So anyways..

The Buckeyes are first in the Big-Ten.  I mean this is sweet..really sweet given next year was supposed to be the year, but I don't know.  It just sux our boys are really struggling.  9 points in the 4th.  Like the Cavalier at YAYsports was saying..

This is Cavalier basketball. Fourth quarter, close game. Why do you guys only play at 75% effort? Just try hard all the time. Why are you making this so difficult on yourselves?

Amen Brother.   And I think this snapshot (taken by tko9er during last night's press conference) sums up LeBron's feelings on all of this nonsense quite nicely...

 

Two Words..

Free Throws..and he knew it..



UPDATE:  So after a very disappointing weekend of basketball I am a little disheartened. LeBron knew Friday was his fault due to his poor poor shooting from the line (not to mentioned his 0-8 from the field in the 2nd half).  I am not saying the boo's were needed, but the guy def messed up bad.  And with that kind of loss going into 2 back-to-back games vs. Rock City, you just knew its gonna be a long week. 

Yesterday was no better.  30 points at half.  This game was not even close and our team just looked lost.  It was not pretty and at times a flip to the MSU vs IU game was needed.  I mean I don't really know what to say about this one given how we played plus tonight's rematch.  I am hoping we can recoup our pride at home or else the boo's might return with a peformance like yesterday.  Shall see..

And the Cavs pick up...

And the trade deadline has now come and gone.  While the ABJ, Mike Brown & Danny Ferry said nothing was in the works, I was still hopeful.  But apparently they weren't kidding.  The team is pretty much intact (well if by intact you mean chalked full of injuries).  The only news out of Thurs was the acquisition of Ronald 'Flip' Murray from Seattle for little Mike Wilks, a second-round pick and $500,000.  NBA front-office sources say the deal, which is awaiting league approval, is expected to be announced later Thursday.

And that..is it..

UPDATE:  Since I wrote this, we picked up Lee Nailon & a 2006 2nd round draft pick from the 76ers for our 2006 2nd round pick.  Lee has been around as he is averaging a new team each year.  Lee will be backing up Drew and Anderson. 

And thanks to ESPiN, here is a brief history of our nomadic 2006 2nd round pick: 

The second-round pick that Cleveland sent to Philadelphia has now been traded three times. Cleveland originally sent it to Orlando in a deal for Martynas Andriuskevicius, then got it back from Orlando in a swap for the second-round pick the Cavs received from the Bucks in the Jiri Welsch trade. By acquiring Philadelphia's pick, the Cavs also acquire the option to swap second-round picks with New Jersey -- a remnant of an earlier Marc Jackson trade in which he went from the 76ers to the Nets.

The 2nd Half Begins..

And so tonight begins the second half of the NBA season as our Cavaliers take on the Magic.  But this isn't just any game..it's Anderson Varejao wig night.  So if more than 6,638 fans sport the Anderson mop at the same time, Cavs fans will trump the wig-wearing record set in April at a Detroit Pistons game...awesome.   I know this won't count towards the world record event, but I will be wearing my black afro wig in honor.  Let's hope we can start this half on the right foot with a victory and a world record. 

So we are in the exact same spot as last year with a 31-21 record and 30 games left in the season.  Like paulev7 mentioned, if we can go 15-15, to finish at 46-36, that would probably get us the 4 seed.  Second round is another story, but let's take this one step at a time.  Overall, this is not last year's team and not only I, but the King also believes:

"The records are similar, but the team is not similar, the chemistry is not similar and the mind-set is not similar," James said. "This is a totally different team, and we're not worrying about falling off like we did last year. We're a better team because we've been able to win games on the road, and we weren't able to do that last year."

It's going to be quite a challenge without Larry for the rest of the season, but we can do this...rather we have to do this.

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Also, this is a great tidbit from the PD about probably my two favorite people in the NBA...Bron & Cuban:

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA today, but James will become the best later. Cuban also said James is mature beyond his years.

