Believeland

This is definitely something I never thought I would be writing about...sports.

If you have been following that world of athletics in any capacity for the past month, you will have undoubtedly watched baseball teams fighting for playoff spots, football kicking into high gear and basketball settling into training.

And if you have been following sports in the Midwest, you have probably been just as shocked as I have been at the way baseball and football have been shaping up this year.

For instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates? The team that hasn't had a winning season in over 20 years? Yes, they are in the playoffs this year and are proving that they are finally ready for a comeback (especially considering the Steelers' very sad 0-4 record). But, as a Clevelander, the Pirates' sudden rise into the spotlight isn't exactly what caught my attention this fall.

When you say Cleveland, one of the first things people think about is the intense dedication that Cleveland sports fans have for their teams even through the management changes, betrayals (*cough* LeBron *cough cough*) and losing seasons.

This year was no exception to the rule by any means.

When the Indians' opening day hit in April, fans flocked to the ballpark in anticipation of sunny summer days, hot dogs and indulging in the American pastime. As the summer wore on, attendance started to dwindle and by September, fan attention and dedication was laughable, especially considering the Tribe was in a legitimate playoff run.

All judgement and fair-weather fan frustration aside, for obvious reasons, the stadium was filled as the Indians took on the Rays in the Wild Card game at Progressive Field last week. I cannot tell you how incredible it was to turn on the TV and be able to hear the Tribe fans cheering over the announcers. Even as the game wore on, and it became more and more evident that the game was going to be the extent of the Indians' playoff appearances, the fans never stopped cheering for their beloved Tribe.

As if the Indians having a playoff run wasn't enough, Clevelanders were treated to an extra surprise as the Browns turned what looked like what was going to be a disappointing season around right after the management's shocking decision to trade Trent Richardson.

As fans coped with and ranted about the loss, a hometown boy showed up and took the spotlight as he lead the team to two victories with a brief appearance in the rival game against the Bills.

Brian Hoyer seemed to come out of nowhere, but he quickly had fans asking "Richardson who?" as he dominated in the Browns game against both the Vikings and the Bengals.

Unfortunately, Hoyer was badly injured in the Browns' most recent game against the Bills, leading fans to wonder what the outcome of the game was going to be. After a very back and forth game with the Browns and Bills answering each other almost point for point, the Browns hit their stride and clinched the victory 37-24.

With the Indians having such a great season and charging through a 10 game victory sweep into the playoffs and the Browns appearing to rise up out of the ashes of a badly beaten down team, it is looking like Cleveland is finally getting that "next year" that we always talk about.

Even though the Tribe may have not made it far in their playoff run, they showed incredible promise and improvement. They gave us a taste of what the team could really look like next year, leading us to believe that our "next year" really is something that is going to happen for the Indians' 2014 season.

The Browns, with their new coaches and attitude, may have lost Richardson to a trade and Hoyer to a knee injury, but if they keep playing this way with this much determination, there is no telling what they could do this season.

Take heart Clevelanders, we really are the "Comeback City." The economy is growing, construction is booming, and the city is changing and becoming a center for entertainment, learning and culture once again. Our sports teams are winning and morale has never seemed higher. All it takes is the collective determination of  a passionate population to make Cleveland great again.

This is our time.

This is our year.

Let's do this.