Who the hell is Mel Kiper?

I don't know who Mel Kiper is. But his son is an overpaid television sports personality who I mute every time I see his face and fruity mop on the tube.

I mean, what does this guy do? Really. And is what he does worth the money he's paid?

Well I'll tell you what he does and it isn't anywhere close to being worth the check he cashes from ESPN.

Mel Kiper, Jr. pretty much just provides general information to fans about potential NFL draft picks. That's it. He's a cheap scout who is paid like an entire team of NFL scouts. He rambles on and on about how the information he provides is golden and what each NFL team needs to do in order to have a successful draft. And God forbid if your opinion differs from his. He'll start jerking his head up and down. He'll look around the room with that Peyton Manning face of disgust.

Every year ESPN hypes his mock drafts and touts him as "King Kiper," but for what? His analysis of college players is nothing special. He's even been accused of over-hyping prospects on his draft boards based on their player-agent relationships.

For instance, in 2010 he had Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen ranked as the top college quarterback and the No. 4 overall talented player entering the draft. Scouts, Inc. had Oklahoma's Sam Bradford as the top QB and No. 3 overall talent, with Clausen ranked at No. 38.

Anyone with a pulse knew Kiper's analysis was dead wrong. Notre Dame hadn't produced a solid NFL quarterback in more than 30 years (Joe Montana, 1978). So naturally, Bradford was selected No. 1 overall and completed 60 percent of his passes as a rookie. He tallied 3,512 passing yards, 18 TDs, 15 INTs and had a QB rating of 76.5.

Clausen was taken in the 2nd round (No. 48 overall) by a team with NO quarterback. He completed 52 percent of his passes, totaling 1,558 yards, 3 TD passes and 9 picks. QB rating: 58.4. After that Brady Quinn-like stat line (and now that "Yes I" Cam Newton has been drafted by the Panthers) I wouldn't be surprised if Clausen never again reached QB1 on another depth chart.

So how could Kiper get this so incredibly wrong? Isn't he the top dog? The draft expert? And isn't quarterback ALWAYS the most talked-about and hyped position heading into the draft? Well maybe, just maybe, it's because Clausen's agent is a longtime friend of Kiper's?

Another time, a couple years ago, Kiper projected that a junior running back would be drafted by no later than the top few picks of the 2nd round. There was buzz around Virginia Tech's campus and the kid ended up leaving school early. After all, Kiper's word is golden. Right? The kid ended up being drafted No. 243 overall, now makes the league minimum and mostly stands on the sidelines on Sundays holding his helmet, wondering what could have been had he remained on campus, finished his degree and bolstered his draft position by playing his senior season. Damn you Mel Kiper, Jr.!

Kiper usually starts generating his mock drafts one week after bowl season. He calls the first installment "Mock Draft 1.0." How trendy! Kiper released his 2011 "Mock Draft 1.0" on Jan. 19. Of the 32 first round picks, Kiper's initial mock draft had 2 that were right. Yep. Two.

With each month leading up to the draft, he updates his mock draft as a Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 3.0 ... and so on.

He released his polished and sparkling "Mock Draft 5.0" the day before the 2011 NFL Draft. This was after shuffling players up and down and all around, based on having nothing else to do in life but scour over more and more film, dissect the NFL Combine, and listen to the buzz from NFL teams about who they were going to target on draft day, etc. He waits until the last possible second before his editors at ESPN.com scream "DEADLINE, MEL! WE NEED VERSION 5.0 STAT!!!! DEADLINE!" ... then, he releases his best million-dollar effort.

"Mock Draft 5.0" yielded 9 correct picks out of the 32 first round selections.

That's a 28 percent success rate, which is clearly better than the first installment of only 6 percent correct. So pretty much every 5 mock drafts he increases his percentage by 22.

If we weren't already overexposed to his weird face, I'd suggest he try generating more mock drafts. Because, you know, by the time he got around to "Mock Draft 20.0" he might have a success rate of 94 percent.

And that, my friends, might be worth the check.

Winning!

When the Tribe were down 14-0 in the 4th inning of their season opener April 1, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt posted the following Tweet:

"Snapshot of the Indians season after 4 frames: Tell that man he can stop banging the drum."

Only John Adams, much like Tupac and Biggie, hasn't stopped (and won't stop) banging. Can't nobody hold him down. Dude is a beast. In this case, it's not "Levitation, Homes," it's "Dedication, Holmes."

Maybe the opener, during which the Tribe fought back, made a game of it, and ended up losing 15-10, was just an April Fool's joke? Because now the Indians sit atop the AL Central Division in first place.

