The face Cleveland has been waiting for all of these years

No, not first base umpire Jim Reynolds.

I am talking about Lonnie Chisenhall.

That is the name of the man who will lead Cleveland to the promised land.
The title that has been eluding Cleveland since 1964.

There have been many false prophets. Many Cleveland sports figures who looked like they were going to deliver a championship parade up Superior Avenue but failed.

Herb Score, Gaylord Perry and his brother Jim, Sam McDowell, Len Barker, Joe Carter, Julio Franco and that Sports Illustrated cover in 1987 promised unfulfilled greatness for the Indians.

And the great Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Charles Nagy, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Kenny Lofton teams got as close as you could get. And the C. C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko team teased.

Mike Phipps, Jerry Sherk, Thom Darden, Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome, Webster Slaughter, Clay Matthews, Bernie Kosar and Eric Metcalf all came close with the Browns, but they were no Chisenhall.

And forget Cavs like Campy Russell, Craig Ehlo, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Hot Rod Williams and that fellow named LeBron.

Push all those names to the side. Cleveland is Chisenhall-ville now! Lonnie drove in a run and got a pair of hits in his first game last night against a good Arizona team. The Indians won in the 9th inning and kept pace with the Tigers.

And all the while Cleveland is doing a unique strategy to keep contending in 2011. Instead of trading away young players to make a run, they are bringing up the young players to have a run this year and beyond.

The season is about 1/2 way through and the Indians are competing now and maybe for the next few years.

Jump on the Lonnie Chisenhall bandwagon NOW!
He could be the star you have been waiting for.

Either way, the NBA Prediction of My Message for Cleveland Fans might have been wrong, but the sentiment is correct. This Indians team is worth watching.

Let the Lonnie Chisenhall era begin! (Kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?)

Hey Cleveland fans! Don't watch the NBA... support the Indians

Seriously. Don't watch the NBA Playoffs. You will just grind your teeth and get angry. And haven't you done that enough since the Browns won the 1964 NFL Title?

There is something fun happening at the Jake (or whatever the hell it is called now.)

Grady Sizemore homered today and if he is healthy, the Indians will plug an All Star into their lineup.

And guess what? The Indians have 10 wins already! Only the Royals and the Rangers have 10 wins in the American League. And here's another thing to think about.

The Twins are having bullpen and health issues. The White Sox are a veteran team that can age in a hurry and have a shaky pen as well. And I think the Tigers are overrated and are playing sub .500 baseball.

What happens if that continues?
What if the Twins health derails them the way that injuries cut down the perennial playoff participant Red Sox and Angels last year?

What if the White Sox can't get their act together all year?
What if the Tigers' weaknesses are exposed?

None of those are outlandish scenarios.

Where does that leave the American League Central?

It leaves the Royals, stacked with young talent and the Indians.

Don't look now, but the Indians are winning games that they don't have to make up for later in the season. You aren't dreaming, but the A. L. Central is winnable.

And if they make the playoffs, who knows?
Oh I am sure YOU had the Giants winning the World Series when the playoffs started in 2010!
I am sure YOU had the Phillies winning it when the 2008 playoffs kicked off.
No doubt when the post seasons of 2002, 2003 and 2006 began, you wrote Angels, Marlins and Cardinals in pen!

Start paying attention, Indians fans. This could be a very fun year.
Either way, there is at least hope.

You can't get that watching the NBA playoffs this year.

Break out your Indians hat! Any one of them.

In the NBA playoffs, I am rooting for Lucy

In the past I have written several posts where I support Cleveland fans in their Quixotic quest to have any happiness in their sports life.

I talked about feeling their pain...

I advised them to stop watching sports for the rest of the year after LeBron and company flopped last spring...

And I told them to move to Florida where they will be happier sports wise.

I always root for the Cleveland team because they are Charlie Brown. (Perhaps a better name for the football team would be the Cleveland Charlie Browns.)

