Ohio Teams Looking Up?
It’s been no secret that Ohio sports teams have been in some what of a rut for the past several years.
At one point last season both the Bengals and the Browns were called out by Coach Mike Ditka thanks to their outrageously dismal play.
The Cincinnati Reds haven’t been a serious contender since they last won the World Series back in the early 90s.
The Cleveland Indians were supposed to be the team to beat at the beginning of last season but that never really panned out although there were some flashes of brilliance from the pitching staff.
Even my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes have had to weather a super cell storm of disappointment that showed up in January 2007 with an embarrassing loss to the Florida Gators in the national championship game. Those dark clouds still haven’t left Columbus thanks to an 0-6 record in big games that started with the 2007 NC loss (Florida, Illinois, LSU, USC, Penn State, Texas*).
With all of the gloom surrounding the Buckeye State sports world, it’s hard to find a local team of which we can be proud.
At least it used to be hard. Lately, there have been some “silver linings” spottings.
They started last November when the Columbus Crew soccer team won it’s first ever Major League Soccer Cup by beating the New York Red Bulls. A championship in a sport that most Americans care the least about but a world championship nonetheless. The city celebrated the Crew for their hard work in bringing home the cup just the same.
This season has been the best in franchise history for the Cleveland Cavaliers thanks in large part to the leadership and talent of Ohio-native LaBron James. The Cavs have the best record in the NBA going into the playoffs which includes an impressive thrashing of the defending champion Boston Celtics just days ago in Cleveland. The Cleveland ballers have pretty much sealed up home court advantage for the playoffs and should have a very manageable run to the championship this summer.
Also just days ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets secured a spot in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in their 8-year history. Rookie sensation goalie Steve Mason, who leads the league in ‘clean sheet’ shutouts with 10, along with Rick Nash and a host of very good support players have made Columbus an exciting place to watch professional-grade hockey in a town that is clearly owned by the Scarlet and Gray.
Last Saturday was almost another red-letter day for Ohio when Miami (OH) played Boston University for the NCAA Men’s Hockey National Championship in Washington D.C. The Redhawks led 3 – 1 with minutes to go in the third period when Boston scored two goals within a minute to push the game into overtime. Unfortunately for Miami, BU rode their momentum all the way to the golden goal victory and the title. Miami of Ohio had never played for a national championship in any sport until Saturday and it’s sad their historic run had to end the way it did. However, Ohio can be proud of the Redhawks for their gritty determination and for the prospects for another dynamic season next year as much of their group is expected to return.
Ohio sports have been awful lately? True. But it looks like there could be more reasons to get excited about Ohio teams very soon. And if not, we can take solace in that familiar adage: “there’s always next year”.
(* The 2009 Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas was not embarrassing as the Longhorns were losing to the Buckeyes when they scored the game winner with 18 seconds to go in the game.)
