Squash

In the past month, I've become a big fan of the game of squash . I got started when my manager, who is also just starting to play, invited me to play. I quickly got into the game. It is in some ways similar to racquetball, but I like it much better than racquetball. Racquetball is a game for vicious thugs and miscreants, and squash is for those with more refined sensibilities.

Last week I took a squash lesson and purchased a squash racquet and shoes . My manager and I are usually evenly matched, but this week I beat him 9-1. It may be time for me to start participating in the CMU squash ladder . :-)

Cleveland Sports and MLB.com

Today was a good day for Cleveland sports. In Cleveland: Indians 11, Royals 0. In Green Bay: Browns 26, Packers 24.

I've been following the Indians pretty closely for the last few weeks, as they've been on fire and are now leading the wild card race in the AL. A few days ago I signed up for a free trial of MLB.TV , which means I can now get live streaming video of their games. Cleveland has a huge three game series versus Chicago starting tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have time to watch those games.

One note to the guys at MLB.com : You guys have lots of great features, but your marketing and explanation of them absolutely sucks. The features available are: live and archived streaming audio, live and archived streaming video, condensed games (video of only plays that resulted in a hit, run, or out), and highlight reels (short video recaps of a game). All of these features are cool, especially the condensed games. But, guess what? Signing up for MLB.TV does not give you access to condensed games. For that, you need to buy something called MLB All Access. This fact is so deeply obscured that I didn't realize it until after I had already signed up for MLB.TV. Also, with MLB.TV you do not get access to the radio feeds. That requires buying MLB Gameday Audio. All of this is incredibly poorly explained on the MLB.com site. MLB.com: pull your heads out of your asses, explain what you are offering and at what price, and simplify your damn packages.

Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers play in the NFL playoffs at 4:30pm today. Being from Cleveland, I'm presented with a dilemma. Should I root for the Steelers or not? On one hand, it would be nice to have some excitement around town. On the other hand, they are the Steelers. Perhaps the best compromise is to root for the Steelers until they reach the Superbowl, then hope they are defeated in a heart-breaking loss. That oughta soften them up for the Browns next season. :-)

Cavs Vs. Hawks

My whole family, along with David, Andrew, and Mike, went to the Cavs game at Gund Arena tonight. The Cavs beat the Hawks, 101-85. The Cavs were only ahead by 1 point going into the fourth quarter, but they dominated in the final 12 minutes to win big.

Our seats were in the upper deck, but they were still pretty good. As a bonus, Andrew, David and I stopped at White Castle on the way home.

Browns Defeat Ravens

Today was the first game of the 2004 season for the Browns, and they started it off by beating the Ravens, 20-3. The game started off slowly, with neither offense able to do much, and it was 3-0 Browns at halftime. The Browns really came alive late in the second half, with a 50 yard touchdown pass, an interception, a fumble, and a Jeff Garcia rushing touchdown. The defense was able to hold Jamal Lewis to just 58 yards on 20 carries, which is very good when you consider that he had 295 yards rushing in a single game against the Browns last year.

The offensive line still looked a bit weak, but Garcia dealt with the pressure well. Hopefully a veteran quarterback like Garcia won't make as many mistakes as guys like Couch and Holcomb when he's hurried. Kellen Winslow made a few nice catches today, so hopefully the Browns will be able to take advantage of him (their 1st round draft pick) right away. The Browns weren't able to rush at all today, but I'll attribute that to Baltimore's defense and the absence of Lee Suggs. Hopefully he'll be back next week.

After one game, the Browns are tied for first in the AFC North with Pittsburgh. Next week: Browns vs. Cowboys.

Browns Sign Jeff Garcia

Big news out of Berea today: the Browns have signed Jeff Garcia. Looks like it's the end of the line for Tim Couch. I have mixed feelings about the move. I don't think Couch is great, but I think the main problem is the offensive line. Given a little more time to throw, I think Couch could improve significantly. Garcia seems pretty decent, though, and he's got experience, which may be what the Browns need. Now Davis and Policy need to get out there and sign some offensive linemen.

Hopefully the Browns will be able to get something for Couch, instead of just releasing him. But unless there is more than one team seriously interested in him, suitors will probably just wait until Couch is released to talk to him. Someone said that ESPN was speculating that Couch might be traded to the Cowboys for two second round draft picks. I suppose that's the best we can hope for.