Memorable Cleveland Reversals

After LeBron officially registered his 31st double-double on Wednesday night (21st overall in that category, well behind Chris Kaman and Andrew Bogut), it got us thinking about some other memorable about-faces that have unfolded in recent Cleveland sports memory.

Keeping with the theme, CursedCleveland.com would like to take back our patently racist story about the Buckeyes recruiting too many white guys. I'd like to do so many things differently than I originally had with that piece. Like add some insensitive Asian humor, and maybe even go after the Jews. Hindsight is after all, 20/20. That is unless you have alzheimers

.

So here's just a few of Cleveland-related reversals, in honor of LeBron's double-double performance.

BOTTLEGATE - The year was 2001 and Browns fans will forever remember the unforeseen tragedy that culminated with fans lobbing guided missiles in the shape of plastic beer bottles towards the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium. All because the referees overturned a Quincy Morgan catch after a review that arguably should have never been allowed, because a successive play had been run. The hilarious scene that ensued drew the following comments from team President Carmen Policy:

"Those are plastic bottles and I don't think they carry much of a wallop..I don't think this is an example of life and limb being at risk. No one got hurt."

I know what you're thinking: Refs originally thought Quincy Morgan had actually made a key catch in an NFL sanctioned football contest?

RICKY DAVIS' ALMOST TRIPLE DOUBLE - In March of 2003, the Cavs were already in full-scale sabotage mode (Why Jim Paxson didn't get GM of the year for this retroactively, we'll never know). They were playing the Utah Jazz on a night Milt Palacio went off for 20 points and Jumaine Jones exploded for 23. But the headline of the night was "Get Buckets" Davis attempting to get a fraudulent rebound by missing a shot on the wrong basket to complete a triple double. Apparently he didn't realize at the time that you actually miss shots unintentionally, like the King, to get credit for an offensive board. Interesting tidbit, DeShawn Stevenson was having none of it and fouled him. Perhaps that's where his on-going feud with the Cavaliers started.

PHIL SAVAGE FIRED..THEN UNFIRED - In December of 2005, an internal conflict between John Collins and Phil Savage led to reports that circulated on the Browns flagship WTAM 1100 that Savage had been fired after just one year as GM. (They were apparently arguing over which SWAC game Phil would be permitted to scout). Romeo Crennel had allegedly backed Savage in this clash of non-football minds, eventually leading to Collins' forced resignation. It marked the first and last time one of Romeo's schemes actually worked.

Are we missing any others?

Continue Entry»

The Celtics HATE Playing Good Teams

BOSTON - I know, I know, the Celtics just aren't the same team without Brian Scalabrine. That goes without saying. I haven't seen Eddie House's kid running around the sidelines lately either. But losing at home to the Lakers, the same team they dismantled in the Finals last year is simply inexcusable. They even managed to lose a nail biter where Kobe Bryant looked more like Coby Karl in overtime. Just a few observations that may make it difficult for this team of primadonnas to repeat:

1.Doc Rivers is, and always has been, a terrible coach. I love seeing him try to motivate his players during timeouts on ESPN, and watching them staring around the arena thinking to themselves "Is he done yet?" Please note: It has been said that a girl or two from my past has thought that very same thing while in bed with me...well actually "Is he done already?" Back to the Celtics...

2.Kevin Garnett talks more shit than any player in the NBA, and simply can't back it up. It's not intimidating to watch you pound your Ethiopian chest and talk to yourself, and it is also not intimidating in the least to watch you float around the key and shoot jumpers or oversell easy put back dunks. Christ, you're 7 feet tall, go to the basket.

3. Every year at the beginning of the year we hear that Paul Pierce has lost weight, and is in the best shape of his life. Unfortunately, his sloppy, unsculpted figure doesn't show it, and neither do his pudgy movements. I'll let him shoot step-back contested jumpers all day long, he couldn't possibly have another miraculous playoff run like he did last year. The stars don't align too often for fat people who flash gang signs (see Christopher Wallace).

4. Kendrick Perkins is bad, Leon Powe is worse, Glen Davis should be in the d-league.

5. It is easily agreeable that there are 3 "elite" teams in the NBA...the Celtics, the Cavaliers & the Lakers. The old men in green, unfortunately, are 1-3 this year against the other two teams. This is a team that thrives on confidence, and if they don't head into the playoffs with plenty of it, look for them to bow out early and the reign of the "Big 3" to come to an abrupt end.