I have nothing but sympathy for Cleveland fans and would LOVE to see them get a title... except when they play one of my own teams.

It just goes to show how powerful team loyalty can be. I rooted so hard for the Red Sox against the Indians in 2007 even though I had already seen my Red Sox win a World Series and slay the Yankee dragon a few years before.

I also knew that Indians team would probably be dismantled and 2007 was the best chance for Cleveland to celebrate.

I didn't care. I wanted to see them squirm. If the Sox had lost, I would have been rooting for the Indians big time against the Rockies.

But against my team, a region's suffering is meaningless.

And now I have the Celtics up against the Cavs.
I've seen the Celtics win it all 4 times... including a 2008 title against the dreaded Lakers.

Rooting for a Celtic title this year is just greedy... and the chances of LeBron James sticking around in Cleveland are fading fast. And the once in a lifetime talent could leave Cleveland without a ring.

And if the Cavs won this series, I would be rooting for them all the way.

But against my team? Screw em!

I am not rooting for Charlie Brown. I am rooting for Lucy to pull the football away.

Does that make me a jerk?

Yeah probably.

Go Celtics.

ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY!

I am not going to pretend to be an NBA expert.

I used to follow the NBA really closely, but a funny thing happens when you become a husband and a father:

You have to either become a casual sports fan or you need to pick one sport to become maniacal about and casually follow the rest.

So I don't have a blog called "Sully Basketball."

That being said, I am rooting for the Celtics and likewise want to see the Lakers flop.

And little did I realize that a floppero might happen in the first round, which is generally considered to be a formality.

I live in the middle of Laker country and I heard the build up to the playoffs being a return trip to the NBA Finals was a foregone conclusion. The 8 seed Thunder has a big star in Kevin Durant but he is too green. The Lakers were going to make quick work of them.

But even a casual observer can see this series could easily be 3-1 in the Thunder's favor.

I called my friend and great columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press, Kenny Mack.

I asked him "Can the Thunder win a game in Los Angeles?"

He responded "The correct question is can the LAKERS win a game in Los Angeles? Game 5 won't technically be an elimination game, but it will be psychologically in the 4th quarter. If the fall 3-2 to the Thunder and have to play a do or die game in Oklahoma... where the Thunder would have absolutely nothing to lose."

I still think the Lakers are going to win this series... but MAN the Laker hater in me would love to see them get bounced in the first round!

And the ripple effect of the Thunder going 2-1 in the next three games is mind boggling.

First of all the remaining teams in the West will have an injection of purpose. The big bad Lakers would be gone and this would be one of the best chances in a while for one of these franchises to make the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks have some unfinished business from the 2006 NBA Finals. The Jazz, Nuggets and Suns are also seeking their first ever title. The Blazers could join the Thunder as the Cinderella story and all the Spurs want is title #5 in 12 seasons.

And the top teams in the East would be thinking the road to a potential title could be a lot easier without Kobe and company.

The Celtics are probably at the end of this run... but title #18 isn't out of the question.

The Magic may have been happy to be in the Finals last year, but without the Lakers in the mix... a first title in Orlando could be in the works.

And oh yeah... the urgency of LeBron... with no titles since the 1964 Browns in Cleveland and free agency looming for Cleveland's biggest star since Jim Brown... no pressure. They would cream any western opponent not named The Lakers.

The only people who would be pissed would be the ABC execs who have a series of great potential Finals match ups ratings wise, provided that the Lakers are in it.

Kobe...vs The Celtics.

Kobe... vs Howard in a rematch of 2009.

And the holy grail of match ups:

Kobe... vs. Lebron (with Shaq on the side!)

No offense to Dirk and Steve and Duncan and Durant... but combined they don't have the star power of Kobe.

And in terms of media markets, where would you rather canvas? Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Portland, Salt Lake City of San Antonio.

But ABC's ratings can stink for all I care. I had to deal with both the Lakers AND the Yankees winning last year...

At least ONE of them needs to be eliminated early this year.

