2010 LeBron James Sweepstakes

[Waffles]

As a post-script, I'd love to know how this ESPN-LeBron thing came together. Has this been in the works from the beginning? Have ESPN NBA writers been covering the story or hyping the special? If they get a scoop between now and Thursday at 9PM ET, are they gonna sit on it to keep the special's ratings up?

[ltjets21]

I think this means he's staying in Cleveland. I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland.

The idea of turning Cleveland's heart getting ripped out and stomped on for the second time in 20 years into a live, televised spectacle sounds so unbelievably tasteless, nobody would think that's a good idea. Right?

Hell, even as a new Nets fan, I'm not sure it'd feel 100% great he picked Newark if it goes down like this.

God and I think being a Jets, Mets, and Knicks fan is bad, beats Browns, Indians, and Cavs.

[BBTV]

As a post-script, I'd love to know how this ESPN-LeBron thing came together. Has this been in the works from the beginning? Have ESPN NBA writers been covering the story or hyping the special? If they get a scoop between now and Thursday at 9PM ET, are they gonna sit on it to keep the special's ratings up?

According to an article on ESPN.com, LeBron's people contacted ESPN and asked if they'd be interested in doing a special so he could sell advertising for it and donate the money to charity. Also, I would assume that it puts ESPN in a little bit of a conflict if the story "breaks" ahead of time. My guess is that they would not report it. It's sports, not real news, so I don't think they're obligated to go with it prior to the special.

[crashcarson15]

The charity is the Boys and Girls Club supposedly.

[ltjets21]

Can Lebron make it interesting and sign with the Clippers, boy would Lights Out be happy.

[Cujo]

Where is the presser being held?

I would imagine, if LeBron's not in Bristol, CT on Thursday evening, we're gonna go know who he signs with by what town he's makes the announcement from, right?

[NJTank]

What LeBron should do is wait til the very end of this ESPN LeBron special come out to a stage where all the hats of his suitors are laid out go to the hat put on each one for a second trying it out dragging it out until the point god shows mercy on all of us by sending an asteroid into the earth killing everyone.

[HedleyLamarr]

What LeBron should do is wait til the very end of this ESPN LeBron special come out to a stage where all the hats of his suitors are laid out go to the hat put on each one for a second trying it out dragging it out until the point god shows mercy on all of us by sending an asteroid into the earth killing everyone.

...kinda like a lot of your posts make us wish for.

[Cujo]

Can Lebron make it interesting and sign with the Clippers, boy would Lights Out be happy.

But in the real world, LeBron will sign in the East, and the Clippers will remain 'Chris Kaman's team'.

[PittsburghSucks]

I think this means he's staying in Cleveland. I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland.

The idea of turning Cleveland's heart getting ripped out and stomped on for the second time in 20 years into a live, televised spectacle sounds so unbelievably tasteless, nobody would think that's a good idea. Right?

Hell, even as a new Nets fan, I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland over Newark. I don't think I'd be first in line to buy a #6 jersey if Thursday goes bad.

I would have to agree. I haven't been following this at all, but knowing how much Clevelanders rely on him to justify their existence on Earth, I can't believe that he'd have a television special just to dump them. There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

Estone, PittsburghSucks, and...?

Don't put me on that list. If he leaves my life will go on. There are much more important things in my life then sports.

[crashcarson15]

I think this means he's staying in Cleveland. I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland.

The idea of turning Cleveland's heart getting ripped out and stomped on for the second time in 20 years into a live, televised spectacle sounds so unbelievably tasteless, nobody would think that's a good idea. Right?

Hell, even as a new Nets fan, I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland over Newark. I don't think I'd be first in line to buy a #6 jersey if Thursday goes bad.

I would have to agree. I haven't been following this at all, but knowing how much Clevelanders rely on him to justify their existence on Earth, I can't believe that he'd have a television special just to dump them. There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

Estone, PittsburghSucks, and...?

Don't put me on that list. If he leaves my life will go on. There are much more important things in my life then sports.

Oh I know, I'm just trying to figure out who he's talking about. (And making sure he's not referring to me )

*All of this coming from a Cavs fan that will watch 82 less NBA games if he leaves.

[MDC]

I think this means he's staying in Cleveland. I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland.

The idea of turning Cleveland's heart getting ripped out and stomped on for the second time in 20 years into a live, televised spectacle sounds so unbelievably tasteless, nobody would think that's a good idea. Right?

Hell, even as a new Nets fan, I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland over Newark. I don't think I'd be first in line to buy a #6 jersey if Thursday goes bad.

