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January 3, 2010 - By Jesse Lamovsky
With wins in each of their past three games, the Browns are one more season ending win against the Jaguars away from their longest winning streak of the expansion era. The team is playing smart, hard, and focused for coach Eric Mangini as he ironically awaits his fate from new team President Mike Holmgren next week. The Jags, who started 6-2, find themselves at 7-8 and needing a win over the Browns and all kinds of help to find a way into the playoffs as an AFC wildcard team. Jesse Lamovsky takes a look at the season finale for our readers in his preview of Browns vs. Jaguars.
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January 3, 2010 - By Dave Kolonich
Here's an item from the Didn't See This Coming Department, at least as it was established some two months ago. When the Browns were in a midst of a seven-game losing streak, was anyone worried about the long-term prospects of any player not named Josh Cribbs or Joe Thomas? Isn't it funny what a few wins will do for a fanbase? After nearly a month of winning football, the fates of a few more Browns contributors may hang in the balance in the next weeks and months...or maybe not at all. Dave takes a look at the fate of some potential Browns free agents to be in this weekend wrapup.
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January 3, 2010 - By Nick Allburn
It might just be a convenient excuse, but it sure looked like the Cavs were a little groggy for the 1:00 PM start for Saturday afternoon's game in New Jersey against the Nets. To be honest, it would be easy for fans who were still a little groggy after the Buckeyes' victory last night to doze off during this one, because it was wasn't particularly eventful. After sleepwalking through the first quarter, the Cavs took a one-point lead into the half which they never relinquished. A strong defensive effort in the third quarter helped the Cavs stretch their lead to eight points, and that would prove to be their final margin of victory. Nick Allburn recaps the win.
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January 2, 2010 - By Dave Kolonich
Today we bring to you the first installment of what is going to be a sweeping and comprehensive review of the best and the worst of Cleveland Browns football in 2009. And any true analysis of Cleveland Browns football in 2009 has to start with what began as ripe controversy and finished as one of the more benign topics of discussion in Berea. Of course, the annual quarterback soap opera we can't seem to get away from in this town. So today, Dave looks back at the drama, breaks down the play of Brady and DA this year, and looks into his crystal ball regarding the future of both of the team's signal callers.
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January 2, 2010 - By Dan Wismar
Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor each came into the 2010 Rose Bowl with something to prove to a doubting nation. By the time the Buckeyes wrapped up their 26-17 victory over the Oregon Ducks Friday in Pasadena, Pryor had played the best game of his Ohio State career, and helped Tressel notch the "big game" postseason victory that had eluded him since the 2005 season. That screeching sound you hear out of the west is the monkey flying off the backs of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Rose Bowl Champions ... got a nice ring to it. Dan Wismar recaps the victory.
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January 2, 2010 - By Mitch Cyrus
And here we are at the end of the Naughts; the Decade of the Sequel. And the Decade of the Remake. And the Decade of Franchise Films. It could be worse...it could be the 1980s again. Enter the man, the myth, the Mitch ... to give us his thoughts on the best and worst films of these last ten years. Mitch gives us his 100 best films from 2000-2009, his 25 worst films, and his top ten guilty pleasures. A great read to wrap up the decade from our talented film and entertainment scribe.
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January 1, 2010 - By Scott Swerbinsky
Even though there has been an unreal number of fighters pull out of UFC 108, the show will still go on. Las Vegas and the MGM Grand will host to what is being called the most cursed card in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The main event was scheduled to be Brock Lesnar versus Shane Carwin. Lesnar became ill and hasn't trained since. Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, Sean Sherk, and Tyson Griffin all at one point were scheduled to fight at UFC 108. Fight fans will not get to see any of those guys tonight. The fight cards that lack a lot of star power or that people bash typically produces the best fights. My cousin says there are still some good matchups on this card and it should be a good night of fights. He previews the event for oue readers.
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January 1, 2010 - By Erik Cassano
The final year of the first decade of the 21st Century was, once again, devoid of world championships for Cleveland's teams. But even without trophies or rings, there was still plenty to remember from the sports year 2009 in Cleveland. From the good (anything involving LeBron James or Josh Cribbs) to the bad (another Tribe fire sale) to the ugly (Braylon Edwards slugging a friend of LeBron's, then getting traded) it was another eventful sports year on the North Coast. Erik Cassano has been counting down the top ten biggest Cleveland sports stories of 2009, and today, brings us his #1 moment.
