My name is Kirk, and I am one of the creators of Curse of Cleveland.  I am a senior at The Ohio State University majoring in Computer and Information Science, specializing in Software Systems.  In my spare time, I like working on computers, watching sports, going to movies, playing basketball, golfing, and hanging out with my friends.  I started this website to give my input on the ins and outs of the Cleveland and Ohio State sports scenes.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Cleveland sports fan.  I got started at a young age thanks to my dad and my grandma.  The first team I became passionate about was the Indians.  It was easily my dad and grandma’s favorite of the three Cleveland teams, and I had started to play baseball as well.  I collected baseball cards, wrote down the players’ stats out of the newspaper, went to games at Municipal Stadium and the Jake with my dad and uncle, and filled my wardrobe with Tribe gear.  I began my fanaticism at a good time in Indians’ history with the likes of Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar, Charles Nagy, Omar Vizquel, Carlos Baerga, and many more.

Not too long after that, I got interested in the Cavaliers and basketball itself.  I remember watching the abysmal Cavs in the hideous powder blue and orange unis.  The team had Terrell Brandon, the late Bobby Phills, and now-Cavaliers-GM Danny Ferry to name a few.  I still recall the day the Cavs drafted a tall and skinny Lithuanian center by the name of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  Little did I know that he would one day help lead the Cavs to the NBA Finals.  I also remember the day the colors changed back to wine and gold, and they drafted a high schooler by the name of LeBron James that would become the face of the franchise for years to come.  My passion for the Cavaliers has only increased since then.  As I played basketball for six years and became a certified basketball official since graduating, I feel basketball is where I have the best in-depth analysis on top of it being my favorite sport.

Since the Browns left town when I was eight, I had to rely on other NFL teams for entertainment for a while.  I enjoyed watching Brett Favre and the Packers and Vinny Testaverde and the Jets.  But, nothing could compare to when the Browns came back in action in 1999.  Although the teams were less than competitive, it was great to see the most passionate fans in the NFL with their team back in town and gain that passion myself.  I’ve been through the Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, and Kevin Johnson days to today's team and Braylon Edwards, Brady Quinn, and Jamal Lewis with Phil Dawson the lone standby from the '99 squad.

As I went through high school and I began to look at colleges, Ohio State and their sports teams became more and more important to me.  The only championship for Cleveland or Columbus I saw with my own two eyes was that spectacular night in 2003 in Tempe, AZ where the Buckeyes beat the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl in double overtime.  Craig Krenzel, Mike Doss, and Mike Nugent provided me the only championship notch on my belt.  Once I got to Ohio State, that love for the Buckeyes increased tenfold.  Now, they are as important to me as the Cleveland trifecta.

For all the good times, there have been quite a few times that have tested my patience, happiness, and mental stability.  While the plays that come to people’s minds when they think of the Curse are "The Drive", "The Fumble", "Red Right 88", and "The Shot" (and rightfully so), I was barely born when those events happned, so this is my chapter of the Curse of Cleveland (and Columbus).

1995- Cleveland Indians lose World Series to Atlanta Braves four games to two.

1996- Art Modell moves the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

1997- Cleveland Indians lose World Series to Florida Marlins four games to three after Jose Mesa blows ninth-inning save in Game Seven.

2006- Ohio State Buckeyes football team loses BCS National Championship Game to Florida Gators.

2007- Ohio State Buckeyes Men’s Basketball Team loses NCAA National Championship Game to Florida Gators.

2007- Cleveland Cavaliers lose NBA Finals to San Antonio Spurs four games to zero.

2007- Cleveland Indians blow three games to one lead and lose ALCS to Boston Red Sox four games to three.

2007- Ohio State Buckeyes football team loses BCS National Championship Game to LSU Tigers.

2009 - Cleveland Cavaliers have homecourt throughout playoffs and franchise record 66 wins but lose to Orlando Magic in Eastern Conference Finals four games to two.

So, there’s a summary of my suffering if you will.  But, being a Cleveland fan is about being resilient and having faith that your teams will someday break The Curse of Cleveland.   And when that day comes, this website will have to think about a name change, but I will continue to blog regardless.

-Kirk