When I agreed to greet at my church on Sunday morning way back when, I never thought I’d have to make a choice between God and the Browns.
Cleveland is in the Eastern Time Zone, which for years was the furthest east — and thus the earliest time zone — for NFL games on Sundays.
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What could possibly go wrong?
Uh, games in Europe, which is way further east — and earlier — than Cleveland. So when the Browns played the Minnesota Vikings in London a few Sundays ago in the afternoon there, it was the morning here, with a 9:30 kickoff. I had to make a choice: either God or the Browns.
Yup. God works in mysterious ways. You just never know when he’s going to show up.
I copped out and chose both, getting the radio broadcast of the game on my phone, and putting it into my right front pants pocket so I could at least listen to it.
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Everybody through the doors had a puzzled look on their face. Where were those voices coming from? Others finally figured out what was going on and asked me what game I was listening to.
A strange but true story.
Another goofy story occurred 40 years ago when the Browns, led in part by rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar, won the 1985 Central title and played in the Orange Bowl against the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Browns surged ahead 21-3 in the third quarter before head coach Don Shula’s team put on a major rally to win 24-21.
I got so mad that I smacked my hand against the wall, knocking two decorations to the floor, breaking them on contact. I had a hard time trying to explain that one.
Those are mine, but we all have our stories about the passion with which we follow the Browns. I’ve thought about that a lot over the years, and especially so the last two seasons as things have bottomed out greatly.
The fans — you guys — deserve so much better. This junk — and it is definitely junk, with a stench to boot — can’t continue any longer.
That is not a request. It is an order.
And if it doesn’t stop, if things don’t change — at least a little bit — by the end of the game at Huntington Bank Field against the Dolphins in a battle of two struggling 1-5 teams that are about as far removed from the playoffs and the quality of those clubs from four decades ago as you can be, then Browns owner Jimmy Haslam needs to start thinking seriously about making a change at the top of the football part of his organization with head coach Kevin Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry.
And if Haslam doesn’t, then I am going to start looking for another wall to pound.
Steve King
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