Sign Kenny Lofton!

Kenny Lofton had three hits in his first postseason game with the Indians since 2001.

What could be a better move for this team than signing Kenny Lofton to a contract for 2008?

Lofton drove in 4 runs in the 12-3 Tribe victory over the Yankees in game one of the AL division series. The 4 RBI are a playoff career high for him.

On a team filled with part-time outfielders (Jason Michaels, Trot Nixon and David Dellucci) Lofton emerged as the best. By far. At 40 years old.

Lofton's stolen base in the inning gave him 33 for his postseason career, tying him for the all-time postseason lead with...Rickey Henderson.

In his third tour of duty, Lofton is arguably the most popular Indian. Standing ovations are the norm.

His first hit was a first-inning slap up the middle that scored two runs and gave the Indians the lead for good.

Kenny Lofton is a good-luck charm. His teams get to the postseason--as in 11 times in the past 13 years.

His second hit was another RBI single to center. This one gave the Tribe a 4 run cushion.

At the age of 40, Lofton can still motor around the basepaths. He still hits and steals bases and scores runs. He can still chase down fly balls. He can still pull a ball over the right field fence. He is a veteran presence on a young team. Most importantly, he gets on base (.367 OBP in '07).

His third and final hit was an RBI double to center, chasing home Ryan Garko and the Tribe's 11th run of the game.

The Indians should just do it. Sign Kenny Lofton to a one year contract with an option year for 2009. Give him about 5 million dollars to hit and run and get fans to the park. The move makes sense. The Indians have two talented outfielders in waiting in Ben Francisco and Shin Soo-Choo. Let a Cleveland legend hold down the fort until they are ready.

Go Tribe!

nwb

PS. In 1993 the Seattle Mariners traded future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel to the Indians in exchange for the no-hit, no-field Felix Fermin. 13 years later the Mariners wrapped up Asdrubal Cabrera with a bow and shipped him to Cleveland. The cost? The now retired Eduardo Perez. Thank you, Mariners, for sending us the second coming. In the second at bat of the first postseason game of his career, against the Yankees no less, Cabrera hit a huge solo home run in the third inning. Cabrera is batting SECOND in this series. Cabrera plays ball like a ten year veteran. Cabrera is 21 years old. Viva Venezuela.

Nate's Indians/Yankees Playoff Preview.

So it comes to this. The Indians of Cleveland versus those villianous and vile arch-fiends from the Bronx, the Yankees. What else could it have possibly been?

Fine. If I have to agonize while looking at Derek Jeter's goddam face, so be it. Let's start by forgetting the fact that the Yankees swept the season series six games to zip. Please. I don't want to hear a peep about the Indians being intimidated. They won't be intimidated and they won't be swept. Regular season's over Yankee fans. Gone. Goodbye.

Let the real games begin.

This should prove to be a great series. Of course if the Yankess win, I will vomit, cry, and vomit again. God forbid.

Before I begin my position by position analysis, let's make a little payroll comparison, shall we. The Indians squeezed 96 wins out of a $56,795,867 payroll. Very gratifying. The Yankees? They spent considerably more. This season a payroll of $198,662,180 bought 94 wins. 23 million went into Jason Giambi's 13 home runs. 22 mil. was dedicated to Roger Clemens and his two September starts. How many millions are they paying Carl Pavano to never start two games in the last two years? Why exactly does GM Brian Cashman still have a job? Christ, I hate the Yankees.

Series Overview

It boils down to this: The Indians have great pitching and suspect hitting. The Yankees have great hitting and suspect pitching. They say good pitching beats good...well, you know how it goes. But what about fielding? It's about as even as it gets on paper. Both teams sport a .985 fielding percentage and are among the best in the league. Bullpens? The Yankees' pen has blown seven more saves all year than the Indians'.

Now, down to the minutiae...

