Join cleveland.com's Glenn Moore tonight at 8 p.m. for another episode of Sunday Insider.

Listen to Sunday Insider with clevleand.com's Glenn Moore, tonight at 8 p.m. 

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St. Edward basketball coach Eric Flannery is blogging for cleveland.com this month during his tenure as an assistant coach for USA Basketball's U-16 National Team. See his first entry about tryouts.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - I have been extremely fortunate in my basketball coaching career. It has taken me to many places, I have met a lot of people, have seen an unbelievable amount of basketball talent, and have learned from some of the best minds in the game. This current experience with USA Basketball may end up ranking as one of the best.

USA Basketball has invited the best 30 freshmen and sophomores in the country to try out for a final roster of 12. One of the players is St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman V.J. King, the only player from Ohio. On Sunday we reduced the roster to 16, including King, and will make our final cuts Monday night. The final team will be announced Tuesday morning.

View full sizeFlannerySteven Maikoski, USA Basketball 

We have been training since May 30, and will continue to train in Colorado Springs until Friday. We will then head to Uruguay to compete for a gold medal in the FIBA Americas Championship. If our team finishes in the top three we will qualify for the World Championships, which will be held in Dubai next August.

I have been working with USA Basketball for the past 13 years. The talent that has been assembled here has been the best I have seen in all those years.

We may not have the future LeBron James, although there are a couple who could come close. I will follow up with more details about the players who make the team in my next blog.

One quick story: When announcing our first cuts Sunday night, all 30 players gathered in a room where Sean Ford, head of USA Basketball on the men's side, read off all the names who made the cut. He left off Harry Giles by accident (Harry is already projected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in four years). The players that made the cut were asked to head to the gym for practice and those who remained were to stay in the room to arrange their travel plans home. 

All the coaches looked around in disbelief that Giles was going home. We quickly went to Ford to make him aware of his mistake. We subtly told Giles to meet us in the hallway and told him of our mistake. Giles just smiled and said thank you. Afterward we asked Giles what he was thinking in the brief time he thought he was cut and he said "I just was thinking about what I need to do to get better, go back home and work harder on my game." That is why Giles is going to be a superstar.

The practices have been extremely intense and getting down to the final roster will be extremely difficult. We are in a great position because we cannot go wrong with whoever makes this team.

I am working with two extremely talented and knowledgeable coaches in Don Showalter of Iowa City, Iowa, (head coach); and L.J. Goolsby of Kansas City, Kan. These two men are two of the best coaches in the country and have already taught me a great deal about the game. You can never stop learning in this profession.

My son Sean has accompanied me to this point. He will head home Tuesday. It is awesome to be able to share some of my experiences with my family and show him the level of talent, hard work, and dedication needed to succeed at this level. Sean and I took a trip to Pike's Peak on Sunday, an experience I know he will never forget. I cannot do what I do without the support of my wonderful wife Lori, who has supported me through all my travels in my career and is currently at home with our four kids while I travel for the next two and half weeks. She is the best.

I will get into the basketball side of things in my future blogs and have a few stories to tell along the journey to Uruguay.

Former Cavaliers big man Vitaly Potapenko will return to the team as a player development coach.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Cavaliers center Vitaly Potapenko is returning to the team as a player-development coach, NBA sources have confirmed. The move was first reported by Yahoo Sports.

Potapenko, 38, has been an assistant coach in the NBA and the Development League, most recently with the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Player-development coaches work with players at practice, but typically do not travel. Coach Mike Brown has hired Phil Handy and Igor Kokoskov as assistant bench coaches.

Drafted by the Cavs with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft, Potapenko played three seasons in Cleveland, averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds. He was traded to Boston on March 11, 1999 for Andrew DeClercq and a first-round pick that became Andre Miller.

Potapenko played 11 seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, before retiring in 2007.

Born in the Ukraine, he played college basketball at Wright State.

In Cleveland, Potapenko will be reunited with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was drafted by the Cavs with the No. 20 pick in 1996. Ilgauskas is now a special assistant to general manager Chris Grant.

Carroscia qualified for state in three events, and is the top qualifier in the 300 hurdles.

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - The last thing a hurdler wants to feel coming around the curve and into the final straight is a strong, hot wind in his face.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy junior Evan Carroscia felt it, as did the others in a talent-laden 300-meter hurdles regional final Saturday at Bedford.

Carroscia was third at that point, but then felt something else besides the wind. He felt a push.

Carroscia dug deep and found the will of his late father, Perry.

View full sizeCuyahoga Valley Christian Academy hurdler Evan Carroscia, center, celebrates his team's Division II district championship in May 2012 with his father Perry, left, and brother Brett, right. Perry Carroscia died in August.Photo courtesy of Stacey Carroscia

"It gives me so much strength. My dad was a great man and I want to follow in his footsteps,'' Evan said after winning the race in a personal-record time on a day that most runners posted mediocre times.

Evan hasn't talked much about his father's death at age 50 last August, when a previously undiscovered cancerous brain tumor hemorrhaged. As Evan was being interviewed Saturday, his uncles, Joe and CVCA football coach Ray Carroscia, overheard Evan bring up his father for the first time, and both men teared up.

