Hey, try not to suck any dick on the way through the parking lot!

So the Browns season is already rolling down hill after two days of camp. Our #1 free agent signing, maybe of all time, LeCharles Bentley tore his patella tendon and is out for the season. What makes this even worse is that we traded away Jeff Faine (last year’s starting center) so we’re bound to have Bob Hallen as our starter all season. Now I’m not saying Hallen is horrible, but we lost a guy who has been to 2 Pro Bowls in his first four seasons and is generally regarded as the best center in the league.

Some people may say its no big deal because he’s just a center. But that’s totally naive. To me, center is the most important position on the line. Yes, tackles protect the quarterback from the outside rush, but it’s the center that makes all of the line calls. And when you look at the fact that the Browns scored 4, yes 4, rushing TDs in all of 2005 this is a big loss. With a bulldozer like Bentley at center once you get inside the five-yard line you just give the ball up the middle and follow him into the end zone.

To say that I’m upset about this is a huge understatement. For a Browns fan, this is one of those things that makes you think things are going to start snowballing. First Bentley, then what, Andruzzi and Tucker go down. Winslow gets hurt again, Ted Washington breaks down, Wimbley turns into a bust, our DBs drop like flies again. It’s all a very real possibility.

Earlier this week I was convinced that we had a shot at the playoffs this season. Now I’m very much on the fence. Just another domino in the sad sack that has been Cleveland sports in 2006. The Cavs game 7 choke job against the Pistons and the Indians flop have been a good start to the year. The Browns are all I have to look forward to in the world of pro sports for this year. I’m going to go cry now.

The Ukraine is Weak

Since I’ve had absolutely nothing to do the last two days at work I figured that I’d post something. Now grant it many of the things I have to write about have occurred in the last month so bare with me.

The NBA Draft was pretty awesome, with the exception of the Cavs disregarding their need for a point guard. Shannon Brown will step right in and fill the role of the soon to be departed Flip Murray. A spark off the bench that this punch less team desperately needs. While I’m not totally against this pick, I was upset that they passed on Jordan Farmar. While I don’t think that Farmar is going to be an All-Star he would have been a huge upgrade over the two-headed monster that is Eric Snow and Damon Jones. He played for a coach that preaches defense and makes good decisions with the ball. And did I mention he can score? While Snow can still handle and defend his offensive attributes (which weren’t great to begin with) are lacking. Jones can still shoot from the outside but his handle and decision-making leaves much to be desired. Hence LeBron running the point when he’s on the floor.

And if this wasn’t enough the Cavs passed on Dee Brown in the second round to take on a project like Daniel Gibson. He’s basically the same player as Brown but with a much more erratic shot. I know they are hoping to teach him to run the point, but he couldn’t do it at Texas so why would anyone think he could make the switch in the pros? I’m not saying that Dee Brown would have stepped in and started for the Cavs, but he would have been great on the second unit. His speed and defense alone made him a great value in the 2nd round. Oh, and he can score, how nice would that have been?

I totally blew my NBA Finals pick. Dallas gave that series away, but the Heat’s veteran leadership and Wade took full advantage of Dallas’s miscues. It wasn’t the most exciting series, but it was worth watching.

LeBron has been sitting on his contract offer since Saturday. I’m not too worried about this. While I think that the Cavs wasted money on Z last season, they still have the means to improve the team (they should have given Z three years at the most). The two biggest needs on that team are a consistent power forward (Drew Gooden is not) and a decent point guard (which I alluded to above). Speedy Claxton (who just signed w/ the Hawks) would have been a nice fit. A pass first PG with the ability to put the ball in the hoop. As far as PF goes, the long term solution is Varejao. He’s still very raw but I think that over the course of a season he would be much more consistent (15 and 9) than Gooden (11 and 8, but multiple disappearing acts throughout the season, including the playoffs). Varejao’s per 48 minutes numbers were 11.6 pts and 12.2 boards. If he could put up numbers like that on a consistent basis it would take a lot of pressure off of LeBron and Z.

By signing Ben Wallace the Bulls basically bought a billboard that read “See Ya Tyson”. They do the exact same thing but Wallace does it better, with more consistency and energy. If this PJ Brown trade goes through the Bulls will be tough next season. Brown isn’t the dominated low post scorer they need but if he holds his career average (9 and 8) he will be a compliment to their wing players and Wallace. With all of the jumpers that team takes they need two guys who are good offensive rebounders. Brown and Wallace fit the bill. And don’t forget JR Smith from the Hornets deal. He and Gordon could be murder off of the bench for the Bulls. As long as Mike Sweetney doesn’t eat both of them first.

I’m pretty excited about Sunday’s World Cup Final. Not only is it a great match up of two classic powers, but I put $10 on France to win the whole thing before the tournament started. At 10-1 odds I’m looking at a nice payday.

Zidane has also shown that he is still one of the best playmakers in the world. With all of the talk about Brazil (thanks for showing up Ronaldinho) Zidane controlled France’s game against them. Culminating in his perfect free kick to Henry.

This has not been the best baseball season for me so far. The team I work for is floundering and the team I grew up loving (and still do) is horribly underachieving. For the first time during their run the Braves have no pitching. Their lineup is probably in the upper fourth of the NL, but the pitching is abysmal to say the least. The Indians are about the same way. They have one of the best lineups in baseball but the pitching just isn’t here once you get past CC. I’m glad to see them bringing up some young guys and giving them a chance to play. I still think they have a chance to make a second half run.

I’m going to Ohio in about a month for my buddy’s Bachelor Party/Wedding. I’m the best man (first time that’s probably ever been said) so I’m obviously in charge of planning this shindig. While I’ve been to Cleveland on multiple occasions, its changed a lot since my college days. The Flats and Warehouse district are ghetto now, so I’m going to shoot for the 6th Street area. After getting my buddy loaded hopefully we’ll get him into a nice gentlemen’s establishment to finish off the evening.

I think that’s about it. Outside of celebrating Independence Day like any other red blooded American (by getting drunk off of my ass) it has been pretty boring around here. Danville’s not the most active place when it comes to nightlife. I long for the days of Sports Page (and its neighboring establishment), Chili’s, and the Dirty P. But I’m sure my liver appreciates it.