OK … so Cliff Lee won the first game of the World Series and looked pretty good doing it.

OK … he looked great doing it.

OK … he dominated. I mean … 10 strikeouts … a complete game, the first in a World Series since 1995. Pretty good.

And … yes … he used to pitch for the Indians.

And yes, the Indians might have gift-wrapped the Phillies their second World Series title in a row (though they do have some other good players and a pretty good mana … umm … never mind).

But while Joe Posnanski marvels at Lee's lack of nerves, we in Cleveland understand what we saw. Because we know that Lee is just "out there" enough to be able to shrug off nerves in his first World Series game.

It's what he does.

At least it's what he's done the last two seasons.

Who the hell is Tila Tequila anyway?

And could she hold a candle to Adriana Lima before she got married and broke the heart of a dumpy Irish sportswriter?

This is where Mario Lemieux lives. He hosted a Stanley Cup party a week back or so.

 The Cup even took a dip.

This is Adriana Lima in happier, more carefree, pre-marriage days. She did not go to the party.

And this is Adriana since she took up with that NBA guy instead of a dumpy, dopey, pathetic Irish guy:

I was sitting at the Indians game Tuesday night when Chris Gimenez came up with the bases loaded. Gimenez, a right-handed hitter, was facing Milwaukee's fine-young right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo. This was a chance to break open the game, so I wondered why Eric Wedge would not use a left-handed pinch-hitter. So Sheldon Ocker, the Beacon Journal's fine Indians beat writer, looked up available pinch hitters. He mentioned Trevor Crowe, Jamey Carroll and Jhonny Peralta. And suddenly I realized why Wedge was not using a pinch hitter.

I'm still debating if I should completely turn on Adriana Lima now that she went and got married to that guy from that basketball team. Clearly she forgot the principle of "remember who you got you there." I mean … would she even have met this guy without the support of dumpy Irish guys everywhere? Does she even realize this reality? Clearly this will take more thought … meanwhile here's a shot of Adriana on her honeymoon.

The Browns need a receiver. Lavaranues Coles was cut by the Jets. Eric Mangini used to coach the Jets. I wonder if the Browns will have interest in Coles. Makes sense, no?

We reporters always grimace when a guy like Coles is signed, because it means looking up his name every time he catches a pass. It's the little things like that that make our jobs challenging. Same with T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The T.J. is not the problem, mind you. It's the Houshmandzadeh. H-o-u-s-h-m-a-n-d-z-a-d-e-h. Kind of like a certain reporter's last name.

I think the signing of Mikki Moore by Boston means the Cavs will be the leader in the clubhouse if Joe Smith gets a buyout from Oklahoma City. At least that's what I hope it means.

Seems like Akron's Mack Rhoades got caught in a political hornet's nest when he interviewed to be the Athletic Director at Rutgers. The school could have hired a good man and outstanding AD with experience like Rhoades, but chose to hire a close associate of football coach Greg Schiano. It's to Akron's benefit that Rhoades was not hired, mind you, but you wonder if Rhoades would have interviewed had he known the political connections at play.

Does anyone know a store anymore where you can buy something without getting one of those ridiculous cards that get you nothing but a sore hind end from sitting on a wallet with 38 cards in it that get you nothing?

Soon to be Boston Celtic Stephon Marbury has not played in a game since January of 2008. For some unknown reason, I find that interesting.

It doesn't seem like the Browns will make a big-money free-agent splash shortly after the signing period starts. If so, that's a good thing, and a good decision by Eric Mangini and George Kokinis. One thing the Browns did in the previous regime was lavish money on guys because they could. If that stops and the Browns are more judicious, that's a good thing.

And another personal note to Alan (perhaps we should start our own debating blog):
1) Your comments crack me up … love the previous one about the draft!
2) I am soooooooooo sorry about the job situation. Clearly I am not and would not ever make fun of anyone in that situation. If I can help, e-mail me. In fact, e-mail me what you do, and perhaps I can help.
3) Clearly the Don Rickles remarks were much akin to some of the ones you direct to me. All meant in fun, nothing else.
4) Did I mention your comments crack me up?
Hang in there. Can't be an easy time.

