Better than a Christmas Story

It’s not snowing outside. You won’t find any stringed lights hanging from rooftops or pine trees in windows. Santa is nowhere to be found and Dec. 25 is still months away. In Cleveland, however, today is Christmas. If you live in Ohio and support Cleveland athletics, the anticipation you’re experiencing is probably equivalent to a kid on Christmas morning. Although this kind of excitement, doesn’t occur annually. For Cleveland fans, it doesn’t usually occur at all.

Tonight, the Cavaliers take the floor in their first regular season game. Before the clock starts, a ceremony will be held in the Quicken Loans Arena to honor the 2016 NBA Champions. This year, the Cavs have an unfamiliar mindset. Instead of achieving a title, they’re defending one. They’re confident, they’re together and they’re more than capable of repeating last season’s success. Tonight is the start of a wildly anticipated and optimistic Cavaliers’ journey.

Across the street at Progressive Field, Game 1 of the MLB World Series begins almost simultaneously. The Cleveland Indians prepare to play the Chicago Cubs in attempt to win their first championship since 1948. For a city known as “the mistake on the lake,” the success of the Indians and the Cavaliers almost seems unimaginable. Some people believe that the notorious “curse” has been broken. Whatever the reason, it’s something that dedicated Cleveland fans have long deserved and arguably better than any present, wrapped under a tree.