From Distance: Vlogging Baker and Things…
2019-08-09four point play….
1. In this quickie edition of From Distance, I marvel at Baker Mayfield’s accuracy and Vince Carter’s longevity. In other fun things, I wait for a German siren to pass by. Things are different here!
I also not so subtly hint at other issues.
Question time:
2. NBA or NFL. Which league suits you more? Do we cheer for our teams, our players, or a league at large?
3. We often watch our beloved team without believing in the current head coach, or even any of the players. We have no problem understanding the difference between love of team and dissatisfaction with a head coach. We are even lauded as BETTER fans by loving the team, in spite of terrible rotations and play-calling. We rip awful front offices because we want a better representation of our teams and town.
Indeed, we are openly allowed to trash a coach without anyone questioning whether we actually love the team. How does this not apply to country?
4. In a world where few public voices exist that haven’t been bought, what is our responsibility to stay in “our lanes” versus speaking out at work, at school, in the bar, via internet? Are we acting in better faith by allowing some things to remain segmented thus giving us a brief respite from our otherwise politicized lives, or would our experiences be better if we were to open discourse whenever presented the opportunity? How should we truly talk with people.
OH YEAH—–” MORE BEER PLEASE ” : )
YES TO 10 CENT BEER NIGHT —–WAS JUST A “YOUNGSTER ” THEN “FEELING MY OATS ” : ) ——MEMORY WILL BE WITH ME FOREVER ————ALSO ATTENDED ALL THE “WORLD SERIES OF ROCK ” CONCERTS AT THE OLD STADIUM —WOW TALKING ABOUT MEMORIES –OF WHAT I CAN REMEMBER : )
wrong.. “DRINKING MY OATS, AND RYE AND BARLEY”
Not sure why Lindor tried to steal 3rd there. That was pretty dumb.
Frankie ties it up at the bottom of the ninth.
GET EXCITED –“IN THE LAND ” FOR THE TRIBE —WOW !!!
terry francona better than birdie tebbets
I don’t know this reference. But he needs to stop telling people to bunt to advance runners against high octane offenses.
where’s “more beer please..” ??
lindor better than larry brown
NOMAD.. you didn’t happen to be at the 25cent (or whatever) beer nite at municipal stadium in the early 70s? when they trashed it, did you? can’t believe little NOMAD would have missed that opportunity..
10 cent beer night.
Nate (and Cavs: the Blog) getting name dropped as the sourve for Evan Dammarell calling Tristan Thompson “Canadian Dynamite”:
https://www.fearthesword.com/platform/amp/2019/7/18/20699570/cleveland-cavaliers-retired-jerseys
Made me smile, so I want to be sure Nate sees it.
Wow! Santana is raking! SLAMTANA!
Hi, all. This Saturday, NBA TV is having a Cavs marathon (if my program guide is accurate), from 10 a.m. to midnight. It starts with an hour on the Miracle of Richfield and ends with the championship parade. Some choice games in between, including the end of the Bird Celtics, LeBron’s debut and of course Game 7.
Ooooh that series win over the Celtics in 92 is underrated. I think it gets overshadowed by the finals loss to the Bulls. I was only a lad but I remember watching every second of that series. So satisfying. I wish 13 year old me knew how much 41 year old me would hate the Celtics. The Cavs kicked Bird’s career to the curb!
Rich Paul just put out an op-ed on the Athletic about the NCAA adopting “The Rich Paul Rule.” It’s actually a pretty good read.
Yeah I have no love for Paul, but it’s a terrible rule. NCAA is so corrupt.
As of today, they reversed that portion of the new rules…
Not a basketball comment, because not much to talk about right now, but I truly do not know how anyone is beating the Astros in a 7 game series this year.
I like the length of schedule of NFL over NBA; games mean more and players play like it. Also the balance in the NFL seems much better; you feel like your team might have a shot any given year (like the Browns this year). I think there are a subset of political ideas that I regard should be somewhat universal across anyone I would care to associate with, even if the topic is as benign as Collin Sexton. Its not OK to me if you’re a racist or if you continue to support openly racist politicians or political constructs. Same… Read more »
Saint Weirdo…
https://www.instagram.com/p/B06-uJhAPI4/?igshid=gqzimdg5w0hn
Assuming that’s Dion’s kid? That in Cleveland? Wonder if Dion still has a place in Ohio.