Continue Entry»

Newzin'

The PD Opines that this Cavs team is probably the best of all time. Revisionist history at work here. Remember 2000-01, Remember the Clarence Weatherspooon/Chris Gatling/Matt Harpring/Jim Jackson/Robert Traylor/Andre Miller team that started 15-7?

Dan Gilbert calls Mo Williams omission from the all-star game a "stupidiculous, idillogical and preposterageous." He must be learning his vocabulary from his players. All-Star snub.

Terry Pluto did respond our inquiries about LeBron's bogus triple double! "

"Q: Don't you think the triple double was bogus? Wasn't that ninth rebound supposed to go to Ben Wallace?

A: Please, the game was in New York, at Madison Square Garden. The stats guys are from New York. It was the ninth rebound, not the 10th needed for the triple double. Why are we even talking about this?"

So if Bobby Sura's bogus triple double was at the MSG, you wouldn't have had a problem with it like you did back in 2004? You've just been powned Mr. Pluto.

Tressel wants earlier signing today - do white guys sign earlier? (see picture above).

OSU's game with USC is under the lights next season. I was going to make a joke about a loss, but I think we take it.

Flattering piece about the OU Bobcats new coach. You know what they left out? THEIR 11-10 RECORD!! New coach brings intensity to Athens.

Continue Entry»

There's Nothing Wrong with a Double-Double

The double-double machine has done it again. For the 31st time this season, the MVP front-runner posted double digit outputs in two key categories. Along with is incredible 52-point effort last night, James was handing out the dimes as well, adding 11 assists. It would have been interesting had James managed to grab 10 rebounds and secured his 21st triple -double.

But contrary to the original reports, he did not, because he apparently skipped coveted rebound No. 9, according to the NBA Fanhouse Blog. Check video as well

.

"Wallace clearly got that rebound: he had it controlled with one hand, and when David Lee got a little too close, he flipped it to LeBron. You can even hear Mike Breen say "Wallace -- the rebound," before Clyde Frazier looks at his stat monitor and sees that the scorekeeper gave it to James"

There is a precedent for taking away triple-doubles retroactively by league statisticians. In 2004, Bobby Sura intentionally missed a shot to collect a 10th rebound (as if that failed attempt needed premeditation). The NBA removed it from the books the following day.

The Plain Dealer's own Terry Pluto blasted Sura for the move and credited the NBA for doing what was right. Will he speak up this time around with similar fervor. Or will he just write another sanctimonious defense of prayer and organized religion. What do you think? We will be penning a letter to Pluto to find out where he stands on this.

Continue Entry»

Is Ohio State Recruiting Too Many White Athletes Guys?

UPPER CLASS SUBURBS, OH - Many of you probably think that the excellent columnist Jason Whitlock has the monopoly on playing the race card. If that's the case, then CursedCleveland.com has the monopoly on playing the race card poorly. But we'll give it a try.

For the second year in a row, Jim Tressel and staff have assembled a top five recruiting class - 1st overall by Scout, 3rd by Rivals, 9th in ESPN's laughable list (*edit - They must have dropped us lower b/c they saw that our roster looked like a booking after a Duke Lacrosse Frat party!) Thanks for the heads up,, and 2nd by Tom Lemming (he does know we aren't Notre Dame right?). Given all of that, you have to be excited about landing two straight top notch classes, especially after the dud in 2007

.

But Hudson, we might have a problem. Should Buckeye fans be worried that the recruiting class photo above looks more like a collage out of West Beverly's yearbook (Ian Ziering bottom right) than a bad ass picture you might see at LSU? Does the name Reid Fragel sound one bit like a player who's going to take charge in the open field - or does it sound more like someone who should be working in a field? I was reassured when saw the name Adam Bellamy that maybe things would be OK, until I realized he too was as pasty as can be. Some of the guys look like they could have auditioned for the part as the Opus Dei Monk in the Da Vinci Code.

Let's take a look a the Caucasian breakdown on some of the other top classes, followed by their percentage of pallidity.