Shaun Rogers must have an exit strategy. Of that there is no doubt. No player in today's modern era turns away from a $6 million roster bonus without a reasonable assurance another team is ready and waiting to pay him that money. So Rogers — probably through his agent — has a place to land. Which is why he has let it be known that he prefers the Browns not pay the bonus so he can be released and be a free agent (according to a report from NFL.com and Adam Schefter, a reporter whose inside information is never incorrect).

But … it did not need to come to this, and the fact that it did falls squarely on the shoulders of new coach Eric Mangini.

People criticized me and wondered why I wrote so much about the way Mangini handled people. What does it matter if you win, folks wrote. It's a fair question. But my answer is simple: It always matters how you treat people. And when you are the lead guy in an environment where a team is built, how you treat people is vital. Look at how LeBron James treats people; his teammates love playing with him. Look at Mike Brown. Most great coaches have players who give extra because they respect the coach so much. The Browns hire a guy who immediately starts taking down murals of Hall of Famers and painting walls and making plans for renovations while people are laid off and the guys he needs most, his players, are ignored at banquets.

It matters.

Mangini can put on the happy face all he wants at his news conferences and say he's confident with the kind of guy he is. But not reaching out to players — especially the best players — does little to build camaraderie. Mangini instead has chosen to spend a lot of time in his office with the door closed. I'm sure he's doing a lot of football stuff, but he's also done a lot of non-football stuff. And he's obviously made little or no effort to contact his players, especially his key players, if they have not passed through the building.

In Baltimore (gosh it's getting old using Baltimore as a reference) John Harbaugh's first move was to call each and every player and explain to them his strategy and thinking. That came from owner Steve Biscotti, who told him it was important for the new coach to earn his players' respect immediately. A wise man once listened to an new executive address his employees; in the address Bob Exec said how Person A or Person B was pleasing to him. The wise man said Bob Exec had it backwards. In a new job, they are not pleasing to you, you are pleasing to them. For the coach to walk right past Rogers, within a few feet of each other, at the Cleveland Sports Awards banquet … well that's unnecessary. And when the coach says he didn't see Rogers … well that's a hard one to swallow.

There is one chance for a first impression. Mangini's has come and gone.

Now, you can say that Rogers has a contract and the Browns should hold him to that contract and if he doesn't like that, well that's too bad. You'd be right. The Browns have that option, and Rogers' job would be to live up to the contract in the most professional way possible. It's also very possible Rogers just wants out. Mangini and Rogers could have shared espressos at the local Starbucks and he still might want out.

But the bottom line is this puts the Browns in a bad spot. Because if Rogers is released, then it's anyone's guess who next starts making noise publicly to get out. And if he's not released, then Rogers very well could revert to the Shaun Rogers of Detroit days — because he won't want to be here.

And clearly the lack of contact played a role in this situation getting to where it is. And that's unnecessary.

The situation did not have to come to this. Not even close to this. Because treating people the right way matters. And while building a team means being tough and challenging at times, it also means being smart enough to reach out and win over the people you need most.

Emily Litella …

If Rogers comes out and says this was all a misunderstanding … well … never mind.

Newspaper layoffs …

My previous post brought quite a few comments, and I was intrigued. Perhaps I'm not the only one who has a problem with a company filing bankruptcy and asking for millions to be set aside for bonuses if people's jobs are eliminated. I find that immoral.

Alan, you said I could write the bankruptcy judge, and I will do so. Any clues how to get his name? Can you get his name (he wrote, figuring Alan spends most of his life on the internet anyway)?

Elizabeth, I love your idea for a Business Ethics Secretary. Love it. The sad thing is that in today's world using the words Business and Ethics together almost sound like an oxymoron.

