We are Cleveland fans, tried and true, but following our teams can definitely be a rollercoaster ride. Within one hour tonight, we felt joy with the Indians and sorrow with the Browns.
For the third year in a row, the Indians are the American League Central Champs! They beat Detroit 15-0 to clinch their division with a record of 83-65. It was a beautiful sunny day in Cleveland and there was nothing but the sweet promise of baseball playoffs in the future.
We went out on the deck to write a blog post about the Indians, and that is when our twitter feed started blowing up with reports about Josh Gordon being released from the Browns. This news followed a strange report of a hamstring injury benching Gordon for tomorrow’s game, but we were still shocked.
A little Gordon history for those not familiar with him. Josh Gordon is a Wide Receiver who in 2013, played in fourteen games and had 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has also suffered with mental illness and addiction for years. Gordon served suspension after suspension, returned to the team this year with high hopes of a successful season, caught one touchdown pass in last Sunday’s game against the Steelers, and will be released by the Browns on Monday for unknown reasons.
We are truly sad for Josh Gordon and the Cleveland Browns. Without knowing any of the details, we do know that the Browns have stood behind Josh and supported him throughout years of troubles. Drug use and mental illness know no boundaries and NFL players are by no means exempt from them. In fact, the league is full of young men suffering in one way or another. We wish nothing but the best for Gordon, and hope his future is happy and successful.
Back on the upswing of our Cleveland rollercoaster, we are thrilled for the Indians. They are once again going to the playoffs, and hopefully to the World Series. This team has heart and they can do anything they set their minds to!