Highlights include Indians' home game against Washington; final round of U.S. Open golf; Miami at San Antonio in Game 5 of the NBA Finals; college baseball World Series..

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

AUTO RACING

1 p.m. Thunder Valley Nationals, part I (tape), ESPN2

1 p.m. Quicken Loans 400, TNT

11 p.m. Thunder Valley Nationals, part II (tape), ESPN2

BASEBALL

1 p.m. AKRON AEROS at Portland, AM/1350

1 p.m. Chicago Cubs at N.Y. Mets, WGN

1:05 p.m. Washington at CLEVELAND INDIANS, SportsTime Ohio; AM/1100, FM/100.7

1:30 p.m. Great Lakes at LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS, AM/970

1:30 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Pittsburgh, TBS

8 p.m. San Francisco at Atlanta, ESPN

COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

3 p.m. Game 3, North Carolina vs. N.C. State, ESPN2

8 p.m. Game 4, UCLA vs. LSU, ESPN2

GOLF

Noon U.S. Open, WKYC

MOTORSPORTS

7:30 a.m. MOTOGP W.C., Catalunyan Grand Prix, Speed Channel

5 p.m. MOTOGP MOTO2, Catalunyan Grand Prix (tape), Speed Channel

NBA FINALS

8 p.m. Game 5, Miami at San Antonio, WEWS

SOCCER

2:30 p.m. Confederations Cup, Mexico vs. Italy, ESPN

5:45 p.m. Confederations Cup, Spain vs. Uruguay, ESPN

Follow the action from the final round of the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.

ARDMORE, Pa. - Get updates from the final round of the U.S. Open all day Sunday. Check the latest leaderboard here. 

Follow the action at Merion Golf Club in the box below, which features Twitter updates from Plain Dealer golf writer Tim Rogers from Merion, as well as Tweets from USGA accounts.

We invite you to post your comments about the tournament at the bottom of this post, or use the comments section to send a question to Rogers.

Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr. heads the (short) list of best small forwards available in NBA Draft 2013.

Fifth in a series breaking down the 2013 NBA Draft position-by-position.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Even though he grew up in tiny Morley, Mo., population 696, Georgetown small forward Otto Porter Jr. never had trouble finding anybody to play basketball.

All he had to do was look around the house.

There was his father, Otto Porter Sr., his mother, Elnora Timmons Porter, and even his little brother Jeffrey. His parents were stars at Scott County Central High School and his brother is headed in that direction. The school has won a state-record 16 state titles, and there was a member of the Porter family on the first 11 of them.

Here in Ohio, not even the Morans or the Greynolds can touch that.

When Porter Jr. is selected in the NBA Draft on June 27 -- perhaps even by the Cavaliers -- he knows he has his family to thank. Because he was surrounded by good players who shared his name, he felt no need to go the AAU route to hone his game.

"I figured I could just stay home and work on my game and the exposure would come later when teams could see I can play and I had talent," Porter said during the recent NBA combine in Chicago.

He did joke that his family would have made one heck of an AAU team.

"We had all positions, point guards to centers," he said with a smile.

Porter, nicknamed "Bubba" by his family, has basketball in his DNA. His father, whose No. 35 jersey has been retired, played on the first state championship team. His mother was named all-state in 1985. She put a basketball in Otto Jr.'s hands before he could walk. Her brother, Marcus Timmons, was named Missouri's Mr. Basketball in 1991 and set the school's all-time scoring record. Porter's other uncles, Melvin Porter and Jerry Porter, also won state titles. His cousin, Mark Mosely, was the starting point guard for the Braves in 1990 and 1991 when they won state championships. His cousin, Corey Porter, helped Sikeston High School win its first state title in its first undefeated season. His cousin and former teammate Bobby Hatchett played for Midland College, which played for the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. Another cousin, Calvin Porter Jr., was one of three Porters (including Otto Jr.) to start for the high school's championship team in 2011. That year marked Otto Porter Jr.'s third straight title.

Growing up, the cousins played against each other. When they got older and better, they faced off against their dads. Sometimes they played at their grandmother's house. Other times they went to the high school gym. Porter was able to work on his game all summer.

"Summers were waking up early in the morning, getting my exercise in, running, riding my bike for a couple hours," said Porter, a two-time Southeast Missouri Player of the Year who finished his high school career 115-9. "Helping around the house with wood and different things, that built up my strength naturally. Then in the afternoon I'd go to the gym for four or five hours, be there all night putting up shots. Working on ball-handling, working on my jump shot and things like that. That was every day. I stayed home and worked on my skills a lot more. My dad helped me work out just getting better and stronger."

The extra effort showed when the Georgetown sophomore was named the Big East Player of the Year, and now as he prepares for this next step in his career.