LSU - 5 out of 24: 20.8%
USC - 3 out of 19 (one is a kicker...we'd be more worried if he wasn't white): 15.7%
Bama - 4 out of 27: 14.8%
Texas - 6 out of 20: 30%
Ohio State - 9 out of 25: 36% although not as bad as 2008: 1o out of 20: 50%

In the two national championship losses, it became clear to the rest of the nation that Ohio State could match up with any other team's top five or six guys. But after those players, the Buckeyes lacked the athleticism in the two-deep that other teams boast. So while the last two classes have been well-balanced for Tressel and will likely have the Bucks graduating plenty more to the pros, I'm not sure the Buckeyes are getting any more athletic overall anytime soon.

Continue Entry»

Peyton Manning Loves the Pro Bowl

KAPOLEI, HAWAII - According to our friends over at Yahoo, Peyton Manning doesn't treat the Pro Bowl as simply a vacation. Rather, he uses it as a chance to gather information from opposing teams' players and coaches, and also tries to get on the good sides of some of his opponents. Manning said:

"I bought Mario Williams breakfast. See that’s the other thing. I work schemes with the coaches and maybe any player who might be leaving that team, maybe that player will sing a little bit. I work relationships, too, with defensive linemen

. I bought Mario Williams breakfast, so maybe he’ll remember that twice a year. Maybe when he gets that free shot, you know, he won’t drive me into the ground. Like I said, it’s a fun week, but there is work to be done."

Just when I thought I couldn't like this guy anymore, he goes and does something like this. If his play on the field & commercials weren't enough, this interview solidified his place in the "BSmith Man-Crush Hall of Fame (more on this next week)." The only thing I don't like about Manning is that when you're playing against the computer in Madden, and he's the quarterback, he has to audible 4 times on every play, causing me to get pissed off and eventually not play the game. In related news, reports out of Berea claim that while at the Pro Bowl last year, Derek Anderson spent the entire week playing practical jokes on all of the AFC defenses, with an emphasis on Terrell Suggs and the Ravens.

Continue Entry»

LeBron Vs Kobe, A Comparative Study of MSG Performances

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - Outside of the Iron Sheik and Gerry McNamara, is there anyone who enjoys a trip to MSG more than Kobe or LeBron? The two most talented players the league has seen since MJ have been able to name their stat lines at the hallowed Garden grounds.

Interesting that Knicks coach Mike 'antoni (not a misprint, you figure it out) actually knows both pretty well from their time in Beijing during the Summer Olympics - yet still decided one-on-one was the optimal way to neutralize the stars

.
In a way, their stat lines in this game properly encapsulated the essence of everything we know about these players, and everything that makes them great (that sounds like an awful Mike and Mike promo). LeBron filled up the stat sheet as usual - as did the guy he defended most the night. While Kobe once again put up huge scoring numbers, and not much else. Both led their teams to a victory, albeit over a a sub-.500 team.

ESPN will no doubt do an Outside the Lines panel discussion with Skip Bayless, Spike Lee, Chris Broussard, John Hollinger and Gloria James' probation officer, comparing and contrasting these performances. We might as well add to the fruitless debate.

Here's what LeBron did better: Had 11 assists and 10 rebounds (the most points with a triple double since 1976). Accounted for 78 points. Lied in the press conference about not knowing how many rebounds he had before his triple double-clinching rebound).

Here's what Kobe did better: Less shots but 9 more points and no miss free throws in 7 less minutes, with a +19 in +/- (LeBron had a +7) . Lied in the press conference about not knowing the MSG scoring record before his record-clinching points.

While some (like Jeff Van Gundy) are touting that LeBron should be getting some defensive player of the year votes (and he's improved exponentially in that area), James was in charge of guarding Al Harrington most the night and down the stretch, Harrington tied his season high with 39 points. Kobe, on the other hand, defended Chris Duhon and was more of a rover for the majority of his game with the Knicks. LeBron was defended by David Lee most the night, while Kobe was checked by Wilson Chandler (never trust a guy who uses the first name of two very popular mid-90's sit-com characters to defend the best players in the game). Very tough to compare apples and oranges, even if we're talking about a game in the Big Apple. So we'll leave it up to you to decide, who ultimately had the better game.

In the end, basketball fans win out, as they get to see Kobe and LeBron square off this Sunday at the Q, as the Lakers try to become the first team give to give the Cavs a home loss. Baseball fans get nothing out of this deal.

