Feeling Brown

Tonight, the Cleveland Browns open their pre-season schedule, and I'll be in attendance.

It will be just my second Browns game in person (the other was an exhibition game as well), and the tickets are freebies (as were the tickets to the first game.)

Let me tell you why I'm not a rabid Dawg Pound occupant.

First off, I'm a baseball fan. Baseball is my sport, always has been, always will be. I love football, love the Browns, and hope to live to see them in a Super Bowl someday.

But, one reason I love baseball is that it's a summertime sport. Shorts. Short sleeves. Cold beer. Warm temperatures (well, except when it snows.)

I have absolutely NO desire to see the Browns when its 30 degrees outside ... when I can enjoy a pizza and beer and watch them from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy.

But, there's another reason. The fans.

I get it that football is an aggressive sport, and so it attracts a more aggressive fan.

But, honestly, I don't need to be surrounding by people hurling expletives, fighting and puking.

There was just an article in the Plain Dealer about the NFL cracking down on fan conduct this season. Take a look at the comments. Wow.

Which leads me to another point. Why do Clevelanders seem to want to get absolutely, positively, fall-down-the-stairs hammered before every big event?

I get that tailgating is part of the football experience. Heck, I've done it myself. But, I've never been so drunk I can't make it to my seat, or fell asleep during the game.

But, it's not just football.

The Genesis concert I went to last fall featured several people falling down ... and at least one person throwing up in the aisle. Genesis! 59-year old British dudes! This isn't KISS people!

Bruce Springsteen had the right idea. Before his last solo acoustic tour, a concert where he wanted the crowd to "give him some quiet", the Boss cut off beer sales before he took the stage. You should have heard the complaining!

Now, I'll confess, I like going out on with my buddies on St. Patrick's Day in matching t-shirts or vintage green tuxedo jackets and having a good time. But, we never get out of control.

So folks, what is it that makes you want to get so darn drunk at every social event that requires a ticket to enter?

And with that, I'll end this post, and kindly tell those kids to get off my lawn. :)