"Definitely," Porter said. "Hard work pays off when you finally get the benefit of all these nights and hours you put into your game and it is finally rewarded."

Next Sunday: International players.

The top 5 Small Forwards

This would seem to be the Cavaliers' No. 1 need, and Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr. would seem to be their kind of guy. But will they use the No. 1 pick to fill a need? This may be the weakest position in the draft. There's a gap between Porter and UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, and then a big dropoff between Muhammad and Tony Mitchell. On the other hand, Greek mystery man Giannis Adetokunbo is generating all kinds of hype.

1. Georgetown's Otto Porter (6-8 1/2, 198): Averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, plus almost three assists and two steals, as the Hoyas finished 25-7. Smart, polished, skilled.

2. UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad (6-6, 222): Averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds as the Bruins finished 25-10. A gifted scorer who is strong and physical even if he's not a great athlete. He may have to play shooting guard in the NBA. Needs to try harder on the defensive end.

3. North Texas' Tony Mitchell (6-8 3/4, 236): Averaged 13 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks as the Mean Green finished 12-20. An athletic defender who can guard multiple positions. Needs to get stronger and work on his jumper.

4. North Carolina's Reggie Bullock (6-7, 200): Averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists as the Tar Heels finished 25-11. Another long, athletic scorer who is versatile but he needs to maintain his focus the whole game.

5. Greece's Giannis Adetokunbo (6-10, 196): Averaged 7.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in the Greek second division. Nicknamed "The Greek Freak", he was born in Greece of Nigerian parents. Has all the physical attributes that could make him a success eventually, but is hard to judge because the level of competition he faced was so weak -- more like high school competition in the United States.

Big winds cancelled the final day of fishing on Sunday for the Cabela's National Walleye Tour on Lake Erie. Michigan's John Gillman was ruled the winner after just one day of competition.

Pro angler Ron Rhodes of Sheffield Lake (right) and his amateur parter Isaac Bower of Mosinee, Wisc., brought a limit of five Lake Erie walleye to the Cabela's National Walleye Tour scales on Saturday. The pair finished 23rd in the pro-am tournament with 40.26 pounds. D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer 

PORT CLINTON, OHIO - Walleye tournament officials facing the combination of strong winds and big waves on the broad waters of Lake Erie on Sunday morning cancelled the final day of fishing of the Cabela's National Walleye Tour event. John Gillman of Freeland, Mich. was declared the Pro Division winner after his Saturday's limit catch of five walleye weighing 51.70 pounds.

On Sunday, southwest winds kicked up big waves that prompted a small craft advisory. The 129-team pro-am field was also sidelined on Friday by a small craft advisory caused by north winds and four-foot waves.

Gillman's catch set a National Walleye Tour mark in the tournament trail's first season of competition. He won $57,000, which included a new boat. The walleye tour heads to Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., on July 26-27. The championship is Sept. 19-21 at Devils Lake, N.D.

Completing the top five finishers in the Pro Division were: Chris Gilman, Chisago City, Minn., 47.54 pounds; Perry Good, Brainerd, Minn., 47.16 pounds; Robert Blosser, Poynette, Wisc., 46.79 pounds; Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, Wisc., 46.15 pounds.

Corey Kluber faces Stephen Strasburg this afternoon at Progressive Field.

Game 68: Indians (33-34) vs. Nationals (34-33)

First pitch: 1:05 p.m. at Progressive Field.

TV/radio: TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM AM/ 1100

» Get updates from Paul Hoynes in the pressbox here

» You can also follow Tweets about the game and post your comments below.

Tweets from @clevelanddotcom/indians

ARDMORE, Pa. -- It was not a happy anniversary for Tiger Woods. Woods' winless streak in majors extended to 10 on Sunday when the top-ranked player in the world stumbled to a finish in the final round of the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. Woods' last win in a major and his third U.S. Open title came five...

View full sizeTiger Woods walks the 18th hole Sunday on his way to his worst finish at a U.S. Open as a pro -- 13 over. Julio Cortez, AP

ARDMORE, Pa. -- It was not a happy anniversary for Tiger Woods.

Woods' winless streak in majors extended to 10 on Sunday when the top-ranked player in the world stumbled to a finish in the final round of the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.

Woods' last win in a major and his third U.S. Open title came five years ago to the day -- June 16, 2008 -- when he prevailed at Torrey Pines. There was no fist-pumping Sunday and the chase for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors has hit a major road bump. Woods turns 38 in December.

His 13 over for 72 holes in this week's Open was his worst showing as a professional in a major. He shot 14 over at Oakland Hills in 1996 as an amateur.

Woods' third-round 76 here Saturday matched his worst round at an Open as a professional, equaling his final round of the 2004 Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Woods' next chance at closing the gap between he and Nicklaus comes at the British Open at Muirfield next month. Woods has not won the British since 2006 at Royal Liverpool and he's never won at Muirfield.

