Without further ado...
Ohio State
Worst
2011 was the worst year for Buckeyes fans with the resignation of Jim Tressel following the scandal involving Terrelle Pryor but 2012 was the year the fans had to actually experience the fall out. Kicking off the year with a bowl loss against hated SEC foe Florida, not many fans knew what to expect going into the season. With a bowl ban and Urban Meyer taking the reigns, the expectations were low (compared to normal OSU standards) and made their great undefeated season that much more bittersweet. As Boomer used to say, "What if?"
Best
Thad Matta's squad finally broke through and reached another Final Four this past April. Matta's biggest criticisms over his career have been the lack of depth he regularly plays. With the prodding of his assistant coaches, Matta has learned to play more guys in order to establish confidence among the whole team instead of a select 6-7 players. His 2012-13 squad is a top 10 team currently and hopes to make some noise in the deepest Big Ten conference in recent memory. Oh yeah! The Buckeyes beat that football team up north. All is right in the world once again...
Cleveland Cavaliers
Worst
I could write a book on all the things that have gone wrong with this franchise since LeBron's departure. 2012 was no exception. Anderson Varejao got hurt right after the mid way point of the past season and missed the entire second half. The team actually featured players named Anthony Parker, Ryan Hollins, Antawn Jamison, Christian Eyenga, and Semih Erden! Attendance has plummeted and it seems like the team is destined for lottery picks for the forseeable future. The 2012 has season started no better with the extremely young squad losing nearly 25 games before the New Year.
Best
Kyrie Irving. The rookie phenom won Rookie of the Year and made a splash in the Rookie/Sophomore Game during All-Star Weekend in Orlando. Already considered a borderline superstar, Uncle Drew has become the face of the franchise. Even though he tends to be injury prone, Irving is leading the next generation of young talent featuring Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and Tyler Zeller. The future looks bright as Gilbert, Grant and Co. have learned not to pour everything into one player. However, how long will the rebuilding take? The 2013 season will be a big season for Coach Byron Scott.
Cincinnati Reds
Worst
Near the end of this season, Manager Dusty Baker was hospitalized for both an irregular heart beat as well as a "mini-stroke." Unfortunately for the Reds, it also characterized their playoff finish. The Reds became the first team ever in the Divisional Round to go up 2-0 and lose the series 3-2. They still have not won a home playoff game in Great American Ballpark and have not won a home playoff game since 1995. They never lost a series all season long at home nor did they lose 3 in a row at home...until the playoffs.
Best
Having said all that, the Reds still won their second Central Division crown in three years and posted 97 victories. Cueto finished 4th in the Cy Young voting (didn't pitch in the first round due to injury in first inning of first game), Frazier finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting (was benched in favor vet Scott Rolen during first round) but was the Players Choice for Outstanding Rookie, Dusty Baker finished 2nd in Manager of the Year voting (was thoroughly out coached by Bochy in first round), Jay Bruce won a Louisville Silver Slugger Award (slammed the fans in the playoffs), and Brandon Phillips represented the Reds in the Wilson Defensive Players of the Year Award (I hear they just give those things away). Will 2013 finally be the year they get off the hump? They traded away Stubbs for Sin-Shoo Choo who will bat lead off and will try Aroldis Chapman in the starting rotation. However, Dusty Baker has a penchant for "choking" so we'll see if he gets it figured out next October.
Cleveland Browns
Worst
The Browns finished last season 4-12 and had the 4th (traded up to 3rd) overall pick in the draft. Again, the Dawg Pound had to enjoy the NFL Draft as the highlight of the season. GM and Do-It-All-Idiot Mike Holmgren could not produce a winner on the field with new coach Pat Shurmur and Colt McCoy/Peyton Hillis leading the offense. Phil Dawson, like usual, was the best player on the roster. To make matters worse, the Browns did not qualify for the playoffs again this season and look to have another top 10 pick in next year's draft.
Best
Change is a word Browns fans hear a lot but they really are excited for the new owner Jimmy Haslam. He brings a fresh excitement and positive face to the franchise that the organization has sorely lacked since coming back in 1999. They drafted workhorse RB Trent Richardson who has set rookie touchdown records and is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing. They picked up WR Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft and has become a deep threat the team has never had. Dawson made his first Pro Bowl. However, the question mark is still at the QB position where first round pick Brandon Weeden, at 29 years old, provided as much ups as downs this season. Moving forward, the Browns will need to decide if Weeden is their guy along with GM Heckert and Shurmur and his staff. Oh yeah, they beat the Steelers!!!
