Cleveland Frowns

On Certain Misappropriated Photos of Grady Sizemore

2009-12-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

We weren't going to discuss the recent public release of certain private photos of Grady Sizemore's because there's not much worth discussing about it, but Grady's p.r. people have been persistently bugging us in the comments here to do so, and since we both believe that persistence should be rewarded and tend toward the "give it away" sort, here goes:

The use of photography to make human life better is a well-established tradition on Planet Earth. The use of other human bodies for sensual gratification is an even much better-established tradition. When these two well-established traditions intersect -- such intersection becoming an increasingly well-established tradition itself -- a grey area arises regarding the ownership of any property, such as photographs, created as a result.

Little more needs to be said of Grady Sizemore here other than that he was entirely within his rights in walking this well-trodden path of the human experience.

Increased trust between humans is an established means toward increased intimacy, and there's little doubt that Mr. Sizemore intended these photos only for one set of eyes for that purpose.

If he's guilty of anything here it's failing to ensure against the misappropriation of the photos, something for which he's no doubt sorry. To help navigate the aforementioned grey area in avoiding any such misappropriation in the future, Cleveland Frowns offers the following PROTIP:

If you have photos of yourself that you don't want the world to see, be extra careful about sharing them with people who take their clothes off in front of cameras for a living (NSFW). At the very least, these people will tend to be less respectful of your property rights in your photos by virtue of their own comfort in sharing photos of themselves, and are likely to associate with others with the same tendency.

We're 100% sure that Grady will be much more careful in the future, and that he'll emerge from this experience a better man, and a better baseball player.

Joe Posnanski on Eric Mangini

2009-12-01T11:02:00.004-05:00

Fewer things have bothered me more in recent months than seeing a writer as esteemed as Joe Posnanski write that "Eric Mangini [in Cleveland] is the worst head coaching hire in the last 25 years."

So when Mr. Posnanski rehashed his argument against Mangini at his blog yesterday, I took to the comments section with a response.

I couldn't have been happier to see that Mr. Posnanski posted that response as a new blog post, titled "Mangini: A Counterclaim," with the following lede:

I don’t agree with everything Pete says — I think the awful way this team has played, the quarterback lunacy and the goofy things that have surrounded the Browns this year point to Mangini as a man in over his head.

However — that point of view has been repeated again and again in a thousand places. Pete puts together what seems to me a cogent response and an argument that Mangini is not being given a fair shot. I admire that argument a lot.

Of course, I agree with my own argument, and I feel strongly about it, so having it acknowledged by Posnanski as cogent and respectable was a big plus, especially since I'm reasonably sure the result is the fairest shake Mangini has received in any kind of "mainstream" media in months.

And even those who disagree on Mangini should be glad to note that several excellent points were brought up by the Posnanski commentariat, surely one of the most thoughtful and civil of any commenting community in the sports blogosphere. Go check them out. Definitely worth a read.

While the spam filter at Posnanski's blog has prevented me from addressing many of the comments, at least three points raised there merit separate posts here, which I'll get up over the next few days.

In closing, I'll provide a summary response to Joe's criticism of Mangini, which is that no man wouldn't look "in over his head" in Mangini's position.

Rather than "a man in over his head," Mangini looks more to me like a man faced with two unprecedented obstacles:

1) A historic mess of a Browns organization that's suffered massive cultural rot on Randy Lerner's watch; and 2) An unprecedented wave of media-manufactured negativity that's followed him from New York that draws its own strength from the Herculean nature of the rebuilding job before Mangini in a negative feedback loop.

(Ducklings are ugly. They just are.)

On the second point, it's worth adding that once Mangini came to Cleveland, it got much worse, because it allowed the New York/National media to pound on three easy memes in harmony: 1) "Mangini the failure and jerk;" 2) "Cleveland, City of Losers;" and relatedly, 3) "Cleveland Browns, the Tragedy/Trainwreck."

The combination has proven irresistible. From there it's been all too easy for the Cleveland media to pile on, not only because of Mangini's Belichickian demeanor, but because reporting on rebuilding projects doesn't sell as many papers as ginning up a witch hunt does, and it requires harder work.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy is the way the Cleveland media pours oil on the "Cleveland, City of Losers" fire with all of it.

Or is it that the Steelers are operating on the watch of their third head coach in some 200 years?

In any event, thankfully, none of it ends up mattering if Randy Lerner understands the systemic problems that result from the "win-now" approach. And thankfully we continue to see evidence that this is the case, including this November 5 interview that Lerner gave to Tony Grossi, in which Lerner states that he envisions no scenario in which Mangini will not be back in 2010, and repeatedly emphasizes Mangini's "overall plan and philosophy" as a reason for hiring him.

It's always harder to demonstrate an overall plan and philosophy through words than it is through actions,* which is why actions speak louder, and why the best way to lead is by example. But even those who think that Mangini should be a press secretary as well as a head coach should be able to understand that all of the mountainous molehills disappear when the team starts to win consistently, the best example there is, and something that could have never happened here in Cleveland overnight.

A lot like how the mountainous molehills disappeared around Bill Belichick, the coaching legend who made Mangini his protege.

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*Actions like fining team members who steal things, making questionable quarterbacks earn $11m incentives, and parting ways with players who make it clear that they think they're bigger than the team.

Monday Night Footbeaux

2009-11-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

While we're sticking with the Colts as our 2009 Super Bowl pick, Don Delco of No Logo Needed has made a compelling case for Browns fans to jump on the Saints bandwagon while our home team rebuilds.

It's hard to root against a team whose government shuts down City Hall early for game day.

The whole Patriots dynasty thing is getting dangerous anyway.

And we still think Simmons was right about 4th and 2. "If coach didn't think we could keep Manning from going 80 yards in two minutes, how are we gonna stop Brees?"

Good question!

Saints -2 over Patriots (4 units).

And UNDER 57 (1 unit) , just to prove how dumb it is to bet point totals. Either way we win here, see?

Enjoy the footbeaux!

Brady Bumbles, Bengals Rumble

2009-11-30T11:27:00.001-05:00

It's hard not to wonder if Brady Quinn's remarkable inaccuracy didn't cost the Browns an upset win yesterday in Cincinnati. It's hard to execute any game plan with a quarterback who's as far off-target as Quinn was yesterday, especially when the quarterback whose specialty is supposed to be the short quick passes so routinely misfires on those very passes.

Yesterday's performance leaves us questioning Quinn's ability to consistently prepare for game day. While the pocket wasn't as comfortable as it was against Detroit, Quinn had time to throw. He was sacked only once, on a corner blitz that looked like something he should have been able to exploit with a hot read (one of at least two hot reads Quinn looked to have missed). They say it takes just as much time to throw an accurate pass as it does to throw a bad one; that it's just a matter of focus.

But Quinn's receivers were routinely coming open on the short routes, and Quinn routinely misfired. Three different passes to an open Chansi Stuckey in the second quarter essentially killed three different drives. A misplaced throw to Cribbs on 3rd and 6 almost killed another in the third. And there were at least three occasions in the second half where the ball wasn't thrown within 15 yards of an apparently-targeted Mohamed Massaquoi, one of these coming on a key 3rd and 3 in the fourth quarter.* It was brutal to watch, as noted several times by CBS color-man Rich Gannon.

It was encouraging to see the receivers coming open, not as freely as they did in Detroit, but definitely much more so than in the previous weeks. The insertion of Stuckey and tight ends Greg Estandia and Michael Gaines into the game plan seems to have a lot to do with this.

The "where is Brian Robiskie" question is easily answered by the fact that Robiskie, at least at this early stage in his career, is simply no Chansi Stuckey. No doubt that Mangini would love to get the second round pick in the game, but the improvement in the Browns ability to move the ball with Stuckey having replaced Robiskie in the game plan is apparent.

In Quinn's defense, the CBS crew counted seven dropped passes by the end of the fourth quarter, but while Stuckey and Estandia were clear culprits at least once each, most of the drops seemed to result from Quinn's inaccuracy in the short passing game where it's harder for the receivers to adjust.

The worst call of the day by the Browns? On 4th and six inches on the first play in the fourth quarter, the Browns went to a spread formation. The Bengals didn't buy it, and went even tighter with their defensive formation. In any event, it's hard to understand why you'd take the running backs away on a play like that. The Browns were lucky to get the first there.

Others have called the second series of the 4th quarter into question, a series consisting of three consecutive failed short passes to Josh Cribbs. The Browns were buried on their own ten yard line there, with a Joe Thomas penalty complicating things further. Buried like that, with Quinn's having established his inability to accomplish anything himself, it doesn't seem like such a crazy plan to run screen passes to safely get the ball in the hands of the team's supposedly most-explosive player.

The biggest problem there might be that Cribbs' head didn't at all seem to be in the game. He almost cost the Browns dearly on the opening kickoff by forgetting to down the ball in the end zone, and while the Bengals were kicking away from him, there was at least one playable punt that Cribbs passed on (the one we're thinking of might even have been the one that buried the Browns on the aforementioned drive). Cribbs' lackluster effort on the field was corroborated by his demeanor off of it, as he was repeatedly caught scowling on the sidelines by the CBS cameras. It's likely that frustration over his contract and the rebuilding year is getting to him, but that doesn't change the fact that he looked like a loser yesterday, and only called into further question the wisdom of forking over significant money to a special teams ace. If his game day attitude is so easily affected, what happens once he gets paid? In a game where one big play would have made all the difference for the Browns, this all comes off even worse.

