I remember back to my freshman year of high school when our basketball team had made the state final four championships for Division II. Excitement trickled throughout the hallways and to make everything better, we were given the school day off to go see the game in Columbus.

Back then I really wasn't too into basketball, but my friend and I stayed home and listened to the game on the radio for one sole purpose: we, the Bulldogs of Poland Seminary High School were up against a team from Akron. This team was St. Vincent-St. Mary's. Normally, this wouldn't mean a thing to either of us. To those of you who know your history however, phenom high school basketball player LeBron James just so happened to play for St. Vincent-St. Mary's.

He was the so-called next Michael Jordan, a kid who had himself on the front cover of Sports Illustrated'and yes, our high school team was playing him!

In short, he single handedly destroyed us. His dunks from the foul line mesmerized everyone (as they still do). We weren't mad; we lost to a guy who would be in the NBA after graduating high school. If it was any consolation to the guys on our team, King James and company ended up losing in the championship.

Okay, so it seems like a random memory out of nowhere, but for the first time in his NBA career, LeBron has finally made his way into the playoffs. After scoring 6,307 career points, and making ESPN's top plays of the week for just about every one of those points, the Cavaliers find themselves up against the Washington Wizards to start off the playoff tournament. So now, being a Cavalier fan, I've found myself cheering for LeBron and hoping he finally gets his crown so he can officially refer to himself as 'King James'.

I'm going out on the limb here and predicting the Cavs to defeat the Wizards. Unfortunately, they'll most likely be up against the Detroit Pistons in the following match up, which doesn't look to good from a Cleveland perspective. But so what if Detroit will probably win? As a Cleveland fan, I don't expect to make it too far in the playoffs. In fact, I'm excited we even made the playoffs. Last year the Cavs missed it by a half a game, once again devastating and breaking the hearts of all their fans. Chances are we'll go to Detroit, lose a few games, surprisingly win a few, and bring the series even with one game to go. Being Cleveland, we'll lose. I'm not going to get upset over it. This may not sound like being a true fan, but to me, I think I'm just a realist.

Speaking of getting close and blowing it, the Tribe seemed to be off to hot start only to bring themselves to .500 only a few games later. Despite our typical April, I'm feeling pretty good about the Indians this season. We topped both the ESPN and CBS Sportsline power rankings a couple weeks ago, and although injuries might be adding up, we're starting to look like a powerful squad once again (not our team back in the mid-nineties, but with some potential).

Like the Cavs, the Indians pulled the same stunt at the end of their respective season: getting as close as possible to making the playoffs without actually getting in. I remember calculating the odds and telling myself that the only way the Tribe will miss the playoffs is if they lose so many of their remaining games. The chances were improbable, but of course not impossible for a team from Cleveland. Much to my surprise, Cleveland was swept by their rivals the Chicago White Sox in the last few games of the season.

Is the same fate to befall us this year as last? I wouldn't put it passed them, but I'd be willing to bet the Tribe won't miss the playoffs again this year. The division looks a little tougher than usual, but I'm feeling confident.

Travis Hafner has been nothing less than a stud, and his supporting cast hasn't looked too shabby either. As for their fortune come post season (if they get in), that's a different story that I don't have the guts to predict just quite yet.

If you're not a Cleveland fan, you can't really relate to any of this. Pittsburgh fans finally got their beloved 'one for the thumb', so they can stop whining about their sports luck. Cincinnati fans only follow their team when they're winning, so I'll let them feel good about the Reds for the next couple weeks. But as for Cleveland, we can only go so far before we have been overcome by our Cleveland fate. I'll continue cheering for the Cavs and the Tribe, no matter how much of an emotional rollercoaster my relationship is with them.

Oh, and in case some of you were wondering, I'm not a Browns fans. I don't love Cleveland that much