It's not enough that my teams advances... the other team must suffer.

I am a petty man.

Go Celtics!
And GO THUNDER!

Cleveland fans... stop watching sports this year

I am actually dead serious.

This is the best advice you can get from your pal Sully.

Stop. 

Don't watch the NBA Finals. It will just make you mad.

Don't watch any Indians games. They are terrible.

Don't watch any Browns games. They won't win the Super Bowl.

Seriously... turn off ESPN. Don't log onto your favorite sports blogs.

Do yourself this favor and don't watch any more sports until the calendar flips over to the new decade.

Consider all of the time you spend on sports during a season and use it elsewhere.

If you are a spouse or a parent... spend time with your family. 

If your spouse rolls their eyes when you say "I've got to watch the game today" imagine their glee when you say "Let's do something this Sunday together."

Think about stuff you wanted to do around the house.

Think about some crack pot idea you are kicking around in your head.

Is there some relative or friend you've lost touch with? Call them. And say "Let's meet this Sunday." And when they say "Wait, aren't the Browns playing then?" reply "This is more important." They'll cry more than the end of Terms of Endearment!

Are there books you haven't read? Read them.

Is there a book idea you have? Write it.

Is there an instrument that fascinates you? Learn it.

Are there local points of interest you've driven past all of your life and never entered? Go check them out.

It doesn't even have to be something refined.

Learn some new dirty jokes.

Ever hear people talk about movies that you realize you never saw... go see them.

Catch up on TV shows.

Because it isn't just the time watching the game... there is the fretting about it, the Fantasy Teams you keep, the reading the scores and watching the highlights or listening to sports talk.

You've got to stop it for the rest of the year.

I know you think because I am a Red Sox fan that I am trying to rub something in your face on such a devastating night as the Cavaliers unlikely collapse to Orlando.

Nothing  could be further from the truth. I am a Red Sox fan and a Celtics fan, so yes in full disclosure I rooted against the Indians in 2007 and the Cavs in 2008.

And also in full disclosure my favorite National League team is the Giants and if there ever was a rematch of the 1954 World Series, I'd have to root for the Giants because they are my dad's team.

But when the Red Sox, Celtics or Giants are not involved... I ALWAYS root for the Cleveland team.

I have written about the insane drought in Cleveland and I've openly rooted for the Cavs in this post season.

Even when we Red Sox fans went through the 86 year drought, we had the Celtics winning titles.

But there was something very cruel about tonights game... in some ways more cruel than the Drive, the Fumble, the Shot or the 9th inning of Game 7 in 1997.

There was no dagger. It was just a loss. 

The Magic beat them, and it wasn't even as close as the score would indicate.

I wondered if LeBron James had answered Jordan's shot over Ehlo? It turns out it was just the same as John Starks' dunk in 1993. It looked great, but his team lost in 6.

Seriously... think about it. 

This has nothing to do with loyalty. No fans in all of sport are more loyal than Cleveland fans. 

Keeping in mind that you don't really start following the ins and outs of a sports team until you reach 7 or 8 years of age, there are 52 year olds with no memory of a Cleveland title.

There has been no Championship parade in Cleveland in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and now the 2000s.

You are loyal.

But you deserve a break.

I expect to see the attendance at Indians and Browns games to be ZERO!

Did LeBron James just answer Michael Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo?

I was watching the last few minutes of the Cavs/Magic game with my father in law tonight. I explained to him why when in doubt, I always root for a Cleveland team.

I'd get into it again, but it is best explained in my Cleveland Rocked City post from last year.

When Hedo Turkoglu (I think I spelled that correctly) his the shot with one second left, I strangely felt deflated. 

I had been there before. That moment where you think "I thought this year was going to be different."

I had that when the Red Sox lost in the post season in 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998 and 1999. None of those teams got to the brink of 1986 nor 2003... their disappointment came not from how close they got but with how they whimpered out.

