GP1

Interesting concept. We are Akronites above all. Screw Cleveland. Screw Ohio. Screw the rest of the world except people from those areas we deem to be special. But why not take it further? There are good and bad areas of Akron, so let's gerrymander the bad areas out and only pull for people from the designated good areas. Of course MY neighborhood is the best, so put it at the top of the list. You don't think so? Screw you. Or how about further yet. Some of the people in my neighborhood are jerks, so exclude them. I'll make a list of people from acceptable properties, and screw the rest. Or we can get really extreme. Some of the people who live in my house are jerks, so we'll exclude them. I'll make a list of acceptable family members, and screw the rest. Sounds like the kind of elitist attitude that would make a great ESPN special on how to separate royalty from peasants. Or maybe we can outdo ESPN right here on ZN.O. Dave, I think you're on to something here. Starting tomorrow, all IP's from Cuyahoga Falls will be blocked, as those Black Tiger fans aren't worthy of joining the Zips discussions. Go Bulldogs. I think he is also. I remember living on the west side of Akron and thinking to myself, "Self, I don't want those people form Ellet coming over here to shop at West Side Market." As far as I was concerned, if you live anywhere where a catchy phrase to describe your area could be, "Ellet...you can smell it", I didn't want you where I lived.

I would agree with the 90%. The concussion could go as far back as JR high school, but at some point there were signs and the signs went unreported. What I remember the most was the first day of full contact almost immediately getting a low grade headache. I remember this as far back as high school. It wouldn't even take a hit to the head. Sometimes it just took a jarring hit for it to set in. They were never diagnosed as concussions as I never told anyone, but everyone got them. After a couple of days I would stop getting them for the remainder of they season. I don't know what it all means, but I know it happened to a lot of people. We had a coach that always said, "We want the big guys (interior linemen) blocking the big guys, the medium size guys (RBs, TEs, LBs) blocking the medium size guys and the little guys (WRs, DBs) blocking the little guys. I think there should be a study of former NFL players placed in these groups to test for concussion issues after NFL retirement. My guess is the medium size guys would show the most damage. Interior linemen, while big, don't get up much of a head of steam when they hit. The little guys don't get hit that often. The medium size guys get hit all the time and get a running start at each other. The size and speed of the medium sized guys creates an enormous force. This is a very serious issue.

No. God bless the MLB Network. As much as I like football, the MLB network is much better than the NFL Network.

A good conversation about LBJ.

Leitch hits the nail on the head as usual.

I've seen them and they are pathetic as well. LBJ isn't a young person in high school. He is a grown man making millions and is in the public spotlight. Last night, he used to public spotlight to make an ass out of himself on national television.

He can do whatever he wants. Everyone else can also call him out for being the jackass he is. Here is the thing. I can't find a single story on the internet today that gives a glowing review of that nonsense that happened between 9 and 10 last night. Everything about it was pathetic. I would have loved to not watch. The problem was every freaking TV in the bar I was in had this bullshit on. People were making fun of it while it was going on. Last night was a horrible night for LBJ. Now you can go back to sniffing LBJ's jock.

Deadspin has long been in the forefront of bashing ESPN (read the book God Save the Fan) posted this today.

The biggest problem is that his "team" at LRMR consists completely of people that are his exact same age and share his background. They're all 25 years old and from West Akron. They all think the same way. There's nobody there that has a different background or world view that can step up and say "hey, this isn't going to be a good idea" and has the experience to back it up. Good post. With that attitude comes the mentality that one is always right. LBJ needs immediate image repair after this disaster and he doesn't have anyone around him who thinks he did anything wrong. There is nobody around him who knows what to do. People on his staff should be fired.

Why wouldn't anyone support the Cavs over LBJ at this point? LBJ made an ass of himself the past few weeks. Why would anyone support an ass? Because he is from Akron? Is Akron so eager for some level of national acceptance the people should root for a-holes just because they are from Akron?

The only person made a fool of last night was LBJ.

