As sports weekends go in Cleveland, this was a pretty good one.  The Tribe took the first two games of a four game series against the hated Yankees, before losing yesterday’s pitching duel 1-0.  The Cavaliers are now one step away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals after a huge road victory yesterday, 100-97, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best of seven series against the Washington Wizards. 

 

Cavaliers.  First, let’s discuss the wine and gold.  They had their three point shooting shoes on, hitting 13 of 28 tries from behind the arc yesterday afternoon.  The biggest shot was obviously Delonte West’s triple from the corner with 5.5 seconds left to provide the margin of victory.  As with every Cavs’ win, there have to be supporting stars along with LeBron James to win, and West’s 21 points, and Daniel Gibson’s four three pointers were keys to the win.  And don’t forget Ben Wallace’s 12 rebounds as well.  It might have been his best performance in the Cleveland uniform.

 

Mike Brown played the hot hand as well.  With Big Ben playing well, Anderson Varajao played just 13 minutes.  Devin Brown didn’t get as much time as usual because West and Gibson were doing the job.  And Wally Szczerbiak saw just 16 minutes of action as well.  Don’t forget LeBron’s effort either.  He scored 34 points, grabbed 12 boards, and dished out 7 assists.  He also made the correct basketball play at the end of the game.  He drove, made the defense commit, and then hit the open man, who hit the game winning shot.  The Cavaliers are now just one win away from eliminating Washington in the first round for the third straight year.

 

By the way, the so-called rivalry between LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson is akin to the one between The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.

 

Indians.  The Indians rebounded from their pitiful offensive performance against Minnesota last weekend by ripping off five straight wins before yesterday’s 1-0 loss.  The starting pitching was solid all week, even getting a good outing from Jeremy Sowers, who gave the team five strong innings against the Yankees.  Aaron Laffey gets a call up to face the Yankees tonight, as the Tribe’s pitching depth has come into play early in the season. 

 

Cliff Lee continues to be the surprise of the season, not just for the Indians, but also in all of Major League Baseball.  According to Baseball Prospectus.com, no one in the last fifty years has put together three straight starts of eight innings or more allowed less than three hits, walking less than two, and striking out eight or more.  A truly historic pitching performance.  The bullpen has also started to gel since Eric Wedge and Carl Willis decided to use guys that throw strikes, particularly Masa Kobayashi.

 

One concern does have to be Fausto Carmona, who has a 2:1 walk to strikeout ratio.  That would be great if the greater number was strikeouts, not walks.  Also, it is interesting to note that there is nothing wrong with C.C. Sabathia’s arm.  He also reportedly told Fox’s Tim McCarver that if the money is close, he would stay with the Indians after this season.

 

Here’s looking forward to a week where the Tribe keeps it going, and the Cavs wrap up the Wizards.  Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the Browns’ draft either.

 

JK/MW

 

Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers treated fans to basketball at the highest level.  They shot the ball well, handled the ball exceptionally, played excellent defense, and rebounded very well in a 30 point win.  Last night was the total opposite of that game.  The wine and gold hit the road, and as it has been for the last two months, the result was dismal, as the Cavs got waxed by the Wizards 108-72 in Game 3 of the best of seven series.  Cleveland still leads the series, 2-1.

 

The combination of shooting less than 40% from the floor, including going 2 for 16 from behind the three point line, and having more turnovers (23) than assists (17), will generally lead to a blowout loss.  And if you include the fact that the Cleveland defense repeatedly allowed Washington players to make foray into the paint, you have the makings of a very, very ugly game.  Game 3 will give Mike Brown a lot of videotape to use to make corrections.  Use this one as a learning experience; it’s what happens when one teams plays very well and the other plays poorly.

 

What is disturbing is the team’s play on the road over the last eight weeks.  Any team that can’t win on the road in the playoffs is in for a short stay in the post-season.  And if the wine and gold can’t win away from the friendly confines of Quicken Loans Arena, this series is going to go seven games, that is, if the Cavs can continue their home success.  You can also forget about advancing past the first round in 2008, because Cleveland will not have home court advantage after this series.

 

The backcourt of the Cavaliers could not contend with the pressure put on by Antonio Daniels and DeShawn Stevenson.  That caused turnovers, which resulted in easy baskets for the Wizards.  Delonte West and Daniel Gibson simply have to do a better job getting into an offensive set (if, of course, the Cavs have one), or this is the time that LeBron James should handle the ball on top, so he can see over the top of the double team.  The King can start the offense, and once he gets the ball to the wing, he can cut to the basket.

