A Boulevard Called Chagrin
Posted: July 29th, 2010 | Filed under: Cleveland | 110 Comments »
CLEVELAND — Angry? You have no idea. Let’s just put it this way. When I checked into my Cleveland hotel near the aptly named boulevard of Chagrin, the manager gave me a little gift bag (with water and such) and a letter. When you travel a lot, the managers always give you nondescript letters with multiple exclamation points, letters that look a little something like this:
Dear Valued Customer!
Thank you so much for your business! If there is anything we can do to help you enjoy your stay, please do not hesitate to Dial 0 and ask! We here at the hotel take great pride in our customer service! Please put us to the test! And thank you again for your business! We know there are many options for a busy traveler like you! Thank you!
Sincerely!
The Hotel Staff!
I long ago stopped reading these letters, for obvious reasons. And I did not read this one. That was until my wife glanced at it and said, “Um, have you read this letter?”
“No.”
“You might want to take a look at it.”
So I looked at it. It welcomed me to the hotel, said how excited they were to have me there and all the usual stuff.
“Keep reading,” my wife said.
Then came this: “I wanted to also let you know that we especially appreciate the articles you have written in the past few weeks regarding LeBron James. I’m not going to expound on the subject, but let me just say that we all applaud the opinions that you have so eloquently shared in your articles.”
Angry? You have no idea.
* * *
The striking part is how many houses are for sale in and around my old neighborhood. Forbes Magazine this year ranked Cleveland as America’s most miserable city, three spots ahead of Detroit, that rival rust-belt city that had been the final punchline of the most recent Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video gag on YouTube (“At least we’re not Detroit! We’re not Detroit!).
Well, people have been saying that sort of misery thing about Cleveland for many, many years, long before I was even born … but something about all those “For Sale” signs makes it feel a little bit different. The signs seem to be in every front yard, block after block, like they are political signs, like people want to encourage everyone to vote for RE/MAX or Prudential.
“You don’t know,” Michael, one of my childhood friends, tells me over corned-beef sandwiches at Corky and Lenny’s on that boulevard named Chagrin. “The city is dying.”
“Come on,” I say, “people always say Cleveland is dying.”
“Yeah,” he says. “But this time it really is.”
* * *
Angry? You have no idea. There are people who set up at Progressive Field, before Indians games, to sell anti-LeBron James stuff: T-shirts, hats, voodoo dolls, that sort of thing. This is not new or original. This is exactly the sort of thing that people do after various minor catastrophes.* In Lawrence, Kan., I remember them selling “Benedict Williams” shirts after Roy Williams left Kansas to coach at North Carolina. At Stanford, after The Play — the famous five-lateral play where Cal’s Kevin Moen finished it by crashing into the end zone and the Stanford band — they sold T-shirts showing all the various penalties that Cal’s players had committed but had not been called.
*Jerry Seinfeld once said that if they had T-shirts in biblical days, people would have sold them after the Ten Plagues (“Boils! I was There!” “Locusts Descended and all I got Was This Stupid T-Shirt!”).
But, eventually, the agony fades. And that’s what’s different about the anti-LeBron James feeling here: It only seems to be growing. The anger only seems to be rising. When LeBron James humiliated his hometown by going on ESPN to announce to the world that he was taking his talents to South Beach so he could ball it up with a few buddies and try to win the championship he could not come close to winning as the star, well, there was the expected fury. People around the NBA questioned James’ heart. Former players questioned his competitiveness. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote a Comic Sans screed that called James a quitter and a loser. The Cleveland Plain Dealer put up its now famous front page photo of LeBron James walking away — with an arrow and small print pointing to his still naked championship ring finger. In time around the nation, as was inevitable, the story lost steam. Yes, people were disgusted. But the Miami Heat — starring Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh — will be (after all) interesting to watch, to root for or root against, to follow as a sign of the times. Michael Jordan made the point that he never wanted to join Isiah Thomas or Magic Johnson or Larry Bird — he wanted to BEAT them, and that rings true. The Superfriends is Miami feels like something new. People will want to know how it turns out.
Only the story will not lose steam in Cleveland. The rage does not dissipate. When a fan showed up to an Indians-Yankees game on Wednesday wearing a LeBron James Miami Heat jersey, he was booed and heckled and taunted so mercilessly by so many hundreds of fans that he was escorted out of the stadium. Maybe the guy thought it would be kind of funny to tweak the Cleveland fans, to draw a little anger, to be the wise guy — some people are like that. And, hey, it’s just sports. He badly misunderstood. It’s not just sports here. This is no joke here. This is not funny here. Angry? You have no idea.
“Buy your F— LeBron shirts here!” the man in front of the stadium shouts. And then this: “The kids love them!”
* * *
I grew up in a circle of immigrants — my parents came to America and Cleveland just a couple of years before I was born. Their friends were immigrants themselves. And as they gather together again all these years later to remember my grandfather I notice for the first time that each one seems to have a different accent. An English accent. A Hungarian accent. A Polish accent. A Russian accent. And so on. It seemed normal when I was growing up, I never even thought about it. That was just Cleveland to me … a flurry of accents, the smell of bread in Little Italy, the kids kicking soccer balls outside Arabica Coffee Shop in Coventry, the Wiener Schnitzel at Balaton, the guy throwing pizza dough in the air at Geraci’s, the orthodox Jews walking walking along Green Road …
Now, though, their different accents sound so odd together because they are all talking about LeBron James.
“I think he purposely lost in the playoffs,” says one woman who has known me since I was born and, as far as I can remember, never once before has talked about sports. “I believe it.”
“It’s true,” says another woman in another accent. “He knew that if he won the championship, it would have been harder to leave.”
“He just played like a loser,” one of the men says. “There is no doubt that he was not trying. Remember that elbow injury?”
Everyone in the room nods. In the deciding game of the playoffs against Chicago, LeBron James’ right elbow hurt so much that he shot his final free throw left-handed … bricking it badly. The injury was called an elbow strain, and James played every game in the conference semifinals against Boston. But in this room — and all over this town — the elbow injury is just another odd subplot. “I think he knew he was leaving,” the man says, putting words to the theory. “And so he faked that elbow injury.”
“Why would he do that?”
“So he would have an excuse when he left,” the man said.
There is no talk in this room about the seven remarkable seasons of LeBron James in Cleveland, the 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists he averaged, the two MVP awards he won, the way he dragged the 2007 team to the Finals, the pride in basketball he instilled in a city where the Cavaliers were a non-entity. There is no talk about the joy of watching LeBron James play basketball like no one ever had in Cleveland, and no room for such talk. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“I never want to see anyone get hurt, but …” another woman with another accent said, and I had to stop listening.
* * *
Angry? You have no idea. Bill Livingston, a sports columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and someone I have been friendly with for 20 years, just this week wrote an entire column under the headline: “Retire LeBron James’ No. 23 Jersey with the Cleveland Cavaliers? No Way.”
