Land of the CLE is our Cleveland-focused sports blog maintained by both Bob and Chris. We use this area to expand upon topics that we can't fully cover in our CLE Talk podcast.
FIFA announced the shortlist for the 2014-15 Ballon d'Orr over the weekend. It included 23 of the best footballers from around the world, all having accomplished seasons and deserved mention for FIFA's top individual award (for reference, 11 of the 23 nominees play for either Real Madrid or Barcelona). But make no mistake, this is a two horse race between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Read MoreIt baffles me how so many teams just don't get when and when not to go for the two-point conversion. I've already pulled out my hair twice this season first during the Notre Dame vs. Clemson game, then on Sunday when the Browns took on the Broncos. Both instances, teams went for two too early, and it cost them in the end.
Read MoreEven though the Pittsburgh Pirates had the second-best record in the National League, the fact that they had to play in the Wild Card game doesn't bother me.
Read MoreOn Thursday Night Football, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Houston Texans to win their 16th straight game against AFC South opponents. Since drafting Andrew Luck in 2012, they've gone 18-2 against their division rivals. Having six relatively easy games a year makes 10-win seasons look pretty simple, but not everyone is as fortunate as the Colts.
Read MoreMy brother had to stop me from listing off more Heisman candidates on our last episode. So I decided to toss the rest of my candidates onto a nice blog post. Projecting Heisman winners is a difficult task. The candidate needs some combination of statistics and big-game heroics while leading a successful team (nine of the last twelve Heisman winners played in the championship game).
Read MorePreseason polls are a necessary evil. They help hype the upcoming college football season and are a guide for both fans and the television networks to circle what games are important.
Read MoreThe first Coaches' Poll of the 2015 college football season dropped last week, and there is plenty to talk about and discuss. Most will say the rankings are pretty meaningless, with the path to the College Football Playoff pretty clear: go undefeated or lose once early in the season and then win your conference championship. But here were the top four teams in last year's coaches' poll heading into the 2014 season: Florida State, Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon.
Read MoreLess is usually more, but there are always exceptions. And expansion could solve some of Major League Baseball’s problems. Commissioner Rob Manfred said at a luncheon with the Baseball Writers of America in Cincinnati during All-Star week that he was open to expanding the league in the future.
Read MoreI don’t like All-Star Games. Despite baseball being the closest to an actual game, I can’t get around the pitching. Tons of relievers get to be named All-Stars because no team wants to stress out its starter in an exhibition game (and rightfully so). Which is why the All-Star Game should not decide what team gets home field advantage in the World Series.
Read MoreIs it just me, or is this year's NBA Free Agency Nicolas Cage-insane? I can't think of another year or league that had just about every team going absolutely bananas in terms of spending. There have been storylines, misreports, well publicized trade negotiations that fell through (always awkward, just ask Lamar), and storylines within storylines (Inception). Here are a few of my impressions so far:
Read MoreSerena Williams can’t carry the torch forever. Right now she is the only relevant name in U.S. tennis — men’s or women’s. And as impressive as her career has been, with 20 Grand Slam singles championships and a shot at a Grand Slam in 2015, at 33-years-old it is in the twilight. Soon she will fall from the rankings and head into retirement.
Read MoreGood news for everyone, Jalen Rose gave me some other great NBA Player comparisons that just didn't get a chance to air live on Thursday's NBA Draft. Much like LeBron making his teammates better, Rose seems to have benefited mightily from the partnership with Bill Simmons. And now that Simmons is gone, Rose seems to be as desperate and confused as the 2010-11 Cavs.
Read MoreNote: This post has been updated with post-draft comments for each sleeper.
The NBA Draft is usually pretty boring. By and large, the top five picks come and go without many surprises. Especially in a draft like this one with four clear-cut Top 5 guys — Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Read MoreThe success and grit of the Cavaliers in these playoffs, so it seemed, caused us to believe that the Cavs and Warriors were two perfectly equal teams, and this finale was just as it should be. We became comfortable with the Cavs missing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. It is not normal for a team to lose two of its three best players and to continue winning.
Read MoreRoyals fans, you had to do it, didn't you? Seven All-Stars wasn't enough. That wasn't a loud enough message. No, you had to get one more in the starting lineup. You had to get eight. And why not let that eighth Royal All-Star be the worst hitter in the entire American League?
Read MoreEvery year, in every sport, there are inevitably two kinds of MVP contenders — the best player on the best team, and the player who is most valuable to his team. Most of the time, the MVP goes to the best player on the best team as long as that player had a great season.
It all comes down to how one defines “value.”
Read MoreNow that the Bulls have predictably fired Tom Thibodeau, the NBA’s coaching carousel is going to spin a lot faster. The best job on the market — Oklahoma City — already filled its vacancy, but there are others out there with a lot of upside. I break the remaining openings down and rank them.
Read MoreI can't blame Kyle Korver. While regarded as the best spot-up three-point shooter, rim-protection isn't exactly a secondary skill of his. Three sentences is too long without watching the video again. Here you go:
Read MoreAt least I’m not alone in picking the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. Then again, perhaps I should have seen the writing on the wall when Sports Illustrated anointed them as the 2015 champions. And while things look bleak in Tribe Town, the silver lining is there are five more months left in the baseball seasons.
Read MoreI love the NFL Draft. It's the Hall Pass of sports talk. No one holds you accountable for your predictions and thoughts because everyone is wrong about something during the draft. You can hit on your mock draft, but totally miss on first round talents actually becoming star players. Head over to our NFL Draft Preview to hear Chris and I get a lot of things wrong, and to our new CLETalk podcast to hear what we predicted for our hometown team. Anyway, it's an exciting time for a football fan, and there are always interesting storylines to talk about. Here are a few of my favorites:
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