And Alan, I'm touched that Roger Ebert's review was so close to mine. Geez Alan … what else do you do all day but read the internet?

A sad moment …

I shall address this more as time goes on, but the past couple days have been tough. Adriana Lima has indeed eloped with Marko Jaric. Once again, the dumpy, dopey Irish guys of the world are left wondering what we did wrong, and why she seems to be saying in this picture: "Hey all you dumpy, dopey Irish guys out there … eat your heart out!"

Finally, there's someone out there who gets it that Lebron James will not automatically leave Cleveland after next season, that LeBron's driving force is multiple championships, and that he knows nobody has ever done it in his home town. As Ian Thomsen writes on SI.com: "To become the equal to (or eclipse) Jordan, LeBron must be universally loved. People would love him for staying in Cleveland. Plus, there are billions of people in China who won't view LeBron any differently whether he's in New York or Cleveland."

–Thomsen also sums up the Antonio McDyess situation. There are many who feel that the longer McDyess waits, the more clear it is that he's returning to Detroit. But the team that has offered him the most money is the Cavs (take that all those folks who say the Cavs don't try!). Oh, if McDyess would sign with the Cavs. That makes a championship-caliber team even better.

–Regarding Brady Quinn, I feel compelled to state that had Derek Anderson played the way Quinn did in Buffalo, folks would have been out to squash his bigfoot. Quinn did some good things, but he was 14-for-36 and struggled against a variety of blitzes. On the game-winning drive, he threw three incompletions in a row, forcing the Browns to turn to Phil Dawson and his 56-yard kick. Not that I care who starts. I honestly don't. The Browns should start whoever can win. I just find it interesting how they're viewed and judged. So … Anderson's eight games included six against the league's top nine defenses: Pittsburgh (1), the Giants (2), Baltimore twice (3), Washington (4) and Dallas (9). Quinn today faces the 22^nd-ranked defense, and he's played No. 13 and No. 29.

–When you see Eric Wright try to tackle tomorrow, think of Daylon McCutcheon. Pound for pound, McCutcheon remains the best pure football player the Browns have had since 1999.

–Perhaps this is the Irish-Catholic coming out of me, but I found it interesting that Harvard-Yale play today for the 125^th time, and the game also comes on the 45^th anniversary of John Kennedy's assassination. Interesting story on it here.

–Finally, I'm sure we've all wondered how we'd look in uniform standing next to Adriana Lima. Well now we know:

Heading to Buffalo …

Anyone care to shuffle off to the game with me … you can drive:

 Who has really hurt the Browns?

The more I think about the Browns this season the more I believe the team's record is far more a product of the people around Derek Anderson than Derek Anderson. One player who bears a large share of responsibility is Braylon Edwards, for his 12 drops of course but also for less visible but vital elements of the game. Yes, this may be late to bring this up, given that Brady Quinn now starts for the Browns, but one example illustrates how Anderson took the fall for Edwards and others.

Remember that final drive against Washington? When the Browns were trying to tie? Edwards admitted blowing the second-down route when he missed the blitz, but he also blew the third-down route. On that route, Edwards is supposed to cross into the middle of the field. Anderson led him as if he would cross, but Edwards stopped after his cut. Just stopped.

As a result the pass was in front of him and looked low, which led the TV announcers to blast Anderson and wonder where he was throwing the ball. Well, he threw it right where it was supposed to be. And Edwards was not there.

A long, long time ago Bernie Kosar simplified the quarterback's job for me. He said the quarterback' s job is to get the ball to the right spot. He said there's not enough time and there's too much going on to improvise. He has to throw to the spot. The receiver's job, he said, is to win. Which means be at that spot. Because the quarterback has no time to figure where he's going to be if he's not at that spot.

