So Much To Say...

...so little time, at least to do so properly. So let's just try some rapid-fire instead:

• It is incredibly difficult to consistently have to debate between being deflated by the horrible actions and words of so many in the Orthodox Jewish community and inspired by all those who decry and fight against those same actions and words. The problem, as always, is that the former group so often seems to be far bigger than the latter.
  
  A few posts on this should be coming soon.
• On a similar but different note, it's sad and amazing to see the constant changes in so many of our friends' lives (and our own). We've seen too many close friends and family go through unbearable pain, loss, hardship, or divorce; and we've thankfully seen far more build  and begin to build beautiful lives, whether professionally, locale, getting married, having kids, or the like. It's tough also to see some people in the same circles going through joy and pain at the same time, knowing that each one impacts the other as well, and it's hard to be there as much as we'd like to be for friends both in hard times and in good ones.
• The Supreme Court deliberations on ObamaCare were incredibly fascinating and worth reading in full (trust me, I did it - the link there is Tuesday's, which is likely the most important). I don't see how the individual mandate doesn't get struck down, and while less sure I'd imagine that the rest will get struck down with it (perhaps with a different group of assenting judges).
  
  As an added note, the President's statement today 'warning' the Supreme Court was ludicrous and a ridiculous overreach of power (at least in terms of words) [imagine if President Bush had said the same before a major SCOTUS decision], but more laughable was what he said about this being "unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress" - as CWY noted, every law is passed by a majority of a democratically elected Congress! The judges' role is to determine if those are Constitutional. Plus, it wasn't a strong majority at all, but a bare majority of 217-212 in the House with not a single Republican voting Yea. 
• If it does get struck down, it might be the best gift for Mitt Romney presuming he is the Republican nominee, taking away a difficult issue for him. He can turn the focus on the economy itself, an area where his record is substantially better than Obama's. 
• My current job places a very strong focus on Medicare and Medicaid, particularly the financial portions of each. It is mind-boggling to me to see just how poorly and behind the times government has been and will continue to be, and how much waste they cause despite truly noble intentions. The government simply has no ability to manage care either from a clinical perspective or a financial perspective, which means that everyone is damaged in the process.*
• The NBA season is over, with the Cavs doing a nice job of positioning for this coming draft, and the NFL Draft I'm trying to avoid getting too deep into at this point (trade to #6, take Claiborne!) because I'll probably end up driving myself insane. So... it's baseball time!
  
  My team this year (10-team rotisserie, 5x5 standard, 1,350ip max, standard lineup including C/1B/2B/3B/SS/4OF/CI/2Util/2SP/6P/5Bench) picked 5th: C Napoli; 1B Lind; 2B Kipnis; 3B Bautista; CI M.Young; SS A.Cabrera; OF A.Gordon, Hart, Joyce, Rios; Util Zobrist, V.Wells; Bench Bourgeoius, Hafner, Mayberry. SP Halladay, C.Lee, Weaver, Fister; CL Hanrahan, Valverde, Santos, Motte, Storen; RP Pestano. Overall a fantastic pitching staff and a much better lineup than I normally start with.
• Finally, if you are interested in seeing a great Cleveland Browns fan show his dedication to the team and his even stronger dedication to Judaism, though, this guy's "Fanography" is really fun to watch. I'm not being biased at all - my friends have all enjoyed and made a point to tell me how much they enjoyed. :-P

Enjoy!

* Not that I believe it necessary as this should be obvious, but please note that any opinions on this blog are my own and never that of my employers. 

Patience in Building

'Tis a very rare occasion in life which does not warrant patience. From relationships (contrary to the belief of some) to marriage to raising children to career opportunities, having patience is key to being more successful.

Lately, people in certain circles cannot help but keep reading about a particular subject and people's reactions to and opinions on it, and it has been truly irksome. The lack of patience, particularly toward people and an approach in an area of life in which people are almost completely unfamiliar is astounding. More frustrating than that is how incredibly repetitively self-destructive this lack of patience has proven to be in the past, and to see people calling to do it again makes one wonder if people are simply deserving of the fate they are receiving: 'Fool me once...' Instead, here is the key: Stop looking at what everyone else is doing, and realize that to be successful, you have to build what works best for you.

In the case of the Cleveland Browns, this is an incredibly important lesson. (What, not what you thought this was going to be about?) I've been a Browns fan my entire life, with my first football memory (of course) The Fumble, and my first game a season-opening 13-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers (woo!). For much of my life, the Browns have tried to be copycats in a copycat league... except what everyone neglects to realize is that the copycats are never the ones who are ultimately the champions. It is only the trend-setters who are able to succeed in their schemes, and everyone else is merely a weak copy.

In the last couple of years, it looked like the Browns were finally going to give a front office a chance to build from the foundation up. That they too quickly undermined Eric Mangini's approach is academic at this point; now, they are building toward a Mike Holmgren-style team, with some adjustments from lessons learned over many years. It is mind-boggling to call for Coach Pat Shurmur to be fired after a single year on the job, a year in which with no real training camp, nearly no offensive talent, incredible gaffes, and countless injuries in a difficult division he still managed to keep nearly every game close with a team that always strongly supported him. To even discuss firing Shurmur smacks of an impatience that will never allow success unless it occurs via miracle (insert Tebow joke here).

Instead, let's take a step back and look at how the Browns are being built, particularly giving credence to the front office as if they're actually telling the truth (gasp!) when they discuss how they plan to build the team: Via the draft, with strategic free agency signings only once the core is established to push the team over the top. Currently, the Browns have three picks in the first 37 of the 2012 draft (#s 4, 22, and 37). They also have a very strong young core on defense, and a relatively good offensive line, certainly on the left side.

Perhaps the most interesting overlooked aspect of the team is how it is structured defensively. The Browns' defense is structured primarily to stop intermediate and long passes and short-yardage runs. Perhaps more importantly, the Browns' defense is built to play with a lead. It is a pass-rushing line, including the defensive tackles, and a defense which does not utilize many blitzes except an occasional safety blitz with a clear lane (think forcing the QB to throw quickly) and linebackers covering short zones. The linebackers are zone coverage players who even on short-yardage run situations start 4-5 yards back and rush forward into gaps. And the corners, especially Joe Haden, are trusted to cover their man on their own in the short time the line is designed to give the opposing QB to throw. Only one team (Pittsburgh) gave up less passes of 20 or more yards. Only seven gave up less of 40+ yards, and Browns fans will recall that most of those eight long gains were actually short passes that had missed tackles. In essence, the Browns' defense is built as a hybrid of the Steelers (stable design), Jets/Eagles (corners first), Giants (pass rush), and Niners (goal line) defenses, with stud players in the pass rush and secondary, allowing otherwise slightly above average LBs to truly excel.

