Sports Blog on Vindy.com

For today’s NFL season opener, the Browns are giving away orange towels. The idea must be to try and offset the impact of Steelers fans waving Terrible Towels. (And judging from the cars with Pennsylvania license plates passing me on the Ohio Turnpike this morning, there are many in Cleveland today). What a lame gimmick.

Why would anyone want to copy the trademark of your archrival? Why would any self-respecting Browns fan want to wave a towel of any color?

Myron Cope created the Terrible Towel gimmick during the 1972 playoffs. It’s been a Pittsburgh tradition for 36 seasons. The best thing the Browns can do is to give the devil their due and move on.

Ask any baseball fan which ballpark not in Cleveland or Pittsburgh that he/she most would like to visit and chances are you’ll get an immediate answer. For some, it would be seeing the Green Monster in Boston’s Fenway Park.

For others, it would be Yankee Stadium in the Bronx or Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side. The most scenic ballpark in America is San Francisco’s AT&T Park.

What about the NFL? Where would you most like to go see a game (excluding Cleveland Browns Stadium and Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field?)

An immediate answer doesn’t spring to most minds. Many would pick Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, mostly for the history connected to the only smalltown NFL city.

For climate, you can’t beat San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium or Phoenix’s University of Phoenix Stadium.

For a dome, New Orleans’ Superdome has a mystic (thanks Katrina) that might intrigue some.

If you don’t mind rain, Seattle’s Qwest Field has a unique design.

Where would you go?

Sometimes one feels sorry for the Cleveland Indians, who are approaching the 60th anniversary of their last World Series victory.

Then Tribe management pulls a blunder so ridiculous that it makes one wonder if the Indians executives are going out of their way to make sure Cleveland’s drought of professional sports championships runs forever.

The latest goof? Giving designated hitter Travis Hafner a four-year, $57 million contract. What are GM Mark Shapiro and owner Larry Dolan thinking? Did they really believe that anyone was going to outbid the Indians for this part-time player?

Had Hafner chosen free agency after the 2008 season, none of the 16 National League teams would pursue him because he has an arthritic arm (boo hoo) and CAN’T PLAY IN THE FIELD. That leaves 13 other American League clubs, most of whom have quality designated hitters signed for years to come.

Were the Indians afraid that the Royals or Devil Rays might pry their precious Pronk (I repeat good hit, no field) away?

Fifty-seven million for a part-time player who is in a season-long slump, someone who can’t make the All-Star team because he DOESN’T PLAY A POSITION. — what a waste. The money would have been better spent trying to retain the future services of lefty ace C.C. Sabathia.

In the next few days, baseball in San Francisco will be in the sports news as the Major League All-Stars arrive in Northern California.

The All-Star Game will be at San Francisco’s AT&T Park in the China Basin portion of the city. As much as we love PNC Park, the view from AT&T Park is unsurpassed. On a Sunday afternoon, Ohioans can’t help but admire the sailboats, tankers and pleasure craft sailing on the San Francisco Bay Bay behind the park. It’s simply spectacular.

As for the hometown left fielder, Giants fans love Barry Bonds. They couldn’t care less about steroids, perjury, government investigations or that the team is in last place (or that any other player from another team might be juiced).

Confession: the 22-year-old Ohio State grad in our travel party was near the front of a long line for a hot dog when Bonds came up with the bases loaded. She turned to the guy behind her and said, “If I miss a grand slam for a hot dog …” and left the line. Bonds hit the first pitch for a double. She said the sacrifice was worth it.

McCovey Cove is where many of Bonds’ homers land. It’s a small body of water behind the right field of the ballpark. On TV, McCovey Cove looks like it goes on forever but it really is only about 30 yards wide and maybe 150 yards long. It’s right next to a draw bridge that was seen in Clint Eastwood’s third “Dirty Harry” movie “The Enforcer” (where the mayor is kidnapped by terrorists).

Finally, San Franciscans have a lot more money to spend at concession stands than we’re accustomed to. Their choices are out of the ordinary (sushi, jumbo hot dogs for $5.50, ice cream sundaes for $8 and garlic fries). The sundae was fabulous, the fries … potent.

Sushi? Get real. I don’t think that raw fish will replace crackerjack in that seventh-inning stretch song.

The Mahoning Valley hockey war is over … and I sort of miss it.

