Red Right 88

Five the hard way

Today we celebrate the five-year anniversary of the launch of our site.

In some cultures the number 5 is considered a lucky number, but it is also one that comes with a bit of a price. People who believe that 5 is their lucky number often judge or enjoy things with their senses, rather than through deep thought, meaning that they often end up with a bad result.

Which pretty much sums up the day-to-day existence of your average Cleveland sports fan.

Sticking with the numbers theme, since we made our inaugural post:

• The Browns have gone 25-55 (a .313 winning percentage), have employed four head coaches and as many front offices, and are most likely planning to roll out their 10th different starting quarterback this fall.
• The Cavs are currently 100 games under .500 (137-237, a .366 winning percentage), have had four coaches (counting Mike Brown twice) and just as many general managers, had an NBA record 26-game losing streak, and have yet to post a winning record despite drafting five players in the top four of the NBA Draft – three of which were the No. 1 overall pick.
• The Indians have gone 394-412 (a .489 winning percentage) while employing two different managers. The Tribe is the only team of the three to have posted a winning season and a playoff appearance — which they promptly lost.

Those numbers are currently on the upswing, however, as the Cavs will make a return to the playoffs next month, after a four-year absence, with a real chance at breaking the city’s 50-year championship drought. If the Cavs don’t do it, the Tribe may as they are currently a trendy pick for the World Series this year.

And despite what you may have heard, the Browns are moving (if ever so slowly) in the right direction.

But this site has always been about more than the numbers.

Having an outlet to vent after the never-ending losses and personnel moves has helped us learn to not carry around another dismal performance by the local sports teams. We’ve also tried to develop a different perspective on what — and most importantly why — the Browns, Indians and Cavs are doing what they are doing.

The best part has been all the people we have had the chance to meet and interview for articles on the past five years, many of whom we would never have had the opportunity to interact with if not for this site.  Our interactions with everyone has opened up our thinking and helped redefine, in a good way, how we look at sports.

And for that we are grateful.