The headline describes Bill’s opinion which is, essentially this: Cleveland should never retire LeBron James’ jersey. Bill says James’ greatness is indisputable … and the cruel way he chose to leave Cleveland in unforgivable. “It took a lot to turn such gold into lead, but he managed it,” Bill wrote. He wrote that the other Cleveland sports villains (with the exception of the never-to-be-forgiven Art Modell) were simply victims of the moment, and in that he is right.
– Craig Ehlo may be remembered in town as the guy Michael Jordan made his famous shot over … but hey, the guy was Michael Jordan.
– Brian Sipe may be remembered for throwing the interception in the end zone at the end of the playoff game against Oakland in 1981 — Red Right 88 was the play — but Sipe had been the swashbuckling quarterback whose late-game brilliance had led the Browns to that playoff game.
– Ernest Byner may be remembered for the fumble against Denver in the Championship Game that thwarted a remarkable comeback attempt … but it was Byner’s magnificence that drove that comeback attempt in the first place.
And James, Livingston writes, is “the indisputably great player who left in a manner designed to inflict the most emotional pain on the fans and do the most harm to the franchise.” For this, he concludes, James “simply does not belong with men who took pride in the jersey and played to honor the city and its fans.”
I have tried to read the column two ways. I have tried to read it the way you might read it if you are not from Cleveland, if you have no emotional attachment to Cleveland, if you view Cleveland as just another city that you’ve heard jokes about. And I would bet that from that perspective, it reads as petty … all of this probably reads as petty. LeBron James, after all, played amazing basketball for seven years in Cleveland, and at age 25 he went to Miami, a fabulous city on the water, where he can play with incredible players and shmooze with the biggest stars and perhaps win a title. Yes, you would probably agree, his ESPN show “The Decision” was ill-advised and dumb and you might even grant that it was borderline cruel … but you probably would add that even if he had left Cleveland in the classiest way possible it would not have made a big difference in the reaction. You would probably say that people in Cleveland should just get over it, the city did not have a lifetime contract with him, the guy has a right to follow his own path and all that.
I can certainly see how you would feel these things if you’re not from Cleveland.
But, then, if you’re not from Cleveland, if you are not connected to Cleveland, you have not lived through 45 years of uninterrupted sports heartache, season after season. You have not endured a river catching fire, a city going bankrupt, an NBA halftime show called “Fat Guy Eating Beer Cans.” You have not lived through a million Cleveland jokes, and endless Cleveland winters, and 10-cent beer night, and the collapse of Cleveland businesses, and the draining of the Cleveland population, and the countless hopes that build and collapse. The feeling in Cleveland was that LeBron James knew about all these things — he grew up in Akron, and he played his whole pro career in Cleveland, and he had to understand what he meant to a city.
Maybe he did understand. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he cared. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, he went on television to announce to the world that he was dumping Cleveland for someplace more exciting.
From Livingston’s column: “ESPN’s suck-up brigades will be out in force … accusing Cleveland of eating its young … they will say we let 28 minutes of that dreadful, self-serving ‘The Decision’ show, courtesy of the Lapdog Network, erase seven years of excellence.”
Angry? You have no idea.
* * *
I have been on Chagrin Blvd. in Cleveland a thousand times in my life. I had never even once considered the meaning of the word. There is a lot of Chagrin in Cleveland — Chagrin Blvd., the Chagrin River, the city of Chagrin Falls. All this actually came from a French trader named Sieur de Saguin, who had built up a good relationship with the American Indians in the area. When he died – as I understand it — they wanted to name the river for him, but did not have an “S” sound in the language. So they went with “Shaguin.” Later, a surveyor named Seth Please changed the name to “Chagrin.” Anyway, that’s what the encyclopedias say. And this led to all the chagrin in Cleveland.
I never fully realized how many depressing word choices pervade Cleveland. The football team is called the “Browns” — it is named for the legendary coach Paul Brown but, as Tom Hanks once said, it fits because because everything in Cleveland is brown. The most famous building in town is the skyscraper called “The Terminal Tower.” The Cuyahoga River, the one that caught fire, is thought only to mean “Crooked River.” The lake is called “Erie.”
And chagrin … it means “distress or embarrassment at having failed of been humiliated.” Oh, the city will go on. LeBron James, in the end, is a basketball player, and despite the gigantic billboard of him that overlooked downtown and the joke that the economy was based on him, no, Cleveland will go on. There are always good things. The medical industry in town grows rapidly, and downtown has come back and there are great plans. In sports, the Browns have hired Mike Holmgren to turn things around, the Indians have some young talent, the Cavaliers have a determined owner and a clear mission. In life, Cleveland has come back so many times before because the place still has the sort of diversity and industriousness of great places. The city will go on.
Still, as I go around, visiting old friends, seeing all the familiar places, counting the for sale signs, noticing the signs and T-shirts (“Born Here, Raised Here, Played Here, Hated Here,” is one of those shirts), avoiding the potholes … I feel this sadness. Is Cleveland angry? You have no idea. I wish people here could let go. And I understand why people here cannot. And I just keep driving on a street called Chagrin.
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Can we get your RSS feed back to full?
Great writing as always Joe. That first story is hilarious.
Please – I love reading your stuff – but the clickThrough to your site definitely discourages.
I have to agree. Please get rid of the ClickThrough. Makes it harder to read at work…
Joe, love your stuff, but let’s give it a little time. It’s been THE basketball news from The Decision until today, and I disagree that the rest of the country has moved on.
If the same tone exists a year from now, I’ll buy it, but I doubt very much that Cleveland’s reaction is different than what we would see in most other places.
having grown up in the youngstown/cleveland area i know exactly what you’re saying. now that i live in baltimore it’s hard to even explain to people not from cleveland. over-dramatic? probably. do i care? no.
First time, long time. I agree about the RSS feed and, to be honest, I don’t understand the reason for the change to begin with. If there were a whole bunch of ads here, maybe. But there aren’t. As such, can we have the full feed back? If not, can we at least have an explanation for the change? If I missed it, sorry, and could I please have a link?
I agree – no more clickThrough, please!
Agree with the notes above, love the writing and do my best to read every article all the way through. The truncated RSS feed is making it harder to keep up with the posts.
Keep up the great work though.
Editor’s Note: I don’t know how the RSS Feed got truncated … I don’t have much techno-savvy. But I believe that I have fixed it so that from now on the full post will again go through RSS.
Wow.
I’m not from Cleveland, but there sure is a pain that crouches on my back.
We are 102 years in Chicago, counting into the next century when man may land on Mars, but the Cubs stays miserable.
You should log on to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s website, http://www.lvrj.com and read what gossip columnist NORM has to say today about James’ visit to the city over the weekend.
Acting like a jerk in casinos, drinking loads of champagne he wanted delivered by a pantyless woman and flashing hand (gang?) signs.
