This blog will be shutting its doors soon. I am moving on to a new challenge.

The decision was not an easy one because the Akron Beacon Journal has been a good place to work these past 11 years. The daily newspaper means a lot to me, as does being part of a local community. The Beacon Journal was gracious in providing both. I am fortunate and blessed, and grateful to the Beacon for the many opportunities.

As for you loyal readers … in a weird way it feels like we are all friends. Along the way we've shared opinions, traded barbs, endured insults, enjoyed music and laughed a little. You know about my daughters, I about your feelings toward the Browns, Cavs and Indians. It's been a lot more fun than I ever envisioned a blog (note the correct term) could be.

I hope to cross paths with many of you in the future. If you'd like to keep in touch, drop a line at mcmanamon.pat@gmail.com.

Hopefully this is not goodbye, but see you soon. I wish you all the best.

I sign off the way my father always did … God bless.

Pat

Finally … I leave you with this weekend's entertainment, which, appropriately, is by two of my favorite Irish musicians, Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem. The fact that it's dated does not diminish the sentiment:

Let's ponder for a moment …

What was Pete Maravich's nickname? Pistol Pete.

What do folks call a guy who shoots a lot? A gunner.

What is a guy who is really ready for a game? Loaded for bear.

What was the nickname of former NBA player Travis Grant? Machine Gun Grant.

What does a quarterback have when he has a strong arm? A gun.

What is a close, high-scoring game? A shootout.

What offense did Jim Kelly run in Buffalo when they lost all those Super Bowls? The K-gun.

What was Tom Heinsohn's nickname? Tommy Gun.

What is a deep pass in football? A bomb.

What is an offense when the quarterback drops back for the snap? The shotgun.

These references happen. They've happened for years, and they'll keep happening. Periodically folks get all weepy and moralistic about it. It usually happens during times of war, when in reality war references as applied to sports are simply out of place.

But in sports, the weapon references are as old as Babe Ruth, and nobody means anything nasty or irreverent or negative by them.

And I don't think Peyton Manning dropping back in the shotgun is condoning any kind of gun violence.

So in this case, I'm going to agree with James when he says that Bryant and he and Nike were not referring to guns in the ad, and that sometimes slang gets interspersed with regular language and twisted.

The timing of Nike's ad is bad, yes.

But this had to have been in the pipeline for weeks.

Nobody could plan that Gilbert Arenas and Jarvis Crittenton would actually … you know … take guns into the locker room. And nobody could predict two months ago when Nike's campaign was being developed that the same week it came out would be the week Crittenton and Arenas were suspended.

I don't particularly like the ad, with its combat theme. I'm glad the city of Cleveland decided not to allow a 10-story poster of it downtown. That seems sensible. This is basketball, not combat.

But there's a difference between not liking it and getting all moralistic over something that was not intended or even present in the ad itself.

A little bit of this high-minded moralism goes a long way.

At this point, it's time for me to shoot on over to YouTube and figure out the weekend music.

Shaquille O'Neal had his way with the Indiana Pacers inside and dominated defensively — including a block of Roy Hibbert in the second half that was near humiliating.

Those were the main plotlines in the Cavs 94-73 win over Indiana on Friday.

The Cavs scored 36 points in the first quarter behind James' nine assists and never looked back. There were times they were sloppy — as 20 turnovers attest — and times they got a little lazy. But anytime the Pacers even threatened to make things a game, James or O'Neal would make a block or a steal or a play to seal the win.

The Cavs two superstars carried the team on a night when the Cavs started fast and then cruised through the rest of the game.

After the game, James was asked about the hullabaloo over a new Nike Ad that features him and Kobe Bryant in scaly body armor.

In the ad, Bryant is quoted saying: "I'll do whatever it takes to win games. I don't leave anything in the chamber."

It caused a mini-star coming on the heels of the suspensions of two Washington Wizards for taking guns into the locker room.

The NBA called the ad inappropriate, and Nike issued this statement: "The Nike print ad featuring Kobe Bryant was intended to illustrate his all out play and commitment on the basketball court. It is a commonly used reference for shooting the basketball and no offense was intended."

At issue is the Gilbert Arenas situation. Arenas and Jarvis Crittenton were suspended for the rest of the season earlier this week after both brought guns into the locker room.

Gun and war references are not uncommon in sports. Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said after the loss that his team didn't have enough bullets in the gun to beat the Cavs. The ad's theme is "Prepare for Combat."