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January 1, 2010 - By Jerry Roche
Will LeBron James resign in Cleveland? Can Mike Brown coach a team to a NBA Championship? What will the Indians starting rotation look like? What kind of manager will Manny Acta be? Will Eric Mangini survive the arrival of The Walrus? Who will be the Browns starting quarterback next season? These are some of the pressing questions Cleveland sports fans will seek answers to here in 2010. In Jerry Roche's latest, he picks the ten biggest questions facing the Browns, Cavs, and Indians this coming year ... and gives us his thoughts on how they may be answered.
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January 1, 2010 - By Dan Wismar
After winning six conference titles in nine seasons under Jim Tressel, the Ohio State Buckeyes finally arrive Friday at the destination that is supposed to be automatic for the Big Ten champions: The Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Chip Kelly's 7th-ranked Oregon Ducks will represent the Pac-10 in the 96th edition of the Granddaddy of all bowl games, but the identity of the opponent is incidental to the task at hand for the Buckeyes. For Oregon, their Pac-10 title affords a rare opportunity to play on the big stage. For No. 8 Ohio State, nothing short of winning on that big stage will be enough to begin restoring some national respect for the Scarlet and Gray and for the Big Ten Conference. That's what this game is about for the Buckeyes. Dan Wismar breaks it down for us.
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December 31, 2009 - By Mitch Cyrus
As is tradition for The Mitch Man here at TheClevelandFan.com, he uses the last weekend of the year to look back on what we saw at the theaters in 2009. Mitch calls 2009 an interesting year for movies overall. Not as many "excellent" films as in 2008, and a lot more dogs. But he calls 2009 a very good year for original films and even if the top of the box office charts are cluttered with sequels and remakes, there were quite a few gems to be found. Mitch gives us his best and worst movies of 2009, in this, our final column of our fourth year on the web.
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December 31, 2009 - By Chris Hutchison
What's going on with these Browns? This is not how we do things in Cleveland. Our teams do not get better as the season progresses. No one "improves". The Modus Operandi here in NE Ohio is "letdown". We won't have you showing up our rich tradition of mailing it in. And the irony? The coach may still be fired on Monday. With the Dawn of the Walrus now official, and the Browns one game away from heading into what is a highly anticipated off-season, there are all kinds of things to talk about in the world of Cleveland Browns football. Chris Hutchison runs the gamut in this week's Browns Outsider.
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Successful poker players may lose many small pots and still be totally happy, for their goal is to win the occasional big ones. The same thinking comes naturally in football. When the "Browns are in a fourth down, "moving all in", in the meaning of going for it, is worthwhile only if the odds for success are good enough. In most other cases, it�s probably wiser to just "fold" the hand, as in punting the ball away. In the same way, winning or losing a single yard means nothing as long as they manage to get a first down. Paying attention to the odds is very important because the odds accurately reflect the likelihood of success. Here on the Beste Wettanbieter ohne Oasis blog, you will find the best bookmakers offering the best betting odds, tips and analyses, and predictions.
December 31, 2009 - By Sam Amico
When Anderson Varejao buries a 3-pointer, you know it's gotta be your night. When LeBron James turns 25 and the only number anyone is talking about is 48, you figure the Cavaliers probably pulled out a win. When the Atlanta Hawks are using phrases like "no comment" and words like "protest" after the game ... well, it's not hard to figure out they suffered their second loss to the Cavs in as many nights. And that's exactly what happened, as the Cavs' used another strong fourth quarter to grind out a 106-101 victory Wednesday at the Q. Sam Amico tells us about the win in his latest.
December 31, 2009 - By Gary Benz
If unscientific polls have any validity, then the Cleveland Browns' hiring of Mike Holmgren as their next president is an overwhelmingly popular move in Cleveland. So much so, in fact, that it's actually hard to find any detractors, even among those still supporting head coach Eric Mangini. In Gary's latest, he says that the hire of Holmgren officially makes the hire of Mangini as the latest franchise savior the latest in a series of bad hires for the Browns owner. And at the best, leaves Lerner's hand picked coach from 11 months ago teetering on the brink of unemployment.
