The face Cleveland has been waiting for all of these years

No, not first base umpire Jim Reynolds.

I am talking about Lonnie Chisenhall.

That is the name of the man who will lead Cleveland to the promised land.
The title that has been eluding Cleveland since 1964.

There have been many false prophets. Many Cleveland sports figures who looked like they were going to deliver a championship parade up Superior Avenue but failed.

Herb Score, Gaylord Perry and his brother Jim, Sam McDowell, Len Barker, Joe Carter, Julio Franco and that Sports Illustrated cover in 1987 promised unfulfilled greatness for the Indians.

And the great Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Charles Nagy, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Kenny Lofton teams got as close as you could get. And the C. C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko team teased.

Mike Phipps, Jerry Sherk, Thom Darden, Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome, Webster Slaughter, Clay Matthews, Bernie Kosar and Eric Metcalf all came close with the Browns, but they were no Chisenhall.

And forget Cavs like Campy Russell, Craig Ehlo, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Hot Rod Williams and that fellow named LeBron.

Push all those names to the side. Cleveland is Chisenhall-ville now! Lonnie drove in a run and got a pair of hits in his first game last night against a good Arizona team. The Indians won in the 9th inning and kept pace with the Tigers.

And all the while Cleveland is doing a unique strategy to keep contending in 2011. Instead of trading away young players to make a run, they are bringing up the young players to have a run this year and beyond.

The season is about 1/2 way through and the Indians are competing now and maybe for the next few years.

Jump on the Lonnie Chisenhall bandwagon NOW!
He could be the star you have been waiting for.

Either way, the NBA Prediction of My Message for Cleveland Fans might have been wrong, but the sentiment is correct. This Indians team is worth watching.

Let the Lonnie Chisenhall era begin! (Kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?)

New Sully Baseball Video - "A Message for Cleveland Fans"

In the latest Sully Baseball video, I borderline beg Cleveland fans to avoid watching the NBA playoffs and pay attention to the young Indians team that just happens to be in first playoffs...

As always, the video is shot, co written and directed by my wonderful wife, Lisa Zambetti.

Enjoy the video.

I know where LeBron James is heading... TURKEY

Oh it is a long shot... but sources close to LeBron have told the staff at Sully Baseball that no matter if you call it Istanbul or Constantinople, LeBron will call it home.

LeBron will say goodbye to Cleveland... 7 years is enough.

New York? Too crazy and too lousy a team.

New Jersey? Is there even a plan there?

The Clippers? Not as long as Sterling is there.

Miami? They can't afford Wade AND LeBron.

Chicago? Not interested in that coach.

No, he'll sign with Effes Pilsen in Istanbul and pile up the titles.

He'll make his dough and become a brand in Europe AND the Middle East.

It is the path less taken, and he'll be doing it in the land of Kings.

While I am talking about LeBron, for the past 5 years, Knicks fans have been talking about LeBron as if his arrival in Madison Square Garden was a given.

Once LeBron arrives everything will fall into place.

Any talk of rebuilding seems to be under the assumption that LeBron James will be a Knick.

What if he doesn't show?

You know a team doesn't have a good plan when their strategy for turning things around mirrors the drama company of Blaine!

If you know any Cleveland fans... leave them alone tonight

This was a bad night for Cleveland fans...
Leave them alone, Celtic fans.

Knick fans, he hasn't signed with you yet. Keep a lid on it.

Last year I suggested Cleveland fans just take a break from sports for the rest of the year.

I think they should again

In the NBA playoffs, I am rooting for Lucy

In the past I have written several posts where I support Cleveland fans in their Quixotic quest to have any happiness in their sports life.

I talked about feeling their pain...

I advised them to stop watching sports for the rest of the year after LeBron and company flopped last spring...

And I told them to move to Florida where they will be happier sports wise.

I always root for the Cleveland team because they are Charlie Brown. (Perhaps a better name for the football team would be the Cleveland Charlie Browns.)

I have nothing but sympathy for Cleveland fans and would LOVE to see them get a title... except when they play one of my own teams.

It just goes to show how powerful team loyalty can be. I rooted so hard for the Red Sox against the Indians in 2007 even though I had already seen my Red Sox win a World Series and slay the Yankee dragon a few years before.

