Cleveland fans support of the Haslams and distain for the Dolans is pure hypocrisy
Opinion by Tim Shirer
What drives me nuts with Cleveland sports (and it always will whether people like it or not) is that the Guardians franchise has had the same plan over the last 21 years since the Dolans bought the team and it has been to develop from within and the team has been to the postseason 7 times, to the ALCS twice and the World Series once (Game 7 extra inning out of the owners hands at that point) the team has NEVER finished in last place under the Dolans ownership and they have finished over .500 12 times, they have finished in 1st or 2nd place 10 times and have only finished lower than 3rd place twice in 21 years. The reason for this consistency is they have a plan and stick with it. They have had only four managers during this time.
Yet the Browns who have had a number of "plans" in the past twenty-one seasons have had nine head coaches, two playoff appearances moving to the next round only one time, never getting to their conference championship game, never getting to the Super Bowl. They have had only THREE winning seasons, eighteen losing seasons including a period where they lost 31 of 32 games including a season where they did not win a game. They have finished in second place or higher ONCE. Third place or lower twenty times including 13 last place finishing which included a stretch of eight consecutive last place finishes.
Yet as we approach baseball opening day the media and fans in Cleveland will tell you falsely, I might add that the Browns are the better franchise because their current owner simply spends money and that is what they care about. Winning and being a competetive team every season does not matter in Cleveland all that matter is the owner that put his fan base through a 1-31 stretch (where he cut the payroll to bare minimum by the way) has spent some money now to bring in a player with some very serious questions surrounding him. The proof of a more winning than losing resume is not enough for them. These people like to say, "Well the Guardians/Indians have not won a World Series". That is true, but what have the Browns won? Nothing even close to what the Guardians/Indians have won, not even close. So, the next time one of these people tries to bring up no World Series victories while the Dolans have owned the team respond as I do, "Well at least they have gotten to the World Series, how many Super Bowls have the Browns gotten to in that same time?" That is where you blow their minds, and they cannot respond. Bring up the truth to them and they cannot handle it.
There is nothing worse than a Cleveland sports fans who thinks spending money blindly (with no real assurances that it will result in winnning or a championship) is more important than sticking with a plan that has been successful for most of the last 21 years.
The only thing the Haslam's are better at than the Dolans as owners is selling hope. They do an excellent job of that. But one advantage that the Haslam’s have that the Dolans do not is a media that believes every single word that comes out of their mouth and then through their articles and nightly sportscasts they sell it and sell it hard to a Browns fans base that wants to believe 100% everything positive they are told with no skeptic reasoning whatsoever. On the other side Guardians beat writer do not act as a publicity arm of the franchise they report the truth with no spin whatsoever and the nightly sportscast and radio talking heads nearly always spin Guardian’s news in a negative light, almost always.
Here is a perfect example of how it goes in Cleveland on the radio or nightly sportscasts. If the Browns are two games out of first with four games left, "folks there is still a great chance the Browns can make the postseason." If the Guardians are two games out with four games left, "This is going to be tough for them to make the playoffs, a two-game deficit with four left is nearly impossible to overcome.”
So remember this as this Guardians season begins and a lot of the fan base (the same fan base that believes everything the Browns do) is negative and the podcasters and radio talk show hosts focus on the fact that Jose Ramirez has not gotten a contract extension will become silent and hopefully keep their negative mouths shut if the Guardians contend once again this season, the track record shows they will contend. So, the Guardians can help fans like me and you in two ways, wins make us happy and silencing the hateful will make us happy too. And as I have said since 1975 GO TRIBE!!!!!
POSTED 04/03/2022 18:57
Lake County Sentinel
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