"LeBron looks like he's 40 years old," said a smiling Cuban. "When he's playing grandpa in those Nike commercials, he doesn't even have to wear makeup. . . . [Cavs owner] Dan Gilbert has done a good job of putting things together, and he's hired some good people to help him with that. Everything looks on track, and you couldn't have a better foundation [than] with LeBron."

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Finally, there as an article in the NY Times about the Akron Zips on Sunday.  Obviously, this has something to do with the AK Assassin.  It's a What-If LeBron was a junior at Akron U  story..please.  To save everyone some time, LeBron ends the article with this ever-so truthful quote:

"Did I ever imagine playing with them at the University of Akron?" James said. "I don't think so. I think I made the right decision by coming to the N.B.A., and I think those guys made the right choice by going to the University of Akron. So, imagining playing with them again, maybe in my dreams, but not in reality."

LeMVP

Oh the King.  Ya know it just feels unfair at times.  Even surrounded by the modern greats of NBA basketball, it just seems so effortless.  The kid quietly racked up his 29 point effort.  Granted, this is the all-star game and well..it's the all-star game, but still to dominate in this manner at his age.  Well, it's LeAmazing. 

On a different note, earlier today I watched the 1993 All-Star game on ESPiN Classic.  You know - the one with Price, Daugherty, & Nance.  This was a golden time for Cleveland basketball.  We had a respectable team with heart.  Granted we didn't have that final piece to bring us home, but this was the standard for Cavs basketball.  Never had the team had this much talent on the court.  It was a joy to watch those 3 play together.  And honestly, it was a joy for me to witness them once again in the 93 all-star game. 

So that brings us to the present day.  And LeBron is King.  And tonight was just one more reminder of how special this kid is.  From the intro's with LeBron throwing up the Dynasty Symbol to the final moments of the weekend where the King held that MVP trophy high, it was obvious to the world how much this boy from Akron is not like the rest.  He was the best overall player on the court and I can't even begin to imagine how good this kid is going to be in another 5 years.   Personally, I feel lucky that he is a Cavalier and my buddies and I get to write about him constantly.  That is the real deal. 

Earlier today I reminisced of all the great memories I had from the days of Price, Nance, & Daugherty, but it seems in one fail swoop (rather 3 hours), the Chosen One had pushed it all away.  LeBron is the now and he is going to re-write the history of Cavs basketball. 

In Ohio we are all aware of this saying, but now it's the NBA's turn.  Just know that:

"We are all Witnesses"

What a Life..

Check out this blurb posted on Deadspin yesterday about a new book by ESPN.com’s Chris Palmer called The Sixth Man.   Apparently, the book is an intimate look into the closely guarded circles of 5 NBA stars as the author tries to paint a picture of the soul of the modern athlete.  Those 5 athletes are:  Rip Hamilton, Tracy McGrady, Luol Deng, Damon Jones, and Elton Brand. 

Enjoy this little tidbit about our buddy:

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LeBron James has made his entrance, dressed in jeans and Timberland boots. At his side are his three best friends from Akron, Ohio—Randy, Maverick, and Shorty. They roll everywhere together, calling themselves the 4 Horsemen. Each owns a pair of Air Force Ones with little Four Horsemen logos on the heels compliments of Nike. Talk about limited edition. Tonight the foursome dons Four Horsemen letterman jackets with their names embroidered on the front. They also have a fifth in tow: New Orleans Hornets rookie J.R. Smith. Every now and again, LeBron taps him on the shoulder to point something out. J.R. smiles and nods. The rest of the time he stands there with his hands in his pockets.

As far as I know, Smith has no earthly connection to James. They did not go to camp together in high school or play in the same prep all-star game. One wears Nike. The other adidas. But a few months back, I noticed that LeBron often raises his hands above his head after a big play, palms outward, index fingers and thumbs touching to create a spade. Jay-Z uses this gesture to promote his Roc-A-Fella Records empire. LeBron and Jay are friends. The rapper often calls the player’s Horsemen buddies to check up on them. And then, one night on SportsCenter, I saw Smith flash the Roc sign, too.

