There have been, since the day that the Cavs won the lottery, talks about LeBron leaving Cleveland for a bigger market.
Those talks need to stop.
He's building a $14(?) million dollar estate in Akron. His family and friends are there. He's in a city that is committed to building a team and franchise around him like the a temple to the gods of nature. Few other teams in the league (in big markets) would be willing to give him that respect and leeway.
He is Cleveland's basketball history. You can be assured he'll always be just the next-comer in a major market -- He'll never rise to the fame or status of Jordan in Chicago, or Abdul-Jabbar (or Kobe, Magic) in LA, or Bird or Russell in Boston. Most sportswriters/fans from those major cities will get caught up in the comparison, and forgo the here-and-now respect he gets in Cleveland. And Cleveland readily recognizes him as the center of their basketball universe -- That their time has never been better, nor will ever be better without him.
That is not to mention that the "clauses in endorsement contracts" (that may or may not exist) which elevate $$$ in different markets are fundamentally unfair and terrifying to professional sports with a salary cap. What if Dan Gilbert through Quicken Loans (or a newly created shill company) offered an endorsement of $0.99 that increased to $50 million if LeBron stayed in Cleveland? Couldn't a team owned by bigwigs at Nike offer unfair outside-of-NBA-jurisdiction soft contracts that destroy the back-and-forth of NBA talent? Do we need a New York Yankees of basketball (And when the word gets out about how this works, football and hockey)? How is this not the same problem with 'soft money' we see in politics?
The league needs to disallow endorsement contracts of this nature. They are unfair to the competitive nature of basketball.
Now, LeBron goes on record to root for the Yankees. That's not really a big deal, or media worthy. I wonder how many other athletes from any city root across the board for that city's team? At least he's honest.
9.11.2007
Frye-a-later
I like that we traded Charlie Frye. It shows that we're not going to just settle down with two mediocre quarterbacks for the first half of the season. It shows that we're going to settle for one mediocre quarterback, one unproven rookie, and the rookie's unproven mentor (or 'sensei,' if you will).
I'd like to think that it follows the plot of a fanfiction screenplay I wrote as a prequel to "The Karate Kid," entitled "Almost There: Mr. Miyagi's 'Okay' Student." The okay student, we'll call him Derek, stepped in for one match and won by chance when his opponent forgot how to block punches. Derek never really succeeded again when it mattered. Then, of course, Mr. Miyagi is approached by Daniel LaRusso, and continues to humor Michael, I mean Derek, until LaRusso's checks clear. There is also a touching love story in AT:MMOS that is irrelevant to this simile.
In this comparison, Mr. Miyagi could be the city of Cleveland, Romeo Crennel or Ken Dorsey. Right now we're in the TKK, and somewhere in the middle of the training montage. Quinn has been bullied at school (read: bowl games) and is ready to fight back.
Also, this means that our next quarterback will be Hillary Swank. At least we know she can take a hit.
I used to be a big defender of Romeo, but now I'm not so sure. He seems so passive and forgiving after every loss. I could back over his dog in his driveway after he catches me sleeping with his wife, and he would say, "I should have locked the door. Next time, I guess."
What we need in Cleveland is an asskicker. Someone with a history with the Browns, and head coaching experience coaching and motivating teams at the highest level. Someone who is not afraid to be pissed off after a loss, or afraid to discipline his team. We need someone who is known and respected by the players, who work under him in both fear and respect. We need someone with the first name "Bill," and the last name "Cowher."
Go Brownies.
I'd like to think that it follows the plot of a fanfiction screenplay I wrote as a prequel to "The Karate Kid," entitled "Almost There: Mr. Miyagi's 'Okay' Student." The okay student, we'll call him Derek, stepped in for one match and won by chance when his opponent forgot how to block punches. Derek never really succeeded again when it mattered. Then, of course, Mr. Miyagi is approached by Daniel LaRusso, and continues to humor Michael, I mean Derek, until LaRusso's checks clear. There is also a touching love story in AT:MMOS that is irrelevant to this simile.
In this comparison, Mr. Miyagi could be the city of Cleveland, Romeo Crennel or Ken Dorsey. Right now we're in the TKK, and somewhere in the middle of the training montage. Quinn has been bullied at school (read: bowl games) and is ready to fight back.
Also, this means that our next quarterback will be Hillary Swank. At least we know she can take a hit.
I used to be a big defender of Romeo, but now I'm not so sure. He seems so passive and forgiving after every loss. I could back over his dog in his driveway after he catches me sleeping with his wife, and he would say, "I should have locked the door. Next time, I guess."
What we need in Cleveland is an asskicker. Someone with a history with the Browns, and head coaching experience coaching and motivating teams at the highest level. Someone who is not afraid to be pissed off after a loss, or afraid to discipline his team. We need someone who is known and respected by the players, who work under him in both fear and respect. We need someone with the first name "Bill," and the last name "Cowher."
Go Brownies.
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