Say good riddance, Cleveland. He’s Miami’s problem now.
P.S.: I haven’t experienced a truncated RSS or any other problems accessing the column, Joe, but I don’t want to either.
@9 Ed’s Note
Seems to be working again! Posts to my Reader are all full again. Thanks!
no offense to your friend Michael, but he’s an idiot. The city is not dying and if our own residents think it is, how are we supposed to convince others that it isn’t.
Great article. just one small correction–Lebron dragged the Cavs to the finals in 2007 (Spurs), not 2008 (Celtics vs. Lakers)
The RSS dealie is fixed now; thanks for the quick response on that, Joe, and thanks as always for the insights and great writing.
This is wonderful, Joe. Thank you for the privilege of reading it.
Re #5, I agree with the need for time though I suspect the answer will remain the same.
By way of a poor comparison, the Edmonton Oilers made the Stanley Cup finals in 2006, in large part due to the great play of Chris Pronger. Pronger was in his second year with the Oilers and hails originally from Ontario.
After the season, he made very public the desire to get out of Edmonton. His wife (from St Louis) hated the city, the travel sucked, the winters were brutal, etc. He was soon thereafter traded.
The reaction in Edmonton was similar to that in Cleveland, if on a much smaller scale. Pronger wasn’t from Edmonton, he wasn’t their saviour, etc. so we simply hated the guy quite a bit.
My point is that it is now 4+ years later. The public reaction is probably 90% as vehement as it was the day he left. A lot of that has to do with how the team has fared since he left.
My guess is the feeling in Cleveland will always stay at a level pretty similar to today. Winning would help, but that seems unlikely after the way Lebron left. Just as Edmonton struggles to recruit free agents due to Pronger’s negative review of the city, Cleveland will be hardpressed to sign better than sloppy seconds who want max deals.
Based on the opening section, I thought this was going to be an angry travel story about a bad hotel.
RSS Clicks = Cash
If you click 5X more, they get to report that! Look at our site! We got Clicks! 32,000,000,000,000,000,000 visit this blog every minute!
(I should have been a hotel manager)
If your (or your city’s) self-esteem or self-image is dependent upon whether a 25 year-old high school graduate chooses to ply his sports entertainment wares in your city, well, sorry, but that’s pretty pathetic.
I could give you a list off of the top of my head of 10 things about which people could or should be legitimately angry. None of them involves a ball or puck.
I am so less likely to read you without full-text RSS! Bring it back!
James (#5): I married a woman who grew up just west of Cleveland. Her dad lived in South Euclid, just a couple streets away from where Joe grew up. I have grown to like Cleveland very much over the past 20 years and I can assure you that the current level of hatred for LeBron is surely going to exist this time next year and for many years to come.
This is a place where Woody Hayes remains a saint and Art Modell is still hated with a passion for crimes he committed fifteen years ago. Rest assured, memories last a long, long, time in Cleveland.
Great stuff Joe. I would just add that Mike Holmgren has actually added to the plight of the Cleveland sports scene, by forcing Browns fans to watch Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace play QB this season. The Browns had a subpar QB situation and somehow made it worse. “Remember the guy who broke down terribly in the playoffs a year ago and has never recovered? We got him!”
I don’t care if he is Mike Holmgren, anyone who brings in Jake Delhomme to be a starting QB at this point in his career deserves derision, not exaltation.
Where can I see video of “Fat Guy eating beer cans”?
I think that Cleveland’s reaction is understandable because of the manner in which he left. Without that TV show and on-air announcement, I would feel as if the reaction was overboard. But the ESPN gig came off as really lacking in class and a jab in the eyes of the community and fans. How is anyone supposed to react to that?
@25 – I’d say “with a sense of perspective”, but I’d be overrating humanity.
Interesting, too, that Harvey Pekar, a major emblem of Cleveland and the symbol of pain and fury and dissatisfaction in comics, died in a time of such characteristic turmoil for his hometown.
@13- “no offense to your friend Michael, but he’s an idiot.”
In what universe is that NOT offensive?
I’ve never, ever had a bad time in Cleveland.
Joe, I love you to death, you’re my favorite sportswriter. But can you please, for once, write an article about Cleveland without mentioning (1) the Cuyahoga River fire (which happened OVER 40 YEARS ago), (2) that ridiculous Forbes article, or (3) fat guys eating beer cans? I know you get a pass for growing up here, but sometimes it feels like you pile on even more than writers with no connection to the city…
Yes, the angst in Cleveland is terrible, but is it the worse of all time?
When Miami visits Cleveland next year (can someone tell us when) and all of you fans boycott the game and no one shows up, then I will believe.
If the game is a sellout, you are no different than anyone else.
This column is very Mitch Albom-like.
It makes sense, though, because this is the arena in which Mitch Albom excels. He taps into the mood of the city based on whatever event has happened. Joe has done a great, great job of doing the same thing here. I think the city of Cleveland needs someone like Joe to express what they are feeling. The sentiment of the hotel letter confirms that notion. Excellent column.
P.S. I wonder if the repetition of “Angry? You have no idea” is a sort of tip of the cap to Albom. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Suffice it to say that Albom has given voice to the troubles of Detroiters for many a year with his columns.
joe r.:
you do realize that you are reading a sports website, right? and that there is no logic to sports fandom? just checking.
Mark Daniel – I had the same thought on the Albom comp.
I’ve only spent a total of about 2 hours in Cleveland my whole life, so I think I qualify as an outsider.
To me, the fact that LeBron left ON THE FIRST CHANCE HE HAD… says a lot. The fact LeBron left THE WAY HE DID, says a lot more. Oh, and the fact he went and practiced with the Cavs a few days before publically notifying the nation he was gone, says a whole lot more.
I liked LeBron a lot… but I am no longer a LeBron James fan. No loyalty there at all.
Visit the Chagrin Falls Hardware store on the main drag through the lovely town of Chagrin Falls, 15-20miles east of Cleveland- an old college buddy of mine’s family (Shutts) runs it. It was billed a few years ago as the 3rd oldest hardware store still operating in Ohio. I can’t recall the year of its inception but I believe that it was well over 120 years ago.
God, I hope it’s still in business now that I’ve promoted it! Chagrin Falls is a beautiful NE Ohio town – nothing depressing about it, unlike Cleveland.
Wow, I’ve never heard so many people whining about RSS feeds.
@31 Why the heck should Clevelanders boycott the game and cost their own team money?
Leaving out the money, why should angst make fans stay away? They will all attend, and the packed house will pelt the “King” with taunts, insults and flashlight batteries (I’m from Philly originally).
I have a house on the outskirts of Cleveland still waiting to be sold, and this entry hits home. It also reminds me of what a fellow Sports Illustrated scribe wrote in 2006 when the White Sox came to town:
==
More of a surprise was the reception Jim Thome got in Cleveland. Thome came up through the Indians’ system and helped build a team that had been awful for 50 years into a consistent winner. On a team of malcontents ( Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Eddie Murray, et al.) he was easy to root for — a likable, Midwestern guy who went about his business and stayed out of trouble. And he hit more homers than anyone in the team’s history.
