I enjoy movies, but am usually behind the times.  I rarely go to first-run movies.  I either wait for them to make it to the ‘dollar’ theater, or watch them at home.  I usually stock up on newer movies on my DVR when the Dish Network runs a “free HBO weekend’.

But I am gonna start blogging  some movie reviews for those of you that are behind the times like me.  Here is my first attempt:

I grew up as a huge monster movie junkie.  My dad was a big monster movie fan (he also loved the Pink Panther series), and he got his  three sons hooked on those flicks. I watched the old 1933 King Kong every Thanksgiving  weekend, and loved the 1976 Jeff Bridges/Jessica Lange version  (My uncle took me to that at age 6.  It was scary, but not as bad as that creepy Willie Wonka movie). I also loved all of the  Godzilla movies.  They usually were on Channel 43 on Saturday afternoons with ‘Super Host’.  I also devoured all of the old-school old Universal Pictures Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolfman movies.

As an adult, I have been consistently let  down by the attempts to revive my old monster heroes.  The 1998 Godzilla movie starring Matthew Broderick was beyond AWFUL.  The 2005 King Kong, starring Jack Black, meant well.  It had the vibe of the 1933 original.  But at over three hours long, it was just too bloated.  The monster fight scenes ran way too long.

Various shark movies  failed to live up to the quality of JAWS. Open Water, The Shallows.  Deep Blue Sea.  My monster movie hunger was never met.

The 2014 Godzilla movie was a step in the right direction.  I would give it a solid B.

Then I just watched Kong: Skull Island.  The movie is set in 1973, and does a great job of bringing  the old-school monster  movie vibe.  All of the cast members, from the headliners  to the bit parts, nail their roles.  The humor is great, and  everyone plays it with just the right amount of ‘over-the-top’ campiness.  Kong is BIG and well portrayed.   John C. Reilly steals the movie.  At just under 2 hours, this movie doesn’t make the mistake of running too long (all too common with today’s flicks).

MAC SNACK GRADE:  B+/A-  

Actually, that was my initial grade.  Then I watched the post-credits scene that foreshadowed a ‘Monster Verse’ of sequels starring the monsters of my childhood…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl39iEh3OJc

After seeing into the  Monster Movie future, I might need to up my grade to an A+++++!!!

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

I am starting a series where I do an in-depth analysis of unique lifestyle photos that I have come across.  The first is one of my favorites from circa 1984…

Time for the “Pick Apart”:

1,  My younger brother, Jon (laying on the couch) is probably 9 years old.  He is sporting his Tony Dorsett Dallas Cowboys quasi-jersey, along with my mom’s classic bowl-cut that each of her three sons got every time they sat in her barber chair.

2.  Youngest brother Mike is around 4 years old.  Back in the 1980s, shorts were called shorts because they were short, as Mike clearly demonstrates here.   We can almost see which superhero pair of underoos that he is wearing.  He is also sporting the classic high-striped sports socks that ruled the 1970s and early 1980s.  He is wearing a sweet pair of Jaclar tennis shoes.  Growing up in Louisville, Ohio, those sneakers could only be found at Tournoux’s Value Mart sporting goods store.  Mr. Tournoux always had great deals on obscure items.

3.  Speaking of shoes, it appears that the Momma Aljancic did not enforce a ‘no shoes in the house’ rule.  Jon could care less that his grubby old shoes are dirtying up the couch.  Speaking of which…

4. Gotta love the matching  red-plaid couch and ottoman set.   As a Catholic school teacher, my dad wasn’t rolling in the big bucks, so that furniture set stuck around long enough to be out of style by at least two fashion eras.  Speaking of out of style…

5.  Did you notice the sweet green shag carpet?  That was installed in when I was born in late 1970.  Legend has it  that my dad switched the carpet order to shag while my mom was in the hospital after giving birth to me.  Good call on that move, dad.  Shag carpet proved to be timeless!  I can remember that mom would literally rake the carpet with a leaf rake to spruce it up from time to time.

6.  Classic knit afghan throw blanket on the couch, compliments of grandma.

7.  My parents went all out on the throw pillows!  I think Mike is laying on a sack of grain!  Jon, on the other hand, has his stinky shoes on our patriotic pillow.  That pillow pattern really goes well with the whole decor theme going on here.