For young players like Smith, being linked to LeBron is the height of cool. Sebastian Telfair showed me LeBron’s number in his cell phone when he was a senior in high school. But older guys liketo be associated with him, too. When the Four Horsemen left their courtside seats during a playoff game last year, in a move that smelled of desperation, Robert “Tractor” Traylor stepped in the LeBron’s path to make sure he got a pound. Before boarding a team bus at the Finals, Kobe talked with LeBron for a good two minutes, which is longer than I’ve seen him talk with anyone. “Keep it up,” he said, before sending LeBron off with a satisfied smile on his face.

Now there are so many well-wishers crowding LeBron, I find myself craving space. I make my way to the front of the room just as Nelly and the St. Lunatics are claiming the stage. In the player VIP section, Allen Iverson two-steps up a storm to “Hot In Herre.” Marcus Camby chats with a league official nearby. Quentin Richardson is whispering in the ear of his fiancee, the recording star Brandy. Behind me, Gilbert Arenas is sporting a small fur. “He looks like he borrowed that coat from his grandmother,” quips Elena.

I head to a bar for a drink. When I return, I can’t find Elena. At 5-foot-even, she’s easy to lose at NBA parties. I have no trouble, however, spotting my friend Jack Stevens, who handles security for the Wizards. When Tim Thomas played in Milwaukee, Stevens was his personal bodyguard. His duties included living in Thomas’s house and driving Thomas’s silver Bentley. The two had a falling out when Thomas was traded to the Knicks. So now Stevens lives with the Wizards’ Peter Ramos. The 7-foot-3 project from Puerto Rico certainly doesn’t own a Bentley.

Stevens stands as stiffly as ever, feet shoulder-width apart, arms folded, eyes darting side to side. If there’s a Wizard in the room, he’s on call.

“There’s Gilbert right over there,” I tell him.

“Where?”

I point to the grandmother coat and Stevens takes off in that direction, resuming his stance a few feet away from the Wizard’s guard. It’s Damon Jones who can really use his help, though. He nearly gets crushed when Shaq’s extra-large posse brushes up against the crowd of LeBron worshippers. I believe something similar happened to Donkey in Shrek 2.

As soon as the house lights come up, LeBron and his boys make a quick exit, findinga safeperch near the top of the stairs in the lobby where they can watch the revelers spill into the night. LeBron looks like a king on his thrown sitting up there, surrounded by his court. But poor J.R. Smith is lost in the fray below.

“What’s up, J.R.? Chris Palmer, ESPN The Magazine.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember you,” he says.

We’d met at a few of his high school all-star games.

“You rolling with LeBron now?”

“That’s my man. He said he was down to roll tonight so I wanted to come with him. We’re cool. We’ve been boys for awhile.”

Even at 6-foot-6, J.R. barely merits a second glance from this crowd—not until LeBron descends from on high to reclaim him.

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LeBron goodness

Hello out there.  I just want to let everyone know that the past few weeks have been quite busy and topping that off with a case of mono, LeBlog has been out of commision.  But I think I am ready to get this thing back into full swing. 

Let's start off with..hmm..how bout the AK Assassin.  Speaking of this nickname, YAYsports!, the top NBA blog on the net, actually linked to LeBlog in honor of the King's new nickname.  It's great to know that the top NBA blogger is indeed a Cavs fan with a slight man-crush on the Chosen One.  It's not ok to skew the media unless it's related to LeBron..I mean that's a given.  So the King..well last night was cash money as he racked up yet another TD.  His shooting from the line was hurting as it has been recently, but overall he played marvelous.  The Cavs were able to win out this week and now get a nice rest till next Tuesday vs the Darko-full Magic. 

As tko9er noted the other day, Upper Deck is releasing a set of 4 figures based on The LeBrons commercials (pic below).  There are still some sets available for a cool $180.  Also, if you notice on that page there is a little promotion going on in which Upper Deck is taking the number of points scored by LeBron each night through the end of the season and applying that total as a percent off Bron Bron autographed material.  So if you got cash lying around for a $800 autographed LeBronson Pinchot jersey then go for it ($800 before the promotion that is). 