Red carpet man: Former Clevelander Jason Dufner made a run at the leaders until a triple bogey derailed what had been a 5-under round -- getting him to within two shots of the leaders -- to that point. Dufner got one stroke back with a birdie on the 17th but the damage had been done. His 67 was a career low in the Open and his finish at 5-over 285 was his second-best finish in an Open.

Gotta love it: Shawn Stefani, who shot an 85 in the third round Saturday and entered Sunday's final round at 20 over, made the first hole-in-one at Merion during a U.S. Open. Just to show that there is justice in this game, his shot on the 246-yard 17th hole missed the green to the left, but bounced off a hill, kicked hard to the right and rolled about 30 feet into the hole. A USGA official said it was the 43rd known hole-in-one in Open history.

A man thing: One of the longest lines at a corporate tent snaked its way around the Lexus tent and it was mostly adult males in line. Why? LPGA star Natalie Gulbis was inside signing autographs.

Make you age: Steve Stricker, 46, seeking to become the oldest man to win the Open, shot himself out of contention early. He took a triple-bogey 8 on the second hole when he knocked his drive out of bounds and hit his fourth shot into the trees. Bogeys followed at the third and fifth and Stricker went from even at the start to 5 over.

Gimme three steps: The par-4 15th hole at Merion gives everybody the willies because the out-of-bounds on the left is about three steps from the fairway just at the dogleg. On the right side are bunkers. That's where Sergio Garcia made a 10, David Howell shot a 9 and a handful of players took a 7.

No birdie magic: Charl Schwartzel, who etched his name into the record books in 2011 by becoming the first man to birdie the last four holes to win the Masters, had no such game Sunday. Starting the day in a tie for second, one shot behind Phil Mickelson, Schwartzel pulled into a tie at 1 under with a birdie on the first hole and a par on the second. Things went downhill drastically after that as the South African bogeyed six of his next eight holes and had a double bogey on another. Thanks for playing, son.

From the East: Japan's Hideki Matsuyama shot a final-round 67 to finish his first U.S. Open at 7-over 287. His 67 equaled the low round of the week, shot by several others. Matsuyama leads the Japan Golf Tour in earnings with $743,400.

1. Ever since I started paying attention, long before persimmon woods disappeared, I felt the U.S. Open was always the best of the four majors. It's the biggest tournament in the world. It's played on the best courses in the country. The fans are the rowdiest. The stress level is the highest. Anyone winning the Open deserves it. 2....

View full sizePhil Mickelson goes airborne after scoring an eagle on No. 10 Sunday. Charlie Riedel, AP

1. Ever since I started paying attention, long before persimmon woods disappeared, I felt the U.S. Open was always the best of the four majors. It's the biggest tournament in the world. It's played on the best courses in the country. The fans are the rowdiest. The stress level is the highest. Anyone winning the Open deserves it.

2. Even though eight holes remained, I thought Phil Mickelson won the U.S. Open with that eagle-2 from the right rough on the 10th hole. Had he won, that shot would have taken up residence in the history books with Ben Hogan's 1-iron in 1950.

3. I have to be honest. I feel badly for Mickelson. More than I feel joy for Justin Rose. And, I like Rose. He is a gentleman, much like Adam Scott.

4. The USGA will try a new tactic in 2014. The U.S. Open will be played at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina during the second week of June. The Women's U.S. Open will be played at the same site one week later. It is the first time that has ever happened and you have to wonder if it's not an attempt to get more media attention dumped on the women's game. And, if it is, so what?

Rose the only player to finish tournament without a double bogey.

View full sizeJustin Rose on Sunday proudly displays the trophy he won for winning the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. Michael Bryant, Philadelphia Inquirer

ARDMORE, Pa. -- What a crummy way to spoil a birthday.

The frustration continued for Phil Mickelson -- some brought on by himself -- and it enabled Justin Rose to get a major monkey off his back.

Rose, regarded as one of the best players never to win a major, shot a final-round 70 on Sunday and won the 113th U.S. Open championship at Merion Golf Club.

The even round gave Rose a 72-hole total of 1-over 281 and a two-shot victory over Jason Day and Mickelson, who continued his U.S. Open misery by shooting his worst round of the week, a 3-over 74.

It was the first major victory after 37 tries for Rose, who was the only golfer not to make a double bogey during the tournament. And, he won it on Mickelson's 43rd birthday.

"This feels fantastic," Rose said. "I committed myself to the process this week. I committed myself to putting a strategy in place. I don't know if it takes the pressure off, but it's a moment where you can look back and think childhood dreams have come true."

