Ummm.....

this can't be a good sign

More Beatles

Here, here! (hear, hear?)

This just in

Cavs can't play defense.

That is all

almst- I got a hand written letter from Joe Tait, Cavs announcer. Terry Pluto had an 'write an email to Joe Tait' thing a little while back in his news letter and I decided to. I forget what I wrote, but I know I mentioned sitting next to the radio listening to him announce Cavs games. When I was growing up we didn't have cable, where ALL of the Cavs homes and most of the away games were broadcast. Part of me still loves getting into the car and hearing Joe's voice call the game.

12/8/80

outside dakota died the symphony

3 years before I was born, I was never even alive when he was, but I still feel a loss. I still wonder what Lennon could've done in the 80s, what music he could've made. Would he have toured? I know that most 60's artists didn't really do much after the 70s, the rest of the Beatles have had some nice songs here and there, but nothing like the 60's and 70's. Would he have reunited the band? Would that have been worth it or awful? Would he and McCartney write songs again?

"Gandhi and Martin Luther King were great examples of non-violent people who had died violently; what does that mean, that when you're such a pacifist you get shot?"

Wickman is re-signed

I like it, I like it a lot more than overpaying for an aging Trevor Hoffman. This really sets the bullpen up nice.

Also, Tribe eyeing Nomar?

Not sure where Mr. Hamm would play on the team, the Tribe has got some nice guys at 2nd, 3rd and Short.

Finally

someone who hates Bill Plaschke as much as I do

Chris Kaman or Paul

I have no idea what this is

but it is awesome

Cavs beat Kings

I only saw the last 9 minutes of the game last night (finals and such) so I didn't catch much. But what I did see impressed me.

At the end of the game, it wasn't just LeBron making big shots. Hughes made a runner with little time left on the shot clock, Gooden made a turn around in the same situation, and Snow hit a pull up jumper from the wing (again with little time left on the shot clock). These were the daggers. The nails.

And the Cavs played defense, Z played D, Gooden took a charge, the entire team got big rebounds. As I've been saying all year, this team will be getting better as the year goes on. The defense isn't there (LeBron included) and the half court offense still needs some work. But this team will be better in April that December.

The Cavs hadn't won in Sacramento for since 98, but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. These aren't the old Kings, the Weber, Vlade, Bibby Kings. Is it a nice win? Yes. Did the Cavs not suck too bad on their West Coast trip? Ya, but 2-1 would've been better than 1-2.

The Colts

This whole 'Will Dungy rest his starters' thing is already getting old. Look, he says now he hasn't decided, because, they haven't gotten to the point that they need to. If the Colts keep winning, I believe Dungy will continue to play his starters.

Right now I think he has to say he doesn't know. Cause if he had an answer, it'd be saying he's thinking about the perfect season. Which he doesn't want to do. The Colts are trying to win the next week and so on. The longer Dungy can put off answering perfect season questions, the better for the Colts.

But will he rest them? I HIGHLY doubt it.

Hudson

'well to do?' wah?

Last Thursday, Dietrich was looking in the well-to-do suburb of Hudson for things like tall grass, sewer pipes and a wood pile that the father described, when her 101-pound mixed breed dog, Ricco, stopped in the woods and "just laid down and started looking at me."

MMQB

As always, its good, I just liked/enjoyed/threw up at this little bit:

Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week

I did not travel on Sunday. I had my first home game of the year, driving nine miles east to the Meadowlands. But I did live vicariously through Jason Cohen, my HBO compatriot and Inside the NFL production manager, who is a hopelessly addicted Browns fans. He travels to Blondies, a bar in Manhattan which is home to Browns games every Sunday, and there, with a Cleveland-loving crew, looked on in horror as first-round pick Braylon Edwards went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury. The Browns, as you know, have been snakebitten with injuries to stud receivers (see Kellen Winslow Jr.).

"Braylon goes down,'' Cohen reported, "and the following exchange goes down with two guys next to me.''

First fan: "Welcome to Cleveland, Braylon.''

Second fan: "Just hope he can run by next September.''

First fan: "Now Kellen has a bunkmate.''

I know this: Thousands of similar sentiments were spat out at bars across this great land of ours when Edwards went down. Guarantee.

A Dumb BCS Article

This is from the AP, and its terrible. It acts like the BCS 'worked' this year, and everything is okay in college football. Well, yes and no. The BCS 'worked' because USC and Texas didn't lose, and every other team did. Thats not the BCS, that's fate.

As for the other coments, about how the BCS has good matchups and blah blah blah. Look, I'll be watching exactly two bowl games this year. Ohio State vs Notre Damn, because of Ohio State. And I'll watch USC vs Texas cause it means something. Besides that, why should I care? Penn St and Florida St are playing for 3rd, I do not care. It doesn't mean anything. Sure they are both good teams, and they both have old coaches... but I don't care about either team, the outcome means nothing, why should I give a rats ass.

