Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

I haven’t written a letter to Santa in a long, long time, but the last time I did he brought me everything I asked for. So I figured what the heck, he didn’t leave me hanging last time, so why not see if he’ll hook me up again. So here’s a copy of my letter I sent to the North Pole.

Dear Santa,

I know Christmas is supposed to be a time for giving and not receiving, but you do such a great job with the giving thing and I know a lot of people who are in need, so please take a look at my list. You can look at it twice, and you know, like you always do, determine whether I’ve been naughty or nice. And with the exception of that one night, that featured tequila and a hot waitress who kind of looked like Anna Kournakova, I’ve been really good. Just ask her, she’ll tell you how good! Anyway, I’ve got some things I’d like and few things for my friends. If you could deliver ASAP it would be greatly appreciated.

1) A new owner for the Cleveland Indians who isn’t related to Ebenezer Scrooge. Maybe that new owner will be like you and give, give, give to the fans! Instead of asking us to spend, spend, spend.

2) I know you have a lot of tiny elves who work for you and build great toys. Do you need any really tall, useless guys who could help the Abominal Snow Monster from your great TV hit Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? We call him “Z” and he too could put the star on top of the tree without a ladder. Although he may miss 2 or 3 times before he gets it done. We’ll trade you him for a few of the old leather NBA basketballs.

3) You have reindeer who pull your sleigh and lead the way for you. The Browns could use 5 guys who would act like reindeer and lead the way for their running backs and quarterback. This is probably the biggest wish that anyone and everyone in Cleveland would like granted, especially Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson. This wish, if granted, could save lives, that’s how important it is.

4) While we’re dealing with football. How about a lifetime contract for Jim Tressel to remain as the head coach at “THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY”. He, unlike the other coaches in the state of Ohio, brings joy and happiness to many people and isn’t that what the Christmas spirit is all about?

5) Oh yeah, one more lifetime contract. Please make sure that fine gentleman in Ann Arbor, Michigan gets a lifetime contract too. His name is Lloyd Carr and he too brings joy and happiness to many people in Ohio.

6) To all the presidents of all the great universities in this country. Could you please place under their trees and in their brains why it would benefit them and the NCAA that a playoff system in college football would make everyone happy. The players and coaches would be happy because a national champion would actually be crowned on the field. The fans would be happy for the same reason. They themselves and the suits that run the NCAA would be happy because they could make as much money as they do now, if not more. It’s a win-win for everybody.

7) Along the lines of Christmas again. We have a King here in Cleveland. You may have heard of him, his name is LeBron James. King LeBron is such a great person and such a great giving person (check his career assist stats in the NBA) that he wouldn’t dare ask you for anything, since it seems like he already has everything. Everything but a point guard on his basketball team. Could you please check in Sacramento (Mike Bibby), in Charlotte (Brevan Knight) or anywhere else and see if you could drop one off at The “Q” sometime real soon. A guy by the name of Eric Snow will gladly give him his locker.

A Magic 8 Ball to help Browns GM Phil Savage on draft day 2007. That toy is never wrong. You can shake it and toss it and it always answers your question. Heck, it can’t do any worse than the Browns have done in selecting draft picks in the first 8 years.

9) I almost forgot what I wanted. Remember that naughty thing I mentioned earlier with that waitress? How about this time you bring me the real Anna Kournakova so we can play a little one-on-one?

10) And in closing, a closer for the Cleveland Indians who isn’t over 40 years old, or coming off some kind of arm, or shoulder, or elbow injury.

That’s what my friends and I would like for Christmas this year. It’s only 10 things, but if you could grant all of those Christmas wishes you would be making a lot of people very, very happy.

As we say on the golf course Santa…”You Da Man!”

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Q: Is Troy Smith the greatest quarterback ever at Ohio State?

A: Absolutely, 100% YES. Heisman Trophy winner, 25-2 as a starter, 3-0 vs Michigan and after January 8th, 2007, a National Championship!

Q: Should the Browns draft Troy Smith if he is available with their pick in the 1st round in 07?

A: Yes and No. Yes… if they go out and address the offensive line through the draft and free agency. No…if they expect him to come in and be the savior behind this crappy O-line. The Glenville and Ohio St. grad deserves better than that.