Your Cleveland vs. Akron argument is pathetic. This isn't Akron vs. Cleveland. It is decent people all over the world vs. self absorbed a-holes. Whether or not LBJ leaves Cleveland isn't that big of a deal to me. I always thought more of LBJ and last night was sickening. LBJ should be ashamed of himself and should be planning to fire his PR staff.

Dan Gilbert called LeBron James "narcissistic". Isn't that like PT Barnum calling his tightrope walker "light-footed". Dan, I'm sorry when you took over, they didn't tell you you're paying a teenager a hundred million dollars to entertain your clients. This ain't the opera here Dan, it's much closer to WWE. Thought you would have gotten used to it by now. When Cleveland hosts Miami next year, I expect as many heat jerseys in the house as Cavs'. I hope everyone from Akron - unless they are diehard Cavs fans - would be wearing Heat jerseys. If not, then they've been duped by the Cleveland media and the Cavs marketing department. LeBron's our boy. Clevelanders can cry themselves to sleep again tonight. Since I'm from Akron I'm getting a Heat #6 LBJ jersey as soon as they're available. LBJ looked like a jackass last night. Why would anyone buy the jersey of a jackass?

"So now people are cheering Dan Gilbert’s manifesto tearing apart James, but no one contributed more to what the world witnessed on Thursday night than the owner’s enabling of James and his inner circle for seven years. Gilbert is the biggest con going, a man who makes his fortune peddling mortgages, and he’ll make his next on casinos in downtown Cleveland. He sells illusions for a living, and now he’s selling the biggest of all: that he’s a victim here, that James betrayed everyone. That’s a lie, and no one ought to dare buy it. Everyone searching for a scapegoat here – Mike Brown, Danny Ferry, Delonte West(notes) – well, just understand that it was the man screaming loudest with LeBron out the door, the man most determined to deflect blame onto him now. Now, Gilbert is the tough guy with James leaving the Cavs behind? Listen, Ferry and Brown always warned Gilbert that giving James everything he wanted – giving it when and where and how – wouldn’t be the way they would keep him. LeBron didn’t respect them because they never demanded it. Gilbert always believed he should do everything James wanted – hire his buddies into jobs, throw them on summer-league rosters, allow him to do those stupid pregame choreographed dances – that James would love him, that he would never leave. Only, James is a taker, and he took and took until he had bled Gilbert and that franchise to the bone." Source Fantastic pick up DrZ. Much of this I already said on this board. LBJ looked like a fool last night and his people allowed him to do it. Some of those around him should be fired.

I agree. And how amazing is it that the man who's done this is from Akron? Unbelievable. Dan Gilbert, a professional? What a dildo. LeBron just played America's NATIONAL media for a week! Crazy! Go Zips! Go Akron! Go 'Bron-'Bron! EVERYONE involved in this situation acted like a junior high schooler. LeBron "Everyone look at me!" James, Dan "How could he do this to me" Gilbert, Maverick "I'm gonna ride this guy's coattails" Carter. Oh, and ESPN is the guy that gives the attention whore the attention she craves so he can get in her pants. I agree. The only compelling thing about last night is I am compelled to vomit.

If he keeps going the arrogant direction he is going, not many are going to have his back. The people of Akron are decent people and they will turn their back on continued displays of LBJ 24/7, produced by ESPN. He needs to fire the person who is giving him the advice that everything is about him.