1B: Ryan Garko vs. Doug Mientkiewicz. I'm assuming that Mientkiewicz is going to play first, which has been the Yankee's flakiest position this season. Giambi has seen time there. So has Shelley Duncan. Guys named Shelley don't scare me. So, let's say Mientkiewicz. At this position, Garko is the much better hitter, especially with Mientkiewicz not at 100%. Mientkiewicz, however, is the superior fielder. Gimme the meat. Advantage: Garko.

2B: Asdrubal Cabrera vs. Robinson Canó. Yikes. All right. Canó is a big-time hitter. He's got a big arm, but let's face it: he's a hitter and, barring any unforseen circumstances, will be a longtime star in the league. With three years under his belt, he has a world of experience compared to rookie Asdrubal Cabrera, who will also be a star, sooner than later, and at shortstop. But this is about now, and it's about second base. Canó is established and has playoff experience. Cabrera does not. Cabrera has done nothing but impress since his midseason call up, and he is the best fielder on a good fielding team. Still...Advantage: Canó.

SS: Jhonny Peralta vs. Derek Jeter. This is a huge mismatch. I hate Derek Jeter, but he is a great hitter and an able, if slightly overrated fielder. Peralta is a good hitter and in the field, well let's just say he doesn't embarrass himself. Advantage: Jeter.

3B: Casey Blake vs. Alex Rodriguez. This is the biggest mismatch of the series. Rodriguez is a top five player of his era. He is a monster in every way (though no Brooks Robinson with the glove). Casey Blake? Everyone loves him and I get it--Blake plays hard. He's a great guy. He's competant at the plate and at many positions in the field. He was an integral part of this team's 96 wins. One could argue, however, that Rodriguez is the greatest player of all time. Blake doesn't normally even enter into the discussion. Advantage: Rodriguez. No, I won't call him A-Rod. Piss off.

LF: Kenny Lofton vs. Johnny Damon. Message to Eric Wedge: I don't want to see Jason Michaels ever in this series. Thank you. Johnny Damon is among the more annoying players in recent history. That said, he's awfully pesky. When he's good, he's very good. When he's at his best, he's no Kenny Lofton. Lofton is eight years older than Damon, but he still hits, runs and fields every bit as well and, this year, better. Advantage: Lofton.

CF: Grady Sizemore vs. Melky Cabrera. This is a giant advantage for the Indians. At bat, Cabrera is weak. He doesn't get on base much, doesn't hit for power and doesn't run. Grady does all of these exceptionally well even in an off year like this one has been. Both center fielders are young, but Sizemore is much further along at this point. Advantage: Sizemore.

RF: Franklin Gutierrez vs. Bobby Abreu. Abreu shook off a long slump and compiled over 100 RBI yet again. While his HRs and batting average were down from his usual, he is a major cog in this ferocious lineup. Gutierrez is a promising rookie with a long swing and some flaws as a hitter. There is no doubt he's a better option than Trot Nixon, but his playoff experience is zero and nil. In the field, though, he is much better than Abreu. Advantage: Abreu.

C: Victor Martinez vs. Jorge Posada. Though he plays for the biggest market there is, Posada seems to somehow have been underrated in his day. He's still a great hitter (.338, 20, 90 in '07!) and in the field he's no slouch. But we have a great hitting catcher of our own (.301, 25, 114), whose fielding has improved by leaps and bounds in this, a completely healthy 2007. Very close call, but if I'm picking a starting catcher, someone who is a great team leader, who knows how to handle a pitching staff as well as any in the league, who has a handshake for every occasion, it's gotta be...advantage: Martinez.

DH: Travis Hafner vs. Hideki Matsui. Matsui's bum knee relegates him to a DH role. That is no bad thing for the Yankees. They didn't call him Godzilla for nothing in Japan, and when the Yankees shelled out for his services, he repaid them in kind. His best season, however, is only slightly better than Travis Hafners' worst. In spite of a season long slump, I'll take one of the best hitters in the game as my DH. Advantage: Hafner.

