Cleveland is the ultimate sports heartbreak city

The Drive. The Fumble. Jose Mesa. The fact that LeBron James is only one player and not five. Whatever the reason, Cleveland always seems to be suffering from bad karma when it comes to sports. The Indians choking away a 3-1 lead in last year's ALCS, combined with Ryan Garko's big mouth, got me thinking that it really is a bad case of the sports gods frowning on the Mistake on the Lake (aka Cleveland).

The Browns, perhaps the worst name for a professional sports franchise, have really been left in the cold when it comes to the Super Bowl. In addition to being one of six franchises never to reach the big game, they are the only one of those six to not at least host a Super Bowl in their city. John Elway did them in twice in the late 80's, and they have barely smelled the playoffs since then.

The Cavaliers had a nice run in knocking off Detroit in last year's conference finals, but LeBron James was no match for the Spurs, who have a complete team, not just one superstar. The Cavaliers have never won an NBA title, and last year was their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals.

And then there's the Indians. They lost two World Series in the 90's, including a heartbreaking, 7-game marathon against the Marlins in 1997. Blowing a 3-1 lead to Boston last year extended Cleveland's World Series title drought to 59 years.

Alas, there is no justice for Cleveland fans (not even David Justice, who went on to win a World Series only after departing Cleveland) when it comes to sports and notably championships. Ohio State is a winning collegiate program in nearby Columbus, but the fans of the Dawg Pound would much rather see their Browns, who will be featured in five prime time games next season, bring home the hardware. The city is championship-starved despite having some talented teams, and it's just a shame. But hey, it could be worse. Any of those teams could be the Chicago Cubs.