I also knew that Indians team would probably be dismantled and 2007 was the best chance for Cleveland to celebrate.

I didn't care. I wanted to see them squirm. If the Sox had lost, I would have been rooting for the Indians big time against the Rockies.

But against my team, a region's suffering is meaningless.

And now I have the Celtics up against the Cavs.
I've seen the Celtics win it all 4 times... including a 2008 title against the dreaded Lakers.

Rooting for a Celtic title this year is just greedy... and the chances of LeBron James sticking around in Cleveland are fading fast. And the once in a lifetime talent could leave Cleveland without a ring.

And if the Cavs won this series, I would be rooting for them all the way.

But against my team? Screw em!

I am not rooting for Charlie Brown. I am rooting for Lucy to pull the football away.

Does that make me a jerk?

Yeah probably.

Go Celtics.

ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY!

I am not going to pretend to be an NBA expert.

I used to follow the NBA really closely, but a funny thing happens when you become a husband and a father:

You have to either become a casual sports fan or you need to pick one sport to become maniacal about and casually follow the rest.

So I don't have a blog called "Sully Basketball."

That being said, I am rooting for the Celtics and likewise want to see the Lakers flop.

And little did I realize that a floppero might happen in the first round, which is generally considered to be a formality.

I live in the middle of Laker country and I heard the build up to the playoffs being a return trip to the NBA Finals was a foregone conclusion. The 8 seed Thunder has a big star in Kevin Durant but he is too green. The Lakers were going to make quick work of them.

But even a casual observer can see this series could easily be 3-1 in the Thunder's favor.

I called my friend and great columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press, Kenny Mack.

I asked him "Can the Thunder win a game in Los Angeles?"

He responded "The correct question is can the LAKERS win a game in Los Angeles? Game 5 won't technically be an elimination game, but it will be psychologically in the 4th quarter. If the fall 3-2 to the Thunder and have to play a do or die game in Oklahoma... where the Thunder would have absolutely nothing to lose."

I still think the Lakers are going to win this series... but MAN the Laker hater in me would love to see them get bounced in the first round!

And the ripple effect of the Thunder going 2-1 in the next three games is mind boggling.

First of all the remaining teams in the West will have an injection of purpose. The big bad Lakers would be gone and this would be one of the best chances in a while for one of these franchises to make the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks have some unfinished business from the 2006 NBA Finals. The Jazz, Nuggets and Suns are also seeking their first ever title. The Blazers could join the Thunder as the Cinderella story and all the Spurs want is title #5 in 12 seasons.

And the top teams in the East would be thinking the road to a potential title could be a lot easier without Kobe and company.

The Celtics are probably at the end of this run... but title #18 isn't out of the question.

The Magic may have been happy to be in the Finals last year, but without the Lakers in the mix... a first title in Orlando could be in the works.

And oh yeah... the urgency of LeBron... with no titles since the 1964 Browns in Cleveland and free agency looming for Cleveland's biggest star since Jim Brown... no pressure. They would cream any western opponent not named The Lakers.

The only people who would be pissed would be the ABC execs who have a series of great potential Finals match ups ratings wise, provided that the Lakers are in it.

Kobe...vs The Celtics.

Kobe... vs Howard in a rematch of 2009.

And the holy grail of match ups:

Kobe... vs. Lebron (with Shaq on the side!)

No offense to Dirk and Steve and Duncan and Durant... but combined they don't have the star power of Kobe.

And in terms of media markets, where would you rather canvas? Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Portland, Salt Lake City of San Antonio.

But ABC's ratings can stink for all I care. I had to deal with both the Lakers AND the Yankees winning last year...

At least ONE of them needs to be eliminated early this year.

It's not enough that my teams advances... the other team must suffer.

I am a petty man.

Go Celtics!
And GO THUNDER!

Might be time to change hats in Washington

When the Montreal Expos moved to Washington just before the 2005 season to become the Nationals, there wasn't a lot of time to come up with a look for the team's cap.

So basically they dusted off the Senators hats that have been sitting in a warehouse since they left town in 1971 and call them Nationals caps.

Heck the Mets took the old interlocking NY from the New York Giants, so there is a precedent for stealing from the past.