No. 1 starter: C.C. Sabathia vs. Chien Ming-Wang. This is a duel between 19 game winners, but let's be realistic. If C.C. had Wang's run support, he would have won 23-25 games this year. Ever since he decided he was the Indians designated badass, I would choose Sabathia over any other pitcher in the league to start a playoff series. Advantage: Sabathia.

No. 2 starter: Fausto Carmona vs. Andy Pettitte. This is a more even matchup. Pettitte isn't what he once was. That's what the media keep saying, but it seems to me that a 15+ game winner with a 4.00 era is exactly what he has always been in an average year. And he's still a great competitor. Fausto is one of the more electric young pitchers in the game, having just won the ERA title and 19 games in just his second year in the league. Pettitte NEVER had a year like Fausto just had. This is a matchup of experience vs. arm. I'll take Fausto's arm with the confidence that Victor can keep him calm on the mound. Advantage: Carmona.

No. 3 starter: Jake Westbrook vs. (presumably) Roger Clemens. Roger Clemens. He's pitched 2 games and ten innings since September 1st. No doubt he will shut the Tribe out. I love Jake Westbrook, and let's hope his sinker is sinking on October 7th. Otherwise, Clemens and his 45 year old arm will somehow prevail. If he even pitches. 22 million for 18 games. Nice fucking team. Assholes. Advantage: Clemens.

Long relief/additional starter: Paul Byrd vs. Mike Mussina. Mussina has had an AWFUL year. Byrd was reliably competent, just what the Tribe signed him for. If these guys pitch, that means a starter has melted down. Advantage: Byrd.

Bullpen: Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt, Aaron Fultz, Jensen Lewis, Tom Mastny, etc. vs. Luis Vizcaino, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Myers, Bryan Bruney, Scott Proctor, etc. Perez and Betancourt are the ones that count, and they are worth the Yankee's pen put together. Advantage: Indians.

Closer: Joe Borowski vs. Mariano Rivera. I don't care if Rivera has had an off year. I don't care how old he is. He's one of the best closers of all time, and he's closed some of the biggest games. Borowski is walking heartburn. Advantage: Rivera.

Nate's official prediction: The Tribe has too much pitching. Fuck the Yankees. I hate them so very, very much. Indians win 3-1.

Nate Reads the Bible.

I'm no Christian. I never have been. That's not going to change anytime soon, but reading the bible is a project on which I've long meant to embark. Why? Well, roughly 80% of the US population is Christian. I wanna know why. Or at least I want to see what makes Christians tick. Moreover, as a student of literature, I recognize that the bible is an essential source text. I have a degree in English, but I have always felt my education somewhat lacking. Hell, aside from a few scattered passages, I have neglected the holy scripture altogether.

So here we go. My goal is as follows: I will dive into our Oxford Annotated Bible and react accordingly. I intend to read it straight through. As I'm sure this notion interests and benefits none but myself, I will endeavor to keep my posts short and succinct. I reserve the right to abort mission at any time.

nwb

Speaking of Christianity, McBone would like to say goodbye to Rex Humbard, a pioneering televangelist who made Akron his home. Alpha Rex Emmanuel Humbard, born to evangelical parents in Little Rock, Arkansas, died this month at the age of 88. His Cathedral of Tomorrow is now HQ to Ernest Angley and the world renowned Grace Cathedral. Humbard's legacy also includes an ugly concrete tower that was supposed to be a rotating restaurant but was only ever an ugly concrete tower.

Nate's Friday Sports Extravaganza!