As for the defense, we're not sure it was such a bad show. We hear about the team being gashed by the Bengals' rushing attack, but that attack's been established as one of the best in the league. Short of the horse-collar penalty on Shaun Rogers, the Browns held Cincinnati to less than two touchdowns, which should have been enough to win. And there's no question that Cincinnati's rushing attack was given a boost by the demoralizing Browns offense that punted on every one of its possessions but two (one of those two being on the Browns' last drive of the game). With Rogers now lost for the year with a broken ankle, and Kenyon Coleman, Kamerion Wimbley, and Brodney Pool suffering injuries yesterday as well, it's not likely to be pretty with the Chargers and Steelers coming to town in consecutive weeks. Of course, the injuries will at least let Mangini get a better look at some of what else he has on the roster, and it seems like that's what this season has been all about anyway.

As for other better looks, the defense also reminds us that this team has enough holes that it doesn't seem necessary to draft a new quarterback with Quinn already signed up for next season, so we agree with McManamon that he'll get another year. Performances like yesterday's next year though, and he probably won't get another.

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*There was at least one key third down in the fourth quarter, so that's good.

Thanks to Joshua Gunter and The Plain Dealer for the photo.

NFL Week 12 Picks

2009-11-29T11:07:00.003-05:00

4-0 yesterday with the college picks. Let's see if we can keep it rolling today with the pros.

Browns +13 over Bengals (2 units): HOMER ALERT! Yes, things are a lot different than they were when the Browns tied the AFC North-dominating Bengals in Cleveland back in Week 4.

Yes, the Bengals should have success attacking downfield against the Browns' woefully undermanned secondary, and yes, the Browns offense shouldn't have nearly as much fun in Cincinnati today as it did last week in Detroit. It's also true that the Bengals are smarting from last week's disappointing loss in Oakland, and that the Raiders' secondary is much better made than these Browns to stop the Cincinnati attack.

But still we can't bring ourselves to put on the stripes today. So, as hard as it is to separate public estimation of the two, we'll hope that Mangini's acumen as a coach is more underestimated than the severity of the Browns' roster weaknesses. The overall crispness of Quinn's performance last week as well as certain personnel changes give us reason to believe that last week's offensive output wasn't entirely a result of the Lions' ineptitude. And the Browns defense should come in focused on putting last week's embarrassment behind it. It seems a little too weird that the Bengals would sweep the Division so easily anyway.

Panthers +3.5 over Jets (2 units): It's really something that the Jets, a team with nine or so Pro-Bowlers on its roster, has the same record as our Browns since trading for Braylon Edwards. We were all set to believe that this would be the week that the Jets would bounce back and finally win one against a depleted Panthers team. That extra .5 tells us that the books are begging for us to go Carolina here. But we need no further enticement when our old friend Braylon starts up with the old jibber-jabber, as per the New York Post's Jay Greenberg who reported this week that "reporters taking dictation from the large and so far largely disappointing wideout hear little but excuses."

There's all kinds of classic Braylon jibber-jabber in the Greenberg column that's worth a look, but the most relevant for today's purposes is where Braylon explains how much better it is to lose on a team with lots of Pro-Bowl talent in New York than it is to lose on a team with a stripped-down roster in Cleveland:

"I have seen the pits . . . This is nothing like the pits and you guys know what I refer to. I have seen the baddest of the bad.

"We're losing, there's no way to get around or sugar coat it, but we're extremely close. The grass is not always greener on the other side, but in my case it is. These guys want to extend me, I would love to be part of the Jets organization for years to come.

For our part, we've never known much good to happen to anyone who's been bold enough to assume that he's seen "the pits."

Bears +12 over Vikings (4 units): People need people. Sometimes a few well-placed words from one brother to another can make all the difference. Donovan McNabb has been through some things himself, and we're encouraged by what his words after last week's Eagles win in Chicago might have meant to Chicago QB Jay Cutler, who seems to know something about "the pits" himself. For the same reason, Eagles -9.5 over Redskins (2 units) as well. Why not?

Cardinals +2 over Titans (3 units): The Cardinals are a better version of the Texans and should give the Titans shaky pass defense trouble. Extra points for Kurt Warner taking himself out of the game after suffering a head injury last week.

Steelers +9 over Ravens (3 units): The books apparently aren't expecting much from the Dennis Dixon show, a second-year QB making his first start against the Ravens defense. But Baltimore has to score too. And we're still moved by all the whining the Ratbirds did about Brady Quinn two weeks ago. The opportunity to be a part of something as special as Dennis D. getting over on these whiny birds in his first career start is too much to pass up. Especially when a 10-3 final is such a distinct possibility.

That's all for today. Back tomorrow to review the Browns game, and preview the big Monday Nighter.

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Thanks to Best Week Ever for the photo.

The Rest of NCAA Week 13: Reeling with Bedlam, Gator Bait, and Golden Boots and Domers

2009-11-28T12:15:00.004-05:00

Let's try to get back on the horse today after yesterday's ignominious shutout.

Oklahoma -7.5 over Oklahoma State (3 units) -- 12:30: We suppose the rivalry will play in the favorites' favor today, giving Sooner Nation something to hang its hat on after an embarrassing season and more immediately last week's humiliating loss at Texas Tech that might go down as the worst in Bob Stoops' tenure at Oklahoma.

The Cowboys have played one of the softest schedules that a team in the Big 12 could play, and should really miss Dez Bryant today in Norman. Perhaps worse, their starting quarterback Zac Robinson sat out last week after "injur[ing] his shoulder and head in a violent collision near the end of OSU's previous game against Texas Tech."

Cowboys Coach Mike Gundy had this to say about his QB, who's expected to start today:

"Will he have some soreness? I would say he'd still be sore, but there's not anything structural that can affect him . . . It's just working through soreness."

Just a sore head is all. Nothing structural.

Florida -24.5 over Florida State (4 units) -- 3:30: Which takes us right to everybody's favorite concussed quarterback. But we'll give the "No More Baby Rhino" thing a rest this week before we rev it up to high gear for next week's Pre-CS Championship showdown against Alabama. It's Tebow's and Brandon Spikes' last game in the Swamp. ESPN's Bruce Feldman tells us that Florida coach Urban Meyer is hosting 12 uncommitted recruits at today's game, no doubt for whom he'll want to put on a show. The best thing Florida State had going this season, QB Christian Ponder, has been shut down for the season, and FSU blog Tomahawk Nation persuasively explains that Florida's offense is tailor made to beat the Seminoles. Wish we could drum up a Seminoles pick to go with that photo, but conditions seem too ripe for the other kind of beating today.

Arkansas +3.5 over LSU (3 units) -- 7:00: LSU is a lot like Oklahoma in the reeling department, but with two main differences. Its rivalry with Arkansas is less rivalrous than Oklahoma's with Oklahoma State (though the Golden Boot is a nice look), and the Tigers haven't had nearly as long as the Sooners have to adjust to the failure to meet great expectations. Arkansas, on the other hand, is in a position to put an exclamation point on a season of resurgence with a win today that would land them in a fancier Bowl than many expected they could.

Notre Dame +10 over Stanford (3 units) -- 8:00: Reeling, reeling, reeling. EDSBS's Spencer Hall makes a good case about Charlie Weis' failure as the Irish head coach resulting from a disrespect for the college game vis a vis the pro but we don't think his kids hate him. Also, Jimmy and Golden will want to look good for the scouts in their last regular season performance together.

That's all for today. Enjoy the games. Back before kickoff for tomorrow's NFL slate.

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Thanks to Tomahawk Nation for the photo and Asgard Press for the Oklahoma image.

Frontrunner Friday Football Picks

2009-11-27T10:08:00.005-05:00

Alabama -10 over Auburn (3 units), 2:30 PM: We're usually in the position of pulling for a team like Auburn here for BCS-busting purposes.

But as much fun as it always is to see the thing busted, one nice thing about believing in the inevitability of a BCS title contender like we believe in this Tide is that we can suppose we're getting a free point or two just from the busting potential. This pick has an added bonus of featuring a road team in a rivalry game. As society progresses, the big rivalry games become increasingly dependent on manufactured hate. Recent results seem to bear out that it creates an advantage for the road teams to have this to feed on.

Pitt -1 over West Virginia (3 units), 7:00 PM: Another rivalry road team here. And another thing about this one relates to yesterday's Lions/Packers game.

In that game, Lions star WR Calvin Johnson played despite having injured his knee on Sunday against the Browns and having been expected to miss yesterday's game. A right-handed quarterback with an injured left shoulder is one thing, but why rush a WR with a bad knee? Why not just rest? The Lions surely would have been better off if Johnson had yesterday, as he was thrown the ball twelve times, and caught only 2 passes for 10 yards. Similarly, West Virginia would likely be much better off this week had they let star RB Noel Devine rest his injured ankle. Instead, he played, averaged 3.5 yards a carry, and the Mountaineers still lost.

Pitt impressed us against Notre Dame in its last outing on both sides of the ball, and has had a seemingly very well-timed bye week since then to rest up. Keep an eye on Pitt receiver Jonathan Baldwin, who looks like he'll be playing on Sundays soon enough.

That's all for today. Enjoy the games, folks. Back tomorrow for more college football, then on Sunday for the pros, per usual.

UPDATE: Both home teams cover, and the aforementioned Mr. Devine broke off an 85-yard touchdown to seal the win for Pitt. What feats of handicapping wizardry to follow tomorrow!? Stay tuned.