Q: Were those tears in Jim Tressel’s eyes as Troy Smith was accepting the Heisman?

A: Yes…so for those of you who thought he doesn’t show any emotion, he is human! Beneath the sweater vest and that cool and calm demeanor on the sideline, is a man who cares about his players as human beings more than as just quarterbacks and linebackers.

Q: Does Derrick Anderson deserve another chance to start for the Browns?

A: Without a doubt. You already know what you have in Charlie Frye from his 17 starts. Anderson has only started one game and played a total of 6 quarters. At 4-9 with 3 games left, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing him more and finding out if he can be your starter, a back-up or doesn’t belong in the NFL.

Q: What’s it say about 3rd pick, wide receiver Travis Wilson if he can’t play ahead of Dennis Northcutt, who dropped 3 more balls against Pittsburgh?

A: He must really suck or is not smart enough to pick up the offense.

Q: Is Romeo Crennel the answer at head coach?

A: My gut tells me no. My head tells me no. But my heart tells me… maybe. Not a resounding vote of confidence for Romeo like he got from Phil Savage. Sorry, that’s the best I can do right now.

Q: Does Larry Hughes really make that much of a difference for the Cavs?

A: Yes and it counts! Cleveland is 7-2 with Hughes in the lineup and 5-5 without him.

Q: Can Greg Oden lead Ohio State basketball like Troy Smith has in football?

A: Most definitely! I watched him in person this weekend and, granted it was Cleveland St. that the Buckeyes beat 78-57, but he is a man playing amongst boys. If Oden stays healthy the rest of the season, Buckeye Nation could be celebrating two National Championships this year.

Q: How much have the Indians helped themselves so far this off season?

A: They’re much better defensively at 2nd base with the trade for Josh Barfield. As far as the bullpen goes. Even if the guys they signed are 100 years old or not 100% healthy, they can’t do any worse than last year’s pen did. Can they? As for David Dellucci in left field? I felt that money could have been spent on more bullpen help or in a trade to bring somebody here, by picking up the remaining years on their contract.

Q: Are the Buckeyes going to beat the Gators?

A: Yes and yes! December 23rd in basketball at Florida, 82-78. January 8th in football for the National Championship, 34-24!

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

BCS Surprise?

It was no surprise to me that the Ohio State Buckeyes will play the Florida Gators for the National Championship on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona. As a Harris Poll voter for the last two seasons, I’ve watched more college football than I ever have in the past and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I took my job seriously as a voter and tried to provide myself with as much information as humanly possible to help me make my decisions each week, including purchasing the college football package from DirecTV. Also attending the Ohio State-Michigan game in person gave me a better feel for those two teams and seeing Florida play at least five times on TV helped me in accessing their squad.

For me, when it was all said and done I voted this way in the final Harris Poll:
1) Ohio State 2) Florida and 3) Michigan and here’s why. Since there is no playoff system in college football (that’s a topic for another day), you have to take what you’ve watched, what you’ve read and what you’ve heard and put all that together in determining your choice. Having seen OSU and Michigan up close, to me the final score of that game (42-39) made the game seem more close than it was. Ohio State controlled the contest throughout, even though they turned the ball over three times and led by 11 late in the 4th quarter. Then the Buckeyes went into a somewhat prevent defense which allowed Michigan to score their final touchdown to make it a three point game. So to me Ohio State was more impressive than the final score indicated and the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title and Michiagn didn’t.

Florida, like Michigan, ended the season with one loss, but played in the toughest conference in the country and ended up winning their conference, the SEC. Also add in that the Gators beat nine bowl teams against the Wolverines’ six. Florida finished 3-1 versus ranked teams, while Michigan went 1-1. And throw in my gut feeling and what my brain was telling me after watching over parts of more than a hundred games this year and that’s why I voted the way I did. Florida’s total body of work over the entire season was more impressive to me than Michigan’s. One other note in case your interested, prior to this past weekend’s games I had Ohio St. #1, USC #2, Florida #3 and Michigan #4. So for me Florida didn’t have to leapfrog Michigan, they were already ahead of them in my voting, and when USC lost and Florida won that sealed the deal for me.