It is worth noting that based on the above, it would actually be interesting to see if the Browns take LSU's stud cornerback Morris Claiborne if he's available at the 4th pick. If he is as good as advertised, it would give the Browns two "#1" CBs, allowing TJ Ward to give even greater focus to what he does best, which is supporting the run defense. (It would also give the Browns incredible depth in the secondary, with at least Claiborne, Haden, Patterson, Skrine, Ward, Young, Adams, and Hagg.) Even if they don't feel a need to get Claiborne, there will certainly be excellent cover corners available in the early second round for them. This - especially coupled with a RDE - could make the Browns' defense a truly dominant one, and for many years to come, as nearly everyone in the starting lineup would be in their early-mid 20s. It would also make it easier for the Browns to bring projects in in future years to learn the defense, similar to how the Steelers have been able to stick nearly anyone into their scheme thanks to the support around them as they learned and improved.

That leaves the big question: How can such a team have a lead to play with? Here, too, the Browns' direction may show an answer. One of the interesting notes when looking at successful lines is that they often have Pro-Bowl caliber players at two or three spots, allowing the other linemen to excel. The Browns have a future Hall of Famer at LT in Joe Thomas, and a Pro Bowler at C in Alex Mack. Unsurprisingly, a 6th round rookie had a reasonably good year working in between the two of them, while the other side of the line struggled mightily. It would be interesting to see if the Browns - assuming they don't pick Claiborne - either take Matt Kalil if he's still available, or actually choose to trade down a few spots to a team desperate for Griffin III and pick up Iowa's Riley Reiff and put him at RT, adding another 2nd round pick or similar in the process. Between Kalil/Reiff and the return of Pro Bowler Eric Steinbach, the Browns could have a line that is incredibly dominant and also mostly rather young (outside of Steinbach). More impressively, it would be a nice innovation to approach a West Coast Offense with the mindset of having All-Pro level tackles on each side and another at center, and even another at guard. Having that extra time until wide receivers can find the proper seams and having that kind of line to run behind has helped spur many a champion.

In addition, the Browns made the clear decision to not pursue free agent WRs last season, choosing instead to spend their extra money on locking up many other key players into long-term deals and keeping a lot of money available for this year and next. This year's free agent WR list is stacked, and while it's unclear if the Browns plan on pursuing any of the really big names, they certainly have more quality options than existed last year. Even bringing in one above average WR would dramatically alter the Browns' abilities on the offensive side, with Greg Little in his second season and Jordan Norwood showing the ability to stretch the field as a 3rd or 4th option.

Running back is a bit more of a question mark - while re-signing Peyton Hillis and the return of Brandon Jackson would basically solve it, it is possible the Browns feel they don't need a RB such as Hillis, particularly with his durability issues both seasons. There are plenty of RBs with similar or better "pedigrees" available for less, and in the West Coast Offense the Browns are running, it's possible they'll go without Hillis. That said, I think that they'll try to re-sign Hillis to an incentive-laden contract and that he'll come back to take it.

Finally, this approach, starting with a strong offensive line, should allow Colt McCoy to truly succeed. McCoy showed the ability to throw very well given enough time, and in fact has been far better than many great QBs from history over the same period of their careers, throwing for more TDs than INTs, more yards, and a much higher completion percentage (despite a team which led the league in drops). Even if he shows he cannot, the Browns would still be in a strong position to bring in a rookie QB the following year (Matt Barkley?) into a stacked team with a great line.

All in all, it is quite possible that the following scenario will occur for the Browns: They will draft a top tackle, a strong right defensive end, and an elite cover cornerback in the first two rounds of the draft, and pick up a decent but not spectacular WR on the free agent market for relatively cheap (such as an Early Doucet). They will then be a upper-middle of the pack team, with a standout defense and a middling offense led by a great line which shows flashes, but which ultimately both wins and loses a number of close games in a pretty difficult schedule against similar level teams (facing the NFC East and AFC West), winning about half their division games as well. They will then head into the 2013 season with a couple of small holes discovered during the year and easily solved through free agency (prediction: LB, DL depth) and one gaping hole at WR, and will have the opportunity - much as Atlanta did - to trade up to grab the WR they desire in the draft, and they will do so. The biggest difference is that the Browns will be starting with a much better defense than Atlanta, and this may be the difference between being a playoff loser and a team that can make a run at a Super Bowl... or a few.

It just takes a little time, that's all.

...and, we're back!

Random pieces:

• I technically (b'ah) have still never broken a bone in my life, though I am now using crutches for the first time, I believe. I chipped a bone in my ankle playing basketball this week for the Lander Alumni team, right before the playoffs, of course... and possibly holding back the Lander Alumni Board from moving forward since I had to push back a meeting between myself and Touro's controller. Sigh.
• In related news, Percocet is way overrated, and did not help me whatsoever. It did however make me sick tonight.
• Not overrated: The HTC Thunderbolt or Verizon's 4G LTE network. I have a mini-computer in my hand, except it's more powerful than my desktop and faster than my cable internet, and with better apps. This thing literally saves me time (and often money) on a consistent basis.
• Any app recommendations from Android users? In other news, Google owns my life.
• The next two months will be rather crazy, with numerous friends, including some very close ones, moving. Some are moving rather close, while others are moving far... and others are moving far, far, far away. Usually change is more gradual unless you're the one moving. At the same time, many friends and family are having/have had babies, are getting engaged/married, and sadly a couple have seen their relationships/marriages hit a rough spot. Life, eh.
• My fantasy team has been decimated by injuries, so I decided to switch things up to have a shot by taking advantage of our 1,250 innings limit. My starters are now: Lincecum, Halladay, Kershaw, Jimenez, and CJ Wilson while I have Bell, Wilson, Feliz, E.Sanchez, and (DL) Aardsma as my closers (and Gregerson for some good innings). Then again, my lineup now is C Avila, 1B LaPorta, 2B Walker, 3B Gordon, SS A.Gonzalez, CI A.Huff, OF Brantley/Raj.Davis/C.Hart/A.Torres Util C J.Buck/1B B.Wallace (DL Utley/V.Wells). Figure if I can clinch top marks in the pitching categories, and get into good position in steals (now that Davis and Torres are back from the DL) and rebound a bit in average, I can flip the studs in late July/early August for some top power hitters, which combined with Utley and Hart (just off DL) could get me into the pack in R/HR/RBI/Avg - enough to have a shot to win.
• The Indians seem to be for real, what with a solid lineup, and a pitching staff that doesn't walk anyone while eliciting ground ball after ground ball. That's... odd.
• The Browns had a very good draft, the Cavs are hoping the ping-pong balls bounce their way... sports in Cleveland are looking... up?!
• Even when life isn't great, it's always nice to know it's (finally) heading in the right direction. Or at least, a better direction.