• Results

Mickelson, arguably the people's choice in the crowd of about 25,000, began the final round in first place at 1 under but made two double bogeys on the front and two critical bogeys on the back. The bogeys came after he had electrified the crowd with an eagle-2 from the right rough on the 290-yard 10th hole.

Bogeys on the 115-yard 13th, the shortest and easiest hole on the course, and another on the pesky 411-yard 15th, which gave players fits all week -- see Sergio Garcia's 10 there on Saturday -- doomed Mickelson's bid to win his fifth major.

He owns the record for most second-place finishes in the Open with six.

The leader after each of the first three rounds, Mickelson made bogey on the 13th when his tee shot sailed over the green and he left himself a 15-foot putt for par. He missed, one in a series of putts that could have changed his fortunes. On the 15th, he came up short of the hole then chipped from the green and ran the ball way beyond.

"For me it's very heartbreaking," Mickelson said. "This could have been the big -- a really big -- turnaround for me on how I look at the U.S. Open and the tournament I'd like to win. Playing very well here and really loving the golf course, this week was my best opportunity, I felt, heading into the final round."

When asked if this was more frustrating than his previous finishes, he did not hesitate.

"Very possibly, yeah," he said. "I would say it very well could be. I think this was my best chance. But this one's probably the toughest for me because at 43 and coming so close five [previous] times, it would have changed the way I look at the tournament altogether and the way I would have looked at my record. Except, I just keep feeling heartbreak."

Mickelson might have loved the course but as sometimes happens in love stories, there was some friction. And he let a USGA official hear about it. He found the length of the third hole, extended he said to more than 270 yards, to be absurd.

"That was terrible," he was heard to say. "274 [yards]? We can't even reach it."

As it turned out, that was the least of his issues.

"Those wedge shots on 13 and 15 are the two I'll look back on," he said.

Rose, who had 15 birdies, 16 bogeys and 41 pars, began the day two shots back. Playing in the group in front of the leaders, he birdied three holes on the front to pull into the lead and regained the lead with a birdie on the 13th after Mickelson's eagle, and fell into a tie at 1 over by three-putting the 16th.

He almost relinquished the lead when his second shot on the 18th hole found the short rough to the right, just off the green. Using a 3-metal, he nudged his third shot to the left edge for a tap-in par.

After holing out, Rose looked to the sky in tribute to his late father, Ken. Like many professionals, his father was the first to put a club in his hand. And, after all, it was Father's Day.

"The look up to the heavens was absolutely for my dad," he said. "Father's Day was not lost on me. You don't have opportunities to really dedicate a win to someone you love. I got a beautiful text today that said go out and be the man that your dad taught you to be and be the man that your kids can be proud of. That's how I tried to carry myself out there. My dad was my inspiration the whole day."

Former Clevelander Jason Dufner shot a final-round 3-under 67 -- equaling the low round of the week -- to finish at 5-over 280 and in a tie with veteran Ernie Els (69), Billy Horschel (74) and Hunter Mahan (75), who began the day one shot out of the lead but bogeyed three of the final four holes. The tie for fourth equaled Dufner's career-best Open finish of last year at the Olympic Club.

Manu Ginobili had 24 points and 10 assists in a surprise start to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a 114-104 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, pushing the Spurs one victory away from their fifth championship.

SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili had 24 points and 10 assists in a surprise start to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a 114-104 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, pushing the Spurs one victory away from their fifth championship.

Danny Green scored 24 points and broke Ray Allen's finals record for 3s in a series with 25. Tony Parker had 26 points for San Antonio.

LeBron James scored 25 points on 8-for-22 shooting for the Heat and Dwyane Wade had 25 points and 10 assists. But the Heat missed 21 of their first 29 shots to fall behind by 17 points in the second quarter of another uninspired performance.

Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Miami.

Whirling through the defense like the Manu of old, Ginobili shrugged off a postseason full of disappointment to deliver a performance that the Spurs have never needed more desperately. He hit 8 of 14 shots and had his highest points total since June 4, 2012.

Tim Duncan had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Green was 6 for 10 from 3-point range, and Parker gutted through 36 minutes on that tender right hamstring. Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and eight rebounds, and the San Antonio shot 60 percent to overcome 19 turnovers.

• Spurs-Heat summary

Allen scored 21 points and Chris Bosh had 16 points and six rebounds for the Heat, who were stunned by a vintage Ginobili performance early and never really recovered.

Miami missed 21 of its first 29 shots and Green hit three straight 3s in the middle of the second quarter to tie Allen's record of 22. The Spurs led 47-30 on Duncan's two free throws before the Heat finally showed some fight.

Video: Watch game highlights

A 12-0 run got them back within striking distance at 47-42 and the Heat surged out of the halftime gates to cut San Antonio's lead to 61-59 in the first 1:17 of the third.

San Antonio pushed right back, getting a jumper from Parker, a 3-pointer from Green that broke Allen's record and a lefty layup from Ginobili to get a little breathing room.

