The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Schudel counts down the best of 2018
Jeff Schudel counts down the best of 2018 on the Cleveland sports scene, headlined by the Browns’ dramatic turnaround from being 0-16 a year ago to an exciting 7-8-1 squad with hope for the future.
For the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers, 2018 was a year of hope and change. And it was a reminder that change isn’t always good, especially for the Cavaliers and maybe for the Indians, though whether that is so might not be known for 10 months.
Following is my list of the top 10 stories from the Cleveland professional sports scene in 2018. 1. BROWNS HAVE HISTORIC TURNAROUND » The Browns had nowhere to go but up after finishing 0-16 in 2017, but few expected them to make the jump they did. And the future looks even brighter after finishing 7-8-1 — the biggest one-year turnaround in franchise history going back to 1946.
The turnaround can be traced to December 2017 when team owner Jimmy Haslam fired Sashi Brown and replaced him with General Manager John Dorsey. Finally — an experienced football guy to make football decisions.
Dorsey aggressively traded for wide receiver Jarvis Landry and safety Damarious Randall. He went against conventional wisdom and selected quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall draft pick (more on that later) and then, halfway through the season, Haslam and Dorsey fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
The coaching change was like the morning after a spring rain. It left a clean feeling and a new beginning in the locker room. The Browns took on the feisty attitude of interim head coach Gregg Williams and excelled with offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens calling plays. They were 2-5-1 under Jackson. They finished 5-3 under Williams and sowed seeds of hope for a playoff spot in 2019.
Mayfield is a strong candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He and a young, aggressive defense led by end Myles Garrett have made the Browns relevant again. 2. INDIANS SWEPT IN ALDS » The Indians cruised to their third straight American League Central Division championship and then were swept by the Houston Astros in the ALDS.
Sometimes a team can blame bad bounces or things just not breaking the right way. That happened in 2017 when the Indians beat the Yankees in the first two games of the ALDS. But then the defense got sloppy, big bats went ice cold and the pitching collapsed. The Indians lost the last three games of the division series after winning 102 games in the regular season.
The Astros, the 2017 World Series champions, were clearly the better team in the 2018 ALDS. Twenty-game winner Corey Kluber failed in the postseason for the second straight year, and Jose Ramirez, who finished third in the AL MVP voting, was hitless in 11 atbats.
Getting the broom treatment left the Indians wondering what would happen next, because left fielder Michael Brantley plus relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen were headed to free agency. Brantley (Astros) and Miller (Cardinals) have found new teams.
The Indians’ record of 91-71 was the worst among American League division champions, yet they won the AL Central by 13 games over the Twins. They were never really in a critical situation until they played the Astros.
“We never felt like we tapped our full potential, maybe because we didn’t have to,” Miller said after the Indians lost Game 3, 11-3.
The sweep exposed how much better the Indians must get to get back to the World Series. 3. LEBRON JAMES HEADS WEST » A story doesn’t have to be a surprise for it to be a huge gamechanger.
Rumblings LeBron James would leave after the 2017-18 season began while the Cavaliers were playing the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. Stories in June 2017 had James fleeing to the Lakers 13 months before he did.
The story was a distraction for the Cavaliers all of last season. James tried to snuff out the rumors the first day of training camp in 2017, but it did not help.
On Feb. 1, a story surfaced on ESPN claiming James was interested in joining the powerhouse Warriors. Ironically, it was that false report that temporarily put an end to the “Where will James play next?” stories because James demanded they end.
“I don’t care if it’s my kids, my wife or whatever,” James said after practice Feb. 2, 2018. “If it’s not from me, it’s not true. The story needs to be: LeBron is focused on getting his team back to the Finals.”
James did lead the Cavaliers to the Finals a year ago (keep reading) but in the end, the original report turned out to be the correct one.
James quietly announced he was signing with the Lakers on July 1, 2018, the first day of free agency. It was nothing like getting bludgeoned by “the decision” in July of 2010 when he left the Cavs for the first time to sign with the Miami Heat, but, still, the Cavaliers have been reeling ever since. 4. WARRIORS SWEEP CAVS » The Cavaliers and Warriors met in the Finals four straight times – an NBA record. After beating the Cavs in five games in 2017 when the Cavaliers had Kyrie Irving, Golden State swept them in four games a year later with Irving in Boston.
The 2018 Finals will be remembered for Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith dribbling out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter in Game 1 with the score tied. The Warriors cruised in overtime and won, 124-114. Smith’s brain cramp deflated the Cavaliers and carried over into the next three games. James scored 51 points, a playoff high, in the Finals opener but all for naught.
The Warriors won Game 2, 122-103, in Oakland and then finished the sweep, 110-102, and 108-85 in Cleveland.
