This morning when I got to my computer, I saw a link from one of my favorite Cleveland area bloggers/tweeters @ClevelandChick. She tweeted out the annual “Mindset List” put out by Beloit college that gives the perspective of today’s average matriculating college freshman. It points out that a college freshman who will graduate in 2016 would share their freshman year with someone like Justin Bieber or Dakota Fanning should they choose to go to college. They also point out that this generation of kids might know who Kurt Cobain is, but they never shared its living air with him. If that wasn’t depressing enough, imagine if you knew Robert DeNiro as Greg Focker’s father in-law instead of from The Godfather or even Cape Fear. Of course, that led me to want to tie it into Cleveland sports. So here’s are a few from the WFNY crew.
- The Browns were owned by Art Modell for only two years of their lifetime
- They might know Julio Franco… because he played with the Indians 1996 and 1997, not in the 1980s.
- Bernie Kosar was never a player for the Browns in their lifetime.
- Brad Daugherty played his entire Cavaliers career before they were ever born in all likelihood.
- The voice of the Browns, Nev Chandler, died in August of the year they were born.
- They most likely don’t ever remember that WTAM used to be WWWE or that channel 8 used to be CBS instead of Fox.
- To them, the Indians have always been in the AL Central and might not have any memory of the Milwaukee Brewers being in the AL, let alone the AL Central.
- They most likely know Clay Matthews… the linebacker… who plays for Green Bay.
- They might know Manny Ramirez, but they certainly don’t remember him fighting for a starting job with Wayne Kirby.
- They probably know Michael Jordan, but not for his shot over Craig Ehlo. They know him as the most famous Washington Wizard.
- And who could ever forget Danny Ferry, the GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers? Never mind that he played here.
We could go all day, I’m sure. Good luck to the class of 2016. Hopefully as time progresses we’ll at least have some good memories. Wouldn’t it be great to say that the class of 2034 thinks life is easy because there were championships every year since they were born in 2012.