Page 72 of 357

WOW, Browns show pride and win

December 3, 2006 / Bob

The Cleveland Browns played with guts, pride and determination as they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime 31-28 on a 33 yard field goal by Phil Dawson. The Browns started fast and ran out to a 7-0 after one quarter. Cleveland proceeded to look shaky, at best, for the next two quarters. The offensive was up and down and Kansas City was scoring on almost every possession.

The fourth quarter started and the unthinkable happened. The Browns, with Charlie Frye out injured, put in third string quarterback Derek Anderson. The offense and defense proceeded to rally and score two unanswered touchdowns to force overtime.

The Browns played as a team and fed off the crowd for the first time in a long time at Cleveland Stadium. Dawson made the field goal and a number of Browns players ran to the Dawg pound as to say �Thanks� to the fans.

Cleveland Browns

A night of lows

December 3, 2006 / John Blake

The Cavaliers still have 65 games left to play in their 2006-07 season but you can already book Saturday night as the worst performance of the entire season. After all, it can’t get any worse could it? I sure hope not. The Cavs’ 81-63 loss to the Rockets pretty much was the worst basketball you could play. LeBron was 7 of 22 from the field for 21 points, the Cavs shot 28 percent as a team, and were mighty close to tying a franchise record for fewest points in a game. Six of 23 from beyond the arc for the Wine and Gold. In a combined 57 minutes, Shannon Brown, Damon Jones, and Sasha Pavlovic together were 0-11 from the field and 0-6 from three for a whopping two points.

“You shoot 28 percent from the field, you don’t have a chance to win,” said James.

We are missing Larry Hughes more than ever as Mike Brown continues to tinker with the lineup and experiment with players in his absence.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Tribe adds bullpen arms

December 2, 2006 / John Blake

Mark Shapiro and the Indians made the first steps in trying to solve last season’s bullpen woes by signing veteran relievers Roberto Hernandez and lefty Aaron Fultz to one year contracts Saturday.

With the Pirates and Mets in ’06, Hernandez went 0-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 68 appearances during the regular season.

“He’s a guy that can handle both good and bad outings,” Shapiro said. “He’s been a consistent performer throughout his career. He has strong character, he’s a professional. If things do get bumpy, he can handle it and provide veteran leadership to the guys on our staff.”

“He’s (Fultz) coming off an ’06 season in Philadelphia, where he went 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 66 appearances, which tied a career-high. He was tough on lefties, holding them to a .212 average.

“He’s a guy that has been consistently effective against left-handers,” Shapiro said. “I’m sure we’ll use him for more than just left-handed hitters, but our ability to get left-handed hitters out has been a problem.”

Although he rising in age, Hernandez should provide quality late inning relief for a Tribe bullpen that was a disaster last season. He has a very solid 3.32 career ERA and has postseason experience if the Indians are to somehow make it to that point next season.

They aren’t superstars, but if they can settle into the proper role, Fultz and Hernandez could prove to be very nice signings for the Tribe.

Cleveland Indians

Browns have more bad news

December 2, 2006 / Bob

The Cleveland Browns offensive line took another blow yesterday. The team announced that Ryan Tucker will miss the remainder of the season with a mental disorder. The organization would not disclose details on the illness, only stating that it�s a common disorder not related to football. The team said they were confident that Tucker would rejoin the Browns next season.

This is another set back for GM Phil Savage, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and the Browns organization. I have watched the Browns this season with total disgust and disbelief at the way they have played and behaved. I will give Savage and Crennel some slack as I�m starting to believe this team really does have a black cloud when it comes to injuries and bad luck.

Cleveland Browns

Cavs, James finish Hawks

December 1, 2006 / Bob

The Cleveland Cavaliers would be undefeated if the NBA only had one half of basketball. The Cavs have found numerous ways to lose in the fourth quarter. Tonight, in Atlanta LeBron James decided to take over the game.

James scored 13 points and had some tremendous blocks to lead Cleveland to a 106-95 victory. This was an important victory for Cleveland. The Cavs need momentum after playing poor basketball over the past week.

Damon Jones continues to be a bright spot for the team. He scored 15 points and made some big shot when the Hawks were making a run. The Cavs will have to continue beating less talented teams if they want to win the Central.