The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff stayed up late with the Indians as they swept a marathon doubleheader in Chicago.
Another day, another reliever for the Indians. Joe Martinez arrived from Class AAA Columbus and Matt Langwell was optioned following Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox.
CHICAGO -- A couple of hours after winning his first game in the big leagues, Matt Langwell was optioned to Class AAA Columbus. Joe Martinez, another right-hander, replaced him.
The Indians purchased Martinez's contract because he wasn't on the 40-man roster. Martinez made 15 starts for Class AAA Columbus, but will pitch out of the bullpen.
"I met Terry Francona and he told me they were going to use me for length out of the bullpen because they're thin because of Friday's doubleheader," he said before Saturday's game.
Francona said he didn't know how long Martinez will be with the Indians, but said his presence will protect the pen. The Indians won both ends of the doubleheader against the White Sox. Langwell backed into the victory in Game 2 despite giving up two runs in the eighth. The Indians rallied for four runs in the ninth for a 9-8 victory.
Martinez, 30, was 2-6 with a 6.23 ERA in Columbus. Martinez has appeared in the big leagues with the Giants, Pirates and Diamondbacks, carrying a 3-3 record with a 6.22 ERA.
Langwell, 27, began the year with the Clippers and is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 games, including one start, at Class AAA.
Saturday's lineups:
Indians (42-38): CF Bourn, SS Bourn, 2B Kipnis, 1B Swisher, LF Brantley, C Santana, DH Giambi, 3B Chisenhall, RF Stubbs, P Jimenez (6-4, 4.58).
White Sox (32-45): CF De Aza, SS Ramirez, RF Rios, DH Dunn, 1B Keppinger, 3B Gillaspie, LF Viciedo, 2B Beckham, C Flowers, P Axelrod (3-4, 4.57).
With the draft behind them, the Cleveland Cavaliers move into free agency, where Andre Iguodala could be a target -- for the right price
Hey, Mary: Who cares about the draft? Tell me more about free agents that the Cavs will be going after this year. We have the young base, it's time to win. -- Marty Molina, Philadelphia
Hey, Mary: Which free agents would the Cavs be interested in at a reasonable level? -- David, Painesville
Hey, Marty and David: I think they will be looking for more help on the front line and a backup point guard. I still think they could look at Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller, but they wouldn't break the bank to pay either. They want to be active in the free-agent and trade markets, but they want to remain responsible financially.
Hey, Mary: I would like the Cavaliers to consider Jermaine O'Neal through free agency, draft Otto Porter No. 1 and use the remaining picks to either help facilitate this move, to draft more young talent, or acquire another veteran. I believe this will help in the areas the Cavs are lacking and would increase their chances to at least make the playoffs. -- Calvin, Fort Sill, Okla.
Hey, Calvin: I don't sense the Cavs are interested in O'Neal, who will be 35 when the season starts. Obviously, they didn't draft Porter, but I think fans will like Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev if they give them a chance. They are looking to add another veteran or two through trades or free agency.
Hey, Mary: Zeke Marshall will be a steal in the NBA. I think he'll have a better career than Noel. -- Tim Umpleby, Toronto
Hey, Tim: I guess we'll see, won't we? It's possible Marshall could get an summer league invite.
Hey, Mary: Do you think that Boobie Gibson or Anderson Varejao are gone after this terrible season? -- Jeff Daniels, Warren, Okla.
Hey, Jeff: I don't think Gibson will be back, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Cavs had to move Varejao in order to get the sort of talented veteran they're seeking.
The Indians take on the White Sox this afternoon in Chicago.
Game 81: Indians (42-38) at White Sox (32-45)
First pitch: 4:10 p.m., U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago.
TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM AM/1100.
Starting pitchers: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4, 4.58 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Axelrod (3-4, 4.57).
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MLB's draft, ruled by bonus pools and pre-determined salaries for each player taken in the first 10 rounds, has become a complicated process where every dollar has its proper place.
CHICAGO -- No one ever said you had to be a Swiss watchmaker to run a draft by a big-league baseball team. Now you do.
Which brings us to right-hander Trevor Frank, the Indians' eighth-round pick in this year's June draft. Frank was a senior at California Riverside. He went 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 10 saves in 26 appearances as a undersized, but scrappy, closer.
The Indians, under MLB's current draft rules, were allowed to sign him for as much as $158,300, their allotted bonus for an eighth-round pick. They paid him $10,000. Frank didn't have much bargaining power as a college senior, but signed because he'd talked to the Indians before the draft and wanted to take a shot at the pros.
Maybe Frank makes it, maybe not. After signing, he joined the Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers. In the long run, Frank's real contribution to the Indians might be the $148,300 they were able to save on his signing bonus because it allowed Brad Grant, Indians director of amateur scouting, to disperse toward other players.
Perhaps that $148,300 allowed the Indians to sweeten the pot for fifth-round pick Sean Brady, a left-hander from Ida S. Baker High School in Florida. The allotted signing bonus for Brady was $347,100, but they paid him $800,000.
Unlike Frank, the 6-1, 185-pound Brady had leverage. He had a full ride at Florida in his back pocket after going 7-1 with a 0.68 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings his senior year. So it was going to take something extra for the Indians to get him to turn pro. But Brady is now in Goodyear, Ariz., with the Arizona Rookie League Indians.
Under MLB's new draft rules, the Indians were allotted $6,188,800 million to sign their top 10 picks. The Indians only had nine picks in the first 10 rounds, losing their second-round selection as compensation for signing free agent Nick Swisher in December.
If the Indians can sign each of their other 30 picks for $100,000 or less, it will not count against their bonus pool. If they go over $100,000 for any player taken between the 11th and 40th rounds, it will count against the pool.
To date they've spent $5.718 million on their first eight picks. Here's the breakdown, including each pick's allotted signing bonus in parenthesis: No. 1 OF Clint Frazier $3.5 million ($3.787 million); No.3 RHP Dace Kime $525,000 ($692,200); No.4 LHP Kyle Crockett $463,000 ($463,600); No.5 LHP Brady $800,000 ($347,100); No.6 RHP Casey Shane $150,000 ($259,900); No.7 Kenny Mathews $150,000 ($194,800); No.8 RHP Frank $10,000 ($158,300); No.9 LHP Thomas Pannone $120,000 ($147,800).
The Tribe has $470,800 left to sign No.10 pick infielder Ross Kivett from Kansas State and St. Edward High School. Kivett's slotting bonus is $130,100. The signing deadline is July 12.
"We don't look at the individual value assigned to each player," said Grant. "We look at the total bonus pool. Just because each player is assigned a certain number, doesn't mean you have to stay within that value."
Regarding signing Frank for $10,000, Grant said, "Almost every team uses the draft like that between the seventh and 10th round."
There are challenges. If a team is unable to sign one of its top 10 picks, they lose that slotting bonus. So if the Indians had signed Brady for $800,000, assuming they could make up part of the price by signing Frank for only $10,000, but were unable to sign Frank, Brady's salary has to come from another part of the signing pool.
"That's why you really have to be strategic before and during the draft," said Grant. "You really have to know what players are likely to sign for because if you go over your bonus pool by five percent, that will cost your No.1 pick."
Based on the current basic agreement signed in 2011, if a team exceeds is signing bonus by 5 to 10 percent, they must pay 75 percent tax on the overage and forfeit a future No.1 pick.