Indians

Cheers to the Indians for clinching a playoff berth and zooming to the best record in the majors. Jeers to Joe Borowski for blowing his last two save opportunities, the second of which resulted in a loss that would have clinched home field advantage in the first round. No, seriously though, Borowski has been nothing short of terrific for this team, one whose season depended on having a solid bullpen. Borowski was signed to be a setup man. When Keith Foulke retired suddenly, all Borowski did was step in and save 43 games...and counting. His grade for the season? A-

And here's the rest of Nate's regular season report card:

The Dolans - The owners infamously don't spend much, it's true, but they must be given credit for letting GM Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge run the team their way, win or lose. Grade: B

Shapiro - He's the architect of this team, and he has found away around not having a Yankee sized budget to work with. His offseason was lackluster, but he did make the midseason Kenny Lofton deal that gave the team and the fans a spark. Grade: B+

Wedge - When this team wasn't hitting, he kept his cool. When the losses were piling up, he kept his clubhouse upbeat. He seems to have learned a lot in the past two seasons, which were disappointing for different reasons. This year, he's made the right moves. Grade: A

Grady Sizemore - He has a great on base percentage, and he's a graceful center fielder, but what the hell is up with all the strikeouts? His numbers are down from a year ago, but he is still a difference maker. Almost every game he will do something positive, and he's a joy to watch on the basepaths. He'll finish with about 80 RBI, which is huge. Grade: B+

Kenny Lofton - His arrival gave the team a big, veteran boost. He is still a favorite at Jacobs Field, where he gets the loudes applause of any player. Grade: A

Franklin Gutierrez - Inserting him into the lineup in place of Trot Nixon made a huge difference. He can hit and field, both of which Nixon can no longer seem to do. Grade: B+

Jason Michaels, David Dellucci and Trot Nixon - Why bunch them together? Because they're all great clubhouse guys who can't play. I'm not sure why we signed all these backup outfielders, and they sure haven't provided much on the field, but they are, to a man, professionals. Grade: D

Travis Hafner - A huge disappointment and the DH somehow manages nearly 100 RBI. The discussion of the Tribe's offensive futility starts right here. I still think Pronk has something physically wrong, but for all his struggles, he's managed to be relatively productive. Grade: C-

Ryan Garko - Now is my time to be smug. I said at the end of last year that this guy was our everyday first baseman. He's a born hitter who does nothing in the field to embarrass himself, which was the fear. I love Garko because: a) he hits and hits, b) he looks like he's having the time of his life playing baseball for a living, and c) he looks like a 1950s boxer. Grade: A-

Josh Barfield - I was elated by the offseason aquisition of Barfield. I thought Shapiro had really pulled off a coup. Turns out I was wrong. Barfield can pick it at second, but at the plate he looks like he's swinging a limp noodle for a bat. I still think he's got talent, but the sophomore jinx got him for sure. Grade: D.

Asdrubal Cabrera - I said it before, and I will say it again: Cabrera will never play in the minors again. He is already the best fielder on the team at any position, and he can handle a bat. He was tossed right into the middle of a pennant race and, like Lofton, provided a spark. He will be the shortstop of this club very, very soon. Grade: A

Jhonny Peralta - Sigh. What could be... If only he laid off the low and away pitch. If only he went to the opposite field more, where his true power is. Still it's hard to argue with 20+ homers and 70+ RBI at the shortstop position, where, incidentally, he has a great arm and no range whatever. Grade: B-

Casey Blake - Another consummate pro who fields whatever position he is asked to play and does not hit with runners in scoring position. Still, his impact is positive, and he'll come up with a big hit now and then. Grade: B

Chris Gomez - I admit I didn't even realize Gomez was still in the league. He has been a huge upgrade over Mike Rouse as a utility guy. He hits and fields well, which is all you can ask for. Grade: A

Victor Martinez - 111 RBI say it all. Great hitter who VASTLY improved his throwing this year. He relishes his role as the leader of a team with great chemistry. Indians co-MVP. Grade: A+

Kelly Shoppach - He has a power arm and he has even driven in a few runs. Really he is a superb backup who will be a starter someday, somewhere in the league. Grade: A-

C.C. Sabathia - Along with Victor, he is the MVP of this team. Sometime last year, C.C. decided he was going to be the ace of this staff. Since then he has been pretty much unhittable. Great arm with an attitude to match. Grade: A+

