Mainelife...thru the eyes of someone from away

Pre-game Warm Up for Game 5

A little appetizer of LeBron's recent greatest to get you ready for Game 5.

Gloria. G-L-O-R-I-A

K-Sea and Lisa have been very kind to this blogger and my rooting interests in this second round of the NBA series.  I live and die by the Red Sox,  but I take the Cavs over the Celtics?  After last night, it's time to explain that it's not  the Cavs that I'm pulling for, but rather LeBron James, despite his rather inexplicable affinity for the (gag me) Yankees.  I believe that the entire state of Ohio wants LeBron James to succeed because for him to do so defies so many odds. Gloria James throwing elbows at Paul Pierce last night is nothin'.....it's just one more thing to put down as part of the Legend of Gloria James.   

LeBron has been the wonder kid of Ohio since he was in seventh grade. We all knew about this kid from Akron who was going to be the next Michael Jordan.  My brother-in-law saw him play in the first round of the state tournament against Ashland Hillsdale (not our alma mater, but a county school full of short farm kids, more suited to football that hoops). It was LeBron's junior year of high school. Rob called on his way home from the game to tell me that he saw LeBron dunk the ball---a Hillsdale kid set up just inside the free throw line to take the charge. LeBron left his feet at the free throw line, went OVER the kid, literally, jumping up and clearing him, legs splayed and put down a dunk.  Rob could not believe what he'd seen. This kid was that GOOD. 

As the Legend grew (Akron St. Vincent/St.Mary High School was on ESPN and started flying all over the country to play ball), so did LeBron's mom's antics.    There was a game his senior year when she showed up in a fur, carrying large portrait of LeBron and paced the sidelines during warm-ups, saying "Bronie's in the House. That's my son, King James."  Rumor had it she might have had a couple of cocktails before the game.  There was the Hummer she bought him for his 18th birthday, paid for by a loan she took out based on his future earnings.  There were aways stories about Gloria James.  There was the night she showed up at his game in a fur, driving a Cadillac. She refused to say where she got the money to pay for these things.  The portrait became an every game deal, as well as the pacing and trash-talking at those who asked her to sit down.   LeBron loved his mom and Sure, Sure, he graduated with a solid B average and sure he kept himself out of any kind of trouble with the law all through high school....but Gloria James kept the entire state just waiting for the next thing. She needed attention and it seemed that she didn't care whether it was positive or negative. 

No one wanted to judge or borrow trouble, but we all knew of so many stories of kids from tough circumstances who couldn't handle instant wealth and the constant pressure of celebrity and expectations.  And LeBron had more wealth, more expectations, more pressure than any of them.  Then, just as we all wished, he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The King of Ohio would stay in Ohio.  Who would advise him and help him navigate the NBA as a teenager?    Surely, with a $90 million Nike contract at 18 years old  he would behave like a teenager and blow it, just like Maurice Clarett.  But he didn't.  Oh no, he didn't.

Through it all, LeBron has shown maturity, poise and wisdom far greater than his years and in measures much greater than his mother. He handles the press, his neighbors, the fans, with grace.  At 23, he is the face of Cleveland and it's a face the city is proud of.    And when LeBron moves to LA, or Chicago, I'll still be a LeBron girl. If he becomes a Knick, he's on his own, though.

LeBron's Got Next

I got my wish.  We will all be witnesses.  What a day for Boston sports:  the Red Sox sweep the Rays in fine fashion and the Celtics win Game 7 versus the Atlanta Hawks in De-CI-Sive fashion.

Why Not The Patriots?

A week or so ago, Blog Buddy (and my favorite Red Sox blogger) Lisa asked if I really disliked Bill Belichick because of Bernie Kosar.    I had to mull it over for a while before I decided.  But, Aye-uh,  I'm not a Patriots hater just to be contrary. 

Football is a religion in Ohio.  We've got our own version of Friday Night Lights when entire towns turn out to watch the high school team.  We love our Ohio State Buckeyes, regardless of whether we attended OSU or not,  and northern Ohio loves their Browns.  My daddy used to (I swear this is true) cut his sermons just a little bit short on Sundays so we'd be home and in front of the TV by the 1 pm kick off. 

So yup.  This whole animosity of the Patriots is due to Bill's time in Cleveland.   I have nothing against the Patriots except their Cheaty Pants, arrogant cuss of a coach and I really dislike Belichick just because of his disasterous tenure in  Cleveland.  His legacy with the Browns was disaster after disaster, capped off  with the release of Kosar and the move to Baltimore.  Losing an NFL franchise was demoralizing for Cleveland and fair or not, we hold Belichick as responsible for that as we hold Modell.

But mostly, it was his decision to fire Bernie Kosar that kills us.    It wasn't that he just released Bernie--it's because he released Bernie when they were leading the division with Bernie starting.   THEN the next morning, he  conducts the "press conference" while riding his exercise bike and simply stating that he released Bernie because "of his diminishing skills".  The Browns went 2-7 for the rest of the season.  His arrogant treatment of the press and terrible people skills might be acceptable when going 16-0, but not so much when you've got a mediocre team and you make a horrible decision. 

Bernie was a beloved, home town guy.  He was the kid who wanted to play for his childhood team. He made a lot of people proud of Cleveland again, and that's not easy.   He was the guy who lead us to two straight AFC Championship games--not while Bill was coach, mind you--we didn't win a playoff game with Billy at the controls.  It took two HUGE miracles (now known simply as The Drive and The Fumble) for the Broncos to beat in those games....so  Bernie was our guy.  And Belichick fired him. And promptly lost four straight games.   As Chris Mortensen said at the time, it was either "refreshing" or "it's the most arrogant act in recent NFL history."  I guess you know which I believe it to be.

My feelings about Bill are not unique.  They are shared by every Northern Ohioan.  When home for Christmas, Retired Guy was amazed that local Cleveland sports coverage took a couple of derisive shots at Belichick when reporting on the Pats' win over Miami.  My brother had a hard time reconciling my defection of the Indians to become a Red Sox fan, but we've worked it out.  On the other hand,  it is known and (understood by the entire family), that if I ever became a Pats fan while Bill is the coach, I will be shunned and it will be permanent. The good news is that there is no danger that it will happen.   

Congratulations To The 16-0 NE Patriots

My husband has accused me of making this video. I assure you, I did not. I only wish I had.

Evil

Gah.  If there really is a God, He certainly would not reward an evil little  Bon Jovi-listening fool like Billy Belicheater.  The only answer would appear to be that New England has made a Faustian bargain and sold its soul.  Just remember kids....the only reason that the Patriots won today is because Bill Cheats.

UPDATE:Retired Guy says I'm not allowed to just be petty and small about yesterday's game.  I need to post something of substance.  He says it's the equivalent of Belichick's hand shakes after the game.  Jeez.  So here goes:

1. The officiating was less than stellar.  If I were one for conspiracy theories, I'd say the the league has decided to slow down NE, as no other team seems to be able to do so.  The pass interference calls (all three-two defensive, one offensive) were phantom at best.
2. The difference in the game was the red zone defense of the Pats.  Two huge, beautiful drives by Indy to start the game net 3 points total.  The defense was Gumby yesterday.  It bent and bent and bent, but it did not break. 
3. Randy Moss is a FREAK and I mean that in the most admiring way possible.  He's big and fast and smart and with Tom Brady pitching the ball to him, he can't be stopped. 

The Patriots will not be beaten this regular season.  The only team left that might even give them competition is the Steelers and they just aren't on the same level as the Pats. The Patriots might lose a game, but they'll beat themselves with a bad game.  They will not be beaten.