While the draft is taking place, GM Chris Antonetti, assistant GM Mike Chernoff and Grant are monitoring not only the players still available, but their signability.
"The best thing about the new system is that the players know what the [salary] numbers are just like we do," said Grant. "It allows you to get a deal done a lot earlier than in the past and get the players out playing."
This week in baseball
Baseball is a game of threes. Three strikes and you're out and three outs in each half of an inning. Here are two more sets of threes to consider from last week in baseball. All stats are through Friday.
Three up
1. Ian Kinsler, recently activated from the disabled list, is 12-for-40 with seven runs and seven RBI in his last 10 games for Texas.
2. Baltimore closer Jim Johnson has 78 saves since the start of the 2012 season, 14 more than second-place Fernando Rodney with 64.
The challenges of the modern-day closer
3. Boston's John Lackey's 2.99 ERA in his first 13 starts is his best showing since his 2.60 ERA in 2007 with the Angels.
Three down
1. In a 14-8 loss to the Angels on Tuesday, the Tigers made six errors leading to five unearned runs. Miguel Cabrera and reliever Evan Reed made two each.
2. Alex Rodriguez learned about the dangers of social media when Yankee GM Brian Cashman told him to "shut up" after A-Rod Tweeted that his doctor told him he was ready for rehab games.
3. Last year the White Sox were the best defensive team in the big leagues. This year they rank 14th in the AL.
Stat-O-Matic
Catnip: Whatever the Angels are doing against the Tigers, the Indians should copy it. The Angels have won nine straight against the Motown Kitties, outscoring them, 58-22.
Winning ways: Boston and Atlanta are the only two teams in the big leagues to have a winning record all season. The last Red Sox team to post a winning record from wire-to-wire was the 1946 club that won 104 games and made it to the World Series.
Hot stuff: The Pirates just finished a 7-2 trip through Cincinnati (2-2), Anaheim (3-0) and Seattle (2-0). They left Seattle 18 games over .500 for the first time since they ended the 1992 season at 96-66.
The struggles of the Indians' top free-agent signing tops this week's mailbag for beat writer Paul Hoynes.
Hey, Hoynsie: The Tribe paid a boat load of money to sign Nick Swisher last winter, but so far he's been a big disappointment. Sure he's been dealing with a shoulder injury, but don't you believe he should be contributing more to the team's success? -- Dale Brodt, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Hey, Dale: I think you have to give Swisher some time. The shoulder injury has been a setback and something he's going to have to play through the rest of the season. But I think he's been too good a player for too long to jump to any quick conclusions.
Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any way the Indians could trade to get Seattle's Kendrys Morales. I think he would be a good fit for them. If so, who do you think they would give up? -- Mariah Freeman, Marion
Hey, Mariah: Morales is DHing and playing first base for the Mariners. The Indians have a backlog of those kind of players, including Nick Swisher, who they just signed for four years and $56 million. When Morales first came over from Cuba, the Indians had a lot of interest in him as a free agent. Now it's hard to see where he fits.
Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians are in trade talks with teams. Do you think they will be trading for a third baseman? -- Angelo Costanzo, Cleveland
Hey, Angelo: No, I don't. I think they will focus on their pitching staff.
Hey, Hoynsie: With the trade deadline about a month away, has Chris Antonetti had any discussions with other GMs? Specifically any with starting pitching to spend? -- Ryan Smith, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Hey, Ryan: Yes, he has. Last week Antonetti said before he gets serious about trade talks, he wants to see what the Indians roster looks like when everyone is healthy. With Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera coming off the disabled list last week, that shouldn't take long.
Hey, Hoynsie: Why should Cody Allen have to wait in line behind the likes of Joe Smith, Bryan Shaw, Nick Hagadone and Vinnie Pestano before being given the chance to establish himself as the Tribe's future closer? We already know what they bring to the table.
Allen is young, talented and healthy. The Indians are wasting valuable time determining whether or not he has the right stuff to replace Chris Perez. -- Joseph Ladd, Cleveland
Hey, Joseph: You might be in a hurry, but the Indians aren't. Allen is already pitching in clutch situations and eventually may get a shot at closing games. But the Indians are paying Perez over $7 million this year to slam the door and since he's just come off the disabled list, the job is his until he shows he can't do it.
After that Vinnie Pestano would get the next shot. The last thing you want to do is push a young pitcher into a role he's not familiar with. Especially, when there's no reason to do it.
Hey, Hoynsie: What are the chances that Yan Gomes eventually becomes the starting catcher, Santana moves to first base and Nick Swisher becomes the DH. I'm looking down the road here. -- Jeff Sabatti, Virginia Beach, Va.
Hey, Jeff: I'd say your crystal ball is clear. Although I'm not sure the Indians are going to pay Swisher all that money ($56 million) to strictly DH. I think it's more likely that Santana would DH and Swisher would bounce between first and right field, but Gomes has shown a few cracks in his game recently so this whole thing could take a while.
Hey, Hoynsie: Who was the last Cleveland player to play his entire career with Cleveland? -- Milton Weinstein, Beachwood
Hey, Milton: There are several who had a cup of coffee with the Indians and then never played in the big leagues again, but I assume you're talking about a player with more substance.
If that's the case, Hall of Famer Bob Lemon was last player to spend his entire career with the Tribe. He played for the Tribe for 15 years: 1941-1942, 1946-1958.
In the era of free agency there are very few Cal Ripkens or Tony Gwynns.
Hey, Hoynsie: Any predictions on Tribe All-Stars in 2013? I'm guessing Justin Masterson and Carlos Santana. -- Jack Bacevice, Cleveland
Hey, Jack: I think Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley deserve consideration as well. Joe Smith has had a good first half, but it's tough for set-up guys to make the All-Star team.
Hey, Hoynsie: Has any major-league player after retirement become a major-league umpire? -- Kevin DeWitt, Geneva, N.Y.
Hey, Kevin: Baseball Almanac lists 40 former big-league players who officially crossed over to become umpires after they were done playing. In the early days of baseball, players often served as umpires for various reasons, but Baseball Almanac did not include those players.
Bill Kunkel was the most recent player to go from a player to an umpire. Kunkel made his big-league pitching debut with the Kansas City Athletics in 1961. As an umpire he worked in the big leagues from 1968 through 1984.
Hey, Hoynsie: On June 21, Mark Reynolds slid into second base on what appeared to be a double against the Twins at Progressive Field. The umpire called him safe on the first tag then out when he over-slid the base and was tagged. The TV announcers said it should be scored a double, but the official scorer gave Reynolds a single. Can you explain? -- Ralph Peachman, Avon Lake
Hey, Ralph: I thought Dennis Manoloff, who covered the game for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, did a great job describing the play. Here's what he wrote.
"Michael Brantley cruised home in the second inning when Mark Reynolds shot the gap in left-center. Reynolds was erased attempting to secure a double -- but it did not come routinely. Reynolds thought he had been tagged out; the umpire disagreed. Reynolds exited the base, then tried to return. Only then, according to the umpire, did second-baseman Dozier tag him.
"Official scorer Bob Maver credited Reynolds with a single, not a double, because in Maver's judgment Reynolds originally over-slid second."
-- Hoynsie
An enduring affection for baseball kept Scott Kazmir motivated to make a return to the big leagues.
CHICAGO -- Indians left-hander Scott Kazmir won a spot in the rotation in spring training after making just one appearance in the big leagues in 2011 and 2012.