Da Kirsch's NFL Mock Draft 2011

Ezzie: For a few years, our good friend DaKirsch has been sending us his NFL Mock Draft Picks, and he's had a couple really impressive sets of predictions - often far surpassing the "experts". Of course, DaKirsch probably spends more time on this than any of them, so perhaps it's unfair...

This year, our SerandEz draft expert DaKirsch has sent in his picks from a special place - fresh off his first season as a running back for the Tel Aviv Pioneers in the IFL, the Israel Football League which is the first organized tackle football league in the Holy Land.

[click on any image to enlarge]

Believeland

A surprisingly good piece on ESPN by Wright Thompson on Cleveland (and Lebron James' impact on the city psyche). Excerpts that I really appreciated:

We've heard a lot about Cleveland's reaction to "The Decision," seen video of burning jerseys, read Dan Gilbert's nutty letter, but the reaction I heard again and again, all over Cleveland, almost without exception, white and black, rich and poor, is the reaction of the steel mill workers hanging at this bar in Garfield Heights. People were mad at the theatrics. The Decision. Toying with the emotions of a city that's known nothing in the past four decades but sporting heartbreak.
I ask a dozen or more people what they think, and all of them say: It's not that he left for greener pastures; it was how they thought he showed them up. They think he rubbed their noses in it. "I was all right with him leaving," Crowder says. "I didn't like the way he did it."
Everybody says that. I've heard it from the owner of a steakhouse, The Lancer, that's a gathering place for the African-American community. I've heard it from a homeless guy who cleans the Cavs' arena. I've heard it from a right wing radio host and hipster liberals and architects and ex-cops and a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef. If you talk to regular people who pulled for LeBron, you'll hear a nuanced opinion that doesn't jibe with the hysteria we saw from afar. To a man, that's what these guys at the Venture Inn say.
These dudes work hard for a living and don't ever begrudge someone doing what's best for himself. Life ain't easy in the world. It's hell near the furnaces. They wear long johns in the heat -- a few minutes inside, they soak with sweat, which cools them off. At closing time, guys head to the bar for a beer. "You order two," a steelworker cracks, "and you pour the first one on your head."
They feel lucky to have work. The jobs that still exist might not for much longer.
"This town is dying," a customer says. "If I could leave, too, I think I'd be out."
"Why?" the bar owner asks.
"The future's not bright in Cleveland," he says.
That's why they understand. Many of their sons are the first generation to not find work in the mines or the mills. Their own children, when faced with LeBron's decision, made the same one. So the men at the Venture Inn aren't angry. They get it.
"I'm proud of my son," he says.
So, they don't mind the leaving. Their fathers and grandfathers moved to find the best jobs. They provide for their families despite the odds and surveys and television documentaries that tell them their way of life is dead. They are proud people, which is why they did not like being the foil in The Decision.
"The way he did it was f---ed up," says Lenny Sofranko, a steelworker for three decades.
These guys have a code.
They think LeBron broke it.

Best:

Take Eric Barr. He's a Browns fan. He grew up in Connecticut, but his dad worked in a factory and loved the Browns, which made his son love them, too. The things the team represented meant more than geography. So Barr bought season tickets, and he drove 500 miles to every game until, a few months ago, he quit his job, left behind a steady check and benefits, and moved to Cleveland. He still hasn't found work. He lives out of a suitcase. He is lonely except for the few hours he communes with other fans on game day. He plays solitaire. He spends his days at a library looking for jobs. The money's gonna run out. Things seem bad. He wonders why he did this. He's 33, alone, with no furniture, no job, no future. But a few days ago, a glimmer of hope arrived. He got a call from a fellow Browns fan. Guy lived in Tennessee and read about Barr in the paper and wanted to do something. The Samaritan gathered oak and cut it into boards, smoothing each one, carefully putting them together, using his own hands to build someone he'd never met a bed. Then he delivered it to Barr. A man ought to have a bed. The Browns fan refused to take any money. All he wanted was a promise from Barr: When you're on your feet, do something kind for a stranger. That's what loving sports really means: giving part of yourself to someone you'll never know because the giving makes you feel good. At their worst, sports fans in a place like this can be crazier than the craziest ex-girlfriend. But at their best, they create a community.

They are willing to do something kind for a stranger.

Da Kirsch's NFL Mock Draft 2010

Ezzie: It's been a couple of years, but our good friend Da Kirsch is back with his mock of the 2010 NFL Draft. He's had pretty good success in past years (better than most "experts", but he spends waaay more time on it than they do ;) ), and he's back for another go-round as our local SerandEz draft expert. 

I'mmmmm back!!!! It's my favorite time of the year and it has been a while since my last mock. This year's draft has some strong positions (OT, S, DT), some weak positions (QB, TE), and some deep positions (WR, RB, LB).  There are sure to be some surprises and this year's new schedule means I don't have to leave the TV on over Shabbat (the first round is being broadcast in prime time Thursday night), so that's a plus right there [Ez: Especially since you've made aliyah!]. Odds are 70% percent of theses picks are wrong so I provided some analysis and alternate picks as well.
Round 1
1. St Louis QB Sam Bradford Oklahoma- When I first was putting my mock together months ago i thought there was no way anyone was gonna pass on Suh, but as draft day got closer more and more reports came out on Bradford's health.  In  a weak QB i still disagree with taking Bradford but they need a QB more than a DT so they go with Bradford.

2. Detroit DT Ndamukong Suh Nebraska - The obvious pick here the easiest pick the Lions have ever made.

3. Tampa Bay DT Gerald McCoy Oklahoma - The Bucs would be happy with either McCoy or Suh and some people say they prefer McCoy over Suh even if he was available.

4. Washington OT Russell Okung Oklahoma State - Earlier on this was Jimmy Clausen, but now that they have McNabb they need to find a way to protect him. They can draft a QB in a later round to develop behind McNabb( a'la Kevin Kolb).
 
5. Kansas City OT Bryan Bulaga Iowa - What made KC an offensive force during the mid-2000s? A dominating offensive line that paved the way for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson have career years and protected Trent Green.

