WFNY turns back the clock to examine the best professional Cleveland teams of the last 25 seasons
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Sports IllustratedWFNY's TD lists the 1986 Browns as one of the best Cleveland teams of the last 25 yearsI know it seems like nothing seems to be going our way these days.
We have turned the page to 2011 and seem to be stuck in neutral. The Cleveland sports scene today, February 8, 2011 is as sad as it’s ever been. The Cavs just set the NBA record for consecutive losses and are 1-35 in their last 36 games. The Browns just finished their second consecutive 5-11 season which saw them fire their coach (again). The Indians ended 2010 with their second consecutive 93-plus loss season, the first time that has happened in club history, which dates back to the 1901 Cleveland Blues.
Yeah, I'd say things are pretty sad around here.
As if things weren’t bad enough, the Cleveland State Men’s Basketball team entered last Saturday 21-3 atop the Horizon League. Butler comes to town for the biggest game the Wolstein Center has seen in ages. The city finally seemed to be behind the Vikings. 8,500 people – their first sell out in years – come out to see what the buzz is about, and CSU plays one of their worst games of the year, losing by double digits. After Monday night’s loss in Detroit, the Vikings went from #1 in the conference on track to host the Conference tournament, to a tie for second place, no longer controlling their own destiny.
I’m not here to bum all you out, I’m here to reflect. Reflect on the best seasons that this city has seen in the last 25 years. Taking a look at what our teams accomplished, I narrowed it down to three; one from each of our major sports teams. Honorable mentions include the 1997 Indians, the 2007 Indians, the 1987 Browns, and the 91-92 Cavaliers.
1986 Cleveland Browns- 12-4, AFC Central Champions, Lost in AFC Championship Game to the Denver Broncos
This is probably my favorite Cleveland team of my youth. They seemingly had it all. Bernie Kosar entered his first full season as the Browns starting Quarterback, and as the song “Bernie, Bernie” said, he had “style and class at age 23.” Don’t forget, Bernie was pressed into service a year before only after QB Gary Danielson was lost with a fractured ankle. To say he was magnificent during that regular season and playoffs would be a grand understatement. Because the Lindy Infante offense was so well rounded, Bernie only had 17 TD passes, but he threw for close to 4,000 yards while winning 12 games.
His Wide Receivers and Tight Ends was the deepest group of pass catchers in Browns history. On the outside you had Reggie Langhorne and Webster Slaughter who not only had the hands, but the big play ability as well. Plus, nobody had a cooler high-five than these two in the late 80’s. If coverages tried to take away the edges from Bernie, he’d have the sure-handed duo of Brian Brennan and Ozzie Newsome over the middle.
The backfield was supposed to have a second full season of dual 1,000 yard backs in Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, but injuries forced Curtis Dickey into service. The unsung hero of the group was third-down back Herman Fontenot, who was second on the Browns in catches. This was a well-oiled offensive machine, which averaged 24.4 points per game, fifth in the NFL.
Defensively, you had the creation of the Dawgs. Cornerbacks Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield were the leaders of a tough group that included Clay Matthews, “The Assassin” Eddie Johnson, Carl “Big Daddy” Hairston, and big hitting Safety Ray Ellis. The defense was solid, but not spectacular. They always seemed to do just enough in close games to win. Throw in stud return man “The Ice Cube” Gerald McNeil (2 return TDs) and simply you had a well-rounded group.
Starting in late November, Bernie and the boys pulled off a three straight wins, including two in OT against division rivals Pittsburgh and Houston, before heading to Cincinnati for a showdown with Boomer Esiason and the Bengals. The winner would take the division title. The Browns would not be denied, throttling the Bengals 34-3 in route to their second straight AFC Central title.
In the playoffs, Bernie led the amazing comeback from 10 down with just over two minutes remaining to force OT and beat the Jets 23-20 in double OT. Kosar threw for an incredible 489 yards. I was lucky enough to be there, and yes, I left. (My father, may he rest in peace, was one of the many who led their families out of the stadium). We all know what happened in the AFC title game against Denver.
The thing about this team was how the city responded to them. Maybe it was because it was the first truly great team of my youth (I was four during the Red, Right, 88 year), but I will never forget the passion of the city for that particular team. Bernie, The Dawgs, etc. Man, I miss those days.
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1995 Cleveland Indians – 100-44, AL Central Champions, Lost in World Series to the Atlanta Braves
While the ’97 team seemed to be “the team of destiny” with their amazing and dramatic playoff run, the ’95 Indians will always be the first love of a new era of Indians fans – “The Jacobs Field fan” as I like to refer to them as.
What was not to love?
They had an offense that would not quit. They had a solid veteran rotation with no holes. They had the best closer in the game who was as untouchable as it got. On top of all that, they had a fan base that sold out a brand new beautifully erected Stadium and was starving to cheer on this buzzsaw of a team.