I would have to agree. I haven't been following this at all, but knowing how much Clevelanders rely on him to justify their existence on Earth, I can't believe that he'd have a television special just to dump them. There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

Estone, PittsburghSucks, and...?

Don't put me on that list. If he leaves my life will go on. There are much more important things in my life then sports.

Like hating Pittsburgh?

[HedleyLamarr]

I want to see LeBron go to another team, just to see how many less Cavs jerseys I'll see at Philips Arena when Cleveland comes to town next season.

[PittsburghSucks]

I think this means he's staying in Cleveland. I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland.

The idea of turning Cleveland's heart getting ripped out and stomped on for the second time in 20 years into a live, televised spectacle sounds so unbelievably tasteless, nobody would think that's a good idea. Right?

Hell, even as a new Nets fan, I hope this means he's staying in Cleveland over Newark. I don't think I'd be first in line to buy a #6 jersey if Thursday goes bad.

I would have to agree. I haven't been following this at all, but knowing how much Clevelanders rely on him to justify their existence on Earth, I can't believe that he'd have a television special just to dump them. There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

Estone, PittsburghSucks, and...?

Don't put me on that list. If he leaves my life will go on. There are much more important things in my life then sports.

Like hating Pittsburgh?

Like my family.

[Cujo]

Clippers set to hire former Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro

.....We now return you to your regularly scheduled knobfest.

[TFoA]

I want to see LeBron go to another team, just to see how many less Cavs jerseys I'll see at Philips Arena when Cleveland comes to town next season.

I hope it's New Jersey, just to see how many people all of a sudden are like "Oh, I've been a Nets fan my whole life. Even last year when they were terrible. I knew the ship was going to turn around." Whatever, you were in here wearing a Celtics jersey in 2008 & a Cavs jersey in 2010, I don't wanna hear it.

[crashcarson15]

Oh I hate the bandwagon Cavs fans. It's annoying when you go to a Cavs/Pacers game out here and you don't know whether or not to recognize your fellow "fans". Ditching the bandwagoners would be the good thing about LeBron leaving. The only good thing.

[andrewharrington]

Boston's 2004 championship had legs because there was so much hype about "the Curse", the heartbreakingly close calls and the general sense of second-bananahood leading up to it. That's also where the Brooklyn Dodgers were, pre-1955. The Cubs are in a similar position now, with so much attention a couple years ago on the centennial of their last championship.

Without Katrina, the 2009 Saints would be the 2002 Buccaneers. Maybe there was a little buzz in the "look - they went from worst to first" category, but it fizzled out pretty quickly. There's no real aura around that particular win, a few years on. But recovering from the near-devastation of the Crescent City gives their story a little something extra that might endure.

I just don't see any real "hook" to Cleveland's lack of championships. Yes, it sucks that the Sixth City has gone so long without. But that's it. There's no poetry, no romance to the story, and without that the eventual championship will be wonderful for the fans, but not for the ages.

IMO, the whole "the country is behind the Saints!!" thing was more of a media creation. Nobody is insensitive to what happened to the city during and after Katrina, but honestly, very few (if any) people outside of New Orleans were sitting around hoping that the Saints would win because the area suffered so much. It was great for the city and their fans, but nationally, I just don't think it was as big of a deal as it was made out to be.

The Boston win was huge because their struggles have been documented countless times in the media, in books, in documentaries, etc. It's also a large East coast media market, and one of the historical "classic" teams.

The White Sox win received little to no extra attention, even though their drought was close to 90 years? Maybe because Chicago has had other teams that have won, but then again, the Cubs winning would be a major story, nearly as big as the Red Sox (of course the Red Sox are helped by the fact that they have to go through the Yankees every year.) Bottom line - the White Sox just aren't a national story.

Unfortunately, neither is Cleveland. Nothing at all against anyone from Cleveland - I'm sure it's a fine place with fine people (except for the delusional nuts with their Cleveland-centric views of the world) but at least when it comes to sports, it is one of those nationally insignificant cities. It's not a big market, it hasn't had historically great teams or dynasties (maybe the old Browns would count, but their layoff after the move to Baltimore really hurt them) and honestly, nobody cares about Cleveland teams. I doubt that 4 out of 5 people in the country (outside of the hardest of hard core sports fans and Cleveland fans) even know that they are in a championship drought. If the Cavs were to win with LeBron, the story would be about LeBron - not Cleveland.

Interesting point.

But yes, I agree with the rest. The key is an interesting narrative. The Saints had one for their Super Bowl run, the Bucs did not. The Red Sox had one for the 2004 Series, the White Sox did not.

