No Excuses

I often hear members of the Cleveland Cavaliers say they are a "no excuse team." This means that they will not come up with some reason why they lose a game or make mistakes other than the fact that they were outplayed or did not get the job done.

It is refreshing to see and hear this. Instead of passing the buck or blaming someone or something else, these players and coaches answer to a self-accountable agenda and own their mistakes in an era and culture that does the opposite.

This is where my sports reference stops.

Whether it is in my classroom or in the general public, I consistently hear people avoid any kind of ownership in their own actions. Mistakes are inevitably followed by what somebody else did or some other factor that led to their mistake.

I have heard it a million times. "I didn't make the team because the coach is a jerk." "It's all politics. I'm as good as anybody on that team." "The refs had it out for us. You can't beat your opponent AND the refs."

"He was talking too. Why are you mad at me?" "He hit me first." "She was talking about my mama!" "You always pick on me." All of this as they watch me watching them doing something wrong.

I have heard people who can't keep jobs (or drag their feet looking for a jobs) explain every time that it was their boss' fault or a problem with the business itself or the people they worked with at the place of employment. Never do they admit that they didn't perform the way that was required.

I am a culprit as well. This is not an attempt to point my finger at anybody in particular or to ignore my share in this tendency. At some point, we need to toughen up and admit our mistakes and focus on fixing them or moving on from them.

Personally, I have consciously made an effort to avoid this type of behavior. But these attempts are just looked at as pessimism or negative thinking. Sometimes, people make comments that I am too hard on myself.

It is a difficult line to walk. Balancing between self-accountability and pessimism is not easy.

This past week I made two bad throws during double play attempts. It wasn't the runner coming at me, it wasn't the sun, it wasn't a bad throw from my teammate, it was purely, 100% my inability to make that throw well enough.

When I get upset with myself and later make a comment that I can't make that throw, I come off as pessimistic.

I understand my personal issue here. I generally make numerous negative comments about things before they happen. I also go overboard in my negative talk and overtones. So I am seen as a pessimistic person. The Huey Karma is a perfect example.

I'll own this.

In my case, I need to better balance the accountability and pessimism by forcing myself to be more positive in general.

But people in general need to quit coming up with excuses. Call it what it is. If you are lazy, you are lazy. If you don't like it....change it. If you don't want to change it, then realize you are what you are and quit coming up with excuses about why you are that way. The reason is that you have chosen to be that way.

I am pessimistic. I am trying to be more positive. No excuses. That is what I am. Hopefully, I won't be in the future.

Man up and deal with your shortcomings in honest way. Nobody expects you to be perfect and if they do, that is their problem not yours.

2008 Ohio State Buckeyes Season

I took a peek in my crystal ball and saw how the football Buckeyes of The Ohio State University will fair this season. So if you'd like to know what I saw, I am sharing it with the masses. But don't worry, you can still watch how it all pans out. My crystal ball isn't 100%.

Week One
Vs. Youngstown St.

Jim Tressel's former school of employment comes to Columbus in a glorified practice for the Buckeyes. While the Buckeyes outmatch the Penguins in talent and they are playing at home in front of over 100,000 fans (mostly Columbus residents and alumni since the students don't arrive until the end of September), Tressel with follow his standard practice of allowing the opponent to hang around for at least a half before he drops the hammer. In the end the score will be a convincing 38-13 victory but it won't feel that easy. Terrelle Pryor will get a number of snaps and give us a nice taste of what he has in store but the reigns will remain tight. Tressel never likes to show his hand and you know his hand includes some plays for Pryor against Michigan and the Bowl game I will report on later.
Buckeyes 38
YSU 13
Record 1-0


Week Two
Vs. Ohio University

Another cupcake game for the mighty Buckeyes that will not feel like it. Ohio will hang around into the second half as fans like myself allow the panic to set in. But in the end, the rushing of Beanie Wells is just too much for the Bobcats and the defensive struggle breaks open, once again ending with a score that makes the game appear easier than it was. A special teams mistake or turnover that leads to Ohio's only touchdown creates unneeded tension that finally dissipates by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Buckeyes 34
Ohio 10
Record 2-0


