Indians 10 Mariners 1: Kazmir’s dominant run continues as offense awakens
July 24, 2013WFNY Stats & Info: Red-hot Indians pitching staff
July 25, 2013
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.
“It’s upsetting when an athlete you admire ostensibly doesn’t care about how much you like watching them. They can seem selfish or petulant when they decide the thing they are to you isn’t who they are and isn’t always the most important thing in their lives. Being a professional athlete in and of itself is a simultaneously selfish and selfless act: They live out our daydreams, give us a glimpse into transcendence and seem to perform feats for us, even if they’re actually doing it for themselves, and we’re not incidental, exactly, but definitely an ancillary concern. When it becomes apparent just how ancillary we are, that usually means an athlete is being strung up by Herm Edwards on “SportsCenter” for lacking mental toughness, for being distracted, for not letting us use them anymore. When athletes seem disengaged or walk away from their sport for a spell, they take themselves away from us. We don’t take kindly to this.” [McGowan/Sports on Earth]
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Wow. Just, wow. New Miami Redhawks uniforms. Um, did I say wow yet? [SB Nation]
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“Meyer is not naive; he doesn’t think all of his players are in bed each night by 10 after returning from the library. But two important players finding trouble — even if trouble found them — in public settings and well after midnight just a couple of weeks before the season begins indicates that he’s been right to worry about maturity and leadership issues.” [Jackson/FSO]
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“With training camp opening for the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, the Tribe could be in trouble of losing their spot as the current focal point among fans. The Tribe finished off a disappointing road trip on Wednesday on a high note, beating Seattle by the score of 10-1. The Indians went just 2-4 on the six-game trip to open the second-half of the season and head home knowing they will be no worse than 3.5 games behind Detroit when they wake up in the morning. That is certainly not an insurmountable number by any means.
However, if the Tribe continues to struggle this weekend when they host the second-place Texas Rangers for three games and, come Monday, they are five or more games back of the Tigers, then more than a few fans will be more interested in what is going on in Berea that at Progressive Field.” [Red Right 88]
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What Joe Banner really meant to say? “On Josh Gordon’s suspension: “[it’s a] concern and a disappointment,” meaning….
“We’re furious that he chose to spend his offseason learning the in’s and out’s of Miami clubs instead of his playbook, and have to move forward under the assumption that he can’t totally be trusted. He’s going to have to grow up in a big way, and we’re unsure if he’s capable of making the leap, after the career he’s had in college and professionally. Fingers crossed.” [Finney/Dawgs by Nature]
85 Comments
now you’re getting it!!!
I’d laugh at the absurdity of my own theory if I didn’t see how well it worked with LeBron. ESPN spun the villain story in 2010-2011 and milked it for all it was worth, including capitalizing on the immense failure of LeBron in the championship against the Mavs. But they were already spinning the redemption/”he’s changed” story in the 2011-2012 season long before it actually came to fruition with the 2012 title, spear-headed by their lapdog Colin Cowherd. It was pretty impressive… if ESPN acts as though something is true, it becomes true (to an extent). If they start covering soccer as if it’s becoming a big sport, it will grow in popularity. People are sheep, man. Baaaaah.
Miami University alumni have beef with the “Miami(OH)” label in the same way that us Virginia Tech alumni have beef with the “VA Tech” (Vah Tech) name. Nobody knows we hate it, but we hate it. Do people call Georgia Tech “Gah Tech”? I’ve never heard it.
no, but I hear it called Gee-Tech all the time.
one flaw: people cared about LeBron from the start. they took advantage of spurned fanbases from all the cities he said no rather than creation of that interest.
I’m not sure why that would matter though… either way you’re talking about swinging people from one extreme viewpoint “I hate LeBron”/”Soccer sucks” to the other extreme “I love LeBron”/”Soccer rules”. The fact that people already know about LeBron seems like more of a hurdle… not knowing about soccer creates an easy excuse to flip sides… “I never knew enough to realize I like it”.
