Here we go again

Last night, the Cavaliers went down in flames for the third time. The end draws near and I find myself in a spot. Thursday night will be my last chance to sign up for a credential to cover the game and I can’t get myself to do it. I’m a photojournalist but I am also a fan. I was there for the drive; I was there for the Tribe’s great run in the ’90s. In fact, I still remember driving home from an ALCS win drenched in champagne from the lockerroom celebration. I don’t want to see another dejected crowd of fans and indifferent multi-millionaires.

The Indians will continue to do the same thing. Winning season or not, what’s the point? They will lose because that’s what always happens. Maybe not in the first rounds of the playoffs, but trust me when I say they will lose.

In a great twist of Cleveland-based irony, the only champion teams are in sports that nobody really cares about. We had a great soccer team that played in a nearly empty building. I would be willing to wage money that if we had water polo teams, the best in the world would be from here.

So after giving up on two sports in less than a week, I went off to cover the Browns mini camp this morning. Because, no matter what, if you are from this part of Ohio, you have to cling to something and that always seems to be “our” Browns.

I’m not sure how they really look -- as a casual sports fan, I think they look pretty good so far. It’s early in the year. We haven’t had the freak injury, the wear and tear of practices or the motorcycle accident yet. You have to feel good about Brady Quinn, a player described as “freaky smart”.

So I’ll cling to the Browns for now. After al, we have a couple of months until pre-season starts and the Cavaliers become the life preserver for fans adrift in a sea of losing teams.