In trying to outdue Bron's real momma, Eddie Jackson, the King's surrogate father, punched a woman in the eye late Saturday night after a nice evening in the beautiful Cleveland Flats.  As a reminder 3 weeks ago, Gloria James pleaded not guilty in Akron Municipal Court to charges of driving while intoxicated while getting into a physical and verbal altercation with police.  I still think the edge goes to the momma.  LeBron - I don't blame ya for not talking to the media. 

And finally, Feb 5th marked the year anniversary of this here blog.  Gracias to all my buddies for helping out over the year and hopefully this year we can increase the love. 

Part 3 - Tribe & Buckeye Extras

Lastly, tomorrow officially starts the Indians season.  Pitchers and catchers report for the first day of spring training and I couldn’t be more excited.  A full preview may come later in the spring, but for now, I leave you with this.   

I know we’re still missing some pieces, but I like what we got and feel we’re still a potential 90+ win team.  Our core nucleus of players returns, and if we can win some more 1-run games, take a few more from the White Sox, then we should be there fighting for a playoff spot in September.  As much as last year’s collapse sucked, it was a hella fun season, and I look forward to seeing what Shapiro, Wedge and the guys can do in 2006.  GO TRIBE!! 

and finally:  Teddy Freakin Ginn

and one more thing..Jim Tressel's "otha" life

Part 2 - OSU Basketball

Aaron returns for round 2..

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I had the chance to travel down to Columbus on Sunday for the Bucks blowout of top ten Illinois.  I hadn’t been to the Schott since the 01-02 season, and I must say the place was a rocking.  The student section was going nuts, the place was packed, and everyone was amped up for a big OSU basketball game.  And what the crowd got was an unreal performance from a very good and talented OSU team.  Foster and Butler went nuts from the three-point arc, dropping 11 of 14 combined.  The team as a whole hit 13-23, which is just ridiculous.  Dials tore up the middle, grabbing 16 boards and 19 points.  A very balanced attack.   

So last week, the Bucks beat two very good Big 10 ball clubs, hitting 28-47 from behind the arc in the two games.  Of course hitting 50% of three point shots will not happen every game, but if we could consistently hit 40% we have a good chance of winning the Big 10, maybe the Big 10 tourney and make some noise in the tourney.  This team actually reminds me a lot of the 1999 Final 4 team.  We have a second year coach with a core of players that are playing well, maybe even overachieving.  They believe in themselves, have come out of nowhere, and are playing with so much confidence, nothing seems impossible.  I can’t wait for March!!  First though, a big game in Wisconsin tonight.  O!H! 

On a different note, the ruling came down in the Jim O’Brien madness, and it may surprise everyone that O’Brien won.  

The judge in the case stated the infraction made by O’Brien was minor and did not warrant a contract termination.  Hmm . . . I don’t know exactly what to think about this.  Jimmy O was a good coach who helped revive OSU basketball, and I hate to see him punished for being a good person (giving money to a recruit who’s father was dying and couldn’t afford medical treatment).  But rules are rules, and if OSU was wrong in terminating the contract, then they oughtta pay up.  And it looks like the infraction was so minor, that the team should not face any more sanctions.  But that’s a different matter all together.

Part 1 - Goodbye Larry

Since I am down for the count, fellow LeBlogger Aaron is takin over on the updates for now:

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All right, in honor of our sick LeBlogger, I’ve decided to post a nice summation on the state of Ohio athletics.  It hasn’t been the greatest week, that’s for sure, so let’s start with the bad first.

By now, we all know that our #2 has just had his second operation on his finger this season, and is out till at least the end of game 82, with a slight possibility that he could return in time for the playoffs.  Not cool, not cool at all.  So what’s this mean for out beloved Cavaliers?   