In both those cases, Edwards was not at the spot required, and both plays fizzled. And in both cases, the TV announcers blamed Anderson. The nice thing to think here is that Edwards could have been held accountable for his actions and … perhaps … benched. Especially after that drop against Baltimore. But the Browns had nobody else to play. Literally. Who would it have been? Syndric Steptoe? Steve Sanders?

This highlights another problem: In preseason the entire world knew that the team had problems at receiver and in the secondary. Phil Savage chose not to add veterans to either spot, and the results are the results.

Brady Quinn might play lights out the rest of the season, and that would be a good thing. But the circumstances that led to Quinn's promotion were much more the result of poor play around Anderson as opposed to poor play by Anderson himself.

Speaking of Adriana Lima, did you know that she speaks Portugese, English and French, and in her free time she likes … READING NOVELS. I'm guessing Thomas Hardy and Dostoevsky.

A few thoughts on a Browns game that produced very little for thought …

The first-team offense provided enough positives to let everyone breathe a little easier heading into the season. Brady Quinn led the starters to a field goal and touchdown, and the unit was sharp.

Quinn should have hit Kellen Winslow for a touchdown, though. Poor throw.

The offensive line, too, finally played like it’s been expected to play.

Derek Anderson was on the sidelines. He left the locker room without addressing the media, but did give a thumbs-up signal on his way out. Expect him to return to practice next week.

Braylon Edwards got a pretty nasty cut on his foot – nobody has said how many stitches he needed, to my knowledge – but the team expects him back as well. Same with Jamal Lewis, who strained a hamstring.

It was not good to see starting guard Rex Hadnot leave with a strained knee. But if the Browns are to lose anyone up front, at least they have experienced backups in Seth McKinney and Ryan Tucker on the team.

Travis Wilson might have done enough to save his job, especially if Syndric Steptoe’s shoulder injury keeps him out any length of time.

Observers said Steptoe did not seem seriously injured as he left the locker room. The Browns will need either he or Josh Cribbs to be healthy for the opener.

It’s hard to gauge these injuries during games. The team says what is hurt, and gives the chances of return (probable, questionable, doubtful, will not return). Other than that, the media pretty much knows what everyone watching on TV knows. Details on the guys hurt in the finale will be available probably on Saturday when GM Phil Savage discusses the final roster.

The Browns finished preseason 0-4, the second time in team history they went winless in preseason. But as Romeo Crennel said: “We could've been 4-0 and if we lose to Dallas you're going to ask what went wrong."

Someday we will all look back on this date and remember it as the day that Martin Luther King gave the “I Have a Dream” speech, the night that Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination and the night when the Browns concluded the preseason that seemed to drag on forever.

Where is Adriana Lima when you need her?

First and 10 with the Browns –

1) Exhibition games aren’t really about results. The fact that the Browns cut a Giant deficit to a 37-34 final doesn’t really matter. These games are about impressions, approach and, for those trying to make the team, the chance to play. The Browns made a terrible impression in their second game. It was a real clunker. One team looked like a Super Bowl team, a champion, a group of professionals. The Browns looked a team of wanna-bes that did not bring a mature approach to the game. They looked, perhaps, like a team that has been given 12 prime-time games despite making the playoffs once since 1999. To me, this approach revealed itself before the game when the Browns talked about how nice it would be to be in New York and playing on Monday night. For crying out loud, it’s a preseason game. I realize the Browns may have been asked the question about going to New York to play in primetime, but it would have been OK for them to say, “Well gee it’s just a preseason game. I don’t care where it is. I do care how we play.” Instead they talked about being in the spotlight and all that kind of stuff. The immature approach then showed in silly penalties and a punch thrown (and missed). It showed in tackling a guy before a punt even got close to him and in almost 100 yards in penalties in the first quarter. Brutal.

