Sports Then and Now

Browns team president, Mike Holmgren addressed the media for the first time today.

New Cleveland Browns President, Mike Holmgren addressed the media for the first time today.  This is his first day on the job and he hit the ground running.

He has a lot of work ahead of him.

Decisions on his coaching staff especially head coach Eric Mangini.

The signing of Josh Cribbs.

Bringing the Cleveland Browns back to respectability and to a Super Bowl.

Holmgren brought the cities of Green Bay (1-1) and Seattle (0-1) Super Bowl appearances and has one Lombardi trophy on his resume.

He has rebuilt franchises and there is no reason he can’t do it in Cleveland.

As a team executive, you need to be able to speak to the media and keep them abreast of the workings of the team.

He did a stellar job in his first press conference. Holmgren had the media in the palm of his hand.

As a Cleveland Browns fan, he is making me drink the kool aid.

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I now know how Scott Norwood feels.

I now know what the Buffalo Bills and Scott Norwood feel like. Missing out on your dreams by the slimmest of margins.

They have wide right.

I have .05 points. Yes, that’s five one hundredths of a point.

I have never won a fantasy football championship.

I could be considered the biggest fantasy football bridesmaid of all time.

A half a dozen trips to the big show and I have nothing to show for it. But, this one hurt more than all the others combined.

I was playing my biggest rival. Good versus Evil. Darth versus Luke.

Against the man who had the audacity to pour a beer on me at a bachelor party.

Not spill, literally pour.

I was trying to rid tyranny from the Earth! I wanted revenge!

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As Deion Sanders said about Josh Cribbs, "Pay the Man!"

Being a Browns fan since the late 80’s, there hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer about.

Cleveland lost to Denver in the ’86, ’87, and ’89 AFC Championships, all in heartbreaking fashion.

Art Modell stole the franchise and moved them to Baltimore in ’95.

Since the team’s rebirth in 1999, the good memories have been few and far between.

The team has had only one playoff appearance in 2002 which resulted in an epic collapse against the hated Steelers.

The Browns made another run at the playoffs in 2007, but fell short with a 10-6 record.

There has been one lone bright spot over the last few fruitless seasons in Cleveland.

His name is Josh Cribbs.

Cribbs has been nothing short of electrifying.

Devin Hester who?

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Through the years, my friend and I always had the Browns-Steelers Rivalry.

Certain things remind you of your friends and the great times you have shared with them.

A concert.

A party.

A trip.

Your favorite watering hole.

For me and one of my best friends, it was and still is the Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry.

Everyone has ups and downs in their lives. However, there are always constants that stay the same.

For me and MM, it’s the Browns and Steelers.

I have known MM for almost 20 years now (where has the time gone?).  He is a mutual friend of my long time friend, Rich.

We instantly connected because of our love for 80’s hair metal and sports. We both loved the Bruins, but football is where the lines in the sand were drawn.

I have always been a Patriots fan, but I had a football mistress on the side.

The Cleveland Browns.

I began following them during their glory years in the mid to late 80’s. They were always the brides maids when they lost to Denver in the AFC Championship in ’86, ’87, and ’89.

I loved Bernie Kosar, Clay Matthews, and the Dawg Pound.

I was probably the only kid in New England to have a Browns hat and jacket. I wore it with pride.

My buddy, MM, was a die-hard Steelers fan since birth I think. He owned a Bubby Brister jersey (still asking myself why) and later Hines Ward.

He ate, drank, and breathed Steelers.

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Football has been a Thanksgiving tradition for more than a century.

Ever since the first professional football league was formed in the early 1900s, football has been as much a part of Thanksgiving Day as pumpkin pie, turkey and dinner at Grandma’s.

Upon creation of the NFL in 1920, the league initially played multiple games on Thanksgiving Day.

In 1920 there were a total of six games played on Thanksgiving. Included during that first season were matchups between the Canton Bulldogs and Akron Pros, Daytona Triangles against the Detroit Heralds, and the Elyria Athletics against the Columbus Panhandles.

The first matchup between two current NFL franchises was in 1922 when the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears 6-0. The first regular Thanksgiving rivalry, the Cardinals and Bears met every year between 1922 and 1933.

The following year, the Cardinals played the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day while the Bears faced the Detroit Lions.

From 1934-1938 the Bears and Lions played annually on Turkey Day.In 1939 and 1940 the only Thanksgiving Day game was played between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Thomas Vanek comes within inches of tying the game as he shoots one off the post.

Buffalo (12-4-1) vs. Florida (7-9-2)

The score did not resemble the game at all. For about 50 minutes, it was a one goal game. Here is how it happened:

Drew Stafford scored the first goal of the game late in the first period, his sixth of the season. Coming into the game, Buffalo is 9-0-1 when scoring the first goal.

Florida answered back just a few minutes later when Michael Frolik scored his third goal in the last five games.

The Panthers outshot the Sabres 12-7 after the first.

Paul Gaustad leads the NHL with a 68.2 faceoff win perctage.

Ryan Miller gave Stephen Weiss his sixth of the season. Miller misplayed the puck right in front of the net, allowing Weiss to put the Panthers on top 2-1.

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