6. Seattle OT Trent Williams Oklahoma - They have a lot of needs on offense OL,RB,WR and even QB so they can go many ways here. I think the WR issue will be fixed with more consistency at the QB position and one way to do that is by protecting Matt Hasselbeck from injury. C.J. Spiller wowed at the combine and in his workouts, but it might be too early to take him here. Clausen is also a possibility, but more of a long shot( it would be a perfect fit for him but they still have a few years on Hasselbeck and can focus in later rounds or next years draft.)

7. Cleveland [Ez: Here we go Brownies, here we go! WOOF WOOF!!] S Eric Berry Tennessee - The Browns have a good secondary and can instantly make it a great one with this pick.  Berry is the top athlete on most teams boards and is an Ed Reed type of game changer.

8. Oakland DE Jason Pierre-Paul South Florida- No body knows where the Raiders are gonna go with this pick or any pick for that matter, what we do know is that Al Davis like freakish athletes. They have taken offensive players the last few years and really need to get value from this pick, i think they might be scared to take a chance on an offensive player.  They have needs all over the field and the smart pick would be OL and everyone says Bruce Campbell, but that would be stupid he is raw and unpolished they need someone who can start right away.
 
9. Buffalo QB Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame- Buffalo hasn't had stability at the QB position since Jim Kelly if they don't throw Clausen to the wolves he should develop in to a top line starter. Can also go for OL Anthony Davis.

10. Jacksonville DE Derrick Morgan Georgia Tech- They need help on defense and could also select hybrid S/CB Earl Thomas should also look to trade down and get some more draft picks.

11. Denver ILB Rolando McClain Alabama - Josh McDaniels clearly doesn't focus much on his offense (trading QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall) so he will look to improve his defense with the top linebacker in the draft and a top 5 talent with McClain. They might also take WR Dez Bryant but with his past discipline issues I don't see that happening they just got rid of a receiver who had off-field issues do you think they will add another?

12. Miami CB Joe Haden Florida- The top CB in the draft is a need due to circumstances and high level of receivers in the AFC East (Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Etc.), could also go with DT Dan Williams.
.
13. San Francisco OL Anthony Davis Rutgers- They are very close to turning the page and become a winning team. Head coach Mike Singletary is determined to give Alex Smith every chance to prove he can keep the QB job, so he helps him by stabilizing the O-line with this pick.

14. Seattle RB CJ Spiller Clemson- Like I said earlier it was too early for Seattle to take Spiller with the 6th pick, not with the 14th though. It will be exciting to see how new Head Coach Pete Carrol uses a Reggie Bush type player after seeing how well he did with Reggie back at USC.

15. NY Giants LB Sean Weatherspoon Mizzou- Giants GM Jerry Reese is like a smarter Al Davis, but with all the obvious picks already off the board I really don't know what he is gonna do. This pick fits a need but Reese doesn't draft for need and is not afraid to take the best player available regardless of position.  They need help in the middle( DT & ILB) and could use added depth on an aging OL. If they don't take a LB here i would love to see them get LB Sean Lee in the second round who is someone I have fallen in love with this draft season.

16. Tennessee OLB/DE Sergio Kindle Texas- The Titans need defense, defense, defense! Kindle will improve an AFC worst passing defense with his pass rushing ability.  They might also address the secondary taking DBs Kyle Wilson, Devin McCourty, or S Nate Allen.

17. San Francisco WR Dez Bryant Ok State- They get a #1 receiver here that they haven't had since TO left. I can actually see the 49ers trading this pick but if they don't they can improve on the DL with a DT or a pass rushing OLB/DE.

18. Pittsburgh OG Mike Iupati Idaho- We all know the type of football that Pittsburgh plays and it starts in the trenches ever since they lost Alan Faneca to the Jets the O-line hasn't been the same. With the recent departure of Santonio Holmes, WR Dez Bryant might be too good to pass up with this pick.

19. Atlanta DE Everson Griffen USC - They were hit with the injury bug last year and could look to add depth at several positions. They could also look to find a complement to workhorse Michael Turner and go for a RB like Ryan Matthews or Jahvid Best.

20. Houston CB Kyle Wilson Boise State - They need to fill the void that Dunta Robinson made when he left to Atlanta can also add a Punishing RB to pair with Steve Slaton  like Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer.

21. Cincinnati TE Jermaine Gresham - They look to improve on the offense by adding an athletic pass catching TE here. The Bengals really like defensive players from USC and might be tempted to take super freak S Taylor Mays.

22. New England DT Jared Odrick Penn State- The Patriots are know for getting great value from there first round picks and sometimes make suprise picks.  More often then not the take a player on one side of the line and this year is no difference they need help in the pass rush and DL. They can also draft a RB and take some pressure off of Tom Brady's arm and turn a weakness into a strength.
 
23. Green Bay CB Devin McCourty Rutgers- They can add depth to an aging unit and make the lives of Charles Woodson and Al Harris a lot easier.  If OG Mike Iupati is available look for them to shore up an OL that gave up league worst  51 sacks.

24. Philadelphia S Taylor Mays USC - The Eagles need to add some swagger back to that defense and in todays NFL safety is becoming more and more of a premier position.  He isn't the best in coverage and has room to improve but his rare athletic ability will make up for a lot.
25. Baltimore DT Brian Price UCLA- Baltimore focuses on what it does best, defense. They add a top level talent that might be the steal of the draft.

26. Arizona LB Brandon Graham Michigan - They need to find a replacement for Karlos Dansby, but won't reach for a LB they could be possibly be a team to trade up if they need to go get one . If not they add to a young OL and add protection for Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson.

27. Dallas OL Bruce Campbell Maryland- The OL is getting old and can bring Campbell along slowly and in a limited use properly developing him in to a fixture for years to come.

28. San Diego RB Ryan Mathews Fresno State- Darren Sproles isn't a feature back so they attend to their biggest need with this pick.  Also need help in the secondary and if some of the top players are still available they probably go there first.

29. NY Jets S Nate Allen South Florida- They can turn Revis Island into a continent after picking up Cromartie and if they add S Nate Allen. They also need help in the pass rush department and if they don't get Jason Taylor they might add a DE  like Carlos Dunlap or Jerry Hughes.

30. Minnesota CB Patrick Robinson Florida State - Probably go secondary with this pick and take the best player left at that position, can also go with DL.
31. Indianapolis OL Charles Brown USC - Really need to add some pieces to the OL and could also take C/OG Maurkice Pouncey who's versatility will be valuable.
 
32. New Orleans DE/LB Jerry Hughes TCU - Could also take Hughes' TCU teammate LB Daryl Washington to replace the loss of LB Scott Fujita, but Hughes is more versatile and could also be a situational pass rusher DE. 

This year the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears don't have first round draft picks so i will give you a little insight in to what each team needs.