“My dad has been on my mind through all of this,'' Evan said.

Evan's time, 38.16 seconds, ranks him No. 1 in Ohio among Division II runners entering this week's state meet in Columbus. He also was the regional champ in the 110 hurdles Saturday, and he ran a powerful leg on the winning 4x400 relay.

As he ran, Ray Carroscia poked Joe and said, “Who does he run like?''

“Perry,'' Joe said.

Perry was a football, basketball and track captain at Wickliffe in the early 1980s, when Wickliffe was a big-school power in all three sports. Evan's mother, Stacey (Peoples), also was a track star at Wickliffe – in the hurdles.

Perry went on to play football for Lee Tressel and Bob Packard at Baldwin Wallace, and he had a successful sales career going to support his family in Streetsboro – Stacey, and Evan and his younger siblings, Lydia and Brett.

Perry volunteered to help the CVCA sports teams and at his church. Ray said Perry was deeply religious, a trait Evan shares. Evan praised God after his victory.

“He learned that from his dad,'' Ray said. “His dad was God-fearing man who lived what he believed. It was pretty powerful stuff it was real to him and it was real to his family.''

View full sizeCVCA junior Evan Carroscia wins the 110 hurdles Saturday at the Bedford Division II regional track meet. Malcolm Harris of Orange, left, was second and Darrius DeMoss of Warrensville Heights, right, was third.Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer

A memorial video posted on youtube.com includes a photo of Evan, Perry, and Brett at last year's district meet. They're smiling as Evan clutches CVCA's team championship trophy.

“Evan's success last year was kind of a surprise, so Perry was really looking forward to this year with him. That's what makes this bittersweet for the whole team,'' said Stacey.

Evan is a major factor in CVCA being a contender for the Division II state championship. The Royals won the regional title last week and, on a day when CVCA won seven events, Evan's performance stood out to his teammates, who seemed to draw as much from him as he does from his father's memory.

“I really look up to Evan in that respect,'' senior Ben Schwarz said. “That strengthens us even more.''

The last time Perry saw his son run, it was not a good day. Evan qualified for the 2012 state meet in both hurdles and the 4x400. He didn't make the finals in the 110 or the relay. In his best event, the 300, he fell. He got up and finished last, his leg bleeding.

Two months later, Evan was greeting well-wishers who waited more than three hours in line at his father's calling hours. Evan said he realized something important that has carried him through all the days since.

“In everything he did, he put forth his best,'' Evan said. “When he passed away, I saw there were tons of lives affected by him in a positive manner. That really opened my eyes and I really appreciated him even more.

“When I'm older, I want people to look at me same way, and see me putting forth my best.''

Those close to Evan need not wait until he's older. It clearly was on display as he raced over barrier after barrier last weekend.

The Indians travel to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees.

 

Game 57: Indians (30-26) at Yankees (31-25)

First pitch: 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium, New York.

TV/radio: STO; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS FM/100.7.

Box score | MLB scoreboard

» Get updates from Paul Hoynes in the pressbox here

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Tweets from @clevelanddotcom/indians

Not everyone can do stand-up comedy, but sometimes they just keep trying.

While I was in Columbus recently, I dropped by a comedy club. It was Open Mic Night. One aspiring comedian was a little guy who wore a jaunty bowtie and said he might need a new gig if his day job didn't work out.

Here's the tape I made of his routine:

"I see it rained again at the Memorial Tournament. They say the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. But at the Memorial, it falls mainly where it's a pain. Bret Bielema would fit in like a Razorback in slop! I wanna tell ya, Big Jack's tournament is usually wetter than Sergio Garcia's tee shots.

"But it was only a real downpour on Friday. I wouldn't have made it out there that day, anyway. Last week was when I put my foot in my mouth again, which is pretty easy to do if you stand as close to the ground as I do.

"You make one little comment about fans in the SEC needing to learn how to read and write, and they make you write the sentence, "I will not be a silly twit," 100 times on a blackboard.

"You know, I bet I have better penmanship than people expect. After they got a load of my act at the University Athletic Council last December, they kept talking about the handwriting being on the wall. OK, what handwriting?

"And what wall? Is it the one by the blackboard next to the titanium padlock they keep on my door whenever there's a news conference?

"Ever hear of "remediation," kids? Ever try to spell it? I bet nobody at Louisville or Kentucky can!

"But, hey, speaking of people who need to go soak their heads, how about the professors at some of Those Schools Down South? Some of them are like Jimmy Haslam -- they know nothing! You tell me. What needs to be cleaned up more? SEC recruiting or, at least according to the FBI, Pilot Flying J?

"Speaking of creative accounting, watch out for those crazy Catholics. I wouldn't trust those fathers to tell the truth about their handicap or their score.

"Look at Notre Dame. Those people are bigger teases than Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman combined. They'll build you up, and the next thing you know, they let you down. And then the star linebacker has an imaginary girlfriend, and the Big Ten has an imaginary agreement with them! One day, those goofy Golden Domers are in the Big East, except for football; and the next, instead of the Big Ten, they're in the ACC, except for football.

"If Father Joyce were still alive, I'd just say this to him: Enjoy your trip to Clemson, padre. Boy, talk about grounding your club in a hazard.