Keep banging the drum, please.

After rattling off eight consecutive wins, the Indians (8-3) dropped a game on the road last night to the Angels by a score of 2-0. They were one-hit in a pitcher's duel.

Despite the loss, this young season has been a sign of good things to come.

Offensively, the Tribe will surely have its ups and downs this year. The team is young and will probably be inconsistent at the plate. At times, they will look unstoppable. Then again, other times they will probably look unwatchable.

What's great is the Tribe have a quality mix of young talent showing flashes of what the young Indians team was doing prior to moving into Jacobs Field in the early 90s, and some older veterans playing like they are 25 again.

The regulars are hitting a combined .281 (79-for-281), with 13 homers and 48 RBIs. And Choo hasn't even found his rhythm yet.

But pitching will be the key for this team.

The Tribe's current rotation of Carmona, Carrasco, Masterson, Tomlin and Talbot have combined to earn seven quality starts out of the team's first 11 games. Their combined ERA is 3.62. Combined WHIP is 1.19. The staff has allowed just five home runs in the first 11 games. Those numbers are Phillies-esque.

Even better, the bullpen has a 3.18 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and has allowed only two homers.

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" said John Adams' Ludwig tenor drum mallets as they continued striking the face of his bass drum from the bleachers beneath the left-center scoreboard. That sound is a staple and it reminds Tribe fans that, even if we are down by 14 runs, you never know which batter might start the rally. It reminds us not to listen to the doubters (as if Clevelanders ever do), to stick with what works, to stay focused and to keep on WINNING!

The beat goes on ...

Karma?

Let's see...

Cavs beat the Heat in Cleveland. Game was intense, as I blogged before.

Tribe opened the season looking horrible at 0-2. How are they now? 6-2. 6 game winning streak. As Chris Perez said: a young team with confidence is a scary thing. Well said, Perez. Liking the hair, keep it up.

Charlie Sheen just came to town - came out on stage wearing his Tribe jersey.

Lake Erie Monsters clinched their first ever spot in the Playoffs.

Cleveland Gladiators have looked pretty good!

Scene Magazine's Best Of Cleveland Party was insane.

It's going to be 70+ degrees today.

Burn on big river, burn on. It's good to be a Clevelander, hell, it always has been. It's funny how some small success and warmer weather breathes life into this city. Take away the snow, dark clouds, pouring rain and heartless local talent that leaves for South Beach, and what do you have left?

You have pride that's as strong as the industries this city was founded on. Keep digging back, Cleveland. We've missed you.

LeBron's Mom Arrested - Again.

Karma rears it's ugly head.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/sports/LeBrons-Mom-Arrested-for-Assault-119394369.html

Cavs - Tribe - Maybe even some Browns?

Had the absolute privilege of attending the Cavs vs. Heat game last Tuesday. The place was electric. (Thanks again Conley)

Cavs, obviously, won the game, and Lebron, obviously, cried afterwards. Ryan Hollins played like an All Star caliber big man. Baron Davis orchestrates the game like no point guard we've seen in a Cavs uniform for YEARS. The rest of the team played like the playoffs were on the line. We are not a playoff team, but they were playing for pride.

It's really a shame what's happened to the Cavs this year. Obviously LeBron bailed like the coward that he is, but literally, nothing else went their way. Andy Varejoa - their energy catalyst - went down with a season ending injury. Antwan Jameson also suffered a season ending injury.

When you look at next year, and add in healthy Andy, 'Twan and Baron Davis, I think the Cavs will be fun to watch. Granted, I thought they'd be a playoff team this year, but who's keeping track. Right?

Had the non privilege of attending the Indians home opener on Friday. Fausto Carmona was lit up like a leg lamp in an old mans window. We left when the Tribe trailed 14-0. Yes, that's a baseball score, the Browns are still locked out. The Tribe rallied a bit, but it was still ugly baseball. They then lost on Saturday as well. Today, Sunday, they played a great game of baseball and beat the White Sox for their first win of the season. Justin Masterson threw a great game, Orlando Cabrera went yard, Lou Merloni came up big, and Pronk continued to hit the ball hard. Enjoyed watching it, and look forward to their series with the Boston Red Sox.

We are now in April. That's big for two reasons: 1. It's the month of ManCation. A vacation trip for the fellas where we do everything Manly.

Quick game break: The Cavs were being manhandled by the Knicks, and Baron Davis just went on a run. The guy is on fire. 11 points in a minute. Cavs are now down by 10. That was fun.

