Thursday, September 20, 2012


Art Modell—Public Enemy No. 1

He was one of the most reviled figures in Cleveland sports history. Even for those who felt LeBron James was the consummate traitor, Art Modell remains the true villain. While LeBron left Cleveland for the sunny shores of South Beach and decimated the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise remained. And it was, after all, the Cavaliers not the legendary Cleveland Browns.

The brash, young owner of the Browns as we remem-
bered him when he first bought the team in 1961.
Browns fans had good reason for their tremendous sense of loss. The original Browns were one of the greatest teams in NFL history. In fact their list of championships even predated the NFL, when they dominated the old All-America Conference, winning the championship in all four years of the league’s existence from 1946 through 1949. When the Browns moved to the NFL they kept winning, taking titles in 1950, 1954 and 1955. They were in a championship game for 10 straight seasons and won seven.  Then and all through the early 1960s they were led by Hall of Fame coach and football innovator Paul Brown. In the early years they also had another never-to-be-forgotten Hall of Famer, quarterback Otto Graham and a supporting cast including ends Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli and fullback Marion Motey.  Then came the Jim Brown era—1957-1965.  Widely acclaimed as the greatest running back ever, Brown dominated the league, amassing numerous rushing records and dismantling even the best defenses such as those of the Sam Huff-led Giants, Ray Nitschke and the Packers, and the Rams Fearsome Foursome. It was Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Frank Ryan, Gary Collins and others that brought Cleveland the NFL title in 1964, the last time a Cleveland sports team has won a world a world championship.
 
 A Hated Figure

While Modell was hated after moving the team—and hate is not too strong a word—his recent passing cast additional light on the decision to leave Cleveland and also caused many to remember his contributions to the NFL. Most fans in Cleveland believe Modell could have saved the franchise --that with a 70,000 plus capacity stadium and lucrative TV contracts, no one, not even Modell, could lose money. Modell said he had to have the support of the city to survive. He said the Browns were ignored when the city was building new facilities for the Indians and Cavs, a statement that no one in Cleveland would agree with until last week, when former City Council President George Forbes said Modell was offered a spot for a stadium as part of the Gateway complex, home to what is now Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena. Even though the statement has been supported by others, Forbes shady past, including his conviction for ethics violations, puts what he says into question.

No one can doubt Modell had a big role in turning NFL football into a TV showcase. A slick Madison Avenue ad executive before he bought the Browns, Modell had the moxie to orchestrate television deals that have led to untold revenues for league even to this day.

Cleveland Municipal Stadium was the largest stadium in major league baseball and was second only to the L.A. Coliseum in seating capacity for NFL football. But as time went on the stadium became more and more outdated, not to mention the crumbling infrastructure—everything from splintered seats, to cracked walkways to frequently flooded rest rooms.

Deep in Debt

But with no financial help coming and the bills piling up, Modell said he had only one choice. When a sweet deal came along from Baltimore, he accepted. The rest you could say is history. Modell went on to win a Super Bowl in Baltimore. Cleveland was awarded a new team, with the Browns name, record and colors left intact. And the city finally came through with a new stadium.

Of course, that new team has never lived up to its name. Maybe if it did, Modell’s deed wouldn’t evoke the venom it still does some 17 years after he left the lake front. But until things improve--and perhaps long thereafter-- Art Modell, fairly or unfairly, will remain Cleveland’s Public Enemy No. 1.

Quick takes…speaking of Cleveland, last week was the anniversary of the Indians' Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller striking out 17 Philadelphia Athletics on September 13, 1936. He was just 17 years old…A couple of good trivia questions came up over lunch at the Commerce Club today. The first: three catchers on the 1961 Yankees hit 20 or more home runs. Who were they? Think about that while we pose the second question: who was the left fielder for that same team?...Answers below…Saw Vince Dooley today at the Atlanta Press Club meeting. He’s as fired up as ever, thinks South Carolina will be the big test for the Dogs…Will blog more on Dooley later…Trivia answers: Yogi, Elston Howard and Johnny Blanchard for the first question; Hector Lopez for question No. 2.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, September 6, 2012


