Monday Night Footblog…Cleveland Style

What’s good everybody? This weather isn’t good, I will tell you that much. I hope you are all enjoying your week so far. I have been writing several papers for different classes, and haven’t been able spend the additional time thinking of things to write about. Sports have been somewhat boring to me lately. The Cavs are in the danger zone, the Tribe aren’t off to a great start, and the Browns are months away from displaying their Super Bowl bound squad (just kidding, relax). As usual, I will give you a top 5, some sports news, and a little bit of music to blare. Please keep putting questions in the comments section. I really enjoy reading everyone’s reactions to what I have to say. It really helps me become a better writer both creatively and mechanically. Thanks everyone. Enjoy the entry.

Double Shots of Sports

Here is the 2008 Cleveland Browns Schedule:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/teams/schedule?team=cle&year=2008

Here are the things that I like about the Cleveland Browns 2008 schedule.

1. The opener is a home game at 4:15. Now Browns fans will have an extra three hours to talk about how good we are going to be in 2008. This is convenient because it gives fans more time to tailgate. TO and Tony Romo better be prepared to walk into an intoxicated, rowdy Cleveland Browns stadium.

2. The home Pittsburgh game is on a Sunday night. Again, more time to tailgate, and build up some more hate for those idiots back east. Unlike previous seasons, Cleveland should come into the game as the favorite.

3. See October 13. Do I need to say anymore?

4. Denver on a Thursday night in November will be fun. I am never opposed to being the main game on any day of the week. I still wish the Browns would have been selected to play on Thanksgiving though. I won’t get greedy though.

5. I will be in Buffalo the following week to watch the Browns battle the Bills. I never realized how close I was to Buffalo. I wish Jim Kelly was still at the helm for Buffalo. the second Monday night game.

6. I always like playing Indy at home. Having an opportunity to see Peyton Manning play live is a privilege.

7. A third Monday night game? That has to be an error. The Browns will travel to Philly for their third and final Monday night game.

8. The NFL finally starting to give the Browns some respect.

The Things I don’t Like:

1. The Dallas Cowboys. Who would want to play, arguably the best team in the NFL to start their season off? Not I.

2. Having to play Pittsburgh week two. Let’s face it, the Browns haven’t proved anything yet. They look great on paper, but haven’t had their way with Pittsburgh over the past five seasons. Not to mention, Pittsburgh is a divisional rival that I absolutely despise.

3. Playing three of four on the road, to end the season is very scary. You never want to be in the playoff battle, playing nearly your last month on the road.

4. Playing the NFC East. They did have three of the four teams in their division make the playoffs.

Wins: Pitt, Baltimore (2), Cincy, Washington, Buffalo, Houston, Philly, Tennessee, Denver

Losses: Dallas, @Pitt, @Cincy, @ Jacksonville, Indy, NYG (?)

Overall, I was pleased with what the NFL did in regards to the Browns schedule. I understand the lack of national attention over the past few seasons, because we simply wouldn’t draw ratings. Now the tables have turned. We are expected to be an offensive juggernaut, and I thank the NFL for taking note of that. This makes me excited for a season that starts in five months.

What’s the correlation between Brown’s players and staph infections? Joe Jurevicius is the latest to become infected after having his knee scoped back in January. LeCharles (I now drive like a Honda) Bentley, Ben Taylor, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Brian Russell have all been forced to deal with the infection during their injuries as well.

Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s because the Browns don’t have a real pick in the NFL draft this year, but doesn’t it seem as if ESPN has settled down with their overhyping of the NFL draft? This season there aren’t many larger than life type athletes in the draft, and I think it is taking a toll on peoples enthusiasm for the draft. Analysts are talking about Jake Long or Matt Ryan being the number one pick in the draft. BORING!! I want to see a player like Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson, and Adrian Peterson on April 26. Minus Darren McFadden, the 2008 NFL draft will be remembered as an off year of the draft. There will be more on the draft in an entry next week.

Crumbling Cavaliers

It would be a crime if I didn’t talk about the Cavaliers in this entry. I could definitely spend this whole entry talking about the Cavs and their piling problems. Don’t get me wrong, I want the Cavs to win as much as the next diehard Cleveland fan, but I just don’t see it happening. Originally, I wanted to think that the Cavs were going to coast through the rest of the regular season. LBJ and co. were content with the #4 seed, and planned to cruise into the playoffs. That thought all changed this past weekend when the Cavs played the Miami Heat. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that the Cavs players were giving it everything they had against the Heat, and barely beat a Pat Riley team with 14 wins. Yeah, getting a break for home court advantage was nice in Philly last night, but that doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Although the Cavs don’t do the simple things, like make wide open jump shots, hustle like Rick Ross, and move around offensively, Gilbert Arenas and his Wizards teammates might want to look out. Arenas was recently quoted saying that he is not afraid to play against the Cavaliers in the playoffs. He said that the Cavs are a .500 team, and who wouldn’t want to play them? Deshawn Stevenson called James overrated as well. Overrated? James is the statistical MVP of the league pal. Arenas needs to put down Halo, stop playing online poker at halftime, and retire his blog. Arenas should look into a mental institution to help him get back in check with reality. There isn’t a chance in hell that the Cavs lose in the first round. I think the Cavs are a bad team, but that’s when comparing them to the elite teams of the NBA. The Cavs are by far the best of the worst in the East. Besides Boston and Detroit, there isn’t any competition for the Cavs. You people that think James is going to allow his team first round embarrassment might want to pay close attention? Cavs in 6, and then they lose to Boston in the next round. I will talk about each playoff series in my next entry. No, I won’t make you wait for weeks either. Is that something you might be interested in?