After the 2002 season, he took an $85 million, six-year deal from the Phillies, which was $25 million more than the Tribe was offering. He made his return to the Jake as a member of the White Sox on Monday night and got ripped, which, as an Indians fan, I found disappointing.
Cleveland fans pride themselves on being fiercely loyal, energetic and, above all, a fairly smart bunch. The shortsightedness shown in booing Thome was surprising. If Thome is guilty of anything, it’s failing to read the writing on the wall.
The Indians began tearing down the franchise in 2002, trading Bartolo Colon, Chuck Finley, Paul Shuey and Ricardo Rincon. Thome said he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause because he was committed to the team and the city. It was obvious at that point that the best thing for the Indians would be to let Thome walk.
The worst thing a baseball team can do is go into a slow decline: first one year, second the next, a few thirds, then you drop down to fourth and ultimately into the cellar. It’s just a waste of time to go that route. If you’re not contending, you have to be building a contender. For teams without unlimited sums of cash, that means finding young players and committing to them. You realize you’re going to be bad for a couple of years, you cut your payroll as low as you can, you turn it over to the kids, and you hope the fans stick with you.
(Link at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1055195/index.htm)
==
Was LeBron James callous in announcing he was leaving on live TV? Sure. Would ladies with accents in Cleveland be wishing him injury if he left any other way? This is Cleveland, of course they would.
I really don’t see the anger dissipating anytime soon. A Cleveland team whose two best players are Mo Williams and JJ Hickson are perfectly set up to have the worst record in the NBA next year. It’d be Cleveland’s luck that there is no real slam dunk like John Wall in next years draft.
@#31 – I think the billionaire owner should put his anger where his pocketbook is and refund all the ticket money for the first Miami game: Force LeBron to play before an empty house. THAT would be the way to do it and be remembered (and probably celebrated) forever. The Return That Never Was.
@31:
How would boycotting the game show continued anger towards LeBron? I would think a sell-out crowd of people dressed in anti-LeBron gear and booing him relentlessly would show more anger than a boycott; a boycott wouldn’t hurt the Heat or LeBron in the slightest but would certainly hurt the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hey Drew, that makes me angry.
How angry? You have no idea.
I think it’d be great if Carmelo Anthony signed with the Cavs and tried to win a championship with the same supporting cast with which LeBron failed to do so.
If nothing else, he’d probably have most of the nation (outside of Southern Florida) rooting for him.
Yah, what a jerk Joe is for not spoon-feeding his FREE blog into your rss feed, wasting a millisecond of your life. What nerve!
Off-topic, and not that you were endorsing those Stanford t-shirts, but Cal didn’t commit any penalties. The Play was correctly decided.
Joe, I love your writing. It’s graceful and unassuming, I absolutely appreciate your blog.
Lebron James was an Unrestricted Free Agent. He could (and did) sign with whoever he so wished to sign with. Was he an asshole? Was he self aggrandizing? Was he insensitive? Yes, yes, yes. But would any other city react with such tiresome angst? Let’s take a look at the 2003 draft: Cleveland, Detroit, Denver, Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and Milwaukee.
So basically, Lebron James (and I guess, in retrospect, Cleveland) was just incredibly unlucky to be the number 1 pick in the same year a dying, miserable city won the lottery. Or gosh, maybe neither side was unlucky and for 5 years the Cavaliers were among the elite of the NBA and a dying miserable city got to watch the most prolific and exciting small forward ever, play basketball.
My wife’s sister and her family live a couple blocks off of Chagrin in Shaker Heights. When she found out her first child would be a boy in 2008, she and her husband joked that they were trying to decide whether LeBron would be better as a first or middle name.
They called the other day to let us know that they’re expecting their second child. My brother-in-law said, in very definite tones, “Just so you know, we are definitely NOT naming this one LeBron.”
Angry? I have *some* idea.
Personally, I favor the boycott the game/you’re dead to us/no one shows up plan. An empty stadium would be remembered, but I suspect most will want to go boo.
Might be misreading this – but if not, sorry about your loss.
This was my favorite Pos blog post. (I cant spell Posnanski). Well, among the top — he’s written many great ones. But, I love the — Angry , you have no idea. Like the hook in a song. One can listen to a jazzman go on a mind bending riff , but its those 7 notes he goes back to when he gets lost that work out on your spine. And, allow him to go back traveling wherever he wants to go and not lose his audience. This was nice.
For the record, I love Cleveland. From the four corners of the earth there are three American towns Orthodox Jews can move , be amongst their own, and be free from overbearing prejudiced and persecution.
Brooklyn
Lakewood , New Jersey
Cleveland
So, I love Cleveland. Even though I never been there and have no plans on visiting. I was gonna go , but Joe just made it sound so ominous.
Who saw the fan at the Indians game wearing a Heat James jersey? He got ejected! Check out http://www.thefantasybaseballguru.com leave comments ask qs and tell me what you think. You can follow TheGuru on Twitter at beatboston1995
@10: dorasaga
I dunno if the Cubs pain really compares to Cleveland’s pain.
I’m going to overgeneralize here, but basically speaking, if you divide Chicago socioeconomically, the poor folk align with the Sox and the wealthy folk align with the Cubs.
The blue-collar Clevelanders spurred by Lebron wouldn’t really fit with the Cubs fratty fan base.
I think being a part of a “dying city” is something Northsiders may think that they can imagine. but I doubt they have any idea.
If only the Indians won a title in the 90′s with the roster they had.
Maybe the sports scene wouldn’t be as depressing.
I just got home today (Detroit) after spending the last 4 days in Cleveland. I was with other people in my profession who were from all over the US – we ALL were impressed with downtown Cleveland. Being from Detroit, I was especially jealous! We also saw the Indians Monday night – Progressive Field is a sight. So, as an outsider, I can say Cleveland has some things going for it.
On the YES broadcast tonight of the Yankees/Tribe game the text in trivia question is about what’s the worst moment in Cleveland sports besides ‘The Decision’. The Yankee fans have voted Mesa blowing Game 7 as the landslide winner. Red Right 88 wasn’t even one of the 5 choices. The Browns leaving Cleveland was second.
I’m really curious as to why Craig Ehlo is immortalized but not Jose Mesa, who blew the save in Game 7, or Tony Fernandez, who committed the error that led to the winning run in Game 7?