Week Three
At USC

Oh yes baby! The big dawg. The premier game of the season to this point and maybe overall. It has been hyped all summer. Fans throughout the country that are not part of Trojan or Buckeye Nation are sick and tired of hearing about it. But they will all be glued to the set as they watch an instant classic. These two powerhouses, both loaded with talent and tradition and coaching, will go toe to toe for four quarters, maybe more. They will provide a thrilling battle of the ages. USC's defense will make scoring a premium for Beanie Wells and Boeckman. Pete Carroll will have his offense ready to go against the Buckeyes' defense which returns numerous starters from two straight National Title games. Herein lies the key to the Buckeye's season. This is where the crystal ball becomes more foggy. What I could make out from what I saw was this: If the defense and more importantly, Jim Heacock's game planning, can show it has improved from the last two BCS Title games in terms of in-game planning, the Buckeyes will roll. It will be a low scoring classic that ends in the 17-13 range. But if the same old defense comes out and lays and egg despite the abundance of talent and cannot seem to make the in-game adjustments that former coordinator Mark Dantonio would flourish with when he was here, the game will get out of hand and USC will pull away in the second half winning by 10 or more. This will determine the season. I am going to buck my normal pessimism and stare Huey Karma right in the eyes. I am going to trust in Jim Heacock's plan. I am going to say Buckeyes pull out a close 17-13 game.
Buckeyes 17
USC 13
Record 3-0


Week Four
Vs. Troy

Troy has been able to make some noise in the past several seasons as they continue to play powerhouse programs like Ohio State, LSU et al. They have opened some eyes playing well but haven't really gotten over the hump. I see that they will also give OSU a run for their money. The Buckeyes are unable to run away from Troy at any point and for the second week in a row win a hard fought game for 60 minutes or more pulling out a character building victory in the end.
Buckeyes 23
Troy 17
Record 4-0


Week Five
Vs. Minnesota

This Big Ten opener helps the Buckeyes get well. They are able to cruise to a relatively easy win at home and are able to rest some starters late in the game. They will need it after two difficult games against the Trojans and Troy. Pryor gets some more action and Wells pads his stats for the Heisman push.
Buckeyes 41
Minnesota 10
Record 5-0


Week Six
At Wisconsin

This game is NEVER easy regardless of records. Playing in Madison only makes it worse. This game will have the Buckeyes behind in the second half forcing Boeckman to draw upon his experience to lead the Bucks in two critical drives in the fourth quarter. The first leading to a field goal after the drive stalls. This will send me to an open area to begin my steady pacing back and forth in whatever location I will be watching the game. My heart rate will reach the point of hypertension, but Wells takes over following a crucial interception by Malcolm Jenkins after the Badgers march into Buckeye territory. This leads Ohio State to a game winning touchdown with under a minute to go. Unfortunately for my heart, the game will still be nerve racking as in a last ditch effort, the Badger advance to the fifty before running too low on time forcing them to resort to longer, lower percentage passes that go incomplete.
Buckeyes 27
Wisconsin 24
Record 6-0


Week Seven
Vs. Purdue

Purdue doesn't provide the easy walk over that Minnesota did after the Troy-USC combo, but the Bucks are able to get a victory in convincing fashion. They are really beginning to feel their rhythm now. The offense is clicking. The defense is coming together and their talent is really showing. Not only is Wells still a legitimate Heisman candidate, but numerous other Buckeyes are improving their draft status much like Vernon Gohlstein last season.
Buckeyes: 34
Purdue: 10
Record: 7-0


Week Eight
At Michigan St.

Every year Michigan St. gets lots of preseason love and rarely lives up to the expectations. Head Coach Dantonio, who led the Buckeyes' shutdown defense in the '02 championship season, will get this program back to a respectable status soon enough and they will give the Buckeyes a scare on the road. But the Bucks' superior talent will win out and Ohio St. will move on to another victory. The team will really be focused trying to shed the image around the nation of a choker in a weak conference and end the game with a solid win against a MSU team that has shown some improvement as they find themselves near the top of the middle of the Big Ten.
Buckeyes 27
Michigan St. 17
Record: 8-0


Week Nine
Vs. Penn St.