Lessons Learned from Painful Defeat

Losing is never fun. Whether it’s not landing a job or not closing a deal, suffering defeat is always painful. Sometimes however the pain is worse, especially when victory is so close at hand. Such was the case on Monday when Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets went down to the 16th ranked Virginia Tech Hoakies. With victory easily in their grasp, the Yellow Jackets defense gave up a fourth and four pass from Logan Thomas to Corey Fuller for 23 yards. That brought the ball to within field goal range of Cody Journell, who missed one earlier, but this time kicked a 41-yarder for the Hoakies to tie the game and send it into overtime.


Georgia Tech head coach Paul
Johnson must rally his team
after hearbreaking loss
Certainly this was a dagger in the hearts of the Jackets, but the worst was yet to come. On their first possession in overtime Georgia Tech had a third down situation and, instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, quarterback Tevin Williams fired blindly and under pressure right into the hands of Virginia Tech defender Kyle Fuller. Six plays later Journell kicked through the winner from 17 yards.

The problem for Georgia Tech is their 17-14 defeat to the Hoakies was more than just a singular loss. It put a serious dent in their hopes for a special season. In fact, Tech now must look at the daunting task of possibly having to run the table in order to finish ranked and have a shot at the ACC title. In order to accomplish both, the Jackets must beat Clemson, Oct. 6 at Death Valley and then top Georgia in Athens November 24. Beyond that the Jackets have BYU on October 27 at home and North Carolina at Chapel Hill on November 11. Both the Cougars and Carolina could also be among the top 25 by the time they meet Tech.

So how do you deal with a heartbreaking loss? How do you get yourself up for that next job interview, prepare for the next client presentation, or for that matter win the next game, or the next several. Believe it or not there are people out there—they are called mental training coaches— that study such things. One such individual is Rob Polishook who founded Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group (insidethezone.com). Rob has appeared numerous places, including on ESPN. He offers five ways to get over the downer associated with a bad defeat.

First, says Rob, you have to allow yourself to accept the disappointment, release the bad feelings and realize that when victory does come, it will be all the more satisfying. Second, know that you are one step closer to reaching your goal. Polishook uses the example of tennis player Raphael Nadal, whose first two years on the court were laden with setbacks. He also refers to Babe Ruth who said every strike out puts him one step closer to another home run. The third way to overcome defeat, according to Polishook, is to listen for feedback. Asks the mental training coach in an article for his on-line publication, “Was there every a great champion, individual or team, that didn’t learn from failures, setbacks and obstacles?” Next, the performance expert said “reframe” the defeat. What can be learned from the loss? And give yourself credit for, in the Tech example, not playing a cushy opponent to start the season. Finally, Polishook says your performance is another step on the road to your ultimate goal. You learn things in the heat of battle that you cannot possibly learn in practice.

The rest of the season for Georgia Tech will not only be a test of football skill. It will be a test of character, of their ability to fight back. It could provide a lesson for everyone who has ever seen a victory taken away in a most heartbreaking fashion.

Quick Takes…Sad to see Arthur Triche leave the Hawks as their head of PR. He was there over two decades after working for awhile with the Detroit Lions. We wish him the best…Braves continue to hold on to that Wild Card lead and seem destined for the one-game play-in game. If that should happen, manager Fredi Gonzalez has no choice, I believe, but to go with Kris Medlen as his starter. Medlen has been lights out, and, while you’d like to see a veteran like Tim Hudson take the mound, you have to go with the hot hand in Medlen—assuming he remains hot through the end of the season…For those who think four games is too many in the NFL’s preseason, check this out: the Cleveland Browns played seven preseason games in 1956, more than half the 12 regular season games. Six preseason games were standard in those days unless, as with the ’56 Browns, a team won NFL championship the year before. In that case the team would play in the annual College All-Star Game against a team of college graduates headed to the NFL, adding an additional game to the usual six-game preseason slate.