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In sports, yesterday’s cheer often become tomorrow’s anguish, and last month’s sorrows bloom into next month’s joy.
20 summers ago, Forest Gump was dominating the movie theaters, ‘I Swear’ was the mushy ballad on the radio, and I got engaged to my college sweetheart. It was also the year that Jacobs Field opened up, spurring the re-birth of the Indians. The one downside of the Tribe becoming relevant for the first time since 1959 was that the losses were much more painful to stomach. And the inevitable week-long slumps that occur during a 6-month baseball season were agonizing for the hungry, die-hard Indians’ fans. I can remember my future father-in-law and his daughter sometimes complaining about the periodic struggles of pitchers like Jack Morris, Eric Plunk, and Jose Mesa, as well as those times when the big bats of Albert Belle and company went silent. My answer to Beth & Keith was this:
“It’s a loooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggg season.”
Sports is pretty much an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. Well, unless you are the ’85 Bears, 90’s Bulls, or John Wooden coaches your team. In this golden age of multi-media entertainment at our finger tips, It’s still the ultimate reality show. So fans are often quick to push the panic button after an ugly loss, and a bit premature in crowning champions after a big win.
Want evidence? Let’s flip the calendar back just one month. Remember October? Tom Brady and Ben Roethisburger were washed up. The Seahawks had a free pass to the Super Bowl. The Big Ten was terrible.
One month later, Tom and Ben looks like,….well, Tom and Ben. The 2007 versions of Tom and Ben. The Seahawks are leaking some serious oil, and the Big Ten…….. Well, like grandma said, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
Let’s break down the winding autumn path of three of our local teams:
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES:
PAST: The 1-1 Buckeyes’ season is over after a prime time 35-21 loss to an impressive, resurgent Virginia Tech team. Their frosh QB looks like, well, a frosh, and alleged Silver Bullet defense is firing B-B’s.
PRESENT: ‘JT Barrett’ and ‘Heisman’ have been in the same sentence more than a few times. Joey Bosa looks like he’s eventually gonna be the first OSU top-10 draft pick since 2008 (remember Vernon Gholston?) Mighty Virginia Tech is a not so mighty 4-5 on the year. Making the inaugural final 4 college football play-off looks unlikely, but not impossible. A win over Michigan St. in Saturday night’s high-stakes match-up will go a long way.
CURRENT RED FLAG: OSU’s 2nd half offensive performance against a mediocre Penn State squad makes one wonder how they can hold up against an elite, top-10 team.
CURRENT RAY OF HOPE: When Penn St. forced OT a couple of weeks ago, I figured the Bucks were done for. Barrett, who struggled greatly in the 2nd half, stepped up to push the team to victory.
FUTURE? Headed to top-tier New Year’s Bowl, but not the play-offs, despite failing to knock the Spartans off their Big Ten perch. Fall of 2015 should be fun once the QB situation gets sorted out.
CLEVELAND BROWNS:
PAST: After rolling the Steeler to improve to 3-2, the Browns might as well pencil in a 6-2 record for their Thursday night trip to Cincy with the terrible trio of Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tampa coming up next. Can Brian Hoyer be the next…
PRESENT: Despite a 5-3 record, the confidence meter for the Browns has slipped.Why? Some blame Mr. Hoyer. Me? I say Hoyer has every right to sing some Billy Joel Karaoke…
“I ammmmmm……………………an innocent mannnnnnnn! Oh yes I ammmm!!!”
CURRENT RED FLAG: I cast my stones at the Browns offensive line. Hoyer has gutted out wins over the Raiders and Buccaneers in spite of having absolutely no running game, which limits the effectiveness of the play-action passing that their offense is built upon.
CURRENT RAY OF HOPE: Brian Hoyer is 8-3 as a starting QB for the Browns. 8-3!!! For the Browns!!! Just win, baby!
FUTURE? Browns hang around just enough to keep play-off hopes alive, but center Alex Mack’s season-ending injury continues to haunt the Browns as their offensive woes lead to an 8-8 finish.