Continue Entry»

Lebron James Scores 52

NEW YORK - LeBron James went into the Garden this evening and absolutely dominated the helpless Knicks. He didn't reach 61, but clearly put together a better overall performance than Kobe did just two nights ago. Also, he put together a quadruple double...but not the kind we're used to seeing. This particular quadruple double consisted of 52 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, and 12 faked injuries. Quite an impressive stat-line for the football player from Akron. He put up 33 shots, which is much higher than we've come to expect, but you can't argue with it when you convert on 17 of them. The Knicks may be the worst defensive team I've ever seen, and I'm fairly certain that Rodney Rodgers could drive to the basket on Tim Thomas. Regardless, another big road win for the Cavs...next up they'll meet Kobe and the Lakers on Sunday. Stay tuned to CursedCleveland.com for a live blog of Sunday's game. Continue Entry»

So Much for the Report About Marlon Brown to Ohio State

MEMPHIS, TN - According to a report out of Knoxville, the Buckeyes may have just landed the second best wide receiver in the nation

****EDIT AT 3:55 - Yep, HE CHOSE GEORGIA. That makes three kids in two years that have burned OSU at the 11th hour. (Josh Jenkins, Tajh Boyd and Marlon Brown).

Here's the innacurate report from earlier today:

WNML radio in Knoxville says that according to a source, the 6-foot-5 receiver Marlon Brown from Harding Academy in Memphis will sign with Ohio State this afternoon over Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss.

Marlon Brown told reporters yesterday that he'd have to sleep on his decision. When asked about each of the prospective teams in the mix:

On Ole Miss, he simply stated, "(Rebels quarterback) Jevan Snead."
On Tennessee: "It's Tennessee. It's Tennessee football."
On Georgia: "Coach (Mark) Richt."
On Ohio State: "Coach Jim Bollman (Jim) Tressel."

The Bucks' impressive recruiting class was ranked No. 1 by both Scout and Rivals heading into the day. Brown will formally make his decision at a 3:45 press conference. If you can't log onto Bucknuts at 3:46, that probably means this report was inaccurate.

________________________________________________________
Buckeyes Recruiting Tracker via Bucknuts. (Let's play the scouting-by-photo game. I can tell you five guys that will never see the field for OSU based solely on their recruiting photo. Try to guess which ones!)

Continue Entry»

Climactic Night for LeBron & Kobe...and Me

NEW YORK, NY - LeBron is heading to the Big Apple this evening (no no, not for good yet), just two nights after Kobe dropped 61 on the Knicks in a masterful performance where he needed only 37 minutes and shot 61% from the floor. This wasn't one of his typical outbursts, where critics sit back and say he was selfish and didn't get his teammates involved. Gasol went for 31, and Kobe was simply unstoppable. When the best player in the game has it going

, he shouldn't be giving up the ball... bottom line. Also, instead of promoting a new limited edition shoe in the game, he just went ahead and dominated. He even had the Knicks fans chanting MVP...but LeBron did that last year too. I suppose this is the result of having terrible teams year in and year out, maybe next year they'll be chanting for Stephon Marbury, when he's a member of another squad of course.

LeBron played incredibly well last night against the Raptors, including a big time rejection of Chris Bosh that had even coach Mike Brown baffled. Tonight, LeBron travels to Madison Square Garden, and in response to a question about whether or not he would beat Kobe's mark he said “I just go out and play my game. “I’m not a video game where you can just expect me to go out there and score 60 or 70.” If we're being grammatically correct, it isn't the video game that scores the points, and we're clearly aware that you're not a video game, you're a person. Thus, this reply makes no sense, and should have been reworded to state "This isn't a video game, you can't expect me to just go out there and score 60 or 70 points." But let's not talk symantics...of course LeBron wants to match Kobe, or hopefully outdo him. It's called competition, and right now, there's still a heated debate over who's the best player on the planet. We won't argue this either way...of course we have in the past, a few times. In retrospect, we seem to find a way to argue that Kobe's the best in 75-80 percent of all of our posts...weird!

Also on tap for tonight, Kobe Bryant takes his hobbled Lakers squad into Toronto, the site that hosted the greatest scoring performance since Wilt Chamberlain when Bryant popped in 81 on them in January of '06. Kobe is the only player in the game today who you can watch the first 3 minutes of a game, watch him hit a few jumpers, and then feel compelled to call your friends because you think this might be the night that he goes for 100+. He just has that look in his eye, that hunger, that fire that makes you want to see him succeed. Tonight could be one of those nights, the Raptors have nobody who can come close to stopping him, and they're on the second night of a back-to-back...and they're terrible, and play in Canada, and have ugly uniforms, you get the point.