I grew up in northeast Ohio as a Cavs, Indians, and Browns fan. I listened to all 105 of the Indians losses in 1991. I held John Elway in the utmost contempt after The Drive. At 10 years old, I actually cried when Earnest Byner fumbled (it was at that moment that I learned not to take sports quite *so* seriously anymore). I watched Michael Jordan hit The Shot over Craig Ehlo. I was convinced that the Indians would have won the 1994 World Series (all due respect to the Expos). I couldn’t believe that the unstoppable 1995 Indians murderer’s row couldn’t manage a single run in the deciding World Series game 6, 1-0 loss. By the 1997 World Series, I had become cynical enough to thoroughly expect what happened in game 7 before it happened. I think most Cleveland fans, at least ones who have been around to witness these events, harbor similar cynicism that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for hope.
How on earth did Cleveland win the lottery to land such a coveted talent in LeBron James who was local to boot? Just as the Cavs were starting to become playoff contenders, he teased Cleveland with the possibility of leaving but instead signed a contract extension after the 2005-2006 season. At the time, he promised to bring a championship to Cleveland.
Like suckers, we bought it. Maybe not so much at first. But a single player can control the outcome of a game in basketball so much more than baseball or football, and never was this more evident than in LeBron’s superhuman game 5 against the Pistons in 2007 when he single-handedly beat an elite defense (including the iconic one-on-five final layup). After that I honestly thought the Cavs had a chance to beat the Spurs. This time *we* were the ones with Jordan, and the other teams had a bunch of Ehlos. Once again, cynicism was gone, and anything was possible. Until the Cavs got swept. Game 2 against Orlando last year, on the verge of losing two home games to start the series, LeBron once again managed to snatch hope from the jaws of cynicism draining a buzzer-beating 3. I *knew* I shouldn’t get my hopes up. But I did. How could I not? Did you see that shot? And then the Cavs lost the series.
Instilling hope was LeBron’s greatest crime against Cleveland sports fans. He promised championships and gave us ample reason to believe him. This past preseason, a great many pundits predicted the Cavs would win the 2010 NBA championship, and just as many furthered that prediction after the Cavs secured the league’s best record. The hope was there. At least until the ‘elbow injury.’
But coming off the best record in the NBA and predictions of championships just a few weeks prior, would LeBron really desert his home team for the Knicks, or the Bulls, or some other unknown? Would he really conduct a circus special just to stab Cleveland in the back and twist the knife? No one would be that cruel and/or clueless, right? Cleveland fans, even the most cynical, couldn’t help clinging to the tantalizing hope before them. He managed to dangle this hope in their faces right up until the very moment he announced he was “taking his talents to South Beach.” At least the shock and humor from the douchiness of that single line tempered the heartbreak ever so slightly.
When talented Indians players like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and Albert Belle left town, I understood. There was more money and opportunity elsewhere. When players like Joe Carter, C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee were traded in order to minimize the damage done by their inevitable exodus to greener pa$tures, I understood. I continued to follow their careers and even take a bit of pride in their successes. When LeBron James left money on the table and left the team with the best record in the NBA to become a second banana, I understood, but in a different way. I understood just as I understood that the Indians were doomed to lose game 7 of the ’97 World Series. The battle of cynicism vs. hope was a massacre the day of The Decision.
jmac: That was incredibly well done. Joe needs to concur and make you some sort of special B.R.
I live in Wisconsin and I am a Packer fan. Many people where I live, and outside the state, have compared the LeBron situation to Brett Favre leaving us in Green Bay. Maybe it isn’t a fair comparison, but I will share with you this:
I grew up with Brett Favre. I was 4 when he made his first start. I don’t know how old I will be when he makes his last, but I was 19 when he made his last start as a Green Bay Packer. Brett Favre, to me, IS football. He is as much of the sport as the Packers themselves. And to see him cry on national TV – to cry with him – and have him turn his back, is heartbreaking to say the least. And when he went to the Vikings, the entire state was where Cleveland is now. Everybody hated him. They claimed 1 decision wiped away 16 amazing years. But it didn’t. And those feelings are still strong (consistent boos during his return to Lambeau Field), but it seems as if most people have at least accepted it.
As for me, I never hated him for it. How could I? He showed me the greatest football I’ll ever watch. He was the best childhood hero a boy could ever want. I understand that both sides screwed up but I am that person telling everyone to get over it. I still love Brett Favre. I still wear his Packer jersey. I’m not the only one, but we are few.
I am also a Cleveland outsider. Everything I know about Cleveland sports, I read from Joe Posnanski. I have never experienced Cleveland heartbreak. The closest I’ve come to feeling what Cleveland feels is Brett Favre leaving, and yeah, I got over it.
BUT…
I HATE what LeBron did. It disgusts me. As an outsider, I STILL am not over what he did. On primetime TV? In a room full of KIDS? Come on, man. I know I have no idea what Cleveland feels right now, but I would like to tell each and every one of them right now, to NEVER stop feeling the anger you feel towards LeBron. Don’t get over it. Don’t retire his number, and boo him every chance you get. What he did wasn’t fair. And it was worse than anything Favre has ever done, and people still aren’t over that. He doesn’t deserve Cleveland.
@58 JMac — Trust me, as a White Sox fan my entire life, I’m amazed that those late 90s Indian teams never won a World Series. I mean…I don’t think line-ups like those will happen again. How many guys went on to be franchise players for other teams? Thome, Belle, Ramirez…plus the guys who were already stars–Murray, Justice, Matt Williams, Fryman, Alomar…not to mention the bench guys who would become All-Stars and they didn’t even know it–Sean Casey, Brian Giles, Jeff Kent, Richie Sexson, Jeromy Burnitz…I’m sure I’m overlooking somebody…By the way, as a White Sox fan, thanks for Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, and Kenny Lofton.
Hmmmm, this probably isn’t helping is it?
“To me, the fact that LeBron left ON THE FIRST CHANCE HE HAD… says a lot.”
Um, he didn’t leave THE FIRST CHANCE HE HAD. He was there 7 years. He signed a 4 year extension when his rookie contract was up, which should be more than enough time. Look at the supporting cast Orlando has given Dwight Howard, who was drafted one year after LeBron. All of Kobe’s running buddies were acquired after LeBron was drafted. Building a champion around LeBron James should be the easiest GM gig in sports, and they couldn’t get it done.
“Instilling hope was LeBron’s greatest crime against Cleveland sports fans.”
This has to rank among the most hyperbolic, overwrought sentences to appear on this blog.
Puhlease.
Why shouldn’t fans be angry. It’s not like LeBron or any of the other over-paid athletes print money. They get paid huge amounts of money to play games and the only reason they can live this lifestyle is that fans pay stupid amounts of money to see them, or sit through unending commercial messages to watch them, and buy the tee-shirts made in China with their team’s logos on them. None of this makes any sense financially for the fan. But we do it because we have an emotional connection to the teams and to the players. When they tell us that connection means nothing to them, as James just did, of course we are angry. If not for the support of the fans, most of these players would be lucky to have jobs stocking shelves at the local Qwiki Mart.
And why is it that fans are supposed to just be thankful that they got to watch LeBron play for seven years, but LeBron has no obligation to feel privileged that he gets to play basketball for a living and make a ton of money?
