This is My Town

It's been an interesting week in my city.

For the first time in 52 years, one of Cleveland's major league sports teams won a title.

One million three hundred thousand people flooded the downtown streets to watch a parade and rally.

Photo courtesy of Joe Ginley

There was lots of cheering, back-slapping and hooraying for our town. And I think it's all very wonderful.

Everyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge sports fan. I do love the Indians, although I haven't been to a game in a few years. I cried bitter tears of anguish when they lost the World Series in 1997. I still haven't gotten over it.

But the Cavs? I'm pretty "meh," as the kids say. However, I am thrilled for those who love basketball and I bask, just a little, in their glow.

My husband and son watched the game from a local bar. I turned the TV on and off to stay updated on the score, so I knew when it was all over. (The neighborhood fireworks were a good indication, too.) On Wednesday, I dropped my son off at the Rapid station at 6:45 am so he could attend the doin's downtown.

I was happy for the local businesses who would profit handsomely. I was thrilled for the fans. And I shared the joy of my live-in sports nuts.

But I did have one beef with the whole mishegas. The recurring theme that, now that we've won a championship, we're not a city of losers anymore. Like we were all so insecure, we didn't love this screwed up berg all along. It's like having a child: you can criticize your own kid all day long, but if anyone else tries to wail on them, you're having none of it. That's how it felt to me this past week.

Cleveland is a great town. It was a great town before the Cavs won, and it's still a great town. And it would have been a great town even if they hadn't won. I don't want to sound like the Visitors' Bureau or anything, but there are lots of cool things to do in this berg if you look around. My younger coworkers are always talking about local festivals, art shows and other events that embrace the creative talents and diversity of our city. Did you know there is something called "Take a Hike" that does tours throughout the week in the Summer? Areas of interest include the Warehouse District, Playhouse Square, the Gateway District and the Canal Basin. University Circle is chock full of museums and points of interest. The Flats are making a comeback. And the MetroParks have so much to offer that so few people know about.

Who knew I would be the cheerleader here? We've come a long way from our Mistake on the Lake days, when all we could do was throw slogans onto t-shirts and hope for the best. (Cleveland's a Plum? Really?) We've actually cleaned up our gritty city and made it a cooler place to be.

No apologies necessary.

Anyone else up for Walnut Wednesday?

I'm all in.