An Early Christmas Present For Browns Fans

While I wasn’t surprised that the Gators ended up being the Buckeyes opponent, I was surprised that the Browns rallied for an exciting 31-28 victory over the Chiefs. I thought for sure the Browns were on their way to loss #9 when they trailed Kansas City 28-14 in the 4th quarter on Sunday. With everything that transpired this past week it looked like more doom and gloom for the fans of Cleveland and then out of nowhere the Browns failed to die and came back for a much needed victory. Give credit to Romeo Crennel, his entire staff and most importantly the players for showing the guts and courage that this town has been looking for in a football team for a long time. Derek Anderson stepped in for the injured Charlie Frye and got the job done, along with the rest of his teamates on offense, defense and special teams. It was a total team victory. The big question now is, was it a one time thing, or can they actually build off of it to help turn this season around? The Browns haven’t won back-to-back games since 2003 and the opportunity presents itself this week, on Thursday night, in Pittsburgh to accomplish that feat. By Friday morning we’ll know if they’ve really made progress, or if it was just one lucky afternoon on the Lakefront.

Dolan’s Discounts are at it again

Go get your Indians playoff tickets now. Don’t wait, or you’ll get shut out. Are you kidding me with the moves the Tribe has made so far this off-season. David Delucci in left field? Forty-two year old relief pitcher Roberto Hernandez? Left-handed reliever Aaron Fultz? And maybe Joe Borowski, who flunked a physical for Philadelphia last week as the possible closer?

What a joke. The trade for 2nd baseman Josh Barfield has some promise, but these other moves are insulting to the fans of Cleveland who want and will support a winning baseballteam (455 straight sellouts-a major league record).

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

When you look at the 3-8 Browns of 2006, there are so many things that are wrong, that you don’t know where to begin. But let’s try and see if there’s one major problem or a ton of little problems.

A second year head coach in Romeo Crennel who has a combined record of 9 & 18 and is losing this team game by game, minute by minute. Those Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach only go so far in the respect category.

An owner in Randy Lerner who may be more concerned with his football (that really means soccer) team in England, than his football (that really means football, all though you’d never guess it by watching them) team in Cleveland.

A wide receiver in Braylon Edwards who’s dropped as many balls as he has one liners. Calling out coaches, teammates and opposing teams in the media. If he grabbed the passes thrown his way like he grabbed Charlie Frye Sunday on the sidelines, he’d be a Pro Bowl candidate.

An offensive line that acts like turnstiles, allowing opposing defenses to get to Charlie Frye faster than Browns fans can get into their seats at the stadium.

A quarterback in Charlie Frye who created more turnovers than Martha Stewart and the Pilsbury Doughboy combined.

No real veteran backup quarterback to tutor Charlie Frye through these tough times.

An offense, who now with it’s second offensive coordinator, hasn’t scored a touchdown in six quarters and was shut out today by the NFL’s 32nd, that’s right, the last ranked defense in the entire league.

A general manager in Phil Savage who needs to be held accountable for his talent evaluation so far in the draft, free agency and in trades. It now makes you wonder if indeed it was Ozzie Newsome who was the brains behind the Baltimore Ravens. By the way, Baltimore is now 9-2 and running away with the AFC North.

The Fans. For continually showing up and selling out the stadium even when you know the product sucks!

I could go on and on about the secondary, the running backs, strength and conditioning. But I think we’ve figured out at least one thing here. That it’s not just one major problem. It’s a bunch of major problems that the Browns need to correct just to be considered a respectable team. Because right now with all the chaos and confusion going on, they’re considered a laughing stock in the NFL.

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Thoughts on an unforgettable football weekend in Ohio:

42-39…I was confident that the Buckeyes would win, but not in a fastbreak, trackmeet, shootout! But I’m not complaining. The only ones who are hail from Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a joy to watch in person. The atmosphere was unbelievable at “The Shoe.” Talk about living up to the hype and then some. WOW!

About those complainers from up north wanting a rematch, especially running back Mike Hart. You’re ragging on Ohio State’s defense? Look in the mirror, Mr. Hart. Your defense gave up over 500 total yards and six times the amount of rushing yards you had been averaging and you only recorded one sack. Shut up and take it like a man. They say a player and the team takes on the personality of the coach. I guess that’s definitely true here!