 

The other thing that stood out about the game was the reaction of Washington’s players in the second half.  They behaved as if they were ahead in the series and were heading to a commanding 3-0 lead.  Caron Butler is an all-star, but he showed a lack of class.  And someone should tell Stevenson that he is an average player in the league, so basically he should be seen, and not heard.  Also, the “overrated’ chant in the fourth quarter by the Verizon Center fans, will no doubt give extra motivation to #23.  Doesn’t anybody there know the Wizards are 3-10 in the playoffs against Cleveland the last three years?

 

Regardless of the taunting and idiotic behavior by the Wizards, the Cavaliers have to have a better road performance on Sunday.  A victory would mean they can close out the series in five games, a defeat suggests a seven game series which would leave probable second round opponent, Boston, very rested.  But, the most important thing is getting rid of the road malaise that has been characteristic of the wine and gold for two months.  Title contenders have to win away from home.

 

JK

 

What happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and whom were those guys wearing the wine and gold last night against the Washington Wizards?  A little over a week ago, the blog predicted a first round loss to Washington based on the Cavs play over the past several weeks.  After last night’s 116-86 blowout to give Cleveland a 2-0 series lead, I can’t eat enough crow.  Either the Cavs have put it together, or the Wizards are not a good playoff team.

 

For all of the complaints about Mike Brown regarding his playing rotation, offensive strategy, etc. in the regular season, he is a much better coach in the post-season.  He does a very good job of designing schemes to take away what the opponent likes to do on offense.  This can’t be done in the regular season because you are playing different teams every night, but when you are going to play the same team seven times, this strategy is a key to advancement.

 

The Wizards seem to be more preoccupied with committing hard fouls than playing basketball.  LeBron James is in their heads, and their frustration with not being able to beat the Cavs has never been higher.  Brendan Haywood’s flagrant foul against the King in the third quarter was thuggery.  The Wizards can paint it as hard, aggressive basketball, but Haywood made no attempt to play the ball.  It was a cheap shot plain and simple.

 

It is amazing how good any basketball team looks when they make shots.  Yesterday, the wine and gold did just that.  Wally Szczerbiak looked like the guy Danny Ferry traded for, hitting some shots early, and taking it to the hole with a beautiful finger roll at the end of the first half.  Daniel Gibson looked like the Boobie who lit it up against Detroit, and overall the team shot 52%.  Any time they shoot that well; it will likely mean a victory for Cleveland.

 

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, the Cavs held the Washington big three of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison to 10 for 36 shooting.  There were no mysteries to the defensive effort.  The Cavs had just six blocks and six steals.  They just played hard-nosed, solid defense.  That wins in the playoffs.  And everyone contributed to the effort.

 

Thursday night, we will see if this re-energized Cavalier team is for real when they hit the road in the playoffs for the first time this season.  The wine and gold did not play well away from The Q since the big trade was made.  However, the way they approached both Game 1 and Game 2 gives us hope.  Washington now needs to win four out of five to win the series.  Based on the way the first two games were played, that doesn’t seem possible.  Remember though, since they reshuffled their roster, consistency and the Cavs have not gone hand in hand.

 

JK

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers rode LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to claim a 93-86 victory in Game 1 of their best of seven series on Saturday afternoon.  And they also mixed in the great defense down the stretch that Coach Mike Brown loves.  With the score tied with a little over two minutes to go, the wine and gold clamped down and stopped the Wizards’ offense.  The King made two key hoops off of set plays (see the offense can be better off when it ends with James) with Daniel Gibson running the point, and the Cavs claimed Game 1.

 

As is usual in a seven game series, the second game will not be easy.  Remember, two years ago, with Washington healthy, the Wizards defeated the Cavs in a game two at Quicken Loans Arena to square the series at 1-1.  The Cavs will be in for a fight, and Washington has already showed they are going to be physical with LeBron when he goes into the paint.  Having scored the two key baskets of the game in the paint will only toughen the resolve of the Wizards.