Steve:
Are you sure athletes are overpaid? On what basis can you claim that?
I would be very surprised if LeBron does not feel a strong sense of privilege and gratitude that he can “play basketball for a living and make a ton of money”. However, under the present system he has the ability to choose where he wants to play. Why shouldn’t he do what he perceives is best for him?
LeBron may be a narcissistic, poorly-advised man who foolishly participated in that ESPN farce of an announcement show. That takes nothing away from what I said above.
You said that fans spend stupid amounts of money and watch games on TV and buy T-shirts “because we have an emotional connection to the teams and to the players.” Maybe each fan need to reconsider that, as consumers of this product. If you like the present system, fine, that’s great. If not, then invest your emotions and money into something else and choose to watch sports with great interest and little emotion.
Cleveland may be depressed but you would not know it from the long lines waiting at Cheesecake Factory or Corkey and Lenny’s.
Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are full of shoppers so life is not as bleak as you would imagine.
Short and sweet…..Is there a Midwest city which doesn’t get a bad rap? Even Minneapolis is a joke to our East and West coast neighbors. Bet I could do this in any Midwestern city, including Cleveland. Just did it in Kansas City Metro last 2 weeks.
Take a week or 10 days, and visit as many places as you can. Ball games (including minor leagues), lakes, museums, architecture, joints, good restaurants, drive ins, casinos, spend a couple of nights out in hotels, and simply kick back and look at where you live.
My area is astonishingly cool!
I was motivated to do the “staycation” due to negative press on KC getting the All Star Baseball game in 2012.
#67 is right. I used to live in NYC and my New Yorker friends referred to midwestern cities as “flyover cities”, i.e. places you fly over on your way to places that are cool.
When I was getting ready to move out to Michigan, my coworkers were aghast that I would move to Michigan. “Why?” they kept asking.
One coworker, and this is no lie, asked me if they had stores out there. I said, “Why yes, they do have stores.”
This was the same person who recommended a restaurant that had the “best burritos in New York”. It was a Qdoba.
Angry? You have no idea.
On my iTunes, I relabeled the old Stone song, “Sympathy for Art Modell”.
Joe,
I grew up in Hunting Valley. My parents worked on one of the estates out there, and I haven’t gotten too far since we moved there in 1978. I live in Lyndhurst now…there are 13 houses for sale on my street alone. I’m laid off, but in an effort to make the best of it, I am back in college.
I just wanted to say I appreciate your writing so much because you understand us because you are one of us. Maybe though in your time away you have forgotten the greatest strenghth of Clevleanders- our resiliency. In the words of Richard Pryor (sic) “We ain’t dead yet, mother(trucker)”
So what? Another athlete broke our hearts in the crulest way imaginable. That’s ok. We must press on. And we will. Why? Because that’s what we do in Cleveland.
Keep up the excellent work!
I remember the old Yakov Smirnoff joke about how when he first landed in America, he landed in Cleveland. He told some pretty easy jokes about living there, and then said something along the lines of:
“You know, every country has one city that they make fun of. In Russia, we make fun of Cleveland.”
Dorasaga @ 10: As an individual team, nobody can challenge the misery of the Cubs. But since the last time a team in Cleveland won a championship, Chicago has 6 NBA championships led by the greatest player in NBA history, a Super Bowl title by one of the greatest single-season teams in NFL history and another recent appearance, and a brand new shiny Stanley Cup. And a recent world championship by the White Sox (though admittedly I assume that actually makes things worse for Cubs fans since their misery no longer has company).
So there’s really no comparison to being a sports fan in Chicago and a sports fan in Cleveland. And also, Chicago is Chicago and Cleveland is Cleveland. So there’s that.
Reading this, I kept picturing an old “Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not” about a village or small country or whatever whose residents still dress in black over having lost a battle hundreds of years ago.
But I can understand the anger and frustration. I’m still mad at Danny Tartabull for leaving KC.
Joe,
You inspired me to write my blog today (Why Cavs fans should root for LeBron). I grew up in Miami. Now 32 and live outside Cleveland.
Keep it coming. Thanks.
Josh
I forgot to post the link if Clevelanders wanna check it out (or others):
http://www.unrestrictedzone.com/?p=333
Thanks.
Cleveland has The Great Lakes Brewing Company. It’s right in the city, not far from Quicken Loans Arena actually. There are a lot of cities who don’t have anything close to that going for them. Miami is one of them.
Of course, who wants to drink Edmund Fitzgerald Porter in South Beach? But that’s beside the point.
Humiliation is a choice. In this case, it is the choice of an entire metropolitan area whose inhabitants have decided they were jilted by a stranger they all thought was a lover. Now, everyone left in town is holding hands and singing, “Oy! Woe!”
Half a million people are making a group spectacle of themselves over a 25 year old kid whose one skill is playing a game, as if it has any meaning or any significance, and really, it’s just (finally!!!) an opportunity to lambaste one of the 400,000 people who abandoned the town previously, but were all actually related to someone who stayed, so you have to be nice to them.
Cleveland is humiliated because half the population has left Cleveland. Are Clevelanders are humiliated because they’ve stayed?
Joe–
Love your stuff on Cleveland, as always, but PLEASE! The Cuyahoga River never caught on fire. Rivers are made of water, and water doesn’t burn.
No, the chemicals floating on top of the River caught fire!
@Patrick
Please don’t try to make generalizations about Sox and Cubs fans. What you said is completely untrue.
To expand a little bit about the boycott:
You cannot hurt Lebron financially – his contract is guaranteed (future endorsements might be a different story).
You cannot hurt hurt him athletically – I would assume he would rise to the occasion when all you guys are booing the hell out of him.
However, by not showing up and having an empty house for his return, you can inflict at least a small measure of embarrassment and humiliation on him – to say nothing of making a great statement of how mad you really are.
And remember, it is just for one lousy regular season game – the Cavs will get over it.
I still think it is a great idea.
@#17 – the funny thing about bringing up Chris Pronger is that there was also a “dirty little secret” rumor about why he left town, similar in a way to the LeBron story.
Pronger allegedly had an affair in Edmonton with a TV reporter (possibly with a baby involved) and the LeBron story had the Delonte West story.
Funny thing about bringing up Edmonton is that the city had one of the greatest players of all time force a trade, but he isn’t scorned there. People tend to blame the owner and/or Janet Jones for the movie, but Wayne seemingly never gets any flak. Because he “didn’t want to leave?” Because he cried at the presser when he left?
When one pulls back the veneer, one can’t help but to conclude that there is a hint of racial animus here. These people need to get on with their lives and let this youngman live his life. Unless it was stipulated in the contract, that he signed with Cleveland, that he could not entertain other opportunities, he can leave. This is business – period – and he has inalieable right to take care of himself and/or his family!!!!!