Night game against Penn St. again. But this time it is at home. Phew! Penn St. gives OSU a run but once again, the home crowd, the talent, the coaching and the mission these Buckeye seniors will be on lifts OSU to another victory. Not as easy as some of the others, but a legitimate, solid win.
Buckeyes 24
Penn St. 14
Record 9-0


Week Ten
At. Northwestern
I plan to attend this game adding another Big Ten stadium to my count. I plan to watch the Buckeyes absolutely destroy the Wildcats. This game will be a tune up for the rematch against Illinois who upset the Buckeyes last year in a disappointing, painful loss. They won't overlook the Wildcats, they will take it out on them as they cruise to an early lead and crunch the 'Cats with one thing on their mind.... Carnage and death on the way to another BCS Title shot. Because guess who is moving up in the polls? The Pac-10's leader, USC.
Buckeyes 48
Northwestern 6


Week Eleven
At Illinois

Revenge will be the name of this game. Illinois will try but fail to repeat last year's questionable victory. Referee's won't be able to help them this time. The Buckeyes will start off fast, fade for two quarters then drop the hammer in the fourth. Boeckman will remember his picks and make sure Wells gets plenty of touches leading the Buckeyes offense to several late game touchdowns.
Buckeyes 30
Illinois 17
Record 11-0


Week Twelve
Vs. Michigan

Hot Rod Rich Rodriquez will get the Wolverines back to Big Ten dominance but not this year. The lack of experience at the quarterback position will hurt them this year. The new system he tries to implement will have its growing pains. While a competitive team and middle of the pack in the Big Ten, U of M will make it interesting. Rivalry games usually are. But the Buckeyes will out muscle the Wolverines and earn another berth in the Title game.
Buckeyes 20
Michigan 9


BCS Title Game
Vs. USC

Yes, I see a rematch. USC will not drop far due to OSU's high ranking in September. They will win out and the SEC will beat up on itself keeping Georgia, Florida, Auburn and LSU from getting a shot. Without the high volume of upsets that allowed a 2 loss LSU team in the Championship (although they obviously deserved to be there as proven by their destruction of OSU) last year, none of the SEC powerhouses will be able to slip in despite arguments that they should be there over an undefeated Buckeye team. After all, who did OSU play?

This rematch will be even better than the regular season match up as it rivals only the '02 Fiesta Bowl with its double overtimes as the greatest game ever. A heavyweight battle that has Carroll smiling across the field with his headset on and play sheet in hand as his arms are crossed over his chest. Tressel returns his smile with a look of pure intensity immediately followed by a look to Boeckman mouthing "FOCUS" just like in '02. Boeckman play fakes to Wells tossing up a beautiful fade to Robiskie for a TD! The defense holds and WE WIN!!!!!!!!

Yes YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes win the BCS title game. The pessimist predicts it!
It is time I take on the Karma man on man. Ding!

How Could I forget...AGAIN!?

Once again, I messed my poll question up. Like the other poll when I forgot Carlos LOOOOOOOOOOOOZER, I forgot to include Brooklyn as a choice of most tortured. I mean they had all the things happen that Cleveland has suffered through. Heartbreakers multiple times. Teams leaving. Same team knocking them out. Memorable plays to get knocked out. Blown leads. Ouch.

Of course, I won't be singing this same tune in two years when the Nets move there and take LeBron and win multiple championships with him earning him a hall of fame induction in which he will enter with a Nets jersey instead of his hometown Cavs'.

So I guess I'm not that sorry. Or at least I won't be in the future. They will get theirs and us Clevelanders will remain the butt of jokes and stuck in the quicksand of sports lore.

I am very lucky...

You have read me wax on about my Huey Karma. If you know me, you have heard me talk pessimistically about things in my life. I mentioned in the past I have had horrible luck when things go wrong inexplicably. My parents have spun it another way by stating how it could be considered good luck because these "bad" things could have easily been much worse. Plus, there are many people in the world with situations or events MUCH worse.

Agreed.

But I feel I am lucky for other reasons as well. I met a woman 12 years ago that has proven my good fortune. It was a chance meeting playing on the same coed softball team at Ohio State. Common conversation led to some common ground. Thus began a friendship that meandered through a number of different periods. We both followed different paths over the next decade never straying too far from one another to lose touch. But never able to get too close due to our other relationships.

Over the following decade we lived in different states. We would go months without talking. We lived contrasting lifestyles. I was married. I had a kid. But something kept us in contact with one another. Sometimes it would not be a conscious or tangible connection. We just never let go of each other's email or phone number. Even with no emails or calls to one another, we kept them.....just in case I suppose.

Then when our friendship was probably at its most minimal in terms of communication, I found myself in need of her without really realizing this specifically. We just so happened to find each other again. As luck would have it, She was one who could best help me in this time of need. A simple voicemail to touch base turned into daily emails and intentional visits.