Fausto Carmona - From 1-10 last year to 19-9 this year. When he failed so crashingly as a closer last year, I had him pegged for a headcase with a great arm. Well, I'm an idiot. Fausto is a born starter, and he makes hitters look bad. Grade: A+

Paul Byrd - In spite of recent struggles, Byrd has been very, very solid. He never walks a batter and never gives in, even when the bases are littered. Has been as good this year as he was bad last year. Grade: B

Jake Westbrook - I've always been a Westbrook fan. I love how he works fast and goes right after guys. His injuries this year really set him back, but he has rounded into shape. In the playoffs he is my number 3 starter. Grade: C+

Aaron Laffey - He's held down the number 5 spot in the rotation, but he doens't inspire awe. Ideally Cliff Lee or Jeremy Sowers are starters, not Laffey. Grade: C

Lee and Sowers - What happened to these guys? Grade: F

Aaron Fultz - He has pitched well enough in non-pressure situations. Overall he's been a reliable lefty out of the pen, but clearly Wedge doesn't trust him with the game on the line. Mostly he's come as advertised, which is average. Grade: C

Tom Mastny - It seems a decade ago that Mastny was a sort of last ditch closer, though it was but a year ago. Now he's a long relief righty that has been mediocre. Grade: C

Jensen Lewis - I like Lewis' arm. He throws hard and all his stuff moves and his effectiveness of late has gained the trust of Wedge. He could certainly have a future on this club if he keeps it up. Grade: B

Rafael Perez - He has been a lights-out southpaw. That he didn't make the club out of spring training shows how flaky bullpens are. Unhittable this year against batters from both sides of hte plate. Grade: A+

Rafael Betancourt - He's the MVP of the bullpen. Betancourt has always been a proficient reliever with a big arm. This year he has been the glue of the pitching staff. Now he's as focused and as nasty as I've ever seen him. His immutable presence on the mound is impressive, but I loved his emotional reaction after closing out the playoff clinching game against Oakland. Grade: A+

Roberto Hernandez, Jason Stanford and Fernando Cabrera (what an arm, but alas...) - Yuck. Grade: F

Cavaliers

This week McBone mourns the loss of Ted Stepien, who, along with Art Modell, represents the absolute nadir of Cleveland sports ownership. Stepien, who very nearly cost the city our basketball team, died September 1oth at the age of 82. During his tenure as owner, the Cavaliers compiled a record of 66 - 180. By trading high draft picks for crap players, Stepien robbed the team of all talent, but was visionary enough to pipe polka into the Richfield Coliseum.

Browns

That the kick was blocked is irrelevant. The game against the Raiders should never have come down to a field goal. Somehow, the Browns didn't show up to a game against a horrible team that would have put them above .500 for the first time in what seems like 45 years.

Good luck against Baltimore.

nwb

Nate's unreasonable prediction of the week.

An Indian will actually be awarded a postseason honor (Sabathia. Cy Young).

Ten Things I Hate

Hate. It's a strong word and one of the most overused in the English lexicon. Let's face it, when it comes to our everyday speech patterns, we love to hate. But what is hate, really? Dictionary.com's entry for hate reads as follows: to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward.

I think the key word here is extreme. Hate is an extreme word that should, in reality, be reserved for things that truly elicit an extreme emotion.

With this in mind, I have compiled a list of things for which I feel an extreme aversion.

1. George W. Bush - His legacy will speak for itself: an unjustified war, tax cuts for the wealthy, abetting the energy industry, thwarting environmentalism, repressing gays, bungling Katrina, cronyism, torture, wiretapping, paranoia. Lately? He has vowed to veto a bill that will expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program by 35 billion dollars over 4 years, allowing 4 million of our nation's uninsured children to be covered. Meanwhile we hemhorrage billions into a bullshit war.