It was the "Oh no" feeling that my Cubs fan boss Frank had when Loney hit the grand slam last October.

And the TNT cameras cruely went around the arena, getting shots of the thousand yard stares from Cleveland fans of all ages. 

There were some middle aged fans who were clearly thinking "I can't believe THIS team is going to putter out."

There was a kid who had an expression on his face as if to say "Wait a minute? Am I really going to grow up as miserable about my sports teams as my dad?"

There was an older guy who you could see his brain working. "Cavs are toast, the Indians are the worst team in the AL, the Browns stink... oh man this isn't getting any easier."

And I said to my father in law "There is no way the Cavs can win it now."

And my father in law in his infinite wisdom said "Oh it's possible."

I shook my head and said "This city needs a hug."

Then LeBron hugged them.

It's amazing to watch a sporting event live that when it happens, you know it will be shown on highlights reels from this day forward.

And of course the comparison will come to Jordan's shot over Ehlo... only this time Cleveland is happy.

In some ways the Jordan shot will always be bigger. It ended a series and it signaled the beginning of Jordan's playoff supremacy. 

But if the Cavaliers win the NBA title this year, James' shot my wind up being bigger.

It was a Conference Finals game, not a first round match up like Jordan's.

And Jordan's Bulls didn't win the title THAT year. (They did 6 of the next 8 seasons... but still.)

If this is the turning point... the Gibson homer... the Messier Game 6 against the Devils... the Dave Roberts steal... the LT recovering Roger Craig's fumble... that leads to a dramatic championship... then it will be bigger.

What I am saying is Cleveland fans should be clearing their schedules for any Cavs game.

Evidently all they need is one second to do something amazing.

(Why didn't Van Gundy quadruple team LeBron?)

A big gulping sound from Cleveland

When I saw the Cavs had a big halftime lead yesterday, I wrote down a note to do a blog post for Cleveland fans...

I was going to urge Cleveland fans to clear their schedule between June 4th and June 18th.

I was going to say this will be a coronation of King LeBron and a liberation of Cleveland sports fans from an oppression felt since 1964.

I was prepared to say even J. R. R. Tolkien would say "That's quite a long way to go for one ring!" 

Then a funny thing happened. In a commercial break for American Idol... I clicked on my computer and saw the Magic came back and won.

My my my. 

Not to get all Kill Bill on Cleveland fans, but you didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?

Yeah, me too. For a second there I kind of did.

Well, now they have a series and have to take home court away from the Magic. 

Other wise you'd have to ad another clip to that growing post 1964 Cleveland sports montage.

And we don't want that, do we?

Cleveland fans... that strange sensation you just felt was OPTIMISM

I know a night like tonight must feel strange to Cleveland fans... but let yourself enjoy it. Don't get wrapped up in the negativity that chills the city like the wind off of Lake Erie.



Three very positive things happened for Cleveland fans tonight and it could lead to not only the biggest sports celebration the city has seen since LBJ was President, but also introduce Indians fans to their next biggest star.



Let's look at the three big events.



LeBron James wins the NBA MVP



No Cavalier has ever won the MVP.

Brian Sipe was the last Cleveland MVP of any kind when he won the NFL MVP in 1980. (Truth be told, Albert Belle should have won the MVP in 1995.)



But when was the last time the city of Cleveland had not only the best player, but a cool and glamorous player? When was the last time there was a Cleveland sports star with the charisma of LeBron James?



Jim Brown... who was also the last player to deliver a title to Cleveland.





Matt LaPorta hit his first Major League homer



The prize of the CC Sabathia trade last year was tearing up AAA Columbus and was recalled this week.



Tonight he homered and contributed to the Indians extra inning win in Toronto.



I know it's early, but the Tribe is hoping they have their next star. And yes Sabathia led the Brewers to the playoffs, but do you know what?

Doyle Alexander helped the Tigers to the playoffs in 1987.

But the Braves are glad they dealt him for John Smoltz.







