Factory Lines: Second Interviews, Jarrett Jack and Tribe Fest 2014

Image courtesy of The Library of Congress (Public Domain License)

Every weekday morning, we’ll take a look at headlines from the last 24 hours to make sure you’re up-to-date on everything Cleveland sports. With three major teams in one town, fans have a lot of information to process. Some headlines are big, but often it’s the small news that can have the greatest impact. So we’re here to help. Let’s take a look:

Cleveland Browns

Because two candidates for the head coaching job have moved on to the Super Bowl, the Browns are likely to wait a little longer to find their new coach. In the meantime, they’re able to take a second look at a couple of guys they’ve already interviewed. Vic Carucci at ClevelandBrowns.com reported:

"“Under NFL rules, the Browns, because they have interviewed [Dan] Quinn once, could interview him a second time. However, they have yet to interview [Adam] Gase and would not be able to do so until after the Super Bowl. Would the delay in hiring/interviewing Gase and Quinn persuade the Browns to turn elsewhere for a coach? Would they be inclined to look toward Mike Pettine, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator who reportedly had a strong interview with the Browns last week? There is reason to think the timing wouldn’t influence the Browns’ decision, that the team’s decision-makers would stay true to the pursuit of the “right” guy rather than the “available” guy.”"

At this point, it’s makes no difference to the Factory of Sadness. The Browns have waited this long. There’s no reason to rush the search; public perception be damned.

For those of you who need some information on Pettine, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com had this to say about him:

"“Pettine, 47, is coming off his first season as the Bills’ defensive coordinator, but spent four seasons as Jets coordinator before that. His Bills’ defense, a 3-4 hybrid scheme, ranked 10th overall and 20th in scoring. It also finished second in interceptions and sacks. His Jets defenses finished in the top-10 in all four seasons from  2009-12,  including a No. 1 ranking in 2009. Pettine was also a Ravens assistant from 2002-08, meaning he knows what it takes to win in the AFC North.”"

The possible Pettine hire seems to be causing an uproar in Buffalo, but we’re not sure what the hubbub is about. And with such an emphasis the front office has put on the offense, it would be surprising if they did bring in Pettine.

It’s also been reported that safety T. J. Ward has been named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement:

That now makes five Pro Bowlers out of six drafted by former GM Tom Heckert. The other was OT Joe Thomas, who was inherited from a prior regime. While the former front office was unable to procure the right quarterback, it’s intriguing what they would have done if given another chance on the offensive side of the ball.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The NBA has turned Martin Luther King, Jr. Day into its own matinee special with a slew of games played during daylight hours. The Cavs were no exception. It was the end of the game that wasn’t so special, however. In case you missed it, with 2.8 seconds left in the game and the Cavs down by 3 points, PG Jarrett Jack was called for a five-second violation as he failed to inbound the basketball in time:

It’s not the kind of bone-headed mistake you’d expect from a veteran, and this little mishap didn’t help their playoff chances. The good news is that the Eastern Conference is still terrible. The Cavs are now 15-26 on the season and two games behind the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth seed. While it would be nice to sneak in given their strong desire to make the playoffs this year, it would be even nicer if the team can come together and start to play consistent basketball with Luol Deng instead of the roller coaster we’ve been on since his acquisition.

Speaking of Deng, Greg Swartz at Bleacher Report is optimistic the team can get there:

"“It’s way too early, and we’ve just seen a small sample size, but suppose the Cavaliers keep up their winning pace of three wins for every two losses like they’ve accumulated in Deng’s first five games (he didn’t play the first one immediately after being traded). What would that mean for Cleveland heading down the stretch? Three wins in every five games would put them at a winning percentage of 60 percent. Right now, only eight teams in the NBA are winning at a higher rate. This may be a lot to ask for a team 10 games below .500, but that was also before they had a small forward putting in over 18 points a game. With 42 games to go, winning 60 percent of their remaining games would put the Cavs at 25-17 down the stretch. It seems like a daunting task, but Cleveland does have the talent to do it.”"

We think they can get there too. Well, let’s just say they better. It would be a waste to go all-in and come up short.

Cleveland Indians

In case you missed it, Tribe Fest 2014 is this weekend.

When: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday

Where: Progressive Field

Admission: $10 general admission; $5 children (12 and under); children are FREE with advanced online purchase of adult ticket (limit two children per purchase).

David Glasier at The News-Herald gave us a little more information:

"“An estimated 6,000 fans turned out for last year’s inaugural Tribe Fest, including a flash crowd of 4,000 on the first of its two days… The roster of scheduled participants in Tribe Fest includes [Terry] Francona, who led the Indians to a 90-72 finish last season and the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2007. Current Indians players slated to be at Tribe Fest are Mike Aviles, John Axford, Trevor Bauer, Michael Bourn, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, David Murphy, Danny Salazar, Carlos Santana, Bryan Shaw and Nick Swisher. The Indians have confirmed Tribe Fest appearances by former players and fan favorites Kenny Lofton, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel.”"

It sounds like a great time for the whole family. So get on down there and experience a little baseball this winter. We’d be inclined to go if they had dollar dogs.

Did we miss anything from the last 24 hours that is important to Cleveland fans? Let us know below in the comments and/or follow on Twitter and send us a tweet.