Anyway, If you did make it out to the golf tournament, you saw Tiger Woods play like your neighbor, Stanley. Oops. Better not go there. I have some real knee-slappers about the Polish Army, but I'll save those for another time.

"Tiger used to be worth more money than God or the Big Ten Network even. He was the star of stars, the show of shows. But you know what they say: You can't be vibrant after you hit a fire hydrant.

"You can lose momentum very quickly after something like that. Believe me, I know. I walked out the door of the news conference Ohio State had about the memorabilia and the tattoos a different guy than I was when I walked in.

"But I see my time is up. You've been a great audience. See you next week.

"Unless Jim Tressel dismisses me first."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will make big bucks once again when he takes on Mexico's Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - For once, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in hurry.

It sure looked that way as "Money" Mayweather wasted little time in lining up his next opponent in Mexico's Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Coming off a year's layoff and the solid, though undramatic, unanimous decision against Robert Guerrero on May 4, maybe Mayweather needed more quick dough to fill out his portfolio.

Cash crunch or probably not, getting it done against Alvarez was a smart money move. At 22, Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) is already the biggest draw in Mexico and he will bring a lot of the hype for the bout during the Mexican Independence Day weekend.

Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) will not have to carry more than his share of load in selling the pay-per-view television buys, which will easily get past the 1 million mark. While no figures have been released, it is rumored that Mayweathter-Guerrero did less than 900,000 buys.

While Mayweather's side could never bring itself to haul in all the cash that was available for a bout against Manny Pacquiao, they managed to see the light this time. The only stipulation was for a catch weight of 152 pounds, which WBC 154-pound champ Alvarez said was not a problem.

"It's 152, and that is fine," Alvarez told reporters. "I will have to work a little harder, but I feel I can make the weight and that I will be strong. To make the fight I had to give a little, he had to give a little, too. I feel it was fair, and both sides are happy. He fought [with a contract weight of] 154 before, but he wanted the [catchweight] and I accepted it. He gave a little, I gave a little, and we got the fight done."

Alvarez will likely put on up to 10 pounds or more after the official weigh-in the day before the fight, so he would be the biggest fighter Mayweather has gone up against. It will add another element to the match.

Just maybe the bout will live up to to all the usual excess verbiage.
   
Not in your house: IBF super middleweight champ Carl Froch (31-2, 22 KOs) got his revenge when he decisioned WBA champ Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) in London on May 25. Kessler beat him three years ago.

Now he wants to go against undefeated Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KOs), who beat him on points in December 2011 during the "Super Six" tournament in Atlantic City, N.J.

England's Froch told reporters that Ward “must be in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks I’ll go to America to fight him again.” However, Froch said he would accept a fight against Ward in Las Vegas, which he considered a "neutral" site. Maybe "Sin City" has left the union.

This week in history: Jersey Joe Walcott decisioned Ezzard Charles over 15 rounds in Philadelphia to retain the heavyweight title in 1952.
 
Friday: The ESPN2 "Friday Night Fights" are at a casino in Shelton, Wash., for a lightweight match between contenders John Molina (25-2, 20 KOs) and Russia's Andrey Klimov (15-0, 8 KOs) at 10 p.m.

Showtime comes on at the same time with a bout between junior middleweights Jorge Melendez (26-2, 25 KOs) and Luis Grajeda (14-1-1, 10 KOs) at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y.

Saturday: HBO and Showtime butt heads Saturday, as each has shows that start at 10 p.m.

On HBO, WBC light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson (31-2, 18 KOs) puts his title on the line against Canada's hometown challenger Adonis Stevenson (20-1, 17 KOs) at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Undefeated lightweights Yuriorkis Gamboa (22-0, 16 KOs) and Darley Perez (28-0, 19 KOs) open the telecast.

Showtime will be outdoors at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., where Argentina's Marcos Maidana (33-3, 30 KOs) will go against welterweight Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KOs). Two other bouts include Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KOs) against Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 10 KOs) at 154 pounds; and Sakio Bika (31-5-2, 21 KOs) against Mexico's Marco Antonio Periban (20-0, 13 KOs) for the WBC 168-pound title. The latter was recently vacated by Andre Ward as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Boys and girls rugby teams from Northeast Ohio swept the four state championships played over the weekend. St. Edward won its second straight Division I state title, defeating Cincinnati Moeller, 30-14.

Brunswick's rugby team, in just its second year of existence, won the Division II boys state championship over the weekend in a 28-7 rout of Dayton Springfield. - (Photo courtesy of Joe Sanfilippo )

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Boys and girls rugby teams from Northeast Ohio swept the four state championships played over the weekend.

St. Edward won its second straight Division I state title, defeating Cincinnati Moeller, 30-14.

Dan Peyton scored two tries and Zak Heistercamp added a try. Ronan Forrestal had a conversion kick and Jack Walsh made three penalty kicks.

Brunswick, led by coach Brian Williams, won the Division II boys title in the program's second year of existence, 28-7, over Dayton Springfield.

Brunswick's Garrick Koermer scored two tries, while Danny Stepp and Tommy Knuff each scored once. Triston Wasil made all four conversion attempts.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph Academy won both the girls Division I and II titles, winning the latter with its B team.