STOP THE PRESSES!!! i HAVE TO MAKE AN EDIT!!! Did I mention that sports are a roller coaster? Just as I am writing this, the Browns decide to shake off their shakiness and dominate the division-leading Bengals like… pretty much the entire AFC North has dominated the Browns for the last 15 years. The Dawg D makes Andy Dalton–a.k.a. ‘The Red Rifle’–look more like ‘The Red Rider B-B Gun’.
NEW FUTURE PREDICTION: Super Bowl!!!
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:
PAST: The new ‘Big Three’ graces the cover of Sports Illustrated, and are on regular rotation for ESPN Sportscenter. The only question is who will come out of the Western Conference to face the Wine and Gold in June? Coach David Blatt is an Ivy League maestro whose European offensive magic will take the NBA by storm.
PRESENT: One win, three losses. Kyrie has taken 36 shots since his last assist. Kevin Love looks more like Kevin Like. I wonder how Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett are doing? This no carb version of LeBron doesn’t look like that superhuman that was finishing fast breaks in South Beach the last four years. Welcome to the NBA, coach Blatt!
CURRENT RED FLAG: See the last paragraph. And the Cavs seem to be giving up more easy shots than they are getting. The team that gets the most easy shots usually wins.
CURRENT RAY OF HOPE: Remember who we picked up this year…
Whoops. Wrong Picture.
FUTURE? The Cavs start harmonizing their game right around the time Santa cleans some chimneys. Dion Waiters is wearing a uniform that is not wine and gold. Come play-off time, LeBron starts shouldering the load, the Cavs make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and…
well, my crystal ball gets pretty cloudy right about then.
Just remember, when it comes to sports, early-season lemons can often become late-season lemonade. And today’s Krispy Cremes eventually become tomorrow’s day old donuts. And speaking of donuts, let’s hope that Big Ben starts showing his age again, so we can get this guy and his jelly belly back off the streets…
ROY JONES JR. POUND FOR POUND TOP 10 HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS (how Tusc./Stark/Carroll County football teams measure up in relation to teams it’s own size as well as their play-off run potential),
FINAL EDITION FOR 2014:
10. 7-3 New Philadelphia (last week #6): hopefully Quakers can bounce back from disappointing 34-0 loss to rival Dover. Undefeated #1 seed Tri-Valley awaits.
9. 7-3 Perry (last week unranked): GlenOak has momentum heading to post-season with wins over Lake, Hoover, and Perry to gain Federal League Championship.
8. 7-3 Aquinas (last week #9): One of the best teams not to make the play-offs. Unfortunate to see Coach Budd resign after a great tenure at his alma mater.
7. 7-3 Massillon (last week #8): Tigers Tigers’ quest for that elusive play-off state championship begins with a trip to undefeated Perrysburg. Tough regular season should be helpful.
6. 8-2 Tuscarawas Central Catholic (last week #7): great regular season is rewarded an opponent that must be endorsed by Sherwin-Williams: 7-3 Paint Valley.
5. 8-2 Indian Valley (last week #4): Unfortunately, Braves just miss out on return trip to the play-offs. Congrats to Jake Davis for his 2,000-yard season and phenominial career.
4. 8-2 Dover (last week #5): Tornadoes make big statement with easy shut-out of Quakers. #2 seeds usually get manageable opening games against #7 seeds. Unfortunately, perennial play-off juggernaut Columbus DeSales doesn’t fit that description.
3. 9-1 Louisville (last week #3): Leopards’ average margin of victory for their last 8 games: 36 points. Only two of those teams had winning records (both only 6-4). Hopefully the lack of being tested doesn’t hurt them in a rugged region, starting with 9-1 Poland Friday.
2. 10-0 Garaway (last week #2): They are one of 5 undefeated teams in their region. But their toughest opposition might be their opening game with 8-2 Cleveland St. Joe’s.
1. 10-0 Canton Central Catholic (last week #1): Hail to the champions of the inaugural Mac Snacks Poll Championship!! A possible regional final match-up with Youngstown Ursuline looks to be the one big hurdle to getting to the final 4.