Michigan came in giving up only 1.6 yards per carry in the first 11 games of the season and 29 yards on the ground per game. The Buckeyes rushed for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns on 29 carries. That’s an average of 6.4 yards per carry. Mike Hart, are you paying attention? How about giving some credit to the Buckeyes’ offensive line and running backs Antonio Pittman (139 yards) and Chris Wells (56 yards).

With Troy Smith throwing for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns and running for 17 more yards against Michigan, he raised his career totals in 3 starts against the Wolverines to 1056 yards of total offense with 9 touchdowns. And he did so while posting a 3-0 record as a starter! Nobody loves hunting and killing wolverines better than Troy.

With those numbers against that team from up north, a record of 25-2 as a starter, a Heisman Trophy coming his way on December 9th, playing for a National Title, and with a win on January 8th, 2007, Troy Smith has the chance to cement himself as the greatest quarterback to ever play at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY! He may have done so even before playing in the championship game. Not bad for a kid who was one of the final recruits in that class of 2002!

Eight different receivers caught balls from Troy Smith, while six different players scored touchdowns against Michigan. Talk about balance and depth. Nobody else in the country can match that.

Name me a better BIG GAME coach or, for that matter, a better every day coach than Jim Tressel. You can’t. He’s simply the best in college football right now. He’s now 5-1 versus Michigan and 4-1 in bowl games with a 3-0 mark in BCS bowl games. His overall career record at Ohio State is now 62-13, good for a .827 winning percentage. The man in the sweater vest has led the Buckeyes to 4 BCS Bowl games, 3 Big Ten Titles, 2 National Championship appearences and 1 National Championship and possibly a 2nd National Title to be decided on January 8th, 2007. Counting his time at Youngstown State, Jim Tressel is making his 8th appearance in a National Title game. He won 4 championships in 6 tries at YSU and is going for his 2nd in 2 tries at OSU.

Rematch, Part 2…If Ohio State has to play Michigan again, then so be it. If that’s what the pollsters and the computers say, then let’s get it on again! The Buckeyes are the best team in the country and can beat anybody, anywhere, especially in their home away from home in Arizona. Would I like to see USC or Florida as the Buckeyes’ opponent? Yes. That way they’ll have beaten the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns, the best the Big 12 has to offer, their arch-rival Michigan for the 5th time in the last 6 years, and the best that either the PAC 10 has to offer or the winner of the highly praised SEC conference.

Any way you look at it, the Buckeyes have the chance to do something that no other team, to my knowledge, has done, and that’s beat three #2 ranked teams in one season. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Lee Corso and Skip Clue-Less!

Hats off to all the policemen at the game on Saturday. I was on the field for the final five minutes of the game and they handled things as well as you possibly could. I asked one officer what the game plan was once the final gun had sounded and the Buckeyes and all of their fans wanted to celebrate. He told me we’re here to protect the goalposts and make sure nobody gets hurts. He said you’re not going to stop them from running on the field, so we’ll let them and just make sure nobody gets close to the goal posts. Well done. To my knowledge it went well and nobody was seriously hurt. Which is amazing since they had a record crowd of 105,708.

Also a tip of the cap to the fans. While it was a little crazy down on the field, the fans controlled themselves, especially around the players and The Best Damn Band In The Land. I thought to myself, how awesome is it, that not one fan ran into a band member as they were playing Carmen Ohio after arguably the greatest regular season victory in school history. Now that’s respect!

On to the other game over the weekend. We go from the Game of the Century to the Battle for the Basement. Bad teams find a way to lose and that’s exactly what the Browns did in their rivalry matchup with the Steelers…24-20. Cleveland led by 10 points on three different occasions, including a 20-10 cushion with 4:30 minutes to play and still blew it. Pittsburgh scored 21 fourth quarter points to make it 6 straight wins over the Browns and 12 wins in the last 13 meetings. The Browns may have gained some respect, but the Steelers, even in an off year, posted the victory.

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Well it’s finally here. They both did what everyone was hoping they’d do by running the table.