 

No one wants to see an NBA game develop into a mixed martial arts event, but the wine and gold cannot let their star continue to be hit time and again without retaliation.  Someone on the Cavs must step up and deliver a hard foul when one of Washington’s big three of Gilbert Arena, Antawn Jamison, or Caron Butler make a foray into the paint.  This might be a little more difficult since the Wizards didn’t really attack the basket with drives.  Most of the points by this trio came from the perimeter. 

 

When the small fracas at the end of the first half occurred, it was Zydrunas Ilgauskas who came to James’ assistance.  The big man instinctually got LeBron out of the fray and challenge Brandon Haywood, who committed the foul, and Jamison, who was running his mouth.  After last season’s playoffs at Saturday’s first game, it must be said that anyone who doesn’t understand Ilgauskas’ importance to this team simply doesn’t have a clue about the sport.

 

The coach did make one key mistake in the fourth quarter.  When the Wizards made a little run to tie the game up, Brown left himself without an inside scoring option.  He had both Ben Wallace and Anderson Varajao on the floor at the same time, which allowed Eddie Jordan to double and even triple team James when he received the ball.  The coaching staff has to be mindful not to have these two on the floor together.  Also, Varajao has to be reminded that sometimes players are open for a reason.  When he tries to create something on offense, it’s not a good thing.

 

The key for the Cavaliers in the playoffs is they have to have a second banana to LeBron James.  It doesn’t have to be the same guy, one night it can be Ilgauskas, the next night it can be Boobie Gibson or Delonte West.   There has to be someone else who can put the ball in the basket.  It’s the same formula that worked last season.  Of course, it has to be in tandem with playing solid defense, especially with the weapons the Wizards possess.  It’s going to be a tough one tonight, and it’s very important because of the struggles the wine and gold have had on the road lately.  They can’t afford a loss at home this year.

 

JK

 

 

 

 

Last night, it all came together for the Cleveland Indians.  They actually hit the ball, got good starting pitching from Fausto Carmona, and for the most part, the bullpen did its job in a 11-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.  The offense had their extra base hit bats going, collecting three doubles, a triple, and two home runs in the win.  This is something that has sorely been missing after the first two games of the campaign.  Grady Sizemore got his first double of the year last night, in game 16.  That’s amazing, considering he belted more than 50 doubles just two years ago.

 

The offensive problems thus far have been documented here, but the relief pitching for the Indians has also been a disappointment.  And it extends beyond the closer spot.  Joe Borowski blew two ninth inning save opportunities, but the troubles in the bullpen go beyond him.  This was a strength of last year’s team, and even though GM Mark Shapiro did bolster this area in the off-season, so far, it has been an area of concern.  The most effective guy out there thus far has been lefty Craig Breslow, picked up on waivers from the Boston Red Sox at the end of spring training.  That’s really a problem.

 

Outside of the aforementioned lefty, every member of the Tribe bullpen has allowed more hits than innings pitched except for Jorge Julio, who has allowed 8 hits in 8 innings.  This wouldn’t be alarming for starting pitchers, who really can give up a hit per inning without having damage caused.  However, relievers come into situations with men on base many times.  Giving up a hit in that situation makes for a opposition rally.  And with the way the Indians are scoring runs, that’s the difference between a win and a loss.

 

Another problem for the relief corps has been the amount of walks.  Last year, Cleveland pitchers were very stingy with free passes, but this year has been radically different.  Last night, with a 10-1 lead, Jensen Lewis came in and walked the first two hitters he faced.  That cannot happen.  Lewis has walked six and struck out eight.  Julio has walked five and fanned six.  He came in against Boston with a 2-1 lead, and promptly walked the first two men he faced.  Rafael Betancourt has walked just one with his usual pinpoint control, and Masa Kobayashi also has walked just one.  Look for Eric Wedge to give the Japanese veteran more opportunities with Borowski on the shelf.

 

Nothing can ruin a season like a bad bullpen, so it isn’t too early to start examining roles.  Outside of C.C. Sabathia, the starting pitching has been fairly solid, although it would be nice to see Paul Byrd have another good start or two.  But, it deflates a team to lose games late.  That has happened several times already this season.  Turn two of those games around, and suddenly the Indians are at .500 for the first 16 games.  It might be time to use Breslow and Kobayashi instead of Lewis and Julio.