No one had to say it – the streak of the Cavs and Warriors meeting in the Finals was at an end. 5. MIOCIC LOSES BELT » Stipe Miocic was the “baddest man on the planet” as UFC heavyweight champion for more than two years, but his reign came to a stunning end on July 7 when he was knocked out by Daniel Cormier at 4 minutes, 43 seconds, of the first round at UFC 226 in Las Vegas.
“I thought I was winning the fight,” said Miocic about the fight’s first four minutes. “I had him against the cage. We were both getting some good shots in there. We were going back and forth. He caught me with a good right. Good shot. What are you going to do? It’s part of the game. I lost plain and simple. No excuses.”
Miocic, a graduate of Eastlake North High School, has been on a mission to get a rematch since losing the belt, but Cormier keeps dodging him. 6. BROWNS HIT DRAFT JACKPOT » John Dorsey is going to have difficulty ever matching the success of his first draft as Browns general manager.
Armed with extra picks accumulated by Sashi Brown trading down (and passing on quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson) in 2016 and 2017, Dorsey drafted Mayfield with the first pick, cornerback Denzel Ward fourth overall, offensive lineman Austin Corbett with the 33rd pick and running back Nick Chubb 35th.
Mayfield was 6-7 as a starter. He threw three touchdown passes in a 26-24 season-ending loss to the Ravens to finish with 27 and set a record for rookie QBs. The old record of 26 was set by Peyton Manning in 1998.
Ward was voted to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, although that could be in jeopardy as he deals with a concussion that forced him to miss the final game of the season. Chubb finished with 996 yards rushing despite not starting until the seventh game.
Corbett hasn’t lived up to expectations, but the Browns have confidence he will improve.
Wide receiver Antonio Callaway, picked in the fourth round, led the team with five touchdown catches. Linebacker Genard Avery, a fifth-round pick has emerged as a fierce pass rusher with 4.5 sacks. 7. CAVS REPLACE TY LUE WITH LARRY DREW » Talk about a “What have you done for me lately?” business — Ty Lue guided the Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016 and the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018 and then was fired after the LeBron-less Cavs began the current season 0-6.
General Manager Kolby Altman said the things GMs usually say when a coach is kicked out the door — what a difficult decision it was and how much he appreciated what Lue did — but Altman concluded assistant coach Larry Drew would lead the young Cavaliers better.
“It didn’t come together the way we envisioned,” Altman said the day Lue was fired. “We just didn’t think Coach Lue was the right fit for this group. We wanted a different approach and a different voice. I didn’t want to string it out any longer.”
Players came out in support of Lue. One of them was center/forward Kevin Love.
“You helped me see the big picture,” Love tweeted. “Life changing experience and teaching points. Nothing but love and admiration. Know we will work towards something greater again. THANK YOU” 8. INDIANS GO ON TRADING SPREE » Indians president Chris Antonetti has spent the offseason trying to cut salary and trying to remain a playoff contender at the same time. It is a difficult tightrope to walk.
Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (107 RBI in 2018) was traded to the Seattle Mariners and first baseman Yonder Alonso (83 RBI) was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Left fielder Michael Brantley (76) signed with Houston in free agency. Catcher Yan Gomes (48 RBI) was traded to the Washington Nationals.
The Tribe reacquired first baseman Carlos Santana (86 RBI) in the Encarnacion trade. They also acquired first baseman/ outfielder Jake Bauers (48 RBI) from the Tampa bay Rays, but still need to find run production.
Rumors of the Indians trying to trade one of their starting pitchers, either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer, have fueled the Hot Stove League since the World Series ended, but as 2019 begins, both are still in the Indians rotation. 9. HASLAMS SAVE COLUMBUS CREW » It isn’t exclusively a Cleveland pro sports story, but Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam plus business partner Pete Edwards, took ownership of the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer on Dec. 28.
The Haslams began purchase of the Crew in October. They are heroes to soccer fans in Columbus, who feared former owner Anthony Precourt was going to move his team to Austin, Texas. Browns fans can identify with that concern because they lost their football team when Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1996.
“Throughout our conversations, it’s been overwhelmingly clear that Crew SC belongs in Columbus, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement in principle to assume an ownership position in Major League Soccer and to operate Columbus Crew SC,” Jimmy and Dee Haslam said in a statement.
Don’t be surprised if the Crew plays some games at FirstEnergy Stadium. 10. KLUBER WINS 20 GAMES » Corey Kluber won the Cy Young Award in 2014 and 2017, but he never won 20 games until 2018 when he finished 20-7. He became the first Indians righthander to win 20 games since Gaylord Perry was 21-13 in 1974.
Kluber struck out 222 batters in 215 innings, most innings in the American League, and finished the regular season with a 2.89 ERA. As well as Kluber pitched in the regular season, his only postseason start in 2018 did not go well. He pitched the series opener against the Astros and was lifted with two out in the fifth inning after giving up three home runs and four runs.
Kluber gave up 25 home runs in the regular season – the most of his career. He still won 20 games, but the long ball did him in in the playoffs.