Another Top Ten…

Terry Pluto, author and sports columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has penned his own top ten sports moments for the Cleveland area for 2007. Here is what he wrote:

10. Cavs, Indians, Browns possibly making the playoffs in the same season? No one ever dreamed that!
9. Case Western Reserve's football team goes undefeated? Who'd have dreamed it?
8. Derek Anderson becoming a big-play QB. Who'd have dreamed it?
7. The Browns drafting Joe Thomas. He was my first-round pick.
6. Phil Dawson's boomerang field goal in Baltimore.
5. Paul Byrd and the Indians eliminate the Yankees in Game 4 in New York.
4. LeBron James turns into Michael Jordan with 48 points against Detroit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
3. Akron University's basketball season. I love Keith Dambrot's teams, and enjoyed four years of Dru Joyce III and Romeo Travis.
2. Game 6 of the Cavs-Detroit series. Daniel Gibson sinks the Pistons and the Cavs win their first Eastern Conference title.
1. The Bug Game: The Indians swarm all over the Yankees.

Well I would agree with #1 as stated a few days ago. Without the gritty performance of Fausto Carmona and some help from the Lake Erie Midges, the tide probably would have turned in the Yankees favor if they had won game 2 of the ALDS.
And although this blog is about the Cleveland Indians, I have a problem with two of Terry’s selections for his top ten.
#10 The Cavaliers making the finals of the NBA was a huge achievement and should stand alone as a top ten moment. Even though they did not win a single game in the best of seven series, it certainly gave us hope for a future championship. Like all Cleveland major sports teams since 1964, they failed to win the championship, but of our major teams, they have the best chance now of bringing a championship to this town, especially since the Indians have all but given up the American League Central to Detroit. Also, the Browns have their hands full this weekend. For Terry’s “moment” to transpire, the Browns will need Tennessee to lose to the Colts on Sunday night in prime time. You would think that was a no-brainer except that coach Dungy may rest his stars for the playoffs…get the snake serum ready Cleveland.
#8 Since Derek Anderson was handed the starting QB job early this season, who has he beat? He beat eight non-playoff teams and Seattle. The losses to non-playoff teams Cincinnati, Oakland, and Arizona cannot be readily dismissed for a feeling of playoff euphoria. Despite the winds of Cincinnati, I saw the true Derek Anderson on the field Sunday.

So, here is hoping for another unseasonably warm summer and fall in Cleveland, one that will produce millions and millions of Lake Erie Midges…until Shapiro pulls the trigger on a blockbuster trade, the Indians will need all of the extra help they can get to compete in 2008.