 

Adjustments must be made and made quickly if the bullpen doesn’t get straightened out.  Otherwise, the Tribe could dig themselves a hole that they won’t be able to get out of.  Mark Shapiro likes to be patient, but it might be a luxury he can’t afford in 2008.

 

KM

 

 

Remember the Cleveland Indians have played only 14 games.  It’s less than 1/10^th of the season.  It’s the equivalent of the first game for the Browns.  We all recall how that turned out, yet our football team wound up with a reasonable shot at the playoffs.  Couple that with the fact that no one has jumped out to a 12-3 start in the AL Central, putting the Tribe six or seven games out just two weeks into the season.  However, the Cleveland Indians need to start winning series.  Starting a seven game homestand at 1-4 is not what Eric Wedge’s guys needed.

 

The offense cannot sustain any type of attack; although it is encouraging that the Tribe is at least starting rallies by getting guys on base.  They just can’t get the clutch hit.  Once you get past Ryan Garko in the 6^th spot in the batting order, opposing pitchers breathe a sigh of relief with the likes of Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, and Casey Blake coming up.  Three guys hitting under .200 doesn’t exactly strike fear in anyone’s hearts.

 

At this point, it’s a punch and judy offense for the Cleveland Indians.  When the Tribe was hitting the ball big time in 2005 and 2006, they were a doubles machine.  This year, they rank 12^th in the AL in doubles.  They rank second to last in the league in slugging percentage as a team.  Only Minnesota, Kansas City, and Oakland have hit fewer home runs so far in 2008.  As mentioned previously, they are getting men on base, ranking 8^th in the league in on base percentage.  However, the extra base hit is missing from the offense, and that means they need three hits to score a run.

 

With the offense struggling, it might be time to time to give some people a day or two off.  Why not give Jamey Carroll, who has shown an ability to get on base, a couple of days at 2B.  Could Andy Marte give you less offensively than Casey Blake is giving the Indians right now?  Or you could play Blake in the outfield in place of Jason Michaels, who is currently hitting under .100.  It also might be time to play for one run, in order to score by making outs, or with two hits.  Without the extra base production, there is a definite need to manufacture runs.

 

As for the batting order, can anyone explain why Jhonny Peralta hits fifth, ahead of Ryan Garko?  Garko is a much better pure hitter than the shortstop who has problems making contact at times.  Spacing out the strikeouts is a key to making up the batting order for the Indians.  It’s not like Peralta adds a dash of speed amidst Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Garko.  Garko is the more consistent hitter, and has the potential to be a better run producer than Peralta.

 

It is still very, very early in the season.  A four game winning streak put the Tribe at 9-9, that’s all it takes.  However, the Cleveland Indians have to figure out a way to score when they are not hitting home runs, or hitting the gaps.  Right now, the Tribe has scored less than five runs in a game nine times, coincidentally the same number of losses they have accumulated.  It’s not time to panic, but it is time to try some different things and/or play some different guys to get this team going.

 

MW

 

 

 

Actually, the only scenario is for LeBron James to put his entire team on his ailing back and carrying the Cavaliers past the Wizards.  It’s sad to say, but it’s the only way the Cavs can win this series.  Right now, this squad looks like they just met yesterday, instead of being together for six weeks.  They have had injuries to key people, but that is just an excuse.  As was written shortly after the deal, the two contributors the Cavs picked up in the deal are Delonte West and Joe Smith. 

 

Ben Wallace does his best defensive work 20 feet away from the basket pressuring point guards.  Friday night’s game against Chicago turned into a dunk fest by Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in the third quarter.  Where was Big Ben?  The reason the Cavs traded for Wallace was for interior defense, but that area of the team has not improved since his arrival.  Wally Szczerbiak seemingly left his jump shot in Seattle, although to be fair, he played well against New Jersey, but logged less than 20 minutes in each of the next two games. 

 

Mike Brown needs to have another sparking playoff coaching performance, or the second guessers will be out in full force.  All of a sudden, Sasha Pavlovic is getting meaningful minutes.  The constant switching of the playing time with less than a week to go before the playoffs start is a worry to those who watch the Cavs, but how do you think the players feel about it.  They have to be shaking their heads.  And that doesn’t count Damon Jones, who can’t seem to figure out that the reason his time gets reduced is because he cannot guard a phone booth.