2. April is also the month of the NFL Draft. Lucky for the NFL that fans are focusing on the draft, and not the fact that they are still bickering over $9 billion dollars. Who are the Browns going to take? I honestly don't know. One thing I do know: there should be some serious talent on the board when the Browns send their pick to the podium. Some serious upgrades. We may snag another franchise corner, or a run stopping tackle, maybe even a linebacker. You noticed I mentioned all defensive players there. That's because I want them to take a defensive player with that first pick, OR, trade down if the deal is right. I will say: We don't need a QB early, and that feels good, BUT, we do need another RB. Free agency? Sure, if there is one.

Ok, dinner is ready, and the Cavs are back on. Boy, it feels good to be a Sunday.

Delhomme to start?

from CNNSI.com:

My Browns peeps tell me everyone really wants Colt McCoy to be the starter. But if the work stoppage drags on into the summer, McCoy, a second year player, might not have enough time to learn what he needs to learn and prove to new head coach Pat Shurmur that he's ready to start. In that case, the team will likely feel more comfortable with the veteran Jake Delhomme. Bringing him back to Cleveland as a backup is complicated. Delhomme has told the team he has no intention of being a backup. He wants to start. That means he might not be willing to take a paycut.

National Football Post

Read more: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/274890-will-browns-start-delhomme-over-mccoy?eref=sihp#ixzz1HqDvkxsz

Has It Really Been That Long?

My poor Dad. I think he still checks my blog every day and emails me saying that it's been a while since I posted anything.

Shame on me.

No really, shame on me. I've probably turned off the 5 readers that actually read this thing.

Has sports been that boring? Actually, not at all. Life has just gotten in the way.

Shame on me.

Isn't life all about sports? No, not anymore. As you get older, I think life becomes more of a contact sport. You're either jumping over hurdles, or bashing through them hoping you find peace on the other side. What do you really find? You find another hurdle. That's life.

Are all hurdles bad? Not at all. Mine have all been good, but hurdles none the less. Life, like sports, is fast. Blink...and you just missed something. In life, blink, and you can miss a lot.

The Cavs have been somewhat boring, I can't lie. A few exciting wins here and there have been blanketed by some very ugly basketball.

That being said, I really liked the trade they made. Moving Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for Baron Davis, his beard, and a #1 pick. Everyone says this will be a bad draft class. The more I watch of the NCAA Tournament, the more I disagree. There's some solid players that may come out. I also think most, if not all, big names in College will indeed come out this year. Potential NBA lockout solidifies it in my mind.

I've watched more College Basketball this season than I can ever remember. Obviously the Buckeyes have been a blast to watch, but I've also enjoyed a few Cleveland State games, and even Michigan hoops. I know. I know. How dare I? I think Michigans team is young and fun to watch. That being said, I'll never root for them. (Asterik: I wouldn't of minded seeing them beat Duke. Not a Duke fan. Just never have been.)

Lots of Cavs fans are hoping to see Jared Sullinger in a Cavs uniform. I'm not 100% sold on his game in the NBA. I think his lack of size could be troublesome, but time will tell. If the Buckeyes outside shot turns cold in the Tourney, and he can put the team on his back, my tune may change.

I received an email from the Browns on Friday. They said they will refund season ticket holders of the cost of their season tickets if the season is locked out. Really? Should I say 'thank you'? No chance. We shouldn't have to pay until this is resolved. Would you buy a movie ticket for a movie that may or may not come to the theater? Would you pay for a meal at a restaurant that may or may not be open? I didn't think so. Do the right thing, Browns. For once.

Side note: I wonder how much money the City of Cleveland stands to lose if the Browns don't play this year? The loss on Muni Lot alone could be devastating.

Tribe starts soon. On April Fools Day, actually. No pun intended. I'm excited for baseball to be back. It makes watching ESPN bearable. I wish the Miami Heat would get their own channel so I could call Uverse and block it.

I saw the WWE when they came to town a few weeks ago. Really enjoyed it. I will say this; The WWE does a great job of being entertaining. I can't tell you a thing about current wrestlers, but I wasn't bored at all at the event. Seeing Undertakers entrance was a spectacle in it's own right. Absolute wow factor.

To the adults standing and screaming the entire time...wow. Take off the Rey Mysterio mask and take a seat. Let the kids see the action and enjoy it. To the people that buy an entire bucket of hot wings and then eat them in their seat...spare me. I love a wing as much as the next guy, but come on bro. You're in a public place and nobody wants to inhale Franks Red Hot for two hours. Just saying.

Well, now that I've blown the dust off the blog, I guess I'll go do some dishes. As a wise man once said: That's life.