So who will score more points tonight? More importantly, who's team will come out with a victory? I can't wait, and thanks to our friends over at Channelsurfing.net, I can watch the Lakers game on the computer and the Cavs on the tv. Also, the Cavs will play the Lakers on national television this Sunday for the last time this regular season, and there's no doubt that it will be up to these two men to carry their teams into the NBA Finals matchup that everyone is hoping for. It's a simple debate really....will you be betting on Bron's red shoes, or the black mamba? Here at CursedCleveland.com, we always bet on black.

Continue Entry»

Browns Fans are Gluttons for Punishment

CLEVELAND - In the two-week lead-up to the Super Bowl, some fans let it be known on local sportstalk radio that they were not going to watch the Steelers win their sixth Super Bowl Title. Well the numbers are in, and not only can we consider the majority of these middle-aged talk show callers "losers" but also "liars."

In fact, a higher percentage of Cleveland viewers tuned in to watch Kurt Warner trip over his offensive lineman than Cardinals fans did in Phoenix. True story!

53.6/79: Pittsburgh
52.6/72: Norfolk
50.6/71: Jacksonville
50.4/68: Buffalo
49.3/67: Richmond
49.2/70: Tampa
48.1/68: Ft. Myers
47.7/69: Cleveland
47.5/80: Phoenix
47.4/65: Indianapolis

We find it pretty amazing that Pittsburgh earned a 79 share. Not because we're blown away by a 79, but because we're flabbergasted that 21 percent of people weren't watching the Super Bowl. Continue Entry»

Newzin'

Cavs have to hold off Raptors late. Afterwards James says, "I'm getting better every year and getting better every day and not taking a day off." The Orlando Magic laugh at this notion. James Dazzles in win. Winhorst also again touts LeBron's defense. We get it Brian, you actually want LeBron to earn more than one vote for the all-defensive team. We get it

.

Had this guy been hired at CSU in 96 (like had been rumored), the program would have been in much better shape. Moran keeps Blue Streaks Sizzling

So now the UFC has a "Dentist," an "Athlete," a "Barbarian," and now a Lobbyist. No really. UFC doesn't want a federal submission hold.

I've never understood why pitchers report to spring training first. Considering durability issues, they should be the last. No drop off for Cliff Lee

It's signing day. Do you know where your oral commitments are? Buckeyes are No. 1 if both Scout and Rivals enterting today.

Continue Entry»

Where Are They Now: David Wesley

WACO, TX - Brought in as a designated shooter to complement the King, David Wesley became just another outside shooter and miss-er; part of a seemingly neverending list of guys who actually got worse when paired with LeBron (see Lucious Harris, J.R. Bremer and Larry Hughes). He shot 29 percent in his one year in Cleveland.

We haven't seen the guy who famously showed NBA fans where the bottom of the backboard was with an uncontested layup,

and were beginning to worry that he violated his parole (you know, for that whole reckless driving thing). As it turns out, he's an assistant coach with the Baylor basketball team.

So by proxy, does that make him a part of the Dave Bliss coaching tree? We always hear about where the successful coaches' assistants turn up. But what about the assistants of Larry Eustachy or Jan van Breda Kolff? I'd love to know if these guys are in jail, or just celling cell phones in the mall.

Past editions
Where are they now: Marty Cordova

Continue Entry»

Newzin'

"The Indians not only believe, but are banking on, that Wood can make a Dennis Eckersley-like transformation from the rotation to the pen." We're thinking he'll be more like Dave Dravecky. Team betting on Wood.

"I've decided to seek professional treatment." I guess Boone is heading to pros for something, even if it may not be football Alex Boone issues a statement.

LeBron's player

of the month award is overshadowed by the player of our generation. James wins POM.

They should call it an NIT bracket buster. CSU facing 9-12 Wichita State.

After realizing that OSU is operating in the red and that the Shot has five thousand empty seats per game, Buckeye basketball is now selling tickets for $5. I'm more concerned about how they're going to fill the three empty seats on the bench next year.

Continue Entry»

Alex Boone Doing Wonders for His Draft Stock

ALISO VIEJO, CA - Formerly the most coveted offensive lineman recruit in the nation, Alex Boone was arrested once again in an embarrassing alcohol-related incident. The Buckeyes senior offensive lineman apparently thought he was at the draft combine as he was apparently "jumping on car hoods, yanking on tow truck cable and trying to break a window." It's the biggest workout he's had in years.