Thanks and Picks, Etc., Inspired with the Knowledge and Feeling of our Just and Natural Rights

2009-11-26T12:25:00.008-05:00

If it's good enough for the Wall Street Journal to run the same column every Thanksgiving Day, it's good enough for us, especially because we have some NFL picks to get to.

So let's talk again about how it makes so much sense that Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday of so many Americans. Starting with the holiday's roots:

Brewer and Patriot Samuel Adams, who invented Thanksgiving, declared:

"Thursday, Dec. 15, 1796, as 'a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise to Our Divine Benefactor' . . . recommending 'earnest Supplication to God' that 'every Nation and Society of Men may be inspired with the knowledge and feeling of their natural and just rights' and 'That Tyranny and Usurpation may everywhere come to an end.'"

Less tyranny and more rights. Good luck finding a better reason to supplicate. Space is all kinds of big, so there's always room for more rights.

And who/what/wherever the rights come from, the act of thanking anyone/thing for any one of them, including the ones over the gravy boat, requires acknowledging that those rights came/come from some/one/thing/place else. That very act, by definition, makes one less of a jerk.* The whole thing being as good as any that the nation takes a day off each year to do. The concept is so fundamental and pure that the holiday's proven immune to commercialization and bastardization.

And there's also football, which, if not something that's proven immune to commercialization and bastardization, is still something that most of us can agree on. So on to the picks.

Lions +11.5 over the Packers (2 units): America's team today, these Lions. Seems like an eternity since they weren't embarrassed on the holiday. But it's a new scene there now. And after coming out on top last week in The Game of the Year, the Lions are flying high. While there's a chance the Packers rack up 90 today, and that Stafford throws seven picks in response to last week's record breaking five-touchdown performance, we have to think the Lions will be especially prepared to put on a fine spread for their guests today. And there's also the Kitna connection, which gets us to the next play.

Cowboys -13.5 over the Raiders (3 units): Because Thanksgiving is a time to reminisce. And one thing you might have guessed but still might not know about us and Smittypop, is that we used to dominate the Northeast Ohio ballcard scene. In those days is when we met our first bookie, the only things we'll tell you about him being that he lived in Brunswick, is some five years older than us, and in addition to being our bookie,** was a ballcard dealer, Renaissance man, and our hero. So you can imagine what it was like for us in 1998 when Jon Kitna stepped in for an injured Warren Moon for the season's last five games, not just as the Seahawks QB, but as a bona fide covering machine. After winning with him in that first week we immediately developed the impenetrable theory of, "Yeah, Kitna, haha!" We then shortly came to call him "ATM." And if he didn't cover in all five of those games, it had to be at least four, because we came out of the run unprecedentedly large. A new beginning, really.

Which is all to say that Tony Romo's back hurts (he took a syringe into it this week), and Kitna's the Cowboys' backup.

Plus, what kind of bummer would it be for Jerry Jones to build such a fancy house and have everybody over on Thanksgiving only to be embarrassed by the likes of the Raiders (who, incidentally, caught the Bengwads last week on a prototypical let-down week)? Even if Jones is the jerk that some folks make him out to be, if a jerk is going to have a billion dollars, he might as well spend it on things like "the largest domed [football] stadium in the world, [with] the world's largest column-free interior, and [world's] largest video screen."

And it's an old line, but a good one, about what kind of bummer it is for the Raiders to have to come in on a short short week to spend Thanksgiving battling a team that's used to doing it every year.

Most else equal, it's a bummer for anyone not to be home on Thanksgiving, and most else seems equal enough for the Giants and Broncos tonight for that to apply (the Broncos might really be finished if they don't win tonight), so we'll take 5 points and the Broncos over the Giants at Mile High in the night game. Only 1 unit though, mostly because we won't have access to the NFL Network tonight.

Which gets us back to tyranny, usurpation, and natural and just rights. Something to supplicate on, for sure.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Thanks for reading and otherwise participating here at Frowns.

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And thanks to HuffPo for the photo, and this gallery of animals eating.

*Along these lines, and in compliance with the Frownie Fairness Doctrine, we'll note the consistency here with the Thanksgiving toast proposed in today's New York Times, to "what we cannot know and could not have guessed, and to the unexpected ways our lives will merge in Thanksgivings to come."

Also, Studies have shown that gratitude is a primary contributing factor to happiness.

**One of us had come to use a different book by 1998, but it was all the same as re: us and Kitna and 'the book.'

***Special thanks to the Cheddar Bay Crew.

Today's Picks Coming Soon

2009-11-26T11:40:00.000-05:00

Noon seems like a good estimate. Excuse the delay. It's especially important to do our best to make sure that bad plays don't foul up the holiday.

Cleveland Frowns 2009 Person of the Year Nominee: Ricky Thurman and the Parkland High School Class of 2009

2009-11-25T18:49:00.000-05:00

A little holiday housecleaning that's long overdue. But just as well that it is, as we're glad to honor Ricky Thurman and the Parkland High School (Allentown, PA) Class of 2009 on our favorite holiday.

(He's everywhere you need him to be.)

Plus, the nomination speaks for itself, which is perfect for a holiday as well.

Hope everyone enjoys the night.

And to that end, we recommend the Cavs -5.5 over the Pistons (2 units). With the 2009 Cavaliers season being such an event itself, Cleveland fans have the best reason to keep an eye on the game even amidst the excitement of the holiday. Casual fans, Pistons-backers, and degenerates veer much more toward misanthropy here.

We'll be back tomorrow before kickoff with the day's football picks.

Bill Belichick and Jim Schwartz Cheat: Mangini's the Jerk

2009-11-25T09:30:00.002-05:00

All we can do is laugh, really. And wonder if it would be any different if Belichick and Schwartz were in Mangini's living room with his wife and daughter tied up, and Mangini dialed 911 in response.

"Hey Mangini, you're way out of bounds! Why are you trying to 'deflect attention and blame' for the Browns' crappy 1-9 record? Snitches get stitches! Why are you 'burning bridges' by 'pointing fingers at your colleagues?"

The connection here to Mangini's reporting of Belichick, and implicit accusation that Mangini was in the wrong for it, is especially hilarious and disturbing. Especially because Belichick was actually found guilty of f~~ilming opponents' practice sessions~~, surreptitiously filming the sideline signals of the New York Jets coaching staff and was fined $500,000, and the Patriots docked $250,000 and a first-round draft pick.

The notion that NFL head coaches are part of some sewing circle is relatedly absurd. Because all these guys are trying to do is eat each others' lunch. Every day. And Belichick was having no small success eating everybody's lunch, until his dynasty was derailed by the revelation that he was, in fact, rather egregiously cheating.

And Mangini's players are right with the Coach in their suspicion that Jim Schwartz was doing the same on Sunday by having his players intentionally fake injuries to slow the Browns' no-huddle attack. Alex Mack, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Chansi Stuckey are all noted in Mary Kay Cabot's report as expressing varying degrees of certainty that the Lions were up to something fishy.

Credit WFNYScott for noting that Mangini was sticking up for his guys here. "A head coach going to battle for a team is something that Browns fans haven't seen in Cleveland for .. . some time[, and it cannot hurt the relationship with his 53 men."

It really can't, or shouldn't anyway. But that's the last thing you'll hear about with respect to this story (sad to see even Terry Pluto completely whiff on this point) because that's just the way the Murder Mangini Meme works.

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While we're here, it's worth a look back at the most absurd piece of manufactured outrage to emerge from last week's Ravens game, that over Josh Cribbs being on the field for the game's last play on which he was injured. "That's the last straw for me with Mangini," we heard. "Cribbs had no business being out there on that play, what was Mangini thinking running a play when the team had no chance to win being down sixteen points?"

Cribbs' own agent, J.R. Rickert was so upset that he "[couldn't] even put into words how upset [he was] at [the Browns] for leaving [Cribbs] in like that."

That's really upset.

And yes, it is almost too absurd to revisit. As we noted last week, we've seen it thirty-thousand times; a team running plays with its starters until the end of a game, even against backups, even when it has no chance of winning, in an effort to put some points on the board. And we remain sure that if anyone had asked Cribbs, and he'd answered honestly, he'd have said that he wanted to be out there to try and score on that last play.

But for the sake of closure, we'll note that we saw it yet again, at the conclusion of Sunday's Jets/Patriots game. With the Jets down by seventeen points (more than sixteen!) and seconds remaining in the ballgame the Jets ran two pass plays, the last being a hail mary for which players even jumped for the ball in close proximity.

Someone might have twisted an ankle!

No word on whether the NFLPA has been called in to investigate.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. Back with more later.

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Thanks to the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project for the 1883 illustration by Howard Pyle.

Suspicious-Looking Deer Infiltrates Ohio 7-year Old's Backyard Football Game: Caught on Film, Presumably Still At Large

2009-11-24T15:49:00.005-05:00

On video sent our way by Samer at Second String Fullback, and worth a look (click here!):

While there's no in-game footage of the rowdy buck attacking and "flipping" seven-year old Brandon Hiles of Wintersville, Ohio, nor of nine-year old Wyatt Pugh beating on the beast with a stick, you'll not want to miss the Pulitzer-worthy perp-shot of the attacker skulking across the street, presumably after the altercation.

You'll also appreciate that young Hiles and young Pugh are decidedly awesome on TV. Sub-ten year olds who are attacked by wild animals during backyard football games in the suburbs and live to tell about it are exactly who should be on TV. And it shows. Thank G*d for local news.

Background on why the deer attacked here.

