Our Cleveland sports teams seem to be on rise. After years of heartaches and near misses could 2007 be the year that changes our fortunes? Did the sports Gods decide that it was time for Cleveland to stop suffering sometime during April when the Browns managed to secure two blue chip NFL prospects in Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn? Was it just a sign of things to come when Cleveland Cavaliers, a team of misfits that happen to play with the NBA's biggest superstar, Lebron James, over achieved to make the NBA Finals when none of the so-called experts gave them a fighting chance of competing with the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals? Can the Cleveland Indians, a polar opposite of the mid-90's teams who used brute force and suspect starting pitching, bring the city its first championship in 43 long years and the franchises first since the 1948 club? Could this finally be an era of champions in Cleveland?

We'll start with the Cleveland Browns. Again, the so-called experts predicted an abysmal year from the Brown and Orange. I went out on a limb and boldly predicted a 9-7 team. My confidence, of course, did waver when they laid an egg against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening game. In the second game, however, it looked like all they needed to do is was get the nervous feet of Charlie Frye out of the starting lineup. The Browns are full of offensive talent. Kellen Winslow would probably be regarded as one of the best tight ends of all time if he wasn't a victim of the "Cleveland Curse" and bad judgment. If you are an NFL player you have no business doing stunts on a motorcycle like Evil Knievel. Even with legs that have been through such trauma, Winslow has amazing hands and can still outrun most tight ends. It would be scary to see what he could have done if he never made motorcycle riding one of his hobbies.

Braylon Edwards was also inflicted with the "Cleveland Curse". A promising rookie season would end with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. He would come back in record time but doubts would remain as he seemed immature and conceited. Then this off season he seemed to mature. He gave a hefty donation to the Cleveland City School District and has avoided the negative headlines that had plagued him the past. He is growing more steady and if he has a quarterback that can get him the ball, he easily could turn into one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

Derek Anderson could be this season's Kurt Warner if can play anywhere near the level he did last week. The great news for the Browns is that he is only 24 years old and has quarterback behind him, in Quinn, who looks as good as advertised. Having one quarterback on team that can play in the NFL is nice. Having two is a luxury. Having two that are not even in their mid-twenties is priceless. The Cleveland Browns could have literally gone from being in the worst possible position at quarterback in the league, to being the envy of the entire NFL. There are doubts that Anderson can duplicate the success he had last week against the Bengals. But how many quarterbacks light up a team for 328 yards passing and 5 touchdowns in a game? Anderson has to have some talent to put up numbers like those.

The left side of the offensive line, with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, completely dominated last week and could be a sign of things to come. The defense needs to step up and if Romeo Crennel is the defensive genius that had been claimed when he signed on board here, it is now time to start showing it. If the Cleveland Browns can win this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders and go back to Cleveland with a 2-1 record against the Baltimore Ravens this town will be poised to explode with enthusiasm. It may sound premature, but this week's game could be their biggest of the season. Getting momentum could push this club up the NFL ranks and make believers of both fans and players alike. A loss, on the other hand, will have the skeptics snickering.

Now we'll turn our focus onto the Tribe. The Indians could head into October baseball with the American League's best record. Can they beat the "Beasts of the East" New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox? If you watched this season closely and are an Indians fans, you may have cringed at that question. Things aren't as bad as they may seem, however, as the first round of the playoffs will likely put the Yankees at Cleveland. The Indians have the advantage with CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, a dominant 1-2 punch in a 5 game series. The Yankees, of course, bring a high powered offense. Baseball fans know that good pitching seems to win out in Playoff baseball. The home field advantage can't hurt either. If they manage to get by the Bronx Bombers, the next step would be the American League Championship Series against either the Los Angeles Angels or Boston Red Sox. Home field advantage in the ALCS may prove to be crucial so let us hope the Indians can pull ahead of those two clubs. And remember, the American League owns the home field advantage in the World Series because of their victory in this year in the Midsummer Classic.

And if things don't work out with the Indians or Browns we know that we will have the pleasure to watch Lebron James come November. The Eastern Conference is improved with the Boston Celtics having a great off-season but you can't discount the fact the Cavaliers have experience now. Can Lebron James lead the Cavaliers to a title? If not this year it would happen soon enough for Cleveland.

2007 may just be the year things turned around for Cleveland sports. And, if it doesn't, we have become accustomed to the pain and suffering anyway.