Like many fans, I inherited my favorite teams from my father. I have his face, his eyes, his love of family, and his love of the Indians, Browns, Cavs and Buckeyes deep in my DNA.My love affair with my sweetest team began on a perfect Friday evening in Cleveland. I was 5 years old. Dad and I were two of the 12,084 in attendance for an Indians-Tigers game at the old and cavernous Municipal Stadium. Our seats were just behind the Indians dugout so we had a great view of one of baseballs all-time great brawls. In the eighth inning of an otherwise forgettable game, Tigers pitcher Bill Denehy decided to take back a pound of flesh for the three Tigers hitters already hit by Indians pitching. Denehy plunked Indians catcher Ray Fosse, who was having none of it. Fosse charged the mound. Denehy came flying at Fosse, spikes high, and caught him in the hand. Blood was everywhere. The benches cleared. Denehy, Fosse and Tigers left fielder Willie Horton were sent to the showers, and umpire Jim Honochick called it the bloodiest fight he had seen on a baseball field in 23 years. When the game finally resumed, Indians first baseman Chris Chambliss promptly belted a two-run homer and I was hopelessly hooked. My dad further cemented the relationship when he bought me an Indians replica batting helmet as we were leaving the stadium after the 7-0 win. That helmet left my head for church and sleep and not much else.That 1971 season the Indians lost 102 games, finishing 43 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the old AL East. But it was in that warm June moment that I dedicated my forever fandom to the Cleveland Indians, declaring to my doting dad, Ill only play in the major leagues for the Cleveland Indians. Never happened, of course, but my lifelong love affair still continues 46 years later with the same unabashed hope and passion.Through the years, Dad and I shared the many heartbreaks, and occasional highs, of Indians baseball. We listened on the radio on Opening Day 1975 when Frank Robinson, in his first at-bat as the Indians player-manager, homered to lead the Indians to a 5-3 win over the Yankees.We watched on TV in 1981 as Len Barker threw a perfect game against the Blue Jays. I still remember our phone call during my senior year at BGSU when Sports Illustrated made Cory Snyder and Joe Carter cover boys with the banner, Indian Uprising. They would lose 101 games and finish 37 games behind the Detroit Tigers.The mid-90s saw the true Indian Uprising. By now, I was working at WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. I was lucky enough to cover the final game at Municipal Stadium and the first game at Jacobs Field. Dad was still living in Sandusky, and we would occasionally meet in Cleveland for games. The Indians were very good. Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar, Kenny Lofton and on and on -- those teams were dripping with talent.I was covering the 1995 World Series when the Indians lost in six to Atlanta. My first call after completing my late reports was to Dad. We lamented. We replayed Game 6. A 1-0 loss. David Justice homered. Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers held the potent Tribe offense to a single hit.Two years later it was even worse. 1997. Game 7 of the World Series in Miami. The Indians led the Marlins 2-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth inning. Manager Mike Hargrove called on closer Jose Mesa to get three more outs. Thats all that stood between the Indians and their first World Series championship since my dad was 10. I had left the press box and headed to the doors just outside the Indians clubhouse to prepare for postgame interviews. Suddenly the stadium shook. The Marlins had tied the game. The clubhouse doors flew open. I watched in disbelief as carts of champagne were whisked out of the Indians clubhouse. Boxes of Indians World Series Champions shirts and hats were also carted out, headed instead to Third World countries. The Marlins scored again in the 11th to win Game 7 and the World Series. When I finally finished my postgame interviews and final report, I called Dad. It was in the early morning hours. He was still awake. Waiting for my call.Ten years later, 2007, the Indians are good again, but now Dad was fighting cancer, and for his life, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Indians led Terry Francona and the Red Sox three games to one in the ALCS. My father had loved Terrys dad Tito, who spent six of his best 15 big league seasons with the Indians in the 50s and 60s. I decided to jump on a plane and stay in Phoenix until the baseball season was over. I knew it would be my fathers last. When I arrived, my dad remarked, Too bad for Titos boy, Terry. Seems like a wonderful man, but this one is ours. I spent the next days watching the Indians lose their grip on what seemed a certain trip to the World Series. They would lose Game 5. Then Game 6 and Game 7. My last chance to watch the Indians win a World Series with my dad had slipped away. In the minutes after Game 7 ended, Dad broke the ugly silence with few words. He told me he wouldnt trade the past few days for anything. Even though our team had lost and we both knew wed never see a championship together, he somehow found the positive. He focused on the father-son time. Watching baseball together. As we first had 36 years earlier. He put sports in its proper place. He told me, Let sports enhance your life, not detract from it. They are games, meant to be fun. Dont lose sight of that. He assured me one day Ill experience a championship with my son, Corey. He told me to enjoy it as much as if it had been lived with him.When the Cavaliers finally ended Clevelands 51-year title drought in June, Corey and I were together. We were in Cleveland and we celebrated like children at recess. It took just seconds before thoughts turned to Dad.And thats where my thoughts will be Tuesday night when the Indians host Game 1 of the World Series for the first time ever. With my dad. And all of those backyard catches. And all of those games in old Municipal Stadium. And the late-night consolation phone calls. And that difficult 2007 ALCS. Ill be with Corey, just a few feet away from the Indians dugout and Terry Francona. Dad, you were right. Terry is a wonderful man. And this time hes on our side. Wholesale Vans Shoes . