Saturday, July 19, 2014

A cool story in a crazy time in Cleveland sports

One week ago, northeast Ohio was on a LeBron James-induced high after the four-time NBA MVP announced his decision to return home.

Fans still are. And the week that was produced some weird, wild and fun stories.

Here is a cool one I was able to post on FoxSportsOhio.com thanks to social media. Saw a great photo shared by @imaraindancer retweeted in my Twitter feed, talked to the people involved and ended up with a story not just about LeBron hysteria (as it would have only seemed at the surface) but hometown pride.
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Epic wedding photo captures LeBron homecoming fever

Eight groomsmen in No. 23 jerseys and a groom mimicking LeBron James' powder toss stand in front of St. Vincent Catholic Church in the four-time NBA MVP's hometown of Akron, Ohio, one day after James' colossal homecoming announcement.

You couldn't write this script any better.

When Nick Jones and Christa Deckard set their wedding date for July 12, 2014, they had no idea it would follow in the direct aftermath of what will likely go down as one of Cleveland's biggest sports stories ever.

So, what better way to celebrate a glorious life moment than with a photo for the ages, paying tribute to one of Northeast Ohio's most compelling athletes?

Jarred Wagner of Inlux Photo in Canton was the man behind the lens for the awesome photo, which he said was the groom's idea and took two takes to nail.

"I quickly collected my jerseys and we got everything rolling," Jones said, reacting ecstatically when he found out the news of LeBron's decision Friday. "We pulled the photo off even better than I could expect."

When the rumor of James' return started proliferating the weekend before, Jones initially asked his wife if he and his groomsmen could wear the LeBron jerseys as the introduction to their reception.

She obliged - just another sign that she was a keeper.

The Joneses story actually has part of its beginnings in basketball, as Christa took Nick to a Cavaliers game for their third date, Dec. 14, 2012.

"Looking back, I knew I'd marry her but had no idea where I'd be and, at that point, I didn't think there was a chance LBJ would be home," Jones said.

That December was a rough one for the Cavs, finishing the month 3-12. James' Miami Heat won 66 games on their way to a title that season. But two years later, on Jones' wedding day, the horizon gleams of much brighter times ahead for his favorite basketball team.

"LeBron coming back is the greatest thing that could have happened to us in the sports world," best man Mike Stuart said. "It is a great thing for Northeast Ohio in many ways, as he will help the economy of his hometown, inspire young kids to have their priorities straight, and of course, help break the curse of Cleveland sports."

All parties will have to wait on that whole breaking the curse deal but hopes are understandably high, staked upon the success of James' first tenure in Cleveland and a Cavs roster stocked with young talent. James' return also means he will once again be a hero to kids growing up in Cleveland, Akron and the surrounding areas of Northeast Ohio.

Jones and Stuart were once those youngsters, hitting the court together and becoming friends on basketball teams in Cuyahoga Falls. The groom and best man didn't go to high school together though, as the huge LeBron fan Jones ironically attended Archbishop Hoban, the rival high school of James' St. Vincent St. Mary.

Another groomsman, Bret Grund, was a high school classmate to Jones. The two faced adversity in those years, losing a friend and football teammate, Anthony Grimaldi, in a car crash.

Now, Grund again faces a fight, diagnosed with stage four glioma, a rare form of brain cancer. Currently living in San Francisco, Grund said the support from friends, family and love ones has been unbelievable. That support system was sowed in his home state of Ohio.

"Hard work and loyalty to our sports teams (and in general) is what my father taught me," Grund said. "And that all stems from growing up in Northeast Ohio."

Coming home is what James did in making his decision to play again for the Cavaliers.

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked. It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart," James said in his first-person essay in Sports Illustrated.

These nine guys outside a church, bearing a name fittingly similar to James' high school alma mater, represent James' words too, a microcosm of the pride inherent in so many who call this place home.

"[The] wedding day really was the best day ever," Jones said. "All this is just icing on the cake.
LeBron coming home is the best thing that could possibly happen to Cleveland."

Can't find many in these parts who would argue that.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The free kick that nearly put the US in rare World Cup air

What could've been. So agonizing in sports are those moments you watch slip away, prime opportunities at what seemed so improbable.

The United States Men's National Team was an underdog coming into Tuesday's Round of 16 matchup with Belgium. They were up against it through much of the match's first 90 minutes, outshot but propped up by the otherworldly goaltending of Tim Howard. They were halfway buried when the extra-time deficit became 2-to-nil.

Then came the rush, a goal by sparkplug Julian Green to breathe some life into the situation and turn desolation into distant hope, opening the door for the moment that you can't stop thinking about after the game.

What could've been.

Twas' the 114th minute of this uphill battle when a brilliant scheme drew the U.S. achingly close to squaring the score.

A free kick facing the net square on from 35 feet out presented itself for the Yanks after a foul committed on Green. Jermaine Jones first tiptoed away from the ball, then Michael Bradley set off what appeared for those few seconds like dominoes being set down, tapping the ball to Chris Wondolowski, who slapped it to a streaking Clint Dempsey, who was denied from close in by Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois.




So devilishly developed was that kick that it was a pity it did not hit the back of the net.

"It was a move that deserved a goal," brilliant ESPN commentator Ian Darke said of the set piece.

And it would have put the U.S. alongside only the 1982 West Germans in coming back from a two-goal deficit in extra time.

That U.S. missed opportunity was glaring from a biased American perspective. As was Wondo's shank in regulation stoppage time that would have sent the U.S. forward. Truly, the Belgian faithful had to be even more agitated sitting through 16 spectacular Howard saves and wondering why they even had to withstand 30 minutes more of jitters.

In this World Cup full of drama, knockout round extra time has become ritual, spoiling us as viewers. Five of the eight Round of 16 matchups required extra time. Two of those needed penalty kicks to determine a winner. Close is commonplace this month in Brazil.

America's journey in this World Cup will be one to remember despite a disappointing finish. Their foray through the Group of Death was ripe with dramatics, from John Brooks' game-winning header against Ghana when all hope for a win looked lost to the complete 180 of Portugal's draw-clinching dagger in the final seconds of play.

Watching Tuesday's U.S./Belgium match over again just a few hours later was sports masochism, but those 30 minutes of extra time really were something else.

And painful as it may be, four years is a long wait to soak in some more.