LeBron's Inner Circle, The Media, The Mural, and The Case of the Mad Mommies' Missing Memorabilia

2009-11-24T11:15:00.010-05:00

Two big LeBron stories, each unrelated to basketball, have hit the press this week -- the mural, and the memorabilia mess -- and both have us wondering first why it's such a cold world, and next about the kind of things that happen when a public figure of LeBron's stature over-relies on his dudes from around the way at the expense of keeping the counsel of trained professionals.*

With the notable exception of the Cleveland City Planning Commission, there are no heroes in these dramas, and in each case a more culpable party than Team James. But each of these stories also seems to involve a distinct fork where a different decision by LeBron would have steered him clear of any negative press, and likely even toward some positive pub.

First the mural, not at all as ugly, and a decidedly more complicated set of circumstances. But not that complicated. As many are no doubt familiar, the Cleveland City Planning Commission asked Nike to go back to the drawing board with its planned proposal to replace the latest iteration of downtown's landmark LeBron mural (a.k.a., The Bronboard) with the above representation of a bare-chested, scowling, scaly-skinned Lebron, accompanied by the Nike slogan, "Prepare for Combat." (The background is here at The Plain Dealer.)

Concerns expressed by the Committee about the image playing "to a stereotype of young, urban black men as menacing and aggressive" and the "'Prepare for Combat' tagline as insensitive to veterans and soldiers fighting overseas" are at the very least colorable, but the primary reason for the Committee's rejection seems entirely inarguable:

That is, that the previous iterations of the Bronboard had to be approved as "civic graphics of a local sports hero" due to a city regulation that bans "advertising billboards" from downtown Cleveland. The first two Bronboards each featured LeBron in his Cavaliers uniform, and "contained little marketing content besides a Nike swoosh and a[n extremely locally-popular] catch phrase." Not only does the newly proposed design fail to contain any reference to Cleveland (unless the mere presence of LeBron counts as that); the scaly skin, apart from being potentially disturbing to small children, is there to "mimick the padded texture" of a new Nike product line; and the 'Prepare for Combat' tagline is one from Nike's national campaign for that product, having no specific relation to LeBron or Cleveland.

It's easy enough to understand why the Commission concluded that the proposed design "crosses from civic art to blatant advertising," and frankly, it's stunning that Nike tried to cross the line in this way; enough on its own to make us wonder if the corporation isn't deliberately trying to steer him out of town.

As for LeBron, we suppose it's understandable that he'd view his own physique as "art," and himself representative enough of Cleveland to satisfy the City's "civic graphic" rule. And he said himself that he has "150 percent input" on "anything that has [his] name on it," the billboard included.

But even those who'd claim that LeBron has no duty to project a more pro-Cleveland image on the Bronboard can't deny that the rejection by the City Planning Commission is a black eye. And who else on Earth but LeBron wouldn't have seen it coming? More specifically, who would be so insensitive to the special place that LeBron and that mural hold in Cleveland's heart and mind so as to replace any reference to the City with a "Combat Gear" commercial? Wouldn't someone on Team James have remembered when the Federal Government tried to pull down the mural when it was first put up, and the Governor stumped straight up to Cleveland to defend it on grounds of its "spiritual presentation"? Even leaving aside the scowl and the combat metaphor, could anyone but the very object of the image possibly mistake something so coldly commercial for anything remotely spiritual?

Which makes us wonder if LeBron even asked anybody, and more, whether it would have made a difference if he had. Because the problem with LeBron relying on his dudes from around the way for advice on things like this isn't just that these dudes have been relying on LeBron themselves for their meal tickets for the better part of the last decade and thus might well lack the independence to mount any meaningful dissent. It's that these dudes, for most intents and purposes, grew up together. It's not just that LeBron probably already thinks he knows what they're going to say. It's that the chance is too good that he's right.

Which isn't to say that LeBron's inner-circle management team doesn't have what it takes to help LeBron on even a great many important issues, or help anyone other than LeBron on every one of even the most complicated ones. It's to say that LeBron's inner-circle management team is too close to LeBron to help him with all of it. And worse, always having that inner-circle management around appears to have created a false sense of security on LeBron's part that's resulted in an under-reliance on "outside" counsel, when a different perspective is exactly what's called for. If you already have a manager there who's "on salary," why start running up a new bill? As they say, coupon-clipping billionaires are billionaires for a reason.

Which all seems to explain what's emerged as a troubling pattern, from the the handshake, to the dunk tape, now the mural, and what might be the dumbest one yet, The Mad Mommies and the Case of the Missing Memorabilia.

Brian Windhorst has a detailed breakdown here, but to provide a short summary: A pair of mothers affiliated with the Spring Hill apartment building where LeBron grew up offered to let LeBron and the "More Than a Game" crew to shoot scenes for the film inside the apartment building in exchange for a simple favor. That favor being LeBron's autograph on twelve or so pieces of memorabilia, apparently the property of the mothers' sons, including a bobble-head doll, a homemade scrap book, a jersey, and a "mint condition LeBron James rookie card." According to this relentlessly-promoted TV tabloid feature on local CBS affiliate WOIO, the last day of the film shoot ran late, LeBron left with the boys' belongings promising to return them the next day, but allegedly has never made good, despite numerous requests and various email exchanges between Team LeBron and the aggrieved parties.

We might assume that the mad mommies aren't lying here and that Team LeBron, by engaging the mommies in writing the way they did, didn't step into a trap. But even if the mommies' story is a sham, with WOIO being immune from a lawsuit itself as long as it can prove that it reasonably investigated their charges and a lawsuit by LeBron against the mommies themselves simply not an option, how was the response here not something like:

Oh, mad mommies, how terribly sorry we are about losing your bobblehead and your ballcards. Here are thirty of each to replace them. And how about some courtside seats. And game worn sneakers. And jerseys. And would you like to come back into the locker room and meet the rest of the team? We'll pose for pictures so you can make a new scrapbook.

Hard to imagine that such an approach wouldn't neutralize even the maddest mommy, so while the WOIO report is dripping with sleazy sensationalism (hilariously so, even, you really should watch), it certainly leaves us scratching our heads. It's hard to imagine a good explanation for what went wrong here.

Anyway, we do agree with Windhorst that "behind the scenes fighting over memorabilia, or how much he tips a waiter, or which downtown apartment building he has a place in are the things usually saved for Page Six, not here in Cleveland," but we aren't at all sure that it's a bad thing for Cleveland to take on some "Page Six" of its own. Because LeBron facing unprecedented and increasing scrutiny here at home, even the kind from WOIO and the mad mommies, lends further proof not only to the notion that LeBron can become a singular global icon from right here in Cleveland, but that he'll have to take all that comes with that right here in Cleveland too.**

Global icons need global perspective, and more than anything, the latest with the mural and the mad mommies leaves us again to wonder whether LeBron's inner circle, by no fault of its own,*** isn't working as a significant hindrance to that.

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*In May 2005, James famously decided to fire his agent and hire three close friends to manage his business deals.

**Gift and a Curse. Dynasty!

***Not hating on LeBron for giving the 'inner circle' model a shot either. He's unquestionably a pioneer on this front. The point is that the particular approach needs tweaked.

Baby Lincoln Stevenson Speaks on Official Cleveland Frowns' Policy toward Comments, and Picks Tonight's MNF Matchup

2009-11-23T17:43:00.007-05:00

A statement from our attorney, Baby Lincoln Stevenson, on official Cleveland Frowns policy toward comments:

"If Frowns were to try to read, much less answer, all the comments made on Frowns, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. Frowns does the very best Frowns knows how - the very best Frowns can; and Frowns means to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings Frowns out all right, what's said against Frowns won't amount to anything. If the end brings Frowns out wrong, ten angels swearing Frowns was right would make no difference."*

So you see that a good attorney is worth every penny.

But we do have to add that we'll continue to do our best to respond to as much as we can of the good faith reaction to our work left here (and wherever else), and that we're thankful for every bit of it. A look at our ratio of daily pageviews to unique viewers helps to confirm what a lot of folks here already know: That the comments here tend to move the discussion forward, or at least somewhere amusing.

Which all bears special mention these days with the polarizing Mangini issue dominating the discussion here in Brownstown; the most urgently polarizing issue that's come up in our time here, to be sure. We understand that many of you disagree with our posture on this, and hope that you'll understand that our disagreement with you is sincere. We wouldn't write so much about it if we didn't believe in the cause, and we understand that good and reasonable people can have different ideas about what's right at any given time with respect to the same subject. We apologize for the times we've been too harsh, and if we've beaten the drum too frequently or loudly on this (or any) issue. Just please understand that it's hard for us to know if or when that's the case with respect to the latter when the issue itself is so polarizing.

In any event, soon enough the Mangini furor will pass, for better or worse. We'll soon enough move on to something more fun. And probably soon enough to something even more contentious. We'll do our best to keep the above policy in mind throughout it all, and hope you'll do the same.

For perspective's sake, here's a reminder of what one of the fun days looks like. Just one example that happens to stick out.

And here's Baby Lincoln Stevenson, who, in lieu of his usual fees for the above work, has accepted the spotlight here. Specifically, the opportunity to make Frowns' official Monday Night Football pick for tonight:

"Take the Texans -4 over the Titans (3 units). Much like the Browns, the Titans can't stop a team with a decent downfield passing attack. By the way, nice call on over 9 wins for the Titans, Frowner. Maybe you should call your attorney more often."

Fair enough, Baby Linc. Thanks. That's all for today. Back tomorrow to talk about the LeBron billboard, and WOIO's mysterious hit-piece on LeBron that they plan to run tonight. Story at 11!