In the Division I final, SJA defeated the Parma Pink Flamingos, 12-5. The Jaguars broke a 5-5 tie in the second half. Scoring for the Jaguars were Colleen Kramer, Amanda Burns and a two-point conversion by Ali DeCrane.

In the Division II final, St. Joseph Academy edged Highland, 8-7, thanks to scores from Katie Fanta and Moira McGuire. McGuire converted the game-winning penalty kick.

-- Staff reports

State tennis team tourney results: Copley finished as the Division I runner-up in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team tournament Sunday at Reynoldsburg High. After defeating Toledo St. John's Jesuit, 3-2, in the semifinals, the Indians were swept by Upper Arlington, 3-0, in the final as they lost all three singles matches.

In Division II, Beachwood had to settle for fourth place as the Bison lost to champion Lexington, 3-1, in the semifinals and to Cincinnati Country Day, 3-0, in the consolation match.

-- Joe Maxse

T.J. Ward and several Browns players were celebrity bartenders to help raise funds for kidnapped victims.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Several Cleveland Browns players, including host T.J. Ward, were celebrity bartenders in an event Friday at the House of Blues to raise money for  Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, who were found last month after being held captive for more than a decade.
 
Proceeds from the event went to the Cleveland Courage Fund to help the three young women and their families.

About 100 party goers were served drinks by local celebrity bartenders along with Browns players Ward, Johnson Bademosi, Craig Robertson, Quentin Groves and Joe Haden.

Stricklin, 41, posted a 350-188 record in nine seasons at KSU and led the Golden Flashes to the 2012 College World Series.

Success, then gone. That is not unusual at Kent State. It happened again Monday as successful KSU baseball coach Scott Stricklin was hired away by Georgia to turn that SEC baseball program around.

"It happened pretty quick," Stricklin, 41, said by phone Monday evening from the back of his chauffeured ride. "But I can't talk right. I'm on the Atlanta highway right now. I can't talk until Wednesday as that is when the press conference will be."

He leaves behind a somewhat stunned administration that rolled out the red carpet for Stricklin (Stricklin, KSU agree on contract extension) and the program after the 2012 baseball season, when the Golden Flashes won the Mid-American Conference regular season title and the MAC Tournament, then advanced through the NCAA baseball tournament to the College World Series. He departs with a 350-188 slate including four straight MAC East titles, and a string of four straight NCAA appearances that was snapped this season.

Stricklin is the latest Kent coach to parlay success into a job at a higher-paying job with another program, joining a string of KSU basketball coaches, and just last winter football coach Darrell Hazell after a championship season.

"That happens," Kent Athletic Director Joel Nielsen said. "It's understandable, but it is unfortunate."

The search now turns to Stricklin's replacement and the focus lasers in on successful pitching coach Mike Birkbeck, who no doubt has a standing offer not only for the KSU job, but also to join Stricklin at Georgia.

"It's something he and I have had conversations about the last couple of days," Nielsen said. "We'll keep talking. Whoever we get, it's going to be very important to find someone to maintain both the on- and off-field success, which is a key part of the culture of the Kent State baseball program."

Stricklin, a two-time All-MAC catcher for the Golden Flashes, had 30 players taken in the Major League Baseball draft.

"We are thrilled to have Scott leading our baseball program," said Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity in a statement. "Scott has excelled in every phase of his career as a student athlete at Kent State, in professional baseball, as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech and as a head coach at Kent State for the past nine years. At every step of the search process, his name was consistently mentioned as a tremendous candidate, and we are so happy to have Scott provide the leadership and direction for our program."

Stricklin was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Tech under former KSU head coach Danny Hall, and he started his coaching career in 1998 as a volunteer coach for the Yellow Jackets.

Stricklin was a 23rd-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1993, played five seasons of professional baseball and reached the Class AAA level with the Twins.

Stricklin graduated with a degree in marketing from Kent State in 1995.

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton haven't minded seeing the Browns. Owens has been working with the first-team defense. More Browns story links.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns open their first full-squad mini-camp with Rob Chudzinski as coach on Tuesday.

The mini-camp will conclude on Thursday. The Browns won't convene again until training camp opens in July.

Cleveland will play four exhibition games -- the first on Thursday, Aug. 8 against the St. Louis Rams at the Browns' newly-named FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Browns open their 61st NFL season (1950-95, 1999-present) with a Sunday, Sept. 8 home game against the Miami Dolphins.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Part 2 of Dennis Manoloff's interview with quarterback Brandon Weeden. Here's Part 1 of the interview. Part 3 will be posted on cleveland.com at 8 on Tuesday morning.

It's cliche, but happens to be true. Teams need to, at least, be competitive within their own division to be legitimate contenders.

Since the Browns have lost 57 of 80 games in the last five seasons and are 73-151 in 14 campaigns since returning to the NFL as a franchise in 1999, this is no bulletin: They've been terrible against the three other AFC North teams.

Of course, with the constant roster turnover, few current Browns have been around for much of the futility.

However.

The Browns have lost their last 10 games to the Baltimore Ravens, and are 7-21 all-time. The Ravens are the descendants of the original Browns, moved from Cleveland to Baltimore by then-owner Art Modell following the 1995 season.

