A City in Pain

After Sunday's beatdown, Green Bay Packer fans are now personally familiar with how pathetic the Cleveland Browns are.

After years of almost-but-not-quite heartbreak in the 70s and 80s, Cleveland lost its beloved franchise when Judas Modell turned them into the Baltimore Ravens. Then, when the league made the unprecedented move of letting Cleveland get its "Browns" back as a new expansion club, the football city was reborn.

But, no.

Since reentering the league for the 1999 season, the Browns have had just 2 winning seasons (and one of those was a 9-7 season), with just one playoff appearance (a first-round loss).

And, perhaps worse than their W-L record is their coaching record during that time. In 11 seasons of futility, Cleveland fans have suffered through the nearly indistinguishable reigns of Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Terry Robiskie, Romeo Crennel, and Eric Mangini. There's a "Who's Who" of guys who won't be head coaches again.

Meanwhile, their last head coach before Modell moved them did manage to catch on as a head coach elsewhere with some modicum of success: New England's Bill Belichick.

Which brings us to the current subject of the guys that Cleveland has let get away...

The two starting pitches for Game 1 of the World Series (C.C. Sabbathia and Cliff Lee) are both former Cleveland Indians. The starting right fielder, Ben Francisco, is also a former Indian. The Phillies manager, Charlie Manuel, was with the Indians (2000-2002). And even the Phillies GM, Ruben Amaro, used to play for the Indians in the mid-90s.

Cleveland sports fans must have a bitter taste in their mouth as they watch this year's World Series.

And as they watch this year's NFL season.

The only thing Cleveland fans have going for them right now is LeBron James, who continues to flirt with leaving for "greener" pastures after this season, making him potentially one more to add to the list of guys that Cleveland let get away.

So root for the Browns this Sunday, just out of compassion! (And then, of course, there's also the fact that they're playing the Bears.)