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*On Baby Linc's advice, we're also going to keep allowing anonymous commenting for now, despite the recent controversy caused by anonymous commenters impersonating established commenters who don't use a blogger account. This being a place where everybody knows everybody's name, it's easy enough to spot the impersonators, it's easy enough to delete the regressive anonymity, and we get enough decent material from anonymous folks that the costs seem worth the benefits for now. Along those lines, the impersonations are sometimes well done themselves, and fair enough to be subject to impersonation if you can't bother to set up a blogger account. Please do keep us posted on your feelings on this issue, as we remain open to changing this policy.

Browns/Lions Post-mortem: On Fate and Fear in Brownstown

2009-11-23T12:50:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's Browns/Lions match-up in Detroit allowed for a different and revealing look at the Browns' two most critical roster weaknesses; the secondary and the pass-catchers. Whatever else about the game's absurd conclusion, its most meaningful consequence is likely to be that the franchise is now in a better position to address both of these weaknesses in the 2010 Draft.

Had the Browns finished with a win yesterday, the story of the day would be the performance of the much-maligned offense; a performance that gives pause to widely-voiced concerns over the game-planning abilities of Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Much like the results of last week's Frownie Challenge, yesterday's showing revealed that the the Browns' woefully substandard offensive output has been due to a lack of roster talent than an inability of the coaches to draw up an offensive game plan. Yesterday's game was only the third time this season that the Browns faced a defense outside of the league's top thirteen, only the second time they'd faced a defense in the league's bottom third, and the first time facing any such defense with Brady Quinn as the starting quarterback. More specifically, yesterday's game was the first this season that the Browns have played without Braylon Edwards where the the team's substandard set of pass-catchers was able to regularly come open.

Quinn, of course, played the game of his life, giving some rest to the notion that the Browns should select a quarterback in the first round of the 2010 Draft by completing 22 of 34 passes for 304 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 133.1. Quinn demonstrated poise in the face of frequent Lions blitzes, and the stats don't reveal that his best pass of the day, a true beauty, was dropped in the end zone by rookie RB Chris Jennings on a timing route on third and long that should have resulted in a game-changing touchdown.

Quinn had high praise for his offensive coordinator after the game, noting that he "felt like [he] was back with Charlie [Weis] again." And he wasn't alone in his praise. The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto, who called for Daboll to be relieved of play-calling responsibilities in yesterday morning's paper, wrote today that "[he] must give the coordinator credit for a game plan with imagination," and Don Criqui and Randy Cross, in calling the game for CBS, repeatedly credited Daboll and Mangini for the offensive game plan.

Of course, every offense that's faced these 2009 Lions has looked good in doing so, and the Browns talent/experience-deficient bunch shouldn't be expected to turn in a performance like this every or even any other week; but yesterday's showing was laden with encouraging signs. Brady Quinn couldn't have responded better to the criticism he faced after Monday Night's showing against the Ravens. Chris Jennings, despite the crucial drop, looked like a promising option at RB. The insertion of pass-catching tight ends Michael Gaines and Greg Estandia into the game plan at the very least helped tailor the offense toward Quinn's strengths. Chansi Stuckey seemed to offer a decided upgrade over rookie Brian Robiskie (though it's hard to tell how much of that was due to the Lions shortcomings). And Mohamed Massaquoi continues to give us reason to be hopeful that he'll develop into a quality starting receiver in the NFL. But more than anything else, the showing by the offense as a whole gives us reason to be optimistic about the team's prospects in 2010 given both the continued development of Quinn and the rookies, and that the franchise is in an excellent position to use cap space and/or draft picks to upgrade the roster's pass-catchers.

As for the defense, there's little more to say* other than that its most glaring weakness was exposed by Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and the Lions downfield passing attack, much as it was by the Packers four weeks ago. This team will simply remain vulnerable in this way as long as the likes of Mike "Pops" Adams (who did make some nice plays against the run in his first start at CB opposite Eric Wright), Brandon McDonald, Abe Elam, and Hank Poteat occupy four of the top six slots in the secondary. A 21-point 3rd quarter lead might have been a different story, but let's not overestimate the safety of such a lead held in the first. Not with this bunch.

Which gets right to our biggest problem with yesterday's play-calling; the decision to punt on 4th and 6 at the Lions' 41 yard line on the Browns first drive of the second half. At that point, the Browns held a three point lead, but it was clear that these teams were involved in a shootout. The Browns were having very good success against the Lions in the short passing game on 3rd (and even 4th) down, and had to know at that point that they were vulnerable to the big play against the Lions offense. The decision to punt there was entirely against the flow of the game, and was immediately exposed by Detroit, who made up more than the Browns 25-yard punt to the Lions 16 on the ensuing two plays to touch off their most dominant drive of the game, unaided by a Browns penalty, to take their first lead. In defense of the Browns' coaching staff, they certainly weren't accustomed to being involved in a game like this, but one senses that the Lions and even the Browns smelled fear in the "play-not-to-lose" decision to punt there. The ensuing terrible punt and dominant five-minute touchdown drive confirmed this.

Much of the rest of the mainstream criticism of the in-game coaching strikes us as misplaced. Folks have criticized Mangini for calling a timeout before the game's final play, because that timeout gave the Lions a chance to regroup and get Stafford back in the game when he'd have otherwise been forced to sit out for having gone down with an injury on the play before. But the pass-interference call on the previous play's Hail Mary, however correct it was, was unquestionably stunning, and it was the Browns who were on their heels and needed to regroup, not the Lions. Moreover, on a play from the 1-yard line, the Lions 6'4 260 pound backup quarterback Daunte Culpepper strikes us as equally if not more threatening than a damaged Matthew Stafford.

The decision to risk 30 seconds of game clock for the chance to put the game away with a complete pass on 3rd and 5 on the Browns' final drive is equally defensible and hardly worth discussing.

That the Browns couldn't come away with the victory certainly seems terribly disappointing at first, mainly due to the resulting noise we'll hear about "blowing" a 21 point lead from the Mangini witch-hunters,* but those who prefer to take a longer view, like we do, can be encouraged on at least three fronts. First, the potential of the Browns' offense with Brady Quinn, Eric Mangini, and Brian Daboll at the helm was affirmed by its performance in facing, for the first time in 2009, a non-top-thirteen defense against which its substandard pass-catchers weren't fatally mismatched. Second, the matchup boldly underscored for the front office that the most crucial weaknesses on this Browns roster are with the pass-catchers and the secondary. And finally, however disappointing the final score, it helped to solidify the potential that the Browns will be in a position to select Tennessee S Eric Berry, one of the top rated defensive backs to enter the NFL Draft in recent history and one who's thought to be an even better person than he is a football player.

We're often reminded of the wise words once shared by Delonte West, that "sometimes the Lord has to bring you through it to bring you to it." No question that a guy like Eric Berry would have been a difference maker yesterday for the Browns in Detroit. What a literal example of 'going through it to get to it' if the Lions' torching of the Browns secondary leads directly to Eric Berry joining the maligned unit. Along these lines, we'll keep our fingers crossed; and note in closing that those who believe in the long term direction of the Mangini regime might be especially encouraged that the bizarre turn of events that unfolded at the end of yesterday's game might mean that certain metaphysical elements are our on our side here.

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*Randy Cross noted yesterday that the Browns were "tackling very well." Something we can hardly recall hearing about our team in any of the last ten years. Also, in noticing that the Lions seemed to lose a player to injury on every third play, a sight to which we've grown well-accustomed in Brownstown, it struck us that our team appeared to be decidedly better physically-conditioned than its opponent. Another first, we're sure.

**For excellent examples of the witch-hunt's playbook reaction this morning, note Biff's first comment here, as well as this relentlessly negative column by Patrick McManamon, a guy who called for Mangini to be fired after Week 7. "The timeout on the game's last play didn't work! The 3rd and 5 call didn't work! None of the decisions worked! My 20/20 hindsight is PERFECT!" Of special note here is McManamon suggestion that a fourth-quarter decision to pass for a first down that actually resulted in a first down reception nevertheless "didn't work out" for the Browns.

Browns/Lions Reaction

2009-11-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

Our Twitter updates will have to do for now. Fully considered reaction will be up tomorrow morning.

Week 11 NFL Picks: Time for a New Story

2009-11-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

As the college football regular season fades, the NFL takes on increased prominence in the Nation's football focus. Maybe it's that; that the mere act of observing changes the phenomenon that's being observed that's what makes today's NFL picture seem so foggy. But whether that's true or not, Week 11 seems like a new beginning, and that we're due for some new storylines to emerge.

Nowhere could we use some new storylines than here in Cleveland with respect to our Browns. And to be clear, what's going on on the field doesn't bother us nearly as much as the lack of good faith displayed by local media here in Northeast Ohio toward Eric Mangini's rebuilding efforts.

What depresses us the most about Mangini's treatment here is how easily Cleveland bought into what New York was selling the nation, seemingly at the expense of Cleveland Browns football. It's easy to understand that the New York Jets and New York media had reasons to conspire to create negative storylines to help run Mangini out of town, and then to keep those lines going to justify the decision in the wake of his departure (and how much more fun for them that they get to pile on Cleveland in the process). But we didn't have to buy these lines here. There were good reasons not to. And these same good reasons are surely the same ones that led Randy Lerner to snap Coach Mangini up so quickly in the first place. Yet these reasons are never discussed, their mere existence never so much as hinted at in the repeated questions regarding what Lerner might have been thinking at the time.

