Cleveland's three-headed monstrosity

After 45 years of mostly ineptitude, I think Cleveland's sports teams have finally reached a collective rock bottom.

Yes, it has been 45 years since the 1964 Browns gave Cleveland its last major sports championship. That is the longest stretch for any city that boasts at least three of the four major sports.

The Browns have never won a Super Bowl. The Cavs have never won an NBA Title. The Indians have not been World Series Champions since 1948. All have had their moments of glory in the last 45 years, but none have quite been able to break through.

The Browns of the 80s, the Indians of the 90s (and 2007) and present Cavaliers have all knocked on the door of greatness, but have not been able to bring the big trophy to our fair city.

Even with all the bad luck these teams have had over the years, the here and now is the worst things have ever been. I'm convinced of this. I can not remember a day I opened the newspaper and all three teams were full of bad news as they are today. Here's the run down.

The Indians, with Cy Young winner Cliff Lee leading the rotation and catcher Victor Martinez powering a potent line up, were supposed to contend for the American League Central Division crown. Instead, amid injuries and an imploding bullpen, the Tribe pulled the plug on wasted season in July. The club traded Lee and Martinez, along with several other key veterans. After a recent 11-game losing skid, the Indians stand at 64-92, headed toward one of their worst records in a long time.

The Indians do at least have a good crop of young players, who give hope for better days in the future. Those days, however, are not in the immediate future.

On the lakefront, the Browns are not much better than the Indians. In fact, sadly, they may be worse. On Sunday the Browns lost 34-3 in Baltimore to drop to 0-3. They were outscored Sunday by the Indians! Sunday's Ravens debacle might have been the worst game this team has played since its rebirth in 1999. That's saying something with the bad football we've seen in the last decade.

Head coach Eric Mangini can't decide on a quarterback (neither has been any where near effective). The defense is a mess and the only play-maker on offense has trouble catching the ball (WR Braylon Edwards). This team is not getting better any time soon.

Finally, there's the Cavs. This is supposed to be the city's saving grace. after a franchise-record 66 wins last year and nearly going to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, the Cavs made waves in the offseason. They traded for future Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neil and added free agents Jomario Moon and Anthony Parker. They are expected to team with a strong rost already in place, headed by megastar LeBron James, to contend for an NBA Title.

However, this being Cleveland, nothing comes easy. Just as preseason practices are getting underway, Delonte West is giving the Cavs a giant headache. The guard, and one of Cleveland's top players was arreste two weeks ago for carrying a loaded weapon in Maryland. He should get off with a suspension. That's the good news. The bad news is West, who battles depression, was a no-show at practice today. It was an unexcused absence. A season of such great promise off to such an inauspicious start.

Now, the Cavs may rebound from this setback to gain basketball's ultimate prize and bring some sports pride back to this city. For now, though, Cleveland's sports teams have hit rock bottom. This is not a good day to be a Cleveland sports fan and tomorrow doesn't look much better.