This is why I can never fully get behind college football: a lot of games don't mean anything. The Bowls don't matter, they just don't.

The title game matters; that's it. In every other major sport, the post season matters. College basketball, NFL, MLB, NBA and even the NHL; win or go home. Keep on winning and you win the title.

College football postseason: win or lose, you go home. And unless you're ranked 1 or 2, it doesn't matter.

I know the games 'do' actually matter. The school that wins gets more money, the winner gets a better chance a recurits and all that. There are benefits. But these same things would happen in a playoff system. You think Duke doesn't benefit on the recruiting trail by playing deep into March?


The article ends like this:

Last season, California was 10-1 but got bumped out of the Rose Bowl by Texas, a slight that caused an outcry from the Pac-10 and elsewhere.

The Ducks won't get as much sympathy this season.

And for once the BCS gets to gloat.

No.

No.

No.

No.

The BCS should not be gloating, they should be breathing a sigh of relief that neither Texas or USC lost. The BCS didn't do shit, they just got lucky nothing fucked up happened this year.

And why no sympathy for the Ducks, lets see: They lost one game (Notre Dame and OSU each have two losses), they play in a major conference, a conference that the 2 year reigning national champs reside.

As for the teams they've played... Oregon is 10-1 and their two non-conference opponents: Houston and Montana. Not exactly powerhouses. Penn State 10-1, non-con oppoenets: South Florida and Cincy. Wow, again, not powerhouses. Notre Dame had a tough schedule, but they lost to the same team Oregon did (#1 USC ) and they lost to a shitty Michigan State team. OSU has two losses, although to two very good teams (Texas and Penn State), but they are ahead of Oregon. So I don't get it. I just don't. Why shouldn't Oregon be pissed that TWO 2 loss teams are ahead of them? Huh?

See, Oregon did all it could, only lost one game (to the BEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY) and they don't get the money games. This is why theres a problem in college football. First of all, eveyone besides two teams are playing for a ranking other than 1 in the postseason. Whoo hoo, Ohio State beat ND so now we're ranked 3rd. We're number 3, we're number 3! And the teams can't decide it on the field, if this were basketball and Oregon got a shitty seed, they would just buckle down and take it out on their opponents, eventually winning a game vs a top team. But in football... they can't. They get what the voters give them. Or a computer.

Cleveland News

Indians signed Paul Byrd for 2 years and roughly 15 million. It's not a bad signing, it could end up being really good. This pretty much slams the door on at least one of the Elarton/Milwood combo. There's still an outside chance at Milwood I think. Scott Boras, his agent, is asking for 5 years, no pitcher is getting a contract that long, so Milwood might be sitting until Boras lowers his demands.

Charlie Frye started his first NFL game today, and started well.... up 14-3 at the half... The Browns lost 20-14, ouch. Frye had two TD throws to Edwards, who was later injured, he was also sacked 5 times in the second half. I didn't see the game due to work, but from what I've been reading, it looks like Frye did alright.

Pete Doherty

otherwise known as Kate Moss's boyfriend, was arrrested. Why do I care? Doherty was a member of one of my favortie bands, The Libertines. They've gotten a ton of press, and the British tabloids love them, but they really are good.

If you don't know any of their songs, at least check out these: I Get Along, The Boy Looked At Johnny. Boys in the Band, The Man Who Would be King, Can't Stand Me Now (their hit) and What Katie Did.

Jon Stewart: All American

In soccer?

I still haven't watched the latest Daily Show, with the White Stripes, but I hear good things (their new album, Get Behind Me Satan is awesome)

Latest Will Ferrell as Dubya

Discussing Global Warming.

Keith Olbermann

It's kinda sad that the two most prominent liberal voices on TV are a comic and a former sportscaster.

I love it when Keith rips on O'Reilly

Is Sunday the day?

For Charlie Frye?

Cavs Beat Clippers

Here's something I noticed: when the Cavs make sure Z gets the ball, they do well. Ya its oversimplified, but its basically the truth. When the coach keeps calling Z's number, everything else flows.

This has always been my philosophy with basketball (and not just because I play center too), start inside and work it back outside.

Keep sending the ball to Z or to Shaq, until the other team can prove it can stop them, or they double team. Once you get the big guy established, guards have to double down on them, and the big guy can pass it out. This leads to wide open jumpers (like Marshall's 3 in overtime) and better passing lanes. I never understand why the Rockets or the old Lakers would go away from Yao or Shaq for long stretches of the game. It's mind boggling.

When the Cavs offense breaks down its usually because Z is in foul trouble and LeBron and Hughes are carrying the load too much. If the Cavs are going to win games in the half court set Z has to play part.

Does Z need to pass it back out more often? Yes. But he's trying, hes rebounding, scoring, playing pretty good defense (he defended Brand's last shot yesterday pretty well). He played great yesterday.

Anyway, good game, ended November strong and now they got a West Coast swing coming up.