The Poison of Nostalgia

For the next several weeks, the driest stretch of the sports calendar will leave fans longing for football season. Jordan Spieth's quest to capture golf's Grand Slam, Wimbledon, and the Women's World Cup will captivate certain groups of fans, but unfortunately that will be the only escape from baseball highlights dominating SportsCenter's Top Ten. It has been an exciting and championship filled past few weeks in the world of sports, though. Golden State beat Cleveland in a great NBA Finals. Chicago won another Stanley Cup establishing another dynasty in the Windy City. The aforementioned Spieth outlasted Dustin Johnson to win the US Open. All of those stories are great, but there is another theme from this summer, lurking beneath all the glory, that I feel needs some commentary.

It started in May with the "Fight of the Century" between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. There was little to no chance the fight would live up to its tremendous level of hype. However, I don't think anybody expected the dud we got. Mayweather toyed with Pacquiao for twelve rounds and won by a comfortable margin via unanimous decision. The few flurries of punches thrown by Pacquiao were easily countered by the bigger Mayweather, and it was clear Pacquiao's last couple fights were not flukes. His time as a dominating force in boxing was over. 

It continued in early June on two different continents in the same week. In my hometown of Dublin, Ohio, Tiger Woods teed it up on Saturday afternoon of the Memorial. Throughout his career, Woods has dominated the tournament. Huge crowds followed around the multiple time winner, hoping this would be the tournament to jumpstart his run at a long awaited major championship. Instead, patrons were treated to Woods shooting an 85, the worst round of his career. A few weeks later at Chambers Bay, Woods would fail to break 80 in the first round. Hopes of passing Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 majors seemed faint, event among the loyalest of Woods' worshipers, before the season. Now, I would wager many of them are seriously questioning whether he can even capture one more. 

Across the Atlantic, Rafael Nadal faced off against Novak Djokovic in a French Open quarterfinal. Even the least knowledgeable of tennis fans know of Nadal's mastery of the red clay at Roland Garros. Although his play had been on the decline in recent years, Nadal lost in straight sets, a result nobody would have predicted. It was only his second lost in the tournament. Previously, he had racked up 70 wins. Djokovic is arguably the best player in the world right now, but to watch him remain one shot ahead of Nadal during the entire match was an unexpected spectacle. Questions about Nadal's future soon replaced plans for another coronation for another French conquest.

I bring these events up to illustrate the unfortunate, yet inevitable, decline of greatness. It happens across every area of life and to everyone, but in sports, the fall from grace takes on a different character. At the first sign, we try and rationalize the event as an outlier. It won't happen again, we tell ourselves. He'll bring his A game next time around. Then, another defeat comes along. Is this the new normal, we wonder. Is it because of an injury? Finally, we accept that one of our legends is no more. They might still be competing, but it's fueled by a need to write the epilogue of their story, not a burning, competitive drive to win. The chapters of greatness came and went right before our eyes. We long to go back and add more treasured tales, but time's steady crawl has closed that door, leaving YouTube highlights and memories as the only options to relive the glory days. 

In individual sports. there are few casualties besides the athlete. A decision to finally call it quits can be made at any time, and there's a good chance no fans will abandon the athlete until the last game, match, or tournament. Woods, with his sex scandal in addition to his decline, attracts TV ratings and followings any other golfer would dream to experience. In team sports, though, many people can suffer from a decision to refuse mediocrity has replaced excellence. Whether it be a player, coach, or executive, the choice could potentially doom future seasons, cripple relationships between teammates, or lose the faith of fans. Last year, Derek Jeter played his final season with the New York Yankees. He played the worst season of his career (especially if you're a fan of sabremetrics), and since one of the wealthiest franchises in sports stuck with the legendary shortshop throughout his farewell tour, they prevented themselves from moving on and acquiring a replacement with their checkbook. Of course making Jeter ride the bench last year would not have gone over well- I get that, and I get Didi Gregorius hasn't lived up to his billing this season. Still, if more athletes and coaches would decide to go out while they're still on top, or at least near the top, it would greatly benefit their respective team. 

This brings me to a precarious case for one of my own teams. The South Carolina Gamecocks spent much of their football history as an afterthought. That all changed, however, when they convinced Steve Spurrier to come coach in Columbia. Now, nearly eleven years later, the program has been taken to unprecedented heights. Double digit win totals are now expected by Gamecock fans. Revenge against long hated rivals has been joyously felt numerous times. Recruits want to experience the thrill of Sandstorm and 2001. New facilities and stadium renovations seem poised to keep the program near the top of the SEC East. This all was the case even in light of a disappointing 7-6 campaign last year. Before the season, I remember reading articles predicting an SEC title, and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Afterwards, hindsight showed the fact losing the most successful quarterback in school history and several defensive stars was too much to overcome to attain those lofty goals. Gamecock fans accepted the season for what it was and were ready to have their team make a statement in 2015 that the defensive collapses of 2014 were nothing more than an inconsistent blip on the team's radar of things to come.

