While We’re Waiting… The NEW Mike Brown

While We’re Waiting is the daily morning link roundup that WFNY has been serving up for breakfast for the last several years. We hope you enjoy the following recent collection of yummy and nutritious Cleveland sports-related articles. Anything else to add? Email us at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Great story on the different Mike Brown that has returned to Cleveland: “Brown has arrives a changed man, with more confidence and perhaps more ability, a greater depth of perception and a more commanding voice. He’s years and miles from that night in Boston when an uncoachable MVP, down only 6 points to the Celtics in Game 6 made the decision to end his Cavalier career. When the team walked the ball up the court with no sense of urgency as precious seconds elapsed. Mike Brown was not emasculated. Mike Brown has grown and returned stronger.” [Cleveland Jackson/Stepien Rules]

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Looking at Jimmy Haslam’s story and a similar one in MLB and what they mean for the sports industry: “The chase for sports content by the networks and national sports cable channels like ESPN , NBC Sports and the soon-to-launch Fox Sports 1 has been a boon for team values. But two current investigations show a downside to rapidly increasing valuations: businessmen who often push the envelope are the ones who can afford to buy trophy sports properties.” [Mike Ozanian/Forbes]

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Film room look at second-year Craig Robertson of the Browns: “I like Robertson’s fit in Horton’s scheme as a 3-4 ILB much better than his fit as a 4-3 OLB in Jauron’s defense. The gap assignments among our defensive front should suck up blockers and allow Robertson to use his speed and instincts to make plays in both facets of the game. As you’ll see below, Robertson was fairly stout against the run and often made quick reads and showed good play recognition.” [Mike Krupka/Dawgs By Nature]

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Previewing the team’s 2013 offensive line: “Don’t be surprised if: Greco wins the starting job at left guard and Lauvao and Pinkston compete at right guard. In addition to his savvy as a six-year vet, Greco has a little more mobility and ability to execute sweeps and pulls – a lost art on the line since Eric Steinbach was in his prime.” [Tony Grossi/ESPN Cleveland]

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Love me some prospects, especially those that get better as the year rolls on: “Captains shortstop Dorssys Paulino hit his 19th double Friday against Quad Cities. The two-bag feat further illustrates Paulino’s growth since arriving in Lake County. Paulino, who entered the season as the Indians’ No. 3 prospect, according to Baseball America, didn’t hit a double in April. In fact, he didn’t collect one extra-base hit during the month.” [Guy Cipriano/The News-Herald]

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There are lots of former Tribe players in the organization, with this one being the latest: “After 11 seasons in the big leagues, Steve Karsay was the type of player who couldn’t stay away from baseball very long. Karsay, in his first season as the pitching coach for the Captains, took some time off to relax after his playing career came to a close in 2006. Coaching teenagers in Texas for a couple years gave him the itch to return to professional ball. Pitching in Cleveland from 1998 to 2001, Karsay had some connections with the organization, and after a season with the Arizona League Indians, he’s settled down at Lake County.” [Cory Schuett/The News-Herald]

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There’s a pretty quirky “jock tax” situation going on in the state of Tennessee, with the former University of Dayton forward Chris Johnson being labeled as the “poster boy”, per Zach Lowe at Grantland.

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One of the Cleveland Browns blogs is looking for additional writers. Check out Dawg Pound Daily for more info.

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In case you missed it, FanGraphs is continuing its regular assembly of the Corey Kluber society.

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Finally, here’s an enjoyable longread about the rise and fall of Upper Deck, over at The Big Lead.