Cleveland Rocks
- Tom Gelehrter
- May 26, 2015
- 2 min read
Disclaimer: I have lived in Cincinnati for nine years and love the City of Cincinnati. My family loves the City of Cincinnati. I want to raise my kids here. I have grown to love so much about this city. However, I will always be, the Kid from Cleveland.
If you are reading this blog, chances are, you are a sports fan. If you are a sports fan, it is likely you know the plight of a Cleveland sports fan. However, it is unlikely you understand exactly how it feels. I understand exactly how it feels.
Let me get you caught up. 1964, the Jim Brown-led Cleveland Browns win the NFL Championship. This was so long ago there was no Super Bowl. My father was a sophomore in high school. He had yet to meet my mother. A gallon of gas cost 30 cents. Since then? Nothing. No championships. Plenty of heartbreak. And yet, we keep rooting, keep believing.
My love for sports and specifically Cleveland sports began at a very young age. On October 6, 1985 my dad took me to Cleveland Municipal Stadium for my first Browns game. It was magical. Bernie Kosar made his debut, the Browns beat the Patriots and I was forever hooked. The Indians were awful when I was young, it made no difference. Count me in. The Cavs were pretty good, but Michael Jordan was better. Still, I became a fan. All in.
Of course this meant living through some rough moments along the way. The Fumble, The Drive, The Shot, two lost World Series in the 90’s, the arrival of the King, the Decision and then last July, maybe a turn for the better, the Return of the King.
For the past 30 years I have watched as my beloved teams find themselves on the cusp of greatness. Minutes, outs, strikes away from the elusive championship for the great City of Cleveland. I have wept as those dreams were crushed and yet gone into the next season believing, maybe this is the year.
Tonight, I will make a quick trip to Cleveland to take-in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. My beloved Cavs lead the top-seeded Hawks three games to none. A win tonight means a trip to the NBA Finals and just four wins from a championship. Four wins from a party Cleveland has waiting 51 long years for.
As I watch this Cavs team I have no choice but to believe. Somewhere in the back of my head there is a voice trying to discourage me, but I only know one way. Believe in Cleveland. Believe this is the year. Go Cavs!
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