And by the way, Colin Cowherd has already flipped his own opinion of soccer in response to management’s preferences… he used to drive the “Americans don’t care about soccer” train and he’s flipped to driving the train in the opposite direction – “It’s growing baby!”
no no no no no. NONONO. LeBron’s flip was the favorite and predictable story line of every modern American sports hero – first acclamation/love -> failure/hate -> redemption/reborn love. This is the trite ESPN fair for every piece with the swelling music at the end as the star who overcame his obstacles plays with his kids and walks hand in hand with his honey. It’s the same reason national broadcasters recall The Drive and ask: will they break the spell?
The LeBron thing is plug and play of a trite narrative. Not the same as attempting to force feed a sport.
i always call gatech, gah tech. but then ive still got you guys as VPI.
as another MU grad, ive grown a thick skin about this. yes miami was a school before florida was a state but talk about a ‘pick your battles’ subject. ive taken to calling it miami-of-ohio in these parts because im usually not up for providing history a lesson.
I think it is harder to get the general public to care about something they are apathetic towards than to drive their feelings about something they are passionate about.
and, if LeBron would have lost that title to OKC, then they wouldn’t have been able to fuel the redemption angle. it would be more hatred and it’d be more tired (nationally) at this point.
We may differ on how easy it is to change the public’s mind regarding LBJ and soccer, but I think the point still remains… ESPN absolutely is attempting to drive public opinion. They do this, and they’re pretty good at it. I mean heck if governments can drive public opinion, can’t monster companies do the same?
they are great at it. take a look at how they took the public’s overall desire for a college football playoff and ended up using it to drive their own marketing engine on conference realignment.
Colin Cowherd is a slimy, weak-willed jellyfish, though.
Fact.
I choose to still call it VPI.
Aw shucks. I should have read jimkanicki’s comment first.
In the same way, I HATE it when people refer to my Alma Mater as “Ohio State University” rather than “THE Ohio State University.”
No. Not really.
I need to give this more upticks. It requires them.
Are you cool with tOSU (toe-sue)? I love saying that, it’s just fun to say.
I’m cool with that… it has “VP” in it.
I prefer chicken or beef or pork. I hate that stuff, and all other “protein substitutes.”
In all honesty, though, I am kinda fond of the full title, including the article “The” – but mostly because it’s a slap in the face of all of the “other” Ohio state universities, which I know just gets their inferiority-complexed blood boiling.
What can I say? I’m a small, petty man.
So I shouldn’t bring hummus dip to your Browns Superbowl Party in a few months? Got it. I’m working on creating a new animal that has all of the best components of chickens, pigs, and cows, but it’s not going to be ready in time.
It should certainly be ready by the real Browns Super Bowl party. Even if the genetic mapping and engineering technology won’t be known for decades, you’ll have plenty of time.
Just make sure that “bacon” is the predominant flavor, please.
I am still curious as to your reaction to hearing “toe-sue” though… does it make your blood curdle, does it bring immense joy, or do you treat it like some goose poop on the path around the lake and just get out of its way?
Well, I had posted a response, but somehow it got lost, or stolen, or rejected. (Based on what I wrote, I wouldn’t be surprised if some alumnus “moderator” of some inferior school gave it the death blow.)
Anyhoo, here’s the gist (let’s hope it makes it this time):
I am, in all honesty, quite fond of the full official title – with the article “The” included. Mostly, though, because it’s a slap in the face to all of the inferiority-complexed “other” Ohio “state universities.” And, let’s be honest, I’m a small, petty man.
The “tOSU” thing has always struck me as the soft, ineffectual barbs of those with secret Buckeye envy (ahem, “no nuts”) – present company excluded, of course. It washes over me like the insults that used to fly at the playground when I was in elementary school. (I don’t care what people say, I was NOT short, ugly, and “grasshopper armed” – whatever that means? – with poopy pants and cooties!!!)
Really? I haven’t heard that. I often hear it just called “Tech” as if it were the only one. Unacceptable!
Aha! There you are, comment! I missed you.
hummus isn’t a protein substitute. it is something with which to dip lamb into. MMMMmmmmmmmm.
it’s not the only one, it’s just the best one
(kidding)
Crap… is it too late to change to tempeh?
yes 🙂
Nuts.
I will never understand why people insist on putting pine nuts into a good hummus.
Beckett ate the rest of the wings, and someone forgot to refill the cooler with ice…ugh
just have to drink the beer german-style