The road got a little more complicated when the Head Ball Coach made an off the cuff remark about not knowing how much longer he wanted to be the Head Ball Coach during this past bowl season. Recruits and opposing coaches took notice of this, and commits soon jumped ship. Spurrier would eventually retract his statement, but the damage was already done. Then, this past week, ESPN insider Travis Haney shared Spurrier wanted to call it quits last November on the Paul Finebaum Show. It took close family and friends to convince him to not give up on his love of football. This is a much more troubling sign of things to come in Columbia. I am rather bearish on the upcoming season of Gamecock football. The defense has to improve (right?), but the offense will likely experience growing pains behind whatever quarterback lines up under center (Actually, in this day and age, stand five yards behind the center). If Spurrier isn't showing the fiery energy and enthusiasm that has taken college football by storm ever since his playing days at Florida back in the 1960s, one more middling season might lead him to decide on working on lowering his handicap full time. 

South Carolina will not and should not fire Spurrier. That would be a ludicrous move and horrible treatment for the winningest coach in school history. However, trying to devise a contingency plan to provide easy relief from this conundrum would be incredibly beneficial. Whether that is to have talks with Spurrier about finalizing his personal plans for the coming few seasons or hiring a coach in waiting and giving Spurrier freedom, ushering in the post-Spurrier era needs to be done seamlessly. Attracting a big time coaching commodity, who will keep the recruiting pipeline flowing, will be a much easier task than it was a decade ago, all thanks to him. However, letting the respect for South Carolina football slide back towards pre-Spurrier levels would be crushing to these tasks and to a fanbase now grown accustomed to winning. 

It's possible the Gamecocks will find a way to return to the decade's earlier successes this season. It's possible I'm overanalyzing nothing more than an unlucky stretch of thirteen games. However, it's possible last season was Steve Spurrier's first step on an inevitable journey away from college football. The 2015 season will be one of the most important seasons in team history, whether it functions as adding to Spurrier's successes or laying the path for the program to move on from him in the future. I pray it turns out to be the former. Should it be the latter, hopefully one of my favorite personalities in college football will realize handing off his headset to a qualified replacement, rather than spending a few more frustrating seasons spiking his visor into the ground, will let Gamecock fans see his legacy continue to blossom in Columbia, South Carolina.

 J. Nave

The Tale of One City (And Its Improbable Quest for a Championship)

If there's one lesson I have learned during my lifetime, it's that there are certain moments you will never forget. Once it happens, the memory can be triggered by the slightest thing; a sight, a sound, or a smell can become a powerful reminder for years to come of either tremendous happiness or crushing horror. Certain events can even bond together large populations of people.

July 11th, 2014 was one of these moments for the state of Ohio. Four years after "The Decision", LeBron James announced to the world his intentions to come home and play for the Cleveland Cavaliers beginning with the 2014-15 season. I will never forget where I was that afternoon (Trapped inside my cramped, drive thru "office" at work as a bank teller. I can recall the announcement of the hosts on 97.1 The Fan speaking in a tone of equal parts elation, surprise, and relief about the breaking news. It's probably a minor miracle I did not screw up any transactions for the rest of the day...). Many people within the Buckeye State could do the same exact thing if asked. The acquisition of perennial All-Star Kevin Love followed in the coming weeks. For the next couple months, anticipation and hype built throughout the state to what should have been an inevitable breaking point. Instead, that climax never arrived. The excitement continued to crescendo all the way up to opening night in late October. When LeBron did his trademarked chalk toss for the first time, the city could finally acknowledge the moment was real; it wasn't just a fantasy forged throughout four losing seasons. The Cavaliers, plagued by sloppy play by James, responded to the hype by falling flat on their faces and lost. The starting lineup that night was composed of James, Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Anderson Varejao, and Love. For the next few months, similar disappointing efforts followed. At one point in January, the Cavaliers owned a 19-20 record. Varejao was lost for the season due to an injury. Rumors of Love opting out of his contract after one season raged amongst the media. Calls for David Blatt to be fired furiously grew. Injuries continued to pile up on James leading many fans to wonder if his decline from omnipotent, league dominance had begun.

Now, fast forward a few months. The Cavaliers are facing the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Kevin Love had suffered a shoulder injury after being put into one of the nastiest arm bars this side of the UFC, but the Cavs hold a 3-0 series lead and are looking to capture the franchise's second appearance in the NBA Finals. The starting lineup for the Cavaliers would consist of James, a limping Kyrie Irving, and Tristan Thompson. One more player that was in Quicken Loans Arena several months ago in October held the fourth spot. However, Iman Shumpert, was wearing orange and blue, instead of wine and gold back then. Another key role player, JR Smith, was in the same position as Shumpert. Finally, Timofey Mozgov, acquired via trade with the Denver Nuggets, would start the game at center. Cleveland's most beloved new athlete, Matthew Dellavedova, would bring his hustling effort off the bench. The Cavs, as you already know, would go on to get the sweep with a resounding 30 point victory.