They of course could just flip the old Expos "M" upside down... but that would have been too radical.

Besides I guess they wanted to put the Montreal experience behind them.

But the why embrace a Senators past?

The Senators who, over two franchises between 1901 and 1971, won exactly 3 pennants... the Senators who between the 1933 AL Pennant and leaving for Texas after the 1971 season finished as high as second place two times, and both of those seasons were during World War II when the best players were fighting fascism.

They embraced the history of the Senators, a team so bad that a musical was made about them winning the pennant... and it involved a deal with the Devil!

But I already covered that in my post about Long Suffering Nationals fans.

Believe it or not, this is the beginning of the 6th season of Washington Nationals baseball.
That's more than enough time to develop a winner. The Diamondbacks won a World Series title in their 4th year (and nearly bankrupted the team.) The Marlins won in the 5th season, dismantled that team, and won it again in their 11th.

Now nobody is saying the Nationals should have a World Series contender by now... but an identity would be nice. That is, an identity other than "the worst team in baseball."

Well that identity might be on its way.

They have a young star in Ryan Zimmerman. The Nats have talented Ian Desmond at shortstop and some young arms like John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann and Craig Stammen already on the big league squad and Drew Storen is on his way.

Plus the Nationals have the #1 pick over all this spring and can pick a potential star.
Am I missing anyone?

Hmmm...

Oh yeah!

The Messiah of Washington baseball!

The only player on the Nationals that most baseball fans have heard of... and he has yet to throw an actual game for the Nats!

The last time I remembered such an anticipation for one player to change the culture of a team, it was LeBron James looking to become the savior of Cleveland.

And do you remember what they did before King James arrived?

They changed their look!

Gone were the blue wave across the belly look.

Gone were the tops with CAVS across the top.

Those were the uniforms of a losing team.


In came a new logo...

A new color scheme...

New font on the uniform...

All fit for a king!

And none reminding the fans of the dreadful years that led to the lottery pick!


So before Strasburg becomes part of the big league team, let me suggest it might be time to ditch the cursive W.

Even Hall of Famers like Ted Williams and Frank Robinson couldn't manage a contender with that logo on their head!

I say go to the DC logo full time.

Yeah I know they use the DC hat as a practice hat and on some days as an alternate uniform.

Heck with that. Go full time! Ditch the cursive W all together.

The Strasburg era is coming up... and if he is as good as advertised, then maybe a young Washington pitching staff might blossom JUST as the Phillies run slows down.

Maybe there will be a contender in Washington without the aid of the devil.

And if that is the case, then I want them looking the part of a winner... and that cursive W just doesn't cut it.

Cleveland Fans... I hope you took my advice

Back when the Cavs were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs, I told you Cleveland fans to just stop watching sports this year.

I hope you took my advice because, to paraphrase a cop on the beat, there's nothing to see here.

You could have done stuff around the house, bonded with your family or even write a book.

Anything other than watching Cleveland sports in 2009.

And it isn't getting any prettier.

Don't believe me?

The Browns are 1-6.

And that one win came against Buffalo in a 6-3 win.

I'm sure that was an exciting game! That's a baseball score.

The Cavs got Shaq... and lost the opener to the Celtics.

Yes I know it is early and the Cavs are the city's best hope these days... 

BUT IT IS EARLY! Turn off the Cavs games until January.

As for Indians fans... ooof

Not only did the Indians drop their last 5 games to finish with the second worst record in the American League just 2 seasons after being a win from the World Series...

But they are handing the car keys to Manny Acta, who managed the Nationals... one of the few teams in baseball WORSE than the Indians. 

And don't watch the World Series either... especially game 1.

2007 Indians Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia taking on 2008 Indians Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee?

Is this a joke?

Seriously Cleveland fans... 

Take the next two months off.

I expect the Nielsen ratings in Cleveland to be 0.0 for the World Series.

I expect the attendance for the November 16th Browns/Ravens game to be 0.

And I expect the Cavaliers to be playing in front of friends, family and wounded war veterans until the January 3rd game against Charlotte.

You don't need to prove your loyalty to anyone.

You need a break.

