More Than A Fan has lost it’s second Tweeter in June.
Damien Bowman is giving up Twitter for the month of June, and I’m joining him… sort of.
I am quitting Twitter until the Indians get back to .500.
It’s not just a slump-buster, although if it served as a slump-buster I certainly wouldn’t mind. I am done with Twitter because I am upset with the Cleveland fan-base, at this very moment.
Cleveland is supposed to have a tough-nosed, weathered, and loyal fan-base. We’ve experienced the lowest of lows, yet we survived and continued to love our teams anyways. Our passion is supposed to surpass that of any other city, even to a fault.
Lately, however, the Cleveland fan base has upset me greatly.
When did we become so whiny? When did we become so soft? When did we begin to give up so easily?
Cleveland fans on Twitter have seemingly given up, already, on two things that I can’t seem to understand.
First of all, the Indians. Two games under .500, 5 games out in the division, and the season is over. Never-mind that there are 100 games left. Never-mind that there are three months left. Never-mind that we have a two-time World Series winning manager.
The Indians are done, so they say.
Let me ask you a question, all of you Tribe “fans” that are “done”. Are you kidding me?
This team was built to compete now and in the near future.The Dolan’s didn’t spend the money just to spend it. He spent the money, brought in the players, and brought in the manager, to compete. You think that just because this team is struggling that he won’t continue to improve it? Even if the Indians continue to struggle, (and they won’t), this front office and ownership group is going to continue to add pieces to make this franchise a contender again.
So why would you be done? With so much time, so many possibilities, and so much fun left to be had? It baffles me. Of all the times to be fickle, and you seemingly never have, why now? Why on the cusp of a great summer?
I understand the frustration, but I can’t understand the quitting.
I know you’ve all heard this before, but keep this in mind. The Indians have a very easy schedule in July, August, and September. That’s when they’re going to compete. Not now. Not in the midst of a nine-game road trip to three of the toughest places to play in baseball. I wouldn’t expect them to win many games. The schedule-makers, while screwing us now, set us up for success near the end of the season. That’s when I expect us to pull within a couple of games of the AL Central and Wild Card. Ultimately, that’s the goal: to compete.
I don’t think anyone expected the Tribe to be World Series contenders this season. I, like many, thought that they could contend for the division and wild card, but they would ultimately fall short and miss the playoffs.
Next year, I fully expect them to compete for the World Series.
The expectations are what baffles me. Many of you expected the Tribe to be a .500 ballclub, and yet, at two games under, the season is over. You’re done. You’re in Milwaukee or Detroit for the rest of the season.
I don’t understand.
You can leave the bandwagon now, but their may not be room come August and September. I would advise, and hope, that you stay on.
The other thing that upsets me greatly about Cleveland fans lately, is the thoughts on the return of LeBron James.
There are those that want him back and those that don’t. I happen to be in the former category, but I can certainly understand the feelings of those in the latter.
What I don’t understand is the sentiment that LeBron James WON’T come back.
Again, I ask, are you kidding me?
Are you really tangled that deeply your cynical and pessimistic web that you are now blind to the facts?
LeBron James has been playing with a team that resembles his old Cavaliers in 2007. Dwyane Wade is a shell of his old self. Chris Bosh has become more like Zydrunas Ilgauskus than anyone would ever like to see. (Love you Big Z, no offense man.) Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Birdman are all about ready to hit the retirement home.
LeBron didn’t go to Miami to live the Miami lifestyle. LeBron went to Miami because that’s where Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh wanted to play. LeBron wanted to play with them, and that’s what brought him to Miami. You think that LeBron didn’t want to bring Wade and Bosh to Cleveland? You’re crazy.
Now that LeBron is seeing that Wade and Bosh weren’t as he expected, (not one, not two, not three…) he’s already planning his escape from South Beach.
The Cavaliers are, by far, his number one option, and why wouldn’t they be?
They have the number one pick in this year’s draft, some intriguing cap-space, and a gaping hole at the small forward position that LeBron could over-flow. The Cavaliers hold a special place in his heart, regardless of his “hatred” for Cleveland.
