By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
THERE ARE Steelers’ and Browns’ fans and then there are ... other! I found that out last Sunday at the Browns game in Jacksonville.
My wife LaVon and I had flown to Tampa to visit our son Joel and his wife Kim. On Sunday we made the 3-hour trek to Jacksonville where we hooked up with my brother Ralph and his wife Mandy, who live north of West Palm Beach.
We were all dressed in our Browns attire and we tailgated in a stadium lot. The Jaguars fans were actually nice to us. Not one person gave us a thumbs-down or a one-finger-up salute. No need for expletives deleted. (What fun is that?)
Then after the game, as we left, Jags fans were actually congratulating us on the win by the Browns. Yikes! Could you image Steelers’ or Browns’ fans doing that to opponents’ fans?
During the game, Jags fans are somewhat docile. In our section, it was probably half Browns backers. At one time in the third quarter on a crucial third-down play for his team, a Jags fan stood up and yelled up to the fans: “Come on get up!”
The Jags fans didn’t even move, but we Browns fans immediately jumped up and started barking and woofing. The guy was shocked. Welcome to the world of real fans, buddy! The Dawg Pound travels well.
OK, maybe Florida people have a lot more to do than worry about their sports teams. But while we enjoyed the sunshine, I’ll take the passion of Steelers and Browns fans any day even if it means living through snow and cold.
I predicted that the Browns would lose if Brady Quinn didn’t play, but I was wrong. The Browns won despite quarterback Derek Anderson. In the second half, he was miserable. On one play he threw a pass into the ground and Jags fan behind us said, “This looks like my son’s high school games.”
But obviously, because of the loyalty of the Browns administration to D.A., it looks like we are stuck with him. He will be good enough today to beat the former Browns (Ravens). Look for a 20-9 Cleveland victory.
The Steelers are hoping to avoid a tailspin on Monday night when they visit Washington. But unless they shore up the offensive line, they are in trouble. Ben Roethlisberger has been folded, bent and spindled this season and he’s not going to last. The beating he’s taken is going to shorten his career — shoulders, legs and hips can only take so much.
Look for the Redskins to continue the pounding on Big Ben and Washington to win, 27-23.
Last week my picks went 9-5 for a season mark of 59-56. Following are the rest of this week’s predictions (betting line in parentheses just for fun):
NY Giants (-81/2) over Dallas
New England (plus 6) at Indy
Buffalo (-51/2) over NY Jets
Denver (-3) over Miami
Philly (-61/2) over Seattle
Green Bay (plus 41/2) over Tennessee
Minnesota (-41/2) over Houston
St. Louis (plus 3) over Arizona
Oakland (plus 3) ovr Atlanta
Tampa (-81/2) over Kansas City
Chicago (-131/2) over Detroit
Jacksonville (-71/2) over Cincy
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Steelers', Browns' fans gladly swap nice weather for team passion
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Reynolds, Greenville, Sharpsville mat teams set for D-10 dual meet tourney
The District 10 Dual-Meet Wrestling Championships schedule has been announced by Chairman Jack McIntire.
Reynolds, Greenville and Sharpsville will represent Mercer County in the expanded 8-team tournament on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Edinboro University. -
Roundup: Lady Tigers roll past RG
ä Sharon 59, Rocky Grove 31 — At Tiger Gymnasium Wednesday, coach Gene Sarazen’s Lady Tigers improved to 11-4 with the non-region win over the Lady Orioles (4-9).
Tanayja Sanders and Marketta Jackson both had double-doubles for Sharon. Sanders fired in 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Jackson registered 15 points and ripped down 10 boards. -
HALL OF FAME NOTEBOOK
DANNY STEWART and I had never spoken prior to Saturday’s annual Mercer County Hall of Fame induction banquet, but we seemed to connect during our brief encounter in the courtyard of Park Inn by Radisson.
Actually, Stewart and I share some common ground. Though approximately 400 miles apart, both of us were undersized high school basketball seniors during the winter of 1971-72.
Stewart’s distinction, however — and one reason why he’s one of only 501 local legends in the Hall — is because, while I read about the likes of Maurice Lucas and Herman Harris, Stewart toppled those Titans. -
Roundup: Hickory edges Sharon; Farrell upsets Franklin
It was a tale of two point guards. And part of being a great point guard is wanting the ball in your hands with the game on the line.
“ ... But you also have to have faith in your teammates, too ...” observed Hickory’s Matt Votino.
Sharon’s ’Dray Jefferson outscored Votino 26-22, but victory was Votino’s in the Region 6-AAA rematch, as Hickory edged the host Tigers, 60-59, Tuesday night. -
Roundup: Hickory, KC, Sharon, Greenville girls win
ä Hickory 48, Grove City 29 — At Grove City, the visiting Lady Hornets stung their hosts in the Region 5-AAA matchup. Hickory (6-1, 14-2) held leads of 13-9, 24-15 and 39-21 at the conclusion of each quarter en route to the wire-to-wire win.
Nikki Arbanas and Holly Grober garnered 16 and 13 points, respectively, for Hickory. Each tossed in 2 treys. -
SLIDESHOW: Sports figures react to Joe Paterno's death
Players, coaches and sports journalists took to Twitter on Sunday morning to react to the death of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno.
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Joe Paterno: A life in pictures
Joe Paterno, college football's winningest coach and a sporting icon, has died at age 85. His legacy includes two national championships and a football program of "success with honor," but the end of his career was marred by his handling of a sex abuse allegations against his former assistant coach. (All photos are from the Associated Press.)
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2012 class enshrined in Mercer County Hall of Fame
With the 10 living greats inducted into the Mercer County Hall of Fame Saturday night, along with three posthumous honorees enshrined Friday, the world’s oldest local hall of fame now counts 501 men and women in its number.
All are part of Mercer County’s tremendous legacy on the courts and fields of play and in the game of life. -
SPORTVIEW: We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our coaches, past and present
EVERY YEAR the Mercer County Hall of Fame honors coaches of teams from our area who have won state championships.
While there weren’t any this season, one of the most celebrated coaches in the history of Mercer County — retired Reynolds High mat coach Brian Hills — was inducted during the 65th anniversary banquet Saturday night.
Although Hills won 8 state titles at the helm of the Raiders, he was only able to attend the Hall banquet once to be honored because his team was usually wrestling in tournaments. -
Brennan remembers "The Drive" and his days with the Browns
Twenty years after the fact, Brian Brennan can still describe the din descending upon the old, Ohio lakefront’s Municipal Stadium playing field.
Brennan — then a mid-20’s receiver in the self-decribed Wes Welker mold — caught a touchdown pass from Bernie Kosar that gave the Cleveland Browns a short-lived lead in the AFC championship game against the John Elway-led Denver Broncos. However “The Drive” that day denied Brennan and the Browns a trip to the Super Bowl. - More Sports Headlines
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