The City of Cleveland is Heartbreak City in American Sports.
Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers had their dreams crushed by Michael Jordan and
the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s and 1990s. They had their hearts ripped out when
Ohio native LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. Cleveland Indians
fans twice watched their Tribe reach the World Series in the 1990s, only to be
so far away, losing to the Atlanta Braves in 1995 and in a Game 7 to the
Florida Marlins in 1997.
This all pales in comparison to the agony brought to the
City of Cleveland by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. John Elway of the Denver
Broncos drove 98 yards down the field to force overtime and beat the Browns in
the 1986 AFC Championship Game. Earnest Byner lost a fumble just before scoring
the winning touchdown against the Broncos in the final moments of the 1987 AFC
Championship Game. The owner, the late Art Modell (who died last fall), moved the team to Baltimore
in 1996 (Cleveland was awarded an expansion Browns team that began play in
1999). The Drive…The Fumble…The Move. Indeed, pain and disappointment is the
common bond that connects Browns fans.
Scott Entsminger of Mansfield, Ohio died this past Thursday
at age 55. He was a lifelong Browns fan. In his obituary in the Columbus
Dispatch, he asked that six Browns players be pallbearers at his funeral so “the
Browns can let him down one last time.” The Browns sent a jersey. I’m not
kidding. Talk about an ironic double entendre….
Apparently, the punch line is a long running one among
Browns fans. In honor of the memory of Mr. Entsminger, today’s retweet is the
following, from FASHION!!! (@TweetsOnFashion)
“Earnest Byner skips Art Modell's funeral, for fear he'd be
asked to be a pallbearer. :-( #Browns”
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| I couldn't make this up. |
Image from www.twitter.com
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