Celtics and Lakers both lost

Both the Celtics and the Magic are banged up and the Lakers suddenly look vulnerable. 

And suddenly the path to the title for the Cavs looks less daunting.

In other words... Cleveland fans... you can have some cautious confidence that you have (deep breath) THE TEAM TO BEAT!

Allow yourself to picture it Cleveland... you might have a title this summer. You might have a parade 45 years in the making.

Will you allow yourself to feel optimism?

I know it is strange... and I know teams to beat often time do get beat.

But if I were you, I'd be canceling all plans this spring that will interfere with Cavalier games.

And if you are getting married while the Cavs are playing, have a TV show the game.

I had a Red Sox playoff game on at MY wedding.

Cleveland fans... can you feel it?

We interrupt Sully Baseball to talk basketball. And I grant you, I am not an NBA expert. Just a fan.

I am a big Celtics fan, and I would root for the C’s if they played a team whose starting 5 was Gandhi, Dr. King, Jesus Christ, my mother and my grand mother Sullivan.

(To be fair, my grandmother Sullivan was a tough cookie and would probably throw an elbow to get a rebound.)

But if the Celtics don’t win it all, I will be pulling for the Cavs.

What must this be like for Cleveland fans?

At this point, the Cavs are clearly the team to beat in the NBA.

The Lakers, Celtics and even the Magic all look formidable. But LeBron seems obsessed and they just look so… darn… good.

So Cleveland fans, do you dare think it? This isn’t a Cleveland State tease. This is a legitimate shot to have… say it with me… a major sports championship in Cleveland.

Again, I wrote about this already. But you saw the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s come and go without a major title.

This decade (whatever it is called) has a year left.

Will you give yourself the freedom to imagine it.

45 years of frustrations could be released.

And Boston fans can’t commiserate. We had the Celtics winning titles left and right and a Patriots Super Bowl before the Red Sox won.

Chicago fans can’t commiserate. The Bulls and the Bears both won big.

Unshackle the concept that your own thoughts will jinx it. I know it is hard to do… but picture it.

A parade. Hugging fellow Cleveland fans in bars.

Buying hats and sweatshirts that say CLEVELAND and CHAMPIONS on it.

And not some qualifier like “Division Champ” or “Conference Champ.” Nope. Champ.

Let yourself think it.

You could experience your first generation unifying moment of sports bliss.

It could be beautiful.

I just hope the Celtics kick your team’s butt.

We now return to Sully Baseball… already in progress.

OK, that was fun while it lasted for Cleveland State

OK, the pressure for easing Cleveland fan's pain falls back on LeBron's shoulders.

Then the Indians.

Would Cleveland State take the pressure off of the Indians, Browns and Cavs?

Imagine if Cleveland State wins the NCAA tournament!
Picture it.

Not only would it screw up people's brackets from across the country, but I have a philosophical question to ask Cleveland fans:

Would that count as a title for Cleveland?

As we all know and as I have written, the city of Cleveland hasn't had a champ to call their own since the 1964 Browns.

And the Browns, Cavs and Indians have been title-less ever since. Even in the Major League movies.

Who would have imagined that hope would rest on The Vikings?

Now look, I know this is more than a long shot. It is damn near an impossibility for a 13 seed.

But they have to beat a 12 seed in Arizona and suddenly they are in the Sweet 16!
And assuming they'd play Louisville... they'd have to pull off another upset... but they could.

And then they'd play either USC, Michigan State, Kansas or Dayton.

Well, they already beat Wake and Louisville... not implausible now.

So now Cleveland State is in the Final Four!
Taking on probably either U. Conn (my mother's alma mater) or maybe Memphis or Missouri.

They catch them napping and suddenly they are in the title game...
All the marbles for the NCAA title...

Cleveland State vs. UNC, or Pittsburgh, or Duke, or Syracuse, or Oklahoma...

Norris Cole pulls up and hits one at the buzzer... Cleveland goes wild.