Tumbling Tribe

Indians opener, Joe Borowski is in some major trouble. I call him the opener because he opens doors of opportunity for opposing teams. Borowski looked like he was playing baseball with his son while pitching to Manny Ramirez last night. Not only is Borowski struggling, his career might be in serious danger. Borowski looks as if his arm strength has hit a wall. Last night against Boston, his maximum pitch speed was 83 MPH. That’s a pretty large cause for concern if you ask me. Although big Joe lost the game last night, there might be another big factor that contributed to the Red Sox W. The first inning didn’t help make the game any easier for Cleveland. While at bat, Boston forced Jake Westbrook to toss 32 opening inning pitches, while putting up only one run. Don’t worry Tribe fans, there are 149 games left to get the ship sailing straight. I think we will see the Indians gradually improve.

Upcoming Tribe Schedule:

April 15 – Boston Red Sox

April 16 – 17 – Detroit

April 18 – 19 – 20 - @ Minnesota

April 22 – 23 – 24 0 Kansas City

6 – 3 is my guess.

Kobe Bryant Jumping Aston Martin is Real!

“You trust your boy?” Since Kobe jumping over the Aston Martin is definitely real, I thought I should show you this fun little clip. Please take a look, it probably isn’t what you have in mind. This is the exclusive unedited version.

Five for Fun

I have a new top five list to present you all this week. Thanks to Dave for generating this idea. I know that most of you won’t agree with the jerseys I have to offer, but please understand that picking five of my favorite jerseys is more of a preference thing. You know, different strokes for different folks. That line always makes me chuckle. Here are my top five favorite uniforms.

5. Lakers Purple on Purple Uniforms

No elite franchise with such a storied history could get away with wearing a color so iffy, but the Lakers have worn these jerseys with style for almost a half decade. After doing some research a few years back, I will never forget Magic Johnson hitting a game winner against Boston, back in 1988 with this purple jersey on. Real men might not wear purple, but the 2008 MVP has contributed in making the Lakers uniforms one of the most recognized globally.

4. Oregon Yellow & Green Uniforms

Nobody is going to agree with this one. I am already prepared for the lashing I am going to get for these jerseys making the list. I don’t care what anybody says, these jerseys are fresh. They are unique, and cool in my opinion. Everyone wears a normal colored jersey, but not Gordon Bombay and the Ducks.

3. Falcons Black on Black Uniforms

Since black is the most intimidating color for an opponent to wear, I thought I definitely needed to add black jerseys to the mix. The Falcons beat out the Oakland Raiders old school jerseys, and the Ravens black on black scary jerseys. The Ravens jerseys are the most intimidating in sports, but this is a Browns blog. I refuse to allow an organization that stole a Super Bowl from Cleveland make any list. Can anyone name a player wearing any color Falcons jersey these days?

2. Orange, Blue, and White 80’s Cavs Uniforms

Price, Nance, Daugherty, Ehlo, Harper, and Ferry all got the chance to wear some of the best jerseys the NBA has ever had to offer. This color combination is one of the best.

1. Tennessee Titans Powder Blue on Powder Blue Uniforms

These are my top uniforms in sports. I am not the biggest fan of the team, just like the shiny, powder blue uniforms. I am sure nobody cares what my favorite color is, but it’s light blue. So I chose these to represent all of the powder blue teams. North Carolina, old school San Diego jerseys, and the Denver Nuggets were all taken into consideration.

Music Minded

I really need to get this out of my head and on paper. I want everybody to go back to one of my previous entries, and listen to the Smashing Pumpkins Tonight Tonight. The evolution of music and the music industry are topics that I enjoy learning about. As I was sitting in class the other day, I started to think about how much music has changed in such a short period of time. Tonight Tonight was the song that verified my thoughts on the direction music is headed. Listen to the song, the song progression is amazing, Billy Corgan’s odd voice fits the song tremendously, and the song is lyrically solid. Tonight Tonight was a number one hit just twelve years ago, and now it would never make a top ten list. It’s crazy how people’s tastes in music fluctuate at such a rapid pace. I am not trying to prove a point here, it’s just something that got me thinking deeply about music…Here are some tunes to download.

Gary Jules – Mad World

This song was used in the movie Donnie Darko, and also for a popular video game titled Gears of War. This is a Tears for Fears cover that made Jules famous. I doubt anybody will ever hear much from this cat again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

The Hold Steady - How a Resurrection Really FeelsSo you might need to adapt to Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn’s vocal sound and delivery, but this song brings it. If you feel adventurous, please look into this band. They bring the noise, and simply RAWK. This sounds like a very young Bruce Springsteen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E64-ggLfRs&feature=related

John Legend Ft. Kanye West – Number One

This has been around for a while, but for those of you who have never heard it, you are missing out one of the top rap songs in the past 5 years. Please take the time to listen to this awesome jam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZVbtEYOm1Y

Weezer – Island in the Sun

When Weezer had their first hit back 95, I never really liked them. I recently started listening to them again, and have become a fan. These guys also bring the noise. I know this song was a single, but it’s still very solid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hyoszso38E

David Banner Ft. Chris Brown, Juelz Santana, Young Joc – Get Like Me

Chris Brown is sick with it. He will be around for years to come. I like this song. It’s a good spring song that I can see jamming at parties until the early morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_OWqCHK5KA

YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

Look at the old lady on the left. I bet that this is the last time the lady cares about Terry having THC in her system.

Thanks for taking some time to read what I have to say. Thanks to my brother, and everyone who came to the BG last weekend. We had a very good time. Please make sure to check back, I plan to update sooner than later this time.