Somehow I made it to the last Browns game of the season. They played the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, January 3, 2010 when northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania were starting to experience their first big bout of lake effect snow.

I started my trip from eastern PA across the state and up to Cleveland, OH at 4AM. I wanted to be in the stadium at 11AM when they opened. I don’t make games often, but I do have front row seats and I really wanted to meet my friend from Columbus, and #89 tight end, Evan Moore. It was both their birthdays.

Don’t ask me how, but I made it to the stadium at 10:55AM. I never stopped (except for gas) and I was excited.

Before I could go, I had to add more layers of clothing. As you can read, it was very cold, but unlike the Pittsburgh game (which was at night), this was the daytime and there were snow showers.

I got everything I would need including the two tickets, but unfortunately my friend KNEW how bad the lake effect snow could be in Cleveland and did not risk coming up from Columbus. I was disappointed (probably not as much as she) but she made the right call.

I finally made it down to my seat where the usher promptly shooed away people less fortunate not having great seats. I don’t know what they were looking at anyway because as you can see it was empty and cold.

Of course the real reason why I have those tickets and trek 800 miles round trip is to see Brady Quinn.

I know he was at the Raider game the week prior – bad foot and all, but he was no where to be seen. Some people said he may be in a box seat, but that doesn’t sound like Brady. He would be out there encouraging his team. Throughout the entire game no Brady.  Only thing I saw was more snow and no Quinn.

Speaking of Moore…..

I made two signs for the game.

My seats are right next to the tunnel, so it is pretty difficult for the players to miss the posters.

I set up my big “Happy New Year to the CLEVELAND BROWNS” poster and asked players to sign it as they passed by to go back into the locker room. I didn’t have as much luck as I did earlier in the season and chalk that up to the cold.

Immediately, #65 Eric Steinbach signed it and #83 Greg Estandia. I thanked them and we both exchanged New Year’s greetings. A third player came over to sign.

I looked down and saw him sign my New Year’s sign and it started with a big E. Could it be?

I asked. “Evan?”

A very cold player with part of his combo clava in his mouth looked up at me and said, “Yeah?”

“Evan Moore?” I could not believe it.

“Uh huh.”

I took the big white New Year’s sign from him and held up my other sign, the one that says, “Happy 25th Birthday EVAN MOORE!”

“It is your birthday right? Today?” A big smile went across his face and he acknowledged that indeed it was. I asked him to sign his b-day poster and wished him a good birthday and a great game. He was very impressed to see anyone even remembered. Some of us recognize that he is going to be a great asset to the Browns.

We high-fived and that was the last autograph I got. I really wish I could have gotten a picture of him. The one guy I came to see (sans Brady) was right there and yes indeed, I got to meet him.

It appears that spending a year with Green Bay did not acclimatize Evan to the cold.

One thing I did notice about Evan was that he looked skinny. I mean, stand out of the crowd skinny.

I’m 6 feet 5 inches and weigh 197 pounds. Evan is 6 feet 6 inches and I don’t know if he is the official 247 pounds it says on the Browns site.

Not a sellout crowd. Far from it. The paid attendance for the game was 66,935. I can assure you that half did not show up. With the cold and the weather, not even the idea of winning four in a row brought out all of the Brownies.

As it was said during the broadcast of the game, “Only the die-hard fans came out today.”

In fact, this was the lowest home attendance all season. (The highest being the season opener with 70,560.)

Derek Anderson is just not fun.

He didn’t stop and sign for anyone. Not even the children gathered all around. Several of us yelled for his attention and like Yukon Cornelius prospecting for gold or silver…, “Nuttin!”

In his defense, your mind should be on the game, and I know last year Romeo Crennell told players NOT to sign (although several did anyway). Maybe Mangini said something similar?

When Mike Adams left the tunnel he and Derek Anderson showed off for the cameras.

Now HERE is a DA having fun.

Great pic by David, the man I gave my seat too. While I was awestruck and taking other photos, he got some good shots.

Yes, that is Derek Anderson jumping up and down keeping warm, and yes, that is Evan Moore in the background doing what looks like a jig.

I told you it was cold. How they can be sleeveless is beyond me.

I love that Josh is such a humble man, and despite our love of Brady, it is easy to know who is the favorite of Cleveland. When Josh Cribbs was called out onto the field, the crowd went wild!

At the end of the game Josh went around the sides of the stadium where we all got a chance to slap hands, [SPOLIER ALERT] congratulate him on the win, and slap his pads.

I hope that the insult not paying what he deserves is going to stick around even if the Browns DO pay him a decent amount. Time will tell. (But the Browns really aren’t that stupid are they?)

This isn’t my photograph, it is the NFL’s, but I wish it were mine.

Evan Moore was just one yard away from a touchdown RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

It would have been his first touchdown as a pro player.

What a perfect photo opportunity it would have been if Evan Moore made that catch for a touchdown on his b-day.

I was just above the photographer with my birthday sign whe he commented that it would have been a great shot. Maybe next year.

The game and season was over. I think it was the four in a row that saved Mangini’s job, but people who know more than I can debate that. Seems we are stuck with him.

A very funny thing happened though when the players left the field.

Remember when I said Josh Cribbs went around the stadium high-fiving and congratulating the fans for, I don’t know, being loyal? That was happening around the time this picture was taken by David.

Line backer, Blake Costanzo jumped right on top of me and yelled,

“PULL ME UP!”

That has never happened to me. I was close to getting game balls, but never have I had a player jump up into the crowd and on me! Of course all of us rubbed his head, yelled congratulations, etc.

I am very VERY grateful for David for getting this next shot.

As Evan Moore was coming in off the field he gave me his game glove! You can see it in his hand.

I have been very lucky to have, on three separate occasions, caught players’ gloves and towels, but this one, by far, means the most to me.

On my way out of the stadium, the usher who patrols the same section I sit in came up to me and said, “How cool was it to get Evan’s glove?”

“You saw that?” I replied.

He said he did and added that I got pictures of him, slapped him five, and his autograph a couple of times, all on his birthday.

I couldn’t put it better any other way. It was cool.

To top it all off, the Cleveland Browns put me on their official web page! The link below takes you to the photo player where you can see me and my signs as well as the player autographs.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/multimedia/gallery_pop.php?gallery_id=370

Maybe next season I can share my seats and meet some of you? Thanks for reading!

This post is a shortened version of a slideshow I made for the Bleacher Report which can be viewed here. You may need to sign up, but it is worth it with more player pictures and explanations. I’m already thinking about next year.

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