Again? Yes, again.

Everyone has an opinion on LeBron James’s move to Miami, and that includes me. After all, as a fan of Cleveland sports for four decades, I think I may have some insight, and I sure don’t mind sharing it with you.

I’m still not sure people outside of Northeast Ohio truly realize the heartbreak Cleveland fans have suffered over the years. I get so worn out on Cubs fans, and until a few years ago Red Sox fans and the like. Sure those teams are suffering or have suffered long droughts between championships, but other teams in those towns have won---a lot.

1964. If you’re familiar with Cleveland’s plight, you know that’s the last time Cleveland won a championship. The Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0, to win the NFL title, which in hindsight is tainted somewhat. The American Football League had gained legitimacy by that time, and was two years from merging with the NFL, but the champions of the two circuits would not meet in a post-season contest until two years later. Would the Browns have beaten the AFL champ Buffalo Bills? Probably. But we’ll never really know. The Super Bowl era somehow diminished previous NFL title games making the 1964 game look insignificant.

Of all the teams that were in existence at the time of the NFL/AFL merger, only two have never reached the Super Bowl---Cleveland and the Detroit Lions. However, in that time Detroit has won a World Series (2), NBA championships (3) and Stanley Cups (4). Certainly there are cities that have suffered longer considering the fact that they joined the major league ranks after Cleveland’s ’64 triumph---Sacramento, Jacksonville, Phoenix and the like. Then again, there are Johnny-come-latelys like San Antonio, Indianapolis and Denver that have one quite recently.

You can understand the frustration then. Like it or not, LeBron James was our last hope for a long time. The Indians are awful. The Browns are awful. The Cavs are now a .500 team at best, and have little chance of even sneaking in as the eighth play-off team next year.

Sure, it was huge just winning the draft lottery in 2003, and securing the number one slot and the right to draft James. That’s the set-up though. It’s just the start of “The Drive,” it’s the play before “The Fumble.” It’s “Red Right 88,” and Jose Mesa about to pitch to Edgar Renteria in Game 7 of The World Series. We should have known then it would only end in disaster seven years later.

I was going to watch the ESPN spectacle, but at that last minute thought “why?” Why watch “The Drive” when you know it’s coming? No thanks. The Miami fans cheered, the Cleveland fans wailed, forever to be shown on TV and YouTube. America is used to that. It’s laughable that people criticized the burning of LeBron’s jersey. “Hey, there. You can’t burn anything until you win a championship. Then you can torch cars, garbage dumpsters, and bust up all kinds of crap---go nuts!”

One guy that will benefit from this is Bernie Kosar, who returns to his rightful place as Cleveland’s most beloved hometown sports hero. No, he never won the big game, but he didn’t abandon the faithful. When he was dismissed from the Browns by then coach Bill Belichick, and immediately snapped up by Dallas, my life-long disdain for the Cowboys vanished in an instant. Bernie, in a bit of cosmic justice, got his Super Bowl ring that year.

For the most part, people from outside the area seem to like Greater Cleveland. Most have empathy for the drought. Some find it comical, and I get that. It’s sad, but I get it. Sadder still, is I don’t think I can root for LeBron to win that championship in Miami. He has done a lot for the city, but in the end, it just doesn’t feel right.