Out-of-town Report

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't made a post in quite some time. With the Buckeyes' gridiron and hardwood teams in the off-season, I've been sitting on the sidelines, but I am a diehard fan of the professional Cleveland teams as well, so why not throw out my opinions live from outskirts of Erie, PA!


Indians

I suppose we'll start with the only team playing right now. First and foremost, I gotta give a melancholy shout out to the newest Seattle Mariner, Russell Branyan. During my last trip to The Prog, I came to the conclusion that no one has ever loved a mediocre player as much as us here at FCF loved Rusty. It really is a shame to see him go. We'll really miss ya Rusty. RUSTY!

Meanwhile, the Tribe have been playing pretty good ball lately. The Wahoo's currently still find themselves 12.5 games behind the Central-leading Tigers, and 4.5 games out of the Royals to attempt to get out of the cellar, but are 7-3 in their last 10 games. This recent streak has allowed us to past the Pirates, which is a plus. The last thing we need is for Pittsburgh to beat us at baseball too.

You don't usually say this about a 17 games under .500 ball club, but the Tribe has actually been really fun to watch, especially recently. They currently have six rookies on the squad, and it'll be interesting to watch how these guys develop in the second half. Carlos Santana appears to be the stud that we expected to see, and Matt LaPorta has just been dicking all over pitchers around the league since his call-up. Hopefully young guys like Crowe, Brantley, Donald, and Nix can get things going as well.



Cavs

While the Indians are playing and the Cavs are in the off-season, obviously the biggest talk in Cleveland is around what LeBron James will do. Earlier this morning, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh both announced they will be signing with Miami. It appears that Miami will still go after The King to try to create a super trio. I've said from the beginning I think LeBron will re-sign with the Cavs, but I've never been super confident. Right now I'd say it's probably 60-40 that he'll stay.

We can all find out where LeBron will go Thursday evening at 9 on ESPN during a four-hour Sportscenter special. Wow, I knew this guy was an arrogant, media-whore, but really LBJ? Is this really necessary? What is he going to do for an entire hour? I hope he has all 30 team jerseys lined up, starts with the team he is to least-likely sign with, and tells us why he will not be going there, until he counts down to his choice. Although I certainly have not been shy about my disdain for James' personality, I think it goes without saying that he is one of the top two players in the league, Cleveland is nothing without him, and I will be devastated if he leaves. I'm sure Nick and/or Andy will provide a more detailed article once he makes his decision.


Browns

Every year around mid-June, when I face reality and admit the Indians aren't going anywhere, I really get that itch for some football. June just flew by, and now that it's already July, football season is right around the corner. It's time to buy Fantasy magazines already! Although I'm always pessimistic about the Browns before the season starts (and always correct), I still can't wait to get together with a bunch of other idiots every Sunday afternoon and cheer my face off for the Brown and Orange. Right now my pick for us this year is 5-11, but a few lucky bounces our way and I wouldn't be shocked if we pulled a 7-9 or possibly even 8-8. With the absurd things we've seen in Browns games over the last decade, for and against us (usually against), who knows what will happen. Hey, remember when we beat the Steelers last year?


Buckeyes

Now we're talking my language. Ohio St appears to be loaded again and, if Pryor can play like he did in the Rose Bowl, possibly poised for another National Championship appearance. In just about every publication and expert pick I've seen so far has OSU taking on Alabama for all the marbles. I will provide a very in-depth preview as we get closer to the season, but for now I'll just say that with tons of explosiveness surrounding TP on offense and another devastating defense, the Buckeyes look to be a top team yet again.

On a quick basketball note, Evan Turner was selected #2 as expected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA draft. If you thought I would have learned my lesson after the Greg Oden fiasco and wait to buy his jersey until he actually plays a game, you would be wrong. GET EM