8.  It looks like Jon is enjoying a bland snack of Cheerios.  I guess that there were no rules about eating on the couch either.

9.  Mike is displaying his family famous habit of sucking on his two middle fingers (I was a classic thumb sucker myself).

10.  My older sister and I are not in this picture because we are likely out pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, or doing some other chores while the two Less brothers here–as in Worth Less and Use Less–lounge around watching TV.

11.  And what are they watching?  Forensic analysis failed to come up with a conclusive answer.  But if my memory serves me correct, it is one of these three cartoons:  G.I. Joe, Transformers, or He-Man.

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

I wrote this recent article:  A vaccine for the NBA’s rest ‘outbreak’, addressing the growing issue of NBA teams sitting their stars out of games during the regular season.  The article did not carry brackets, so here is the article with the a brackets included to give you a visual picture of my proposals:

For pro sports leagues, the final weeks of the regular season usually ratchet up the intensity on the field and the social media buzz off it.   30 Baseball teams battle for 10 precious playoff spots, with division titles at a premium to avoid the one-game wild card playoff.  32 NFL teams scratch and claw for one of the 12 golden tickets to the post-season, where the top two squads in each conference earn a bye to rest their battle-worn bodies for an extra week.

And then there’s the NBA, where the hottest topic this past month is about what’s NOT on the court.   There is growing concern and frustration over the number of teams choosing to have their key players sit out multiple games to get rest for the playoffs.   Fans are forking over hundreds of dollars to watch superstars like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.  Pick the wrong night, though, and you are stuck seeing a heavy dose of Kay Felder, James Jones, and Larry Sanders.   ESPN and Turner Sports can’t be too happy either, considering that they are paying a combined $2.66 billion per year in NBA television rights over the next decade.

The simple solution would be for the players to play.  But NBA teams want to put themselves in the best position for a successful playoff run with healthy, rested players.  Ideally, the NBA could counter that by shortening their 82-game regular season by 6 to 12 games.  While that sounds great, there is one simple reason why it will never happen:  NBA teams are owned by billionaires.  Billionaires are billionaires because they are great at making money.   And you don’t make money by eliminating games.

Resting players in other sports is not a problem because teams are usually motivated to do whatever is necessary to win.  That’s not true in the NBA.  With 16 of 30 teams making the playoffs (53% of teams qualify, as opposed to 33% of MLB and 38% of the NFL), good teams rarely have to fight for a ticket to the playoff dance.  Higher seeds do earn home court advantage and/or slightly easier opponents.  But in the uniform 8-team conference playoff structure currently in use, those advantages apparently don’t provide enough motivation.  The Cavaliers sat LeBron and Kyrie on Monday at Miami with the top seed on the line.

To combat this resting issue, I propose that the NBA revamp its playoff structure to better reward winning—and punish losing—during the regular season.   Here are a few proposals for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to mull over…

I.  TWEAKING THE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

This is the simplest solution.  Keep the current eight-team set-up…

but allow top two seeds to host games 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. An extra home game gives more motivation to earn a 1 or 2-seed or avoid a 7 or 8-seed.

ANTI-REST VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS GRADE:  C 

II.  SIX-TEAM PLAYOFF BRACKET

The NBA used a variation of this set-up from 1977 to 1984.   Not only would this make post-season spots more precious—only 40% would now qualify—but the top two seeds would also earn first round byes.

ANTI-REST VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS GRADE:  B+ 

Unfortunately, those billionaires will never let this happen.  Four less playoff teams mean four less playoff series.   Over the last 10 years, the average total of those four series (1 vs. 8 and 2 vs. 7 in each conference) was 20.8 games.  Remember, less games = less money.

So how can we keep the motivation (to play players, win games, and earn better seeds) generated by this set-up while not forcing the billionaires to start clipping coupons?  Just ask the boys of summer.

