I’ve lived all of my life in Southwestern Ohio, bouncing back and forth between Dayton and Cincinnati. Cincinnati and Cleveland, of course, are bitter rivals when it comes to pro football. The Bengals and the Browns have been in the same division since 1970. They’ve played 85 times, and it’s been pretty evenly split – 46 wins for the Bengals, 39 for the Browns. Adding to the history of the rivalry is the fact that the same man, the legendary Paul Brown, essentially founded both franchises (well, he founded the "original" Cleveland Browns, not the 2nd version that was started up after the first one left for Baltimore, but you get the idea). Even though they’ve rarely both been good at the same time, it’s still a big rivalry. Who can forget former Bengals’ coach Sam "Wicky Wacky" Wyche’s famous announcement "You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"?
Where I currently live, just south of Dayton, you actually can find fans of both teams. The reason is that, even though the Bengals have existed for nearly 50 years, a lot of families in the area have deep roots that go back to pre-Bengals days, back when the Browns were the only team in Ohio. Cincinnati is certainly geographically closer (less than a 1 hour drive), but Cleveland’s less than 4 hours away. My wife and I went to Cleveland for a brief getaway recently, visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and had a good time.
When it comes to pro basketball in the area, even though Indiana and Detroit aren’t all that far away either, the Cavaliers are the team of choice. Sure, we once had pro basketball in the area with the Cincinnati Royals, but that was over 40 years ago, and the team has moved twice – to Kansas City, and then to Sacramento. The days of Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, and Jack Twyman have long since passed.
So, I am a Cavs fan. I’ve always rooted for them, going back to the very first season, in the days of coach Bill Fitch, John Johnson and "Bingo" Smith. I was especially fond of the Lenny Wilkens-led teams of the late ‘80’s/early 90’s – Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper, Larry Nance, Craig Ehlo, and (ironically enough) Steve Kerr, although Kerr wasn’t one of their primary stars. They generally made the playoffs, had a couple of seasons where they won 57 games, and got as far as the Eastern Conference finals, but couldn’t quite get over the hump.
One of the things that has gotten a lot of attention this year is the "Cleveland Drought" and the series of "curses" that has plagued the city. As has been well publicized, it has been more than 50 years since Cleveland’s last major sports championship, the Browns’ NFL championship in 1964. Well, unless you count the Lake Erie Monsters winning the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup this year. Recently, ESPN ran its 30 for 30 documentary "Believeland", which chronicles the woes of Cleveland sports over the past half century. I’m sure you know them well….."The Drive", "The Fumble", "The Shot", "The Decision", "The Move", "Red Right 88", and so on.
Despite facing the record-setting Golden State Warriors, the Cavaliers have managed come back from a 3-1 deficit to force a deciding 7th game. Although none of the games have gone down to the wire, it’s been an intriguing series with lots of drama both on and off the court, with suspensions, flinging of mouthpieces, a Twittering spouse, legendary games by James and Irving, players getting hurt (Love, Bogut, Iguodala). It’s certainly going to be one of the more anticipated NBA games of recent memory.
I don’t hate the Warriors. They’re a fun team to watch, although I have to say I can’t stand Draymond Green (he’s a terrific player, but he honestly annoys me to no end). It’s going to be tough for the Cavs to win a third straight game from the Warriors, especially on the Warriors’ home court. I suspect the Warriors will win, but I have a clear rooting interest in this series. Today, I am proud to say "Ich bin ein Clevelander"
Since Cleveland is also home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, I thought I would come up with a parody of that iconic American song, "American Pie". In that spirit, I offer this tribute to Cleveland sports, and the hope that the Cavs find a way to win (otherwise, the ending of my song goes for naught). So, with apologies to Don McLean, I humbly submit "Cuyahoga Pie":
A long, long time ago
I can still remember when Cleveland won, once in a while
The Indians in ’48,
In ’64, the Browns were great
As Jim Brown ran with power and with style
But by the banks of the Cuyahoga River,
Cleveland teams have been chopped liver
Fifty years have now passed,
Our spirits have been downcast
I can’t remember if I sighed
As I took each title chase in stride
The Shot, The Fumble, and The Drive
They tore….me up…inside
So, cheers, cheers to the Cavaliers
It's been dreary up by Erie for the past 50 years
You can sip your wine while I’m downing my beers
As I drink away the last of my tears….
Drink away the last of my tears.
Did you like the trade for Love?
And have you found yourself dreaming of
That magical kind of year?
Now in the home of Rock and Roll
A title is our common goal
Can’t you sense that the time is near?
I was there in ’48 when Feller ruled the mound
Good Kid Boudreau covered lots of ground
Gordon and Hegan sure could field
Bearden and Lemon wheeled and dealed
Then in ’54 the Tribe was so sublime
111 wins was a magic climb
But getting swept in the Series was a crime
How did Mays….ever catch…..that ball?
So now I’m singing
Cheers, cheers to the Cavaliers
It's been dreary up by Erie for the past 50 years
You can sip your wine while I’m downing my beers
As I drink away the last of my tears
Now for 17 years our football team
Has been rebuilt in a different scheme
Since the first Browns left for Baltimore
When Art Modell picked up and left
And carried out that awful theft,
It felt like it cut us down to the core
And, while we rooted for our new team
The Ravens went and reigned supreme
They grabbed the Super Bowl
And tore out our very soul
While we kept searching for new quarterbacks
The ones we had kept getting sacked
Our drafts kept on producing hacks
Can you…believe….Manziel?????
So now I’m singing
Cheers, cheers to the Cavaliers
It's been dreary up by Erie for the past 50 years
You can sip your wine while I’m downing my beers
As I drink away the last of my tears
In Akron, a new King arrived
Cleveland’s hopes would be revived
Could he be the answer to our prayers?
St. Vincent-St. Mary’s was his training ground,
He was the finest player, pound for pound,
With a skill set so diverse, and so rare….
And as we watched him on the court,
The finest in his chosen sport
We dreamed he would bail us out,
And end this awful drought.
In the lottery the Cavs picked first
No longer would they be the worst
LeBron would surely end the curse
Oh where, is my championship hat?
We started singing,
Cheers, cheers to the Cavaliers
It's been dreary up by Erie for the past 50 years
You can sip your wine while I’m downing my beers
As I drink away the last of my tears
So there he was now on our team
Times were great, we’re living the dream
They reached the finals in just his fourth year
LeBron was great, as he clearly showed
But he had no one to share the load
The Spurs were just better, that much was clear
And though they tried, they could not get back,
Not even when they brought in Shaq
The team never seemed to jell
They couldn’t break that title spell
And with hopes of a title beyond their reach
The King took his talents to South Beach
We begged and pleaded and beseeched
But he….still had….to go.
He was singin’….
Cheers, cheers to the Cavaliers
It's been dreary up by Erie for the past 50 years
You can sip your wine while I’m downing my beers
As I drink away the last of my tears
I met a fan from Shaker Heights
And asked about this awful plight,
But he just frowned, and turned away
So I went down to Old Brooklyn, too
Where I had seen Drew Carey, by the Zoo
But he didn’t know just what to say
And in the streets, the fans all asked
Would Love score, and could Irving pass?
And could LeBron still lead them?
Would he shoot or just feed them?
And the 3 icons we love the most
Feller, Brown, and Otto’s ghost
Watched game 7 on the West Coast
I hope...they win....it all
Then, they'll be singin'........
Hail, Hail to LeBron and the team
No more losing now we’re cruising and we’re starting to beam
From Parma up to Euclid you can hear all the screams,
The nightmare’s over and we’re living the dream
Go Cavs!