It won’t be the same now that millionaires Herb Washington (owner of the Youngstown SteelHounds and a bunch of McDonald’s restaurants) and Bruce Zoldan (owner of the Mahoning Phantoms and B.J. Alan Fireworks) have kissed and made up.

Over a politician, no less.

The Valley’s hockey war was at its peak in spring 2006 when Washington displayed his “civic” side by barring the Phantoms’ national tournament from being played in the (mostly dormant) Chevrolet Centre.

The Chevy Centre needs every event it can attract in order for Youngstown taxpayers to pay off the tab for its construction. Washington saying no to a four-day event was a slap in the face to the city’s hard-working people who pay taxes. (Who do you think is going to pay off George McKelvey’s “gift” to the city?)

It’s not like Washington’s SteelHounds wouldn’t have benefited from a quality hockey event in their home. The photos they could have taken with former NHL superstar Mark Messier (who was here to watch his son play) with Crusher and the players would have been invaluable.

But Washington threw his millionaire hissyfit, said no to Zoldan and Mayor Jay(!) Williams, and helped keep the building dark at a time when it needed to be bright.

Over the past year, Zoldan and Washington pretty much kept their jabs at each other’s teams to themselves. The SteelHounds made the playoffs but attendance is down. The Phantoms finished runner-up in the national tournament in Alaska.

Now, Bruce and Herb are political buddies, hosting candidates for the rich and famous. Why does the theme from “The Odd Couple” TV series come to mind?

Eric Carmen’s single from about 1975 comes to mind as I watched Saturday’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. While the rest of the nation was watching LeBron James and the Cavs dismantle the Detroit Pistons, I was watching ice hockey on NBC.

Is there anyone who loves his job more than play-by-play announcer Mike “Doc” Emrich? And Pierre McGuirre’s reports from “Inside the Glass” usually offer unique perspective from someone able to interview coaches while the game transpires. Between periods, Bill Clement is a master as a studio host.

The Cup Finals continue Monday at 8. The ratings will show that no matter how much quality the NHL broadcasters provide, it won’t matter.

Jim Tressel, entering his seventh season as Ohio State’s football coach with a 62-14 record, three Big Ten championships and one national title, said Tuesday during an area visit that the Buckeyes need Ohio players to succeed. Tressel, who attracted a packed house as guest speaker for the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way 2007 “Champions Among Us” dinner at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center in Boardman, said during a pre-banquet press conference that he concentrates his recruiting on the “State of Youngstown,” an area within a 100-mile radius of Youngstown, just like he did when he coached at Youngstown State. “One-quarter of the [OSU] team is from the ‘State of Youngstown,’ ” said Tressel, who coached at YSU for 15 seasons and won four national championships before shifting to OSU in 2001. “Hopefully the number will keep growing. We need guys to fill shoes. We wouldn’t be a very good football team without players from the ‘State of Youngstown.’ We have to get the majority of our players from Ohio to be a good team.” Tressel also is elated and gratified that he had a role in arranging the first OSU-YSU football game, which will take place Sept. 1 in Ohio Stadium. “There are exactly 100 days until the Ohio State-YSU game,” reminded Tressel, who loves the fact that the Buckeyes will be playing three Ohio colleges (YSU, Akron and Kent State) jn 2007 — and of course opening the season with the Penguins invading Columbus and Ohio Stadium to step onto the national stage and into the national spotlight. “When we got the 12th game [from the NCAA] we decided to offer the rest of the games to our in-state brothers. They would be home games to support [our] sports programs. It pays well and it is within the home state, and there [also] is a little bit of that — helping one another — just like the Mahoning Valley people reaching out and helping one another [with United Way].” But Tressel said that OSU probably wouldn’t play YSU again until 2013 or 2014. “We have seven state schools and we will rotate them in the stadium. [Another OSU-YSU game] probably won’t happen until we get through the rotation of the seven state schools.” Tressel is looking forward to his Buckeyes meeting the Penguins, and said that “both teams will be inexperienced” entering the season opener. “But the kids on both sides will enjoy the game,” he believes.

In December 1964, the Cleveland Browns were NFL champions. That’s the last time the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame City has celebrated a major professional sports championship.

Maybe this is the season where Cleveland’s fortunes change.

Could the Cavs have been blessed with a better seed in this year’s NBA playoffs? At number two in the East, the Cavs open against the injury-riddled Washington Wizards at number seven. Most expect a four-game sweep.