-3 Please expand. Sorry. I'll try, but I'm not very motivated. 1) I'm not a Browns fan, but I'm only guessing the emotional effect of the Cavs/Browns fan has the same punched in the gut feeling this morning. The disappointment may be bigger with the old stuff, but the hatred is greater now. I think most of the sports world hurts for Cleveland fans this morning. 2) Winners find a way to win, losers find a way to lose. Montana winner, Browns losers. 3) Worse economy today. 1. As a Steelers fan, I can only describe how I felt after the Fumble and Drive and project that level of joy into the level of misery Browns fans felt. Let's just say, after the Drive and Fumble, I could only be described as "glowing as if I had just had sex with a super model....twice a day......for a month". The level of misery for Browns fans those days had to be horrible. Those were sudden gut punches after three hours of exciting playoff football. People could at least see the LBJ thing coming. 2. The Browns may have lost those games, but they weren't losers. It's sort of like being a Steelers fan in the 70s. If a couple of plays go differently in a couple of Super Bowls, they don't win as many. That wouldn't have made the Steelers losers and it didn't make teams like the Cowboys losers either. The Cowboys just had a few plays go wrong for them. 3. I'm still not convinced the economy of Cleveland is going to collapse or even depends on the Cavs. The Cavs can still be good next year and maybe fans will back a gritty LBJless Cavs team. If they are good and the fans don't back them, they should take back all of the loyalty crap that has been spewed the past couple of months. The Cavs organization has done nothing wrong during this period and if they produce a playoff team next year and the fans don't turn out, shame on the fans. It's the winter in Cleveland, what else is there to do other than go to Cavs games and have a few beers downtown. They aren't going from 20,000 per game to even 3,000. The Cavs will have solid crowds next year and if they can remain a playoff team, they can have big crowds into the future. Their management needs to get on the stick.

LBJ has plenty of time to be "loyal" to whatever anyone thinks he needs to be loyal to. Let's say he has 10 years left in his career. He will be around 35 when he steps aside. He will then have about 60 years to be "loyal" to Akron. Scholarships, foundations, community centers, etc wold be a good way of showing how loyal he is to Akron. They would be lasting monuments to his loyalty. I wanted LBJ to stay because I like the Cavs. Now that he is gone, I'm not too upset. It's his decision to make and he made the decision he felt was best for him. I don't think there is malice in his heart, but I do think this whole episode (ESPN special, waiting to make his decision, etc) put him in an unflattering light. He is overexposed in a way that the public is starting to dislike him. I'm just sick of hearing about it and he needs to take himself out of his own spotlight for a while.

-3 Please expand.

LBJ leaving Cleveland doesn't come close to the trainwrecks that were The Fumble, Drive and Shot. Or even the way in which the Marlins won. The Cavs made the finals once with LBJ and they were run out of the gym in four games. I'm convinced that if the fumble doesn't happen and the drive doesn't happen, but Browns win the Super Bowl or at least had a better shot at winning than the Cavs did in the finals. For those of you too young to remember, the Browns were as good those two years as the 49ers were with Montana. They had it all going on. The Indians were on the edge of winning the World Series and blew it. The Cavs were just as good the year of the Shot if not better than the current Cavs team. LBJ leaving doesn't measure up to these disasters. This whole thing has been blown out of proportion. The Cavs can win without LBJ. The economy of Cleveland is not going to get any worse because LBJ is leaving. The economy of Cleveland is not going to fold because some factory in China is now making Miami jerseys in lieu of Cavs jerseys. The economy of cleveland is not going to fold because a couple less parking attendants are not working. It is all such nonsense.

Have barf bag ready while reading....

I thought this was going to be over at 10 PM. Can someone please make it stop.....?

I'm not sure why. One of the greatest things about being an American is freedom of choice. If you don't like it, don't pay attention to it. Plenty of other options. It's like the guy that hates Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern, but listens to him every day and complains how much they hate him. I've been telling you for years that ESPN has "jumped the shark" Why would this event cause shame? Millions of people watch numbsculls "sing" on American idol and then vote (more than a presidential election), that's a true "national disgrace." I like the term LeBronukkah. I don't disagree with a word you said. We should still feel a level of shame. Maybe shame isn't the right word. Embarrassment is maybe the right word. I'm embarrassed for the people who will waste one hour of their life watching this nonsense tonight. I'm embarrassed for any respectable sports reporter who has been dispatched to cover this nonsense. I'm embarrassed for a one time "news" provider (ESPN) both creating and covering the news. I'm embarrassed for LBJ who is starting to make a fool of himself during this period. I would be embarrassed for the NBA except David Stern has no shame at all. At least it's the NBA and everyone will forget what happened by 10:15 tonight after LBJ declares he is staying with Cleveland.

I don't think so. I would like to set the over/under on Big Dawg going to the big dawg house in the sky at 55. Agree? Disagree?

WXDX host calls today LeBronukkah. This is a national disgrace. Americans should feel a level of shame about this nonsense tomorrow.