2) I’ve been saying for a long time that Joe Jurevicius’ injury ruins the team’s receiving depth. That if Braylon Edwards ever were injured it would mean trouble. Guess what. Edwards didn’t play Monday night, and the offense looked lost. There was no flow, no timing, nothing close to precision. It’s not going to take the other teams long to recognize this fact and pretty much take Edwards away and dare another receiver – like Kellen Winslow, who was pretty much AWOL in this game — to beat them. The offense looked lost without Edwards.

3) How in the world does a team get almost 100 yards in penalties in one quarter? That’s mind-boggling. Same way, I guess, that a team gets a punt blocked by a guy trying to block for the punt, and same way a team allows a punt return for a touchdown following that blocked punt that led to a safety, and the same way a guy fumbles a handoff inside the 5-yard-line to give the Giants a length-of-the-field touchdown run. Double brutal.

4) If this game was any indication, the gulf between a true playoff team and a team that wants to be a playoff team is Grand Canyonesque.

5) Nice to see Domenik Jerry Rice Hixon get some preseason playing time. Hixon is from Akron, and he was better than any Browns receiver on the field.

6) I’m thinking if Terrell Owens was watching Hixon abuse the Browns secondary he was giggling to himself quite a bit about what he might do in the season opener.

7) The Browns pulled out brown pants for the trip to New Jersey. I think it’s time to put them away. The Browns looked like a high school team. Then they played like one.

It's kind of irritating, but here on the log every time I type the "8" for item "8" it comes up with that stupid face. … Memo to self: Write corporate about THAT one. … Brodney Pool’s concussion is a bit scary, given their cumulative effects. Pool has missed time in his career with concussions. … Anyone notice Charlie Frye threw for 209 yards in Seattle? … He also had three interceptions and no touchdowns. … Nice of Eric Wright to style the way he did on that short touchdown gift. … Cripes, the team was getting its you-know-what kicked and he pranced into the end zone, then styled after. … Wright had a brutal game – as Rice-Hixon took advantage of him. … The Browns first-team offensive line was beat pretty regularly by the Giants starters and backups. Not good. … Good to see Phil Dawson kick a 56-yard field goal. The Browns have one of the league’s elite kickers. … Who’d have thought Syndric Steptoe would be this preseason’s “Guy Who Blooms From Nowhere.” … I believe there was a Melila Purcell sighting. … Why in the world do people say that Brady Quinn is from Cleveland? Dublin, Ohio, is as much a part of Cleveland as Dublin, Ireland, is.

9) At this writing, which is 12:58 a.m. on Tuesday morning while some divers go inward-three-and-a-half and over-rotate (don’t you hate when that happens?) and do not allow their feet to separate, nobody really knows much about Derek Anderson’s concussion, except that any time there’s a concussion it’s a bit scary. There’s no telling how long these kinds of things can linger. Brady Quinn will get the chance for more playing time, but I don’t think there’s anyone in Berea who would feel good about Quinn taking the snaps in the season opener against Dallas.

10) I’ve told this story before, but I’m going to tell it again — games like Monday night always remind me of the time Joe Greene was an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins. Greene, the former Steeler, was talking about how bad the Dolphins were in a blowout loss to Atlanta. So I asked: Well does it matter? It was only preseason. And Green flashed some very angry eyes my way. And he said in a very testy voice: “Of course it matters.” Why, I asked? “Because the guys who accept losing in the preseason are the same guys who accept losing in the regular season.” I then offered Mr. Greene a Coke and slinked my way toward the exit, but I’ve never forgotten what he said. “The guys who accept losing in the preseason are the same guys who accept losing in the regular season.”

Three and Out

First, I must point out that many of you were unhappy that First and 10 will no longer be e-mailed and will instead be placed on the blog. I’m not big on changing something that has been successful, but there are financial and other considerations for the decision of the corporate folks to make this a frog item. What can I do? Boycott writing the clog? From here on, First and 10 will be on the dog, and I really hope that it won’t be too difficult for everyone to find. Of course, if you are reading this you already found it. Which makes me like the priest at church whose sermon is about people not attending church. Get it? He’s lecturing those at church about people who do not go to church.