Carolina Panthers: First pick is #48- they need help at WR and DE and might be able to find some value at those positions in the middle of the 2nd round. Guys like  WRs Branden Lafell and (sleeper)Demaryius Thomas can be available as well as DEs Ricky Sapp or Alex Carrington.

Chicago Bears: First Pick #75 not a very good chance to get a star with this pick but can still get a good player need help at WR, OL, and DB.  Should address the WR need first and try to get Jay Cutler someone to throw to a receiver like Jordan Shipley or Dez Briscoe could still be available.

Misery

(Hat tip: Benny)

Bill Simmons of ESPN ("The Sports Guy") has been writing pieces on Tortured Sports Cities. In last week's rankings of the teams, he placed the three Cleveland teams all in the top 10; personally, I think they should all be top 5. This week was follow up e-mails from people regarding all the teams (those that should have been included and about those that were), and the last 1/3 of it is dedicated to Cleveland. The final summaries are the best (/worst) -

1969: Cuyahoga River catches fire.
1974: Ten Cent Beer Night.
1977: Indians sign Wayne Garland to a then-enormous 10-year, $2.3 million contract. He goes 28-48 before his arm falls off.
1980: Red Right 88.
1981: Lowest point of Ted Stepien era.
1982: World B. Free era begins, 23 wins guaranteed. In hindsight, this is akin to building a team around Ricky Davis.
1982: Indians trade John Denny to the Phillies for Wil Culmer, Jerry Reed and Roy Smith.
1983: John Denny wins NL Cy Young Award.
1984: Indians trade Rick Sutcliffe to Cubs. Sutcliffe goes 16-1 and wins NL Cy Young Award.
1986: The Drive.
1987: The Fumble.
1989: The Shot.
1989: "Major League" premieres in theaters. Producers insult Cleveland by filming baseball scenes in Milwaukee as Cleveland's Municipal Stadium is "too drab."
1992: MJ ends Cavs season again. Cavs become possibly the best NBA team to never reach the NBA Finals.
1993: Hurricane Andrew destroys Indians' brand-new $18 million spring training complex in Homestead, Fla.
1993: Steve Olin, Tim Crews die in spring-training boat crash.
1993: Indians are no-hit by one-[handed] pitcher Jim Abbott.
1994: Baseball strike ends Indians' first contending season in three decades.
1995: Art Modell moves Browns to Baltimore.
1995: First World Series appearance in 40 years ends in loss.
1997: Jose Mesa.
1998: Cavs sign "superstar" Shawn Kemp. He fathers a litter of children.
1999: Up 2-0 in ALDS, Pedro kicks the corpse of Cleveland fandom.
1999: USFL returns disguised as Browns expansion team.
2007: Up 3-1 in ALCS, Red Sox spit on grave of Cleveland fandom.
2009: Magic shock Cavs in Eastern Conference finals.
2009: Indians' back-to-back AL Cy Young winners, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, face off in Game 1 of World Series, neither pitching for Cleveland.
2010: LeBron leaves Cleveland, goes on to win multiple championships.

My lifetime: Three major sports, zero titles, one river on fire.
--Brad, Cleveland

You should change your scale for losing to the following:

Cleveland losing.
Everybody else.
--Brian S., New Rochelle, N.Y.

Finally, this part almost makes you want to cry if you've lived like this:

Also, has any other city had as many tragic deaths as Cleveland fans have witnessed (Ray Chapman, Ernie Davis, Steve Olin, Tim Crews, Don Rogers)? Late in this past Browns season my dad called me during one of their more wretched performances and actually apologized to me for raising me to be a Cleveland fan. During that same game my son called me from college to berate me for raising him to be a Cleveland fan (I kid you not, this actually happened). It's like an abusive relationship that just travels from one generation to the next. We all need therapy. "Thanks" for reminding us. I better sign off now before I lay down on my couch in a fetal position.

Good Question

Hat tip: Amir, Binny

From Bill Simmons' latest NFL Power Poll:

32. Cleveland
First, the Cavs choke in the 2009 playoffs. Second, the best two starters on the 2008 Indians start Game 1 of the 2009 World Series for two teams not named "Cleveland." Third, the Browns clean house and hire Eric Mangini, who takes that same house and sets it on fire with a flame thrower. Fourth, what could end up being LeBron's final Cavs season was distinguished early by Shaq looking like a bald Aretha Franklin and LeBron's body language occasionally lapsing into "I can't wait to find a new team, I am tired of playing with crap teammates" mode. And fifth, there are two nights of star-studded concerts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- located in Cleveland, as you know -- and those concerts happen at Madison Square Garden.

Here's my question, God: What did Cleveland do to You?

Mourning by SMS

Ezzie: Being from Cleveland sucks.
G: Amen.

DGEsq left early, not wanting to see the end. A true Clevelander, I felt compelled to watch until 0:00. Of course, that meant I got to see the latest montage of horrible moments, which was probably recycled, because they left out the 1989 AFC Championship but more surprisingly the Red Sox comeback from 3-1 to beat the Indians in the 2007 ALCS.

I think this needs to get updated.

Brown & Orange Flurry

I was talking to my good friend and constantly pessimistic Cleveland fan Howie tonight, and the call ended with something it rarely ever does - slight optimism. For context, I'll share a voicemail that Howie left me and that I still have saved from October 2004, when the Indians were officially eliminated on a fly ball in the sun:

"You don't need to call me back. I just called to say I told you so."

This time, it ended with Howie saying that while he'd liked his own suggestion, the one I'd thrown out in response was a really good idea.

What about? Well, the Cleveland Browns, of course. You see, Howie and I own a pair of 50-yard line season tickets to the Browns, so their success not only gives us enjoyment as fans, but makes us actual investors in our team's success. And it therefore behooves us to - as all fans do - suggest just what our team should be doing to be successful.

A few notes to start: The Browns have the 5th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. If I'm not mistaken, they have the 36th pick as well. Via WFNY, there are teams like the Vikings who are interested in players like Derek Anderson. (Yay!) The Browns have a new coach, Eric Mangini, who seems to be reasonably intelligent with some good schemes, even if he was hired rather hurriedly; and a new GM, straight from Baltimore, in Kokinis. Kellen Winslow is not particularly happy in Cleveland; the other Browns' tight ends did fine in his absence. Terrell Suggs is a free agent, and is 26 years old. Shaun Rogers is HUGE. The Detroit Lions have the 20th pick in the first round in addition to the #1 pick in each round. The Philadelphia Eagles have the 28th and 31st picks in the first round.