The term “Jacobs Field magic” was coined in 1995 because seemingly every single night, the Indians managed to win in their last at-bat. With the loaded lineup, it was someone new taking their turn as the hero. Talk about an offense that had it all.
Kenny Lofton (.310 BA/54 steals) was the table-setter as the leadoff man and Gold Glove Centerfielder. Carlos Baerga (.314 BA/90 RBI) was as clutch as they came that year and still in his prime. Albert Belle (.317/50 HR/126 RBI) was hands-down the best offensive player in the game, yet was robbed of the AL MVP because of his moody behavior. Veteran DH Eddie Murray (.323 BA/82 RBIs) was still going strong, showing young Manny Ramirez (.308 BA/31 HR/107 RBI) and Jim Thome (.314 BA/25 HR/73 RBI) the ropes on being professional (OK, so it worked for Thome, not so much for Manny). 1-9, there we no holes. I didn’t even mention the magician at Shortstop (Omar Vizquel) who is arguable the greatest defensive player at the position.
Veteran starters Orel Hershiser (16 wins), Dennis Martinez (12), and Charles Nagy (16) were the anchors of the rotation. The bullpen was lockdown, with Julian Tavarez (10-2, 2.44 ERA) and Erik Plunk (6-2, 2.67) from the right side, and Paul Assenmacher (6-2, 2.82) from the left side setting up Jose Mesa.
While we all hate him now, Mesa gave us the best closing season the Tribe has ever had, saving 46 games with an ERA of 1.13.
The first playoff game in Cleveland since 1954 ended had all kinds of fireworks. Who could forget Albert Belle's "it's right-bleeping here" game-tying ninth inning home run off of Boston closer Rick Aguilera? And to top it all off, it was Tony Pena of all people who ended the game with a 13th inning, walk-off homer. The Tribe swept Boston in three games to head into the American League Championship series against Seattle.
The Indians would take this series 4-2 with the memorable Kenny Lofton mad dash home from second base on a wild pitch in the clincher. The Wahoos headed to their first World Series in 41 years.
The old adage ended up coming true in the World Series – good pitching beats good hitting – as the Braves Hall of fame starters locked down the Indians All-Star lineup. But that team gave us so many amazing memories we will never forget.
2008-2009 Cleveland Cavaliers - 66-16, Central Division Champions, #1 Seed in the East, Lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic
This was supposed to be the season. The Cavaliers were coming off of a disappointing Eastern Semifinals loss to Boston where LeBron James and Paul Pierce had a duel for the ages. The post-roster changing trade team was about to start their first full season together. The chemistry on this team was building from day one of training camp. They seemed to have all the pieces and were extremely hungry.
Then the season started and the Cavaliers were blowing teams out at a staggering pace. LeBron was on his way to becoming the league MVP. Mo Williams became an All-Star point guard. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was hitting spot-up jumpers from everywhere. Anderson Varejao continued to make a name for himself as one if, if not the best sixth men in the league. Delonte West became an unsung hero because of his big-spot shooting and his perimeter defense.
But it was moreso the personality of this team is what captured the imagination of the city. While the Cavs were annihilating team after team, they seemed to be having more fun than any team in the league. This wa sthe year of "the family photos," custom high-fives between each of the players and their teammates, and players dancing during timeouts of big wins. This town had Cavs Fever, no doubt about it.
Everyone was talking about them. From the guys at the barbershop to old ladies at retirement home, everyone wanted a piece of this team. Cavaliers gear was everywhere. It seemed almost like a foregone conclusion that this team would fullfill their destiny and end the city's long title drought. There was so much goodwill on both sides. The fans loved this team, and the players seemed to give it right back to them.
The season culminated with an NBA best 66 wins. A 39-2 home record. The NBA MVP in LeBron James and the NBA Coach of the Year, Mike Brown. What could possibly go wrong?
Then the playoffs started. The first two rounds almost seemed to easy. The Cavs swept both the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks and rolled right into the Eastern Conference Finals to meet the Orlando Magic - the one team in the league that matched up the best against the Wine and Gold. After a stunning 107-106 Game One loss in Cleveland, James gave the city of Cleveland perhaps the greatest single play in the city's long sports history.
Trailing by two with one second left, LeBron hit that unforgettable buzzer-beating three to steal a win 96-95. But that was where the Cavs peaked. The matchup issues with Orlando never went away, and the Magic took the series four games to two. Little did we know that was essentially the beginning of the end of the Cavaliers peak years.
But what a great season that was.
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So what do you think? Were the '86 Browns the greatest team in the past 25 years? Or was it that '95 Tribe team that made us all love baseball once again? Could it be the Cavaliers '08-'09 team that steamrolled everything it their path?
I put it to you.
View full sizeOhio State's Jared Sullinger (0) has a sense of humor ... he liked a sign that was intended to taunt him so much that he had the Minnesota student mail it to him.