Q: What kept you trying to get back to the big leagues after basically being out of the game for two years?
A: Loving the game, I guess. I wanted to get back here. I knew I was capable of doing it. That's just who I am. If I have my mind set on something, I'm not going to stop until I get there.
Q: Did you ever reach a point where you said it's time to pursue a new career?
A: No, I knew I was too young (29). I'd done this my whole life. I knew I wasn't quite done yet.
Q: Your best baseball moment?
A: It would have to be my big-league debut against Seattle at Safeco Field (Aug. 23, 2004). I was with the Rays, the Devil Rays, at the time. That was a lot of fun. I went five innings, no runs and got the win.
First guy I faced was Ichiro. He grounded out to short. He got me the next at-bat. I threw a slider and he hit it right by my head up the middle. I remember the first pitch I threw in the game. I couldn't even see the plate, I was trying to throw so hard.
I looked up and it was 97 mph. I said, "OK, we can settle in now."
Q: How did you come to make 14 starts with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League last year?
A: I work out at Houston Christian High School and Baseball USA, a huge facility, is right next door. [Skeeters manager] Gary Gaetti knew some guys at the facility and I knew him from when he was a special assistant with the Rays. He reached out to me about playing there.
One day, I threw a bullpen and felt good. The next day I went over to Sugar Land, met the guys and I was on the team.
Q: During your two-year hiatus from the big leagues, what did you do besides work out?
A: I went fishing ... a lot. I ended up buying a bass boat and we went fishing. There are about four or five lakes within two hours of my house [in Cypress, Texas]. The routine would be go fishing early every morning until noon. Fish to around 12 and work out until two or three.
It was just great to get away, clear your head and relax. I didn't want to watch baseball at the time ... it killed me to watch it. Being out on the water like that was just great.
Power forward Marreese Speights opts out of last year of contract with Cleveland Cavaliers and will become and unrestricted free agent.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As expected, power forward Marreese Speights has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and will become an unrestricted free agent, agent Andy Miller confirmed on Saturday.
Though it was widely believed Speights would opt out, Miller told The Plain Dealer last week the decision wouldn't be made until after the draft, and when the Cavs took UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick, that clinched it.
The 6-10, 255-pound Speights was obtained in a mid-season deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, though he was inconsistent offensively and defensively. He was scheduled to make $4.5 million next season.
Marshall to Sixers: Undrafted Akron center Zeke Marshall will play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the Orlando summer league, agent Dino Pergola confirmed to The Plain Dealer. The move was first reported by Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico.
Pergola says Marshall is still looking for a spot with a team in the Las Vegas summer league.
Lauderdale with Portland: Solon native Dallas Lauderdale of Ohio State will play for the Portland Trail Blazers entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, according to his agent, Mark Termini. Lauderdale was in training camp with the Blazers before last season.
Kadji signed: Miami junior forward Kenny Kadji was picked up by the Cavs as a free agent, Miami coach Jim Larranaga said in a release issued by the school. Kadji is expected to compete with the team's summer league team, although they have not yet released their roster.
"Kenny will impress a lot of scouts with his size, shooting ability and overall athleticism,'' Larranaga said. "I am confident he will be in the NBA this season."
Kadji averaged 12.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 68 games over two seasons. He was selected second team All-ACC in 2013, third team All-ACC in 2012 and was named the 2011 Orange Bowl Basketball Classic Game MVP.
He made 47.9 percent of his field goals, 37.3 percent of his 3-point shots and just 64.9 percent of his free throws. He had a career-high 30 points against UNC Greensboro in 2012 and a career-best 14 rebounds at Georgia Tech in 2013.
The gentler fate of Gordon Gee, compared to that of Paula Deen, shows the different degrees of political incorrectness, no matter how recent or how long-ago such attitudes existed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Did you hear the one about the man in the bow-tie who lived in the ivory tower and couldn't lay off the ethnic jokes?
Gordon Gee leaves Ohio State as school president Sunday, forced out by too many jokes about priests, nuns, Southerners, Poles, and everyone else but African-Americans, women and Jews. Say what you will about a man who dressed as Mr. Peepers and sometimes came off as Triumph the Insult Dog, but Gee was too smart to mock groups that not only possessed political power, but also had the willingness to use it.
And how about the news that a famous female chef and restauranteur, one with an accent left over from the old "Hee-Haw" television show, was fired by The Food Network because of long-ago racial slurs? Walmart followed by severing ties with her. That's even though she claims now to deplore such words.
Paula Deen, looking distraught to some and maudlin to others, was reduced to tears on the "Today Show" this week after another display of remorse. Deen said she used the "N-word" "a long time ago." I am skeptical that she used it only once, after a gun was held to her head in a robbery. But I am willing to believe she has changed since such terms were the common currency of life in much of the South.
A former employee, Lisa Jackson, who is white, attributed other racist attitudes to Deen in a lawsuit, which began, Deen's family charged, as an attempt to extort "hush money" from the queen of Southern cooking.
Gee's gaffes were dismissed by many at Ohio State because of the money he raised, although powerful alumni finally had enough and forced him out.
Gee is colorful and witty. He was popular with students because he often mingled with them. But Gee, 69, has been too eager to be the wit of the party. Although he made for "good copy" with reporters, he was a poor example for students, who are scrutinized a bit more closely than Gee for what they say and do. Clearly, Gee never seemed to learn from his mistakes.
Deen, 66, was raised in Georgia, in a time and place of common racial slurs. I grew up in Texas in the same years. It's just the way it was. Things have changed now, but if you live above the Mason-Dixon Line and sound like Paula Deen, you're considered stupid until you prove you are not.
She says she has learned from her mistakes. Nevertheless, she gave critics plenty of ammunition when she had the very bad idea of planning a "plantation-style" wedding for her brother. It was straight out of "Gone With the Wind," a movie with a dishonest and romantic view of slavery, which nevertheless remains an American film classic.
From the outcry, it might be supposed that Deen went ahead with her plans for an all-black wait-staff, much as was the case for many years, with barely any media objection, at the Masters in Augusta, Ga. Instead, she canceled the Scarlett and Rhett-themed wedding.
She was, however, already guilty of a "thought" crime out of "1984."
For his part, Gee avoided punishment other than the tut-tutting of some members of the OSU Board of Trustees for the single most offensive remark he ever made. That was when he foolishly joked that he was worried, at the height of the tattoos scandal, that former coach Jim Tressel might dismiss him. At Ohio State, a school with its academic reputation growing despite its long-standing notoriety as a football factory, it was a ridiculous stereotype for its president to reinforce.
The same thoughtlessness would apply to elitists who sneer that Southerners are "rednecks." The term derives from the sunburned necks of manual laborers and farmers who toil outdoors. Few national commentators give the benefit of the doubt to people from the South, though. It's easier to label them as bumpkins and bigots.
Racism carries the most explosive negative connotation in this country. The unwritten rules indicate that for some groups (African-American rappers and comics), all pejorative terms of reference are permissible. For others (seemingly everyone else), they're not. It is a double standard that immunizes one group from the effects of the same terms that supposedly so infect another.
As his OSU time wound down, Gee went to Nautical Disney. He literally sailed off into the sunset on a cruise ship, accompanied by his grandchildren, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.
Deen, however, can't escape her past, in part because she can't change it. Also because critics won't let her forget it.
The Tribe's "depth" in starters is suddenly getting rather slim.