2. The New York Yankees - The Evil Empire of sports. Vile. Ruthless. Dispicable. For 100 years the Yankees have tortured my Indians and other rival baseball clubs, winning 39 pennants and 26 World Series since their inception in 1901. In recent history they have earned a playoff berth in 13 consecutive seasons, a run that includes 4 championships. How do they do it? Certainly not the old fashioned way. The Yankees overspend for free agent talent at every position, rarely cultivating players from their minor league system.

3. Mayonnaise (aka the White Menance) - Condiment of the damned. Creamy and repugnant, mayonnaise has been adulterating salads and sandwiches for centuries. My swimming pool in hell will be filled with this vile mixture of egg yolks and vegetable oil.

4. Homophobia - A charming sentiment that has the Larry Craigs of the world resorting to bathroom stalls.

5. Musicals - The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Grease, Showboat, Guys and Dolls, Mary Poppins, Annie Get Your Gun, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Oklahoma, Avenue Q, Thoroughly Modern Millie...the list goes on and on. At every turn there is some musical, some insufferably cornball musical, waiting to ruin my day.

6. Pollution - It's not so slowly killing the planet. Belongs higher on the list.

7. Gas pains - They can happen to anyone at any time. You know the feeling. There you are, minding your own business when it hits you, like cumbustion in the bowls. You double over, groan for mercy, try to break wind, but nothing works. Why in the name of all that is holy, must this affliction, one I could not in good conscience wish on my worst enemy, be borne?

8. Meat Loaf (the musician, not the food) - I hate Meat Loaf for two reasons: I Would Do Anything for Love, and, the worst song ever written, Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Arg! Arg! Arg!

9. American flag lapel pins - Found predominantly on the lapels of republican politicians, lest we forget: they're American and, dammit, they love America!

10. SUVs - Big, ugly guzzlers of gasoline.

Got any hates you'd like to express? Feel free to post 'em here!

nwb

Central Division Champs!

It's official. After knocking off the Oakland Athletics this afternoon, the Cleveland Indians are back in the playoffs.

McBone would like to congratulate the Tribe, the 2007 American League Central Division champions! The award is the club's 7th since 1995 and the first since 2001.

A long road lay behind manager Eric Wedge's squad, which suffered through a final-week meltdown to miss the postseason in 2005, followed by a lackluster 2006 campaign (the result of the catastrophic trade of Coco Crisp to Boston prior to the season) that had many fans screaming for Wedge's dismissal. This year it was a combination of great starting pitching, a lights-out bullpen and timely (to be generous) hitting that assured northern Ohio at least a few games of October baseball.

Credit general manager Mark Shapiro for putting the team together, and Wedge for maintaining great chemistry all season long. Even during a dismal August the Tribe were able to stay afloat before mounting a rally that left rival Detroit eating dust.

Let's hope that the Indians tear through the other AL qualifiers and capture the team's sixth pennant. Go Tribe!

nwb

PS. Coming soon: 2007 playoff preview.

Nate's Friday Sports Extravaganza!

Indians

The magic number is down to three after a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, whose own playoff hopes have disintegrated into virtually nothing. In other words, break out the proverbial fork. Later, Tigers. You failed to hold leads in every game of the series, a series which, in fact, you needed to sweep. Try again next year, Leyland and Co.

It is nice to exact, no matter how minute, some measure of revenge against Leyland for what happened in the '97 series.

There are three viable candidates for the Cy Young award in the AL: C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona and Josh Beckett. My choice? Sabathia. He beat Johan Santana three times this year and Justin Verlander twice. Both are the aces of rival teams in the East. C.C. has owned them.

Everyone's been praising Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez, but we got a nice look at what Jensen Lewis can do Monday night against Detroit, when Paul Byrd was not at his best. Lewis came in and held the Tigers scoreless for three innings. He has pretty nasty looking stuff and he was pounding the strike zone with it. If he could do this on a consistent basis, what a nice addition he would be to what has become a lockdown bullpen.

