Bob Lobel: Being a Fan Again

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

I almost forgot what it was like to just be a fan.

No work issues, no interview issues, no controversy, no worrying about your hair being combed, or having a tie to match the shirt or whatever. That's what this World Series meant to me. 

Being a fan again with no external pressures of your home town team winning or losing, or finding a spot on the parade route for the live telecast. I wanted the Indians to win. I have Ohio roots and Ohio friends. No doubt that Chicago was a better and deeper team. Not better managed, but all the other stuff. 

And, getting out of Chicago, with the home town adoration and pressure, allowed the Cubs to be the Cubs. It’s the same principle in place for 7th games of Stanley Cups: You don’t want to play they at home because of the fan expectations. Much easier to win those big games on the road.

Bob Lobel: Tito and Theo

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It was November 2003, and Grady Little was still manager of the Boston Red Sox, but not for long.

Aaron Boone had barely crossed home plate, but John Henry wanted to fire Little before he left Yankee Stadium. 

He was talked out of it by Larry Lucchino, which was probably not a bad idea at the moment.  Meanwhile. Terry Francona and his son, Nick, were visiting Georgetown University for their baseball dinner. 

Nick was a left handed pitcher and the Hoyas were recruiting him for the next season. Nick Barnicle, the son of former Globe columnist and current MSNBC star Mike Barnicle, was already playing for Georgetown which is why, obviously, they also were at that baseball dinner. 

Grady Little was still the manager of the Red Sox, but not for long. 

Bob Lobel: Why I'm Rooting Against the Cubs

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The line "why can't we get players like that?” is getting annoying.

Can't believe I just said that. 

It's great now and then (thanks  to Dan Shaughnessy!), but enough is enough! This weekend, even Adam Vinatieri got into the conversation! That one seems to hurt more than most, but we are not here to talk about that. 

Is Cleveland Finally Getting Its Due? The Numbers Say Not Yet

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Cleveland went 52 years without a major sports championship, but is now on the cusp of, perhaps, winning two titles in the same year. With the Indians capturing the ALCS last night, they will open the World Series the same night the Cavaliers will raise their championship banner, next Tuesday.

Cleveland's past futility was on full display in the ESPN 30 for 30 "Believeland," which debuted just before the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals. The film not only listed the town's numerous on-field heartbreaks (of which there are many), but also the off-field issues that have shaped the psyche of Cleveland fandom. The Browns skipping town and "The Decision" were chief among them, obviously.

But now that Cleveland may be ready to win two titles in one year, a feat that only rival Pittsburgh has achieved in the last decade, is the math finally catching up? Well, sort of, but as you'll see, Cleveland will need far more success just to reach the average performance of a major sports market over the past 50+ years.

Listed below are the 19 other American markets with three or more professional sports teams, and all of their titles since 1964 (the last Cleveland championship before this year). We've then broken it down and listed an "average titles per team" figure for each market over that time span, and averaged out what a given market could have expected to win since 1964.

All this to give you an idea of how far below the mean Cleveland was/is.

MLB Playoff Push: American League

Will Miguel Cabrera's injury keep the Tigers out of the AL's top seed? (Flickr)

By Bennett Corcoran

Yesterday, we took a look at the National League. Today, our focus shifts to the American league, where a greater number of teams remain in contention.

Boston Red Sox (88-58)