Akbar. Come on, now. It’s not racism. Not a hint. I suppose the hatred of Art Modell was spurred on by latent ageism?
Nobody is saying LeBron James didn’t have the right to move to Miami. Nobody is saying he didn’t have the right to announce his decision on national TV in prime time. We are saying he does not have the right to act like a complete a**hole and expect people to still like him.
When one pulls back the veneer on #83, one can’t help but to conclude that there is a hint of Akbarism here.
Odessasteps – Wayne Gretzky didn’t ask for nor demand a trade out of Edmonton. Peter Pocklington clearyly started the wheels in motion for Gretzky’s trade. Gretzky may or may not have participated in the choice of where he was ultimately traded. Oh, and, Gretzky also delivered Stanley Cups and never quit on anything in Edmonton. Pretty hard not to continue to support and cheer for that guy. Lebron, not so much.
Thanks so much for writing this. I’m from Akron, but I have a friend from Oregon who’s moving to NE Ohio. He asked what it’s like there; this does a better job at getting at the region for all of its great things and terrible things, better than I could ever say, and I’m sending it to him so he can know what it’s like. Thanks so much.
It’s just one guy who plays basketball. It’s not really important enough to be upset about.
Joe:
I doubt you’ll get any more comments, but here are a couple more links about LeBron’s wild weekend in Vegas, including a link to a story ESPN/LA spiked.
Part of me feels bad for LeBron. He’s just a kid. He was riding high and now he can’t catch a break.
Also, am I the only one who thinks ESPN is a little late to the ethics table?
http://www.lvrj.com/news/-king-james–feels-heat-of-spotlight-99611389.html
http://www.deadspin.com
@57: SoCalTwinsfan – I would have to say Ehlo is immortalized because of the fact that his despair was against Michael Jordan in one of the most replayed highlights in NBA history.
And Ehlo was almost the hero of that game, having scored to put the Cavs ahead just before Jordan’s final shot.
Great article. It takes a lot for a Pittsburgher to feel sympathy towards Cleveland but LeBron James managed to do it. That’s extreme.
Please change your RSS feed back to full not a snippet! Thanks.
Oops sorry about the comment on the RSS feed. It hadn’t changed on my Reader till just now. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Joe, you’re an excellent writer, BUT to make your point you avoid important words like GREATER CLEVELAND and NORTHERN OHIO.
There’s a world of difference between the City of Cleveland and the 30-40 other cities within 25 miles of Cleveland. Check it out: Solon, Westlake, Strongsville, Rocky River, Fairview Park, Pepper Pike, Avon, Parma, Bay Village and the rest are NOT Cleveland. Yet, they represent most of the people who buy Cavs tickets and provide the majority of support for the Cavs. But like The Plain Dealer, you don’t seem to get the message.
As a city with a great on-a-lake location, Cleveland has “fumbled” for years due to small-minded politicians, non-leaders and crooked managers. But when people leave Cleveland, most of ‘em go to the 30-40 other cities mentioned above. And bringing up old, tired jokes that date back decades is cheap copy just to fill an article.
Sure, we hated to see the Browns leave town, but Modell made a business decision that was his to make…and so did James in a no-class manner. But if someone offered me twice my salary to move to Southern California to work with top people at a top company, I’d jump at the chance…bet you would too.
Yes, fans are disappointed, but there are lots more important places to put their anger…two long wars, growing taxes, illegal aliens, more and more tax-subsidized entitlements, et al. So keep writing, but stick to the facts and try to appeal to the more sophisticated fans who are focusing on the future rather than old news.
many of the same people who are complaining about lebron james’ leaving are calling talk shows in cleveland suggesting players the cavs, indians and browns should trade or cut. do you honestly think had lebron james been a backup small forward rather than the greatest player in cavs’ history, he would not have been part of those conversations as well? when was the last time you read a letter or a post or heard someone on radio say he felt bad for the twelfth man on the bench who just got cut and wondered about how his family is doing?
fans demand loyalty from players that they are not willing to give in return. the fan’s anger regarding james is all about what james could do for them in the future. it is a selfish and one sided emotion.
I really don’t care to hear from you cubs fans. You have no idea what its like to be a Cleveland fan. You had 6 championships with Michael Jordan, yeah MJ. You had arguably the greatest football team ever assembled in the ’85 bears. The Blackhawks are the defending stanley cup champions. And many Chicagoans took pride in the White Sox world series victory. I am 29 and those events all took place in my lifetime. Meanwhile I have never seen a Cleveland team win a title, let alone 4 cleveland teams winning numerous titles. So please just offer some comments on LeBron and spare the cubs sob story. You really have no idea what its like to never win.
Cleveland Cavs fans and Dan Gilbert sure have short memories and a hypocritical outlook. LeBron was great for you, and left as a free agent. It sucks but didn’t a month before all that you fire the most successful coach in Cavs history so you could have a better chance of signing LeBron. Your team and city and owner showed no loyalty to someone who was a successful coach for you, then you whine and complain when a player leaves as a free agent? Yeah The Decision was an abomination. But I think Cleveland should look in the mirror. Mike Brown should write Gilbert a letter calling him names, but Brown seems to have more professionalism and common sense.
Joe, I guess I agree with your eventual point. But you’re an incredible writer because you’re conversational. Until our dear Roger Angell shifts off this mortal coil, could you be a little less purple? It’s not like the Cavs traded Duane Kuiper.
I’m late to this thread, but wanted to add some context in the form of a quick-and-dirty (and arbitrary) look at some of the Cleveland tropes that Joe constantly relies on, coupled with an analogous, potential NYC trope.
Cleveland (Cle):
Has a Lake named Erie.
New York City (NYC):
Has a Canal named Erie.
Cle:
River caught on fire.
NYC:
Terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers.
Cle:
City went bankrupt.
NYC:
Wall St traders nearly destroyed entire world economy.
Cle:
Local teams lose, Joe mentions all of the above.
NYC:
Local teams win or lose, writers do not generally beat us over the head with the above (exempting ’01 WS from conversation).
I’m not trying to make a political point, or to be exceedingly provocative. I’m a longtime fan of Joe’s writing. But I do think his Cleveland Tropes are losing their persuasive steam.
@53: The “wealthy folk align with the Cubs” crude stereotype cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. (@79: Thanks, and I want to expand on it a bit.) Do you really believe this? People on the Northside of Chicago root for the Cubs. Do you think everyone who lives on the Northside is wealthy? Yes, Wrigley has become yuppie fashionable. If you’re not well off, you have to commit a bigger part of your paycheck to get a ticket than other teams’ fans do. But the idea that the Cubs fan base in general is wealthy, that’s nonsense.
Future story idea: more empty seats at Wrigley this summer than any year since 1984. For true Cubs fans, this could be a good thing. Make ownership earn the attendance again.
Umm… Jeff, you are off base (needless to say). Try visiting Cleveland or Detroit and compare it to New York or one of the cities in the East with which everyone is so enamored. Not exactly the same.