 

Also, the so-called revamped offense is not working.  The attack has reverted back to LeBron dribbling and trying to penetrate, while everyone else stands around watching.  It doesn’t appear there are any plays being run, nor does anyone have a clue as to how to get the ball to the King attacking the basket.

  

The deal also did not improve the team’s physicality.  When Wallace arrived, fans thought the wine and gold finally got the tough presence is has been lacking since James arrived.  However, no matter how hard you think #23 gets hit on his drives to the hoop, he does take some shots.  Still, there have been no hard fouls in retaliation.  You can’t expect a finesse player like Zydrunas Ilgauskas to give a hard foul, but that is Wallace’s reputation, and another thing he has not delivered on.

 

It would be a miraculous turnaround if the Cavs advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs.  They have shown no inclination that they can beat a quality opponent, nor can they win on the road.  Danny Ferry will have to go back to the drawing board to get the wine and gold back to the NBA Finals in the 2008-09 season.  Because it’s not going to happen this spring.

 

JK

 

The Tribe returns home this evening for a seven game home stand against the Oakland A’s, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers.  A key home stand this early in the year, indeed.  Hopefully, the bats get going, and the burden that has been placed on the starting pitching will be lessened.  The twelve hits gathered by Cleveland hitters in the last game of the Angel series is a good sign.  Perhaps some of the hitters are getting back in the groove.

 

As usual, the fans are starting to develop some whipping boys because of the team’s so-so start, although 4-5 after nine games isn’t bad.  Some of the criticism is merited, much of it is not.  The main target for people is the leftfield platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels, and it is amazing that much of the vitriol is reserved for Dellucci.  Sure, he isn’t batting .300, but he is drawing walks.  His on-base percentage is .474, meaning he is getting on in almost half of his at bats.  More importantly, it means he is not making outs in those plate appearances.

 

Meanwhile, Jason Michaels is hitting .095 and has walked just twice.  Granted, he’s hit in tough luck so far, but the bottom line is he is contributing nothing at the plate.  It has been written on the DiaTribe that it is Michaels who is keeping Ben Francisco and Andy Marte out of the lineup, and I agree.  A left field platoon of Casey Blake and Dellucci with Marte at third couldn’t give the team less production than it is getting now.  The Indians need to find out if Andy Marte can be a contributor at the major league level.

 

There is another reason to give Marte a chance is his defense.  Yes, he made a ton of errors in spring training.  However, he has always been rated as an above average defender at the position.  Blake had a good season with the glove last season, but remember, the Indians signed Aaron Boone a few years ago for a reason.  Blake made over 20 errors at third base in 2004, and he has been an adventure at the hot corner so far in 2008. 

 

Another recurring problem for the offense is the strike out.  Cleveland ranks third in the AL in whiffing this season, behind Boston and Oakland, each of who have played one extra game.  Travis Hafner has struck out 11 times this year, followed by Grady Sizemore with 10.  The only Indians who have walked more than they have fanned are Dellucci and Ryan Garko.  Striking out does not allow a team to drive in runs even when making an out.  The Tribe could have added on during their ninth inning rally against the Angels on Monday, but Sizemore struck out with the bases loaded.  An extra run could have given Joe Borowski a bigger cushion.

 

The Cleveland attack has had problems so far this year, but one of those problems isn’t really David Dellucci.  We would all like him to hit .400 with 35 HR’s this year, but at least for now, he’s been fairly productive.  If you want to complain about Michaels, or the fact that Franklin Gutierrez has one hit since opening day, then fine.  There are other troubles right now than the veteran outfielder.

 

KM

 

 

Travis Hafner’s two out, ninth inning home run spared the Cleveland Indians from clinching a losing road trip, their first sojourn of the season.  The 4-3 victory squared the Tribe’s record at 4-4 on the young season, a pretty good mark considering the offense has been dormant since the second game of the season.  For all of the Indians’ struggles, it could be worse.  The Tigers, who I still think will contend for the division title, have started off 0-7, so the fact that Cleveland sits at .500 isn’t a bad thing.

 

However, there are some things that are cause for concern even though the campaign is very, very young.  Notice, the word used is concern, because there is no time for panic. 

 

Last year, Rafael Betancourt was dominant as the Tribe’s set up man.  He was as automatic as death and taxes.  This year, he has struggled.  In his four games thus far, he has pitched 3-1/3 innings and has allowed nine hits!  Remember, the even though Raffy Right picked up the win on opening day, he had to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out situation to do it.  Saturday afternoon in Oakland, Betancourt gave up four hits in one inning, last year he wouldn’t have given up four hits in a week.  This is just another example of how volatile a bullpen can be.