Much like like an SEC defensive end

, police ran right around the 6-foot-8, 312-pounder as they surrounded him and eventually subdued him with a taser. From five-stars to five volts, things have gone horribly bad for Boone. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI after his freshman year at OSU. At least he learned from his lesson after the first arrest; this time no car was involved. Although authorities say "His blood-alcohol level was at least three times the legal amount."

Somehow Boone was able to escape at one point but was later found hiding under Steve Rehring a patio. One could argue this is the first time Boone has demonstrated that he might actually belong in the NFL.

Continue Entry»

Referee Ramblings...

Having witnessed another big moment in sports riddled with controversy, I can't help but rant a little bit about the impact that referees have on sports today. First, let me say that the Steelers were the better team, there's no doubting that, and probably deserved to win that Super Bowl. However, admitting in full that my opinion may be biased due to my hatred for the Steelers, there were just too many things left up to the officials that seemed "swayed" in some way

.

How did James Harrison not get thrown out of the game for his near felony against Ben Fransisco? How on earth can you call roughing the holder? How is there no flag for excessive celebration on Santonio Holmes when "Using the ball as a prop" is an automatic 15 yard penalty? How can you call roughing the passer on Karlos Dansby on a play where he hit Roethlisberger legally right after he released the ball? How can you not review the last play of the game? Those are way too many legitimate questions to be asking after a game of this magnitude.

I get it, it's nearly impossible to correctly referee NFL & NBA games, but first we have an NBA ref get caught cheating, and now we've had countless controversial mistakes made by referees this season in the NFL. It wasn't bad enough that the Heat won a title based solely on poor officiating (And a Mavericks team that seemed like they were paid to lose), but now we've got two Steelers titles that supposedly have asterisks by them. It's getting to the point where in another year or two we may have every single play reviewed from a booth upstairs, and we'll be watching 6 hour long games, with even more terrible commercials. It's unfair to the fans to have games decided by the inadequacies of 65-75 year old men.

With all of that nonsense being stated, I'm not blaming this game on the referees. If Kurt Warner doesn't throw that pick in the end zone Arizona wins, end of story. Well, actually if you take away the ridiculous penalties, Arizona wins the game as well, so maybe I am blaming it on them. The Steelers are the champions of their second Penalty Bowl...congratulations!

Continue Entry»

Newzin'

Tony Grossi says Pittsburgh owes their Super Bowl to Ohio. How to Spell Championship O-H-I-O.

Cavs make big run with King on the bench. Williams and Gibson push Cavs

Windhorst calls Cavs win a "quality road victory" - nothing like somehow managing to fend off a team that's 13-11 at the Palace. Sorry if we're not impressed.

Norm Chad is pretty funny. "2:32: Returning from a Cheetos break, I hear Costas literally say, "Meanwhile, back on Earth." I assume I missed a Kurt Warner feature."

and.. 9:13: I didn't realize the Steelers not only travel with their own fans, they also bring their own officials.
Apparently even the Buckeyes aren't recession-proof. OSU budget shortfall.

I guss we finally know how the Sopranos ends. Silvio joins some lame band with another 60-year-old over-the-hill rocker and does karaoke while sporting an embarrassing bandana. And even that's a better ending then what we were treated to in the series.

If may have just looked like porn when Santonio Holmes got all excited after the catch. Porn interrupts Super Bowl.

Continue Entry»

Bruce Arians Goes From Browns Rags to Riches

TAMPA BAY - The question of whether or not it could get any worse for Cleveland Browns fans got a definitive answer yesterday, when disgraced offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and the hated Steelers secured yet another Super Bowl victory. The one saving grace might have been that Tim Tebow's name wasn't mentioned once during the entire broadcast. Here are some of CursedCleveland.com's carefully constructed postgame notes.

Props to Santonio Holmes for getting all three of his feet down in the endzone. Don't act like you know what I'm talking about, considering the photo I posted earlier this week. The guy is a flat-out play maker, and when the cameras are on, nobody let's it all hang out like Holmes. OK I promise I'm done.

Nice of Kurt Warner to not thank Jesus after the tough loss. Is there something we should know about Kurt? Like the fact that the women you're married to now bears little resemblance to women you were married to nine years ago. Perhaps he illegally downloaded a torrent of Religulous and is no longer a believer.