In 2012, baseball added a second wild card team (to both the American and National Leagues) to their playoff format.  Prior to that, the lone wild card team earned the same invitation to a best-of-five divisional series as the three division winners.   The advantage of being a division winner, as opposed to a wild card was minimal.  When adding the second wild card, MLB also created the genius concept of putting those wild cards into a one-game elimination match-up to qualify for the next round.   That greatly enhanced the value of earning division title.   That inspired me to this bracket masterpiece:

3.  THE WEIGHTED 8-TEAM BRACKET

This set-up puts seed positioning at a premium.  The double bye that top two seeds earn gives them a two-week period to heal up.  The bye of the 3^rd and 4^th seeds allows them to avoid the death trap of the one game elimination.  The 5th and 6th seeds have the value of home court for that sudden death game.

There are two negatives to this structure.  The top two seeds might feel that the two week layoff could also lead to rust.  And this set-up only recoups four of those 20.8 lost first round games.  Possibly making that opening round a quick best of three series would offset some of the lost revenue.     Those would be two very minor tradeoffs for the opportunity to eradicate this ‘resting’ epidemic from the NBA universe.

ANTI-REST VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS GRADE:  A  

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON TWITTER:  @macaljancic

I recently wrote this article analyzing the Cavs’ woes.  A huge problem is that they are giving up many more easy shots than they are getting.

The Cavaliers’ struggles continued in their 99-93 loss to the Bulls. i The defense was a bit better.  In the fourth quarter, they defended on the ball well and limited the Bulls’ easy looks at the basket.

The offense didn’t help themselves in the easy-shot department, though.  The shot selection in the 4th quarter?  Way too in love with the long ball.

Here are the shots that the Cavaliers took during the 4th quarter, where they were down 78-71 at the start.

Made 3, made 22-footer, missed 3, missed 3, missed 3, made lay-up, made 3, missed 18-footer, missed 3, missed 3, fouled on missed 3, made 3, missed 3, missed 3, missed 3, fouled shooting, made alley-oop dunk, missed 3, missed 2, then bench subbed in for garbage time the last 24 seconds of game.

Totals:

3-pointers made:  3 (plus drawing a foul on an attempt)

3-pointers missed: 9

2-pointers made: 3 (a lay-up, a 22-footer, and an alley oop dunk) plus drawing a foul on an attempt)

2-pointers missed: 2

total 3-point attempts: 13

total 2-point attempts: 6

Get to the rack, Cavaliers.  Make some easy shots, and the rim will look a little bigger for those deep balls.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON TWITTER:  @macaljancic

The defending world champion Cleveland Cavaliers a talented bunch.  They are also an older bunch.  Here is the 30-and-over roll call:

J.R> Smith: 31

Lebron James: 32

Deron Williams: 32

Channing Frye:  33

Kyle Korver turns 36 on St. Patrick’s Day

Richard Jefferson:  36

James Jones: 36

That is an age roster you would see for a 6 AM YMCA league.  A bunch of dads trying to stay in shape before work.

Cleveland wisely grabbed 25-year old Derrick Williams last month after he was  waived by the Heat.   And just Monday, they announced that they signed 28-year-old Larry Sanders.  Sanders has not played in the NBA for two years due to some personal struggles.  But he is a 6-foot, 11-inch rim protector that the Cavaliers  could surely use.

More importantly, he has young, athletic legs that could help Cleveland’s struggling defense, which has looked at times similar to those 6 AM YMCA defenses.

Worst-case is that Sanders doesn’t pan out and Owner Dan Gilbert is out a few bucks.  Best case is Sanders contributing to Cleveland’s march to another NBA Crown.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON TWITTER:  @macaljancic

All season long, the Dover boys’ basketball team has fought tooth and nail.  Their reward was an impressive 16-6 record and an ECOL Scarlet Division Championship.  Personally as a coach, a my biggest goal is to have my team get as close to its potential as possible.  I would say that the 2016-17 Tornadoes did just about that.

The Tornadoes faced a tall task in their tournament opener when they traveled to Green High School.  The Bulldogs season struggles in their inaugural Federal League season had them battle tested for March.  This past weekend to end the regular season, Green handed Copley their first regular season loss since the 2014-15 season on Friday night.  The next night, they beat Stow, which had a record of 17-4.