The Browns have lost 13 of the last 17 games they have played against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cleveland did win the second game between the teams last season, a 34-24 triumph over Cincinnati on Oct. 14 in Cleveland.

Three and twenty-three. That's the Browns' record in their last 26 games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the 36-33 loss at Pittsburgh on Jan. 5, 2003, the only playoff game the Browns have been in since the 1994 season.

The Browns managed a 20-14 win over Pittsburgh in the first of the teams' two meetings last season, on Nov. 25 in Cleveland. Because of injuries, third-stringer Charlie Batch -- who was 10 days short of his 39th birthday and had started seven games in the previous 9 1/2 seasons -- played the entire game at quarterback for the Steelers. Pittsburgh all but gave the game to the Browns, committing eight turnovers.

NFL.com features, with a slideshow and comments, 10 quirky facts about the Browns, including Cleveland's struggles against AFC North teams quarterbacked by Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton:

The Browns are 2-28 against the other current AFC North quarterbacks. Joe Flacco is 10-0 in his career against the Browns, while Ben Roethlisberger is 15-1 and Andy Dalton is 3-1 vs. Cleveland.

Browns story links

Chris Owens, the former Atlanta Falcon signed as a free agent by the Browns, has been playing cornerback with the first-team defense. (By Jamison Hensley, ESPN.com)

Fullback Owen Marecic is eager to prove himself after two inconsistent seasons. (By Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal)

Left offensive tackle Joe Thomas is confident the Browns will be able to throw the ball downfield. (By Matt Florjancic, clevelandbrowns.com)

The five best coaches in Browns history. (By Tony Grossi, ESPNCleveland.com)

Who's the better running back, the Browns' Trent Richardson (third overall pick in the 2012 draft) or the Washington Redskins' Alfred Morris (14th running back picked in the 2012 draft)? (By Bucky Brooks, NFL.com)

Two of the NFL's 10 worst-ever coach firings were by the Browns and then-owner Art Modell. Of course, some Browns fans point to the team's success with coach Blanton Collier, the successor to the legendary Paul Brown. And, when Bill Belichick was dismissed, the Browns had become the Ravens. (By Pat Kirwan, CBSSports.com)

New offensive coordinator Norv Turner is motivating fellow coaches and the players with his energy. (By Matt Florjancic, clevelandbrowns.com)

Former Browns coach Eric Mangini gets a chance to work with one of the NFL's premier teams, the San Francisco 49ers. (By Steve DiMatteo, Dawg Pound Daily)

Mark Reynolds was worried before signing with the Cleveland Indians that he would be in a platoon situation. Manager Terry Francona put his mind at ease.

Clubhouse confidential: In recruiting free agent Mark Reynolds over the winter, manager Terry Francona remembered this conversation.

Francona was in the Dominican Republic and having a hard time with cell-phone reception in trying to reach Reynolds. When he finally made contact, Reynolds told him, "I'm worried about getting platooned."

Said Francona: "I told him, "Don't worry about that, we want you to come here and hit 40 home runs."

We're No. 3: In the first release of AL All-Star balloting figures, Reynolds and Carlos Santana are in third place at DH and catcher, respectively. Reynolds has 453,708 votes and trails Boston's David Ortiz (1,045,283) and Texas' Lance Berkman (672,547).

Santana has 547,873 votes, but trails Minnesota's Joe Mauer (863,450) and Baltimore's Matt Wieters (715,055).

Reynolds and Santana have never been big-league All-Stars.

Stat of the day: The Indians' rotation entered Monday night's game against the Yankees at 17-9 with a 3.45 ERA in its past 35 games.

Despite rough ending to his last season in New York, Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher gets a nice reception.

View full sizeIndians first baseman Nick Swisher yuks it up with former teammate Mark Teixiera during Monday night's game in New York. Kathy Willens, AP

NEW YORK -- The Bleacher Creatures showed Nick Swisher that all was forgiven.

Swisher received a warm round of applause Monday night from the crowd at Yankee Stadium in his return to the Bronx with the Indians for a three-game series. Before signing a four-year, $56 million deal with the Indians in December, Swisher spent four years with the Yankees.

Year in and year out Swisher put up good numbers for the Yankees during the regular season. Come playoff time, however, things changed.

In four trips to the postseason with the Yankees, including a World Series championship in 2009, Swisher hit .162 (21-for-130). Things turned sour last year when Detroit eliminated the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

New York's entire lineup, with the exception of Raul Ibanez, stopped hitting, but Swisher was targeted for booing as he went 5-for-30 in two postseason rounds. Before Monday night's game, a reporter asked him what kind of reception he thought he'd received based on the way things ended last year.

"Man, you have to live in the now, bro," said Swisher. "It's something that happened so long ago. I thought we squashed that."

Swisher said he was excited about playing at Yankee Stadium.

"I'm looking forward to it. It's one of the greatest places I've ever had the opportunity to play at. I know the Bleacher Creatures will be out there tonight. I look forward to seeing all of them."

Lefty alert: How concerned are the Indians about their left-handed relievers? Concerned enough to reportedly be talking to J.C. Romero for the second straight season.

