Another Whine-fest or A Needed Payday

I haven't written about my beloved Browns this season because there has not been much to say.  They ended their season 5-11 after a 1-11 start.  I am excited to see next year.  I am excited to see what Mike Holmgren will bring to my Browns.  I am going to be excited if we can keep the players that make a difference.  I am going to be excited if we don't get blown out right out of the gate.

Well for those who don't know, Mike Holmgren was the football genious behind the resurgence of the Packers and also the Seattle Seahawks.  Mike Holmgren is now the president of The Cleveland Browns.  He said he is going to have a meeting with Eric Mangini [coach] and also has reached out to Josh Cribbs [the most under valued player in the NFL].

Josh Cribbs is coming off a terrific season personally.  He holds the record for most punt returns for touchdowns, he is The Cleveland Browns MVP, and he is what I would call the classiest person in football.  He doesn't whine.  He doesn't bitch and moan.  He goes out, puts his heart into the game, and goes back to the locker room and is quiet.  Yes, he was not happy about his contract.  Yes, he may have held out at the beginning of the season.  Yes, he needs to get paid more. 

Yesterday The Browns made him an offer.  To give you perspective, he is currently under contract.  Originally it was a 6 year deal valued at $6.77 million.  So that is about $1.13 million a year.  He has 3 years left on his deal.  Obviously the fans want to give Josh what he wants.  A pay increase.  He deserves it. We won 5 of our games on the legs of Josh Cribbs.  He deserves more.  So the offer yesterday was, $1.4 a year for the rest of his contract and we can talk about it in 3 years.  Josh rejected the offer and then tweeted about it.  Saying it was a slap in the face.  Looks like he isn't coming back next year.  Sorry to the fans that they have to go through this.

This is a frustrated Josh Cribbs.  It shows.  There is no secret there.  But this has me in a precarious bind.  So I stand behind the player or the organization?  I am not a fan of the owner Randy Lerner, but he has begun to warm me over with a football genius in Mike Holmgren.  I have always been a fan of Josh Cribbs when I watched him run back multiple kick off's for touchdowns but they were called back because of a stupid holding penalty.  So what do I do?  Why not play both sides?

On behalf of the organization, we don't know how much room they have to offer Josh Cribbs a proper raise.  Mike Holmgren is playing GM and president.  He is walking into a crappy situation started with Phil Savage, enhanced by Kokinas, and now it seems to reach a head on his desk.  Mike has been in town 2 days.  He's already trying to deal.  He went to Cribbs first.  Get Cribbs a deal was his goal.  But the long and short of it is, Josh is under contract for 3 more years.  He is giving him a short term deal in order to take a step back and breathe. 

On behalf of Josh Cribbs, he is a players player.  He goes out and plays the game.  He came in as an undrafted player from Kent State, a school not known for it's football program.  He was a QB and was converted to a WR and special teams player because he was fast.  He deserves every penny he gets because he plays.  He helps the team win.  He is the reason we won 5 games this year.

So what is there to do?  Any other year I would side completely with Josh Cribbs, although that is not my history.  This guy needs a payday.  But this time, in a time of financial hardship all around, and my family's struggle to keep the bill wolves away, I don't agree with Josh Cribbs?  He got a 20% pay increase and he is rejecting it.  I say take it.  I would take a 20% pay increase any day!  Josh is living in a city who sees recessions first and gets out of them last.  The people that fill that stadium to watch him play probably couldn't afford the $40.00 ticket [Cleveland has one of the lowest ticket prices in the league].  They want him to do well.  To reject a 20% pay increase in a city that isn't getting one is pretty shitty move.  Seems like a baby move.  We can't expect him to be patient forever, but I think 20% is fair right now.  Who knows what will happen?

I am sure this situation will continue to play out.  If you want to follow Josh Cribbs on twitter, you can, just click here.  What do you think?

I'm Suing The Clevelnd Browns

So, it being Wednesday and a day AFTER Justifiable Homicide Tuesday, I figured I would chime in on a hot subject.  Frivolous lawsuits.

If I see one more ad on daytime television talking about how this lawyer will "make them pay" I will slit my wrists and bleed on the 1000 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets I might find somewhere..  The modern day advertising equivalent to ambulance chasers. So while people are having lawyers sue companies for whatever, I am making a list of people to sue.

Today, my target is my beloved Browns.

In 1964 The Cleveland Browns were tops in football.  It was the pre-merger days.  Paul Brown was winning championships with the Cleveland Browns on the legs of Jim Brown.  Cleveland was the mecca of all things pro-football.  With the Pro Football Hall of Fame just a short drive from downtown Cleveland, we would be considered the cradle of professional football.