CHICAGO -- For a second it appeared that the Indians had depth in their starting rotation with Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Corey Kluber, Scott Kazmir, Carlos Carrasco, Zach McAllister, Brett Myers and Trevor Bauer.
There's nothing wrong with the backbone of that rotation, but things can change quickly.
Kazmir had back spasms in his last start. Carrasco is still having trouble making big pitches at the right time. McAllister and Myers are on the disabled list. McAllister isn't expected to return until after the All-Star break. If and when Myers returns, he'll be in the bullpen.
As for Bauer, the Indians' mad scientist, how long will it be before we see him again in the big leagues? It shouldn't be anytime soon after he decided the majors, not Class AAA Columbus, was the place to experiment in abandoning his windup to pitch out of the stretch in a spot start Saturday.
The Indians said they were willing to live with Bauer's quirks when they acquired him from Arizona. Let's see if they back it up.
Regardless, GM Chris Antonetti should be on the phone looking for pitching of any shape or size.
Here's some stuff you may have missed from Friday's doubleheader sweep by the Indians over Chicago.
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Some leftovers from the Tribe's doubleheader sweep of the White Sox on Friday night.
-The doubleheader lasted 7 hours and 53 minutes, the longest doubleheader of two nine-innng games in MLB history.
-The Indians overcame a 5-0 deficit to win Game 1, 19-10. They overcame an 8-5 deficit in the ninth inning to win Game 2, 9-8.
-Over the last four seasons, the Indians are 16-4 in 10 doubleheaders with six sweeps and four splits.
-The Tribe's offense hit .398 (33-for-83) with 12 extra-base hits in the sweep. They hit .484 (15-for-31) with runners in scoring position.
-Mike Aviles went 5-for-10 in the doubleheader, raising his average from .254 to .282.
-Chicago's Jeff Keppinger led all players with six hits.
-In Game 1, in which the Indians had 21 hits, seven players had at least two RBI each. It was the first time that's happened in the big leagues since the Rockies did it on July 30, 2010.
Regarding the Indians, it was the first time they've done it since June 28, 1950 in an 18-2 win over the St. Louis Browns. That was exactly 63 ago.
-Chicago outfielder Casper Wells pitched the ninth inning of the first game. He hit 93 mph and struck out Asdrubal Cabrera on an 84 mph change up.
-Second game ended at 1:06 a.m. Saturday in Chicago.
Reaction: Here's what some of the Indians had to say about the sweep.
-Jason Kipnis: "It was one of my longest days in baseball. I'm tired. We're dehydrated. I'm not going to lie. Guys, guys are going to be sore tomorrow. But the White Sox are feeling the same thing.
"But it feels a lot better to go to bed 2-0 than 0-2. We're probably going to sleep a little bit better than they might."
-Jason Giambi: "That's the character of this ballclub. . .to kick and claw and fight. No excuses. We came in late after Thursday's game in Baltimore. We just kept going and going and going.
"These kids showed a lot of grind. In the second game, after Chicago took the lead, they could have easily said, "Aw we got the first. Let's go back and get some rest. But they didn't quit.
"It's exciting to be a part of."
Sorting through the mailbag for Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot.
Hey, Mary Kay: Living in Philadelphia and being a die-hard Browns fan, it's tough to hear all the Philly fans screaming about all the new great things Chip Kelly is doing. Why are we hearing more about the coordinators than the head coach? Is Cleveland being led by another coach that seems too nervous to speak his mind? -- Marty Molina, Philadelphia, Pa.
Hey, Marty: The Browns' mandatory minicamp ended June 6, so we haven't heard anything from Rob Chudzinski since then. When training camp opens July 25, you'll be hearing plenty from Chud everyday. He's a very confident young coach. You hear a lot about the coordinators, in part, because Norv Turner is such a big presence. But he won't overshadow Chudzinski.
Hey, Mary Kay: Every draft under Tom Heckert I would hear all these coaches and players rave about the rookies during OTAs and minicamps. I'm a little concerned that I don't hear much positives or negatives this year. It's as if they aren't there. Or they aren't standing out. How are (Leon) McFadden and (Armonty) Bryant and (Garrett) Gilkey doing? Any undrafted free agents standing out? -- Hayden Pentecost, Pepper Pike
Hey, Hayden: For starters, there aren't many rookies to write about this year, with the Browns drafting only five players. Also, without pads, it's hard to get a read on how the defensive guys are going to look. We've seen Barkevious Mingo's athleticism, but until the pads go on, you can't see these guys tackle or make contact. No rookie has cracked the starting lineup yet. But you'll be hearing plenty as soon as camp opens.
Hey, Mary Kay: I can never get enough coverage on the Browns or Indians. I read the online version of the PD daily. How many chances are people allowed? Yes, I am referring to Josh Gordon, a five-time failure with amazing "potential." If he fails himself, his teammates, his organization and the fans again, will this constitute an absolute one-year suspension? If so, will Cleveland retain his rights when he applies for reinstatement? During a suspension, will Gordon continue to be tested? I am just so saddened to see so many people think they are above the rest of us that work hard for a living and have rules to follow as well. -- Tim Kuhen, Moundsville, W.Va.
Hey, Tim: I've been led to believe that Gordon may have advanced in the substance abuse program to the point where he'd be facing a one-year banishment if he fails another drug test. However, there's still a chance he could be in the category of a six-game suspension. If he's banned for at least a year, he'd get tested regularly and have to adhere to his treatment plan. The Browns would retain his rights, but the new regime might not want to deal with him.
Hey, Mary Kay: Josh Gordon's off-field issues worry me both over the short and long term. Have any of the free-agent wide receivers shown any flashes in workouts? -- Rod Spann, Nashville, Tenn.
Hey, Rod: A few of the undrafted rookies have shown some intriguing ability. One is Keenan Davis (6-2, 220) from Iowa. Others include Tori Gurley, out of South Carolina who's got great size at 6-4, 230. UTEP's Mike Edwards (5-11, 200) and Central Arkansas' Dominique Croom (6-2, 190) are two others to watch. At the very least, some will probably end up on the practice squad.
Hey, Mary Kay: So if it takes a second drug test failure to get a four-game suspension, doesn't that mean that Joe Haden had his second failure last year for his Adderall suspension? I don't remember anyone pointing this out last year. Did I miss something? -- Dave Seager, Sagamore Hills
Hey, Dave: Haden's four-game suspension fell under the Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances policy, which has a completely different set of rules than the substance abuse policy. A player who tests positive for the first time under the steroids policy is suspended for four games. A second positive test would result in an eight-game suspension. The policy deals with performance-enhancing drugs, which is why the penalties are more severe.
Hey, Mary Kay: Which position coach will have the greatest impact early on in the season? -- David Hawkins, Westlake
Hey, David: I believe Norv Turner, as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, will have the biggest impact. If he can bring out the best in Brandon Weeden, the Browns will have a chance to be explosive on offense. The challenge is to get Weeden playing fast in a new scheme right out of the gate. He'll have to do without deep threat Gordon for the first two games.
Hey, Mary Kay: My question is with the Browns not sold on FB Owen Marecic, why aren't they pursuing Vonta Leach to create holes for Trent Richardson? -- Michael Sibley, Akron
Hey, Michael: The Browns have had plenty of opportunities to sign Leach, but they haven't shown any interest. His agent said Mike Lombardi called, but didn't set up a visit. The Browns just haven't been in the market for 31-year-old free agents (except for quarterback Jason Campbell).