And they have a sports title that unites the city.

OK, I admit, I had no idea who Norris Cole was until about 3 minutes ago.
In truth I didn't know that Cleveland State's team was called the Vikings until this morning.

And this scenario has as much chance of happening as Steve Wozniak has of actually winning Dancing with the Stars.

But Woz made it past the first cut... as did the Vikings.

Cleveland fans, allow yourself to think of that scenario today. Have fun with it because it could all end tomorrow... But that Sweet 16 is beating one 12 seed away.

After 45 years, you deserve some unreasonable optimism.

Cleveland Rocked City

1964.

It's been 1964 since a Cleveland sports team won a championship.

LeBron couldn't do it in 2007 and neither could the Indians despite a 3-1 lead against Boston.

2007 was a tantalizing and cruel year for Cleveland fans.
And the Cavs lost to my Celtics, the Indians faded fast and the Browns... well it doesn't look good for them.

And you've seen all the other clips of Cleveland's failures... Elway's drive in 1987, the fumble in the end zone in 1988, Jordan's shot over Ehlo, the Indians blowing the 9th inning of game 7 of the 1997 World Series, third base coach Joel Skinner holding up Kenny Lofton from scoring last year, the fact that their river caught on fire...

Cleveland needs a hug.
1964 was a long time ago.

That year the Browns, led by Jim (Mars Attacks) Brown, won the NFL title.
Notice I didn't say they won the Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl wasn't played for another 2 years... We're now up to Super Bowl XLII (that's 42 for the Romanic Numerically challenged).

Think about waiting since 1964 for ANY TITLE!

Imagine how drunk Cubs fans would be without the Bulls or the Bears.
Imagine us Red Sox fans being even more obnoxious and celebrating the 2004 and 2007 World Series with less class.
That's Cleveland.

You could be a 50 year old with grown kids and have no clear memory of any of your teams ever winning.

Your grown kids will be thinking of having kids of their own and think "I wonder if my kids will ever see a parade."

That's Cleveland.

How outlandish is the idea of a Cleveland championship?

In the movies Major League and Major League 2... the Indians don't win the World Series. They make the playoffs, but they don't win it all.

This is a film where the left fielder does voodoo.
That's fine.
But the Indians winning the World Series?
COME ON! How much can we suspend our disbelief?

Want to see the face of someone born right after Cleveland's last victory parade? Try Rob Zombie.
That's what Cleveland sports fans all look like inside.










Winston Churchill, Nat King Cole and Malcolm X were all still alive.
Brandon Lee was born after their last parade, made some lousy movies and has been dead for over a decade... all since their last title.

Which means when the Browns played for the NFL title, giving Cleveland their last reason to celebrate, Winston Churchill, Nat King Cole and Malcolm X could have been at a bar together watching it and during half time call Bruce Lee, who would be at home taking care of his pregnant wife.

And I'd like to think that happened.
It's more believeable than a Voodoo outfielder.

So let me ask you Cleveland fans some questions...

Ryan at Let's Go Tribe, which is worse? A year like this where the team didn't even show up despite great expectations or last year when the pennant was in your reach?

Hey Disappointment Zone, who is the most villified Indian in your lifetime? It's got to be Jose Mesa, right?

I kept replaying the 10th inning of game 6 over and over in my head. What inning do you replay, Deb at Tribe 24/7?

Cleveland Sports Animal, at this point does it matter who wins? Would a Cavs NBA title or a Browns Super Bowl be as sweet as an Indians World SerieS?

Sorry to bring this up, Mistake by the Lake, but aren't those caps a little racist?

I'll ask the big question to you T Bone. Do you allow yourself to imagine it? To picture the last out and the Indians rushing the field? Or do you think it would jinx it?

Personally I would always imagine that last out before it really happened on 2004.

Stay true to your team, Cleveland fans.
Take it from me, when they win (and one of them will eventually) the parade and the off season will be an out of body experience.

No voodoo necessary.