NBC's coverage was much better than Fox's version of the college football national title game. A few problems though. First, can we please design a graphic for a first down that's ANY color other than YELLOW? You know, the same color that even ancient Mesopotamians would identify with a penalty flag. Every time the Cards would pick up a first down, I would just assume it was penalty (OK, bad example).

Also, stop shifting camera angles when the teams get inside the five yard line. We as football fans have been conditioned over the years to view the game from a certain perspective. You don't see them adjusting to the sideline view for a field goal, so why are they changing lens positioning on us in the biggest game of the year in key situations? Although you know who's vantage point didn't change the whole game? Matt Leinart's.

And please stop telling us in Super Bowl games about "Super Bowl records." There's only been 43 of these games played. There's a new record set in just about every regular season game...and there's been more than 10,000 of them over the years. So yeah, when Ralph Brown makes a Super Bowl tackle, it's no surprise when the Elias Sports Bureau notifies us that he's the worst player in Super Bowl history to make a tackle.

And on that last play, no, I don't think the Steelers' win is tainted or anything like that. However, the play absolutely has to be reviewed. Why in the world can't Arizona use their last challenge, regardless of when the play occurs in the game? Given James Harrison's celebration penalty, the Cards would have had the ball around the 30 yard line. Not to mention they have the best jump ball receiver in football outside of Terrelle Pryor. It would have been very interesting to see one last chance at a Kurt Warner stumble and subsequent trip over his offensive lineman's feet hail mary play.

Continue Entry»

Corky Made a Bad Decision...

DOWNSSYNDROMEVILLE, USA - According to ESPN.com, Michael Phelps admitted that the pictures of him pretending to be 17 years old again and ripping off of the bong were in fact real. Oh, he's sorry for his actions by the way. This isn't the first time this asshat has embarassed himself and his family, as he was arrested for drunk driving when he was 19 years old

.

The fact of the matter is this: This guy is a complete tool, and has been his entire life. He looks mildly retarded, and probably got made fun of a lot growing up. Now he's in the media spotlight, and is doing things that he couldn't possibly have done when he was supposed to be "experimenting." When the cooler kids were out partying, drinking and driving and getting high, he was probably masturbating in the pool.

Now he's this big olympic champion, as if anyone gives a shit about the olympics or swimming, and all the temptations in the world are there for this loser. As long as I don't see any headlines about him sleeping with hot famous chicks, I don't care what happens to this big toothed freak.

Continue Entry»

Does CursedCleveland.com Owe Patrick McManamon an Apology?

"I apologize for writing it was painted over. I was wrong. That's what I was told, and it came from several people who reasonably assumed that's what happened. That's no excuse for me; I was wrong." - Patrick McManamon

BEREA, OH - A week ago today, ABJ columnist Pat McManamon ignited a public firestorm when he wrote that the, "The Browns are painting walls and painting over murals of their hall of famers." (Brian Windhorst would never make such a mistake... the Cavs have no such wall, or even enough players to necessitate such a commemorative structure)

.

That story about the now famous mural was first modified by OBR on Wednesday. They wrote, "sources inside Berea tell us the mural is not actually getting painted over as it is getting moved."

CursedCleveland.com then proceeded to write a hilarious piece about the mix-up. Going even so far as to say that McManamon owed the Browns organization an apology for jumping the gun and writing critically about the Browns layoffs - something happening all around the NFL and from what I'm told, even in other professions.

Since then, Patrick McManamon has been making more media rounds than Ron Blagojevich. He first appeared on a message board issuing a quasi-mea culpa (yet failed to choose an avatar). He then made his way over to the piece we authored, the one titled "Does Patrick McManamon owe the Browns an apology?"

I gotta admit, he's a stand-up guy:

"I apologize for writing it was painted over. I was wrong. That's what I was told, and it came from several people who reasonably assumed that's what happened. That's no excuse for me; I was wrong."

After closely analyzing all that's been written about the Berea Wall, it's pretty clear the Browns are reversing course based on the public and media reaction. While we still think Pat's giving the new management as much of a chance as Rush is giving the new Obama administration, it's a little alarming the way we've heard the media speak about Mangini and friends. Of course the fact remains, nobody will care about any of this if this team is in contention at any point.

But thanks to Pat McManamon for not running and hiding. Very cool for him to take to all the various internet stops to clear things up (unless his next appearance is on my Adultfriendfinder page, then we've got problems).

Continue Entry»