@100 James
Sorry if I was unclear: I was not trying to compare the two cities. And I’m not trying to rag on CLE. I’m an artsy type living in Los Angeles — I know Joe’s writing through my father (not an artsy type) making me read it growing up as a kid in KC; the lovely verse of Joe’s KC Star columns provided a conversational bridge between my father and I while he was still alive.
Indeed, Cleveland has a world-class symphony and modern art museum; nobody who cares about those two fields would reasonably deny that.
But I have the sense that if Joe mentioned those two Cleveland highlights in a post about a Cleveland sports loss, he would mention that you cannot spell symphony without “phony,” or that to many people much of modern art doesn’t seem like “real” art, and therefore that helps explain the latest Cleveland loss.
It all just seems like a bit much and comes off as clumsy cliche, and it cheapens his genuinely impactful prose.
Joe,
Ankiel and Farnsworth sent to Atlanta on the first thing smokin’…see, trust the process! You gotta love Dayton Moore’s quote…”It is great for Rick and Kyle to join an organization that is 3 1/2 games up in the pennant race and go there and send Bobby [Cox] out in style.” Even when he thinks he’s helping his old team…he’s actually sending them Kyle Farnsworth. Can I bring Dayton Moore to my dinner for schmucks?
Of course my team picked up Edwin Jackson and flipped him for Adam Dunn….waaaaaaaaaaaaaait, no they didn’t! I’m gonna trust that Kenny Williams had a step 2 that fell through.
So apparently I am miserable because I live in the Cleveland area and with LeBron leaving (gasp), my days are numbered. It’s always been humorous to me that people outside of Cleveland want to dictate my state of being. Perhaps that old adage, “misery loves company” applies here and it is those who need to check from within.
I am a diehard Browns, Indians, Cavs fan and I always will be. A little bit (or a lot), of losing will not waver my desire and the day we do win one, just one, well, if you think New Orleans partied you have got another thing coming.
You cannot be a p***y and root for a Cleveland team, and I would have it no other way.
As I said in the opening, I am going to keep on living a great life with many Clevelanders who also share great lives, so please tell me when it is that I am supposed to become depressed. Or “miserable”. Or when Erie, Chagrin, or Cuyahoga mean anything else to me but Indian words.
Cheers to all!!
Cleveland also has Prospect Avenue.
distress or embarrassment at having failed of been humiliated.” The “of” should be or.
As for James leaving Cleveland, some guys just cannot take the stress of being “the” guy. Jordan could. Kobe can. Dwayne Wade can. Bird and Johnson could. James can’t. So he’s going to where he will be the best second option in basketball in search of a ring. I don’t know if he’ll get one, but I can understand the desire.
Two angles I think are interesting:
1) People are accusing LeBron of being disingenuous, but the marketer in me suspects that Dan Gilbert’s over-the-top rant was a little more calculated than others think. He loses the top player in the NBA (a two-time NBA MVP…at age 25) largely because of what he’s left with, a crap lineup that’s almost assuredly next year’s worst record. And yet he emerges a folk-hero in the community. Genius.
2) The question lost in all the “will LeBron win in Miami” and “LeBron didn’t want to be the man” and “it’s D-Wade’s team” and the like is what happens when LeBron plays like Magic Johnson 2.0 (or maybe 5.0), and completely blows our minds next year? Then what’s the aftermath? What happens if LeBron’s game shows just how caged he actually was in Cleveland by Gilbert’s lousy moves (resulting in crap teammates) and James’ lousy coaching? This feels like a permanent story, but it’s temporary. LeBron will probably show us such ridiculous brilliance in the future (again, he’s 25!!) that the country will get back on his bandwagon and Clevelanders will be even more miserable, as they win 15-20 games with the remaining “talent” while watching LeBron evolve.
Jamie, don’t be ridiculous. The Cavaliers went out of their way to surround the Prince will every piece he needed to win. Did he have a bona fide #2? Not really, but he didn’t need one. It turns out the Prince spent the better part of the past few years undermining his own chance at winning a title with the Cavaliers. What’s become clear is that he put in a half-hearted effort. He wouldn’t commit to the franchise, meaning other good players were hesistant to commit (e.g. Trevor Ariza). He wouldn’t meet potential free agents at the airport (e.g. Michael Redd), but he’s already done that in Miami (for Derek Fisher). The truth is that his effort, on and off of the court, in trying to win a title while in Cleveland, was subpar.
The Prince may or may not win a ring in Miami. However as a Clevelander, I won’t be miserable regardless of what happens, because the NBA has been exposed as being little better than the WWE, and the Prince is now seen for what he is, an egotistical, spoiled child. Sure, some people, like yourself, will probably eat up whatever he does, but that’s simply reflective of the society in which we live which adores character-lacking “stars” like the Prince.
“The Cavaliers went out of their way to surround the Prince will every piece he needed to win”
That’s funny. Delusional, but funny.
“He wouldn’t meet potential free agents at the airport (e.g. Michael Redd)”
That’s REALLY funny. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
“The truth is that his effort, on and off of the court, in trying to win a title while in Cleveland, was subpar.”
40 minutes a game. 28-7-7. For his career. Ridiculously funny. The guy who you insanely claim “didn’t need a bona fide #2″ (even though no star has ever won a title without one) wasn’t trying hard enough for you.
The Decision made me like LeBron a whole lot less. But Cleveland fans’ reaction post-decision has me kind of looking forward to watching the train wreck of a team you’ll get to root for. And as far as “trying” goes, I’m sure you try harder than LeBron at your job…you’ve probably been voted the best in the whole world at it (probably twice, even). And that ghastly team you’ll be fielding next year will, I’m sure, try a hell of a lot harder than LeBron did. I’m sure they’ll just keep tryin’ tryin’ tryin’ when they have single-digit wins at the All-Star Break. Can’t wait to watch them try real hard.
jamie, we reacted the way any fanbase would react in our position. I’ll be honest, by no means am I unbiased here; but the facts are there for anyone, including yourself, to see. The Prince half-assed it on the court (when it counted against Boston) and off the court in making an effort get other big name player to join him. In that regard, indeed, Gilbert and the Cavs front office did everything they could to surround the Prince with a solid cast and make the Prince happy, even though they had one hand tied behind their backs.
Stop being so mean-spirited. Cleveland fans have every right to be angry, but no city deserves the heartbreak we’ve had to endure, and may (as you hope) have to endure in the upcoming basketball season.
@10:
Ah yes, Chicago has had it tough. Except for the Stanley Cup this year. And that other World Series title 5 years ago. And the six NBA titles a decade and a half ago. And that Super Bowl 25 years back, plus a visit to the big game a few years back. Yeah, that’s a while, but over four decades for Cleveland? My teams are Kansas City based and even we had something more recently than that. (Some might even count the Wizards).