Ginobili closed the third with a twisting, off-balance, left-handed runner and a right-handed drive to the bucket to bring cheers of "Manu! Manu!" from the delirious crowd.

Nowhere to be found in the first four games, and for most of these playoffs, Ginobili had his fingerprints all over the opening of Game 5. He hit a step-back jumper, had two pretty assists on a backdoor cut from Green and a thunderous dunk from Duncan and knocked down two free throws for an early 9-4 lead.

Ginobili's 3-pointer from the wing made it 15-10, bringing the nervous crowd to its feet. The awakening was a welcome sign for the Spurs, who desperately missed their playmaking daredevil.

The Heat reclaimed momentum in Game 4 thanks to a shuffle of the starting lineup by coach Erik Spoelstra, who moved sharp-shooter Mike Miller into the starting lineup in Udonis Haslem's place, giving Miami a smaller lineup that spaced the floor better and gave James and Wade room to operate.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made a move to match that on Sunday night, putting the struggling Ginobili in for center Tiago Splitter. Ginobili was averaging 7.5 points in the first four games and shooting 34 percent. In the final year of his deal, the soon-to-be 36-year-old was asked about retirement on Saturday.

The crowd roared for Ginobili when he was introduced last, with one banner reading "We still Gino-believe!"

Wade had endured a similarly quiet start to these finals before erupting for 32 points and six steals in Miami's Game 4 victory that evened the series. That carried over to the opening quarter of Game 5, when Wade's assertive play helped Miami withstand Ginobili's initial haymaker.

Wade's trademark euro-step on the break and two free throws kept the game tight and James hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 17 with under 5 minutes to play in the period.

The two teams entered Game 5 riding a pendulum of momentum that was swinging wildly back and forth over the previous three games. A classic, air-tight Game 1 victory by the Spurs gave way to three blowouts — Miami by 19 in Game 1, San Antonio by 36 in Game 3 and the Heat by 16 in Game 4.

The volatility made it difficult for either team to feel like it had a grip on expectations heading into the pivotal Game 5, but the Heat did appear to finally assert themselves with a dominant performance from their three All-Stars on Thursday night.

James, Wade and Bosh broke out of a series-long malaise to combine for 85 points, 30 rebounds and 10 steals, finally finding a way to get to the rim against the paint-clogging Spurs defense.

But for a team as talented and experienced as they are, these Heat have shown a maddening inconsistency over the last month. The team that won 27 straight during the regular season came into the game having going 11 straight games without winning two in a row.

There was so much more riding on this game for the Spurs than the Heat, who reclaimed homecourt advantage with their decisive victory in Game 4. Under the current 2-3-2 format that was adopted in 1985, no visiting team has won both Games 6 and 7 on the road in the finals.

And the Spurs played with more urgency from the start.

Now the Heat's backs are against the wall one more time. And it was Ginobili who put them there.

Video: Post-game interviews

"The consensus number one pick is Nerlens Noel. Nine out of ten people who are paid to rank talent in a draft say that Nerlens Noel should be the top pick. And for good reason. Noel has an unheard of combination of height, speed, and quickness." - wilco105

Is Nerlens Noel a key piece to an NBA championship? One cleveland.com reader thinks so. (AP Photo/James Crisp) 

"The consensus number one pick is Nerlens Noel. Nine out of ten people who are paid to rank talent in a draft say that Nerlens Noel should be the top pick. And for good reason. Noel has an unheard of combination of height, speed, and quickness. People worried about Noel's weight don't understand athleticism. Of course the knee is a risk. But the upside is that the Cavs could be drafting the centerpiece of an NBA championship.

I hope the Cavs don't try to be smarter than the experts."

Cleveland Indians outlook improves, according to The Plain Dealer's stats-driven Believe-O-Meter.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Plain Dealer's stats-driven Believe-O-Meter for the Cleveland Indians is on the rise after the team took two-out-of-three over the weekend from the Washington Nationals.

62	64	60
Overall	Heart	Head

The meter, an index taking into account on-field performance and fan interest, reads a 62 Monday on a scale of 1-to-100.

That's up from a 54 on Thursday. It was 51 a week ago after the Indians had lost their seventh straight game.

The stats-driven Believe-O-Meter shown here is an alternate way to judge the Indians' hopes this season to the subjective fan-driven Believe-O-Meter. You can be part of that separate rating by voicing your opinion at this link.

Here's how we come up with the stats-driven Believe-O-Meter rating, an average of our head and heart indexes.

• For the head (currently a 60), we've created an index that takes into account the Indians' record over the last 10 games, the overall record for the year, games behind first place, and the team's American League ranking for runs scored and runs allowed.

