Santa delivered Browns victory

Well, Merry Christmas to me.

Just a week ago in this space I shared my sports Christmas wish list. These lists are often things of fantasy. But what do you know, this time, Santa Claus delivered.

As I was making the drive back Saturday afternoon to Avon, Ohio, to spend the holiday with my family, I was listening to the radio. I heard Jim Donovan narrate as the San Diego Chargers rushed their field-goal unit onto the field. There was a pause as the ball soared through the air, and I fully expected the long-time Browns radio voice and Cleveland television sports reporter to dejectedly tell me the kick was good and the game was headed to overtime.

Instead …

“No good! And the Browns have won it! A 45-yard field goal, no good, at the absolute last tick of the clock! And it’s 0-14 no more! On Christmas Eve, the Browns are a winner!”

Merry Christmas to me, and all Cleveland fans.

If Santa follows this pattern, Kegan Comer and his University of St. Francis men’s basketball team will follow in the football team’s footsteps and win a national title, I will be injury free for softball in 2017 and at least one local team will make a deep tournament run.

Here’s hoping.

Anyway, the reason I share the Browns story is not to gloat over my favorite team’s shiny, new 1-14 record, but rather because several of this week’s questions involve Saturday’s big victory.



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Was the Browns’ win a Christmas miracle?

—Travis Theurer,

Portland

How many people are going to be disappointed when the shirt they bought for someone that says “Browns put the 0-16 in 2016” is no longer relevant?

—Ami Huffman,

Portland

Can the Browns go for a second win?

—Phil Ford, Dunkirk



Travis … yes

Ami … no one.

Phil … absolutely not.



Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Cleveland’s win was a Christmas miracle.

The Browns are terrible. They’re playing a ridiculous amount of rookies. Most games aren’t competitive past halftime.

But perhaps the biggest sign of a miracle is this: San Diego had two chances at game-tying field goals in the final five minutes of the game. The first was blocked. The second sailed just wide right.

I can’t help but think there was a little extra gust of North Pole wind on that last attempt.

As for disappointment, I can’t imagine any Browns fan having that feeling. While it was fun to joke about, no fan should want his/her team to be in the record books as the worst of all time.

(On a side note, the money raised for planning the team’s “perfect season” parade will now be donated to Cleveland Food Bank. That’s currently more than $8,000, with a goal of $10,000 in order to provide more than 40,000 meals. Seems like a win-win.)

Finally, the Browns play the Steelers, in Pittsburgh, in week 17. There will be no second victory this year.



••••••••••

How many teams from Indiana will/should make the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March?

—Jenae Horn Blasdel, Portland



It’s a little early for this question, but, at this point, it seems like four teams are a lock.

Notre Dame has looked good thus far, Indiana and Purdue seem primed to both be in the battle for the Big Ten title, and Butler has been the best of the bunch to this point, thanks in large part to its victory a couple of weeks ago over the Hoosiers. The conference season could change things, but those teams look like they’re getting in.

But that might not be all. IPFW, also a winner over Indiana, has the best non-conference record in the Summit League at 10-3. A conference championship would guarantee the Mastodons a tournament berth.

Beyond that, Valparaiso (Horizon League), Evansville (Missouri Valley Conference) and Ball State (Mid-American Conference) all have good enough records that winning a conference title is within the realm of possibility.

Is Indiana going to get eight teams into the tournament?

That seems highly unlikely. But it’s at least possible.

For the time being, I’d say, the state of Indiana gets at least four and hopes for more.