Thursday, January 29, 2009

Cleveland Needs a Hero

Our city is in crisis, and we need a hero to come save us.

Heroes are needed in the worst of times to help defeat the common enemy. Heroes are called upon when the oppressing force is too much for the common man to overcome. Whether they are near or far, the city awaits their arrival. The judgment bell is tolling and Cleveland is crying out to be saved.

Being just weeks removed from another crushing defeat from Pittsburgh a hero is being summoned. This time it was not a Christmas Eve spent with terrible towels wiping away our merry time at the stadium.

No Cleveland, this is much worse.

Cleveland’s city bank has been bought out by the Pittsburgh based PNC. This defeat goes beyond the field of play. Thousands of jobs in our downtown are in jeopardy of moving from the banks of the Cuyahoga to the banks of the Monongahela.

The Medical Mart that has been promising new jobs and new horizons for the city continues to waffle in ambiguity. By the time the first medical convention is held somewhere in our fair city, many of our fathers who can only recall from their faded memories’ what a championship season is, may no longer be around, with no promise of another championship in sight.

Who, I ask, will pull Cleveland out of our own depression?

And yes, in Cleveland, it is a depression. 40-plus years without a championship is no recession.

A king of the court, Lebron James may be. A monarch of Cleveland, he is not. James has all the attributes of a hero, except that he does not want this position bestowed upon him. On the court he captures our minds while navigating the skies of The Q. Yet, our imaginations are left wanting more as he parades himself around in the colors of Metropolis at Progressive Field during our time of glee.

The Akron born and raised NBA superstar has aspirations far beyond the riches that can be obtained in a long, championship laden career. His ultimate conquests straddles the NBA world along with endorsements and fame which arise because of, yet reside outside of, the NBA. It is these interests and ambitions that are the cause of the schism between James and the hero status that has been vacant in the Cleveland sports’ landscape for quite some time.

James’ on-court ability is unquestioned. The question which remains is whether the people of Cleveland will unabashedly elevate James to Bob Feller/Jim Brown/Bernie Kosar/Mark Price status as Cleveland’s ambassador of sport. There is no doubt if he brings a championship to this starved city that he will reside on a pedestal higher than all others in the Cleveland sporting consciousness. Yet, if he brings a championship to Cleveland the second question asked to him at the ensuing press conference will be “Lebron, will you be staying in Cleveland now that you have a championship?”

For this humble observer, I will not be able to whole-heartedly embrace James until he has his John Hancock drying on the long-term contract extension to keep him where he rightly belongs. Many Clevelanders feel the same way, the city cannot get that restful nights’ sleep until that contract is signed. (If they want to do the contract in stone, I, for one, would have no objection.)

Who then, in our sporting collective, is the next in line to the secession of the Throne of Cleveland?

· Brady Quinn – Seems to be the first logical choice, but as of right now he may not even be the starting quarterback. Plus, he has only started 3 games in his NFL career so it is impossible to know if he will a top-flight NFL quarterback. So far he is a flashy personality who has proved nothing.

· Braylon Edwards – If you ask him, he’d say he could never reach hero status in Cleveland because he played collegiately at Michigan. While this is not a desirable attribute, one which may be held against you if your performance is entirely underwhelming, it can be overlooked in pursuit of the common goal to the pinnacle of football achievement. Edwards seems to be a chip off the wide-receiver block in the modern NFL. A me-first, give-me-the-damn-ball, what celebration should I do this week (if I can hold on to the ball), kind of guy. Someone who is more suited for southern California then the north coast.

· Victor Martinez – Here is someone who may reflect the ideals and values that defines Cleveland. Martinez is a hard-nose grinder. Playing the most physically demanding position in baseball, he is the quarterback of the defense while expertly handling the pitching staff. When faced with criticism about his defense behind the plate and his ability to throw out base stealers, Martinez went to work. Instead of moaning about an obvious deficiency, he transformed himself into a top-tier defensive catcher in the American League. Martinez’ downfall may be the attributes which should elevate him in our esteem. He may be too humble, too quiet and too team-oriented to be the hero we need.

· Grady Sizemore – The best option today in Cleveland. Sizemore performs at an All-Star level in all facets of the game. He is humble and hard-working, a reflection of the city and its people. His face can be seen throughout the city in various marketing campaigns, a vital component of rising to local sports hero status. Sizemore may be the one to reach the top, to inspire the masses and bring joy to the city if he first brings a championship to the Tribe.

Earlier this month, Sizemore was on the front-page of Cleveland’s Plain Dealer, already at the Indians spring-training venue preparing for the upcoming season. Not only is he preparing for the Indians pennant chase, he is also representing the United States in the second edition of the World Baseball Classic. While he has been in pursuit of a World Series championship here in Cleveland, he will be on the world stage this spring to claim national prestige in the baseball world.

So raise your glass to Sizemore’s effort, hard-work and determination. In this long, cold, snow-riddled winter of our discontent in the throngs of world-wide recession we look to Sizemore to uplift our humble city and bring a ray of hope to rally behind and proclaim the greatness of Cleveland to a world who expects us to fail.