Cleveland's drought lacks a compelling narrative. Until somebody can identify one, I just don't see that much interest forming.

The compelling narrative is the montage of improbable plays that brought Cleveland to this point. It's Bostonesque in many ways, except the plays themselves are perhaps more famous, and many of them are known by one-word proper names, something t0 which other cities haven't fallen victim, at least not to the degree Cleveland has. More sad than compelling, at least for us. I remember weeping in disbelief after the 1997 World Series. The only sports joy I've ever experienced was Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl win in 2002.

Now, this was before the drought started, but the '54 Indians were one of the most dominant teams ever, going 111-43, which I believe is an MLB record for win percentage in a season. Willie Mays made 'The Catch' in the '54 World Series to turn the tide, and the Giants went on to beat the Indians. 'The Catch' is also a moniker more associated at this point with Joe Montana and Dwight Clark, but Willie Mays catch is routinely considered to be among the best outfield baseball plays ever made.

The cursed nature of Cleveland Sports failures is most tied to the Browns teams of the 1980s:

'Red Right 88' - Trailing 14-12 with less than a minute remaining in the 1981 AFC Divisional Playoff, the Browns had the ball on the Raiders 13-yard line and were in position for a potential game-winning field goal. Browns quarterback Brian Sipe called a time out and conferred with head coach Sam Rutigliano, who called a pass play, 'Red Right 88,' and instructed Sipe to "throw it into Lake Erie" if the play was anything less than wide open. On the ensuing play, Sipe chose to force a pass to tight end Ozzie Newsome. The pass was intercepted in the end zone by Raiders defensive back Mike Davis who had cut in front of Newsome's square-in pass route, putting an end to the Browns' season. Oakland subsequently advanced to the AFC conference championship, where they bested the San Diego Chargers, and went on to win Super Bowl XV over the Philadelphia Eagles.

'The Drive' - Broncos quarterback John Elway, in a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, led his team 98 yards to tie the 1987 AFC Championship Game with 37 seconds left in regulation. Denver won the game in overtime with a field goal, 23-20.

'The Fumble' - Browns running back Earnest Byner took a handoff with 1:12 remaining in the 1988 AFC Championship Game and appeared to be on his way to score the game-tying touchdown. But the was knocked loose by Broncos defensive back Jeremiah Castille, and Byner fumbled at the 2-yard line. The Broncos recovered the ball, gave the Browns an intentional safety, and went on to win 38-33.

Then the other teams began to pick up the slack:

'The Shot' - Michael Jordan sinks a buzzer-beating shot to upset the Cavaliers in the 5th and final game of the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Widely regarded as one of Jordan's finest clutch performances and credited with sparking the beginning of the Bulls' dynasty.

'The Single' - After losing the 1995 World Series following a stellar 100-44 campaign, the Indians returned two years later. After Jose Mesa blew the save in the bottom of the 9th inning in one of the greatest Game 7s of all time, Edgar Renteria skips the game winning single up the middle off Charles Nagy's glove in the bottom of the 11th.

And it continues with recent events like the Indians' blown 3-1 series lead over the Red Sox in the 2007 ALCS, locally known as 'The Collapse,' and the Cavaliers' 2009 and 2010 playoff exits, informally known as 'The Choke' and 'The Forfeit,' respectively.

Personally, I think it's as good a narrative as any, but I can see how an outsider might be unfamiliar and apathetic as a result, which basically means nobody cares about Cleveland. Not even God, apparently.

[infrared41]

I would have to agree. I haven't been following this at all, but knowing how much Clevelanders rely on him to justify their existence on Earth, I can't believe that he'd have a television special just to dump them. There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

He should leave Cleveland if for no other reason than Cleveland made an ass out of itself throughout this absurd circus and they managed to embarrass all Ohioans in the process. The funny thing is if the Browns and Indians were good right now this entire area wouldn't give a flying if LeBron came out and announced he was going to join the PGA Tour.

There are at least three members on this board who's well being I fear for if he leaves... which pretty much means that there are at least three members of this board who's well being I question in the first place.

Estone, PittsburghSucks, and...?

Well it sure ain't me.

What LeBron should do is wait til the very end of this ESPN LeBron special come out to a stage where all the hats of his suitors are laid out go to the hat put on each one for a second trying it out dragging it out until the point god shows mercy on all of us by sending an asteroid into the earth killing everyone.

...kinda like a lot of your posts make us wish for.

I just quoted this one because it's hilarious. Nice work Hedley.

[ltjets21]

Clippers set to hire former Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro

.....We now return you to your regularly scheduled knobfest.

Well now lebron to the clips is a LOCK.