Another good weekend

Although greatly aided by the fact that the Browns didn't play yesterday, we made it through another Cleveland sports weekend without a blemish. The Cavaliers took care of the Jazz on Saturday night with a 105-93 win (highlights here) at the Q. That makes seven in a row for the good guys and they now sit atop the Central Division at 8-2, one game ahead of the Pissed-ons.

1/8th of the way home and looking good...

This was one of the funner regular season games that I can remember attending in quite some time. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that old friend Carlos Boozer was in the building (his team now 0-5 in Cleveland since his backstabbing departure). My personal favorite moment of the night was when LeBron soared high to reject a shot attempt by Boozer midway through the fourth quarter. It was part of a highlight-reel fourth quarter by James and Mo Williams that had the Q rocking.

LBJ hit some daggers in the 4th on his way to 39 on Saturday night

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - stick with this team. Enjoy them. They won't disappoint you. This is truly a talented squad, ready to reach new heights for this franchise and this city. And for those of you that like to complain about Mike Brown and his lack of offense, this team currently sits fifth in the league in scoring at 101.1 ppg. Mo Williams and Delonte West in the starting line-up make this a very formidable bunch. And the bench is contributing greatly to the cause. And they will get better too.

Other Cavs Notes: Just to expand on what I touched on last week, the Cavs can offer LeBron one more year and $31.5M more than any other NBA team in the summer of 2010. How do I know this? Because the great Brian Windhorst laid out all the numbers today. So suck on that national media... Bob Finnan has a nice piece today on Boobie and his unwavering confidence... And George Thomas gives some more details on the Cavs' new high-powered offense.

Browns Update: The orange and brown continue the beginning of the Brady Quinn era tonight as the kid gets his first taste of Monday Night Football at 8:30 in Buffalo. I've been avoiding talking about the Browns for the last week because frankly, I'm a little sick of all the blind love they get in this town. That's not to say I don't love this team and root for them no matter what... but I just think they get too many free passes for their bumbling ways.

There aren't many things to look forward to when watching a 3-6 team that actually had Super Bowl-type expectations a few short months ago. But we can be excited about Quinn finally getting his shot now that the season is officially in the toilet. The Bills have also been somewhat of a disappointment, losing four of their last five after starting the season 4-0.

So what should we expect when a 5-4 team hosts a 3-6 team tonight in what could be some very sloppy conditions? Perhaps a replay of the Ice Bowl last year in the Stadium which resulted in an 8-0 Browns victory? Probably not that bad, even though that was one of the more memorable sports experiences of my lifelong Cleveland fanhood. The Browns are obviously (to me anyway) a much more talented team than the Bills. We are certainly better than our 3-6 would indicate. But there's also a reason we are 3-6... we just can't finish teams off as evidenced in the last two fourth quarter debacles. So taking all that into account I still think the Browns will find a way to win this one tonight. I'll go with Browns 20, Bills 17. And I'm also going with Billick on the sidelines in '09.

Losers find ways to lose

I don't know what I can say that hasn't been said hundreds of times about the Browns since 1999. They just are not a winning franchise and losing still hangs like a dark cloud over everything they seem to do. There is no more honeymoon period for this organization, at least not for me. It has been almost 10 years since they were reincarnated and we are still watching them invent new ways to lose on a consistent basis. Their debut on Thursday Night Football, a humiliating 34-30 loss to the Broncos, was just the latest example.

Was there anyone in the stands at Cleveland Browns Stadium, or watching at home all over northeast Ohio that didn't see this one coming? Our defense was shredded in the 2nd half, giving up another big lead at home and ruining a solid starting debut by quarterback Brady Quinn. I'm embarrassed by this team and fed up with their lack of discipline. Fan loyalty can quickly turn to apathy and when that happens you can lump the Browns in with teams like the Lions and Bengals. Not exactly the company we want to keep in this league.

How do we fix this mess? I think the easiest answer is for Browns owner Randy Lerner to tear two blank checks from his checkbook. Send one to Bill Cowher and the other to Brian Billick. Whomever returns the gesture first with a "yes" gets the job. At least these guys know how to win in this division. That's not to put all of the blame on Romeo, but winning starts at the top. It's quickly becoming evident that this team cannot win with a players' coach. They need someone who cares about winning as much as their fans do...

Do yourselves a favor Cleveland fans: turn 100% of your attention to the Cavaliers. They are a team that knows how to win right now. Start by going to the game tonight and watching them dismantle the Pacers. You'll even get a throwback Cavaliers Hardwood Classics winter hat for your trouble. It's the quickest way to rid your mind of the losers in orange and brown. Go Cavs.