December 30, 2009 - By Erik Cassano
The final year of the first decade of the 21st Century was, once again, devoid of world championships for Cleveland's teams. But even without trophies or rings, there was still plenty to remember from the sports year 2009 in Cleveland. From the good (anything involving LeBron James or Josh Cribbs) to the bad (another Tribe fire sale) to the ugly (Braylon Edwards slugging a friend of LeBron's, then getting traded) it was another eventful sports year on the North Coast. Erik Cassano has been counting down the top ten biggest Cleveland sports stories of 2009, and today, brings us his #2 moment.
December 30, 2009 - By Erik Cassano
The final year of the first decade of the 21st Century was, once again, devoid of world championships for Cleveland's teams. But even without trophies or rings, there was still plenty to remember from the sports year 2009 in Cleveland. From the good (anything involving LeBron James or Josh Cribbs) to the bad (another Tribe fire sale) to the ugly (Braylon Edwards slugging a friend of LeBron's, then getting traded) it was another eventful sports year on the North Coast. Erik Cassano has been counting down the top ten biggest Cleveland sports stories of 2009, and today, brings us his #3 moment.
December 30, 2009 - By Brian McPeek
There has been a lot of talk about the Atlanta Hawks fast start and their place amongst the elite teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference. It's probably a good time to cease and desist on that talk. The Cavaliers went into Atlanta for the first game of a home and home series with Atlanta and the Cavs, as Austin Carr might say, completely shut off their water. They certainly did that for nearly the first nine minutes of the 4th quarter. The Cavaliers scored just eight points themselves in that nine minutes but increased their 75-74 lead after three quarters to 83-74 before Atlanta put their first points on the board. The Cavs ended up cruising to a 95-84 win, and Brian McPeek tells us about it.
December 30, 2009 - By Andrew Clayman
After spending three months sifting through 45 years of silver linings, four men have been chosen to represent the very best of Cleveland sports in a time devoid of world titles. The participants aren't shocking, but the lack of any Cleveland Indians might be. Instead, we've been left with two Browns taking on two Cavs for the right to fight for all the marbles. Can a cinderella point guard pull off the impossible? Does the beloved QB have one more comeback in him? Or are we headed for a palindromic showdown of #23 vs #32? Cast your votes... It's Final Four time!
December 29, 2009 - By John Hnat
They're elite again. Well, that's what the national media would have you believe about the Cavaliers. That they were a sort-of elite team heading into the season, then dropped off the face of the earth after a terrrrrible 3-3 start. But the Cavs have now won their last four games and nine of their last ten. Anyway, the Cavs' hot streak - and particularly that trouncing of the Lakers - has several of the national commentators saying that the Cavs are back in the title picture. We'll let them believe that they are "back" ... but in truth, they never really left. John Hnat gives us The Good, The Bad, & The Summary of what was a great week of Cavaliers basketball.
December 29, 2009 - By Erik Cassano
The final year of the first decade of the 21st Century was, once again, devoid of world championships for Cleveland's teams. But even without trophies or rings, there was still plenty to remember from the sports year 2009 in Cleveland. From the good (anything involving LeBron James or Josh Cribbs) to the bad (another Tribe fire sale) to the ugly (Braylon Edwards slugging a friend of LeBron's, then getting traded) it was another eventful sports year on the North Coast. Erik Cassano has been counting down the top ten biggest Cleveland sports stories of 2009, and today, brings us his #4 moment.
December 29, 2009 - By Gary Benz
It's been a rough go of things for Randy Lerner as the Browns owner ever since he took over the reigns of the team after his father Al passed away. In Gary Benz's latest, he says this has a lot to do with the fact that Randy has been in over his head from day one. But with the hire of new President Mike Holmgren now official, Gary says Lerner has finally taken his first real step towards putting together a successful organization to overcome his weakness. Gary thinks this is a great first step. But that it's not enough. And that the next steps will be even harder.
December 28, 2009 - By Mitch Cyrus
Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed in film for years, but has been out of our collective consciousness since probably 1979 with Christopher Plummer playing the famed sleuth in "Murder by Decree". So director Guy Ritchie had an almost blank slate to work with when it comes to the movie-going public, at least, in updating the 19th century detective to appeal to 21st century audiences. So how would Ritchie deal with an iconic character that is at least familiar to most, and beloved by many? Mitch tells us in his latest movie review here at The Cleveland Fan.
