LeBron Feeling the Heat

I'm from Pittsburgh. I feel a fierce loyalty to my sports teams. One of the things that comes with that loyalty is a pure hatred of all things Cleveland sports. We take almost a perverse pleasure out of hating Cleveland. It's what we do.

I can't do it tonight.



I told myself I wouldn't watch the LeBron's Prime Time Emancipation Proclamation. I really didn't want to. But alas, I'm human, and I have urges. My eyes were glued when he said "Miami Heat".

Were I to be a Cavs fan, the only thing I could compare this debacle to is to come home one day and find your wife banging an illegal immigrant. Oh, and it's being televised on ESPN for an hour.

I never had anything against LeBron. A little showy, but stayed out of trouble, and seemed like a pretty genuine ambassador to the game of basketball. This changes everything. What happened to the 18 year old kid that was so concerned about his financial well-being that he befriended Warren Buffet, one of the most respected investors in the world? The kid who looked like he was living out his dream every time he stepped on the court in Cleveland? He's been replaced by a complete egomaniac. Someone who knows nothing outside of himself. And who is perfectly happy with it. What other explanation is there? Would a humble person think he deserved an hour of television time in order to tell people what city he's going to be shooting basketballs in?

Back to Cleveland. This is a city that knows heartbreak above all else. From Earnest Byner's fumble to Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo. This is different. This was a script. A carefully crafted backstabbing of the city that loved him unconditionally, poised for all the world to see.

Let this be an open letter to the city of Cleveland. Your turnpike neighbors aren't laughing at you. We're commiserating with you tonight.

You've been through enough. You didn't deserve this.

Hopefully Delonte West is sticking it to LeBron's mom as hard as LeBron gave it to Cleveland.