 

That’s not even mentioning Joe Borowski’s performance on Monday night.  After the game, there was some question about the closer’s velocity, but Eric Wedge and Carl Willis said they know nothing about a possible arm problem for the right-hander.  Borowski had a couple of games like this last year (in April against the Yankees and in May vs. the A’s), but recovered from them.  The problem didn’t seem to be the speed of his pitches, but rather the location.  He couldn’t throw strikes.  He basically walked himself into a problem.  If JoeBo throws strikes, he should be fine.

 

Another concern is the defense.  The Indians kicked the ball all over the field on Monday.  The Angels first run scored on Casey Blake’s error, and earlier Jhonny Peralta booted one.  Kelly Shoppach had a couple of passed balls over the weekend in Oakland.  Friday night, Paul Byrd should have given up one run in the fifth, not three. Yes, the Tribe starting pitching has been great, but the hurlers have to work harder to make up for the fielding behind them.

 

A bright spot, or a continued bright spot is the starting rotation.  When the reigning Cy Young Award winner is pitching the poorest of any of the starters, that’s a good thing.  Cliff Lee’s first start was encouraging, as was both of Jake Westbrook’s outings.  Fausto Carmona has seemingly picked up right where he left off in 2007.  If the bullpen can right itself, the Indians’ pitching will be just fine.

 

All in all, a win today gives the Tribe a .500 road trip, and an above .500 record on the young season.  For all that hasn’t worked out so far, that’s not bad.

 

KM

 

 

It was a disappointing sports weekend in Cleveland.  The Cavaliers are fighting injuries, including one to their franchise player, the Indians’ offense has hit the ground sputtering over the first week of the season, and the city’s sports fans lost a friend with the death of Gib Shanley, most notably the voice of the Browns in the 1960’s and 70’s.

 

Cavaliers.  Toward the end of the third quarter on Saturday afternoon, the wine and gold were leading Orlando 72-64.  The next thing you knew, the Magic was ahead, 84-75, after going on a 20-3 run.  Once again, the Cavs didn’t know how to handle success, something that is becoming more and more prevalent with this squad.  Certainly, it is something to be concerned about with the playoffs just about two weeks away.

 

Now, LeBron James has a bad back, and it is obviously affecting his game.  Ben Wallace missed another dunk, which I believe extends his current streak to three straight games, and Boobie Gibson cannot make an open shot.  This team treats the basketball like it is a wet bar of soap at times, and is trying to make the great pass instead of the basic one.  Since they don’t play until Wednesday and have three days off, perhaps James and Wallace can rest their weary backs, and emerge healthy for the last five games of the campaign.

 

Indians.  After scoring 17 runs in their first two games, the Tribe bats have gone silent, crossing the plate just seven times in the next four games.  The team has yet to get a hit out of its leftfielder, Franklin Gutierrez went 3 for 3 on opening day, and hasn’t had a hit since.  Not only have the Indians hit just four homers, but also they aren’t collecting any other extra base hits either, and they struck out a lot against the A’s. 

 

There is no question it is very early, and every team has a four game stretch were it doesn’t hit during the season.  Just look at the Tigers’ high-powered offense thus far.  Yes, Victor Martinez is important to the lineup, but not that important.  The only Indians who are hitting well thus far are Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko.  That will change, but it was definitely hard to watch the Tribe over the weekend.

 

Gib Shanley.  Another sports voice from my youth is gone.  Gib Shanley was the voice of the Browns for many years, even calling the last Cleveland sports championship in 1964.  The Gibber also did Ohio State football, and some Cavs basketball on television during the early days of the franchise.  He was professional, but also understood that it was sports he was covering, so he added a sense of humor to his broadcasts.

 

That didn’t mean he was afraid to speak his mind.  He was critical of Ted Stepien’s ownership of the Cavaliers, and he is probably most famous for burning an Iranian flag on the air at the end of one of his sportscasts in 1979.  Now, Gib rests along side people like Pete Franklin, Nev Chandler, and Jim Graner as people who’s voices were part of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s who are now gone.  Our deepest sympathies to Gib’s family.

 

MW