CLEVELAND SPORTS MEMES GOES TO CAMP

I still can't believe how welcoming the Browns were to me while visiting the opening day of the 2014 Training Camp.

The highlight of my day was getting an opportunity to meet "The Voice of the Browns" Jim Donovan.  I am a fan of Jim so it was quite a thrill to have a conversation with him.  But even better is the fact that I gave Jim such a laugh that he called down Doug Dieken.

I can't thank those guys enough for taking the time out and sign my hat.  I will be letting my stereo wear that hat and proudly play their broadcast.



But I might even be more excited that perhaps I passed on some zingers for Jim to use later...

Here are some photos from the QB competition...

Here is Barkevious Mingo face to face with the boss...

And here are a few more good ones.  I will post more periodically until the beginning of the season.

A SAD DAY FOR THE NFL

I'm pissed off, this is supposed to be an exciting time of year for me.  Preparing for the upcoming football season has always been a highlight of my year. But today the NFL set an ugly and confusing precedent.  Ray Rice received a two game suspension.  Two games for literally beating the snot out of a woman, on camera and dragging her out of an elevator. 

Goodell who has publicly said he wanted to clean domestic violence out of the league was lobbed a softball to do just that.  Instead he loudly proclaimed that he doesn't really care.  To me this an even more cowardly decision based on the fact that brand new NBA commissioner Adam Silver used every ounce of his power to punish an owner, who didn't even break any laws all in the name of cleaning up his game.  You would think a veteran commissioner would have more balls than that.    

Perhaps it was the disgusting victim blaming that was perpetrated by Ravens.  Did this make you feel better about what happened?

     

Well it must have worked on Goodell.  Way to stick by your guns brother, because this is a great reason I could see for women to shun the league.  To me this is an insult to the same women the NFL has desperately tried to market to for the past decade or so.

But maybe that wasn't the reason that Goodell decided not to come down hard on Ray.  Perhaps it was the fact that Ray Rice himself seemed to have learned a lot from the incident. 

  

Do I need to mention how stupid Ray Rice must be?  I'm not buying Ray's inspirational attempts to move on. Other class acts have been equally as inspirational...

I will never understand what in the blue hell Roger Goodell was thinking here.  This is a very bad look for him and his precious shield.  But in the end I guess I should at least be relieved that Ray Rice received some punishment from the league... 

ALL-STAR GAME OR RIDICULOUS DEREK JETER COMMERCIAL?

Once upon a time the All-Star Game was called the "Midsummer Classic."  It was supposed to be a showcase of the best players of each league facing off in an exhibition game, so the fans could see their favorite players all in one place for one night only.  The process isn't perfect.  Allowing the fans to vote for the starters have created some curious choices over the years.  But it also ensured that players that fans want to see play there get to see action, regardless of how much or little they actually deserve the honor.

This year I thought things got a bit out of hand.  Derek Jeter's season long farewell tour made its final stop at the All-Star Game on Tuesday.  The fans certainly did their part in getting them there, because his 2 HRs and 25 RBIs certainly weren't among the leaders at his position.  While I'm not trying to diminish what Jeter accomplished in his career, he certainly wasn't the ideal candidate in 2014.

Just because he wasn't totally deserving of an All Star role this year isn't my issue, that certainly isn't unprecedented.  What bugged me was how this game was turned into some bizarre Derek Jeter drool fest.  While I don't mind admitting that Jeter had a good career, blatant player worship isn't something I am prepared to give a guy who never did a lick of good for any of my teams.

People were telling me that I "have to like Jeter," no offense but no I don't.  Some people told me that I must respect him because he is a Yankee.  Saying that I don't like the Yankees may be the understatement of the year.  I can't stand the team, its fans, the way they rob the small market teams of their talent.  Just because suddenly I live in the bandwagon capital of the world doesn't mean I am going to start liking the Yankees because they are perpetually stocked with stars.

I've been told I have to like him because he "did things the right way."  That being a reference to the fact to played for one team his entire career.  That again I can't get behind because you will never be able to convince me that if Jeter came up through the Indians organization that he wouldn't have left for New York the first chance he got.  So you can also shove that theory as well.

Finally I was told that I had to like him because he was a great player.  And finally thank you again for attempting to impose your Yankee bandwagon spirit on me.  Sorry I require the players I like to have done something positive for one of my teams.  Rooting for Jeter in my eyes would be the same as rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl, it wont happen.

I had one All Star at Minnesota, and his name is Michael Brantley.  And to be honest the part about this All Star Game that made me the maddest wasn't the demand for Jeter respect, but the lack of respect for the other players in the game.  As much as the MLB pisses and moans about attendance and lack of interest in the game these days, they seriously dropped the ball.

The Jeter hype certainly overshadowed this game.  The All Star Game is typically used to be a platform for showcasing the league's top talent.  And instead of hyping up the league's future, they simply celebrated a closing chapter from the league's past.  If we were going to pine on the past where were the tributes to guys like Tony Gwynn, Don Zimmer, and Jim Fregosi who we lost in the past year?

So I am very disappointed in the MLB for completely ignoring the players that are carrying the league forward into the future.  Derek Jeter's legend will live on well past his playing days, so I really didn't need him crammed down my throat at the All-Star Game.

What do you think about it. Tell me on Twitter @BrownsMemes 

       

LEBRONMANIA!!!

This week saw a LeBronmania take off.  With LeBron James' contract done in Miami, the entire NBA went on high alert when it was time for him to make a choice on where his talents would be headed this time.

The initial hopes was that LeBron would make a quick decision, and obviously those of us here in NE Ohio were hoping that possibly LeBron might return home.

However LeBron decided to take his sweet ass time and Cavs fans began converging at his house. I assumed that they were hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

Then the winds of change blew in Cleveland's direction.  

 LeBron chose a much classier approach to making his decision this time around.  Although he probably didn't want all of the house guests.

Miami fans weren't terribly pleased.

Dan Gilbert celebrated the victory, and instantly tried to cater to LeBron a little more than he did the first time around.

Since many guys in the NBA were sitting around waiting on LeBron to choose, guys like Chris Bosh were forced to make their own decisions.  Unfortunately I reported the Bosh signing with Jurassic Park a little bit early.

And in the end no past demons came back to haunt Dan Gilbert, as LeBron agreed to become a happy Cavalier again... at least for two years.

INDIANS DANCE PARTY!

Maybe Nick Swisher really is a good cheerleader, Carlos Santana actually broke out of his slump a little.

Michael Brantley knows that the Indians offensive woes can't be pinned on him.

Good Guy David Murphy is getting his goodness back.

Corey Kluber is joining in the fun!

The last thing Yan Gomes needed was another nickname, but I couldn't help myself.

Of course Old Man Atchison is going to disco.

And I don't know what Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera are doing.