Williams: 2014 was interesting year to say the least

Although there were no victory parades for the Mahoning Valley’s regional college and professional teams, 2014 was an interesting year.

It’s a toss-up as to which event was bigger — LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers after two championships with the Miami Heat or fired Nebraska coach Bo Pelini taking over as head football coach at Youngstown State University.

James’ motive is simple — if he leads the Cavs to a NBA Championship, he’ll be remembered as Northeast Ohio’s greatest champion, retiring Jim Brown.

Pelini’s move still remains puzzling. The path to a head coaching job with one of college football’s major conferences usually does not run though FCS towns.

What happens next will be interesting.

The new year kicks off tonight with Ohio State playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in college football’s initial playoffs. Who saw that coming after Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller was lost for the season in August?

Filling in for Miller, J.T. Barrett made the most of his opportunity, losing only to Virginia Tech in Week 2. Then Barrett suffered a leg injury against Michigan.

Cardale Jones surprised everyone as the Buckeyes rolled over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game. Was it a fluke? Can the Buckeyes pull off another surprise against top-seeded Alabama? Who knows, but Ohio State fans should appreciate how special their season ended up.

Cleveland’s championship drought now tops 50 years and the Cavs are the city’s best hope for a parade. Can James qualify for his fifth straight NBA Finals?

The Indians failed to return to the postseason after being the American League’s top wild-card team in 2013. A return in 2015 seems more hopeful than realistic.

The Browns’ endless search for a franchise quarterback continues, causing many to overlook the progress the team made under head coach Mike Pettine. A five-game skid at the end of the season has obscured the memory of big wins over the Bengals and Steelers.

An argument could be made that the Browns cost the Bengals the AFC North title and the Steelers the chance to earn a first-round playoff bye. Considering the Browns of recent seasons, that’s progress.

But there is a long way to go. Quarterback Johnny Manziel doesn’t appear to be the answer, no matter how popular he is on social media.

In Pittsburgh, the Steelers are back in the playoffs and get to host the Ravens on Saturday night. Considering that they also lost to the Buccaneers and New York Jets, that’s remarkable.

After 20 years of missing the postseason, the Pirates repeated as the National League’s top wild-card team. Their playoff run was short-lived as the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner shut the Bucs out in the wild-card game. Minus Russell Martin behind the plate, the Pirates have their work cut out for themselves.

Despite a huge turnover in personnel brought on by overpaying Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, the Penguins were red-hot at the start of the NHL season. But injuries have taken their toll and it remains to be seen if the Penguins can rediscover playoff success.

It should be interesting to watch.

Happy New Year!

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.