Romero made eight appearances last season for the Indians at Class AAA Columbus after they signed him to a minor-league deal July 21. They traded him to the Orioles on Aug. 13 for a minor-league infielder.

Could Romero be better this year at 37 than he was last year at 36? Romero became available when he opted out of his deal with the Nationals.

This year's Tribe lefties have left something to be desired: Rich Hill (0-0, 8.44), Nick Hagadone (0-1, 7.20), Scott Barnes (0-1, 7.27, one save) and David Huff (0-0, 15.00) have offered nothing but inconsistency. Barnes was optioned to Columbus last week and Huff was recently claimed by the Yankees.

Publicly, GM Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona have kept their concern level under control because righties Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw have done a good job against lefties. Allen has held lefties to a .182 (8-for-44) average, while lefties are hitting .269 (14-for-52) against Shaw.

It's a mystery: Ryan Raburn started in left field Monday as Francona loaded his lineup with righties against lefty Andy Pettitte.

Raburn has been bothered by calf cramps the past several days, but says he's feeling better.

"I don't know what caused them," said Raburn. "I've never had a problem with them before, but after you have them it takes a while for the pain to go away. I've just been drinking a ton of water and taking electrolytes."

Slump city: Drew Stubbs is in a funk.

He entered Monday's game in an 0-for-16 skid. The skid ended at 0-for-17 when he doubled in the fifth inning against the Yankees.

Over his previous 16 games, Stubbs was 5-for-44 with 19 strikeouts. His average dropped from .257 to .225 going into the Yankees series.

"He's faced some tough righties," said Francona. "He leaned on one ball that the wind knocked down and the center fielder made a shoestring catch against him. So it's probably a combination of a lot of things.

"Sometimes when you need a ball to drop it doesn't."

Mark Reynolds has been scuffling as well. After hitting .301 (25-for-83) with eight homers and 22 RBI in April, Reynolds is hitting .210 (22-for-105) with five homers and 19 RBI since May 1.

Reynolds, known for his long homers and strikeouts, struck out 22 times in April. Since then he's struck out 36 times in 105 at-bats going into the Yankees series.

Francona made it clear he is not worried about Reynolds' strikeouts.

"I just want him to take as many good swings as possible," said Francona. "If he does that, he's going to do damage."

Finally: The Indians gave rookie right-hander Matt Langwell the lineup card from Sunday's game and a game ball to commemorate his big-league debut.

Hudson native John Hahn will play in his first U.S. Open, June 13-16.

Former Kent State standout John Hahn is going to play in the U.S. Open.

Hahn, a Hudson native who turned professional last year and has been playing on satellite tours in North Carolina, Florida and Nevada, earned one of the qualifying spots in the U.S. Open sectional qualifying tournament on Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.

Hahn, a three-time Mid-American Conference player of the year, shot rounds of 65-71 for a 36-hole total of 136. He finished second to Kevin Phelan, from Ireland, and will play in his first U.S. Open when it is played at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., June 13-16.

Hahn was the medalist in the local qualifier, held at Beechmont Country Club on May 6, when he shot a 2-under 69 to advance to the sectional qualifying stage.

The Indians started a nine-game trip against the Yankees, Tigers and Rangers Monday night the worst way possible. Not only did they lose to the Yankees, the lost shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to injury.

NEW YORK -- The Indians lost a game and an All-Star shortstop Monday night at Yankee Stadium. That's not the way manager Terry Francona wanted to start this difficult nine-game trip.

Asdrubal Cabrera, a two-time All-Star, will return to Cleveland on Tuesday to get an MRI on his strained right quadriceps muscle. Francona said Cabrera, injured in the fifth inning while running out a ground ball, will most likely be placed on the disabled list.

In the sixth, one inning after Francona and Lonnie Soloff, head athletic trainer, helped Cabrera off the field, Brett Gardner grounded a two-run single through the middle to break a 4-4 tie and lead the Yankees to a 7-4 victory. The Indians have lost eight of 11 games and are springing leaks all over the place.

Their best two players over the past two seasons, Cabrera and closer Chris Perez, are injured. Perez went on the DL a week ago with a strained right rotator cuff. Cabrera, apparently, will soon be joining him.

Mike Aviles will replace Cabrera at short. He started Monday's game at second and moved over to short when Cabrera left.

"There's no doubt in my mind Mike Aviles will shine," said Francona. "He can play shortstop every day. He's going to step right in and shine."

The Indians needed Justin Masterson, their ace, to pitch like he did May 13 when he threw a four-hit shutout against the Yankees. He did not.

After taking a 1-0 lead on Nick Swisher's RBI grounder in the third, the Indians fell behind, 4-1, on Mark Teixeira's grand slam off Masterson in the bottom of the same inning. Reid Brignac and Austin Romine, the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, opened with singles. After Gardner walked to load the bases, Robinson Cano sent a hard grounder to first. Swisher fielded it and threw home to force Brignac at the plate.

Teixeira, just off the disabled list and playing in only his fourth game, lined Masterson's first pitch over the wall in right field. It was the eighth slam in his career.