Hey, Mary Kay: Why are the Browns acquiring players such as Armonty Bryant and Ausar Walcott, who've run afoul of the law in the past. -- Joe C, Sandusky
Hey, Joe: If you're going to take a chance on a player with some issues, the seventh round of the draft or rookie free agency are good places to do it. If you have to cut such a player, there's minimal financial loss.
The Browns have taken a few risks on players with previous arrests, but they've generally been for misdemeanors or things the Browns feel they can help the player overcome. Bryant was arrested for trying to sell small amounts of marijuana to an undercover cop, but the Browns determined he was a decent young man who needed a good support system. Bryant, who was arrested for DUI six days after the draft, admitted last week that he had a substance abuse problem but that he's doing everything he can to stay sober.
Walcott had an assault incident in college, but the charges were dropped. The day his arrest for attempted murder became public, the Browns cut him, which was the right thing to do.
-- Mary Kay
The Cavaliers' No. 1 draft pick was determined to help ease the burden his mother, Edith, had in working two jobs by using his basketball skills to provide a better life.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- They call the Jane and Finch neighborhood in Toronto the epicenter of some of Canada's worst crime and gang life. They say it's where violence and poverty govern the streets. They call it the place where despair is palpable.
"They call it the ghetto," Edith Bennett said recently.
They also call Jane and Finch the neighborhood where the Cavaliers' No. 1 draft choice, Anthony Bennett, was born and raised. It's where he first learned how to play basketball, where he absorbed the value of hard work by watching his mother, Edith, slog through 16-hour work days, and discovered that he could give his family something better because he was big and tall and strong.
"They say it's the ghetto, but it's not," Edith Bennett said. "It's a family place. It depends on the individual. If you set a goal that you want to achieve in your life, nothing can stop you."
In Jane and Finch, Edith Bennett was the focus of the family, the one who worked two jobs to help raise her three children, and the one who provided the example for Anthony to achieve goals. His father, Delroy Harris, was involved, but he wasn't the force that Edith Bennett always has been.
"Everything that Anthony does in his life, it's important that he pleases his mom," said UNLV coach Dave Rice. "She's someone who's been his rock."
Since he first learned he had a talent for basketball, Bennett's goal has been to help ease his mother's burden. That led him more than 2,000 miles away to Findlay Prep in Las Vegas for high school, and then UNLV for college, where the 6-7 power forward dominated in his one season, averaging 16.1 points on 53-percent shooting while adding 8.1 rebounds.
Now he's a Cavalier, the surprise No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. He's an undersized power forward, but has undeniable skill and athleticism that led Cleveland General Manager Chris Grant to want him to help All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving run pick-and-rolls for years to come.
"The first time we saw him I think all of us walked out of the gym just amazed with his ability and talent," Grant said. "And the more we got to know him and learned what kind of person he was -- and that he was an incredibly hard worker and he was going to do whatever it took to be the best he could be -- it became a very easy decision."
Consider, too, that the 20-year-old Bennett has only been serious about basketball for about seven years. Until then, he'd only dabbled in neighborhood basketball courts with friends.
"I wasn't really serious about it," he said. "I was just playing around and just wasting time."
Edith Bennett moved her family to suburban Brampton -- coincidentally, the same Toronto suburb where Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson lives -- when Anthony was 10 in an attempt to escape the bad influences that plagued Jane and Finch. Anthony didn't see a basketball court again for about three years when someone noticed how tall he'd grown.
"I just started growing, and everyone said, 'You should probably play basketball,'" Bennett said. "So I said, 'All right. I'll give it a shot.' Look where it got me now."
There was slightly more to it than that. Edith Bennett starred in track and field as a teenage sprinter and high jumper in Ewarton, Jamaica. She also played netball, a derivative of basketball. When she saw young Anthony had inherited some of her athletic ability, she encouraged him to develop it.
"When he started playing, he put everything into it," Edith said. "He had a goal, and he wanted to stick to his goals and said he wanted to achieve that. Nothing could stop him. I know he can do whatever he wants to do. I tell everyone, if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it."
Anthony saw that determined mindset in his mother, who worked a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift as a nurse at a Toronto rehabilitation hospital before heading to her 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. shift at a mental hospital. She admits she didn't see her children much, but older brother Sheldon, now 35, and sister Danielle, now 29, helped guide their youngest brother toward the right decisions.
He began setting goals of his own -- the most amusing of which was to record each dunk he had over an opponent through high school. He did it on a whim after talking with friends. The project lasted 1.5 years.
"When I got to 100, I stopped," he said.
When Bennett wanted to move to a basketball academy at age 16, his mother reluctantly agreed as long as texting and Skype were a regular part of their lives. When he attended UNLV, Edith Bennett kept up with games by watching on the Internet and television.
In college, his undersized power forward frame didn't pose much of a problem. But in the NBA, enough questions existed that many were surprised Bennett was the Cavaliers' choice. Bennett's old high school coach at Findlay Prep doesn't see the issue, though.
"He's kind of a 'tweener' in a good way," said Todd Simon. "He's a matchup nightmare for anyone who faces him."
Then, too, Bennett is just 20 and only has been playing the game in earnest since 13.
"He's still young in the game," Rice said. "His best basketball is before him. There's nothing from a talent standpoint that he's not capable of."
Added Simon: "His potential is off the charts. His ceiling is as high as can be."
Now he'll face fellow Canadian Thompson for playing time with the Cavaliers.
"They have to go out and compete," coach Mike Brown said. "They may be buddies, but once they cross that line, I think they’ll get after each other. They’ll want to make themselves better, as well as the team. It’s great to have depth in all areas. Anthony is definitely a guy that has added that to us. He is versatile. He’s different than the bigs we have. He can be used in a lot of different ways."
No matter how he's used or how he develops, Bennett always will be the kid from Jane and Finch, the one who grew up admiring his mom's work ethic and striving to provide better for his family.
Edith Bennett says now that her son has a guaranteed NBA contract, she will slow down -- probably just one job instead of two.
"I'm not going to stop," she said. "I'm just going to step down a bit and go into a casual position and continue."
She is sticking with what got her to here, and she hopes Anthony does, too. She hopes he always remembers he came from Jane and Finch.
"You can grow up in the worst part of the community," Edith Bennett said. "That won't stop you. It depends on the person you want to be."
Matt Langwell and Joe Martinez are emergency call-ups thanks to a compressed schedule, and get wins in their appearances.
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Seen and heard at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday.
Clubhouse confidential: If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a revolving 25-man roster to win a game in the big leagues.
In the second game of Friday's doubleheader, rookie Matt Langwell earned his first big-league victory. He allowed two runs in the eighth, but backed into the win when the Indians rallied for four in the ninth. Langwell received a celebratory beer shower from his teammates after the game.
Saturday morning, Joe Martinez arrived from Class AAA Columbus to replace Langwell. Martinez pitched two scoreless innings later that day to earn the win in a 4-3 victory over the White Sox.
What's a guy gotta do? Mike Aviles had five hits in Friday's doubleheader, three in Game 1, two in Game 2, but that didn't stop manager Terry Francona from pinch-hitting Jason Giambi for him in the ninth inning of Game 2. Giambi advanced the eventual tying run from second to third with a fly ball.