All you football fans out there, Cleveland says you're welcome.

Then the 80's happened.  The Drive, The Fumble.  Just mentioning these things in front of me makes me want to find a high ledge and just jump off to a nasty death.  Just a side note, I hope I would make a mess. 

In 1995, Cleveland lost its team as they knew it.  Art Modell lacked the business acumen to secure a new stadium and the political clout to get the help to make it happen, but I am pretty sure he just never asked for help either, so he moved the team to Baltimore.  He was forced to leave the team color, name, and history at the door, and Cleveland said, with a middle finger up, "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

In 1999, the Cleveland Browns came back.  With an expansion draft under its belt, they came back to a sold out stadium.  But what they didn't have were the ticks in the win column.

Flash forward.  Its now 2009.  A decade later and the Browns have yet to make it past a division playoff game.  Shit, I would like to string together 2 winning seasons.

So I'm suing the Cleveland Browns.  When I have the opportunity, I will devoutly watch the Browns consistently lose on Sunday.  According to my wife, it seems as though I developed a drinking habit.  When they lose I tend to have more than 3 drinks and when they win, I am too excited to drink, or confused because frankly, it doesn't happen all that often.

I'm filing suit on the Cleveland Browns for leading me to drink.  Start winning, I might settle out of court.

The Infant Road Warrior!

So this past weekend was the annual October trip to Kentucky. This year, was a bit different. I had more than 2 days to visit, and we had an extra passenger with us. A little 3.5 week old named Addison. This was to be the first trip down to visit Wifey's side of the family. Great Grandmothers, Great Grandfathers, Cousins, Great Aunts, Grandmas, and Grandpas. All of them were anxiously awaiting her arrival in the Commonwealth.

We left Friday, just about 10am [or so]. Audrey couldn't go down with us this time because she had another commitment at her mom's house to see the Taylor Swift concert. She sat 3rd row. She wore a cowgirl hat. She looked cute. She was also getting over step throat, and turns out, she was still contagious too. She had that crazy mutant strep that didn't react to anti-biotics, so she went back and got better drugs, and it seemed to kick strep's ass just about the time she needed to go to the concert.

So back to the road trip.

By the time we got on the road for real, after feeding the baby in the parking lot of Panera Bread Company, we were fed, baby was fed, and the dog peed on everything in the grass near the parked car.

This little one didn't make a single sound until we were just getting into Cincinnati. She was fed, and back on the road. The 5 hour trip only took us about 6 hours. About 30 minutes per stop because of the baby eating and changing.

My hopes for this trip were that Jenn got a little break and let the extended family care for the baby a bit while she got to relax. I also wanted to see if we had time to hit the bourbon trail, because, if you read this blog with any consistency, or follow my twitter, you'll know that I am a huge fan of bourbon. I wanted to hit the Four Roses Distillery tour, but it would have to wait for another trip.

Within minutes of arriving at Jenn's Grandparents house, I was invited to go to the University of Louisville [U of L] football game. They were playing a rare Friday night game, and Jenn's GrandDad was not going to have a companion, as GrandMother wanted to stay with Jenn and the baby. So I tagged along with GrandDad to the game.

The U of L Stadium is a beautiful Stadium. The game was great until about the 3rd QTR. U of L imploded and ended up losing the game. I felt right at home. It felt like I was watching the Browns. As much as I hate to see them lose, there is a certain comfort in rooting for the under dog. Rarely do my teams win and I am ok with that.

So with the end of the game marked the pre-game of another college football game. Every year since Jenn and I started to date, we have gone to a University of Kentucky [UK] game when we make our trek down in October. The UK football is experience is far different than any other college game I have been a part of.

The game was to start at 12:21pm. The tailgating gear was packed by 8:30am. We were on the road to make the 90 minute drive from Louisville to Lexington by 9:20am. We had tents up and drinks flowing by 11:30am. This is the type of tailgating Kentucky does. By the time we got there the lot was nearly filled up, and we were the late comers. Not many people did a full tailgate when the game was as early as it was. They would eat a light lunch and then party after the game. We were in our seats in the West endzone by kickoff and we watched UK lose to Alabama. This is just another loss to me.

UK fans love their team, and they love their college, and the love their players. Despite the loss, the party was in full effect at the end of the game. By party I mean, drowning their sorrows in a bottle of bourbon. They lost to a highly ranked team, and they did a pretty good job fighting off the routing.

Jenn and Addison showed up to the after-gate to shwo off the baby. Yes, my 3.5 week old baby was out there with us, partying and being shown off. I couldn't have been happier. We even used her stroller as beer holders. It was an amazing time.