Go undefeated to set up arguably the greatest game in the history of the greatest rivalry in college football. Ohio State (11-0), ranked #1 in all the polls, versus 11-0 Michigan, ranked #2 in all the polls. Playing for an outright Big Ten championship and for the right to play in Glendale, Arizona on January 8th, 2007 for the BCS National Championship! And it’s at “The Shoe” in Columbus, Ohio………..WOW!

I don’t know about you but it doesn’t get much better than this. Well unless of course it’s a close game and one team wins by one point on a last second field goal and the Buckeyes and Wolverines end up #1 & #2 in the BCS Standings and they’d play again on January 8th!

That would be NIRVANA! Beating Michigan twice in the same year, once for the Big Ten title and then again for the national title. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Lets just enjoy this week. It’s OHIO STATE/MICHIGAN Week!

Please send me every Michigan joke you have. Remind me time and time again that
Jim Tressel is 4-1 versus the Wolverines. Play Hang On Sloopy over and over in the car, at home, at the office or wherever. Tell the story of why Woody Hayes went for 2 points near the end of an Ohio State blowout of Michigan, because as Woody would say, “I couldn’t go for 3″! Remember that Troy Smith has accounted for over 700 yards of total offense with 5 touchdowns and no turnovers in 2 games against that team from up north. Oh yeah, he’s also 2-0 against Michigan. Remind me that Lloyd Carr is still the coach at Michigan.
Dot every “i” you write this week in scarlet ink. Get your “Muck Fichigan” and ” Ann Arbor is a Whore” T-shirts out and wear them proudly this week. Go grab your cd of “TBDBITL” and crank it in your car stereo and roll down the windows so everyone can hear it and wave at you. Just walk around wherever you are and yell out “OH” and wait for the “IO” in return.

Enjoy it, cherish it, be a part of it, in anyway you can, because it may never happen again.

It’s “F-ING” Ohio State/Michigan Week for all the marbles baby.

Let the fun begin! OH…….IO……OH……IO…….OH….IO!

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Cavs

What a great win for LeBron and the gang at San Antonio on Friday night, ending a 16-game losing streak in the Alamo city. James was fabulous, finishing with 35 points and 10 rebounds and one spectacular, high flying jam over Tim Duncan in the first quarter. That is how you posterize someone. If Nike or the Cavaliers don’t do something with that dunk in the very near future, they’re both stupid. It was legendary, just like Dr. J’s windmill over Michael Cooper or M.J.’s baseline throwdown over Patrick Ewing.

But as great as the win was at San Antonio, the loss at Charlotte was just as horrible. If the Cavs expect to be considered with the elite teams in this league, they can’t lose games like they did Saturday night against the Bobcats, 92-88. It was a back-to-back for both teams and the Cavs jumped out early with a big lead and thought they could just coast to a victory. You have to put teams like that away to be considered one of the best. And I was a little surprised that LeBron didn’t take over a game like that. Are you kidding me, three field goal attempts in the 4th quarter? Michael Jordan would never have let the Bulls lose a game like that. LeBron needed to be more of a leader and take charge in that game. Let’s hope he and the Cavs learn something from that loss.

Browns

Cleveland played a better game than I thought they would in the 32-25 loss at San Diego. I thought for sure they would get blown out. In the end, had they been able to score a touchdown or two instead of kicking 6 field goals, they actually might have been able to pull off the upset. Instead they’re where a lot of us thought they would be at this point with a record of 2-6. But they did manage to score 25 points, and that makes two games in a row they have scored at least 20 points under new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson. So some progress is being made.

Charlie Frye is still a huge question mark for me. It’s tough to judge his performance because of the horrendous offensive line he’s playing behind. There are times where I say to myself, “that was a heck of a play and if he only had more time, he could be a very good QB in this league.” Then there are times when I’m thinking out loud, “What the hell was he trying to do there? Throw the damn ball away or don’t force it!” The announcers made some good points yesterday based on what San Diego players had told them, Frye does have a case of Kelly Holcomb-iduss. He locks onto his receivers from the get go and allows the defensive backs to break quicker on the ball to break up the pass or pick it off. Frye was lucky he had only one interception on Sunday as the Chargers dropped at least three of his passes.