Cleveland fans... stop watching sports this year

I am actually dead serious.

This is the best advice you can get from your pal Sully.

Stop. 

Don't watch the NBA Finals. It will just make you mad.

Don't watch any Indians games. They are terrible.

Don't watch any Browns games. They won't win the Super Bowl.

Seriously... turn off ESPN. Don't log onto your favorite sports blogs.

Do yourself this favor and don't watch any more sports until the calendar flips over to the new decade.

Consider all of the time you spend on sports during a season and use it elsewhere.

If you are a spouse or a parent... spend time with your family. 

If your spouse rolls their eyes when you say "I've got to watch the game today" imagine their glee when you say "Let's do something this Sunday together."

Think about stuff you wanted to do around the house.

Think about some crack pot idea you are kicking around in your head.

Is there some relative or friend you've lost touch with? Call them. And say "Let's meet this Sunday." And when they say "Wait, aren't the Browns playing then?" reply "This is more important." They'll cry more than the end of Terms of Endearment!

Are there books you haven't read? Read them.

Is there a book idea you have? Write it.

Is there an instrument that fascinates you? Learn it.

Are there local points of interest you've driven past all of your life and never entered? Go check them out.

It doesn't even have to be something refined.

Learn some new dirty jokes.

Ever hear people talk about movies that you realize you never saw... go see them.

Catch up on TV shows.

Because it isn't just the time watching the game... there is the fretting about it, the Fantasy Teams you keep, the reading the scores and watching the highlights or listening to sports talk.

You've got to stop it for the rest of the year.

I know you think because I am a Red Sox fan that I am trying to rub something in your face on such a devastating night as the Cavaliers unlikely collapse to Orlando.

Nothing  could be further from the truth. I am a Red Sox fan and a Celtics fan, so yes in full disclosure I rooted against the Indians in 2007 and the Cavs in 2008.

And also in full disclosure my favorite National League team is the Giants and if there ever was a rematch of the 1954 World Series, I'd have to root for the Giants because they are my dad's team.

But when the Red Sox, Celtics or Giants are not involved... I ALWAYS root for the Cleveland team.

I have written about the insane drought in Cleveland and I've openly rooted for the Cavs in this post season.

Even when we Red Sox fans went through the 86 year drought, we had the Celtics winning titles.

But there was something very cruel about tonights game... in some ways more cruel than the Drive, the Fumble, the Shot or the 9th inning of Game 7 in 1997.

There was no dagger. It was just a loss. 

The Magic beat them, and it wasn't even as close as the score would indicate.

I wondered if LeBron James had answered Jordan's shot over Ehlo? It turns out it was just the same as John Starks' dunk in 1993. It looked great, but his team lost in 6.

Seriously... think about it. 

This has nothing to do with loyalty. No fans in all of sport are more loyal than Cleveland fans. 

Keeping in mind that you don't really start following the ins and outs of a sports team until you reach 7 or 8 years of age, there are 52 year olds with no memory of a Cleveland title.

There has been no Championship parade in Cleveland in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and now the 2000s.

You are loyal.

But you deserve a break.

I expect to see the attendance at Indians and Browns games to be ZERO!

Did LeBron James just answer Michael Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo?

I was watching the last few minutes of the Cavs/Magic game with my father in law tonight. I explained to him why when in doubt, I always root for a Cleveland team.

I'd get into it again, but it is best explained in my Cleveland Rocked City post from last year.

When Hedo Turkoglu (I think I spelled that correctly) his the shot with one second left, I strangely felt deflated. 

I had been there before. That moment where you think "I thought this year was going to be different."

I had that when the Red Sox lost in the post season in 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998 and 1999. None of those teams got to the brink of 1986 nor 2003... their disappointment came not from how close they got but with how they whimpered out.

It was the "Oh no" feeling that my Cubs fan boss Frank had when Loney hit the grand slam last October.

And the TNT cameras cruely went around the arena, getting shots of the thousand yard stares from Cleveland fans of all ages. 

There were some middle aged fans who were clearly thinking "I can't believe THIS team is going to putter out."

There was a kid who had an expression on his face as if to say "Wait a minute? Am I really going to grow up as miserable about my sports teams as my dad?"

