JANUARY

3: The Cavs trade Brevin Knight to the Atlanta Hawks for Jim Jackson.

10: Carmen Policy fires Chris Palmer, who was 5-27 in two seasons as coach of the Browns.

10: The Indians sign slugger Juan Gonzalez to a one-year, $10 million deal, under the auspices that he will replace Manny Ramirez.

28: The Baltimore Ravens, in only their fifth year of existence, win Super Bowl XXXV. 

Art Modell dances.

31: The Browns hire University of Miami head coach Butch Davis to lead the Browns.

FEBRUARY

8: Zydrunas Ilgauskus has season-ending foot surgery.

He had played only 29 games in the previous three years.

MARCH

12: The Baltimore Orioles place Albert Belle on the 60-day disabled list, effectively ending his baseball career.

22: Ohio names a sophomore “Mr. Basketball” for the first time in state history. His name? LeBron James.

24: St. Vincent-St. Mary wins the Division III State Basketball championship.

APRIL

4: The Indians fail to sell out a home game for the first time in six years, ending their consecutive sell-out streak at 455 games.

The team retires #455 in honor of the fans.

5: Indians GM John Hart announces he will step down following the 2001 season.

19: The Cavs fire head coach Randy Wittman after a 30-52 season.

22: With the third pick in the NFL Draft, the Browns select DE Gerard Warren of the University of Florida.

MAY

22: The NFL owners approve re-alignment. The Browns, Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens comprise the AFC North.

JUNE

17: The John Lucas Era begins for the Cavs.

23: The Indians trade pitchers Steve Karsay and Steve Reed to the Atlanta Braves for closer John Rocker.

26: Closer Bob Wickman announces he’s going to leave the Indians at the end of the year.

29: With the eighth pick in the NBA draft, the Cavs select 315-pound Sengalese soccer player DeSagana Diop.

JULY

24: C.C. Sabathia, 21, pitches a six-inning, two-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox. The Indians win 2-0 and jump to first place in the Central Division.

AUGUST

5: The Impossible Return

Down 14-2 in the 7th inning against the league-leading Seattle Mariners, the Indians mount the greatest comeback in baseball history, winning 15-14 in 11 innings.

SEPTEMBER

23: Ty Detmer throws SEVEN INTERCEPTIONS (in his debut for the Lions), and the Browns win for the first time in 2001, 24-14.

OCTOBER

7: The Indians defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2, finishing the regular season 91-71, atop the Central Division.

9: A svelte Bartolo Colon pitches eight shut-out innings and the Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 in game one of the ALDS.

Bob Wickman gets the save.

15: The Indians lose game five of the ALDS to the Seattle Mariners, 3-1.

Roberto Alomar bats .190 for the series and doesn’t hustle while grounding into two inning-ending double plays in the final game, which, unbeknownst to him, will cause Plain Dealer scribe Bill Livingston not to vote for him as a first-ballot HOF’er in 2010.

21: The Browns shock the Super Bowl Champion Ravens, winning 24-14. Their record is 4-2.

Browns owner Al Lerner describes the victory: “It is a coming of age. It’s one more step on the road to us going all the way some day.”

24: The Indians decide not to renew the options on Juan Gonzalez’s and Dave Burba’s contracts.

26: In a three-team trade involving names like Don MacLean and Chris Gatling, the Cavs land guard Ricky Davis.

NOVEMBER

1: Mark Shapiro accepts the position of Cleveland Indians General Manager.

4: The Browns, leading the Chicago Bears 21-7 in the fourth quarter, give up a touchdown, onsides kick, and Hail Mary in the final 30 seconds of the game.

Then, Tim Couch throws a pick-six in overtime. The Browns lose 27-21.

5: The Indians re-sign Bob Wickman to a three-year contract.

25: The Browns shut out the Cincinnati Bengals, 18-0. At 6-4, they are in the middle of the wild card hunt.

DECEMBER

13: The Indians trade Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets for Matt Lawton and a few minor-leaguers.

17: Bottlegate.

Down 15-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars late in the fourth quarter, Tim Couch hits Quincy Morgan for a first down on a fourth-and-three. The Browns rush to the line, spike the ball, and stop the clock.

Then, referees review the Morgan catch, overturn it, and reward the ball to Jacksonville.

Cleveland fans respond thusly:

Fearing for their safety, referees call the game over with 48 seconds left. But NFL Comissionner Paul Tagliabue overrules the refs and forces both teams back onto the field 25 minutes later to run out the clock.

The loss is part of a four-game streak that takes the Browns from 6-4 to 6-8.