A brief recap of the last 72 hours on a variety of topics including sports, news and personal events.

September 11th – Never Forget

Life is often about moving on, but some events require one to look back.  September 11th is one of those unique occurrences.  We do this to ensure we don’t forget, because the longer we get from that horrific day 21 years ago, the more difficult it can be to remember.  

For many of us, we can recall the particular events of September 11, 2001, with uncanny detail, especially considering the passage of time.  We know it was a Tuesday.  We can recall the weather, where we were when we heard the news and the general uneasiness in the air.  While those memories help tell our personal story, it’s also important to remember the lives that were lost, the horror that struck our country, and the courage shown by so many.

Eventually I’ll have to tell this story to my five-year-old son, and while that will be challenging, it will also be vital so the next generation also never forgets.  

In a Glass Case of Emotion – Browns Week One

It was the worst of times.  It was the best of times.  It was the age of wisdom.  It was the age of foolishness.  It was the epoch of belief.  It was the epoch of incredulity.  Charles Dickens penned that opening in a “Tale of Two Cities,” and I lived that entire range of emotions in the last 5 minutes of the Browns season opening win against the Carolina Panthers.  

Winning in the NFL is not easy.  It’s even harder when you only throw for 138 yards.  It gets even more challenging when you have blown coverages in the 4th quarter, resulting in a game-changing 75-yard touchdown pass.  And yet, the Browns somehow found a way to escape Charlotte with a 26-24 victory.  Having Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and Myles Garrett certainly helped erase several of those aforementioned mistakes.

For a large portion of this game it felt eerily similar to the Browns season opener last year in Kansas City.  Cleveland dominated for three quarters in both only to see their offense sputter and their defense crumble.  The two big differences between the openers were the Browns didn’t turn the ball over against the Panthers (like they did vs KC) and this time around the Browns have Cade bleeping York kicking field goals.

Several NFL experts felt the Browns made a mistake when drafting Cade York in the 4th round of the NFL draft, but any “true” Browns fans would tell you it was the best pick of their draft.  Cleveland missed a higher percentage of field goals than any team last year and opponents did not miss a single one.  It was a problem and it cost them games last year.  It likely would have done the same again in 2022 had the Browns front-office ignored the position this offseason.  Thank goodness they didn’t.  

This game felt more important than other season-opening debacles, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.  Part of that had to do with the Panthers starting QB, but I think it was mostly centered around the entire Deshaun Watson circus that enveloped this team for the last six months.  Winning goes a long way to moving on and thankfully the Browns can now move on to week two with a 1-0 record.  If they beat the Jets they will be 2-0 for the first time since 1993.  That was twenty-nine years ago.  I was eight.  

Saturday Schedule Frees Up

We signed our son up for some fall baseball (coach-pitch) and the eight-week schedule runs on Saturdays until around Halloween.  I was a little nervous because the game-times are sporadic (could start as late as 2pm) and required a two-hour time commitment.  There was always a chance I would miss Notre Dame football games depending on how the schedule fell – but after last week’s game against Marshall, I’m hopeful all of Jack’s games coincide with an ND contest.  I’d rather watch a bunch of five and six-year-olds pick their noses and group chase a run-away baseball than watch any more of Notre Dame football this season.

Marcus Freeman was supposed to come in and lead this program to new heights.  He is now 0-3 as the head-coach (worst start ever for an ND coach) and crash-landed after his honeymoon.  There is a very real possibility this team does not even qualify for a bowl game.  Their offense is stagnant, and their defense lacks any game-changing personnel.  I don’t see how they can compete with Clemson, USC or BYU, and games against California, North Carolina and Stanford now appear to be toss-ups at best.  As my nearly 70-year-0ld father texted me after the Marshall loss, “ouch.”  

Brian Kelly had some bad losses as he dropped games against Tulsa and Navy, but Kelly also had a track record of winning to rely on.  Freeman does not.  He certainly can turn things around, but the questions will be how much time he is given, and how much of a learning curve will we have to endure.   

Sweeping Away in Minnesota

The Cleveland Guardians headed into their three-game series at Minnesota on a down-swing.  They had just blown a ninth-inning contest to Kansas City and their lead in the American League Central had shrunk to just a game and a half.  There was a very realistic chance that the Guardians would leave Minnesota looking up in the standings.  Fortunately Cleveland threw out their top three starters and walked out of Minnesota with a three-game sweep.  

Minnesota can 100% still win the division, but they have dropped to third place and are now 4.5 games behind Cleveland.  The Twins come to town next week for a five-game series, but their margin of error has been reduced to nearly zero.  It appears the White Sox will be the biggest challenge to the Guardians.  As a result, please send your thoughts and prayers to Tony LaRussa so he can get back to coaching very soon.  

The success of this team will depend on their ability to win when Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber are on the bump.  They have carried this team the majority of the year and will be relied on to continue pitching at a high-rate if they hope to win the division race.  

We are down to 24 games, and Cleveland has nine of them against either the White Sox or the Twins.  If they can win at least six of those then they will be in full control of their playoff chances.  Easier said than done, but it’s mid-September and the Guardians are in first place.  Everything they want is right in front of them.  

Odds and Ends

Two weeks into the college football season and Appalachian State has established themselves as must-see TV.  Their week one game vs UNC was incredible and their week two upset at #6 Texas A&M was equally compelling. 

After Georgia Southern upset Nebraska I thought Scott Frost would have a difficult time keeping his job.  For one of the few times in my life, I thought correctly as Frost was let go the following day.  Poor guy was also given a $15 million buyout for his efforts.  Most of us go on performance-plans for sub-par work.  Others become multi-millionaires.  This is America.

Congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz for winning the U.S. Open championship on Sunday over Casper Ruud.  Not only did Alcaraz win his first major title, he also became the youngest-ever #1 ranked player in the world.  When I was nineteen, I won the Ohio University intramural tennis championship, so I can relate.  

Finished the first season of What We Do In The Shadows on Hulu, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so consistently at a television show.  In particular, the second episode where the vampires attend the City Council meeting had me in stitches. 

Also watched Vengeance, starring BJ Novak and Ashton Kutcher.  It was a solid directorial debut for Novak; one that had me not looking at my phone throughout (I’ve never sounded more millennial).  Vengeance also included a cameo appearance by John Mayer, who absolutely delivered in his performance.  100 percent.  

Until next time, peace be the journey.