So at precisely the same time, we reached low points in our lives. Then we just so happened to be back to hanging out and talking regularly like the first summer we knew each other. Coincidence? Luck? In my case I had many loving people rally behind me during my low point. That alone shows the good fortune I have. I have had some wonderful relationships in my life. My family, my friends, my work colleagues, they all supported me in their own unique ways and helped make a difficult time for me rather easy. My friend also found a support system that has helped her. But the person who ended up playing the largest role for me was this friend working through her own difficulty.

Now this woman is my wife. She has gone from a good friend to more of an acquantice to my closest, most trusted relationship. She has been a tremendous role model to my daughter. She has been so loving and understanding of me. She tries so hard to be the best she can be taking it one day at a time. She has dealt with all my character defects and numerous stresses that come with entering a relationship with someone who already has a child in stride, with eloquence I could never mimic.

I have so much respect for this angel. I love her with all my heart. I give her the best and worst of me and she takes it all. She motivates me and makes me a better person despite my resistance much of the time.

Somehow she sees something in me to go through so much and stay. She has dropped everything to move to Columbus with me. That is not easy. She is basically starting her whole life over down here. I am so appreciative of this. I couldn't bear moving away from my daughter. I can barely go overnight without seeing her when she is with her mom. My loving wife knows this and has allowed me this luxury. I am forever grateful. Now she shares this as she begins to love my daughter and build a wonderful relationhsip with her.


I am so lucky that at just the right time she and I reconnected. A year earlier, a year later and that would not have happened. Had we tried to take our friendship in another direction at any point in that decade we may never had had this opportunity. We would just be memories to each other. But that never happened.

That's some good karma.

Fear my Family....

Some know this story well. Others have heard it but laugh. More have heard and forgotten. If you do not fall in any of these categories read on and mark this as your warning.

I have capabilities not even I understand yet. It is a power I must use for good and not evil. If I can learn to control it, you better not step in my way.....or my offspring.

Let me begin. Through my entire life I have had dreams. These vivid dreams seem very real. While nothing about this is unusual, many of them come true. I also get "vibes" about things. Again, nothing different than most people but these "vibes" come true more often than not. Of course I believe in my heart that every single human being has this power but does not appreciate it or harness it properly. I have joked in the past about how I am phsycic but as time goes on I really am starting to believe it. Don't forget the phenomenom that is The Huey Karma passed on down from the Matthews side as well.

Now here is the scary part. This you should fear. Over a decade and a half ago the Cleveland Cavaliers (you knew sports would be tied in wouldn't you?) played the New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. Each team had a star player that destroyed the Cavs. In the first round, Drazen Petrovic of the Nets lit up the Cavs' defense from behind the arc. It was brutal to watch and I almost lost my mind. I swore up and down that I wanted that man dead or hurt. Fortunately, (or unfortunately to the rest of the world) the Cavs won that series and moved on to Boston. The Celtics had a young rising star in Reggie Lewis. Once again, the Cavs had no answer for the star. Again, I swore up and down that I wanted that man dead or hurt. But the Cavs managed to escape and move on again. Next up were the Chicago Bulls who, as everyone knows, had one of the greatest basketball players of all time in Micheal Jordan. Continuing the pattern, he lit up the Cavs and I swore to the rooftops that this man must be brought down. The Bulls won.

Later that offseason I read the paper and noticed Drazen Petrovic was in a fatal car accident in Germany. "Oh man, that sucks," I thought. "He was in his prime." Then I read that Reggie Lewis had a heart condition. He then passed away as a result. "Oh my. This is tragic," I reflected. Finally, Jordan retired for the first time.

Suddenly I connected the dots. "Oh no! All three of those deaths were players I wanted dead....figuratively!" I felt a shadow of guilt fall over me. Was I the reason they died? Did I cause their death? Did I bring it upon them?

Jordan's deal with the Devil was so strong that not even my secret power could keep him down. He returned to the NBA...twice...and won more NBA rings. But while he escaped death, he couldn't remain in the NBA until he left for his baseball experiment.

Ever since I have tried to keep my mouth censored in my rage against opponents singlehandedly dominating my teams. While I want them to stop, I don't truly want them dead. That is where I draw the line.

This power is not limited to me. My grandfather attended a Cleveland Indians game at the Old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Grand Old Lady on the Lake, soon after the Indians won their last World Series. The experience was so bad and the service was so horrible that he left with my grandmother swearing to NEVER return to an Indians game again in that stadium and that they would never win a championship again in THAT stadium. As a result of his boycott he never saw just how even worse the stadium got decades later with troughs for bathrooms and leaking pipes and long poles in the middle of your view. Not to mention the metal seats. But I have my own, nostalgic opinion about that.