Well first off, we’ll have to continue to play without our second leading scoring.  The hope was that we’d be able to play at .500 without Larry, and we’ve done just that.  But a .500 team is not what the Cavaliers wanted with this season.  We had hopes of going deep into the playoffs, and without Larry, this team could be in trouble.  I’d like to think we’ll have some players step up, but the bottom line is, the entire team is ailing, with Jackson now out, and Ira fighting a facial infection.  What we need is for LeBron to continue playing like LeBron and the rest of the team to turn it up a notch.   

In terms of the long-term substitute for Larry, it looks like it’ going to Sasha, who has to continue playing strong offensive basketball and get his defensive game under control. Sasha is our best replacement at the 2, and has shown that he can score 12-14 points a night, but he has also shown that he cannot control his defensive game, and foul out with 6 points.   

But then there is the fear that our team is overextending itself right now.  Our core is playing way too many minutes to make it through 82 games.  I like the way the frontcourt is sharing minutes, but our only player to replace the 1-3 is Damon Jones.  And while DJ is playing a bit better lately we need another piece.  Stephen Graham seems to be a nice pickup, and hopefully can play some solid minutes, but right now it appears we’re going to need to make a move.  What that is. . . only our man Danny Ferry will know.  I’d hate to lose someone from our current core, so maybe we dangle some draft picks out there, I don’t know.  I just don’t know.   

What I do know is this time last year we were in nearly the identical situation, and we all know how that ended.  LBJ can’t do it by himself, and needs some more players to complement his game.  We all hoped Larry could come in and be that piece, but now we have to move on and play without him.  And I don’t want to hear any talk about Larry’s past medical record, because the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter right now.  We have to make due with what we have, battle it out every night, and get to the playoffs.  I still feel we’re a good team, that should be in the playoffs regardless, but our chance of being there in the final 4 of the Eastern Conference hinges on our ability to find someone to help share the scoring burden with LBJ.

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Pluto and Windhorst discuss Larry

All Hail the King

 = 

Not good..

Well first I would just like to apologize for not keeping this blog more up-to-date.  The life of leblog has been crazy busy over the past week so I was looking forward to the Friday game vs the Wiz as a nice, relaxing night and more importantly a victory.  But that was not the case. 

After two wins early in the week, our boys were on a roll and I was ready for them to head into DC and stomp the Wiz.  Last year was rough as we folded vs the Wizards around playoff time.  But now our team was looking good as Sasha is playing real well and Bron Bron continues to be the Assassin.  Pre-game talk on the radio and in the paper commented how the Cavs should bring this one home even without iHughes.  I was psyched.

So the game began and after one quarter this was looking like a great night of basketball.  Even with Bron off in the first half, it seemed like we were gonna be ok as the points were distributed nicely.  Damon, Donyell, & Sasha were nailing em from outside.  And Gooden was definetely earing his paycheck.  All was well even though the game was basically tied.  Given the game was that close, people around me started talking some trash.  Clothed in Cavs gear from head to toe I expected to get harassed, but Friday was rough.  It turns out I was surrounded by the 'real' Wiz fans.  I sat up top for the first time and it seems that's where the real DC bball fans are..shocking.  The topic of iHughes leaving was still a very sore subject so I made sure to pour a little salt on that wound.  Surprisingly, they had no comment and were psyched he was not playing now, but definetely not looking forward to seeing him in the rematch in April. 

So I survived the halftime trash and with our team off to a lead early in the third I kept on dishing it.  Bad move..  So Bron kept missing and missing..alot.  He not only let me down but disappointed all the little kids sporting his jersey by shooting 6 of 23.  Man that sux.  And the team was mad frustrated.  Z as everyone knows just went nuts.  I have never seen that rage come out.  From my point of view you could even seen Z knock over a table heading to the locker room.  He was pissed and should be as the charging call was indeed BS.  And it just got worse for me and our boys..