You want to know one of the keys to the success of the Tribe's pitching? Control. Carmona has walked 57 batters all season--an excellent number and, incidentally, the most on the club. Sabathia has walked 36, Byrd a ridiculous 26, Perez 14 and Betancourt 9. In all that's a combined 142 walks in about 748 innings. Their strikeouts? 543. Great, great K/BB ratio. The walk is easily the worst play a pitcher can make. Even a fat pitch can be popped up, or beat into the ground, or missed altogether. A walk? Nothing good can come of it.

Conversely, the Indians batters strike out waaay too much. Their achilles heel all season has been the K. In the AL only Tampa Bay and Texas have struck out more. Too many times the Tribe have loaded the bases only to have the next couple of batters be unable to make contact. Put the ball in play! In the playoffs this will be critical.

You don't hear too many calls for Wedge to be fired anymore, do you? Manager of the year is the new tune being sung.

I am going to the ballgame tomorrow with my buddy Than. Fausto Carmona will be going for his 18th win. Who the hell saw this season coming for Carmona? I mean, we knew he had the potential, right? But after his stint as closer, I, at least, was wondering if this guy had the mental makeup. Now we'll see how he handles playoff pressure.

Tomorrow I plan on having two hotdogs with Stadium Mustard, the official mustard of McBone.

Browns

I know nothing about football. Nothing. Sunday's game proves it. I really thought the Bengals would come in and beat the Browns 42-3. And maybe the Bengals did too...

What was truly great about that game was seeing all these tremendous offensive weapons being used to their potential. Braylon Edwards making acrobatic catches. Kellen Winslow making first downs and picking up 100 yards. Joe Jurevicius catching two TD passes.

Then there's Jamal Lewis. Nobody's going to pine for Reuben Droughns this season I predict. Lewis became just the fourth Brown to ever run for 200 yards in a game. The others? Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Greg Pruitt, who was the last to do so, in 1975.

How nice to see Lewis gain 200 for us.

I, for one, did not think Derek Anderson could do what he did. Five touchdown passes. Wow.

Where did all this offense come from? The offensive line. Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach looked a lot more comfortable out there, didn't they? The line looked a lot more cohesive. Let's see them against a good defense, though, because the Bengals don't have that.

Neither do the Browns. Crennel is a defensive mastermind, but it sure ain't showing here. So far I like Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Antwan Peek and I've always been an Orpheus Roye fan. Otherwise our always-battered secondary is, well, battered. Ted Washington is looking washed up, taking up a lot of space but not getting much done. Andra Davis plays hard but is no star. I could go on with the problems, but suffice it to say the Browns defense is a sobering reminder not to get carried away after a big win. A big offseason will be needed to get better, because an average of five touchdown passes a week isn't going to win many games.

I am thrilled that the Browns have signed punter Scott Player, not because he'll be a reliable replacement for Dave Zastudil, but because he wears the classic single bar facemask that has otherwise gone the way of the dodo (NOML officials are at a loss as to what to make of his moustache, however).










Everyone's saying it, and I agree: Josh Cribbs is the most exciting player on the team. Use him more on offense!

Cavaliers

41 days until tipoff.

I really hope Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been working on his hook shot this offseason, because it is probably the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Uglier, even, than Mike Sanders' jump shot.

Nate's unreasonable prediction of the week

The Browns - Oakland game will be a preview of the AFC title game.

nwb

The Greening Project Continues...

Total incandescent light bulbs replaced by a high efficiency florescent bulb (cfl) as of 9/20/07: 17. Total remaining: 53. It is McBone's goal to replace 90% of the incandescent bulbs at McBone headquarters by August 2008 and thus reduce our carbon footprint.

Special thanks to McBoner Mike for pointing out that these bulbs, while 60% more efficient than an incandescent light, do contain mercury. Please recycle.

nwb