Is it too soon to blame Madden?

Peyton Hillis has come under fire this season ever since the third game of the season when he sat out after his agent advised him to do so. It should be noted that Hillis had strep throat but many believed he could still play and be effective. I can't knock the guy for not playing but I think he would have been better off if he left out the part about asking his agent for advice. Many people have pointed to that situation as a sort of protest for Hillis because he wants a new contract. Currently he is in the final year of his rookie contract and he is looking for more money and longer terms. I would say Hillis is worth it but I have yet to see even a glimpse of last years success. I know he has been sick and been hurt but we need something. The Browns cannot afford to pay Hillis and have him do nothing in return, a la Derek Anderson.

Is it too soon to talk about the Madden Curse? Everyone knows the story, the person on the cover of Madden before the season will have a cursed year where they will either under perform or be injured. Well, so far the curse is living up to its reputation. Is it too soon to write off Hillis as a one year wonder? Can he come back from this latest hamstring injury and help this team win? These questions are swirling around Cleveland like a tornado. One thing is for sure, if he can bounce back it couldn't come at a better or more needed time.

With the Browns only being 5 games into the season there is still time to turn it around. The next two weeks will be tough with road games against San Francisco and Houston. Things should get a little easier when they return home to face the Rams and Jaguars. It also doesn't help that they probably have one of the hardest last 5 weeks of the season for any team in the NFL. They have to face the Ravens and Steelers back to back twice with a game in Arizona between.

Mary Kay Cabot has reported too that Pat Shumur said the Browns are NOT looking into trading Hillis before the Tuesday deadline. There were rumblings of a possible trade with Dallas floating around this morning.

So what do you think? Is it too soon to write off Peyton Hillis or do you think he will be back and be able to contribute to this team like he used to?

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The Fat Lady Has Sung - It's Officially Over For The Cleveland Indians

One phrase comes to mind right now.  "Back up the trucks, back em' up, turn this place into a parking lot".  Well considering Cleveland's genius leadership has allowed us to have a fortune of surface parking lots in our city, let's just leave Jacob's Field as it is.  As for the team, do what you want with them, nothing really matters anymore.

Injuries killed the Indians this year. A red hot Grady Sizemore earlier in the season has been reduced to a has been who can't even make enough contact to foul a ball off and stay alive during his at bats.  Shin Soo Choo's run in with a pitch has only snowballed and Travis Hafner couldn't play a whole season to save his life.  I mean, it's baseball.  I've played for years, since I was like 12, and never once got hurt.  Either that or I played through it, knowing what was on the line, winning.

Remembering 1989 - The Year Jim Thome Was Drafted

The Indians selected Jim Thome in the 1989 MLB draft during the 13th round.  I was 10 years old that day.  I don't remember much of Thome until around 1995 when the Indians became relevant, lasting through the decade.  I wondered to myself today, what would it be like to be a young buck in 1989 just entering the MLB.
In 1989 Roxette dropped her hit song "The Look", joined by Phill Collins "Two Hearts", Bon Jovi "I'll Be There For You", Madonna "Like A Prayer", and Bobby Brown "My Prerogative".  I can imagine Jim Thome in the locker room with his Walkman cassette player getting amped for the upcoming game. 

If Jim Thome was taking a girl out on a date, spending his big league payroll, he'd most likely be at the movies seeing the following.  In 1989 "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Good Morning Vietnam", "Beatlejuice", "Die Hard", and "Cocktail" were all possible date night movies Jim Thome may have seen.

We know Thome is a "Hard Working Man" (By Brooks And Dunn) given he used this song as his at bat intro during games.  This makes me believe he only watched regular TV in the off season.  If this is true, Thome watched the following; "The Wonder Years", "Roseanne", and "The Cosby Show".  One show I bet Jim Thome still watches that was around in 1989, "Americas Funniest Home Videos".  I bet he was a huge fan of Bob Saget, maybe still is.

Jim Thome returns to Cleveland

Jim Thome has waived his no trade clause in his contract and will be donning the Tribe uniform once again. As part of their end of the deal, the Indians will be sending a player to be named later to the Minnesota Twins. Although this might not be the push we need to climb back into contention for the division title, it will make September bittersweet.

Jim Thome is now back where it all started. Back where he hit more than half of his 601 career homeruns, one of which that still hasn't landed. I think everyone reading this will remember Thome's 511 foot moonshot in 1999. It will be a blast of nostalgia to see the "Thomenator" and his high socks at the plate again. In addition to giving help at the DH position, Thome's presence in the dugout will do wonders for this team too. Even though there is only a month left in the regular season, that is enough time for Thome to teach this very young team a thing or two.

Joe Thomas Ranked 9th Best Player In The NFL

Joe Thomas has just signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns that guarantees him nearly 42 million dollars in the first three years of the contract. Usually I question some of the large sums these athletes receive, but not for Joe Thomas whose played in all 64 of his games with the Cleveland Browns.

ESPN has further confirmed my judgement on Joe Thomas ranking him 9th overall in the NFL. Joe Thomas received a scout's grade of 93, finishing ahead of Larry Fitzgerald. Topping off the list at #1 was Tom Brady followed by Peyton Manning at #2 and Darrelle Revis at #3.