Tomorrow, the Cavaliers will begin their series with the Golden State Warriors in LeBron James' (and James Jones!) fifth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. To say this appearance would be his most impressive would be a gross understatement. Yes, the Eastern Conference offered very little in terms of quality opposition, but this team took more tweaking than the previous four combined where James sat at the helm. An unknown coaching entity from international play had to learn how to handle three of the sport's most talented players. Draft picks would be wagered to mortgage the team's future on ending Cleveland's long and infamous championship drought this summer to pick up missing pieces. James would have to understand his own aging body learning when to press and when to relent. The roster upheaval alone during the course of the season would have been enough of an unprecedented challenge for any team to overcome to find success. As pointed out earlier, it was not always pretty, but watching this team finally blossom during the playoffs has been a treat. Shooting threats surround the best player on the planet forcing opposing teams to never take a possession off defensively. The aforementioned play of Dellavedova, as well as strong effort by Thompson and Shumpert, have created the solution to earlier problems regarding the Cavaliers' defensive ability.

Now, one of the NBA's most successful teams of all time is what stands between LeBron James and his desperate city from a long developed hunger for championship glory. Should the Warriors win the series, they will finish the season with the third most wins in NBA history. They are led by the league MVP, Stephen Curry, and his backcourt running mate, Klay Thompson. Curry's shot is one of the prettiest sights in the league, he makes behind the back passes look effortless, and his floaters leave big men unable to protect the rim. Their starting lineup also boasts a defensive pest in Draymond Green, whose life's purpose for the next two weeks will be to annoy LeBron James. Their depth and health currently trump the Cavaliers, even when factoring in the concussion like symptoms Thompson has been dealing with (All indications point to him suiting up in uniform on Thursday night). Golden State has won 46 of 49 games in Oracle Arena, giving them a home court advantage on par with college basketball's most dominant blue bloods in a series they hold the actual home court advantage. Their coach, Steve Kerr, picked the brain of Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson during his playing career as a reserve guard with the Bulls. Trends throughout NBA history also suggest there is a strong correlation the Warriors will win the series with what they accomplished during the regular season. Convinced this will be a challenge for the Cavaliers yet?

On a deeper level, it's rather fitting a finely tuned and flashy product from Silicon Valley will face this ruggedly pieced together bunch from the Rust Belt. Equally scrutinized along with Cleveland's failures in the world of sports is the decline in the city's economic activity. Anyone who has visited the city in recent years, including yours truly, can speak to the disheartening scenes throughout the city. Abandoned factories dot the outskirts of downtown. Minus certain blocks around the arena and stadiums, the rest of the downtown streets yearn for their glory days of yesteryear. Hardship and Cleveland have developed a symbiotic relationship in recent decades, and the blue collar spirit ingrained in the city's culture has fought to overcome the economic obstacles related to Cleveland's manufacturing past. It might sound ludicrous to certain people, but LeBron James elevated those optimistic efforts with his proclamation last summer because the city received something to believe in again. A glimmer of a new, promising future emerged for the city with his return to replace obsolete dreams from the 20th century, and even his previous time in Cleveland. Even Nike realized this spirit with a powerful ad they released just before the beginning of the season, showing the whole city of Cleveland preparing to go on this journey together. As blasphemous as all that sounds, this tale for Cleveland's championship is one of biblical proportions. The Prodigal Son might have initially taken his wealth elsewhere, but when he found himself and needed to return home, he was greeted with immense love. LeBron James caused the city of Cleveland devastating heartbreak when he took his talents to South Beach, but he has received nothing but respect, love, and admiration during this wild season. Even the fans who could be seen lighting his memorabilia on fire, like the bitter older brother, have come around to acknowledge the rebirth of the Cavaliers (Some might call these people fair weather fans, but if the heart and soul of your team decided to leave on national television, wouldn't there be some hard feelings?). The only question remaining is will the streets of Cleveland be able to erupt into a celebratory parade to rival the party thrown in the Book of Luke?

Back in January, I would have been ecstatic to see the Cavaliers simply make the NBA Finals in LeBron's first season back home. Momentum would be achieved for Cleveland's drought to come to an end next summer, following Kevin Love's recovery from injury and another season of figuring out the team's strengths and weaknesses for every piece of the puzzle. While definitely influenced by bias and fandom for the general underdog story, as well as this underdog in particular, I'm picking LeBron James and the Cavaliers to end Cleveland's half-century of suffering. The plays and games haunting fans of the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians will be replaced by memories of the Larry O'Brien Trophy being hoisted into the air by Northeast Ohio's native son. 2015 has already shown us a third string quarterback can win a championship for an Ohio team. In this underdog world we seem to be living in, I like the chances of The King winning a long overdue trophy for his home's mantelpiece.

J. Nave