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1964.
That's 5 years before I was born. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were still alive. The Vietnam War was getting underway, as was the "British Invasion". The NFL didn't even have the Super Bowl yet. Cleveland's running back was Jim Brown.
And judging by the non-change to the Cavs this season, and the fact that the Browns STILL cannot beat the Steelers or anyone with a winning record (you kind of need a DEFENSE to gain wins), it looks to be 44 years sans rings. And then 45, since the Indians will probably face a team yet again that has better pitching than we do. And then 46, because the Spurs, Pistons and Celtics will still be a roadblock while Fanny Derry makes no bold moves to get LeBron much-needed help.
Whether it's bad management, bad drafts, bad luck or just plain bad games at the most inopportune times, it seems that if Cleveland won a title in anything, the earth would probably cave in on itself.
This is what other cities don't seem to get about being a Cleveland sports fan:
BOSTON. Call me nuts, but I highly doubt I'm gonna feel sorry for fans that had to suffer through an 86-year WS drought when you have the 2004 and 2007 WS wins, the 3 recent New England SUPER BOWL wins (and again, likely to be a 4th this year . . . complete with the Browns old coach, no less) and several Celtic championships scattered over decades, not to mention a Celtic team loaded with all-stars this year.
Nueva York? Fuggedaboudit. 28 WS championships between the Yanks and the Mets, three Super Bowl wins by the Giants and Jets, five Stanley Cups between the Islanders and the Rangers and the biggest payroll in all of sports doesn't allow you to have any grumblings about how sorry the Knicks are.
America's favorite "wait 'til next year" gang, the Cubs, are STILL in Chicago. Please. Your city has SIX NBA titles, a 1985 SB win and a 2005 White Sox WS win.
The list goes on.
LA? Dodgers, Lakers and Raiders all have at least 2 titles in their sports since 1980 (the Lakers have EIGHT). Count nearby adopted Anaheim, and the total title count rises two more (Ducks & Angels).
DC? Three Redskins Super Bowl wins.
Atlanta? WS title in 1995. All that pitching in all of those WS and only . . . you guessed it folks, CLEVELAND . . . couldn't beat them.
Detroit? Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers all have multiple titles since the 80s, so you get no support group pass, Lions fans.
Pittsburgh? Five Steelers SB wins (including 2005), Pirates winning the WS in 1979 and two Stanley Cups by the Penguins. No heartbreak allowed. SORRAH!
The entire state of Texas has so many damned titles to choose from: Houston Rockets, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, UT's 2006 NCAA title, etc.
Even the Florida Marlins, established in 1993, has two World series wins in their young age. One of them over Cleveland, which still stabs our hearts to this day.
Even a mid-market team like Kansas City won a WS in 1985.
The closest three-sport cities to us in misery would be Seattle and Philadelphia. They last won titles in 1979 and 1983, respectively.
I'm just convinced that winning is what happens to OTHER cities. When Cleveland loses, it's almost always in the most heartbreaking fashion possible. Our pitching sucks. Our defensive coordinator has no plan. We can't stop the superstar. We have a superstar but no offensive plan. Our bats take a vacation. We lack killer instinct. We play not to lose instead of playing to win. We can't FINISH THE DAMNED JOB, JOSE MESA!!!!
Being a fan in the most snake-bitten city in all of sports means never having to feel sorry for other people's supposed "futility".
So yeah, citizen of five-titles-in-modern-times San Francisco, no sympathy for you!
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