• For the heart (currently a 64), the index factors in attendance over the last 10 home games and readership over the last week on cleveland.com for Indians stories vs. stories about the Browns, the Cavs and Ohio State. Indians stories ranked first among this group over the last week.

We'll check back often with updates on the the Believe-O-Meter, stats version, as the season goes along.

Visit the fan-driven Believe-O-Meter to register how you're feeling about the Tribe today.

Indians Believe-O-Meter rates a six.Bill Neff, The Plain Dealer

The new sign that faces downtown Cleveland is nearly 200 feet long and weighs 3,500 pounds.

CLEVELAND — The first sign marking the new name for the home of the Cleveland Browns has gone up. (Slideshow )

Workers on Friday began putting up the sign for FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that FirstEnergy is paying $102 million over 17 years for the naming rights.

The new sign that faces downtown Cleveland is nearly 200 feet long and weighs 3,500 pounds.

FirstEnergy says more signs will be going up on the stadium that until now was known simply as Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Former Browns coaches Romeo Crennel and Butch Davis are ranked among the worst coaches in the modern NFL era.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - It figures that the Cleveland Browns would have two of the worst former head coaches when it comes to an article by Deadspin.com.

Drew Magary and Dom Cosentino write that former Browns coaches Butch Davis and Romeo Crennel are two (out of 16) of the worst coaches.

Davis is ranked No. 12, followed by Crennel at No. 11:

This list might as well be lifted straight from the Browns' media guide, huh? Fresh off a Sugar Bowl win with the Hurricanes, Butch Davis was pretty hot when he came to Cleveland in 2001 to carry on the franchise's legacy of dropping a bowling ball on its foot. In Davis's second season, the Browns actually made the playoffs. And in their only postseason game since their return to the league, Kelly Holcomb threw for more than 400 yards, and the Browns still gagged on a 17-point second-half lead.

Browns hope slot position will improve (CantonRep.com).

Browns questions and answers (ESPNCleveland.com).

Donald Driver would only come back to play for the Packers (Fox Sports).

T.O. says visit to see Chad Johnson in jail was a humbling experience (NFL.com).

Lem Barney apologizes for remarks made at prep football camp (Detroit News).

Father's Day has a special meaning for Norv and Scott Turner (ClevelandBrowns.com).

The Cleveland Browns say the July 14 "Fan Kick Off Concert" at FirstEnergy Stadium, featuring Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Stanley and the Resonators, has been canceled. The Browns made the announcement via a press release. No explanation was given and Browns Media Relations coordinator Dan Murphy declined further comment, referring questions to Bon Jovi's publicist Ken Sunshine.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns say the July 14 "Fan Kick Off Concert" at FirstEnergy Stadium, featuring Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Stanley and the Resonators, has been canceled. The Browns made the announcement via a press release.

No explanation was given and Browns Media Relations coordinator Dan Murphy declined further comment, referring questions to Bon Jovi's publicist Ken Sunshine.

Sunshine could not be reached for comment.

The Browns announced the concert just three weeks ago in a FirstEnergy press conference featuring Stanley, and attended by Browns season ticket holders and Bon Jovi fan club members.

Browns CEO Joe Banner, shared the press conference dais with President Alec Scheiner, Downtown Cleveland Alliance President and CEO Joe Marinucci, City Councilman Joe Cimperman and Stanley.

“This is the type of event we’re hoping is reflective of the type of organization we want to be,” Banner said at the time. He added that it was part of a new Browns initiative to make better use of the stadium.

A two-hour Fan Fest, starting at 4 p.m., was to take place before the concert.

For refund information, ticket holders should return to their original point of purchase.

"I personally think this is the most talented Browns team since returning in 1999. They were young, competitive and fun to watch last year. It kind of reminded me of the '85 Browns last year, who gave me a similar feeling when watching them. I expect good things from them this year." - Green Left 44

One cleveland.com reader says this is the most talented Browns team since returning in 1999. (Joshua Gunter/ The Plain Dealer) 

"I personally think this is the most talented Browns team since returning in 1999. They were young, competitive and fun to watch last year. It kind of reminded me of the '85 Browns last year, who gave me a similar feeling when watching them. I expect good things from them this year.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh are transitioning from old to new this year. Now is the time to strike."

Do poor ethics and bad behavior result in punishment in sports? Ah, if only it were so.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Karma: The concept of "action" or "deed" in certain Eastern religions, understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect.

Tiger Woods hasn't won a major golf tournament in five years, or since he hobbled off to knee surgery after beating Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open, after which Woods' private life was revealed to be a particularly ripe scene from "Boogie Nights." Woods just shot 13-over-par 293 at Merion in the Open, his worst score in relation to par in his pro career.

That's karma, right?

Payback for bad behavior might also have been at work in the failure of Art Modell to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not even posthumously, when he wouldn't have had to duck the little b's and double-o's of Cleveland fans raining down on him at the Canton ceremonies.