It got to a point where I was getting harassed from everyone around me.  Women, men, kids...not cool.  Luckily some Cavs fans moved to my section for a better view and helped receive some of the smack.  See the beauty of it is that their team is still way worse off than us so I didn't give a crap.  In fact, I didn't care about the smack talk regardless, but I wish we could have made the second half more of a game.  The second half was awful on our end and with Arenas trying to prove the NBA he was rightfully snubbed from the All-Star game it got nasty.  That guy is damn good and personally would look great as #0 in a Cavs uniform.  So no one was hitting any shots, yet we still kept launching 3's like it was the night of Feb. 18.  We have to stop with this 3 point strategy.  Granted I was psyched we were hitting 3's in the first half, but knew we couldn't keep it up.  With no one hitting shots and no Center it got ugly.  I stuck around till the end even though it was over early in the 4th.  Sux..

So the game as sad and according to tko9er the Golden State loss was even more pathetic.  Great weekend guys.  With the Spurs and Eva Longoria in town tomorrow, It's not gonna get any easier. 

Wild Thang... You make my heart sing

Little review action from last night thanks to masug24:

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It was ugly early on and it looked like the Cavaliers were on their way to another losing streak. Luckily, Michael Redd was cold in the first half and somehow, we went into halftime up by seven.  In an interview over the weekend, Mike Brown noted that we’re not just streaky game to game, but also quarter to quarter, which will be a problem come playoffs.  Hopefully when Hughes returns we’ll have another reliable force on the court, and we can start playing consistently for 48 minutes every night.

But back to the game… We slowly built a lead and were up double digits late in the fourth.  Redd got hot, and Simmons hit a few crazy shots to put the Bucks up one, and we all started to sweat.  Bucks up one, 18 seconds left, the ball is in the Assassin’s hands and I’m waiting for LeBron to put up an ill-advised jumper.  But Bron did what Bron does best and took the ball to the hole, flying past Bobby Simmons, faking a dish to Yell and laying it up with his left hand untouched.

Then, out of the jungle, came Wild Thing, who switched onto Redd off a pick and took an obvious charge, crashing to the floor amidst insanity in the stands. Varejao drew four offensive fouls in the game, including a flop when Bogut put a forearm to his chest.

So the Cavs take it up the floor and the Bucks take their last foul to give.  Inbound to Bron, who is triple teamed, and somehow he gets the ball to Marshall before getting fouled.  Marshall brings it home and the Cavs are up three.  The Bucks miss at the offensive end and the clock runs out.  Cavs win a thriller 89 – 86 to win an important season series against the Bucks, 3-1.

Observations:

1.  Bron makes two nice plays in the last twenty seconds of the game.  I almost wish they had fouled him on the Cavs last possession to see if he could’ve made the free throws.  In any case, he came through in crunch time, which he needs to learn how to do before April.

2.  Donyell has Damon Jones syndrome and can’t buy a bucket from outside. He took it inside a few times, but he has that ability that Damon didn’t.  He needs to remember that he’s a big dude and can take the ball inside when he’s cold from the arc.

3.  Damon is better when he plays with the flow of the game.  He didn’t spend much time camped out at the three point line last night and made some nice drive and dishes (and ended up with 4 assists).

4.  Andy looked more comfortable at the free throw line than in his first few games. The thing I like most about him is how much he frustrates opponents with his “sacrifice my body” style of play.  Let’s just hope he doesn’t start dying his hair and wearing women’s clothes.

5.  Snow had four boards, but mishandled one and missed a few open shots.  He’s been rebounding well lately, but I think it’s more being in the right place at the right time than it is actually crashing the boards.

Alrighty then..

First off..NFL football needs to get their act together.  Last night was painful to watch and the whole experience (the game, halftime, pre-game, commercials) was simply below average.  I mean this is the biggest "event" of the year right?  Pro football is the most popular sport in America and the Super Bowl is it's biggest stage so one would expect (and should expect) a lot from the season's final matchup.  But I think the general consensus was a poorly officiated, unexciting game with a truely half ass attempt at a half-time show (did the Stones really try to play a new song?), an undeserving MVP, and just lame commercials.  I mean one of the best commericals was a blatent rip-off of a scene from Wedding Crashers.  Honestly, that 'special' Grey's Anatomy advertised the whole game was prob just as good. 

