Sometimes the truth isn't good enough

As we speak, The Dark Knight is beginning to settle down after rolling like a juggernaut through box office record after box office record. With $513 million in its domestic pocket, chances are good the only record The Dark Knight won't break is Titanic's $600 million haul.

The reason it's making so much money is the oldest reason in the book. It's not just loud explosions, or sexy stars, or Batman's built-in audience. There's craft behind this commercialism. The production values are just that: values. Between the impeccable cast, expert direction, near-religious subject matter and old-fashioned bravado, The Dark Knight is just plain unstoppable.

The Steelers have been almost as unstoppable against the Browns lately, and it's because the Steelers have consistently put together craft in a league of commercialism.

Winning nine straight games against a rival isn't always about where you're playing, or who's playing, or what you're calling. It's about ignoring the hype, and working hard and staying level with regards to what you're doing, which helps you weather adversity and maintain success. We had the Steelers dead to rights in Cleveland two years ago, only to watch Willie Parker score two touchdowns to erase a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter. You wanna tell me he didn't learn at least part of that resolve by playing with Jerome Bettis? After the Browns lost 31-28 at Heinz Field last November, I couldn't find a single Steelers fan who'd look me in the eye and tell me their team deserved to win the game. But they still did.

Go ahead and call it woulda-coulda-shoulda. Better yet, go ahead and call it jealousy, because as much as I hate to admit it, nothing is closer to the truth. I want to win five Super Bowls, I want to be considered an AFC favorite every year, I want to beat Pittsburgh so much I don't even consider it a big game, and I want to sustain the kind of success the Steelers have.

I also want to be proud of my football team, and the Browns don't usually give me or any other fan a reason to feel that way. I'm not sure Steelers fans really know what they've got. It must be nice when the biggest complaint you can muster about your quarterback is that he overblows injuries. We haven't been able to find a quarterback who can win the division, let alone the Super Bowl. If the Browns' offense fails, we struggle to win because we can't stop anybody. If the Steelers' offense fails, they still have a good chance to win because Tricky Dicky can dial up blitzes that register on the Fujita scale.

So what exactly does this have to do with The Dark Knight?

Well, the Browns haven't looked so hot after last year's surprise 10-6 season, which naturally has us fans thinking 2007 was a mirage. But even if it was, it's something we deserved.

At the end of The Dark Knight, Batman makes a staggering realization: he was never a traditional hero, he was only what Gotham needed him to be. As silly as it may sound, I think pro sports franchises act in the same way.

If you screw up something at work, a win by your favorite baseball team can make you feel better. When you meet someone new and you don't know what to talk about, rooting for the same team provides an instant dialogue. Going to a basketball game can give you something to do on a weeknight. And I'm sure there are a few New York Giants fans who can tell you sports provide some of the most memorable moments of your life.

Whether you're happy, sad, angry, bored, confused, frustrated, content, disatisfied, nervous, or excited, your sports teams are whatever you need them to be.

Batman was a hero when Gotham needed one. Once the Joker obliterated Harvey Dent (and therefore, Gotham's hope), Batman knew he had to take responsibility for Dent's death and the men he killed. He tells Jim Gordon to hunt him down, "...because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."

I can sit here and post as many farks as I want, but the reality is this: beating Pittsburgh Sunday night would not only end this Godawful nine-game losing streak, it would also legitimize us, because no league is more what-have-you-done-for-me-lately than the NFL. People would look at us as a serious challenger not just in the division, but maybe in a watered-down AFC as well.

Whether that's right or wrong isn't the point. After years and years of suffering, our team made strides in 2007, and even if those strides aren't as big as we think, a win over the Steelers would make them feel gargantuan. It would give us bragging rights for 15 weeks, and it would help us feel like we truly matter in the one sport that matters most to Cleveland.

Like Batman said, sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

Go Browns.