Kamerion Wimbley is the best #1 draft pick the Browns have made since they returned in 1999. Learning a new position and doing so at the NFL level in your rookie season and registering 4 sacks already and numerous other pressures and tackles for losses makes him a future stud in my eyes.

Ohio State

They won on the road at Illlinois, but by a lot closer score then most of us predicted, 17-10. It almost looked like after they jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead Jim Tressel went into the prevent offense. He just wanted to run the ball, chew up clock and count on his defense to pitch another shutout. It almost backfired. Did they use any 5 wide receiver sets at all? Nobody can stop that. When you up by 17, put your foot on their throat and don’t let them breath. Go for the jugular and put them out of their misery. Don’t let them hang around and think they still have a shot. But as they say, a win is a win and the Buckeyes are still undefeated and ranked #1 in all the polls. But they’re going to have to play better next week at Northwestern to make sure they’re 11-0 going into the November 18th game against Michigan in Columbus.

Did Troy Smith hurt his Heisman chances with a 13-23 day for 108 yards, 1 interception and no touchdowns? A little, but even with Brady Quinn putting up huge numbers at Notre Dame against high school teams, it’s still Smith’s award to win. Play well next week at Northwestern and then put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season against Michigan, and the hardware is his!

Surprised or not that the Ohio State offense struggled without Alex Boone in the lineup? The starting left tackle sat out the game at Illinois on Saturday due to a knee injury and procedure. He protects the blind side for Smith and often opens up huge holes for Antonio Pittman on the left side. Without the 6′8″, 325 pound sophomore on the field Saturday, Smith was sacked 3 times and Pittman ran for only 58 yards on 32 carries. Here’s hoping Boone is 100 percent for the Michigan game in 2 weeks!

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Yes, the Browns were victorious on Sunday, 20-13 over the Jets, but was it really because of the offense and the way they executed the play calls of new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson? Lets dive into the numbers and facts and you tell me if you agree with what Kellen Winslow Jr. told me: “J.D. is an awesome coach, he did an awesome job!”

- The Browns scored 20 points, which is 5.3 points more than their 2006 season average.

- The Browns gained 267 total yards. That’s 22 more than their season average.

- The Browns rushed for 147 yards against a Jets defense that, on average, gives up 142 yards per game (NFL rank 28th). But the 147 yards by the Browns is 79 more yards than their season average.

- The Browns threw for a net of 120 yards, or 57 less yards than they have been averaging.

- Charlie Frye was 15 of 22 for 141 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception for a quarterback rating of 81.8. Charlie’s seasonal QB rating coming into the game was 68.8.

- Rueben Droughns carried the ball 33 times for 125 yards and one score.

- Kellen Winslow Jr. caught 7 passes for 76 yards and 1 touchdown.

- The Browns were 7 of 17 in 3rd down conversions, while last week they were 1 for 11.

- The Browns won the time of possession battle, keeping the ball for a total of 35 minutes and 11 seconds.

- The Browns had a 20-3 lead, but had to hang on for the win and did so, despite going three and out on offense in their final three series (which gained a total of 1 yard) and with getting a favorable call at the end of the game that kept the Jets from forcing overtime.

So when it’s all said and done, and yes the Browns did win their second game of the year, did Cleveland’s offense really perform that much better than it did in the previous 6 games with Maurice Carthon calling the plays? I’m looking forward to your thoughts!

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Q: The Browns are 1 of only 6 teams in the NFL with just 1 win. Who else is in this distinctive fraternity? Oakland, Tennessee, Miami, Detroit and Arizona. So of these 6 teams, who do you think will end up with the worst record and the first overall pick in the draft?

A: Oakland, because the Browns beat them this year and thus lose the tie breaker.

Q: Who or what is worse when you think of the Browns? The offensive line or offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon? I know that one really makes you think doesn’t it!?

A: As much as I want to fire Carthon, I have to admit the O-line is worse.

Q: Right now, do you think Randy Lerner cares more about his football team or his soccer team?

A: His soccer team, they’re scoring more than the Browns!

Q: Is Charlie Frye the quarterback of the future for the Browns?

A: The more I see of him, the more I doubt it.

Q: How would you rate the job that Browns GM Phil Savage has done so far?

A: Overall – “C-”…drafts – “C+”….free agents – “D”

Q: How would you rate the job that Browns head coach Romeo Crennel has done so far?