The sharp among you may have already realized where I'm going with this, but to spell it out, here's what the Browns should consider doing:

• Trade Kellen Winslow and Derek Anderson to the Minnesota Vikings for the #22 pick in the first round (and whatever else you can get with it - a defensive back, maybe?).
• Trade the #5 pick in the draft to either Detroit for the #20 and #33 picks or the Eagles for #28 and #31.
• Sign Terrell Suggs as a free agent.
• Draft four defensive players between picks #20 and #36.
  

First, why Minnesota would do it: Duh. If you have Adrian Peterson and a good line, what do you need? A big-arm QB who can take advantage of defenses trying to cheat on the run. Winslow is a solid-blocking TE who has great talent and can also spread the field, works well with DA, and would be great off play-action with Peterson. He'd be able to function similar to how Gates has for years in San Diego with Tomlinson. For the Vikings, the ability to open up their offense like this combined with their already good defense seems to be a no-brainer as compared to a mid-first round pick.

Why Detroit would do it: Think Quinn + Thomas, but maybe better. Whether they take Stafford or Sanchez, what would be better than immediately grabbing a top left tackle to protect his blindside? There's nothing they could get at #20 or to start the second round that would compare to one of those top tackles.

Why Philly would do it: Their core is aging. They want someone who can make that immediate impact, whether by shoring up that O-line or wherever. Two picks at the very end of the first round to take that shot at a Super Bowl might be awfully enticing.

Why Suggs would do it: Baltimore is in disarray, and can't afford him and still pay Ray Lewis. Kokinis can bring him over. (Side note: If Suggs' reputation is merely boosted by the defense he plays for and not his own skills, presumably Kokinis would know this and not sign him.)

Why the Browns should do it: Why not!? The offense will barely be taking a hit. You'd still have Quinn, Edwards, and the O-line. You'd have a coach more willing to use Josh Cribbs as he used Leon Washington. Top 5 picks bust almost half the time, and they cost a lot more money. None would be of help this year except Crabtree, and he's unlikely to be available. You'd have a defense with two real studs in Rogers (29) and Suggs (26), leading a bunch of young, talented guys [Laurinitis, Mayben, Alphonso Smith, and William Moore?] who will be coming in as a group and learning a scheme together under their new, young coach. Will this team be great in 2009? No. But it could be really great in 2010.

People often shy away from plans that require lots of moves, figuring at least one of the counterparties will balk - but this plan is one that should be relatively easy to sell on each of the other partners. Minnesota is the first one, and is easy enough to find out. Philly and Detroit (especially Detroit) seem to be no-brainers; it's pretty clear who will be available at #5 and what each needs and wants out of this draft. Whether the Browns have 22-28-31-36 or 20-22-33-36 it should be relatively easy for them to get four players they really like, knowing the needs of the teams in between their picks. Suggs is probably the trickiest part of all of this, but seems to be doable especially in light of the ability he'd have to be the big name and leader of a high-potential defense for years to come.

Are we totally off here, or does this sound like it's just not too crazy to actually work?

This Post Is Untitled

Go Cardinals!!! You are the last stand against evil in this world. Also, Mazel Tov to my good friend Coops, who hopefully can tell the people in Cleveland that there is hope in this world.

(And I don't mean LeBron playing for the Browns.)

It's Been A Hard Day's Night

It's been a long week, hasn't it? It's hard to believe Chanukah was over just a week and a half ago...

At Casa SerandEz, we've been weathering a mild case of strep for Serach that knocked her out of commission for a couple of days, helping plan and make calls for the Lander Alumni Shabbaton for next month, following the news, and otherwise surviving. Now we're preparing for a nice reunion weekend with some good friends, while wondering how to defeat the Empire of G and why people never tell us their thoughts on our rare serious piece of writing. Ah well.

There's just too much happening to round things up or express coherent thoughts, so some random musings on different subjects:

• Just as a reminder, first: Jameel & Aussie Dave are live-blogging everything from Israel (with some assistance from friends to keep it going 24 hours a day). Jack is rounding up posts and articles from all over consistently (usually twice a day). The IDF Spokesperson puts out official summaries and videos here and there. And it's worthwhile to plug an amazing blog: An Israeli Soldier's Mother.
  

• There are countless pieces all over the internet about what is going on in Israel; the objective of my piece was to actually go through the options available to Israel, which is something I haven't really seen.
• Pictures you won't be seeing anytime soon on the major news media: Israeli soldiers helping out Palestinian civilians (can't find the blog now, anyone know?) and Hamas terrorists who had just been shooting at them who they captured. (Pictures you won't be seeing anywhere, ever: Hamas helping Israeli civilians or soldiers. Pictures you'll rarely see, either: These.)

Other good stuff, thoughts:

• If you're a Browns (or Bengals) fan - ouch.
• Not sure what to think of Mangini... posted my thoughts in short here.
• Napping works better than caffeine.
• Elder of Ziyon (who has been awesome - check out the rockets calendars especially) rips the Guardian for letting Hamas' Meshaal write a propaganda op-ed.
• Great piece on Dan at BeyondBT. Ironically, as a kid, I always wanted to be from Shevet Dan. Lots of lessons well put in the post...
  
• The WSJ has really good pieces [all very different aspects] by Natan Sharansky, Bibi Netanyahu, and its own Brett Stephens.
• WestBankMama thinks Hamas is losing both short-term and long-term.
• Treppenwitz thinks the SkyNews studio he was interviewed in demonstrates well how others see the Middle East.
• Hard to know what to make of this: The New York Post goes after a former SEC mid-level employee who was named by Markopolis as having worked on (and let go) Madoff. While I'm sure she did the best she could and that it wasn't the easiest thing to catch, Markopolis had laid out pretty well why it had to be bogus; the real story is that the SEC is probably full of hard-working, well-meaning people just not cut out for the task: "...branch chief in New York, actually investigated [Markopolos' claims] but with no result that I am aware of. In my conversations with her, I did not believe that she had the derivatives or mathematical background to understand the violation." Ouch. Yet another problem with the ideas of regulation - people end up relying on them, and guess what! Government often can't do things as well.
• Loved this one, which a number of people have pointed to - Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic (!) rips the world: The World's Pornographic Interest in Jewish Moral Failure.

God Hates Clevelanders (Somewhat)

The world is a cruel, cruel place. Especially if you're from Cleveland.

Some people think that God's cruelty is felt by the homeless; the poor; the horribly injured. This is certainly true, to an extent... but it seems that in a way, far worse cruelties are felt by those who, like Charlie Brown, constantly have that football whisked away right as they're about to kick it. "This time will be different!", they cry. But this time is no different... This time is just as bad as every other time until now has been.

