Thank goodness it wasn’t the Browns!

By STEVE KING

Whew!

Aren’t you glad that’s over?

And aren’t you even more delighted that the Browns didn’t have to go through that, and won’t ever have to do it?

I’m talking about the announcement by the Indians on Friday that their exhaustive search is over and they have chosen the nickname of Guardians, which will, for all intents and purposes, go into effect as soon as the 2021 season is over. And if the Indians don’t get on a hot streak real soon, which, unfortunately, likely won’t happen, then the season will be over as soon as the regular season is completed. There will be no playoff berth for one of the few times during the era of Terry Francona, the best manager in baseball.

You readers are obviously Browns fans or else you wouldn’t be here. But I would guess that a vast majority of you, if not just about all of you, are also Indians fans and, for that matter, Cavaliers fans. You root for all of the Cleveland teams to do well.

I am in that group.

I like the Guardians nickname, and I was prepared not to like it. It is a pleasant surprise. Kudos to the Dolans, who own the Indians, for taking on an extremely difficult task and handing it very well. Really, they it outta the park. And I have been quite critical of the Dolans for plenty of the other moves they’ve made over the years.

The name Guardians is tied to Cleveland. It has roots that are 90 years deep.

The roots of the Browns’ nickname, of course, go back 75 years to the very beginning of the team in 1946. If a club is going to be named for a coach, then there’s no better guy than Paul Brown, whose nickname is “The Father of Modern Football” for all the innovations he brought to the game.

The Browns’ nickname will never change.

Thank goodness.

One name change search wore me out.

Another one would do me in.