December 28, 2009 - By Dave Kolonich
As Charlie Frye broke the Oakland huddle yesterday afternoon, a feeling somewhat unknown swept across Browns Nation - confidence. Our suddenly "peaking" Browns have now won three straight games, a number that is relatively astronomical, at least compared to the dark days of months past. And beyond the wins, the spirit of inspired, passionate football that has permeated the month of December is beyond measure. Who saw this coming five weeks ago? Dave Kolonich checks in this morning to give us his thoughts on the Browns third straight win, yesterday's 23-9 home victory over the Raiders.
December 28, 2009 - By Brian McPeek
It's been a rough 2009 for Cleveland sports. But what a finish to the year for this beaten down fan base. The Browns and Cavaliers put a heckuva bow on this stinker of a year over the past week, as the Browns built off the Steelers win with wins at Kansas City and a home win over the Raiders, and the Cavaliers rattles off impressive wins over the Kings, Lakers, and Rockets. In The Weekend Wrap, Peeker gives us his thoughts on the encouraging play by the Browns, the resurgent Cavaliers, and also takes a look ahead to this Friday's Rose Bowl between the Bucks and the Ducks.
December 28, 2009 - By Jesse Lamovsky
Sunday night's meeting with the visiting Houston Rockets at the Q had "Trap" written all over it. And for the first few minutes of Sunday's game the Cavaliers were flat. They spotted Houston an early twelve-point lead and were noticeably less active than the Rockets and their water bug of a point guard, Aaron Brooks. But it didn't take long for Cleveland to flex its newfound muscle. The Cavaliers ate up Houston's lead and then exploded early in the second half on the way to a decisive 108-83 victory. Jesse recaps the win.
December 27, 2009 - By Gary Benz
In a game that served mostly as a series of reminders and what ifs, the Cleveland Browns beat a mistake-prone Oakland Raiders team 23-9. It was a reminder of one quarterback, Charlie Frye, sent packing two years ago, and another quarterback, Derek Anderson, sent to the bench several games ago. In the end, neither was much of the story, although Frye's 3 interceptions kept the Raiders from getting back into the game late. The victory was the Browns' 3rd straight in a season filled with mostly high drama and low execution, but where this all leads with Mike Holmgren coming aboard is anyone's guess. Gary talks about the game in his latest.
December 27, 2009 - By Paul Cousineau
With Paulie C's hands cramping from two days of putting together PlayMobil police cars and pirate ships (which apparently requires an advanced degree in engineering) let's roll right into a Lazy Sunday as Baby Watch 2009 continues and as his pleas to induce before the end of the calendar year (for the tax deduction obviously) continue to fall on deaf ears. In this edition, Paul hits on bad free agent signings, the lack of big bats in the AL Central, and other tidbits from the world of Indians baseball.
December 27, 2009 - By Brian McPeek
A blowout win over the previously unbeaten at home Phoenix Suns. A thrilling overtime victory in Sacramento over an emerging young Kings team. And the Christmas Day Massacre in Los Angeles over the defending champion Lakers. Just a week ago this team looked listless and like they were just going through the motions, rightfully drawing the ire of the Cavalier Nation. But they answered a lot of questions we had about them this this week. Brian McPeek is more than happy to eat a little Christmas Crow, and talks about this last week of Cavs basketball in his latest piece for us.
December 27, 2009 - By Jesse Lamovsky
The history of the NFL is rife with legendary quarterback duels. From the Sonny Jurgenson-Don Meredith shootouts of the �60s to the Dan Marino-Ken O'Brien bombardments of the �80s to the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning donnybrooks of the present, we've been treated to field generals raising their game, spurred on by the challenge of greatness. This naturally brings us to the newest in the annals of the great quarterback duels: Derek Anderson versus Charlie Frye. Jesse Lamovsky previews tomorrow's Browns/Raiders tilt.
December 26, 2009 - By Dave Kolonich
This time last year, the Browns were starting the likes of Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski at QB, with Syndric Steptoe and a barely upright Jamal Lewis in the backfield. The team energy was non-existent, coach Romeo Crennel's consistent mix of stoicism and cluelessness seemed to permeate through the locker room and Phil Savage was busy planning his next Alabama scouting trip and sending juvenile email replies to Bills fans. While this season got off to a disatrous start, progress has been made as of late, both on the field and in the front office. Dave Kolonich talks about it.