Why the LeBron James to Cliff Lee Comparison is Incredibly Stupid

By , December 16, 2010

I’ve come to terms with the fact that there is a whole lot of stupidity out there  in the world, and plenty of it is abundantly apparent in the world of sports journalism and opinion. Every day I hear or read some awful columnist or fan spouting off some mindless nonsense that makes me shake my head. But as it turns out, I still have a threshold of how much stupidity I can shrug off.

I woke up Wednesday morning to find that the twitter universe was abuzz about some comments made by Skip Bayless. Bayless called Cliff Lee “LeBron Lee”, claiming that they were essentially one in the same, because Lee shunned the Rangers and Yankees because he didn’t want to be “the guy”, choosing instead to join a loaded staff. Here is the video:

Alright then. This in and of itself isn’t newsworthy; Skip Bayless is a tool that has on countless occasions made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about. He has made a career out of being the bad guy/idiot/pot stirrer. I assumed this was him just doing what he does.

But as the day went on, I came to find that others actually share his opinion. Tons of fans are making the comparison, and it is popping up in multiple sports articles. Search “Cliff Lee Lebron James” on Google News to see for yourself. Bayless isn’t alone here; people actually think that Cliff Lee’s decision to sign with the Phillies is like LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Heat.

And that is unbelievably, amazingly, and incredibly stupid.

Let’s recap the main reasons why LeBron James has been vilified for his decision to join the Miami Heat.

1. He betrayed the city of Cleveland, in which he was born and raised and spent his entire career.

2. He betrayed Cavaliers fans, as he was the face of the franchise and promised he’d bring a championship to Cleveland.

3. He announced his decision with a huge egotistical ESPN show titled “The Decision”.

4. He chose to be a part of a great team instead of being “the guy”.

lebron-jamesLeBron James was born in Akron, Ohio, just about 35 miles outside of Cleveland. He went to high school at St. Vincent – St. Mary High in Akron, and was drafted first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school. It was a great story, as he was an Ohio boy through and through; he was born and raised in the Cleveland area, and spent his adulthood as a professional there as well.

From 2003-04 to 2009-10, LeBron James spent seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a star right from the get go, and was the face of the franchise for his entire career with the Cavs. He essentially guaranteed he’d bring a championship home to Cleveland, stating “I got a goal, and it’s a huge goal, and that’s to bring an NBA championship here to Cleveland, and I won’t stop until I get it.” So when he left, he was abandoning the city and all Cavaliers fans.

This is the main reason why there is so much resentment towards him. Great free agents come and go every year; but franchise players born and raised in your own backyard? That’s the heartbreak.

cliff-leeCliff Lee was born in Benton, Arkansas, where he also played his high school ball. He went to college at the University of Arkansas, where he was chosen in the 4th round by the Montreal Expos in the 2000 amateur draft. In 2002, he pitched for Double-A Harrisburg (in Pennsylvania). He was traded to the Cleveland Indians that year, and pitched in their minor league system in Buffalo before receiving a call-up.

Lee was an average starter for Cleveland from 2004-2006. In 2007, a groin strain caused Lee to start the season on the DL, and when he returned to the rotation he had the worst season of his career, eventually being removed from the rotation and sent back down to Buffalo. It all came together for Lee during that rehab stint, as he returned in 2008 with much better control of his fast ball, and had an outstanding year.

In 2009, Lee was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. In the offseason, Philadelphia traded Lee to Seattle. During the 2010 season, Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers.

So Quick Recap –

James: Born and raised in Ohio, drafted first overall to Cleveland, elite NBA player for seven seasons all with hometown Cleveland.

Lee: Born and raised in Arkansas, drafted in the fourth round, took a while to develop into an elite player, plated for four different teams over the last two seasons, none his hometown.

Alright then, I’d say that rules out BETRAYAL (points one and two), which to my understanding is the main reason LeBron James is so hated in Cleveland.

“The Decision”

Of course, betrayal isn’t villainous enough without creating a huge self-indulging spectacle on live TV, is it? “Surely, he must be staying in Cleveland, he wouldn’t do it this way if he weren’t” said many unsuspecting Cavaliers fans. Oops; looks like he would.

Cliff Lee? Stayed quiet, had his agent negotiate a contract for him at the place he wanted to play, and signed. Again, no comparison. So that brings us to the ONLY comparable element between the two signings…

Joining a Super-Team

LeBron James joined a team of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to create a super team. Cliff Lee joined Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels to create a super staff. Yay, we’ve finally found the comparison.

Only a few slight differences.

All three of Wade, Bosh, and James were free agents. They collaborated, decided it would be awesome to play together, and agreed to all sign in Miami to be a super team, thus making up 3/5 of the Heats’ starting roster.

As for Lee, he didn’t collaborate with anyone. It was just him deciding where he wanted to play. If the criteria of this flimsy/lame argument that Lee = LeBron is based on Lee signing with a great team, couldn’t you have made this argument if he signed just about ANYWHERE but Texas?

NY YANKEES: “He’s joining CC Sabathia, an old friend from their Cleveland days (just like Bosh and Wade and James are friends) to create a super 1-2 punch with one of the best offenses in baseball on the team that ALWAYS gets all the best players. Lee = LeBron.

BOSTON RED SOX: “Oh my God they already got Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford! Now Lee too? And with Josh Beckett, John Lackey, and Clay Buchholz? This team is STACKED! Lee = LeBron

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: “No way! They already had the best staff last year! Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, now Lee too?!? What a crazy five-man staff, just like the Heat! Lee = LeBron.

I mean wow. Sure, it would have been a feel good story had he stayed in Texas, but what the hell did he owe them? He didn’t ask to be traded to the Rangers. He didn’t make them any promises. Lee isn’t “abandoning” the Texas Rangers; they knew damn well that they were trading for a free-agent-to-be, and made the trade anyway.

Cliff Lee weighed his options, decided he wanted to play in Philadelphia and that playing there gave him a good chance to win a World Series (or many), so he signed there. Don’t dozens of free agents sign somewhere where they feel they can compete for a World Series every year?

If you mean to tell me that the ONLY criteria for being compared to LeBron James is that you are a great player that signs with a talented team, then over the four major sports, I’d say there are about 5-10 LeBron Jameses every season.

It is an overwhelmingly idiotic comparison. Stop making it.

One Response to “Why the LeBron James to Cliff Lee Comparison is Incredibly Stupid”

  1. sportsfan says:

    Very good point. Some people just want to create controversy so it seems. It is stupid that they are bringing up such similaries when they are not similar at all. I agree with you! Great article.

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