Modell Says He's Most-Hated, Not LeBron
If you haven't already read Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert’s scathing remarks toward LeBron James after his departure from Cleveland, you need to. I've never seen anything like it in pro sports.
So with the several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of James' "decision" (Gilbert's words, not mine), has LeBron taken Cleveland's most-hated man crown from former Browns owner and Ravens minority owner Art Modell?
"Do I think LeBron James as he leaves Cleveland will become the most hated man in Cleveland, more hated than Art Modell?" Modell asked the News Herald Thursday. "Nonsense. Nonsense. I don't think there's any basis for it.
"Maybe we can each take 10 foul shots. Whoever comes in second would be the most hated. I'm being sarcastic."
Modell may be right. The Cleveland Plain Dealer asked fans, "What is the most disappointing departure in Cleveland sports history?" Modell easily won (or should I say lost) with 63.5 percent of the votes to James' 29.4 percent.
Fans who still say Modell is the most-hated do so because they say he took an entire team away from the city, whereas James just took himself out.
(For those of you that have been living in a cave, in 1995 Modell moved the Browns from Cleveland after his repeated requests for a new stadium were denied. Cleveland got the Browns back in the form of an expansion franchise in 1999.)
"I’m not waiting around for LeBron to take me off the hook," Modell said Saturday via the Baltimore Sun. "I'm not on any hook. I did what I thought was right for the players, coaches and employees in my organization. I have no regrets."
Ochocinco Takes Swipe At Steelers; Predicts SB Ring
It seems Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco is trying his best to perturb the entire AFC North.
Just weeks after Ocho said his team “destroyed” the Ravens’ defense, he then turned to the Pittsburgh Steelers to take his next swing.
But instead of delivering his message through a more traditional route, like an ESPN interview or his Twitter account, Chad made his comment while filming his show "Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch," which debuted last night with a 90-minute episode.
While trying to pare down a group of 85 (get it?) women to 17, ESPN's James Walker caught this snide comment.
"Man, I haven't seen this many girls on a football field since the last time we played the Steelers."
Ba dum chhh!
And in case you missed it last week, Ochocinco said he'd be getting two rings this year.
"I believe that Super Bowl ring will be this year," Ocho said.
"I just talked to Pat Riley. When I see the ends, I'll be coming off the bench for the Heat. I can average 10 points per game. I might be the first player to get two rings in one year."
Oh geez.
And one more antic just this morning: Ochocinco claims he got arrested, but later calls it “all a joke.”
Ravens' Potential To Be A Top-Five Scoring Offense
ESPN's James Walker analyzed all four AFC North offensive coordinators, and believes that Cam Cameron's biggest challenge in 2010 will be managing the egos of an offense that has a Pro Bowler starting at every skill position, with the exception of quarterback Joe Flacco.
"There will be weeks when Cameron must tell Boldin he's a decoy and games when Rice will get only 10 carries," Walker pointed out. "How will they react? Winning solves a lot of problems. But if this team experiences a significant losing streak, look out."
That's just a potential side problem that may never occur. The more important point is that Walker, and Cameron, believe Baltimore has the potential to be a top-five scoring offense.
Quick Hits
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweeted Sunday morning that while the Eagles continue to deny that they're considering cutting Vick, a high-ranking source told Robinson that the option is “absolutely” on the table. A reminder on why this matters to Ravens fans.
- Pro Football Talk tweet: League touts “breakthrough” hGH test.
- Mike Sando of ESPN explained that Ravens receiver [Anquan Boldin
could be a strong third-down threat, but 44 players finished last season with more third-down receptions resulting in first downs.
- A "convenient truth" Ravens fans should question according to NFL.com's Michael Lombardi: Do the Ravens really believe they have the corners to cover?
