Sunday, November 11, 2007
Poor Cleveland....
Philly fans like to whine about how they have it so rough. Please...
Try being a Cleveland sports fan. All they do is break your heart in the most gut-wrenching way possible. Today offered the perfect example. Go on the road against the hated Steelers, take a big lead, squander it, get it back in exciting fashion and then blow it again just before missing a game-tying field goal by about a yard.
Philly fans talk about their world title drought since 1983. Well try, 1964. That's the last time a major Cleveland sports team won a world title, that being the Browns. The Indians haven't won the Series since 1948 and the Cavaliers have never won a world title.
More painful than anything for the Cleveland fan is how their teams lose.
Take a look at the Indians....They go 100-44 in 1995 but lose the Series in 6 games to the Braves, who always choked against everyone else they played. Cleveland had the best offense in baseball but lost Game 6, 1-0. Indians had the best record again a year later but lost in the first round to the Orioles, appropriately in heart-breaking fashion as Roberto Alomar hit a 12th-inning home run in the clincher.
A year later they were three outs from winning it all but Florida tied it in the bottom of the ninth and won in extras. A year later the Indians led New York 2-1 in the ALCS before losing the next three games. A year later, Cleveland led Boston 2-0 in the first round before losing the final three games, the fifth at home after taking a big early lead. In 2001, the Indians led Seattle 2-1 in the first round and lost the last two games. And of course there is this past season where the Indians led Boston 3-1, then lost the next three and watched the Red Sox sweep their way to a world title.
How about the Browns? First, there was 1980. The Browns trailed the underdog Raiders 14-12 in frigid Cleveland in the divisional playoffs but drove deep into Oakland territory in the final minute and needed only a field goal to go to the AFC championship. So naturally, Brian Sipe throws an interception in the end zone a play before they were to kick that field goal. The Raiders then went on to win the super bowl.
In 1985, the Browns led Miami 21-3 in the divisional playoffs...they lost 24-21. A year later there was The Drive. Cleveland led 20-13 with about five minutes to go and Denver had the ball at the 2. So of course, Elway took them right down the field and tied the game before Denver won it in overtime.
A year later the Browns rallied from 21-3 and 28-10 second-half deficits to tie it at 31-31. They then give up a go-ahead touchdown but drive right back down the field. Ernest Byner had been great all day and was on his way to a short touchdown run when out of nowhere Jeremiah Castille forces a fumble and the Broncos win.
A year later, the Browns rallied from down 23-7 to beat the Oilers in the final regular-season game to clinch a playoff spot...and then a week later they lost at home to those same Oilers, 24-23.
Fast forward to 2002. The Browns go into Pittsburgh and take a 24-7 second-half lead...and then watch Pittsburgh make frantic fourth-quarter comeback and win by a field goal. Fittingly, Cleveland drove into field goal territory on their last drive but time ran out before they could attempt a game-tying kick.
Then there was today.
And even the Cavs have tortured their fans at times. Anyone remember 1989? That's when the Cavs had the second best record in the East and hosted the sixth-seeded Bulls. The Cavs fought back from a 2-1 first-round deficit and were three seconds from winning. Cue Michael Jordan draining the game-winner that is replayed over and over and over again over Craig Ehlo.
So stop whining Philly fans. You could have it much worse. You could be a Cleveland fan...
|