And now on to the serious part of this post: Cleveland sports fans' luck (also known as nonexistent). Earlier in the year, in the NFL spread pool I've run for over a decade, a friend from Cleveland who is in the pool noted that he had placed within 3 points of the weekly leader five times. He had won a total of $5, tying for second place once. He is currently third overall in the pool... a spot that would win a total of $30, not the $300 or $100 that the first two spots win. Even there, he is barely clinging to the spot.

Meanwhile, I have won the pool twice this season. Of course, two deadbeats decided not to pay (yet continue to put picks in each week) - so as the manager, I'm only covering those losses. One of those wins of mine was last week - I went back to how I used to pick, going a bit higher on close-but-I-know-they'll-still-win games and lower on the others. I did the same this week, and early on, it looked like I had the week locked up and by a large margin, so long as some crazy things didn't happen.

But they did. St. Louis blew a huge lead and lost in OT to Seattle. Kansas City blew a 21-3 lead and went down 22-21, then still had a chance to pull it out, but missed a game-winning FG. The Bills had the lead and the ball, the Jets couldn't stop the run, so... the Bills tried to throw, fumbled, and it was run back for a TD. Then they threw an interception. Tennessee was down 1 with two minutes left, and rather than taking a field goal to take the lead, inexplicably went for it on fourth down and missed, never getting the ball back. Washington fumbled on the 2-inch line when they were down a TD against Cincinatti. And perhaps worst of all, as a Clevelander, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a call very questionably overturned, winning them not only the game but the division. Had almost any two of these games had different outcomes, I'd be in far better shape.

To top it off, I'm also in my old office's pool. The Ravens-Steelers overturned call not only hurt me in my own pool, it cost me a clear-cut win in the office pool. But wait! I could still win! All I needed was the Browns-Eagles game to be low-scoring, as the tiebreaker is total points on Monday Night Football. I had 27 (just to be on the low end), while the person who I was tied with had 44. With 10 minutes remaining, and the Eagles up 30-3, they stopped the Browns and put in backup quarterback Kevin Kolb to finish up the game. They weren't trying to score, just trying to run out the clock. They could hand it off every play.

But noooo... they passed... and it was intercepted.. and run back for a touchdown... to make it 30-10. Not only had I lost the tiebreaker, but I had lost it on a BROWNS' touchdown - a low probability, pointless, defensive touchdown by my own favorite team.

I still have saved on my phone a message, left for me on the day the Indians were eliminated from a shot at a division title thanks to a fly ball lost in the sun, by a good friend of mine (and G's). Howie, who is a complete pessimist about all Cleveland teams, said simply: "Hi - you don't need to call me back. I just called to say I told you so."

The world is a cruel, cruel place. Especially if you're from Cleveland.

Not A Simcha

It's just not a simcha until someone (okay, the whole family) brings out the dog bones and Indian headdresses, not to mention the team of custom-made shirts. Oh, and there were penguins. The big, huge, ice sculptured kind. Mazel tov, Mister and Mrs. G!

Note: Indian headdresses and penguins not pictured. That's just a dog mask. In case anyone's wondering, my gift to G was another win in our fantasy football league, lifting him to 9-1 and dropping me to 4-6.

1/4 Of The Way

...okay, actually 4/17ths, but who's counting. [Oh - I only care to see a Rays - Brewers World Series, and I came in second in fantasy baseball.]

NFL: The Browns stink, everyone forgot just how good the Panthers can be, it is the Patriots' lack of defense - not Tom Brady - that will hurt them, the Colts, Chargers, Texans, and Vikings are going to still make runs, and defense still wins ballgames.

Suicide pool: Of 3,296 entries (that's $164,800 if you're counting at home and if my math doesn't stink), two of which were mine and iPay's, there are now just 681 remaining [only one of ours]. We've already picked PIT, ARZ, NYG, and CAR, and this week are required to pick two teams - as of now, we're going with DAL and GB.

Ezzie's pool: I was horrible the first few weeks - including dead last in Week 1 - but this week had a legitimate shot at winning, and ended up in third. I usually start every year slow and then pick it up as the season goes along, so this is actually an early good start for me, though I'm still 60 points behind the overall leader.

Spread pools: One pool I'm in has been simply horrible - I'm somewhere near the bottom overall. The other one is an old office pool, and after a dead last Week 1, I'm moving up slowly, coming in tied for first (losing on a tiebreaker, but still in the money) this past week and moving into the pack overall.

J-Blogger FFL: NoyG, G, and Squooshball are all 4-0 in the other division, but I'm all alone in first place in the division I'm in at 3-1. Eliezer StrongBad is 2-2 along with EDS and Frayda. Imperfect Dynasty, Jacob da Jew, and General R. Blie are 1-3, while two teams are 0-4. SerandEz members are clearly strong at the top, with only NoyG ahead of us in total points at a ridiculous 443; G is next with 402, Squooshball has 359, I have 353, and StrongBad has 345.

I think my team is actually really great now:

QB PManning, O'Sullivan, Anderson
RB Westbrook, Slaton, Lewis, AGreen
WR Holmes, SMoss, Gage, Stallworth, KCurtis
TE Cooley, K Folk, DST Chargers, Seahawks.

We play one QB, two RB, two WR, and a flex RB-WR, so I have options every week.

In the league my BIL and I run, Squooshball is running away at 4-0, pulling out this past week against me on Monday night by a point, leaving me at 1-3. The whole league is topsy-turvy, with an 0-4 team at 6th in the league in points, a 2-2 team that's 3rd, and a 3-1 team that's 11th. Braylon & Ocho Cinco have stunk it up for me.

On the team my BIL and I run in a public league, we've rebounded from two bad losses to pull to 2-2. We have a solid team:

QB Hasselback, O'Sullivan
RB Graham, Slaton, Addai, SYoung
WR Edwards, Harrison, Gage, Holmes
TE Winslow, K Dawson, DST Seahawks, Chargers

We probably have to drop Dawson and Young this week to get a K and TE.

All in all, bad start, seems to be turning around across the board. Now if only the Browns could, too, so our season tickets can go back up...!!

Paine's Cleveland "Crisis"...

...as I imagine it would have looked had Sir Thomas been bestowed the right and privilege of being one of the few, the proud, the perennially disappointed, The Browns Fan:

"September 23, 2008 -

THESE are the seasons that try Cleveland Browns fan's souls. The fantasy league soldier and the fair weather Patriot fan will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their team; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of both player and owner. The AFC North, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain in free agency, we esteem too highly: it is draft picks only that gives every team its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper defense upon the field of play; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as THE PLAYOFFS should not be highly rated. Pittsburgh, with what seems an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to the DIVISION) but "to EMBARRASS us in ALL GAMES WHATSOEVER" and if being embarrassed in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to Denver.