Dover drove up to Green and gave the Bulldogs everything they had.  Of course, Tornado fans have come to expect nothing less with coach Bob Von Kaenel at the helm.    (Check out my recent article giving insight to Coach Von Kaenel’s style.)  Dover scratched and clawed all game, but came up just short, 49 to 45.  The officiating style, which tended to allow heavy hand checking and grabbing, favored Green’s aggressive defensive play.  But Dover fought through that adversity to give them a chance to win in the final minutes.  Unfortunately, the breaks did not fall the way of the Crimson and Gray.

Nonetheless, thank you the the entire squad and its coaches for a great season.  A big shout out in particular goes to the two seniors on the team.  Tyler Bardall overcame some early-season shooting struggles to become a huge force each night.  In both the league championship clincher at New Philadelphia, as well as the tournament game, he led all scorers with 17 points.  Kyler Ruegsegger was steady and solid all season long.  He averaged 12 points a game while being very unselfish and efficient with the ball.  He didn’t take a lot of shots, but tended to make a majority of the ones he did take.  He always seemed to come up with a big basket when the team needed it most.  His pull out jumper was a pretty sight for hoops purists!

I also want to salute the Dover fans.  They had to travel 35 miles for this tournament game, but probably had at least as many fans, if not more, than the host team.  Dover, like most every Tuscarawas County school, greatly supports its teams.

My son was on the Dover JV team this year, so I was at plenty of Tornado games.  That being said, I have to give another big shout out to the Dover student section.  They had big numbers and great enthusiasm all year.  Additionally, they had some great themes for each game.  Here  is my countdown of their best themes…

#10:   Black Out–One minor hiccup with this one.  You probably don’t want to dress in all black when you play a team whose main color is black (Massillon)

#9:  White Out–Penn State would be proud

#8:  Military night–plenty of Red, White, Blue, and Camo

#7:  Neon–I should have brought my sunglasses

#6:  College–saw some fraternity sweatshirts.   Plenty of shorts and flip-flops. I didn’t see any preppy sweaters tied around the neck, though.

#5:  Beach night–included an inflatable palm tree

#4:  Sports Teams–Great variety!  It included a few baseball uniforms, but a few too many Steeler jerseys

#3:  Part the Red Sea–  a gray-bearded  Moses showed up to part the all-Crimson-clad student section

#2:  Christmas Sweaters–definitely put the fans in the Christmas mood.  I think they even sang a few carols while the opponent shot foul shots

#1:  Superheroes/Star Wars–  the added bonus was a lightsaber duel during the timeout

I guess it is now time to get the sunscreen, lawn chair, and umbrella out for spring sports!

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

I know that the Sports Smack with Mac blog site always radiates with wisdom (cue the rolling of eyes).  But to kick it up a notch, I have decided to periodically incorporate my inner circle braintrust of sports experts.  There college football level is not quite at the Jedi level of this legend of the game…

Nor is their level of coolness and fashion sense.  But I have known each one of this fivesome for at least three decades.  All played high school football and at least one college sport, so they know their sports.

Their first assignment is to give their predictions on the College Football Playoff semi-final match-up between our Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers.   I previewed the game in this recent Times Reporter article.

And now, The wisdom of the Mac Daddy Sports Panel…

‘Rob the Squirrel’ (former college baseball player and world-class smack talker):  35-27  Ohio State.  You give Urban Meyer five weeks to prepare for and dissect a team, I’ll take my chances.  Look for many explosive offensive plays.  The final score won’t be indicative of the Buckeye domination!

‘Jonny Chicago’ (former college football player whose driver is world-class long and wild off the tee box): Buckeyes 28-27.  I like Urban with this much time to prepare, but Clemson has been there with a very experienced team.  Curtis Samuel will be the difference.

‘Farmer Steve’ (former college football player, as well as a world-class plowboy and eater.  Legend has it he once caught two pigs at one time):   Honestly, I don’t give Urban as much credit as you guys.  Two years of poor offense since (Tom) Herman left (offensive coordinator of 2014 national championship team).  But the credit I do give Urban is that he knows talent and can recruit talent.  Buckeyes will walk on the field with the most talent in every game since beating Alabama.   Buckeyes 17-6.

Squirrel:  That might be the worst prediction of all time!  If there’s only 23 points scored, I’m the next QB of the Browns!

Jonny Chicago:  Come on, Farmer Steve!  this isn’t a Muskingum-Capital early November game!