It's hard not to wonder if Mangini wouldn't have had a better deal here so far than he has if we didn't have to contend with so much self-interested noise about him from New York. That maybe folks in this town would have adopted a more patient posture regarding things having to get worse before they ever get better with the Browns. It hardly bears repeating that a deliberate roster cleaning occurred this season, that cap space has been cleared, and draft picks stockpiled. When we offered $100 to anyone who could find an offense in NFL history that's done more for its team with arguably less talent, no one could legitimately claim the prize.

Yet, another poor performance by the Browns offense today, and/or next week, and/or the week after that, and we'll hear the same feigned outrage, as if the coaching staff could so obviously be expected to do better with such a deliberately-stripped roster.

It's depressing. It's depressing because without any of the good faith defenses of what's happened on Mangini's watch here having been honestly made a part of the dialogue (with a few spotty exceptions), it leaves us to ask depressing questions about our local press. It leaves us to wonder if it's because Mangini isn't a "good interview," and isn't as cozy with the local media as they'd prefer, that it's become so easy for them to buy the New York line. Or because it takes more creativity and effort to take the more-forward looking approach than it is to fan the flames of the Cleveland fan's impatience.

While we hope that Randy Lerner and whoever he brings in to run the football operations will understand this, the point today is that Mangini and his regime seem to have more to play for than the Lions do today in Detroit.

It's not that we necessarily expect the offense to do so much more (it was nice to see Terry Pluto, and Ravens linebacker Bart Scott* acknowledge this week that the expectations for this offense are rightfully low), but if the 1-8 Lions are chomping at the bit to get a win today against another 1-8 team, the Browns should be doubly so. It's worth noting that the Plain Dealer staff has unanimously picked the Lions to win today, with only Bud Shaw having the Browns meeting the spread with a push. Browns +3 over the Lions (4 units).

As for the rest:

Chiefs +11 over the Steelers (4 units): Continuing with the ideas that the Chiefs are on the up since deposing Johnson, and more importantly the ones regarding how singular Troy Polamalu's talent is and how much he means to the Steeler defense.

Bucs +10.5 over the Saints (4 units): Just a feeling about these resurgent Bucs, partially based on the fact that K2 was being refreshingly honest this week when he said that Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma couldn't cover him in college. There's no doubt that's true, and that Florida is a great place for a guy like Winslow to be.

Jets +11 over the Patriots (4 units): No doubt the Jets have the talent to win this game. But what this really comes down to is who you think was right about Belichick's infamous 4th and 2 call last week. Posnanski or Simmons? We think Simmons nailed it.

That's all for the day. We're staying away from that mess of a night game, content to let some new stories develop as we gird up for the stretch run. Enjoy Sunday, everyone!

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Jets linebacker Bart Scott to the New York Times on the Jets hard times since Braylon Edwards joined the team:

“This has to hurt even worse [than the losing in Cleveland]. There, other teams are just better than you. Here, we’ve got the talent but not the results.”

This quote is particularly interesting considering that Mangini is thought to be on a hot seat, while Jets coach Rex Ryan is generally not.

NCAA Week 12 Picks: Hard to Hate Week

2009-11-21T11:52:00.006-05:00

Can't we just throw out the records again, like we used to? Seven of the last eight. ~~Six~~ Five of the last ~~six~~ five. Look at everything that's happened since the duckpinning rats last got one from the tough nuts.*

I want to hate these guys again, I really do. But I have to admit that reading about how "OSU [is] trying to crush UM's hope for [a] bowl [bid]," doesn't get me worked up. And when I read about how the guy who transferred from Michigan to OSU when Rich Rodriguez arrived due to an erosion of "family values" is the same guy who dressed up as Rodriguez for Halloween? It almost makes me feel like a jerk.

All of which makes me wonder how much the Buckeyes can really be up for this today. They're already Big Ten Champs. They're already Rose Bowl bound. They've never lost to Michigan. Do they really care if the skunk bears play Central Michigan in the Acme Weedwhacker Bowl on December 12th? It's hard for me to believe that they do.

Maybe I'm missing something here. And Sam at WWAHT suggests that I am:

It's twice as fun to hate the Hun when he is down, and out for the count. If you do not take pleasure in his pain, you will surely reap the reward of double the pain when he has found his legs again, because you will not have taken the shots you should have while he was lying prone, and irrelevant on the national scene.

But I can't help but think that manufactured hate tends to work in Michigan's favor in a big way here. Which I suppose is just as well. I'd like to see the downtrodden Big Ten restored to greatness, and nothing's more representative of its downtroddenness than the state of the team up north. Maybe a 30-20 Buckeye victory will be a turn in the right direction?

Remember after the USC game when everyone was all over Tressel for not being enough like Rich Rod? Maybe they were on to something. Maybe Tate Forcier can move the ball in that spread offense like Navy did. Maybe I just want a good reason to hate again. Michigan +12 over Ohio State (4 units). (We're 6-1 picking Buckeye football games against the spread here in 2009, don't forget.)

Before we get to the rest of the picks:

Here's a beautiful painting about Ohio State and Michigan.

and here's an interesting photo caption contest about Ohio State and Michigan.

Now, the rest of the picks:

Notre Dame +6.5 over UConn (2 units) -- 2:30: Holly Anderson of EDSBS has penned a compelling haiku, doubly relevant here:

Run up the score, Weis,
Browns need a new offensive
Coordinator

Not a bad look at all. And we're pretty sure Charlie's still getting a bad rap from the fascists. Did you watch last week? Pitt's legit.

Penn State -3 over Michigan State (1 unit) -- 3:30: Here's the conspiracy theory play of the day. A win today and Penn State remains in contention for a BCS at-large bid, and:

A fan base that historically packs bowl venues make the Nittany Lions an attractive option to BCS organizers -- provided they first beat the Spartans (6-5, 4-3).

You know what they say about the BCS organizers.

Ole Miss -4.5 over LSU (4 units) -- 3:30: Looking at the way the schedules of these two teams have played out, this looks like an especially tough spot for LSU, and the Rebels' best chance for a signature win. The Tigers have lost their top running back Charles Scott for the season, and starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson plans to play with a bum ankle. But even if Jefferson is OK, the Rebels secondary is solid, and we don't buy the line that big receivers necessarily have an edge over small defensive backs. All defensive backs are small. But keep an eye on LSU senior Brandon LaFell, thought by some to be the top receiver in the 2010 draft (not sure we buy that either).

Arizona +7 over Oregon (3 units) -- 8:00: Now here's something to hate on. The Oregon Ducks of Nike, for how The Corporation is trying to do our cityscape. Has Michigan ever tried to do anything worse? More on this Monday, but it should be easy enough to see why we're with the Wildcats and the Cleveland City Planning Commission tonight. Plus, there's going to be a "Red-Out" in Arizona. And think of where all of the night's bad action will go.

That's all for today. Back tomorrow for the NFL action.

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*"Duckpinning rats" is a good one. H/T to Buckeye Chief in the comments here at Eleven Warriors on that. And here it says that wolverines are really just gluttonous weasels. "Skunk bears" too.

For the image, thanks to Midnight Maize via MGOBlog.

Stefanie Spielman

2009-11-20T17:11:00.006-05:00

Condolences and thanks to the family of Stefanie Spielman, who passed away last night after a ten-year bout with breast cancer.

[Former Massillon Tiger, Ohio State Buckeye and Cleveland Brown] Chris Spielman took a year off from his NFL career when [his wife and high school sweetheart] Stefanie was first diagnosed in 1998, and since then the family has worked to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State has raised more than $6.5 million. She also created Stefanie's Champions, a program that honors cancer patient caregivers.

(Via The Plain Dealer)

There wasn't much discussion in July when Stefanie, 31, had to have her right breast and 28 lymph nodes removed, and Chris, a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, said he was taking the year off from the Buffalo Bills to care for her and the family. . . . Her tears of protest didn't change his mind. . . . Now, sitting at the kitchen table, Stefanie takes off the brown corduroy hat she often wears in public. She's not ashamed of the baldness caused by chemotherapy. "I knew he was a great person," she says. "I knew we had a strong marriage. But for what he did for me and our family, I can never repay him. I just hope he never looks back at this year and regrets it." "Never," he says firmly.

(Via SI's Peter King, in a December '98 article titled, "Doing the Right Thing" via WFNY)

We hear all the time about athletes who'd never win plaques for Father or Husband of the Year. They fail in the complicated tango between celebrity and sports, neglecting their human responsibilities in exchange for fame and an enlarged ego. But there are many more who quietly go about their business between the lines, before returning home and acting as good citizens, good partners.

Chris and Stefanie Spielman's story might have been one of the first public examples of an athlete doing the right -- dare we say, the manly -- thing. Thankfully, and in her memory, it won't be the last.

(Via Lisa Olson at Fanhouse)

Also via WFNY, more information about the Stefanie Spielman Cancer Fund is available here.

More on Stefanie Spielman from Columbus' NBC affiliate here.

On Mangini's Relationship with Mike Tannenbaum, and an Offense that's Done More with Less (Frownie Challenge Update)

2009-11-20T16:11:00.001-05:00

The first bit of good news on this Friday comes from The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto, who noted yesterday, without qualification, that Eric Mangini "got along well with Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum" during his tenure as coach of the Jets.

This confirmation from Pluto lends additional credence to the theory that Mangini was made the fall guy for the embarrassing failure of last season's Brett Favre experiment in New York, and the victim of a flawed "quick fix"/"manage by the headlines"/"sell jerseys first" managerial approach to which teams in massive media markets are especially susceptible. But perhaps more importantly, this bit from Pluto should be especially good news for Browns fans who are concerned that Mangini won't be able to get along with a new General Manager should the Browns hire one.

