. deal with it.)

When I found out I was pregnant with #1, I spent a great deal of time analyzing names. I look at Name Books and made lists of family names. I tried to come up with derogatory rhymes or other things that kids would call them on the playground so I would be able to avoid them. I even laid out their initials and monograms to make sure they didn't spell anything troublesome. (Monograms were popular in the 70's and 80's). I was bound and determined to not make them easy targets for the vicious little brats they would go to school with.

And it's not like I had a bad name or was picked on or anything about it as a kid. I think I developed this concern partly out of judging what I felt were other people's bad choices and partly from Ann of Green Gables. I just love those books. And I just love the movies. (Megan Follows is one of my favorite actresses - no clue why - but she was great as Anne.) So maybe Anne's desire to be Cordelia colored my motives.

Once I had a few options, I would give them to my husband who, god love him, didn't seem to think this was as big a deal as I did. However, he did humor me and pointed out other problems I didn't notice until we had one girl name and one boy name picked out. (He vetoed Cordelia right off the bat with no good reason!)

We did this for each of our four children. It took less time with #2, #3, and #4 since we kept the same boy name and only had to find a new girl option. And each time we thought we'd get our boy so I didn't really consider the big picture.

So that brings us to last week. I told my girls they should be very grateful for their names. It could have been much worse. Had I called Miss Cleo and been told that I would have four daughters, they could have had A THEME. Perhaps flowers: Lily, Rose, Violet, and Iris. Or maybe gems: Ruby, Opal, Emerald, and Pearl. Literature is an option: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and whatever that last Bronte sister's name was. You get the point. And so did they.

I could go into detail on what each name is and what it means and how we arrived at that name, but that isn't the point. The point is that they have made new names for themselves. These names have been given to them by friends or family members and the truth and love behind each name has made it stick. I guess, in the end, my mission was a success... none of them are saddled with names that hurt their feelings or make them sad.

All my love to:
Miss Sparklezz / aka Sparky (Kayla)
The Jew / aka Jewbie (Carolen)
Lafawnduh / aka Boo (Rebecca)
The Cheese / aka Queso or Fromage -when we are feeling European (AnnMarie)

Respectuflly Submitted,
Clvlnd K8

The Island of Forgotten Dishes

2009-12-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

We have a buffet in the dining room that is covered in dishes. Not just dishes but serving platters, Tupperware containers, etc., etc., etc. None of these are mine. These are all items that other people have left at my house. I "store" them there in the hopes that someone will recognize them and take them home. I don't remember my mom ever having this problem, but then again every dish of this sort in my house either had masking tape with our last name on it or she would use a black felt pen to mark her territory.

We have always enjoyed entertaining and having company. This began very early in our marriage due to necessity more than anything else but we truly love it. When we were first married, I was 20 and my husband was 22 and we were pregnant. Before we knew it, we had children that were 6, 4, 2, and the new baby. The vast majority of people in our "circle of friends" were just thinking about marriage. We were the only ones with kids. We were broke. We were making ends meet but you could no longer call us at 6:00 pm on a Friday night in September and suggest hitting the new comedy club or going out to dinner. For heaven's sake - where was I going to find a sitter during high school football season? Not to mention that this type of evening used to cost us around $150 and we didn't have that.... So we invited people over. We'd throw a meal or snacks together and play euchre or pinochle or something after the kids were in bed. That was our way of keeping in touch with our friends - we'd just have them over!

Through the years our entertaining has continued and expanded. Whether it's burgers and brats in the backyard for The Jew's birthday party in July, or the mexican theme of fajitas and home-made guacamole for the 11 guys in my fantasy football league at our draft party, or even filet and lobster tails served formally for 20 people from work, we love to entertain. We love having people in our home and sharing our love for them with food and conversation and maybe a little guitar hero for dessert. (Nothing more fun that adults singing and playing drums / guitar after four or five martinis!) Whenever we have these parties, the kitchen seems to be the center of everything. While my hubby and I are prepping, people pitch in to help or bring a dish to share. This inevitably leads to the population of the Island of Forgotten Dishes.

I used to walk past the vast array of fiesta ware and it would make me sad. There were some really nice pieces here and I wished they were mine. We have spent a lot of years treading water in the financial end of the pool.... worrying about "needs" for me and the hubby and then stretching to "wants" for the girls. There wasn't much left after that. It is only recently that I've been able to look at things like table cloths and serving platters and think maybe now I can get some cool stuff for when people come over.... complete sets of things instead of 6 bowls with different patterns because that is what mom or the mother-in-law or the aunt or someone gave us along the way when they were done with it. I was feeling grumpy about my mis-matched sets.

But today I gained a different perspective and it kind of snuck up on me. I was cleaning the kitchen and found a pot with a lid and matching pan that belonged to a friend. As I made room on the buffet for these new visitors I realized where they came from. Last week, very close friends of our lost their daughter. Other friends wanted to do something to help so they dropped off a brisket and bbq sauce at my house and I delivered it for them. These were the pans from that meal. And suddenly I felt the love. I looked around and felt love from the pie pan my mother-in-law brought over on Thanksgiving containing my hubby's favorite pecan cheesecake pie. I felt love from the large oval platter that Bean had brought over a few months ago containing her famous Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut sauce. I felt love from all of these dishes that use to mock me. Because they each ended up in my house by way of people that love me.

Now, when I walk by the buffet, I'm not sad.
I'm actually pretty darn blessed and I give myself a little hug when I see this reminder of the great people in my life.

Respectfully Submitted,
Clvlnd K8

Under Construction

2009-12-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

So, I've recently learned about the wacky world of Blogging.

And while I always thought bloggers were just people with way too much free time, I've come to realize that this can be a sort of therapy... a way to express yourself that you don't find in everyday life. It feels like a safe way to vent. I don't have to fear the rejection that we sometimes get in the real world when people don't want to hear what we have to say, don't really care, or just plain don't realize how badly we need to say certain things. Most people don't mean to hurt us, it just happens. But this seems like a safer kind of thing.

My writings so far in life tend to be more conversational in nature, like I'm just talking to myself (prolly 'cause I mostly have myself to talk to). I tend to be a stickler on things like spelling and punctuation, but sentence structure may go out the window. Who knows. This whole new world I'm entering is still under construction.....

Respectfully Submitted,
K8