Clevelanders are too soft when it comes to their sports teams.
We should demand more of the owners of our professional teams, instead it seems like we settle for mediocrity. All of our teams play in facilities built with our tax dollars. Is it too much to ask the people running the teams to put a good product on the field or court.
Not every once in a while, all the time.
Sure we understand rebuilding, every team, outside of perhaps the New York Yankees have to go through this from time to time, but it’s been 46 years since a Cleveland team won a major professional championship.
What’s worse, only four times in those 46 years has a team from our city played for a world championship: the ’65 Browns lost to Green Bay, the “95 and ’97 Indians got to the World Series, and the ’07 Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals.
However, it seems like we accept this. There is apathy with regard to the Indians, patience when it comes to the Browns, and hope for the Cavaliers because we believe their owner, Dan Gilbert wants to win as much as we do.
The goal of every team should be a title. Not being competitive, not hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, not a continuous rebuilding project. A championship, nothing less should be what is strived for.
In turn, every move a franchise makes should be done with the express goal of winning the whole thing.
Take Eric Mangini, there is considerable debate as to whether he should stay or remain as the Browns’ head coach. The question should be: Can Eric Mangini get the Cleveland Browns to the Super Bowl? That should be the only thing that matters. He’s been the coach for two years, and it appears both seasons will end with the same record. That’s not progress.
Also, Mangini has been a head coach in the NFL for five seasons and has had losing records in three of them. Had he taken two teams to the Super Bowl in the past, you could give him the benefit of the doubt, but that’s not the case.
The situation at Progressive Field is a mess. The Dolan family has owned the team for ten years and has produced two playoff teams. The first one coming from players acquired and developed during the Jacobs’ ownership.
The Mark Shapiro led front office has produced two good teams since 2001. The ’07 team which got the ALCS, and the ’05 squad which missed the post-season by one game. That’s it. And it’s also not acceptable for fans. The lucky thing for the Indians is they have made themselves insignificant. No one cares any more.
Still, you have some people telling us about “the process”, and the amount of time it takes to build a competitive team. Does anyone remember the Tribe was within one game of the World Series just three seasons ago? It seems to me you had a good team, you decided to dismantle it.
As for the Cavs, the big hope is Gilbert, who at least says the right things about winning. No excuses from him like you hear from Shapiro and Dolan. However, his basketball team has lost 14 of their last 15 games, yet no roster changes have been made. A lack of action is perceived as a lack of caring about winning.
With 2011 on the horizon, this should be our resolution as Cleveland sports fans: Stop accepting losing! We’ve had enough! We need to demand positive results from our professional sports teams. Four opportunities for a title in 46 years isn’t getting it done.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 