Cleveland sports have hit another milestone - the Indians are heading into game 4 of the ALCS with the Boston Red Sox. The crazy part, you may wonder? They're ahead 2-1. And they still have two more games in Cleveland.
I don't want to start tooting the horn quite yet, but Cleveland sports have a reputation of getting pretty serious in the semi-finals. Take the Cavs, for example. They dominated the semi-finals and choked in the finals. It's the Cleveland Curse. We do a great job in the semis, making everyone think it's all over. We're finally going to get our long awaited championship. Sadly, the outcome is usually this: a series of close losses to be excused by a "bad call" or "monkey business."
I attended Game 3 of the NBA finals held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland this past June. It was the first ever NBA finals game to be held in Cleveland - and I was there. After battling a fellow bidder on eBay and dropping almost $200 for my ticket, I was there - nosebleed and all. I gave a dollar to a guy holding a cardboard sign that said, "Why lie? I need beer," and I took a cliche picture with the NBA Finals photo backdrop.
The game was intense. There was a Spurs fan sitting just behind me who would cheer every so often when he didn't think any of us Cleveland fans were listening. Little did he know, we Cleveland fans live for the moment when we can talk crap or tell a fan of an opposing team to "shut up and go back home." We jumped on him before he could even finish his sentence.
Sadly, the Cleveland Curse reared its ugly head when LeBron James went for the game-tying three pointer at the buzzer. He was fouled, naturally, but it wasn't called. We all just stared in disbelief - like another quarter was about to be played.
The Cavs were swept in the Finals when the Spurs clinched game 4 and the Cleveland Curse had taken its toll again.
Let's move on to the Indians now, shall we?
This season has been nothing but beautiful. Despite the after the All-Star break slump, the Indians have been powering it out for the majority of the season. They battled the Detroit Tigers for the winning spot in the Central conference.
All analysts aside, the Indians went on to defeat the Yankees 3-1 in the series. They have played steadily against the Red Sox and I have no doubts this will continue.
I will continue my obsession with Cleveland post-season play on Thursday, when I'm getting a real live nosebleed at Jacob's Field. I like to think I'll see the Indians pass on to the World Series for the first time in 10 years. And then, I'll work toward a nosebleed at the World Series - maybe to see them win the series for the first time since 1948.
No matter how many times you blow it, Cleveland, I'll always be there to hope this year is different.
So long, Cleveland Curse - you're not welcome anymore.
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