"When I see Tito I'm going to say, 'Hey, do I have to get six hits next time to stay in the game?'" said Aviles with a laugh.
Stat of the day: Michael Brantley threw out Gordon Beckham in the third inning Saturday trying to stretch a single into a double. It was Brantley's seventh assist, tying him for second in the AL.
The Indians came from behind for their third straight game to beat Chicago, 4-3, Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.
CHICAGO -- The same old Jason Kipnis walked into his home away from home at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday morning. Along with him came the Nick Swisher everyone thought the Indians were getting when they signed him in December.
It proved to be a potent combination as the Indians came from behind for the third straight game against Chicago for a 4-3 victory. The Tribe has won three straight and 13 of its last 18 to improve to 14-13 in June. Don't sneeze at the June record, because it includes an eight-game losing streak.
Swisher won it in the eighth on a single through the middle off Jesse Crain. Asdrubal Cabrera and Kipnis set the table with one-out singles. It was the first earned run Crain (2-3) has allowed in 31 appearances.
In Saturday night's 9-8 victory, Swisher capped a four-run rally in the ninth with the game-winning homer off closer Addison Reed to complete a doubleheader sweep.
"That's the Swish that we are going to rely on the rest of the year," said manager Terry Francona. "We're going to have to take care of him a little bit. He won't play Sunday, but he's starting to feel good about himself."
Swisher has been nursing a sore left shoulder since spring training. It's something he's going to have to deal with the rest of the year.
"The sun shines on some dog's rear end every day, bro," said Swisher with a laugh. "But this isn't about individual accomplishments."
• Indians-White Sox boxscore | Scoreboard | Standings
Swisher hit an 0-2 breaking ball for his game-winning single.
"Crain has about a 0.40 ERA [0.74 to be exact] right now," said Swisher. "It seems like every guy they bring out of their pen is throwing between 94 and 100 mph. To be able to string three hits together like Cabby, Kip and I did is crucial."
Kipnis continues his month for the ages. He walked in the first and stole second. He hit a two-run homer in the sixth off starter Dylan Axelrod to pull the Indians into a 3-3 tie. Then he singled in the eighth.
"We're down 3-1, the shadows are coming out and it's getting really tough to see," said Francona. "Then with one swing of the bat Kip gets us back to even. Even on the road, playing even is a lot better feeling."
Kipnis is hitting .419 (39-for-93) in June.
"I don't want the month to end," he said. "You guys know I can slump with the best of them. So I'm enjoying this hot ride right now and trying not to change anything."
Kipnis, who lives in Chicago, is a lifetime .424 (25-for-59) hitter at U.S. Cellular Field with 10 extra base hits, including four homers and 18 RBI.
"I have a little track record here," said Kipnis, who grew up in Northbrook, Ill. "I kind of like hitting at the place. It's always nice to hit and do well in front of your family and friends."
Said White Sox manager Robin Ventura, "It seems like Kipnis is always in the middle of everything that goes on over there."
The win went to Joe Martinez, who joined the team early Saturday morning from Class AAA Columbus. Martinez started the sixth in relief of Ubaldo Jimenez with the score tied at 3. He pitched two scoreless innings for his first big-league victory since he beat the Mets on Aug. 17, 2009 while pitching for the Giants.
"He really clutched up for us," said Francona. "He's been starting all year at Columbus, so that's not the easiest thing to do."
After a scoreless eighth by Joe Smith, Chris Perez earned his first save since coming off the disabled list on Thursday. Perez is 7-for-9 in save situations.
Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the second on one-out double by Tyler Flowers. Cabrera, who had four hits in Friday's doubleheader, homered against Axelrod leading off the fourth to make it 1-1.
The White Sox reclaimed the lead in the fifth, 3-1, on consecutive RBI singles by Gillaspie and Viciedo. Jimenez allowed three runs on nine hits in five innings. He struck out eight, walked four and threw 112 pitches.
Axelrod allowed three runs on five hits in six innings. Crain (2-3) took the loss.
Trevor Bauer looked like a babe in the woods in his latest start for the Indians, Bud Shaw writes in his Sunday Spin column.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To say Trevor Bauer is close is a stretch.
Bauer gets so far into his own head he sometimes needs an orienteering map and compass to find his way out. He'll never admit that, because on top of being smart and self-assured, he's stubborn.
Bauer shook off his catcher on his first pitch in the big leagues in Arizona. That became legend, at least for the short time the Diamondbacks kept the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft. He has admitted to throwing something like 19 pitches, which makes him alarmingly close to having as many pitches as he's had birthdays. These days the arsenal is whittled down to about 10.
There are two variations of change-up. A reverse slider designed to act as "a left-handed cut fastball." Two curveballs. A dot slider (traditional). A circle slider that he says he has used early in the count to hit "tunnels" to righties.
Bauer is young enough to figure it all out and live up to his potential as the Indians' top pitching prospect. Friday's call-up start against the White Sox, though, suggests definitive answers aren't coming any time soon.
Not only did Bauer allow five runs in the first inning, he opened the game pitching out of the stretch -- something he hadn't done in Columbus. Manager Terry Francona told reporters Tony Arnold, Columbus' pitching coach, told him Bauer felt more comfortable throwing out of the stretch.
"There's less moving parts pitching out of the stretch and that's OK," Francona said Friday in Chicago. "That's fine with us."
That's Francona, players' manager, talking. That's Francona covering for Bauer. The Indians couldn't be fine with what they saw Friday. It smacked of a pitcher grasping at straws at the strangest of times.
Bauer's performance was the shortest of straws for the Indians. He allowed five runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning. Fortunately, it didn't cost them the game against a poor White Sox team. His post-game comments at least suggest he knew he'd put the bullpen in a terrible spot, blowing up in the first game of a doubleheader. That's what passed for a positive sign on this day.
When he was coming out of UCLA he made it a point to explain the reasons for his unique preparation-recovery routine, telling Sports Illustrated he was willing to sacrifice money [spots in the draft] to get chosen by a team that trusted him.
"I told them all: 'this is what I do, it's what I believe in, and if you let me stick with it, I'll pitch in the major leagues for 20 years.' Some were open. Some weren't. But they needed to know what they were getting into."
To last 20 years in the big leagues, he can't be lasting 20 minutes a start. The Indians went into this relationship eyes wide open. Bauer is only 22. There's a lot of promise wrapped up in his right arm, if he can only stay out of its way.
The pitcher he emulated in college was Tim Lincecum. He didn't just study him, of course. The son of a chemical engineer, Bauer studied an especially impressive Lincecum start at "30 frames per second," telling SI that before Lincecum reached the top of his leg lift "his pelvis has been in motion six to eight frames toward the plate."
Bauer is Mr. Science meets Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. With one exception.
Remember how Fidrych talked to the baseball? If Bauer talked to the ball, chances are it wouldn't understand him.
HE SAID IT
"He's stupid while being stupid. You have to be smart while being stupid and he's dumb while being dumb. Look at the butt video. He needs someone he trusts there when Mark wants to go streaking through his own condo." -- former Jets QB Eric Ainge on Mark Sanchez.
Good point, I think.
HE SAID WHAT?
"I would like to call [Bill Simmons] an idiot, but I'm too classy for that." -- former Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
Obviously.
SPINOFFS
• Kris Humphries' devastation when 72 days of marriage to Kim Kardashian ended in divorce was apparently nothing compared to how jilted Simmons felt by Rivers.