Farmer Steve:  Ha-ha.  I want to predict the Buckeyes win.  I just haven’t seen the offense score a lot.  Of course, the defense could score as they have (all year).  That would up it.

T-Spoon (former college football player that has a world-class memory and knowledge of random facts):  30-22 Buckeyes.  Just enough J.T. Barrett and three field goals are the difference.  Michigan stymied us most of the day and we still scored 24 in regulation.  Granted, the defense scored, but we also had (two) missed field goals.

Trickster (former college football player and world-class gunner in open gym basketball):  31-28 Bucks.

1:  Urban’s player psychological preparation is a touch over (Clemson coach Dabo) Sweeney’s rah-rah.

2.  The game will be won or lost based on J.T.’s performance.  Time for him to put up or shut up.

3.  Clemson played in the ACC and their D-line isn’t as good as last year.

Farmer Steve:  Hope I am wrong about the Buckeye offense.  Just looking at the facts made by Mac (in the article mentioned above).  Score 24 vs. Northwestern.  23 vs. Wisconsin before overtime.  21 to Penn State.  And 14 to Michigan (the defense scored or set up the other points). I assume the Clemson defense is better than some of those teams.

Jonny Chicago:  Bucks win to avenge the firing of Woody!  (OSU lost 17-15 in Woody’s last game, the 1978 Gator Bowl).

Writer Mac (former college football player and world-class basketball pick setter and box-outer.  Also a pessimistic fan scarred by decades of cursed Cleveland teams, and the guy that is least biased among this group of ‘homers’):

I faintly remember watching that game as an 8-year old.  Just a couple days ago, I read this excellent Sports Illustrated article by Michael Rosenberg and then watched this youtube video of the end of that game.  Woody was a volcano!  I thought he might become subdued on the sidelines once he realized the severe consequences of his punch.  But a few  minutes  after that infamous incident, Woody drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that ended OSU’s chances of getting the ball back one more time.  Another strange thing is that announcers Keith Jackson and Ara Parseghian never even realized the punch had happened because of the lack of replay angles.

As for my prediction, the Tigers returned 8 offensive starters, including star QB Deshaun Watson, from a team that gave Alabama all it could handle in last year’s national championship. The young OSU offense will be improved from their struggles in the second half of the season.  But Watson will unfortunately be able to make more big plays than Barrett.   Clemson 27-20.

Trickster:  you are Eeyore…

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

John Glenn, a true American hero and icon, passed away this week at the age of 95.   This article in Friday’s Times Reporter painted a beautiful portrait of his life.  As a pilot, war veteran, astronaut, and politician, his life was an embodiment of the greatness of our country.  He lived a life of…

HARD WORK

COURAGE

SACRIFICE

RESPECT FOR OTHERS

SERVICE TO HIS COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY

Those five traits are the foundational building blocks to the success and greatness of America over the past 240 years.  And the future success of our country is dependent on our citizens upholding those five principles.  The fear of many, including myself, is that those five principles are not as valued and put into practice as they once were.

We can honor those have worked and sacrificed to make America great by striving to carry out these principles each and every day.  A few are iconic American legends like Senator Glenn.  Millions more were those just typical, anonymous Americans  such as my grandfather or veterans such as Jim Mason that have spoken at my school (both whom I blogged about) that served in our nation’s military.  Tens of millions more never wore a military uniform, but served their country well by serving others, such as the these great retired teachers that I wrote about.  Most all of us have been blessed to have great people like this in our lives.

I have a special connection with John Glenn.  We both attended Muskingum College.  And I am extremely proud, humbled and honored to say that I received the John Glenn Scholarship from the school many years ago.  Probably the best way that I can show gratitude to Senator Glenn by carrying out those five principles in my own little corner of the world.

You can follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

In today’s Times Reporter, an my article asked, Would a Penn State win be better for OSU?

No matter what happens with Penn State, the most important thing is that the Buckeyes take care of business against their arch rivals.

So how will THE GAME play out tomorrow?

