Friday, May 14, 2010

Cleveland's Hope


A sports writer asked the question if Cleveland fans feel cursed. In the article I was reading, the sports writer went on to name the five worst moments in Cleveland sports history.

In case somebody from Cleveland is reading my blog, I'm not about to elaborate on those moments. All I can say is that I feel for ya. Really. As a Philadelphian, I have had my share of sports heartbreak. I've had endless instances of being the bridesmaid but not quite the bride.

Then again, unlike Cleveland, I have actually won the big prize a few times. I have been fortunate enough to see my baseball team win the World Series twice, my basketball team win two NBA Championships, and my hockey team win two Stanley Cups. I'm still waiting for that elusive Super Bowl Championship, but I know it's just around the corner.

Poor Cleveland. What do they have to hope for? It's a feeling, not something that needs to be seen. Cleveland sports fans have been here before... been shocked... been left at the altar... been torn down and left to feel the rain. This spring was supposed to be different. It still might be, but the panic button has been pressed.

"I can understand it from a fan's perspective," LeBron James said Wednesday. "Year after year after year, yhis whole thing has been fumbled, and driven, and shot. And repeated. This is the Cavaliers' best shot yet, but they've lost two straight to the Celtics and now need to win two straight to stay alive in the Eastern Conference semis.

Well, short of their goal, the only thing Cleveland fans can do now is hope and believe. It's hard... so hard that some have actually been preparing themselves for some version of this for a while now. Pro-active punishment... it's an odd concept, but this is an odd situation.

These Cavaliers seem to have the pieces, the experience, and the seasoning. They have now basically no-showed in two straight home games. But, as they head to Boston for tonight's Game 6, they say they haven't lost that hope.

So, I'm pullin' for Cleveland because as a Philadelphian, I know exactly how they feel. By the time you guys read this, hopefully, Cleveland will still have something to be hopeful about.
P.S. Boston Celtics 94, Cleveland Cavaliers 85... Cleveland, like Philadelphia, now must continue to learn the meaning of hope.

1 comment:

Don said...

I honestly believed that Cleveland would win the final two games and eventually lose to Orlando in the playoffs. The entire basketball city must now sit and wait to see if LeBron will return. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. I am interested to see if he and Chris Bosh sign with New York.

Philadelphia owns some of the most knowledgeable and unforgiven sports fan in the world. I realized this once, after seeing how badly Philly fans booed Kobe Bryant and Destiny's Child.

Some of the most passionate sports fans, indeed.




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