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Cheap Vans Shoes Wholesale . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. http://www.cheapvansfromchina.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Cheap Vans Shoes China .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Vans Shoes Clearance . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Fans inside Notre Dame Stadium who were calling for defensive coordinator Brian VanGorders job on Saturday got their wish one day later, as Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly fired the beleaguered defensive coordinator Sunday and promoted defensive analyst Greg Hudson to the post.Saying that Hudson and every other staff member was on a public interview for the rest of the season, Kelly has turned to a fresh set of eyes in hopes of fixing a defense that has allowed 149 points through a 1-3 start, the most points the program has ever given up in its first four games.What I was looking for in this particular instance -- each situation you evaluate it at face value -- and what I was looking for, I thought Greg was the perfect fit to bring that energy level up to where I want to see it, Kelly said during a conference call, shortly after the school announced the change. Guys play hard, but we lack some of the energy and enthusiasm and the fun, quite frankly, that you need to have when youre playing on defense.Notre Dame is 1-5 in its last six games dating back to last season, with its only win coming in Week 2 over Nevada. The Irish have allowed 206 points in those five losses.Notre Dame currently ranks 103rd nationally in total defense, 101st in scoring defense, 104th in yards per play, 96th in rushing defense and 87th in passing defense.Hudson had joined the Irish defensive staff in June and has coordinator experience at Purdue, East Carolina and Minnesota, in addition to serving as assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Florida State.Obviously, this is a difficult day for our coaching staff, but Im excited and honored about the opportunity that Coach Kelly has afforded me, Hudson said in a release earlier Sunday. Weve got to improve on defense, without a doubt, and Im confident that we will. We have great student-athletes and a tremendous defensive coaching staff. I cant wait to get started with our group.Kelly had staunchly defended VanGorder at every turn this season, even saying after Saturdays 38-35 loss to Duke that all 22 starting players jobs were up for grabs but that he was pleased with the coaching staff. He explained the change in public stance Sunday by saying that news conferences are not the appropriate time or place to evaluate his staff, an evaluation that he said took place Saturday night after the loss.Thats not the approppriate time to get into talking about your coaches and where do you feel they fit on that continuum of how well theyre doing, Kelly said.dddddddddddd. Im going to defend them in those public settings. As I got a chance to further evaluate our football team and our current situation I felt that it was in our best interest to make the move that I did.Kelly reiterated Sunday that the defensive vision and personnel will likely be tweaked in the coming weeks.You know, Ill spend a lot more time with the defense obviously, he said. But you know, terminology will stay effectively the same. Were not going to go and pull the rug underneath the kids at this point in the season.But youll see some certain tweaks that I feel like are necessary and some things that I know that as a group, that we will collectively come to an agreement in our best interests.He added that his role will be more as a supervisor to help the transition following?VanGorders dismissal.Kelly said he did not consider a staff change in the offseason after Notre Dame lost its final two games in which it surrendered a combined 82 points, but he said he did evaluate everything internally following this seasons 50-47 double-overtime loss at Texas in the opener.Tax records released to ESPN.com this past spring showed that VanGorder had been among the schools highest-paid employees in 2014, making $1,106,156 in his first year. Multiple sources told ESPN.com that VanGorder had signed a three-year deal when he joined Notre Dame. By comparison, previous Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, now the third-year head coach at UConn, had made $672,824 in his final season with the school, according to tax records obtained by ESPN.com.VanGorders son, Montgomery, is a redshirt sophomore quarterback with the Irish, and Kelly said he addressed the coordinators dismissal with the signal-caller immediately.Asked if an in-season turnaround now must be coach-led or player-led, Kelly said: It starts with the coaches, its got to be coach-led, and theyve got to start the fire. Then those players that have that intrinsic motivation, that fire within, they will come along with us. Those that dont, were going to leave them along the side. But this is going to start with the coaches. ' ' '