The Indians came back to tie, 4-4, with three runs in the fifth against Andy Pettitte. Drew Stubbs started the inning with a double to end an 0-for-17 skid. Michael Bourn beat out an infield hit down the first-base line as Stubbs went to third. Mike Aviles skied a ball to shallow right center field that second baseman Cano caught. The swift Stubbs tagged and scored just ahead of Cano's throw to make it 4-2.

Cabrera followed with a grounder to second on which he was injured.

"I thought I could be safe," said Cabrera, who has been playing with a quad injury for several weeks. "I heard it pop and there was a lot of pain."

Pettitte, 40, lost the strike zone after Cabrera's injury. He walked Swisher and Mark Reynolds to load the bases. Carlos Santana followed with a bad-hop double past third baseman David Adams as Bourn and Swisher scored. The ball bounced into the left field grandstand for a ground rule double, which stopped Reynolds at third.

Shawn Kelley (3-0) relieved and walked pinch-hitter Michael Brantley to reload the bases, but Yan Gomes flied out to right to end the inning.

Masterson walked Ichiro Suzuki to start the critical sixth, but retired the next two batters. Romine singled off Masterson's body to put runners on the corners. Romine stole second before Gardner's game-breaking single.

The Indians had a shot at getting Romine at the plate, but Masterson cut off Bourn's throw home to try to stop Gardner from taking second. He still made it.

"I was frustrated about hanging that slider to Gardner," said Masterson. "Then I made an idiotic mistake, something I don't usually do.

"It was just God's way of keeping me humble so we don't get too excited about ourselves. By no means are we excited about ourselves right now."

Francona sent Masterson out for the seventh and it was not a good choice. He retired Teixeira, but gave up a homer to Travis Hafner to make it 7-4. It was Hafner's second homer against his old team this season.

Masterson (8-4, 3.57) allowed seven runs, matching a season high, on nine hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and threw 92 pitches, 61 for strikes.

"It really came down to three pitches," said Masterson. "I hung a slider to Teixeira and Gardner. Then I tried to go down and in to Pronk, but I almost threw it over his head and he still hit it out."

Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

The Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals with a 99-76 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night in Miami. Here are some tweets from fans and media reacting to Miami's win.

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals with a 99-76 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night in Miami.

Among the questions facing the Cleveland Browns are who will man the open spots in the secondary and how will the team rotate players at the outside linebacker spot?

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns open their three-day mandatory minicamp Tuesday morning with good news for the players whose heads are spinning from cramming in the new offense and defense during 10 days of organized team activities.

"We won't be installing anything new for the minicamp," coach Rob Chudzinski said last week at OTAs. "We've thrown a lot at them. That's been by design that we've put a lot on their plates in teaching and throwing a lot at them and seeing how they apply on the field in the OTA setting. We will just be working through the minicamp with the same things that we've done. We'll give those guys a chance to go out and execute, play fast and see how they can do that."

The minicamp will largely be an extension of OTAs -- with no pads and no live contact -- but with a chance to practice for about 15 minutes more each day, from about 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

"Then the next step would be training camp," said Chudzinski. "That's where we really get a chance to work the physical part of football, the techniques and the fundamentals that we want to work on. I'm looking forward to minicamp and really looking forward to when we can put the pads on in training camp."

Here are some questions facing the Browns on the eve of minicamp:

1. Will Trent Richardson be healthy and ready to go for training camp?

Richardson will most likely sit out the minicamp with the strained muscle in his lower right leg, but the Browns -- and Richardson -- insist it's just precautionary and that they're trying to get him to training camp and the regular season healthy.

In the meantime, Richardson's absence from OTAs the past two weeks has meant more quality reps for Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya, Dion Lewis and Brandon Jackson.

"It's been good that those guys have had a chance to be able to work with the first group," said Chudzinski. "Montario (Hardesty) really is a different style than Trent. He's a good companion-type guy to him. He's a slasher and has really good vision. Again, it's hard to tell when you are not in pads and it's a very controlled tempo. (But) Dion this last week has really stepped it up and done well catching the ball and doing some things in the passing game. I think those guys are getting more comfortable with the offense."

2. Is first-rounder Barkevious Mingo ready to step up into a starting role?

Mingo received some first-team reps last week in OTAs, but largely because Paul Kruger was absent while dealing with a family obligation. The Browns are making Mingo earn his starting job, but he's made a smooth early transition from defensive end to linebacker, dropping back with ease and being in position to make plays.

The Browns have tried Jabaal Sheard and Kruger at both the left and right outside linebacker spots, so it will be interesting to see how the three will be used this season. Most likely, they'll rotate and all be used a lot in multiple spots.

"I'm feeling good," Mingo said last week. "I got a lot thrown at me early, but I've picked up the playbook and I'm progressing and getting the hang of it."

As for the switch to linebacker, he said: "I'm liking it. I like being on my feet, I like being able to move in space, I think it's natural to me and I'm picking it up."

3. Do the Browns have what they need in the defensive backfield?

Chudzinski doesn't see any urgency to add to the DB stockpile despite openings in the starting lineup at cornerback and free safety. the front-runner for the starting free safety job is second-year pro Tashaun Gipson, who was signed as an undrafted rookie last year out Wyoming. Rookie safety Jamoris Slaugher, the sixth-rounder of Notre Dame, is still recovering from his Achilles injury and hopes to be ready for camp. Rookie Leon McFadden is penciled in at cornerback, but as of last week, he was toiling on the second team behind Chris Owens, signed as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta.

