My Cleveland Sports Memories and Flashbacks (FoS Accepting Applications Today)

Sep 25, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Fans cheer during a game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

"FoS is looking to expand its writing staff. The site has grown exponentially in the past two months and Cleveland sports are far to important to its fans to be limited on this site to just the Editor’s voice.  You can contact FoS’s Editor on Twitter or fill out an application to join FanSided’s network. Below is the story of our newest writer Bryan Ferrer who will primarily focus on our Cavaliers Coverage."

Growing up in Canton, Ohio a lot of my friends were football fans.
When I was in middle school my friends started talking about fantasy football and how much fun it is.
I enjoyed football, loved spending my weekends watching games and playing backyard with a group of friends.
I started running cross-country in sixth grade and that allowed me to spend more time with my friends.
Being around my friends and having something to talk about is where sports came into play.
Ever since 2001 I have been furthering my knowledge in sports as well as taking a few beatings in fantasy football.
On the bright side I was actually an above average runner and being involved with sports has taught me a lot about life.

Ever since those days back in sixth grade when your teacher asks “what do you want to be when you grow up” I have always said a sports announcer. As a recent college graduate I am striving to fulfill my dreams of being a sports announcer and in order to have my voice heard I need to start having my stories read.

Growing up in northeast Ohio I have witnessed a lot of Cleveland sporting events.
Whether it has been in person, on the radio or on television I have many fond memories with Cleveland sports.
My first memory with the Cleveland Cavaliers was them losing, and losing a lot.
The Cavaliers went 17-65 in 2002-03 and were last in the league in attendance.
The Cavs were led by Ricky Davis and were coached by John Lucas and Keith Smart.
Things were not pretty when talking basketball in Cleveland.
Then the famous NBA draft class of 2003 happened and the Cavaliers selected northeast Ohio’s own, LeBron James.
I must admit as a young teenager I thought the Cavaliers should have drafted Carmelo Anthony from Syracuse.
He had just won a NCAA championship and I thought James was too thin for the NBA.
I remember LeBron’s first game as a Cavalier; it was on the road against the Sacramento Kings.
We did not have cable at the time and we had to dial up our internet.
I remember riding the bus to school grabbing a newspaper and reading the sports section to find out how LeBron played. James finished with 25 points, 9 assist and 6 rebounds in his first professional game.
Albeit was a loss, but that is when I realized I will never mention anything about Carmelo Anthony and the Cavs ever again.

I must admit, baseball is not my most knowledgeable sport, but I love the Cleveland Indians.
As a young boy I remember the Indians having guys like Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Charles Nagy, the list goes on.
This team was fun to watch and every time I watched a game the stadium was always packed.
I started collecting baseball cards and wanted to have as many Indians players as possible.
After school I would ride my bike to the local card store and look for the all the Indians players.
I remember purchasing a Kenny Lofton card and being all excited to add it to my collection.
As a few years passed I began to wonder what happened.
The Indians started losing and the players I was accustomed to watching and card collecting were no longer on the team. Then in 2007, the Cleveland Indians were one strike away from the World Series.
However, the baseball Gods had other plans.
It is now 2013 and the Tribe is fun to watch.
With a great manager and the ability to spend money in the off-season the Indians have a great chance to shock the world.

The Cleveland Browns are by far Cleveland’s most beloved franchise.
The fans are so passionate that nothing else in the world could come close to breaking their hearts as much as football has.
The Browns have always had top draft picks and have had plenty of rebuilding years for as long as I have been following sports.
One game I will always remember is the 2003 AFC Wildcard game.
For the first time since coming back to Cleveland in 1999 the Browns were in the playoffs.
Their first opponent was the AFC North division champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns most bitter and hated rival that featured the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in Tommy Maddox, but Cleveland had “Run William Run” Green at running back.
I remember the Browns having a 24-7 lead at one point in the third quarter.
Maddox and the Steelers fought back like the division champs they were and trailed by only five late in the fourth.
The two things from this game that I remember as if it was yesterday is the Dennis Northcutt drop pass over the middle of the field.
Stunned by the belief that the Browns threw the ball and in absolute shock that Northcutt dropped it, the Steelers had a chance to steal this game.
The second memory is Chris Fuamatu- Ma’afala rushing up the middle to score the game winning touchdown and breaking the hearts of Browns fans everywhere.
The collapse or the drop, whichever you call it the Browns have not been to the playoffs since.