Absolute elation. Pure, unrestrained excitement! That’s exactly what I felt today after seeing the scores of the Browns and Indians games go final. Right now, that is the vibe all around the great city of Cleveland as both the Browns and the Indians secured huge victories today. We’re certainly not used to feeling this way about our teams, but I have a feeling that we will have to get used to it!! As the Tribe moves on to postseason ball and the Brian Hoyer-led Browns continue to improve (not to mention the vastly improved Cavs starting up training camp soon), there will indeed be no shortage of thrilling Cleveland sports action.
I will admit, I most definitely did not expect the Indians to be playing in October this year. There was no ignoring the key additions made in the offseason, including guys like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, Ryan Raburn, and the skipper himself, Terry Francona, but I still was concerned about the stability of the pitching staff and the offense’s consistency. And granted, at some points in the year these concerns have not been misguided. There have certainly been bumps in the road, and at times it has seemed that the Tribe was doomed for another ugly end to the season. Nevertheless, the Tribe was able to catch fire at the right time (and hit a softer spot in the schedule), and our guys were able to put together a huge run, including an active 10 game winning streak, to seize the first Wild Card spot. Key contributors to this streak include some unlikely characters, including mercurial starter Ubaldo Jimenez, rejuvenated starter Scott Kazmir, up and coming catcher Yan Gomes, utility guys like OF Ryan Raburn and INF Mike Aviles, and of course the great Giambino, Jason Giambi. Late hitting streaks by the big guns- Swisher, Bourn, C/1B/DH Carlos Santana, 2B Jason Kipnis, and others- have been absolutely critical as well. Overall, the starting rotation has been stellar in the last months of the season, despite injuries to Justin Masterson and Corey Kluber (who have both since returned), and the bullpen (aside from, well, you know) has been remarkable as well, led by Cody Allen, Matt Albers, Bryan Shaw, Joe Smith, and last but not least, deadline pickup Marc Rzepczynski (I spelled it right then looked it up for confirmation!). Now, the Tribe has earned themselves a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. As things stand now, it remains to be seen whom the Indians will meet in the Wild Card playoff game to be contested at Progressive Field on Wednesday, as both Tampa Bay and Texas won today and remained tied for the second Wild Card spot. These two clubs will play each other tomorrow night to determine who will move on to do battle with your Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. I think I speak for the entire city when I say that we couldn’t be more excited. Personally, I like our chances as well.
As for Brian Hoyer ’04 and the Browns, they picked up a crucial division victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium today by a final score of 17-6. As evidenced by the score, this game was a bruising defensive battle, with neither offense able to move the ball that effectively. However, despite an again-mediocre running game (89 total rushing yards), our boy Brian was able to do enough to lead this offense to 17 points and the Browns to a victory. Hoyer finished 25 of 38 on the day for 269 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. While the offense did indeed stall at various points in the game, Hoyer nonetheless showed tremendous poise and played a pretty efficient game. With the way the defense played, the offense didn’t have to do much anyways. The defense was absolutely smothering over the course of this game, as Bengals QB Andy Dalton and superstar WR A.J. Green weren’t able to get much of anything going. Dalton went 23 of 42 for 206 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception (by BUSTER SKRINE) and Green was limited to just 7 catches for 51 yards courtesy of star Browns CB Joe Haden’s fantastic coverage all game long. The front seven was solid again, led by veteran LBs D’Qwell Jackson and Craig Robertson (10 tackles each). The D was able to force two turnovers as well, including the aforementioned INT by BUSTER SKRINE and a forced and recovered fumble by veteran corner Chris Owens. Overall, this game was a crucial step for the Browns in the 2013 season, as they were able to beat a Bengals team that was regarded as the best in the AFC North and thus show the city that this season is most definitely not lost. This win puts the Browns at 2-2 and in a three-way tie for the division lead with Baltimore, who lost to Buffalo today (yay Chris Carroll), and of course Cincinnati, while the lowly Steelers are still rocking the goose egg at 0-4. In addition, this win puts Hoyer at 2-0 thus far in his Browns career. In my opinion, he may have just won himself the job for the rest of the year.
So, you could say that I was quite excited today. In fact, I was walking around work today just after seeing the scores go final (yes, I had to work; that was depressing), and somebody commented on how I was talking really loudly and my face was absolutely lit up. I think my response went something like “AHHHH SPORTS” but I’m not really sure. All I know is that this city has come alive with Indians Fever and rekindled confidence in the Browns and I couldn’t be happier. Go Tribe. Go Brownies.