The ads and the reaction all can get a bit silly, but given the Arenas situation, there is a heightened sensitivity to guns, and gun play.

James was asked about the ad.

His comments:

"I think one thing we have to understand is that Kobe did not reference a gun, at all. Slang gets caught up into just regular English. We say a lot of things as basketball players that make a reference into, I don't know, guns or violence, but it's really not guns or violence.

"Kobe said every night I go out, I'm going to give it my all. I'm leaving nothing on the court, I'm going to do everything I've got to do to win basketball games. I'm leaving nothing in the chamber.

"That has nothing to do with guns. Nothing.

"Me being a big Kobe Bryant fan, me being a big supporter of Nike, of course … that has nothing, zero, to do with guns. At all. At all. Zero.

"For somebody even to say that … that's a basketball term. You go on the basketball court, I'm leaving everything on the court, I'm leaving nothing in the chamber.

"That has zero to do about guns.

"To try to highlight Kobe and say that he was representing guns is totally ridiculous."

James' frustration is understandable in many ways. He did nothing wrong, and clearly some of these sensitivities can go a bit far. Nowhere in the ad is there a gun, and nowhere is there a direct reference to a gun.

But … this might be a situation where what matters most isn't what was said, but what people hear. We've all been there (especially we males). We say something we think is innocuous, but it comes across totally different to those listening. So we get in trouble not because of what was said, but because of what was heard.

More than a long time ago, four Miami Dolphins players — including Troy Vincent and Marco Coleman — posed as cowboys, holding rifles and labeling themselves "The Young Guns."

Their plan was to sell the posters — which were quite nice — and donate the proceeds to charity.

But at that time there were drug and gang wars in Miami, and a mini-furor ensued about players posing with guns.

The players all backed out of the plan, and the posters were never sold. Charity wound up losing.

Nobody doubted their intentions, and nobody doubted they meant no harm with their cowboy pose with the guns. It was what people saw and heard more than what they did that mattered. As one of the players back then said: "It's really hard for me to believe that photo caused anyone to be offended." His point of view was not wrong; others just viewed the poster differently.

It will be interesting to see what Nike does with this latest ad (it may do nothing). Earlier, the city of Cleveland turned down making the photo of James into the new downtown poster of James.

Clearly a lot of other phrases could have been (and could be) used. How Nike deals with the fallout of the words it chose will be interesting.

With the Vancouver Olympics just two weeks away, members of the American Association for Nude Recreation believe it’s time to take a fresh look at the robust ways of the ancient Greeks, who performed feats of strength and skill during the first Olympics.  And, to point out that the first Olympics was the earliest documented form of, you guessed it, nude recreation.  In the ancient city of Olympia, the site of these first Olympics, the athletes always competed in the nude. In fact, in Greek, "gymnos" means "nude."

This Olympic moment has been brought to you by the American Association for Nude Recreation, the credible voice of reason on issues relevant to nude recreation and Nakationing in appropriate settings, serving more than 213,000 individuals who enjoy clothes-free and clothing-optional recreation throughout North America.  For further information on nude recreation and the association’s affiliated clubs, contact AANR at 1-800-TRY-NUDE or visit the association’s Web site at www.aanr.com.

OK then.

"Take most people, they're crazy about cars.  They worry if they get a little scratch on them, and they're always talking about how many miles they get to a gallon, and if they get a brand-new car already they start thinking about trading it in for one that's even newer.  I don't even like old cars.  I mean they don't even interest me.  I'd rather have a goddam horse.  A horse is at least human, for God's sake."

 "Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.  Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me.  And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.  What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.  That's all I do all day.  I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.  I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."   

"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."

In memory of J.D. Salinger, 1919-2010

Author of one of the great American novels — Catcher in the Rye

The good thing about the roster is that in the regular season Shaq does not need to play big minutes. Mike Brown can keep him at 20-to-25 per game, because he has depth — and will gain more depth when Leon Powe returns. But if Shaq is needed more, the Cavs can play him more. Which will happen against teams like Orlando, San Antonio and the Lakers.

This is the beauty of the way the Cavs are built. They can put many different lineups on the floor, and feel good about them. Quite frankly Brown deserves credit for the way he's managed all the different lineups. Last I looked the Cavs have the best record in basketball — in a season when it took a fair amount of time for all the parts to come together.

I really feel good about this team, and its postseason chances. Barring injury of course.

My thoughts?

James is a pretty dadgum good player.

Deal with it, America.