Then again, Modell won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore team that had been the Browns. That was because middle linebacker Ray Lewis plea-bargained his way into the lineup after, at the very least, obstructing justice in a double-murder investigation.

The Ravens have won two Super Bowls. The last was last season. It let Lewis ride off into the sunset as a champion. (Give me a minute, while I get a grip on my emotions.)

Al Lerner helped move the franchise, then bought the rights to the restored Browns. Until the Browns prove they aren't, they re still the team in the dunking tank, no matter who owns them.

LeBron James won an NBA championship after leaving town following the 2010 playoffs under a white flag and joining an All-Star team in Miami.

Bill Belichick won three Super Bowls after warming up here and being more antagonistic than effective. Then again, he hasn't won it all since the Spygate scandal, despite winning every game until the Super Bowl. So the fourth time is the charm for karma?

Pat Riley wasn't fined or even investigated for what the Cavaliers strongly feel was tampering with James. Jerry West never had to sweat it either when he enticed Shaquille O'Neal away from Orlando. Dwight Howard made the jump to the Lakers from the Magic after getting Stan Van Gundy fired as his coach.

Not so fast, my Superman-costumed friend! It hasn't worked out for Howard. Watch out for that karma -- but only as it applies to the second franchise center a franchise swipes.

Carmelo Anthony pouted his way out of Denver and to New York. A visibly relieved George Karl of Denver, the NBA Coach of the Year this season, was eventually fired.

 The government never really mussed the hair of either Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds. The steroid records stand.

Phil Mickelson, who did the right thing and " attended his daughter's middle-school graduation -- in San Diego! -- the day before the U.S. Open, still hasn't won one.

Bob Feller, who lost almost four years in his prime to enlist in the Navy in World War II, never won a World Series game, at least in part because of a bad call by an umpire.

The Detroit Pistons won the 1989 NBA championship after Rick Mahon viciously elbowed Mark Price of the Cavs, the division leaders at the time, in the head as Price went around Mahorn's screen.

Josh Hamilton dumped the Texas Rangers, who had stood by him every time he relapsed. Albert Pujols dumped the Cardinals, whose fans loved him as Cleveland's loved LeBron.

Neither Hamilton nor Pujols is having much of season in Anaheim. And after Jose Mesa beat rape charges and returned to the Indians, he couldn't close the seventh game of the 1997 World Series.

Nice job, karma. Now you work?

All the good things Jim Tressel did for people, including for those who had wronged him, did not mean a thing to the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

George Steinbrenner bullied and browbeat everyone who worked for him, threw money at them in an attempt to make amends, and bought himself a whole passel of championships with the Yankees.

Teams still put up with malingering Randy Moss. Grady Sizemore played so hard, his body broke down.

Wrestling, an original Olympic sport, as in the really old, Socratic days, has been axed as an Olympic sport. Tetherball took its place.

Just kidding about tetherball. So far.

Shilling Dick Vitale is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Curt Schilling isn't in baseball's.

John Calipari (two vacated Final Four appearances at two different schools, UMass and Memphis) won a national championship at Kentucky, a.k.a., "Coach Cal's School for the Tall and Transient."

The Miami Heat aren't dead yet.

Karma? What karma?

Seeing 3 potential Hall-of-Famers stay together this long, with the same coach, is reason enough to pull for San Antonio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - I'm pulling for the old guys, that's why I want the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA title.

Unless you sleep in a LeBron James jersey or happen to live in South Florida, it's hard to pull for Miami's Big Three vs. the Spurs Trio.

That's because it seems that Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been together forever.

OK, it's 11 seasons.

That's 11 seasons for the franchise under the same coach, the crusty Gregg Popovich.

That's an eternity in modern NBA.

In fact, we may never see something like these Spurs again: Three potential Hall of Fame-caliber players staying together with the same small-market franchise.

And you won't see a franchise stick with the same coach as long as San Antonio has with Popovich, who is in his 17th season with the Spurs.

Yes, Popovich has won four titles, but his last was in 2007.

In the modern NBA, by 2010, the word would be that the players were growing tired of listening to their sometimes grumpy coach. And that the core of the team had been together too long, so someone needed to be traded.

And with most franchises, a frustrated owner would fire the coach and urge his front office to break up the team.

This is a league where 12 of 30 coaches were fired, where only four have been with their current teams for more than three years.

But the Spurs stayed steady. . .

Stayed strong . . .

Stayed together . . .

And after Sunday's 114-104 victory over Miami, they are one victory away from a title.

Probably the last banner for this group.

Consider:

Duncan is 37.

Ginobili is 35.

Parker is 31, and the only member still in his prime.

Popovich is 64.

It really seems to be now or never, despite the rise of young players such as Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio.