“And 1!!!”. But seriously, you love to see it.
I used to watch football 20 hours every weekend. Now I delight when the league struggles. After watching guys I rooted for and against end up dead or debilitated, I realized it was a gladiator sport that should end. I rub my hands with glee on the flames whenever the NFL burns. I still catch a game every now and again though. I was a Chiefs fan for ages and I watched a couple last fall. I can’t capture the same zeal I once had though, or even get that upset when they lose.
I agree with all of this 100% Nate. Unfortunately I think the Browns imprint on northeast Ohioans at an early age. I’m definitely going to watch games this year against my better judgement.
I still watch Ohio State, and some other college football, but I left the NFL many years ago. I was a fanatic about the NFL when I was a kid, and even through the ’80s. Aside from the violence and ugliness, I just think it’s a pretty crummy game now. Most teams are so beat up by week 6 or so that there are only a few good teams remaining. Free agency really killed the NFL for me. There are so many players and so many new signings every year that you have to be a total diehard to even… Read more »
WRT speaking out vs staying in a lane: I think what I’ve decided is that certain types of conversations are more appropriate, effective, entertaining, enlightening when they align with a proper venue or relationship. So, to bring it close to home, I find this a good venue to discuss Cleveland sports. We share common values here: we want Cleveland Sports teams to win and many of us follow them closely and know Cleveland Sports history. We can have and articulate very different opinions about whether Dan Gilbert is a good owner or whether Mike Brown was actually a good coach.… Read more »
If I’m to take him at face value that he just wants things to be better and bring awareness to injustice then I think he could have used his celebrity and the popularity of the NFL to do that. I think by disrespecting the anthem he immediately signaled that he didn’t share the only common value that is signaled at every sporting event. Everyone, whether they are fanatical about either team, whether they are fans, players, or officials – stand for the common value that is “we are all Americans. This is our flag, this is our anthem.” I’m breaking… Read more »
I think the point is we don’t all stand for those particular values. I personally find those militant displays of nationalism to be antithetical to a free and modern society.
yes. unfortunately the collection of shared values grows smaller every day in America.
Arguing about politics online is like a repeating NBA offseason without the actual season. In sports we have a scoreboard to tell us who’s team and gameplan was better…to tell us who won.
Poltics has all the drama of trades and signings and the draft, but no one ever bothers to play a game. People just argue and vote for who wins each year because no one can agree on how to keep score anyways.
I much prefer the NBA. I follow the Browns and definitely root for them. But over the past ten years the culture and violence of the NFL has really soured its entertainment value for me.
Yeah, I have real issues with how the NFL is run and how it attempts to control its players’ lives and voices. There is an unspoken rule mandating players to fall in line. Subsume your own values for ours. Teams are run like dictatorships whose citizens (players) are expendable if they don’t agree with the values the NFL and most teams attempt to shove down their viewers throats. More than any other league, the NFL tries to push a certain type of morality on its players and audience. But that morality has real trouble acknowledging the occasional roid/hgh rage induced… Read more »
I get that you’re just trying to make a comparison, but for the 99.9999% of people that will never be paid a healthy wage to play sports, it’s going to be hard to get a lot of them to buy into the idea that American pro sports are dictatorships or plantations or anything else that is said.
My issue is the NFL seems to want to suppress views from their employees that don’t fit a specific company line. That is wrong. If someone can do a job well and their personal views aren’t hateful, sexist, racist, etc. then there is no reason for them to have to take a company line on everything else. Employers shouldn’t be thought police. It doesn’t even make sense for the NFL since they risk alienating possible customers by pushing a certain position.
NBA (or soccer).
It does. This whole schtick that criticizing the Pres is unpatriotic is total BS. Or that criticizing Netanyahu is anti-semetic. Dissent is an inherent part of a democracy and the right of citizens to petition their government with a list of grievances is enshrined in our constitution. This whole “L’etat? C’est, moi” stuff is right out of the dictator’s playbook. And it certainly did not apply when team blue was in charge.
Talking is always better. Talk to, not at. But remember, some people are hopeless.
We don’t always agree, Jason. But I do with this statement.