By the time the UK tailgate was packed up and we were headed home, it was close to 7:30pm. Yes, UK football is an all day event.

Sunday in Kentucky for me is usually a fight to find the Browns game on TV. I got lucky this weekend because the Browns played Cincinnati, which is just an hour away, so we got the game televised. I watched the Browns lose in 74 minutes rather than just the standard 60. It felt good to know we could have won the game, but like normal, they lost. Again, losing at this point feels natural, but with the shedding of the dead weight named Braylon Edwards, I think things might turn around for my Browns.

So the drive home Monday was met with tears. Jenn always hates leaving her family in Kentucky and usually she cries for sometime once we get on the road.

I hate seeing her like that, and the end of the trip is always met with the same bittersweet ending.

The ride home was great. Addy slept most of the way, and when she was up, she was not crying at all. She liked riding in the car. We didn't time the end of the trip well. We were off by about 10 minutes and Addy woke up about 10 minutes from home and was starving. It made for a pretty un-nerving 10 minutes, but I can't complain. Out of a combined 12 hours in the car, she only made noise for 10 minutes of it.

So I sit here after working for 13 hours yesterday, wondering if the Bourbon Trail is just a myth. Every time I go down to Kentucky, I want to hit a few distillery tours, but like Peter Pans shadow, it eludes me.

Calming down

[Proving her Uncle Keith's theory that every child is born a Browns Fan.]

Things are finally starting to calm down a little. Yesterday was full of activity, but that will all start to change.

Over the past few days I think my mother-in-law was getting the feeling that I did not want her here. She has been in town since Wednesday, and to say I don't want her around would be the biggest false in the world. It's like saying Kanye West has manners. It's just not true.

Since I started to date Jenn way back when and her parents moved back down to Kentucky, her mom always whispered in my ear as we said good-bye, "Take care of my girls"

She was referring to her daughter and Audrey, but now, the girls are now three. In my house I like to cook. It's a stress reliever, and when my mother-in-law said that she would come over and cook breakfast, I said no. I wanted to cook. You are MORE than welcome to come over and eat breakfast with us, I love to cook for people, but please, my kitchen, my rules, my breakfast.

I don't think she understood. When I said, no I can cook it, I think she heard, "We don't need you". Mother's have a natural ability to care for their young due to the fact they know their children a whole 9 months before anyone else. They know their habits, their comforts, and their mannerisms. Fathers have to learn. A Father learns to love their child by caring for it. Jenn's mother is a caring machine. She wants to help. She wants to be there. She wants to feel needed. I understand that. I get that. But I needed her to relax and let me "take care of her girls".

Many feel that cooking is a hassle. For me, it's a stress relief. If I am having a bad day, expect a pretty good meal. If I had a wonderful wonderful day, expect a good meal. If my day was so so, expect twinkies and grilled cheese.

So yesterday, among the hustle and bustle, I told Jenn's mom to sit down, put her feet up, and oh look! A baby. Relax today. May this be the last Sunday morning in the next 5 years where you don't need to make breakfast. Let me do my thing. To say she looked comfortable would be like saying the look on your face when you are constipated is a happy one. For the 20 minutes it took me to make breakfast she squirmed. She wanted to jump up and help, but she stayed put. It was fantastic. I cooked breakfast, served the troops, and cleaned up, all the while she relaxed on the couch and played the role of Grandma very very well. I will say she was a bit mad when I did the dishes. In her house the cook doesn't clean up, the people who eat clean up. Not in my house. I was in a zone. I was done, I cleaned up while Mom enjoyed being a Mom and Nana enjoyed being a Nana. I need to have a purpose. If my role is to make sure mommy is comfortable and stress-free, then that is what I am going to do. I get my baby time when everyone else is gone.

Life is perfect for the day. Grandparents played the role of Grandparents, and I played the role of Dad, and my lovely wife, played the role of Mother pretty damn awesomely.

Today it is going to get a bit more low key. The in-laws go home. Audrey is back in school and back to her normal routine. I am sitting here sipping a cup of coffee while I punch out a blog and watch the Today show on NBC.

Life has been great. Stressful, wonderfully stressful.

Our Sunday was great. Browns on the T.V. Baby in Granparents' arms. Dinner on the grill. Oh yeah, and my awesome bottle of Autographed Bourbon from Four Roses Distillery. Thank you Granddaddy Michael and Jim Rutledge, Master Distiller from Four Roses!

[click on the photo of bourbon to learn more about the wonderful bottle of bourbon I have!]