• Jimmy Haslam was part of an ownership group that this week sold the Tennessee Smokies, the Cubs' Double A affiliate. Haslam told the Knoxville Tennessean the sale had nothing to do with his legal problems.
Believe it. Haslam bought the Browns for a billion. His group bought the Smokies for $7.5 million in 2002. That's couch cushion change.
Or the equivalent of "insignificant" rebates.
• The New England Patriots are offering a jersey exchange that allows people to turn in accused murderer Aaron Hernandez jerseys for a free replacement of equal value.
Somebody has to say it, so I guess it's me. Innocent until proven guilty and all that, but the Browns should make the same offer on Ausar Walcott jerseys.
• The top players at the NBA draft in New York were ushered into a hotel room and showered with gifts by high-end retailers.
That's so much different than college.
• Anthony Bennett may turn out to be a fine pick. Just can't remember the last time a NBA team chose a guy No. 1 overall and the immediate talk was how that player would come off the bench.
• The NFL Draft may strike some as overblown and ridiculously hyped but it's so much better than the NBA version.
None of the players taken in the NFL's first round are stashed in Europe for a year for signability or developmental reasons. Most stay with the team that drafted them for the entire draft night and do not reach their destination -- as some NBA draft picks did Thursday -- via a route more circuitous than you'd get in a three-layover airfare.
• There was so much player movement in the draft. Aside from the Cavaliers picks, the only one I'm pretty sure I followed is Indiana's Cody Zeller, who stands 7-0 and plays 6-4 in traffic, going to the Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 4 pick.
Guessing that's because it was against the rules to draft Adam Morrison again.
How did Bobcats fans react to the Cody Zeller pick?
• A minor-league baseball team in Huntsville, Ala., will give away guns to lucky winners as part of "Second Amendment Night." The event is sponsored by Larry's Pistols and Pawn.
"Gates open at 6 p.m. for an exciting night of baseball filled with patriotism, fun, food and firepower," the promotional material reads.
People sprinting in oversized condiment costumes seems so much safer.
• Lance Armstrong still considers himself a Tour de France record holder.
"It is fine to erase my name from the record book but the Tour was held between 1995-2005," he told the French newspaper LeMonde. "It was held and there was a winner. No one has manifested to claim my jerseys."
Officials say they kept Armstrong's titles vacant for a reason.
Maybe for fear everybody was doping.
• The Lakers are said to be optimistic Dwight Howard will re-sign in Los Angeles. They did not say why that's a positive.
• Responding to fans during a week in which crime carried the news in the NFL, former Browns' linebacker Scott Fujita said, "People, please, the NFL Rookie Symposium is not the place where these young men should learn to avoid the pitfalls of a murder charge."
That's why Maurice Clarett was there to point out the pitfalls of a robbery charge.
• It was an emotional night at the NBA Draft watching David Stern come face to belt buckle with Hakeem Olajuwon.
• When will Canada stop dominating the top of the NBA draft? (Said no one ever.)
• "[He] will be cleared of all these charges," said Aaron Hernandez's mother.
So it must be true.
• When the Cavs won the draft lottery, it's pretty clear they decided they would not pick any player recovering from knee surgery or a stress fracture.
In this draft, taking a guy in a sling was considered the safe pick.
YOU SAID IT
(The Expanded Sunday Edition)
"Bud:
"Did you take a nap before the NBA draft?" -- Andy Hill
Yes. And woke to Bill Simmons wailing over Doc Rivers.
"Hey Bud:
"Bet from now on you will be playing in the foursome behind Doug Lesmerises." -- Doug, Westlake
Not sure that's safe. I'm told he can really spin the ball.
"Bud:
"I was afraid of the Nerlens Noel evaluation and his "raw skills." Have you had any part of your game described as raw? I mean ... Raw. What is it good for? Absolutely nuthin'." -- Dyslexically yours, Jack Chase
I've never even been accused of having game.
"Hey Bud:
"Travis Hafner's contract awards him a large bonus for reaching a certain number of at-bats. What is your compensation for reaching a certain number of paragraphs during the season?" -- Tom Bica, Medina
Bill Livingston lets me carry his thesaurus.
"Bud:
"Who do you think will have more victories in the Jimmy Haslam era, the Browns or the U.S. Department of Justice?" -- Frank K., Avon Lake
First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Bud:
"Would walking a day in the shoes of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, as he suggested people do, involve free $250 Nikes?" -- Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park
Repeat winners get no freebies.
"Bud:
"Think the sequel to 'Draft Day' might be called 'Indictment Day?'" -- Frank Bruno, Westlake
Repeat winners trying to claim a second T-shirt are subject to investigation.
Westlake's Kyle Dake made history this year, winning his fourth NCAA Division I national championship while becoming the first to do so at four different weights.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Whether or not Northeast Ohio is the center of the wrestling universe might be up for debate.
This we know: Echos of the sport's latest big bang can be heard from Westlake High to Kent State, where the family of Kyle Dake left its mark on wrestling years ago.
The son of Doug Dake, Westlake's only state wrestling champion, Kyle Dake made his own history this year. The Cornell senior won his fourth NCAA Division I national championship, becoming the first wrestler to do so at four different weights.
Dake nearly turned the sport upside down this month when he emerged from a brutal bracket at the U.S. World Team Trials to challenge America's biggest wrestling star, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs.
Asked before the match how he would beat the best wrestler in the world, Dake replied, "I'm the best in the world."
A rivalry was born, and it came at an ideal moment for a sport thirsting for attention while fighting for reinstatement to the Olympics since getting the boot in February.
Spent from three earlier matches at the trials -- two of them close bouts against former World Team members -- Dake lost to Burroughs, 7-0 and 8-6 (overtime), in a best-of-three match format. Burroughs had a bye to the final and was rested.
"I'm looking forward to wrestling him again when we're both fresh. That will be some pretty cool fireworks," Dake said. "I still think I would win, going in fresh. There's just such an advantage to be able to sit out.
"If he was to wrestle three matches and I was to wrestle three matches going in, it would have been a little bit different. It's speculation. I can't just say I would beat him. It's hard to say, but I am looking forward to wrestling him again."
That might happen sooner than expected.
Already, there is talk of a rematch as part of a nationally televised or pay-per-view card that would also include mixed martial arts stars returning to their wrestling roots. Yahoo! Sports reported Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier, as well as other wrestlers turned fighters -- Dan Henderson, Chris Weideman and Phil Davis -- could be included if UFC signs off on their participation.
"That would be pretty cool to really showcase wrestling," Dake said. "People like Danny Cormier and Johnny Hendricks are bridging the gap between wrestling and [mixed martial arts]. If we can get 10 percent of MMA fans, that will double our fan base."
Dake said early indications are the event could be held in Atlanta in early September, before Burroughs wrestles at the World Championships Sept. 16-22 in Hungary.
"People are trying to rush it, and they're not trying to do it the right way, which is unfortunate," Dake said. "Why would you do it two weeks before worlds when Jordan is trying to win a world championship?"
Burroughs has become the face of U.S. wrestling. He has the smile, charisma and big personality to match his 56-0 record on the senior level, which includes the 2011 world championship. USA Wrestling has had Burroughs front and center in the campaign to save Olympic wrestling.
Dake upsetting Burroughs at the trials would have been a seismic shift, but the fact that the possibility even existed also was fuel the sport desperately needed.
