Cleveland's Heart

Everyone knows that Cleveland has had a rough go of it with their sports franchises. They have repeatedly hit the wall when it comes to getting close to a championship, from The Drive when John Elway broke their collective heart, the Indians who put together a great team a few years back and failed to win the World Series. Many times Cleveland has gotten close but not close enough.

LeBron James, the high school prodigy was going to change that. He was from the area, he knew the area and the people but he loved winners. Cleveland really wasn't that. Their traditions were more blue collar as they are the buckle in the rustbelt.

Art Modell was the most hated man in Cleveland after he moved the Browns to Baltimore to become the Ravens. Now Art can rest easy as LeBron has taken over that mantle.

LeBron won two back to back MVP awards, led the Cavs to two stellar winning seasons but fell short in the playoffs. It looked like this coming year would be THE YEAR as there were some free agents out there that would compliment LeBron and finally bring that banner to Cleveland.

It also wasn't to be. LeBron did his impression of John Elway last night in a one hour special on ESPN. It wasn't good enough to destroy Cleveland in private, he had to humiliate the city that loved him unconditionally, that would have named every street in the city after him if he asked. The stadium would have set on Chosen-1 Drive, cross section with James Way.

It wasn't good enough to just sign with another team, LeBron had to embarrass his hometown because he didn't elevate them to a championship.

LeBron had to do more damage to a battered city in a very public fashion and become the most hated man in Cleveland sports history.

Instead of making the Cavs his own and making them win he went out with a whimper in last year's playoffs, nearly a non-factor. Everyone who's livelihoods depended on him going to the arena every night and drawing fans to the area are now cursing LeBron's name.

He couldn't win in Cleveland, couldn't rise to the challenge of bringing a championship there, so he bolted town as soon as he was allowed to and went to an easier place to win. Miami is an easy contender now for next year's prize, I hope whichever team they face in the playoffs destroys them over and over and over again.

I hope LeBron never gets his ring, the ring he left Cleveland for. As for the Cavs? Well they are immediately in a rebuilding phase now. The arena will be half empty until LeBron comes to town just so they can boo and hiss at him, well maybe not. They might not even show up then just to show him that he broke their heart and isn't worth seeing.

That would be something, organizing a boycott of the LeBron game when Miami comes to town, selling no tickets at all! Go for it Cleveland, the punk doesn't deserve your love.