"There are guys there that have ability," Chudzinski said. "It's just a matter of really honing in on techniques. Those are the guys that are our guys and I feel good about them."

4. Will Brandon Weeden continue to keep Jason Campbell at bay?

During OTAs, it's clearly been Weeden's job to lose. He's receiving all of the first-team reps and has gotten better with each passing week. He's been connecting well with guys like Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron on the deep pass and he's getting rid of the ball quickly.

"I feel like I've thrown it well and I'm getting to the line of scrimmage and not having to think about what everybody is doing," said Weeden last week. "The ball is coming out nice and my feet feel pretty good. I've just got to keep grinding on it and keep getting better."

5. Will John Greco nail down a starting guard spot?

The staff really likes Greco, who started 10 games in place of Jason Pinkston (blood clot in lung) last season and didn't miss an offensive snap over his first nine starts. Greco has worked at both right and left guard in OTAs, while Shawn Lauvao and Jason Pinkston have alternated between the first and second teams. Last week, Greco started at right guard and Lauvao on the left side, with Pinkston serving as the second-team left guard.

"John has done a nice job out here," said Chudzinski. "John is a solid guy. He really stepped up last year and played well in the games that he came in and started. Again, that really is going to play itself out when we get into pads in camp."

The Yankees look for a fifth consecutive home victory over an Indians team trying to avoid a seventh straight road defeat overall Tuesday night.

 

Game 58: Indians (30-27) at Yankees (32-25)

First pitch: 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium, New York.

TV/radio: STO; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS FM/100.7.

Box score | MLB scoreboard

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Defensive end Justin Staples is so familiar with Berea that he once called it home.

BEREA, Ohio  - Depending on the day, Justin Staples could hear wonderful music from his front porch while growing up in Berea.

Music to his ears was the coach's whistle blurting from the practice fields at Cleveland Browns headquarters just a few blocks from his home.

And when he got the chance to watch his fall heroes during summer days of training camp, Staples would sit, stand and cheer for his favorite team.

Staples would also dream of one day practicing on this same field in a Browns uniform. Now Staples is living out his youthful vision as a member of the Browns. Staples, a defensive end, signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent after a career at Illinois.

He hopes his return back home is permanent.

"I appreciate Coach Chud and the Browns for giving me this opportunity," said Staples, a graduate of St. Edward High School. "There are several Cleveland guys here in camp and we all share the same goal of playing for the home team."

Alice Cooper will be in Cleveland -- with golf clubs in hand -- at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica on June 13.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Alice Cooper likes to say he traded one addiction for another. He put down the bottle years ago and picked up a driver. Now, the man known as the godfather of shock rock is a certified golfaholic.

Cooper lives in Phoenix, an area surrounded by 300 golf courses, which makes it easy for him to maintain his habit of playing six days a week.

Not that he always plays at home, mind you. Even at age 65, Cooper is still a touring artist. He will be in Cleveland at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica on June 13, with fellow shock rocker Marilyn Manson. It's a safe bet that if you noticed a long-haired guy carrying a Callaway bag and clubs -- he's been on the clubmaker's staff for years now -- it'll be Alice Cooper.

We talked music with Cooper to preview that show in this week's Friday! magazine, but as any golf nut knows, it's impossible to have a conversation with another golf nut without talking ... golf. Here's that part of the conversation:

Q: What's your handicap?

A: I'm surprised if I shoot over 76. I'm usually right down the middle, and if I don't hit the green, I'm around the green. I'm a good chipper and putter.

Q: Right to left or left to right?

A: I'm a little bit right to left. I'm not a big hitter, but I'll keep it around 260 yards. I hit 90 percent of my fairways. That's something Johnny Miller taught me.

Q: How do you play so often when you're on tour?

A: It's easier to do when you're on tour in America; golf in Europe is a lot more complicated. We get into town, say Cleveland, and the next show is in Detroit. We finish the show, get on the buses -- which are 5-star hotels now, with double beds -- go right to sleep. We drive all night, wake up at 6 a.m. and on the tee at 7:30.

Q: Favorite course?

A: Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield has always been my favorite. I don't know why, it just seems to fit my eye. It's just one of those courses where every single shot is a postcard.

Q: Your best club?

A: My go-to club is my 9-wood. If I want to hit the ball 200 yards and keep it in play, that's the one.

Q: Any holes-in-one?

A: I have four holes-in-one and three double eagles, where I hit a 3- or 5-wood into the hole on a par 5, and I had another one that ended up an inch away.

Q: Best shot?

A: The last Bob Hope that I played, on the last hole on Sunday. I hit driver, 5-wood and made a 30-foot putt for eagle. Nick Faldo says, 'No way! He waits to do that on TV!'

Q: I run a little golf league here and I was told I have to ask you, will you play with us?

A: Callaway sets up the golf. I've been on the Callaway staff for about 20 years now. They set up the golf a month in advance, and they almost always have it set up with myself, my guitar player, the pro or someone from one of their outlets, like Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy. I don't get to choose.

Q: Well, if they give you a mulligan ...