On to the letters …

Dear Pat,

Your Akron Beacon Journal columns on Edwards and Manny (note the insipid self-promotion with the links …) were published in the San Francisco Chronicle this week. Has this made you more famous? Have you gotten e-mails calling you an idiot from West Coast folks who couldn't name one player on the Browns? And, finally, what are the chances of the Browns playing in the Super Bowl in my lifetime? (I turn 61 next week)

Craig Weatherington
Santa Cruz, Calif.

Dear Craig,

Perhaps I should point out that you live in one of the most fabulously pretty areas of this nation, and you have yet to invite me over for a Sierra Nevada. I’m glad the Chronicle printed those stories, but given the rising price of newsprint I’m surprised they used the space. Someone must have been sick.

Craig also refers to one of our favorite features in First and 10, one I am more than willing to revive. It was called “You’re an Idiot” and it featured the most genuinely nasty e-mail I could find that called me an idiot – usually for having a meaningless opinion.

This comment from BMK in Palo Alto, Calif., about my Sunday story in the Beacon Journal discussing the Cavs' acquisition of Mo Williams would certainly qualify — if, that is, it were a letter to First and 10:

"You are without a doubt the worst writer — and most vacuous journalist — that I have ever come across."

Notice the subtlety. He never actually used the word idiot, but the point certainly came across. And he also used the word "vacuous." Any insult letter or comment with the word "vacuous" is certainly worthy of special consideration.

We’ll see how the letters go in preseason and perhaps begin “You’re an Idiot” during the season.

As for the Super Bowl question, stop asking me mathematical questions dealing with the quadratic equation. It’s confusing.

(From the online comments)
Dear Pat,

While we are lambasting John Edwards and President Clinton (for their extramarital affairs), let's not forget John McCain who had an affair while his first wife was in the hospital in critical condition from a car wreck. My how most forget this. Personally none of that is my business. That being said if you are going to smear, you must smear all or none. Distractions such as this to raise the moral outrage of those who like to be pandered to is merely par for the course.

Patrick, you don't like to be pandered to do you?

Eric Lowrey

Dear Eric,

Who likes being pandered to? Verbal insults that demean character are just not right. Dadgum it!

What? That’s not pandered? That’s slandered? OK then.

Never mind.

As to your letter, as I write early in the morning on Tuesday someone on TV is talking about a diver going past vertical. Would that also apply to John McCain, Edwards and Clinton? They went past vertical? Or would it be more appropriate when that same commentator mentioned a diver having trouble with his bottoms? Might that apply better to these politicians – they simply had trouble with their bottoms?

I shall stop.

You raise a good point about considering McCain along with Edwards.

I’d also nominate Newt Gingrich for the Philandering Hall of Hypocrisy.

Dear Pat,

I’m really going to miss the e-mails. I honestly don't know how often I'll go to a blog, but we'll see. RSS? Doohickey (Note from Pat: I refer to an RSS feed button as a “doohickey.” It’s a more technically correct term)? Stop it! You're overloading my head with this technical jargon! You teckie nerds are all alike.

OK so actually I'd already accessed the blog, without the orange doohickey. I just saved the URL into my favorites. I just doubt I'll recall frequently to access it. Whenever I do, I'll share the good news with all your legions of readers in Coshocton and surrounding metropolises.

What's the preoccupation with Adriana Lima? You remind me of a friend, living locally here but originally from Akron, who claims a close personal relationship with Akron supermodel Angie Everhart.

Glenn Mishler
Coshocton, Ohio

Dear Glenn,

Glenn was a loyal First and 10 reader and letter writer.

He’s a nice guy, but kind of confused and bit daffy.

Otherwise he’d never need to ask what he did about Ms. Lima.

If you have a comment or question you’d like addressed next week, e-mail me at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put First and 10 in the subject line.

Until the next politician goes past vertical …

Best,
Pat