Yes, that's the same Danny Green who was the 49th pick in the 2009 draft by the Cavs. It's the same Danny Green who was cut by the Cavs at the end of the 2010 training camp.

It's also the same Danny Green signed by San Antonio early in the 2010 season . . . and cut after six games.

And it's the same Danny Green who played in Reno of the D-League, where anyone could have signed him.

And it's the same Danny Green signed again by the Spurs in March of 2011 . . . and cut again.

Finally, it's the same Danny Green signed for a third time by San Antonio at the start of the 2011-12 season, and not-so-suddenly became a core player with his Mark Price-like 3-point shooting.

Green and Leonard have been terrific, but it's the Spurs' Last Stand by their Big Three that will determine if San Antonio wins the title.

Don't write off the Heat. If Miami wins at home in Game 6 on Tuesday, then Game 7 is on the Heat's home court.

In the NBA, the home team wins about 80 percent of Game 7s.

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh should be at their peaks, although Wade is battling a grumpy, aching knee. Will James float in the second half one more time, as he did in Games 3 and 5, both Miami meltdowns? Or will he carry his team to a second title?

Who knows?

But Cavs fans know how James can become frustrated and distant in big games, as he did in some key moments in Cleveland.

Entering the series, the Heat were the favorites.

Even with a 3-2 advantage in the series, it still would be a major upset if the Spurs win the title.

Which is what I want to happen.

Many younger NBA fans follow the players, not the teams.

So they loved the idea of Wade recruiting James and Bosh in July of 2010 to play in Miami. It was what sometimes happens in the summer AAU circuit -- players get together and quickly from an All-Star team.

Bosh and James were free agents, meaning they were free to leave their old teams for Miami.

Of course, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker had several chances to do just that -- yet, they stayed in San Antonio. And you can be sure it's hard to find any agent who wants to market his client saying, "What you need to do to expand your brand is stay in one of the NBA's smallest cities."

But they did.

Miami's Big Three came together to beat teams like the Spurs, a team that has prized stability.

But one more time, I want one more title for a group of guys who decided to stay together for the long haul.

Highlights include the Indians' home game against the Royals, Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals and the college baseball World Series.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

BASEBALL

7 p.m. Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, ESPN

7:05 p.m. K.C. Royals at CLEVELAND INDIANS, SportsTime Ohio; AM/1100, FM/100.7

COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

3 p.m. Game 5, Oregon State vs. Louisville, ESPN2

8 p.m. Game 6, Mississippi State vs. Indiana, ESPN2

NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL

8 p.m. Game 3, Chicago at Boston, NBCSN

SOCCER

2:45 p.m. Confederations Cup, Tahiti vs. Nigeria, ESPN

Follow The Plain Dealer's third annual Summer Solstice Golf Challenge on Friday with continuous online updates from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. -- including pictures and videos posted all day long -- from Hickory Nut G.C. in Columbia Station.

View full sizeChris Morris, The Plain Dealer

COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio - How many holes can eight golfers play from 5:15 a.m. until darkness hits Friday night on the summer solstice?

Follow the adventure with live, continuous online updates from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. -- including pictures and videos posted all day long -- from The Plain Dealer's third annual Summer Solstice Golf Challenge at Hickory Nut Golf Course in Columbia Station.

Find all the updates in a blog post Friday at cleveland.com/golf online.

Two foursomes will be competing against one another to see which group can play more holes from sunup to sundown. Both foursomes -- which will tee off on opposite sides -- seek to set a new record for holes completed, trying to eclipse the 72 holes played last year.

Each foursome consists of two Plain Dealer staffers and two local golfers who were selected through a cleveland.com contest to join the challenge.

The teams:

Team 1 - Sean Drapac of Lakewood, 26, a student at Baldwin Wallace; Deb Solyan of Cleveland, 51, a sales agent with Aflac; and Doug Lesmerises and Tim Rogers from The Plain Dealer.

Team 2 - Tom Breno of Strongsville, 58, a production manager at AlphaGraphics; Damian Lee of Bedford, 35, a cook at Beachwood's Yours Truly; and Kristen Davis and Cliff Pinckard from The Plain Dealer.

Follow their progress for more than 16 hours Friday at cleveland.com/golf starting at 5 a.m.

"Masterson, McAllister, Kluber, Carrasco and Bauer. Man, is that a dynamite young group of starters going forward, one of the best in baseball, some might argue. To say nothing of Kazmir, Salazar and Tomlin." - Common...Sense!

The Indians have one of the best group of young starters in the majors, says one cleveland.com reader. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) 

"Masterson, McAllister, Kluber, Carrasco and Bauer. Man, is that a dynamite young group of starters going forward, one of the best in baseball, some might argue. To say nothing of Kazmir, Salazar and Tomlin."