The Cleveland Browns

Too often on the shores of Lake Erie, we end up complaining. We end up disappointed and heartbroken at another blown season, another blown playoff game, another embarrassing performance in front of a national crowd. Finally, we have a moment that makes Cleveland proud. The Browns beat the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in front of a home crowd and a national television audience as a huge underdog going into the game. Not a single sane person would have picked this team to win after the tough start to the season and anemic offense led by Derek "just playing catch with DBs" Anderson. All those sane people, however, proved to be wrong. The Browns made a statement during this Monday night game. It was a statement that should ring loudly through Cleveland and the entire NFL. The Cleveland Browns can play some football. While everyone in the league was ready to cut the cord on Anderson and Crennel after the 1-3 start, the team didn't panic or give in to outsiders and came away with one of their best performances in 5 years. It was a moment where as an avid fan, I finally started to understand the genius behind the team. The offseason moves to bring in some lineman that can actually hold their own and cause trouble for defenses finally paid off. The Browns rarely got to Eli Manning, but their defense caused trouble enough to force Manning into looking like that good old fashioned Gomer Pyle rather than the Super Bowl MVP. The highly drafted secondary made big plays to inhibit any momentum from building against the team. The lineman protected Anderson brilliantly and gave him time to throw. The offensive plays showed creativity and even a rare simplicity that allowed Anderson to succeed. It proves that you don't necessarily need an all star behind center, but just someone who can manage the game and not make any mistakes. The lines on both side of the ball played tough and made a highly touted defense look like an average NFL defense. As far as the Browns go for now though, this is the team that the fans wanted. This is the team that we love. The underdogs, the doubted, the team that no one really cares about in the NFL is a team that is dangerous. Of course, any NFL coach with the talent that Crennel has behind his roster should be able to prepare and put up a good showing against anyone with two weeks between games. What really matters though is that from the opening kickoff to the last snap, the Browns played like a team that cared about each other and a team that wanted to win. Since they have had that attitude, they are 2-0.

Where did I go......??

Hey everyone....(all 8 of you),

I'm back to talk for a little bit. I wish I could say poker is going well, but I haven't really had any good results lately. I had a period in there of about 2 weeks where I think I acted unprofessionally. I let things get out of hand emotionally when I never should do that. There are times in playing as a professional when things hit real hard. It always seems to come in the midst of a losing streak when I'm making deep finishes, but they aren't deep enough. When it comes to my emotions, I feel like I need to attain the level of a player like Chip Reese, RIP. Chip was known for being one of the classiest players in the history of the game. I remember reading one of Daniel Negreanu's blogs after Chip's death that said the toughest part about Chip's game was that his A game was his D game. In effect, he never strayed from his game no matter what happened at the table. He could control his emotions and be on the top of his game at all times. It's so tough to do in this game. The game breeds a culture of negativity because there is only one winner out of the hundreds or thousands of players. If you are competitive and driven, not winning hurts. I think I'll grow professionally when I can change my state of mind in these situations. I've been taught well in life by coaches and parents to name a few. My dad always taught me to keep my cool throughout sports. Coach Mackar, Simko, Green, Jeckel all had emphasis on staying focused and patient throughout adversity. I need to remember these lessons and bring them to the forefront of my mind. That will help me progress. I know I'm extremely talented at poker, but this comment is assuming my competitive emotions and focus are in check.



I have to subtly brag about my fantasy football team. After losing my first two weeks and starting QB Tom Brady, I've put together 3 straight winning weeks. Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, and a late pickup Jason Campbell have allowed me to keep it close and win games. In my league, which is one of the best leagues in the history of fantasy sports (mostly my family and friends), I will never be the best player. My Aunt Tracey deserves all the props for being the best fantasy player I've ever seen. In fact, I would be afraid to invite her into any other leagues. I can't think of someone who consistently picks sleepers, puts together good teams, and always stays at the top year in and year out. She basically taught me all I know and I still remember getting those dollars from our first combined fantasy baseball team. That was a long while back when I knew every single player and team in and out. She also knew every single player in and out, so on draft day when we picked the best team and stayed with it, there was no doubt we were going to win it all. I hope I can stick around in this league and regain the title. I haven't had it for a while now. In fact, the year I won, my Uncle called me up at 8 in the morning on a Labor Day. On a scale of 1-10, I probably had football knowledge at a 4.




The Cleveland Browns have looked terrible this year. I don't expect anything to change on Monday night against the Giants, but I'm glad I don't have to drive to a sports bar to watch them. The funny part about Vegas is that I can never get lucky and get a Cleveland or Ohio State game on TV. I went to the casino the other day to watch the Buckeyes game in the sports book and it made me excited about the future of Buckeye's football.



I just watched the Presidential Debate. If you've read the blog, you know I like Barack Obama and why. I think it's a virtual lock that he wins the election. I'm looking forward to the next four years in office. I love this site that I follow all the time.

www.electoral-vote.com