Whether the starting quarterback was declared too soon, or delayed too long, I will not now enter into as an argument; my own simple opinion is, that had it been eight months earlier, it would have been much better. We did not make a proper use of last winter, neither could we, while we were in a offensively productive state. However, the fault, if it were one, was all our own; we have none to blame but ourselves. But no great deal is lost yet. All that Romeo has been doing for this month past, is rather a ravage than a conquest, which the spirit of Paul Brown, a year ago, would have quickly repulsed, and which time and a little Bill Cowher will soon recover."

A'thousand Timeouts, Yes...

...PHIL
‘O’ Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art the ‘O’ Romeo?
Deny thy Belichick and refuse thy game plan;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And you'll no longer be a Brown.

ROMEO
Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

PHIL
'Tis but thy game plan that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not an Offensive mind.
What's Offense? it is nor holding, nor false start,
‘Tis passing, or running, or any other part
Belonging to forward progress!. ‘O’, be some other name!?
What's in a name? That which we call a Touchdown
By any other name would count as six;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call it,
Atone that dread performance which he owns
Without that title - Romeo, doff thy headset,
And for that team name which is such part of thee
Take all myself.

ROMEO
I take thee at thy word.
Call me but fired, and Cowher be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be a Brown.

Romeo, Romeo

I think a lot of English majors are about to get disappointed.

After watching the first two Cleveland Browns' games this season, one of my fears and thoughts about this team has been confirmed: Romeo Crennel is not a good head coach. As I see it, there are only a few requirements of a coach: Motivate his players; prepare them well for the games (most important); and in-game, he must be able to make good adjustments, call timeouts at the proper time, and manage the clock and score well.

While he seems to be fine with the players, the Browns never seem to be fully prepared. They simply look clueless as to what to do on given plays - there's a difference between getting beaten on a given play or being blocked by a good scheme from the other team (which certainly must be overcome) and being in the completely wrong place or in a bad scheme. Meanwhile, the adjustments are too slow - while the adjustments are often good, they need to recognize faster which plays and schemes the other team is having trouble stopping or moving the ball on and keep using variations of it until the other team stops them.

But the most frustrating times with Crennel have to do with clock management and the score. If you're down 21 with 10 minutes left, you go for it on 4th-and-3 from the 15. You don't kick a meaningless field goal - then kick away! - when you'll still need a field goal, two touchdowns, and a 2-point conversion (which is awfully similar to 4th-and-3!!). His botching of the clock and timeouts last night was incredible, though at least he was smart about ticking the ten seconds off instead of wasting a timeout (note that some of that is on Anderson as well for not just doing it anyway). They should have run up and spiked it with 22 seconds left in the half, then formed a play or two, then taken their timeout if they hadn't scored a TD to kick a FG. At the end of the game, instead of flinging the ball randomly after the sack, spike the ball with a second left and design another Hail Mary. And, most importantly, when you're down 10-3 with less than 4 minutes left at the opponent 27, why the heck would you kick a meaningless field goal which only means that you have to stop the opponent from approximately the same spot as they'll get it after you kick off, then drive about 70 yards to score a touchdown even if you can make that stop?!

Grr. The largest strand of hope for this season lies in the utter lack of any dominant team in the AFC other than the Steelers, whom even a pathetic Browns team somehow managed to stay with despite being seemingly outplayed all game. The Colts barely pulled out a win. The Chargers and Jaguars are 0-2. The Patriots are missing Tom Brady. The Broncos can't play defense, the Titans' starting QB seems to have lost it, and the Bills and Titans are big question marks. If the Browns can get a clue on defense, remember how to move the ball on offense [and not drop passes!], and perhaps rent a brain for Romeo, they can still make a nice run for the playoffs. Last year's Giants started 0-2, too.

Oh, and maybe if Matt Cassell turns out to stink, they can loan Brady Quinn (a Charlie Weis product) to the Pats for a few DBs for the year. How crazy would the idea be? It's mutually beneficial, could pay large dividends for both clubs... think about it!

A Few Things

• So in the end, what happened with the tickets from yesterday? My Dad gave the tickets to his partner and G's uncle L, who took his son g out of work and went to the game. I hope they were there for this play, which is one of the sickest catches I've ever seen. He doesn't even spin until the ball is 3/4 of the way there. And of course, since it's Cleveland, they got to sit through a thunderstorm delay.
  
• R' Gil has a great post on "proving God" which is a worthwhile read. I always find it interesting to read stuff of R' Schubert Spero [quoted in middle], as he was the rav of the Young Israel of Cleveland [where my family has davened for half a century or so] for many years before making aliyah (and quickly being followed by a nice chunk of the shul). In a nice little connection, I sat next to R' Spero on the way to a wedding a number of years back - the wedding was a daughter of the person who answered my father's shailah about the tickets.
• The Shabbaton is coming! For anyone who has still not registered for the BeyondBT/SerandEz Shabbaton next Shabbos (August 15th-16th, Shabbos Nachamu), you have until Tuesday to do so, though obviously the sooner the better in terms of knowing numbers. It promises to be a really nice Shabbos with great company, and we'd love to see you there. We have a nice crowd of people who read this blog on the guest list already, and we'd love to have some more. If you're interested or have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail myself at SerandEz@gmail.com or BeyondBT at BeyondBT@gmail.com. To register, e-mail BeyondBT. Hope to see you there!
  

Browns vs. Jets, 50 yard line... Want 'em?

A friend and I own a pair of Cleveland Browns' season tickets - great ones, too, in Section 509 (Row 22), which is right on the 50-yard line. It's got an amazing angle for the whole game - high enough to watch running plays develop, right in the middle of the field, new stadium design so it's not set back far, etc. We've had them for a few years - they're not as good as the seats my Dad splits with G's uncle (4th row behind the Browns' bench at the 50!), but then again, no seats really are. Tomorrow night, the Browns kick off the preseason against the New York Jets (you know, the team that plays in New Jersey, as opposed to the other one that does, too) in Cleveland. Our tickets didn't sell via the normal channels this time, and the game is tomorrow night.

So... if anyone wants tickets to tomorrow night's game for cheap, feel free to e-mail me. The tickets are sitting in Cleveland at the moment, and you can pick them up either in Cleveland Heights or Beachwood. The face value of the tickets are $70 apiece, but we're not expecting to get anything close to that; we'd be happily surprised to even get $70 for the pair (and willing to hear any reasonable offer). E-mail me if you're interested.

(And if anyone is interested in the Browns - Chicago Bears preseason game on August 28th, let me know.)