Yet, Cavs fans can’t see it. They are so blinded by their love-for-misery that they fail to see the facts. They remember their heart-break and will never trust again. What kind of life do you live if one heartbreak will deplete your trust in another human being? Not a very happy one, that’s for sure.
Of course, I shouldn’t compare your sporting interests to your reality, but more often than not, they mirror each other.
Yesterday, Nick Camino tweeted this:
Source close to LeBron James told me there is an “80% chance” that he returns to Cleveland. Take that for what it is.
— Nick Camino (@CaminoTribe) June 9, 2013
And it put Clevelanders in an uproar. Cleveland fans began attacking Camino. Saying that he did this just for ratings, (which don’t count on Sunday, might I add), mentions, and publicity.
@caminotribe that’s bad reporting out of you sir #whatvaluedidthatbring
— Jeremy sussel (@jsuss12) June 9, 2013
@caminotribe you’re pathetic
— Dominic (@Dmorales11) June 9, 2013
@caminotribe lmfaoo at u tryna get your dry ass mentions lived up on a Sunday. Live it up chile.
— KeishaKnightPullaman (@Shorty2222) June 9, 2013
They want to be miserable, so they don’t believe a word he says.
I listened to his show on WTAM 1100 after the Tribe game, and this is what he had to say:
“This individual is close to LeBron James. The person is in the know in LeBron’s camp. If I didn’t trust this person, I wouldn’t have tweeted about it, I wouldn’t risk my job, I wouldn’t risk my credibility. I’m not trying to get listeners, this is simply what I heard from someone with knowledge of LeBron’s future. Being the nice guy that I am, I figured I would share this with you.”
“When I got this news, I was surprised. I trust this person with my life.”
I trust Camino, and I don’t believe he would do this for personal gain. He’s been right about these things before, so I doubt that he would deliberately put this out there to throw fans in a frenzy.
I understand that LeBron is the most polarizing player of all-time, but I don’t understand how his return to Cleveland can cause such a negative uproar. Sure he betrayed us, but he was ignorant. He didn’t understand the heartache and humiliation he would cause. He didn’t understand that we wouldn’t understand. He made a mistake, but we all do.
Why not forgive? Why not try again? What’s the worst that happens?
He stays in Miami and doesn’t sign here. That’s the worst that happens.
Then, LeBron becomes the biggest villain in the history of sports. If he tempts us again and leaves us empty, the, THEN, all of your hatred towards him will be FULLY understood.
If he lures us in with all of this talk and then, at the last minute, leaves us at the alter, your hatred towards LeBron can bubble, boil, and flow through your veins. You can even spur that hatred towards me, the one who told you to give LeBron another chance.
That won’t happen. Either he’ll come back, or he’ll stay far, far away and let us know that he’s staying far, far away.
I’m not going to debate on why you should want LeBron back, because you absolutely should, but I will implore you to believe that LeBron wants to come back.
Anything else is just ignorant.
As I ponder these two topics, I wonder. What happened? What happened to the greatest fan-base in sports?
The passion is still there, but when did we become like the people in Miami?
When did we star to arrive to the game late, and leave when there is still LOTS of hope at hand?
My Twitter profile says: Believeland: Believe in God. Believe in Christ. Belive in Family. Believe in Friends. Believe in Dreams. Believe in Cleveland.
That last part is what is missing. People say that Cleveland is “Believeland”, but who honestly believes anymore? When the going gets tough, Cleveland fans get going.
I know I believe. I will believe until the season is over, the game is over, or the play is over.
People need to start believing again, no matter how hard things get.
This is Believeland, not believe-until-it-gets-bad-land or believe-only-when-things-are-going-well-land.
Believe, no matter the circumstances, that Cleveland will prevail. Maybe a change in attitude could change the fortunes of this city.
Just believe fans.
What reason is there to not?
With your help, maybe this city can truly become Believeland.
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