Then would come the winner of the Nets-Raptors series (yeah, those teams inspire a lot of fear, don’t they?).

Which means the Cavs only would have to get past the winner of the Detroit Pistons-Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls bracket. And should the Bulls-Heat winner upset the Pistons in Round 2, the Cavs would have home-court advantage in next month’s Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s been 10 years since Cleveland almost celebrated a world championship (then Jose Mesa took the mound in Game 7 of the World Series). The Browns remain the mess they’ve been since the expansion franchise was created in 1999. The Indians remain a mystery (are they the team that can win a White Sox series in Chicago or the team that was walloped this week in Yankee Stadium?).

The Cavs are Cleveland’s best hope of reaching a championship series.

I hate me. That’s what I’m supposed to feel after receiving mail following a Thunder story in the March 31 edition of the Vindicator. The article was intended to be an overview/synopsis of the Valley’s football tradition from way back - like the 1800s. A few of the paragraphs were devoted to names of past players who excelled in high school, college or pros. The list was never meant to be comprehensive because it would have been time-consuming at a time when time is short. As expected, the backlash came within a blink of an eyelash. Here’s an example, from a guy, of all names, John: “I’m sure that in reading your article which named many of the notables and not so notables of the area’s outstanding athletes of the past and present one man has got to be scratching his head. I wish you would take a look at the YSU web site and click on the assistant coaches prompt. One gentleman is probably wondering, “What am I, chopped liver?” I know I am. The man I’m referring to is the outstanding athlete from Chaney, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Steelers Mr. Jerry Olsavsky. How did you miss him? I think an apology is in order. Don’t you? The next guy, Geno, wasn’t as facetious, in fact, he was very professional. He wrote: “A few names you left out of the article were Nick Bolkovac, Rich Buzin and Bill Lenkaitis.” He said Bolkovac played on the undefeated Woodrow Wilson team of 1946, then at Pitt, then the Steelers as an offensive lineman and kicker. Held the single-season scoring record for the Steelers for many years. Buzin — 1964 Wilson grad who went on to play at Penn State and the NFL with the Giants. Lenkaitis — 1964 South High grad who played at Penn State, then the pros. Now the slammer, from Stephen: “This is in regards to the March 31 article. I assume when one person writes, he or she has all the information they need. When two people write, it should be correct in every way.” (He was referring to the combined stories of John Kovach and myself). Stephen continues: “Let me say Maurice Clarett was drafted but was cut by Denver. He is not an NFL player. Next you failed to mention two players that I know — Mike Zordich and John Gerak. Jeff Wilkins, Mike and John have helped Tod Children’s Hospital over many years. How can you forget Mike Zordich, who helps coach Mooney? John, by the way, was the first offensive lineman picked in the draft. He started his first year and three years after that. He could care less if you printed his name, but damn it! I do! He studied law and later went to Pitt law school. He has three degrees and is a lawyer in Cleveland. He handles labor and industrial relations cases — the big ones. I worked 30 years in the steel mill and my wife raised our four kids. She really did a great job. I’m really sorry that I’m writing this letter because I know both of you are fine — young or old — men. But I got so damn mad at the both of you! That article was as bad as your football picks.” The left-out names mentioned by John, Geno and Stephen are 100% credible as list qualifiers. But, again, the focus of the football history story wasn’t about a list of names, rather a mid-sized community’s century-long passion for the sport and overall contributions to it. To conclude, this is how Stephen finished his letter: “By the way, if the both of you didn’t get me so upset, I wouldn’t have used my good stationery.” I love it, but I still hate me.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and the New Jersey Devils’ Martin Brodeur have to be on the short list of National Hockey League candidates for Most Valuable Player. If it comes down to those two, the player whose team wins the Atlantic Division probably will have the edge.

Right now, it’s Brodeur, the veteran goalie who has already won three Stanley Cup rings. The Devils and Pens are tied in points, but New Jersey has the advantage because of more victories.

For years, Brodeur has been one of the NHL’s best players. Crosby, the NHL’s leading scorer, won’t turn 20 until Aug. 7. Most likely, voters will factor in Crosby’s youth as a reason to vote for the veteran.

Which leads to another MVP question to ponder: Who will a league MVP award first — Crosby or the Cavaliers’ Lebron James?

It might be Crosby. And that would be a reason to buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too.