I’m not a sports writer.

I don’t claim to be one, nor do I want to be one.

I’m the online/video reporter for the News-Herald. I get up in the middle of the night (at least for me) to show up to work to make as many Web updates to our Web site as possible, among many other assignments.

However, I live for Cleveland sports. I literally lose sleep each night after a Cleveland loss.

I throw tantrums, have been known to break items and people tend to shy away from me after a tough loss.

I once devoted about three hours a day for years of my life to a Cleveland Cavaliers Messageboard site (until they made it some absurd social networking site).

Nerd? Yes. Die-hard fan since coming out of the womb in 85? Yes.

My heart has been broken multiple times for multiple reasons. Not by girls (don’t be silly), by Cleveland teams.

While I’m too young to remember “Red Right 88,” “The Drive,” “The Fumble,” “The Shot” or “The (insert breakdown here),” I’ve suffered through the 9th inning Jose Mesa meltdown in ‘97, the Steelers comeback against the Browns during the AFC wild card Playoff game in the ‘02 season, the embarrassing sweep of the Cavaliers in the ‘07 NBA Finals, the unexplainable collapse of the Tribe in the ALCS in ‘07 and the division race in '05, among many other heartbreaking defeats in bizarre and un-typical fashion.

Oh and did I mention one of the most storied franchises was taken from me (as well as from you too) in 1996. And let’s not discuss what that franchise went on to do. (Of course I’m convinced, due to this city’s luck, that we wouldn’t have had the same fate, had we not been “relocated.”)

So being a Cleveland fan brings a lot of heartbreak, you don’t need me to tell you that, but I keep coming back.

I consider myself a realist when it comes to talking/watching sports, while some people mistake it for pessimistic.

I’ll be using this blog to voice my opinion about the current status of these teams.

My thoughts, feelings, reactions, rants, displeasures, expectations, Brady, Grady and LeBron and any more unfortunate, ridiculous defeats that are sure to come to “The Mistake by the Lake.”

-Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com