And more good news for Browns fans, especially those who are troubled by the the Browns coaching staff's inability to get more production out of an offense that was deliberately stripped of its most talented players and left devoid of credible pass-catchers: In response to our offer of the chance at a $100 cash prize to anyone who could come up with a team that was able to achieve more with a less-talented offensive unit, the best examples we received in response, and really the only submissions that might be said to have had less-talented offensive units,* were three historically bad NFL teams: Two expansion franchises, the '99 Browns (2 wins) and the '76 Bucs (winless); and the '90 Patriots (1 win).

Granted, these teams might have averaged more points or yards per game than our 2009 Browns (in some cases very few), but it seems impossible to say that any of these teams "did any better." With points scoring and yardage statistics subject to so many variables in any given matchup, including not least ball control tactics and "garbage time" scoring, wins and losses seems to be the only workable measure of how well an offensive unit has done for its team. And that's what they play the games for anyway, to win.

Again, we're not saying that Mangini and especially Brian Daboll shouldn't be held accountable for their jobs. The point is that with an offense stripped of its talent as part of an ambitious but seemingly necessary rebuilding effort, it's difficult if not impossible to evaluate their performances. That is, it's difficult to expect that there are any plays that would work with this bunch.

Which is all to say that with all of the cap space cleared and draft picks that have been stockpiled during this rebuilding year, things might well be looking up here sooner than many seem to think, even if the current regime is left largely in tact.

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*We'll keep this Frownie Challenge open in the name of accountability and will continue to consider arguments that the challenge has been met, but as of now we're confident that it has not. You can catch up on the discussion, including our reasons for rejecting the '94 Chargers, and '95 and '91 Steelers as worthy candidates, in the comments here and here.

On Reality Football (with Messages in Bottles from Cheddar Bay)

2009-11-20T11:07:00.005-05:00

Something happened in the Bears/Cardinals game on November 8 that profoundly confirmed our strong preference for reality football over the fantasy variety.

Before we get to what happened in that game, some background will be useful. Starting with the oft-expressed and widely accepted notion that fantasy football makes football games more interesting to those who play. Of course, this is true by definition in at least one respect, as the fantasy football player has an additional financial interest in the outcome of the games. But the interest is more than just financial because the specific nature of the interest comes by way of specific choices by the player, thus testing the worth of the player's ideas about how the football games will play out.

The same general principle is certainly true with respect to reality football, a.k.a., picking football games against the established point spreads; but our strong preference for reality football is rooted in the major differences in the ways one becomes involved in the games when playing reality ball vis a vis the fantasy variety. In both kinds of football, the fun comes in testing the value of one's ideas about the games, but in reality football, one is able to test the value of his ideas in a certain meaningful and rewarding way that the fantasy game doesn't allow for.

That is, reality football allows one to test his ideas about the rapidly shifting landscape of a football season on a weekly and on a matchup-to-matchup basis. Reality football allows one to test more ideas and newly developed and different ones, in different ways, every week. Contrast this to fantasy football, where not only are one's choices -- choices regarding which ideas about football to test and how to test them -- restricted by the randomness of the draft order and the draft choices of the league's other members, but the limited weekly 'start-em or sit-em' choices one can make are further restricted by the already randomness-laden decisions made on that one day at the outset of the season. While landscape changes all the way until season's end, the fantasy football player is locked in while the reality player remains freely on the hunt.

Perhaps there is room for both reality and fantasy football in our lives, but we remain skeptical, as confirmed by what happened in the aforementioned Bears/Cardinals match. That is, that we're reasonably sure we'd rather have our dime turn on any reality football decision that we could make instead of having it turn on the fact that Bears tight end Greg Olson happened to score all three meaningless Bears touchdowns in that 41-21 blowout by the Cardinals. We can hardly stomach the thought of a Sunday's fortune turning on such a vicissitude when it could have turned on anything else. Bloody choices, to be sure.

Regular readers will recognize the foregoing as the very principles on which the 2009 Cheddar Bay Invitational Reality Football Pickstravaganza were founded, with the most-principled assistance of some of the most principled communitarians within the Cleveland Frowns Community. The main idea, again, being that everybody wins when we share our ideas about which ideas about the ballgames might be undervalued.

With that out of the way, today's as good a day as any to have a look at what's happened on Cheddar Bay since we last checked in. A look back on some of our crew's very best ideas about ideas about the last few weeks' games, with the great benefit of 20/20 hindsight, after the jump:

No better way to start into Cheddar Bay's foggy waters than with some fuzzy math. This from Alex A., on why he picked New Mexico State +44 in Ohio State's 45-0 drubbing of the ~~Lobos~~ Aggies:

“According to databasefootball.com, 43 players from NMS played in the NFL, including Bobby Humphery and Courtney Bryan. Those are some impressive names. Never mind that 367 OSU players made it in the NFL. I'm still taking NMS.”

Bryan did better by keeping his math secret:

[T]he Colts are coming off a bye, and the Rams... are still the Rams. Look, I'm sure the linemakers considered all this and think it's "bought and paid for" in the line. You know what else is bought and paid for? YOUR HOUSE, IF YOU BET ON THE COLTS IN THIS GAME.

It's true that sometimes it's good not to overthink things, but note how the oddsmakers swiftly changed their approach in response to the pounding they took from Bryan and those who played the same game.

Lee Edge emerged in tact for his part, with an Occam's Razor-sharp calculation regarding Baltimore's 30-7 slicing of the Broncos on 11/1:

"Denver is not going undefeated this year."

Good point!

And El Capitan brought up some nice ones himself in demonstrating the kinds of excellent socio-political reasons that one might have to choose a side:

"On November 8, 1789, Bourbon Whiskey was first distilled from corn. Whiskey, which translates into "water of life," became a quick hit in the states, and in 1791, Alexander Hamilton imposed an excise tax on whiskey in western Pennsylvania. Primarily due to this tax, Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr, an avid Bourbon drinker, in a duel on July 11, 1804. And, as we also all know, it was Burr who famously said, "Go West, young man." So on November 8, 2009, I am honoring this bourbon enthusiast by taking San Fran (-4) over Tennessee."

Cap might have done better though to stay local with his politics, like Sam Sneeda did with his posture toward the November 1st Eagles/Giants tilt:

Philly has been unimpressive in recent weeks and the Giants are coming off a loss in which it's opponent [Arizona] looked sharp. The Giants have been an excellent road team over the past few years and in my opinion is the better team here. Westbrook may not play and DeSean Jackson is banged up. Philly has played an extremely easy schedule to date with New Orleans being the only team with more than 2 wins. But I'm going to be in Philly for the game…I’m taking the Eagles.

In a show of a different kind of homerism, Pete M. gave us Exhibit A1B of the kind of psychological damage can be wrought by an NFL organization on its fans:

This is the weekend the Bucs actually play in the creamsicle throwbacks as the season is half over and this game, to some, is one of the few shots the Bucs have left to win a game. But the nose dive to 0-16 is accelerating. No pash rush plus no secondary equals a clinic for Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense.

And more on the home teams, Dennis Hemingway, Penn State alum, and the Commenter Formerly Known as P, from Notre Dame, remind us that it's good to know where folks come from before relying on their advice.

From Hemingway on Ohio State/Penn State:

The difference maker is going to be Daryll Clark, who behind a PSU o-line which has been playing great lately, will have time to get the ball to his play-makers. On the other side of the ball, Pryor has yet to prove himself in a big game. I don’t expect much more from him in front of a rowdy 110,000 Beaver Stadium White Out crowd.

And Formerly on USC/Notre Dame:

Consider the fact that Clausen has this whole team believing. Every player on ND’s team believes that, if given the chance, Clausen will score. Their job is simple: just make sure Clausen gets his chance. And suddenly, Weis has stumbled onto a formula for success that is actually working: his team is playing loose, getting Clausen those chances.

And more on formulas for success from Mike D., who showed us how good trends can go bad:

[H]istory is on the side of Michigan [-7 over Illinois] in that:
Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU loss of more than 20 points.
Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0.
Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in October.
Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
Fighting Illini are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games on fieldturf.
Fighting Illini are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
Fighting Illini are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Fighting Illini are 0-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Fighting Illini are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games as a home underdog of 3.5-10.0.
Fighting Illini are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog.
Fighting Illini are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games.

It turns out that Fighting Illini are now 1-0 ATS against Wolverines in 2009, having beaten them 38-13.

But if the trends weren't so strong to the contrary going in, we might never have received this PROTIP from Smittypop on what's sure to be 2010's hottest Halloween trend:

My pick of the week is Michigan -7 over Illinois. First, I want to say that I have hit 5 out of 6 of my 3 point plays and you would be wise to ride out my win streak. I also want to add that Illinois is an awful team and currently 0-6-1 against the spread. . . . I bet the Fightin Illini wish they had Jeff George and his 'stache back in action this week. Do yourself a favor and check out some old youtube clips of the 'stachemaster and see how you feel about being him for Halloween tonight. Just put on some old Daisy D*cks a proper 'stache and a half-tee (mesh Colts or Illini jersey, preferably) and rock out. Most people will mistake you for Uncle Rico, but when you tell them you're from Champaign they'll figure it out fast.

As you see, it's important that we keep a closer eye on Cheddar Bay, and increasingly close as the football season reaches its conclusion and the learned lessons accumulate. As we do that, you can count on the very best from the Cheddar Bay crew being incorporated into our own official weekly picks published here on Saturdays and Sundays.