A: “C”…6 wins last year, not bad. But he better turn it around quickly this year or that grade becomes a solid “D”.

Q: Who is the Browns best player?

A: That’s an easy one. Punter Dave Zastudil

Q: Why do fans continue to pay big dollars to go down to the stadium and watch the Browns lose week after week?

A: This one I can honestly say I have no answer for. Please help me out and tell me why you all keep wasting your hard earned dollars on a team that has gone 18-41 at home since returning to the NFL in 1999. And their overall record now, counting this year’s 1-5 start, is 37-81. Why do you continue to pay for such punishment?

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Memo to Dolan: Look at Leyland

While the Indians continue to believe (why I have no idea) that Eric Wedge is the right guy for their team, the Tigers went out and hired a proven manager this off-season in Jim Leyland, and I think it’s safe to say that a manager can make a difference. Leyland has taken a Tigers team that lost 91 games a year ago to the World Series in one season. In the previous three years “BL” (before Leyland), Detroit posted a combined 186-300 record, for a winning percentage of (.383). In one year “WL” (with Leyland) calling the shots, the Tigers went 95-67, for a winning percentage of (.586). Now try and tell me a manager or a coach can’t make a difference with professional athletes!

Leyland has now taken three different teams (Pirates, Marlins & Tigers) to the League Championship Series and two of those teams (Marlins & Tigers) have moved on to the World Series. Of course, we all know how the Marlins did in 1997 and who they beat.

We’ll see if Leyland and the “Cats” can get it done this year. If they do, and I hope Tribe owner Larry Dolan is paying attention, it’ll be the second straight year that a team not named the Indians has won the World Series coming out of the American League’s Central Division!

Buckeyes #1 in BCS

A good weekend for Northeast Ohio football fans. The Ohio State Buckeyes went into
East Lansing, Michigan and kicked the crap out of Michigan State 38-7 and the
Cleveland Browns didn’t lose. What a perfect weekend!

Speaking of the Buckeyes. The first BCS Poll is out and Ohio State is ranked #1 in the standings. USC is 2nd, while Michigan is 3rd. Should both the Buckeyes and Wolverines run the table and have identical (11-0) records, then the winner of that game on November 18th down in Columbus would mean a trip to Glendale, Arizona to play for the National Championship.

By the way, if you’re wondering, has it ever happened before that the Buckeyes and Wolverines have played a game where they were ranked #1 and #2 in the nation? The answer is no. While the Wolverines are 3rd in the BCS poll this week, they are ranked #2 in the AP Poll. The last time these two teams met as undefeateds was back in 1973 in Ann Arbor. The last time they met with perfect records in Columbus was back in 1970. In 1973 the two teams tied 10-10, while in 1970 the Buckeyes won 20-9.

Peterson lands on collarbone, season done

Hopefully all pro, college and high school football players learned a lesson this weekend thanks to Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma. Peterson broke his collarbone at the end of a 53-yard touchdown run. No, he wasn’t blindsided at the goaline. Nobody dragged him down from behind to force him to land awkwardly. He broke his collarbone because he decided to dive into the endzone unnecessarily so he would look good and make all the highlight shows that day. Now his season is probably over, unless he can recover and play in a bowl game. And instead of maybe making history, his chance to win the Heisman Trophy is definitely history. The lesson is learned here, hopefully. If you’re going in for the touchdown, and it is not necessary to dive…DON”T! Act like you’ve been there before.

Miami/FIU brawl

And last but not least. The brawl that happened in the Miami and Florida International game was a disgrace to college football. Players using helmets as weapons, another injured player who wasn’t even dressed for the game swinging his crutch at players and players kicking and stomping on defenseless players laying on the ground. While 31 players were suspended, it sounds like they will be out for only one game. If that’s the penalty issued by the teams and conferences involved, it’s a joke. The NCAA, who doesn’t want a playoff system in part because they are worried about the health of their student athletes, needs to step in and send a message here if they really are concerned about their student athletes’ health. Suspend all the players involved for the rest of the season and let it be known throughout college football that this type of behavior will not be tolerated at any level. Anything short of that tells me the NCAA is full of it!