Columbus Blue Jackets
Worst
Every year there is not a lot of good things to say about the CBJ franchise. This past season was supposed to be better with the additions of Jeff Carter, James Wisniewski, Vinny Prospal, and others. Nevertheless, the team finished dead last in the entire NHL and STILL LOST the #1 overall pick to Edmonton and had to draft #2. On top of that, Rick Nash was finally traded to the Rangers, head coach Scott Arniel was fired, Carter was traded to the eventual Stanley Cup champs, and the Wiz spent more time off the ice than on it. The team has fully restarted and it may be a while before winning becomes the norm in the capital, on top of the fact the current NHL season is locked out.
Best
Were there good things that happened? Yes! Interim coach Todd Richards was promoted to full time and really seems to have the locker room's attention. The pieces back from the Nash trade actually aren't that bad and will make the CBJ a very gritty team on the ice (plus 3 first round draft picks!). They brought in "Bob" to challenge Mason in net and will most likely get the starting job unless he, you know, dies. The young talent has been blossoming especially at the AHL level where their affiliate Springfield is one of the top teams in the league. Oh yeah, they brought in Jack MF Johnson who single-handedly has given this team a new attitude especially on the defensive end. That's just on the ice. The biggest moves have been the hiring of Craig Patrick and John Davidson, the architect of the St. Louis Blues turnaround. This two man brain trust have proven winning track records. It almost makes you forget that the lockout cancelled the All-Star Game supposed to be hosted by C-bus :(
Cleveland Indians
Worst
At the All Star break, the Tribe was 44-41 but finished the season a rough 24-53 for a total of 94 losses. After finishing near .500 and in 2nd in the Central the year before, the front office had seen enough and canned Manager Manny Acta with 6 games remaining in the season. August capped a near franchise record 11 straight losses and Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson had their worst seasons as starting pitchers. On top of that, their attendance was one, if not the worst, in MLB. Closer Chris Perez ripped the fans several times throughout the season and the fans have had enough of not only the front office but the ownership as well. Refusing to spend money at the trade deadline to even be competitive put an exclamation mark on the second half bomb.
Best
However, they still managed to finish ahead of the Twins and even got a couple guys into the All Star game in Cabrera and Perez (both likely trade targets this offseason). Tribe legend Sandy Alomar Jr got his feet wet with 6 games as head ball coach and will continue to be the bench coach this next season. Who replaced the lame Acta? None other than 2x World Series champion Terry Francona of Boston Red Sox fame. With the hire, the team was able to trade Choo for Stubbs and get top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer as well as make the biggest free agent signing in recent history snatching Nick Swisher for 4 years. They've also picked up a couple solid relievers and Mark Reynolds to DH. 2013 will be a very intriguing year for the Indians as they hope to make some noise in the weak AL Central.
Cincinnati Bengals
Worst
Honestly, the Bengals had a pretty darn good 2012. After finishing last season at 9-7 and clinching the six seed in the playoffs, the Bengals were crushed in the opening round of the playoffs by Houston 31-10. You have to figure with studs AJ Green, Geno Atkins and Andy Dalton that Owner/GM Mike Brown will somehow screw it up by not giving them their pay days and by signing a life time contract for Marvin Lewis to coach the franchise until they both die. I'm not entirely sure the "Law Firm" was an upgrade at the RB position but resigning Benson did not seem viable either. Can one really complain about being the 6 seed again this year?
Best
Like I just mentioned, the Bengals have finally made back to back playoff appearances. They could finish one win better than last year with a victory over the Ravens but since they are locked in at the 6 seed, I doubt they'll play their starters much. Dalton had an up and down year but finished strong and AJ Green is just an absolute beast. More so, Geno Atkins has entrenched himself as a dominant pass rusher on the defense. The young guys will look to build off experience gained in last year's playoff game to perhaps get an upset over the 3 seed, likely to be New England. If not, what do they need to get over the hump next year? I'm still not sold on Marvin Lewis and their defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer might be heading towards head coaching pastures himself.