Well...the Tribe has yet to win a World Series since. They never won another in that stadium. In fact, they struggled to be competitive until the move to Jacob's Field (now Progressive) in 1994.

Coincidence?

I don't know if I believe in coinciences anymore. Everything just may happen for a reason after all. And the suffering of my fellow fans and those individual players may be the work of my family.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

(And I am working on getting Pa to lift the Curse of the Tribe. He already said the move was good enough. But I haven't seen a trophy yet.)

The Huey Karma

Karma can summed up as "what goes around, comes around." But The Huey Karma twists it to the point of Murphy's Law. Want to see how I get from here to there? Read on.

Throughout my decades of sports watching and borderline fanaticism, I have made numerous observations. Not least of which is that everything in sports revolves around me and what I do. But it goes deeper than this.

I have also noticed through my supersticious behavior that anytime I begin to think positive about any of my teams, things inevitably go bad. It can be within the context of a single game. My team gets a big lead......just to blow it down the stretch. I assume the game is won because there is no way the opponent can come back with such little time left......my team somehow finds a way to lose. Or it could be within the context of a season....my team as a sure shot at making the postseason....they don't make the playoffs at all.

Here are some examples:
Exhibit A) 2001 Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
The clock says 0:00. The Browns have more points than the Chiefs. We Won! Nope. Dwayne Rudd get flagged for taking his helmet off. Never seen this penalty before in my life. Penalty results in field goal attempt for Chiefs. KC wins.

Exhibit B) Same season vs. Chicago Bears.
Fourth quarter with a 14 point lead for the Browns. Everybody thinks the game is over. The Bears proceed to score a touchdown, get an onside kick and Hail Mary another touchdown. Go to OT, Browns win the coin toss only to throw a pick 6 and lose the game.

Exhibit C) Same Season vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
My memory is vague for details but it was the infamous beer bottles on the field game when the instant reply wasn't supposed to be used but was anyway despite the Browns snapping the ball. Led to Browns loss.

Exhibit D) The Drive....'nuff said.

Exhibit E) The Fumble...c'mon.

Exhibit F) The Shot....poor Craig Ehlo.

Exhibit G) 2007 season Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills
After the huge victory my friend and I walked out of the Stadium chanting "Playoffs!" knowing we just needed to beat Cincinnati to all but clinch a berth. The following week the Browns promptly lost to the Buungles.

Exhibit H) 2007-2008 Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets start off well this season and I text for free tickets. As a result I get updates after each period of Jacket scores. They have lost all but two games since I began.

Exhibit I) 1997 World Series Cleveland Indians vs. Florida Marlins
Tribe takes a lead into the 7th inning of game 7 only to have Jose Mesa come in later to blow a save and game and ultimately the series.

Exhibit J) 2007 season Cleveland Indians
The Tribe has a 3-2 lead on the sox with our best two pitchers due up in the next two games. We lose both and end up home watching the World Series.

Exhibit K) 1998 Ohio St Buckeyes vs. Michigan St SpartansShamefully, probably the best OSU football team during my years at OSU (technically I graduated before football season though) and they couldn't represent it with a National Championship.

Exhibit L) 1990s Pre-Tressel Football Buckeyes
Loss after loss after loss to the team up north unless the season was already shot.

I could go on. It has happened on my softball teams, soccer teams, intra-mural basketball teams and more. Almost every time I feel positive, something negative happens to bring me back to earth and reality.

It has gotten to the point that I just refer to it as the Huey Karma. In order to make it fit the Karma label though I have to twist things. So here it goes:

When I begin to assume anything for my team that is positive, it is looked at as disrespectful to the opponent and therefore the disrespect is negative energy coming from me. So in return I get negative energy back which is a loss or lack of postseason.

This goes back to the 80s when I would go to Browns games with my dad and brother and the fans would chant "we will rock you." I refused to join in because of the ramifications of the "karma police." This is not a lie. 100% truth. I had no idea what karma was, but I felt something wrong about chanting that. It would come back to haunt me for sure...I was convinced of it. And it did.

You don't believe me? Ask two good friends of mine Chad and Ernie. They doubted me at first as well. Laughed at me even.

Now? Before you could finish your question they would tell you to fear the karma. The Huey Karma is real. It is powerful.

Don't mess with the karma or the karma will mess with you!!