Anyways, I shouldn't have expected anything more and it's my fault for putting any trust in the most overhyped sporting event.  So I figured today would be ok, but now I wake up to find out the Cavs are now down one more player.  Mr. Duck himself fractured his wrist in the loss Saturday to the 76ers.  So Luke is out 7 weeks, but the good news is that he will miss less time this season than last.  Great huh?  

So that's the deal.  Saturday vs the Sixers offered an insane dunk by LeBron in which I felt like he just floated in air.  The one where he drove to the right side then dunked it along the baseline.  Def thought a layup was coming until that extra few secs of air.  It reminded me of Prince in the Chapelle Show skit..man that was awesome.  So about the game itself...we had our chances and dominated in the opening quarter, but after that we just started to turnover the ball..alot (11 times in the 2nd quarter).   We went down and while only down a few points for most of the game, we couldn't close the gap.  It didn't help that both Iverson and the Cheater were on fire.  In the end, we just lost it. 

Tonight the Bucks are in town so let's hope to rebound.

Just didn't want it..

I am too exhausted right now to dive into this game, but overall tonight was not pretty.  We gave up in the 2nd quarter allowing a 22-0 run then fought back to get it within 9..then once again decided to fold with ease in the 4th quarter.  Son of a.   For anyone who watched, the reasons for the loss could be attributed to many a factors.  Poor shooting, no defense, the idea that Z was gone for the game...it was bad.  But 7 is a row is nothing to be ashamed of.  Hopefully we dont follow our trend of winning 8-9 then losing the same amount. 

Anyways, it's been a long week as I am sure you have noticed by the lack of posts. So on that note..if anyone has something to write about the cavs or any ohio sports please dont be shy and send me something.  There is a crew of 3 or 4 guys who do that now, but I would gladly post writing from anyone.  Def don't be shy.  Any efforts to make this a group blog is what LeBron would want...it's all about the team. 

So that's that.  Game sucked and the winning streak is over.  With Phila and the Bucks around the bend it's not gonna get any easier..

Signing Day

Today is a big day in the world of college football and here with a report on the Buckeye's signings is paulev7 who is reporting live from the internet:

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This year, OSU had another solid signing day, bringing in twenty players.  They have filled some key positions and didn't over extend scholarships- which means more will be available next year, so that there are balanced classes with seniors every year.  Let's look at some of the highlights:

QB- Antonio Henton.  Atlanta player of the year could be a Troy Smith clone.  Nice balance to go with our drop-back passers. 

RB- Chris Wells, from LeAkron.  Some view as the top player in country.  Big, powerful back.  When training, compared to LeBron James for his man-like body at 18. 

WR- Ray Small.  His coach, Ted Ginn, calls him "III" (as in TGIII). 

TE- Adam Miller and Jake Ballard.  Both are big and move well.  Both could be moved to OL, which would showcase their footwork.

OL- Connor Smith.  Some consider him the best lineman in the midwest.  Will be a very good guard.  Could play right away if OSU needs depth.

DL- Robert Rose.  Big and fast, also coached by Ted Ginn.  May become next great rush end at OSU.  Raw (only played for a few years), but tremendous athlete. 

LB- Best Class in the Country.  Ross Homan, Mark Johnson, Thaddeus Gibson, Larry Grant, and Tyler Moeller.  None of them is ranked number 1, but all are considered within the top 25.  All appear to be football players more than athletic talents (but still are fast). 

DB- Kurt Coleman.  Super fast, good tackler, good size.  Could end up at WR, but if puts on a few pounds could be top CB. 

My take: these guys are all football players with solid track records.  Tressel also doesn't reach on bad academic risks either- he may take one, but not a lot like Cooper.  Some will play right, some won't get in until after a few years.  But this is another good class signed by Senator Tressel.

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Go Bucks!