Long-suffering is usually the go-to word for describing Cleveland sports fans. The last championship any team won was in 1964, so we’re fast approaching 50 years of futility. The last time any team went to the finals was the 2007 Cavaliers, who were manhandled by the San Antonio Spurs. The 2007 Indians also fizzled out, losing the ALCS due to a few coaching mistakes. 2007 was even a remarkable year for the Browns, who managed to go 10-6 but still missed the playoffs.
Since then, the Cavs have had The Decision, the Tribe has had two collapses and the Browns haven’t won more than five games in a season. It’s been more of the same miserable and disappointing heartbreak, with emotional investment starting high before the season begins but petering out somewhere between the quarter and halfway mark. It’s been rough days indeed for the Mistake on the Lake.
So when I first said I’d write the sports column this week, I was still in a daze over the Trent Richardson trade. Nearly a week out, I still can’t make sense of the move, and I look on with fear at the rest of our roster. To ship off one of your best offensive players in his sophomore season for a first-round pick screams of tanking.
Remember when the Browns gave up extra picks to move up from number four to three for him? The move sent the message to fans that the front office had given up on the season and was instead planning on trying again next year. This truly isn’t anything that outrageous when it comes to Cleveland sports, were it not for the fact that it happened after week two of the season. Some have lauded the trade, saying it shows guts to commit to tanking the season away in order to truly rebuild. But after 14 seasons of rebuilding and draft history that reads like either a police lineup or an Arena Football League roster, I still have my reservations.
Also, the Indians were fresh off defeat when I volunteered for this, dropping two games to the Kansas City Royals. Sure, the Royals have finally gotten better but losing to them still carries a bitter sting and an unspoken “Really, them?” Terry Francona has done an amazing job with a Cleveland team best described as “scrappy,” but on Wednesday there was still the bitter sense that this all wouldn’t be enough and that the Indians would just miss out on the playoffs. Another season left on the outside, looking in and wondering where we went wrong.
But then, something happened, something strange, something I don’t remember happening for quite some time. The Browns and the Indians won on the same day. The Tribe moved into the second Wild Card spot. That means playoffs! The dark clouds over the Cuyahoga began to dissipate, and the sun shined down on Believeland.
I’m not foolish enough to believe that suddenly Brian Hoyer is Tom Brady 2.0. The Vikings secondary is just garbage. I fully expect him to bomb against a capable team and for the Browns to commit to finding an elite quarterback in the draft. That seems to be the plan. Five wins seems optimistic. I don’t believe the Indians could take down the Red Sox or the A’s in the playoffs. They feasted on an Astros team with a win percentage lower than Miguel Cabrera’s batting average (that statistic frightens me), and that’s how they’re in playoff contention. But damn, both teams were fun to watch, and that’s all you can ask for when it comes to your sports team. Their purpose is to provide an entertaining distraction from the world, but too long Cleveland teams have simply put us in a bad mood.
It’s tricky to say I’m optimistic for the future. What if the Browns somehow go 7-9 or 6-10 and their rebuilding project sputters for a year because they still can’t draft an elite quarterback? What if the Indians manage to blow it in the final stretch and remind every fan that they were born into this life and that there is no escaping? Well, it’d be the Cleveland thing to do. So here’s hoping that they don’t “Cleveland” it up this year. But if (or when) they do, we’ll always have the promise of next year, before we give up on that year too. But let’s enjoy Hoyer the Destroyer and the rolling Tribe while we can, before we’re left with a Cavs season that rests upon degenerating knees.