OK, so if I were the following Cleveland sports figures, I would have use these New Year's resolutions:
1. Shaquille O'Neal: Get nasty in 2010
I know Shaq is 37 years old. He has a lot of wear on those tires, almost 18 seasons in the league, four championship rings, countless records set, etc...His place in NBA history is already set, no matter what he does with the Cavaliers this season. His image and track record can never be tarnished, hands down one of the game's all-time greats. But if he is going to be a part of a possible run to the Finals for the Cavs, he needs to get the nasty streak back. His numbers this season are pedestrian at-best: 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting 50.8 percent from the field (which would be a career-low if the season ended today). As always, Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer explains Shaq's situation with the Cavs much better than I can:
In this piece, Windhorst explains that Shaq needs to start demanding more shots, even coining him "The Big Diplomat". How fitting. Here's the numbers: Shaq is getting 8.3 shot attempts per game this season. The only time in his career that number was lower was in the second half of the 2007-08 season with the Suns, after he was traded there from Miami. In 35 games with Phoenix at the end of that season, he was getting 8.2 shots per game and was blamed for the Suns first-round playoff exit, with critics claiming he "slowed the team down."For comparisons sake, Shaq's shot attempts per game was highest in the 1999-2000 season with the Lakers, when he was taking 21.1 shots per game. That season, he averaged a career-high 29.7 points per game. Incredible numbers. He also shot 57.4 percent. Here's hoping history doesn't repeat itself, with the 2009-10 Cavs being a repeat of the 2007-08 Suns. Shaq needs to pull Mike Brown and even LeBron aside and ask for a little more attention in the offense. Get that nasty streak. Start swatting guys on the court around like they were flies, like he used to. Some nasty dunks. Yes, he has lost some upper body strength with age, but he is still a mammoth in the paint and can still do damage. Let's see him transform from "The Big Diplomat" to "The Big Nasty Bastard".2. Larry Dolan (Indians owner): Sell the team.
No lengthy explanation needed here. I am a Yankee fan, so the fact that the Indians are wallowing in perpetual misery is not terrible for me. But its time that Dolan cashes his chips and gets out. You don't become an owner of a professional sports team if you don't want to spend money. Makes no sense. From his perspective, there are safter things to invest in than a baseball team. Sell the team to someone who really cares (like a Dan Gilbert), go take a bath in your money and let the Indians have a chance to succeed for once this century.
3. Derek Anderson: Retire and do what you were born to do, wait tables at Ruby Tuesday.
No offense meant to Ruby Tuesday here. It's a hell of an establishment. But as a Browns fan, I'd rather see Derek Anderson refilling the cottage cheese at the salad bar than being the quarterback of the team. Just saying.
4. Mike Holmgren: Don't screw up the draft
For as much success as Holmgren has had as a coach with the Packers (and to some extent, the Seahawks), his record of drafting successful players in the first round is questionable. With the Seahawks, Holmgen has four drafts to his name where he was responsible for choosing the players. Here are his first-round picks:
1999- Lamar King, DE (a bust, totaled 12 career sacks in five forgettable years in the league).
2000- Shaun Alexlander, RB (the one good pick on this list, a former NFL MVP who was the best RB in the league for a handful of years).
2001 - Koren Robinson, WR (always had lots of talent but had major character issues, served a lengthy suspension for substance abuse. Totaled 294 carer catches and is now out of football).2002 - Jerramy Stevens, TE (a serviceable tight end, totaling 199 career catches with 22 TDs. At least he is still in the league, but probably most remembered for guaranteeing the Seahawks would beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XL...oops).
As you can see it's not good. The rest of those drafts (rounds 2-7) were not that good either. Here is a link to Holmgren's complete draft record:
My point here is that the Browns cannot afford to punt another draft. On previous blog posts I have touched on this subject, and I provided a link to the Browns draft history on one of the posts. Holmgen needs to hit a home run with his first draft in Cleveland. Whoever he hires as his general manager will also have a large hand in this, so the onus is not all on Holmgren. But when you are the football "czar", you get the praise and the criticism, fair or unfair.
Real quick, I'd like to see the Browns address the following in this year's draft: Help in the secondary, , the defensive line and offensive line. As long as those three holes are addressed, I am happy with whatever else they do.
The class of 2010 for Cooperstown was released today ... and the sole member elected by the writers is Andre Dawson. Well deserving, one of the best outfielders in the 1980s. But someone didn't make it who should have: Roberto Alomar, possibly the best second baseman ever and definitely the best defensive second baseman ever. Alomar played for the Indians from 1999-2001 and had some of his best seasons. He batted .323 in those three seasons in Cleveland and amassed 1,748 hits. Here's a link to his page on baseballreference.com
He should have made it to the Hall this year, but I feel like he will get there eventually, probably next year. I loved watching him as a member of the Indians, and signing him as a free agent after the 1998 season stands out as one of John Hart's best moves. Just wanted to give Robbie some well-deserved recognition here.
* Photos courtesy of Getty Images and the Associated Press
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