Remember When?
February 17, 200802/18 Morning Minute: Apologies
February 18, 2008Cleveland Teams Are Desperate To Keep Superstars In Town
Sports are a funny thing. They make us all crazy. By ‘us’, I don’t just means fans. They make fans, owners, and writers all equally crazy. They provide us with a bit of a disjointed perception of reality, kind of like an alternate, or parallel, existence where everyone has different but equally wrong expectations of the way things are. Or at least the way we each think things should be. It doesn’t matter how successful the franchise is, either. Winning or losing, sports teams make us all crazy….just a different kind of crazy. Winning franchises create lofty and unrealistic expectations. Not just about how many games should be won, or how many titles should be won, but also in terms of who should come and play for the franchise. Losing franchises create an environment all their own…an environment in which everyone feels they have to overcompensate for their shortcomings as sort of a last resort to get back to where the franchise should be.
I was reminded of this as I read the latest edition of the “Hey, Hoynsie!” column in the Plain Dealer. In particular, the following question was asked,
“Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Did the Tribe miss a unique opportunity with C.C. Sabathia? I was thinking that they could offer to name the ball field after his mom if he re-signed. Nobody else could offer that. Would that be allowed? – Pat Thacker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
A: Hey, Pat: When the Indians were going through this free agent song-and-dance with Jim Thome, they offered to name the second deck in right field “Thome’s Terrace.” It didn’t work, so now it’s Pronkville for Travis Hafner.
If naming Progressive Field after Sabathia’s mother would keep him in Cleveland, you better believe the Indians have thought about it. They don’t miss much.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this a bit. I’ve always felt the Indians desperate move of offering ‘peripherals’ to Thome in lieu of contract years was one of the more embarrasing moments in franchise history. As if they could hide the shortcomings of their lowball offer to Thome with all the glitter of putting images of statues and “Thome’s Terrace” on the big scoreboard in Jacob’s Field. Although ‘Carsten’s Field’ does have a charming ring to it. The problem is, though, that things like this have ‘inferiority complex’ written all over them. I don’t recall the Yankees offering to rename the new ballpark “A-Rod’s Kingdom” to keep him around. Instead, they got Alex to come crawling back with his tail tucked between his legs begging for another chance at a contract extension. He even came back with public apology in hand. But then again, the Cleveland sports market isn’t the same thing as the New York sports market. And the Cleveland legacy of winning isn’t the same as the New York legacy of winning. And I guess that’s the point.
Cleveland isn’t New York. We fans especially feel the inferiority. And so we look for any little advantage that we think could help our teams hang onto our beloved stars. We allow ourselves to be deluded into thinking that players can be swayed by ‘peripherals’ over dollars and cents. Far too often we’ve thought that players for Cleveland teams were “our guys” and would stay around even though other teams could offer far more dollars for far more years. Nino Colla wrote a great piece about this for Bleacher Report, saying,
“It’s simple, Zambrano wanted to be with the Chicago Cubs.
In the end, that’s what mattered to him and that’s why he signed the contract he did. It wasn’t a mega deal, but it met his standards.
When it boils down to it, it isn’t about money or contract length. It comes down to values and which ones does Sabathia have.
He has given the media the run around on how he wants to be in Cleveland and how it has become his second home. But does he really mean it?
I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt, and will continue to. I think he does genuinely love the city that he has spent his entire major league career in. However, we are going to find out for real.
The Indians will not short change him. Johan Santana’s deal is a lot closer to the twenty million a year we thought he would get. The proposed Sabathia contract is around eighteen million.
The ball is in C.C.’s court, and it’s time to find out what he is made of.”
And that’s really what it all comes down to. The Indians made their offer, but they held back in years. It’s hard to fathom offering to rename the stadium for him would really help.
This got me to thinking though, why stop there? We want LeBron to stay in Cleveland. We need LeBron to stay in Cleveland. Carolyn wrote for her And One blog an open letter to LeBron James saying as much,
“I understand why everyone wants him. Cleveland, however, needs him…What’s not funny is Cleveland’s disappearing jobs, stagnant housing market and overall ranking as one of the poorest cities in the USA. The weather’s not so great, either. Resources are scarce, crime is high and college grads are fleeing for greener pastures…And then there’s LeBron. He may not be the only jewel in our tarnished crown, but he is a jewel like no other. LeBron’s childhood represents the worst this country has to offer. A forgotten family; a single mom desperately trying to do the best for her baby; poverty; homelessness; community apathy. Somehow LeBron rose from that environment to represent the best this country has to offer: community cohesiveness; family ties; dedication; character; intelligence.
I know people will respond with a list of reasons not to view LeBron as a role model. Not sure who these people are; not sure if they live perfect lives. The one thing I do know is that a man with a single championship ring is wonderful. But a single man representing the hearts, minds and dreams of an entire city is a rare opportunity to bring that most prized of NBA skills to its logical fruition: selflessness.”
She’s probably right in many ways. How will the Cavaliers ever recover from losing a home town legend like LeBron? What damage might it do to the city’s economy? I can tell you one thing, though….resorting to offering to rename the Q to King James Arena won’t be enough to get it done. So why stop there? Perhaps we should resolve to rename the city from Cleveland to LeBronland. The LeBronland Cavaliers. And why not? That’s pretty much what the franchise is at this point anyway….the LeBronland Cavaliers.
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