Randomness from today's Browns home game:

My brother Jeff was today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 is sucking wind and is winless coming into this game. A non-effort against the Saints and an ugly result against the Bengals. The opponent: The dreaded Baltimore Ravens. The Old Browns, if you will. Only one old Brown remains and that's the kicker, Matt Stover. The Ravens are unbeaten this season with their defense carrying the load. Looking like the vaunted Raven defense of old.

The weather was not bad today. The rain held off, but it was windy as hell. Surprisingly, the Browns do not select the wind for the 4th quarter. That would prove costly.

Today's giveaway: There wasn't any.

Section 345 was into the game today. Another home game where we had to stay until the end. No fights, no drunks and an increasing problem. No vendors. Well, maybe none is too harsh, but very few. The good thing is folks drink less when they have to walk for it.

No running game today as Reuben Droughns sat out. Charlie Frye had a big first half throwing the ball, when he was upright. Oh, he'll know tomorrow he was in a football game, because the Ravens sacked him 7 times, one where I thought he was going to be planted shoulder first about six feet under. And when they didn't sack him, they hit him several other times.

No G.E. Smith Band, but the Ohio State Marching Band was there.

Worst Browns play: The interception that Frye threw in the endzone after a long Browns drive. After I had said, "Seven points puts it out of reach, three probably clinches it."

Unknown Worst Browns play: Lawrence Vickers seemingly losing track of where he was on the field after a 29-yard catch and run. He basically gave himself up on the play when he could have gone at least 10 more yards.

Best line from me: Before the game, Mo Scarry of the 1946 Browns was introduced as an honorary captain. "Mo Scarry? Is he representing the Browns offense?"

Best line from several randoms: After Braylon Edwards TD. "Su-per Bowl! Su-per Bowl!"

Oddest Browns jersey: Morgan 81

No in-game purchases.

Best Browns play: Had to be the 58-yard TD pass from Frye to Edwards. A thing of beauty.

Many boas at today's game, but old man with spray painted orange hair was a definite head turner.

Best Fan Cam picture: The Travis Bickle lookalike. The mohawk was bad enough. However, the shirt and army jacket put it over the top and concerned me. Deeply.

Worst stat: The Browns had 2 yards per rushing attempt. Ugly.

2nd worst stat: Two Browns turnovers. Clearly a turnover by either side would lead to victory. Of course, it was the Browms who turned it over.

Most interesting stat: Except for the Ravens first quarter field goal, all the points were scored at our end of the field.

Not-so-much-a-stat: A really strange defensive game. I thought the Browns defense played well for most of the game. For many stretches, the Ravens offense was exposed. Only 3 yards per rush. And Steve McNair is definitely an imposter this year, but somehow with the game on the line, he came through. A game where his receivers made him look better than he is, with several acrobatic receptions.

Outside of the second quarter (one drive was the Edwards TD catch as the only play) and the 76-yard non-scoring drive in the 4th, I thought the Ravens defense was dominant. They are just as fast as the old days, maybe faster. Probably vulnerable a tad in pass defense, but they will beat up lesser teams like the Browns.

What can I say? It was actually fun to be a Browns fan for a while. It's amazing how a 58-yard TD pass out of the blue can make you forget all the sad stuff until that point. But once again, the defense comes up short when it matters the most and gives up just enough yardage on the Ravens last drive to set up the game-winning field goal. To have to defend the west endzone with the wind helped Stover kick that 52-yarder.

So, the season ends before October.

And to quote Bill Murray from "Stripes": "Then depression set in."

Meal of Links

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Exercise Yard

It will probably be overlooked in the future, but Paul McGinley showed tremendous sportsmanship at the Ryder Cup today. Most times, you don't see it so overtly displayed. But at the 18th hole of a match that was all-square, a streaker interrupted play for what seemed like a long time. McGinley conceded a long birdie putt by J.J. Henry to halve the hole and the match. For McGinley to do that, when he was winless over the weekend, about to win his first match, in front of his home crowd, and ultimately preventing the Europeans from setting a victory margin record, is very impressive to me.

This isn't like Tiger Woods who has other accomplishments to rest on. This is an average golfer who has really made his mark in Ryder Cups. I think it was a great gesture.

Visitor

None, it was a late football Sunday.