FILE - In this file photo taken Aug. 2, 2011, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas stretches during practice at the NFL football team's training camp in Berea, Ohio. The team locked up its steady Pro Bowl left offensive tackle on Monday, Aug. 22, 2011, by reaching agreement with him on a seven-year contract extension. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
From 1938 through about 1951, the best pitcher in the major leagues, and one of the greatest pitchers in major-league history, pitched for Cleveland.
From 1957 through 1965, the greatest running back in NFL history, and maybe the greatest player ? period ? in NFL history, played for Cleveland.
From 2003 through 2010, the best basketball player in the world played for Cleveland.
Today?
Say hello to Ezequiel Carrera, Kaluka Maiava and Omri Casspi.
Those are not three members of the percussion section of the Cleveland Orchestra. Those are three players who in the last 12 months have started games for the Indians, Browns and Cavaliers.
In a city that for much of the last 70 years has been the playground of the stars, Cleveland has devolved into The Village of the Vanilla.
Professional sports rosters in Cleveland have all the star power of a marbles tournament.
I don't want to say the rosters lack a "wow" factor, but in Cleveland you can't tell the players with a scorecard.
The Cavs' most improved player this year is Alonzo Gee. Isn't that a character from a book by Dr. Seuss? Continued...
For most of last season the Indians' third baseman was generic Jack Hannahan, whose last name is spelled the same forward as it is inside out.
Two players who started for the Browns' defense this season were Usama Young and Chris Gocong. Who can forget the rhythmic chanting coming out of the Dawg Pound this season: "Who cong?" "Gocong!" I get chills just thinking about it.
For many years during their careers, Bob Feller, Jim Brown and LeBron James were the best players in their sports. Today none of the players on the Indians, Browns or Cavaliers are even the best players at their position.
Who is currently the biggest sports star in Cleveland?
It would have to be Joe Thomas, who has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his five years in the league.
However, NFL offensive linemen are about as glamorous as a Lake Erie carp. Thomas is further hampered by his bland name. Let's face it, many of sport's biggest stars have catchy names. Unfortunately "Joe Thomas" isn't one of them. It' not that far removed from "John Doe."
A flashy nickname would help. But what kind of flashy nickname can you hang on a left tackle named Joe Thomas?
Joe "The Joe" Thomas?
Obviously, the lack of stars in Cleveland sports explains the lack of winning in Cleveland sports, but just because you have lousy teams doesn't mean you can't have a star player now and then.
Minnesota? In the last three full major sports seasons the Twins, Vikings and Timberwolves finished a combined 94 games under .500, but that city's fans get to watch Joe Mauer, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio. Continued...
I'll give you Kansas City. It's a little dim star-wattage-wise, although I defy anyone to leave off their all-NFL names team Chiefs linebacker Sabby Piscitelli.
What's deadly are cities with bad teams and boring rosters.
Hello, Cleveland!
Who are the five biggest names on each of Cleveland's three professional sports teams?
Here are my meager lists:
Indians
Grady Sizemore, Ubaldo Jimenez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner: Minus Sizemore, the other four have a combined two All-Star selections. Ubaldo's fame is 50 percent his 2010 season and 50 percent his first name.
Browns
Thomas, Josh Cribbs, Joe Haden, Peyton Hillis and Phil Dawson: Dawson is second on the Browns' all-time list for points scored, but has never been selected to a single Pro Bowl, nor have Haden or Hillis.
Cavaliers Continued...
Antawn Jamison, Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson and a tie for fifth among everyone else on the roster: Jamison was a two-time All-Star with Washington, but not a single player on the rest of the Cavs roster has been selected for the All-Star game. In fact, with the exception of Jamison and Anthony Parker, none of the other Cavs have ever even been a starter for a full NBA season.
In other words, when it comes to marquee names, Cleveland's sporting landscape is about as bleak as bleak can be.
Sizemore had star power once ? but that was three years and five surgeries ago.
Irving, a rookie, has a chance to eventually attain it.
Thomas has it, or at least as much of it as can be had by someone who can play an entire season without even touching the ball.
No offense to "The Joe," but when a city's biggest sports star is a left tackle those aren't teams you are rooting for.
They are ensembles.
Source: http://news-herald.com/articles/2012/01/06/sports/nh4941656.txt
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