Best of luck to everyone with this week's picks, and a hearty salute to the Cheddar Bay crew.

Back later to discuss the epic failure of the Frownie Faithful in meeting this week's Frownie Challenge, and to contemplate what that failure means.

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The standings for the 2009 Cheddar Bay Invitational Reality Football Pickstravaganza are available here.

Breaking News: Von Hayes' Agent Blasts Tribe Manager (UPDATE: with Dolphins/Panthers Pick)

2009-11-19T16:58:00.004-05:00

"I can't even put into words how upset I am at [the Cleveland Indians and Manager Dave Garcia] for sending Von out there to have his photo taken like that,'' Hayes' agent told Cleveland Frowns via text message. "Fortunately, Von is doing well.''

(via UpNorthTrips, via Coachie).

In other news:

Scene's Vince Grzegorek has done an excellent job in unearthing some of the history behind Brownie The Elf. The background links about "Brownies, the elves" are worth a look as well.*

The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi reports that "[r]eports of the NFL players union looking into Browns complaints about long practices apparently were much ado about nothing. . . . Hank Fraley, the team player rep . . . said it was a routine update from union officials about the future of the league collective bargaining agreement and other topics."

Finally, the 15th ranked Buckeye mens basketball team takes on the 4th ranked defending national champs from North Carolina tonight at 9pm. Might be worth a look. We'll homer up with a 2-unit play on the Bucks +2 and consider a loss a tuition payment on a remedial college basketball course. We'll also go with Oklahoma State -17 over Colorado (1 unit) in the football game, since that's what it looks like Spencer Hall of Every Day Should Be Saturday is trying to tell us to do here:

[Colorado head coach] Dan Hawkins’ recruiting is Chinese karaoke howl bad, and it is coming back for an encore thanks to the university being too broke to buy him out, meaning they’ll be sending out the Weber State Men’s Water Polo Team for another year of savage beatings at the hands of the Big 12, but without prize recruit Darrell Scott. He overcame a two year delusion that he was a white water polo player, and transferred him to a school that would allow him to play football

That's all for today. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of Thursday.

UPDATE: It turns out that there's an NFL football game tonight that's of interest as well. It's one thing to maintain our chaste position toward the NFL regarding wants to do to us with its Network, but if we already have the good idea, we're not really putting out, are we? Panthers -3 over the Dolphins (2 units).

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*For instance did you know that Brownies: "are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house . . . ; [T]hey don't like to be seen and will only work at night, traditionally in exchange for small gifts or food; They take quite a delight in porridge and honey; [AND] [t]hey usually abandon the house if their gifts are called payments, or if the owners of the house misuse them."

Dogs Bark, Birds Fly, Lawyers Complain

2009-11-19T14:23:00.005-05:00

Color us interested by all the run that agents for Terrelle Suggs and Josh Cribbs got in the Plain Dealer yesterday for complaining about injuries suffered by their respective clients in Monday night's game between the Browns and Ravens. We recall seeing a headline at Cleveland.com yesterday lumping the stories together on the front page, along the lines of "agents* for Cribbs and Suggs complain about hits, more inside."

While our more interesting questions are for Cribbs' agent, let's talk about Brady Quinn's allegedly "cheap" shot on Suggs first. The sporting press has always been quick to target pretty-boy Quinn for criticism, so we're not particularly surprised to see things blowing up a bit here, especially with public distaste for the league's protection of quarterbacks at at all time high. But it's hard to imagine that Quinn's hit was anything more than a frustrated quarterback doing his best in the heat of a bad bad moment to prevent a second interception from being taken to the house on consecutive drives. Have a look for yourself and ask, how would you have made the tackle there?

Bummer for Suggs and the Ravens to be sure and probably deserving of a fine, but we wouldn't let it bother us too too much if we were Quinn. It's easy to see why the Ravens would crow here, especially in view of the Tom Brady Rule, but its doubtful that they're honestly as upset with Quinn as they make out to be in the press.

What bothers us by far the most (but doesn't surprise us in the least) about these two Monday Night mishaps is all the guff that Mangini's taking for having Cribbs out on the field trying to score on the game's last play.

"I can't even put into words how upset I am at them for leaving him in like that,'' said Cribbs' agent J.R. Rickert . . .

And of course, Rickert's not alone in expressing outrage here, manufactured or otherwise. The reaction by the Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston is typical: "Lateral misguided, just like the coach," he says. But even Livingston admits that taking a knee on the play would have been "bad form" on the part of the trailing team. Bad form to take a knee, yet it's "cockamamie" to try to put some points on the board. Because that was the point, Bill, since you asked what "the idea" behind the play was. It's the same idea behind the reason that taking a knee would have been bad form.

And it's the same reason why we've seen it thirty-thousand times; a team running plays with its starters until the end of a game, even against backups, even when it has no chance of winning, in an effort to put some points on the board. Here it's worth remembering that the plays don't count in practice or the pre-season either, but the starters play in those. As Browns fans, we're as down as anyone about Cribbs' getting hurt, but we certainly appreciated the effort on the final play, and certainly preferred it to taking a knee, or a run up the middle.

Another thing of which we're certain is that if we were one of the most explosive players on the Browns offense, like Cribbs, we'd have wanted to be on the field for that play too, no matter what our agent might have said after the game. We'd love to hear an honest answer on that question from Cribbs. Of course we won't get one, but we'd be shocked to hear Cribbs tell us that he didn't want to be out there himself.**

But on with the witch-hunt anyway, clutching firmly to the 20/20 hindsight.***

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*It's possible that Cribbs' and Suggs' agents aren't attorneys, but we think it's safe enough to assume that they are, or close enough.

**Which is another good reason why now might be a great time to rework Cribbs' deal.

***It's understood that Mangini said "he'd do it differently" if he could run the play again. Of course that's what he said. It's not like the guy's a jerk or something.

Cavs Lose to Wizards: As if the NBA Season Wasn't Enough of a Grind

2009-11-19T10:25:00.002-05:00

A Cavs loss in Washington gives us as good an excuse as any to discuss the havoc wrought on the NBA season by the lopsided scheduling of back-to-back games. Having to play without Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal last night was bad enough. But any extra fun we might have had in seeing if the Cavs could have taken the Wizards even without those two was significantly deflated by the Cleveland team having to face the additional disadvantage of having to play its second game in two nights against a team that hadn't played since Saturday. Whatever else about scheduling back-to-back games in this way, it doesn't seem open to question that it renders individual matches less meaningful. "Oh well, it was the second night of a back-to-back. [Yawn.]."

("At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?")

There's no question that the impact is significant. If you need it, there's proof here, in a good read on back-to-back scheduling from John Walters of NBC Sports, where Walters notes that:

[T]he anecdotal and statistical evidence strongly suggests that teams fare worse when playing games on consecutive nights. The overall league win percentage is, by definition, .500. However, in consecutive games played from the start of the season through the end of February, the league is winning at a .437 clip. Of the six most lopsided losses that have occurred this season [2008], five took place during a back-to-back game.

In the end, the biggest loser might be the fan, who's subjected to lower quality basketball, and left to wonder what impact that scheduling had on the game. A league that's all about the matchups (think about how so many teams sell tickets based on who's coming to town) intentionally and at least somewhat surreptitiously drains the meaning from the matchups in these consecutively scheduled games.

There are competitive balance issues here as well. For example, if the Hornets happen to edge the Clippers by a game or two for a Western Conference playoff slot, we'd have to wonder if that wasn't a result of the Hornets only playing 16 back-to-backs against the Clippers' 22.

There are workable solutions here, some touched on in this piece by Chris Colston in USA Today that notes near universal agreement that "back-to-back games are the most troubling aspect of scheduling." Better math to equalize the impact of back-to-backs and cutting the pre-season for an earlier regular season start would both help, but the best solution might be to cut ten games or so from the NBA regular season. Owners like Marc Cuban call the 82-game schedule an "economic necessity," but this is hard to buy if cutting the schedule would result in a better overall product.

As for last night, the Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst makes a compelling case that DeShawn Stevenson won the game for the Wizards by getting in LeBron's head (it certainly wouldn't be the first time). But it was a back-to-back, so who really knows? The safer assumption seems to be that the Wizards are still garbage.

Afternoon Frowndup: Golden Tate > Taylor Mays; Akron Zips > Everybody

2009-11-18T17:16:00.002-05:00

Just a quickie this afternoon.

First, since it's Golden Tate day here at Frowns, here's a video where you can see him truck USC safety and consensus top ten draft pick Taylor Mays at the 4:05 mark. Note also that he takes Mays for a nice little ride at the 2-minute mark as well.

Finally, we're late to congratulate the Akron Zips men's soccer team for earning the number one seed in the 48-team NCAA championship tournament, in which they'll kick off at home this Sunday at 4:00. As if we needed any further reason to pull for the Zips, it's worth remembering how unfairly they were treated by the NCAA in last season's tournament, effectively having their championship dreams submerged by a questionable interpretation of a suspect rule. These Zips are aiming to become the University's first national champion in a team sport and fourth national champ in its history, joining heptathlete Christie Smith (2000), hammer-thrower Stevi Large (2009), and Frownie Favorite, ~~riflewoman~~ ~~riflist~~ sharpshooter Jenna Compton (2009). It's a championship explosion here in Akron, really. Entirely consistent with the many signs of progress we observed when we paid a visit to campus in the fall.

Go Zips. We'll be back tomorrow morning to talk about LeBron.