An open prayer to God:

I suspect I might be violating some kind of protocol – perhaps in a couple of different ways.

You’re not supposed to pray openly, but rather quietly and unassumingly. Don’t be standing on the street corner pounding your chest. Or sitting at the desk in your office pounding the keys of your laptop.

In addition, there are certain things for which you shouldn’t pray, no matter how inconspicuously you pray for them. At least I don’t think they are worthy of Your consideration. Included in that are selfish and trivial desires.

For willingly doing those things, I ask Your forgiveness, and Your understanding.

I am doing something I haven’t done since I was in grade school. I am praying that a sports team wins.

Yes, dear God, I know that there are much more important items on Your plate. There are wars to stop, hatred to eradicate, illnesses and addictions to cure, souls to save, relationships to heal and love to spread to every corner of this troubled world.

Each of those issues in their own right is tremendously more importantly than some team. Collectively, they’re even more so. I completely understand that.

I am also fully aware that I’m going to hear from my priest and good friend, Fr. David Bline, of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Coventry Township just south of Akron. I can hear him now, “Steve, you’ve gone a little too far this time. You need to return to the flock and …”

In that regard, then, I am a little ashamed and a lot embarrassed to ask that the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA championship when they play the Golden State Warriors in their best-of-seven Finals series that begins tonight.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in four games or seven, or anything in between.

It also doesn’t matter if the games are dazzling or dull, or anything in between.

I just want the Cavs to win the title.

They don’t have to win three championships, or even two.

Just one would be fine. Actually, it would be much better than fine. It would be outstanding.

Incredible.

Tremendous.

Riveting.

Pulsating.

Unforgettable.

Wonderful.

Memorable.

Miraculous.

Jaw-dropping.

Scintillating.

And all the other good descriptions.

If we can have some divine intervention on getting a championship this year, then we’ll take our chances in the coming seasons with only the work of mere mortals.

Indeed, just getting this one title this season would be enough. It would be more than enough.

Because it’s been more than long enough since the city has won a major pro sports championship.

That was in 1964 with the Browns, whose exploits daily fill the space on this website. It would be great if they won a championship sometime soon, but that will be another story for another time because they are nowhere near ready to do that now.

A title for the Indians in the near future would be super as well, but they have the unenviable challenge of playing in the same division as the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals. So we are willing to wait on that one, too.

I say “we” because, just like the Cavs, we’re all in this together, all of us in the flock. It’s all for one, and one for all. And as such, I’m sure Your prayer lines are jammed up with a lot of guys and gals just like me who are also asking You to bend the rules with this year’s Cavs.

This one – this team, which is special, with talent throughout the roster, and this season, which is also special, with all the stars seeming to be aligned in just the right way – is about much more than just sports.

It’s about the well-being of not just a city, but also of an entire region, and an entire legion of people.

While the Cavs – along with the Browns and Indians – are all based in Downtown Cleveland, they also belong to each community in Northeast Ohio, and to each displaced native Northeast Ohioan living throughout the country and the world.

We want to have that unbridled joy and intense civic pride that comes with being a champion.

We thought it was going to happen in the 1980s with the Browns, in the 1990s with the Indians and in the last decade with the Cavs.

But for whatever reason – perhaps because it just wasn’t the right time — it didn’t happen for any of those teams.

So we are still waiting.

What a great story it would be if it took place this time, with a kid from Akron, who returned home with the sole goal of winning Northeast Ohio – his Northeast Ohio — a championship, leading the way.

It would be so great, in fact, that it would make grown men and women weep openly.

Yes, I know, weeping openly about a sports team isn’t exactly the best thing when the needs of so many others are so much greater, but like I said, this is a special team and time.

I used to just shake my head at people, including my family members and friends, who said they hoped that a Cleveland team would win another championship before they died. I’m still shaking my head over that, but now I’m afraid that their fears are very well-placed.

Nonetheless, I have faith – a faith that will endure even if Golden State wins instead. It can’t be shaken. Promise.

But, dear Lord, just think of all the faith could be instituted into the hearts and minds and souls of the disbelievers if a miracle of sorts take place with our team.

Yup, the Cavs are our team, win or lose. The same goes for the Browns and Indians.

Well, I better let You go. I’ve got to be fair and give equal time to all the people on the Left Coast who will soon be up and at ’em this morning and down on their knees bending your ears with their own selfish, trivial sports prayers.

Thank You for listening, God.

In Christ’s name I pray, amen.

Steve