For OSU, I am concerned about three things in particular:

1.  Their pass offense has greatly struggled at times, especially in stretching the field.  

They threw for a measly 86 yards in tough conditions at Michigan State last week.  Playing in front of the home crowd on sure-footed artificial turf should help.  But they are going  against the top-ranked defense in terms of passing yards given up per game (137.0) as well as total  yards given up per game (245.6).  J.T. Barrett and the Buckeye offense have their work cut out for themselves.

2.  Will the OSU run defense be able to consistently stop the Michigan pro-style power running game?  

OSU is ranked 4th nationally in total yards allowed per game (279.8), and 17th in rushing defense (120.3 yards per game).  Michigan churns out 235 yards per game rushing, which is tenth among Power-Five Conference schools.  The Silver Bullet defense has dominated for most of the year.  But last week in the 4th quarter, Michigan State drove 56 yards in eight plays for the potential game-tying TD (they failed in their 2-point conversion attempt).  All eight plays were L.J. Scott runs.  Scott finished the game with 19 carries for 160 yards, averaging a whopping 8.4 yards per carry.

This game will likely be a lower scoring  affair, and it may come down to which team can grind out more touchdown drives.   If the Ohio State offense sputters, can their defense carry their team for the entire game?

3.  Michigan is due for a win in this series.

Michigan has won only two of the last 15 match-ups.  The last was in 2011 over a 6-5 Buckeye team led by interim head coach Luke Fickell (after the ‘Tattoo-gate’ scandal).  You have to go back to 2003 for the next Wolverine win.

With Jim Harbaugh taking the reins of the U of M program, one would think that the rivalry should start to correct itself and even out.  Is this the year that the tide turns?

So here is my prediction…

Ohio State 20, Michigan 13

Why?  Here are my two keys…

1.  Michigan’s trouble at quarterback.

QB Wilton Speight went down with a shoulder injury two weeks ago in their loss to Iowa.  He may or may not play this Saturday.  Last week without him, Michigan threw for only 59 yards.  And against Iowa, Speight had only 103 yards passing while playing the entire game. They will have to do a lot better to score enough against this lethal OSU defense.

2.  Home-field advantage.

These teams are pretty evenly matched, so the home field might prove to be the decisive edge the Buckeyes need to get the win.  Both teams struggled offensively last week.  A struggling offense has a better chance to break out of its funk at home than on the road.

3.  OSU has owned this rivalry

I know that I mentioned above that Michigan is due for a win.  But until they get  that breakthrough win, there will be doubt lingering on the Michigan sideline and confidence beaming across the field with Ohio State.  I can sum it up this  way…

One team hopes to win, while the other expects to win.

Follow the author on Twitter:  @macaljancic

The Ace threw aces.  The Natural knocked one out.  The Southpaw sizzled.  And the closer conquered.  Cory Kluber, Francisco Lindor, Andrew Miller, and  Cody Allen all stepped up with big performances to secure game 1 for the Cleveland Indians.

Winning game 1 was, in the words of Donald Trump, HUUUUUGE.  Rarely is a game 1 considered a must win for a team, but this opener was pretty darn close to that for the hometown boys.  With their starting rotation a bit fragile due to injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar–not to mention Trevor Bauer and is drone difficulties–it was imperative that Cleveland cash in their ace’s performance for a W.

If the Tribe had lost that game, they would be faced with a must-win situation to avoid going across the Canadian border down 0-2.  And while Josh Tomlin has pitched well in the last month, he is not a guy you want to have to put your full trust into.

By winning game 1, the Tribe avoided having to wear that heavy pressure.  Heavy pressure can elevate the performances of athletes in many sports.   Baseball, however, has been aptly described as a game of failure.   The best hitters fail 70% of the time.  More often than not, heavy pressure increases that failure rate.

That game 1 win also knocked the Blue Jays down a few notches.  After winning their first four playoff games, Toronto reeked of confidence and swagger like a group of teenage boys reek of Axe Body Spray.   Their powerful offense definitely can be intimidating.  The shutout performance of Kluber, Miller, and Allen brought the Jays back to earth and reminded them that playoff baseball is NOT EASY.

Game 1 is in our back pocket.  This young Indians club definitely feeds of the energy of the hometown crowd, so Cleveland fans, let’s keep it Progressive Field rocking in game 2.

No need to save any cheers for the Sunday football.

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic