Sports news & more from cleveland.com

Mediocrity is doom in professional sports, now more than ever. So Cleveland, with the Indians and Cavs heavily invested in win-now mode as elite championship contenders, and with the Browns completely tearing down after tanking a season and building back up with draft picks, is ideal. The city is a microcosm, on both ends, of what the modern pro sports landscape is all about. In this episode of Takes By The Lake, our cleveland.com sports podcast, Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel talk about why all is right is Cleveland sports - and why even the Browns are part of that.

Dan Gilbert, Paul Dolan and Jimmy Haslam each have their flaws. Each of the three receives flak for how he operates his respective Cleveland sports franchise. If choosing between the three, which would you want in charge of your franchise? That's the topic of conversation on the latest Takes by the Lake podcast, as Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises debate and compare the qualities of each individual.

When Terry Francona is out, how much does that really hurt the Indians? And is the Indians manager the reason the team has been what they have been for the last few years? In this Takes By The Lake, the cleveland.com sports podcast, Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises discuss Francona's influence on the franchise and what how health issues have affected, or not affected, this season. Plus, would you give up your best prospects for a major deal at the trade deadline? A debate there. And the Cavs get the pick for our Random Cleveland Athlete of the day.

Do the Cavs wish they had a do-over on any moves since the return of LeBron James? How much will Gordon Hayward in Boston make the Celtics a legitimate threat to knock off the Cavs in the NBA's Eastern Conference? What's it like to see a moose in the wild? And why is anyone talking about former Indian Marty Cordova? In this latest Takes By The Lake, Zack Meisel, Doug Lesmerises and Joe Noga discuss whether the Cavs are in trouble and begin a segment talking about one random Cleveland athlete of the past.

The Indians will send five players to Miami -- and their entire coaching staff -- for the All-Star Game. Zack Meisel and Paul Hoynes debate the merits of each selection, discuss whether anyone got snubbed and chat about whether having five All-Stars means the Indians are underachieving this season.

Kortney Shane Williams, a professional comedian from Cleveland who now lives in Seattle, talks about his life in comedy, once opening for Dave Chappelle, how he got in the business and his life as a diehard Cleveland sports fan. He loved those '90s Cleveland Indians the Cavs title last year meant as much to him as it did to you. Check out this special guest on Takes By The Lake

Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and Scott Patsko talk about their 10 most important Browns lists, who got left off, who we would take off and replace and dug into the players our readers put on the list.

Cleveland.com NBA beat writers Joe Vardon and Chris Fedor talk offseason moves, including Chauncey Billups' potential fit in the front office, and the chances of landing Carmello Anthony or Paul George.

Had this podcast been recorded a few days earlier, it might have carried a more positive tone. Instead, the Indians are struggling again, and there are plenty of questions about the outlook of this season. Paul Hoynes joins Zack Meisel in Episode 43 of Takes by the Lake, and the two examine the Indians' inconsistencies, the forecast for the trade deadline and whether the sky is falling. They also exchange their favorite Manny Ramirez comedic anecdotes.

The body of the Cavs' 2016-17 season isn't even cold yet, and we have no shortage of topics to debate and analyze. The organization will be revamping its front office, after owner Dan Gilbert and GM David Griffin severed ties earlier this week. So, a new figurehead will have to come in and determine whether the team should trade Kevin Love, whether it can and should try to acquire Jimmy Butler or Paul George, and how to set up the roster in a way that can both compete with the Warriors and also convince LeBron James to stick around beyond next season. Good luck with all of that, Chauncey Billups or whomever takes over as the chief decision-maker. There are plenty of questions the Cavs will answer over the next couple of months, and that's before another season even begins. In a special episode of Takes by the Lake, Joe Vardon and Chris Fedor join Zack Meisel to break down the chaotic state of the Cavs.

Summer has arrived. Last year, that meant basking in the glory of a Cavaliers championship, watching the Indians lay the foundation for a run of their own and putting the Browns on the back burner for once. This year, things are a bit different. So, in the latest Takes by the Lake, Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises discuss the state of the Indians, the fun back-and-forth between LeBron James and Draymond Green, whether the NBA needs a Good vs. Evil rivalry, and how quickly the Browns need to determine whether DeShone Kizer can be the long-term solution at quarterback. This summer, there's plenty to unpack and less to celebrate.

Browns mandatory minicamp is in the books. Friday, Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe got together to talk about what we saw during the three day minicamp and more. Topics include: - The injury to Myles Garrett. - DeShone Kizer's progress. - The performances of Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler. - Who stood out on defense? Make sure you subscribe to Cleveland.com Sports Podcasts on iTunes and also check out our Buckeye Talk Podcast.

The Cavs spent the regular season in cruise control, flipped a switch for the playoffs and then relinquished their claim as champions in five games to the Warriors. So where does that leave LeBron James and Co.? And with the Warriors' dominance, where does that leave the NBA in general? In Episode 40 of Takes by the Lake, Doug Lesmerises, Zack Meisel and Joe Noga debate the state of the league and the Cavs, and wonder whether Cleveland's window is closing, or if it remains wide open.

Back to Browns talk, as Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises dip into all the moves of the NFL offseason as, guess what, the plan continues to take shape and make sense. The Browns continue to make little moves here and there, and we break those down. We also talk about Brock Osweiler and whether people like Doug should be nicer to the backup quarterback.

The Cavs are on the brink of elimination, and many want to point to the convenient addition of Kevin Durant as the reason the Warriors seem invincible. In the latest episode of Takes By The Lake, Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises discuss how the Cavs and Warriors reached this point, the chances (on a 0-1,000 scale) of another historic Cleveland comeback and whether Cleveland fans have a right to gripe about Durant's relocation to a team that was already elite. Plus: What might anchor the Cleveland sports conversation this summer if the Cavs fizzle and the Indians continue to disappoint?