Wow, it’s been well over a week and I’ve had nothing at all to post here — the longest in-season gap in this blog’s four-year history. The reasons are several, but since no one has asked, I won’t bore you with the full litany. Suffice it to say that, while my passion for the Browns remains unabated, I cannot fail to maintain perspective on what really matters most in life: the direct connections we have with those closest to us, and the pursuit of our true purpose. Browns fans constitute some sense of community, but that varies for each of us depending on our social circle and perhaps our proximity to Cleveland. This blog also serves as an outlet for expression, with the team as its subject, but my interests, talents, and responsibilities are much broader, and I need to honor those as well.
Truth is, something happened. Something very bad and sad. I’m not going to elaborate here except to say that sometimes it takes a profound, visceral shock to put our life’s priorities into their rightful order. Dropped passes, poor strategy, nicks and dings, “good” and “bad” losses, mouthy millionaires — well, I’m paying attention, but that stuff just doesn’t get me all worked up right now, despite the hyperbole that often describes it.
All you really need to know is that I’m OK, and that this blog, this site, the Browns, and sports fandom in general are escapism. Not that there isn’t some value in that. It’s good entertainment. It can work as sublimation. It can foster conversations, even true friendships. For a very few, opened wide enough to the opportunity, an income may drop by or stream forth. But really, it all is of very little consequence, much as it delights us to act as if it were otherwise.