There was an older guy who you could see his brain working. "Cavs are toast, the Indians are the worst team in the AL, the Browns stink... oh man this isn't getting any easier."

And I said to my father in law "There is no way the Cavs can win it now."

And my father in law in his infinite wisdom said "Oh it's possible."

I shook my head and said "This city needs a hug."

Then LeBron hugged them.

It's amazing to watch a sporting event live that when it happens, you know it will be shown on highlights reels from this day forward.

And of course the comparison will come to Jordan's shot over Ehlo... only this time Cleveland is happy.

In some ways the Jordan shot will always be bigger. It ended a series and it signaled the beginning of Jordan's playoff supremacy. 

But if the Cavaliers win the NBA title this year, James' shot my wind up being bigger.

It was a Conference Finals game, not a first round match up like Jordan's.

And Jordan's Bulls didn't win the title THAT year. (They did 6 of the next 8 seasons... but still.)

If this is the turning point... the Gibson homer... the Messier Game 6 against the Devils... the Dave Roberts steal... the LT recovering Roger Craig's fumble... that leads to a dramatic championship... then it will be bigger.

What I am saying is Cleveland fans should be clearing their schedules for any Cavs game.

Evidently all they need is one second to do something amazing.

(Why didn't Van Gundy quadruple team LeBron?)

A big gulping sound from Cleveland

When I saw the Cavs had a big halftime lead yesterday, I wrote down a note to do a blog post for Cleveland fans...

I was going to urge Cleveland fans to clear their schedule between June 4th and June 18th.

I was going to say this will be a coronation of King LeBron and a liberation of Cleveland sports fans from an oppression felt since 1964.

I was prepared to say even J. R. R. Tolkien would say "That's quite a long way to go for one ring!" 

Then a funny thing happened. In a commercial break for American Idol... I clicked on my computer and saw the Magic came back and won.

My my my. 

Not to get all Kill Bill on Cleveland fans, but you didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?

Yeah, me too. For a second there I kind of did.

Well, now they have a series and have to take home court away from the Magic. 

Other wise you'd have to ad another clip to that growing post 1964 Cleveland sports montage.

And we don't want that, do we?

Cleveland fans... that strange sensation you just felt was OPTIMISM

I know a night like tonight must feel strange to Cleveland fans... but let yourself enjoy it. Don't get wrapped up in the negativity that chills the city like the wind off of Lake Erie.



Three very positive things happened for Cleveland fans tonight and it could lead to not only the biggest sports celebration the city has seen since LBJ was President, but also introduce Indians fans to their next biggest star.



Let's look at the three big events.



LeBron James wins the NBA MVP



No Cavalier has ever won the MVP.

Brian Sipe was the last Cleveland MVP of any kind when he won the NFL MVP in 1980. (Truth be told, Albert Belle should have won the MVP in 1995.)



But when was the last time the city of Cleveland had not only the best player, but a cool and glamorous player? When was the last time there was a Cleveland sports star with the charisma of LeBron James?



Jim Brown... who was also the last player to deliver a title to Cleveland.





Matt LaPorta hit his first Major League homer



The prize of the CC Sabathia trade last year was tearing up AAA Columbus and was recalled this week.



Tonight he homered and contributed to the Indians extra inning win in Toronto.



I know it's early, but the Tribe is hoping they have their next star. And yes Sabathia led the Brewers to the playoffs, but do you know what?

Doyle Alexander helped the Tigers to the playoffs in 1987.

But the Braves are glad they dealt him for John Smoltz.







Celtics and Lakers both lost

Both the Celtics and the Magic are banged up and the Lakers suddenly look vulnerable. 

And suddenly the path to the title for the Cavs looks less daunting.

In other words... Cleveland fans... you can have some cautious confidence that you have (deep breath) THE TEAM TO BEAT!

Allow yourself to picture it Cleveland... you might have a title this summer. You might have a parade 45 years in the making.

Will you allow yourself to feel optimism?

I know it is strange... and I know teams to beat often time do get beat.

But if I were you, I'd be canceling all plans this spring that will interfere with Cavalier games.

And if you are getting married while the Cavs are playing, have a TV show the game.

I had a Red Sox playoff game on at MY wedding.