As Burroughs did two years ago coming out of Nebraska, Dake appears to be ready to take the senior national level by storm. Unfortunately for them -- but fortunately for interest in the sport -- they are at the same weight, 163 pounds.
Also like Burroughs, Dake clearly has the confidence to manage a leadership role. It comes from a lifetime of winning.
Success came early and often for Dake. While growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., he traveled the country, wrestling in youth tournaments.
His father, Doug, and grandfather, Bob Dake, were his coaches. Kyle made two junior world teams and won three national high school tournaments before his historic college career at Cornell, where he also earned a degree in developmental sociology and economics. On Thursday, he was nominated for an ESPY in the "top male college athlete" category.
It has been a breathtaking ride for the Dake family.
"I was All-American my senior year at Kent State and wanted to be a national champion," said Doug Dake, a contractor in Ithaca. "To think your son not only won one, which would have been great, but to win three others on top of it? We had years of joy at the national tournament."
Doug Dake's 175-pound Class AAA state title in 1975 remains Westlake's lone state wrestling championship. He also came from a wrestling family.
Bob Dake wrestled in the 1950s at Bowling Green, where one of his roommates was Howard Ferguson, who went on to build St. Edward into a national power. Bob later helped found the Westlake Junior All-Star Football League and was a volunteer wrestling coach at Westlake.
Doug and his wife, Jodi, an Ashland native, settled in Ithaca, where Kyle was born. Kyle comes to Ohio a couple of times a year to visit family in Medina and Ashland, and he leads wrestling camps, which he did Friday and Saturday at University School.
Kyle Dake isn't an Ohio wrestler, but he wrestles like one and talks like one.
"Bad-ass dudes come out of Ohio," Dake said. "Ohio produces a lot of really talented guys. I have a lot of respect for all the greats that come out of Ohio."
Help us determine the top 50 high school football players in The Plain Dealer's coverage area over the past 50 years.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here's a loaded question: Who are the top 50 local high school football players over the past 50 years?
Once and for all this summer, The Plain Dealer will establish the 50 greatest players [#PD50] over the past 50 years, 1963-2013, and we want your help now.
We came up with 172 "finalists" after interviews with current and former high school football writers, sportscasters, coaches, officials and players. Check out our list below and let us know who's missing by responding in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Please do so before July 8.
We will release The Plain Dealer's #PD50 in August.
Now before you look over our finalists, here are the ground rules:
To be considered, a player must have graduated no earlier than 1963 and no
later than 2013. Only players from The PD's seven-county coverage area are eligible. The seven counties are Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit. The sole criteria is the player's achievements in high school - his
college and/or NFL career doesn't matter.
We're also interested in any film/video footage, yearbooks or programs featuring any of the players. If you have such materials please email Branson Wright at bwright@plaind.com, with PD50 in the subject line.
Here are the finalists being considered for the top 50 local high school football players from 1963-2013. Who else should our panel consider? Let us know in the comments section below.
There's been no disappointment for Lauren Davis of Gates Mills, regardless of a first-round loss to Lucie Safarova in her Wimbledon debut.
James Borg
Special to The Plain Dealer
WIMBLEDON, England -- It's been a bit of a whirlwind this year for Lauren Davis, the Gates Mills teenager making her way on the professional tennis circuit.
Her passport has notched up quite a few stamps. Madrid, Rome, Paris, Strasbourg (France), Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) and now London.
"Previously the longest I'd been away for was a month. But I've never been on a trip this long before -- two months. I came from Madrid and was in tournaments leading up to the French. So it's been difficult. But I've really learned a lot. I've had a really great time."
From the excitement in her voice, you wouldn't have been able to pick up any vestige of lingering disappointment from her first-round loss to Lucie Safarova on Court 17 in her Wimbledon debut.
"It's so beautiful here. In one word -- it's classy," she said, describing her first impressions of the All England Club during a 30-minute chat Monday. She was still into the swing of traditions, clad in white warmups even though Wimbledon's renowned all-white clothing rule only applies on court.
The 19-year-old former state champion at Gilmour Academy has sacrificed to earn her place in the Wimbledon draw. She gave up high school and packed her bags in January 2010 to move to Boca Raton, Fla., where she enrolled at the Evert Tennis Academy run by tennis legend Chris Evert and her brother, John.
At the Evert Academy, she trains with other up-and-coming Americans like Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and Maria Sanchez.
Davis is No. 85 in the WTA rankings, down slightly from her high of No. 63 in April. This season, she won a tournament in Midland, Mich., and reached the quarterfinals of another in Hobart, Australia. She has had tough first-round losses in each of the Grand Slam events.
Davis said she takes great inspiration from Evert's career. "She really is an inspiration -- she's amazing."
Evert always played well at Wimbledon, winning three titles and reaching the final seven other times. That gives Davis a nice target to emulate.
And how did she take to the grass courts? She looked comfortable on the surface, though she had never graced the lawns here before. "I'd actually never played on grass before Birmingham [England, three weeks ago]. I've learned that it's a totally different game and you have to go out of your comfort zone a bit. I really like it -- I really like the surface."
She said it brings out some of her strengths.
"I'm an aggressive baseliner and very powerful. So my game really suits grass."
She wishes she could have spent more time here, and was disappointed she couldn't hook up with a partner for the doubles competition. "I think this is my favorite Grand Slam. It's so beautiful here. I love the grass. It's really pretty. ... I went up to Wimbledon Village the other day -- it's cute. And the people are so nice -- the people that make up the city."
She's looking to be back again next year.
"It's been a really good experience. I'm really looking forward to coming back."
With Wimbledon over, Davis has headed home for a break.
"I'm going to go home. ... I haven't been back to Ohio in eight months. I'll see my parents." Her father, Bill, is a cardiologist and her mother, Traci, a nurse.
She will catch up with friends and relax a little.
"I read a lot. I like reading ... and not just tennis books," she's quick to add, though she just finished Billie Jean King's biography. "I also enjoy playing my piano, which I've been playing since I was younger."
And then it will be back to work.
For the next few months, she'll be playing in the U.S., and then it's off to Asia.
She's expecting great things.
"I believe I can do anything. I'm aiming for the top 35 by the end of the year. ... The sky's the limit."
James Borg is a freelance writer based in London.
After adding three rookies on Thursday, the second phase of the Cleveland Cavaliers' rebuild begins Monday with the start of free agency.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NBA Draft was nice and all that, but Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant is over it.
He had Friday to celebrate and spend some time with No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and No. 33 pick Carrick Felix. (No. 19 Sergey Karasev was playing in a game overseas.)
Saturday was used for internal team decisions. Marreese Speights opted out, and, in order to maintain as much salary-cap flexibility as possible, the Cavs elected not to extend qualifying offers to Wayne Ellington, who could be back, and Omri Casspi, who will not return. Daniel Gibson, Luke Walton and Shaun Livingston are all unrestricted free agents whose future with the team is undetermined. Kevin Jones and Chris Quinn are under contract but the contracts are not guaranteed, so their futures have not been determined either.
Free agency starts at midnight Sunday, and the Cavs will be busy. Now is when things really heat up.
"This is somewhat of the beginning for us," Grant said Friday. "We've taken a big step but we still have more work to do.
"I have to make sure my cell phone is working."
The Cavs will have 10 players under contract when the three rookies sign: Anderson Varejao at $9.1 million, Kyrie Irving ($5.9 million), Tristan Thompson ($4.3 million), Dion Waiters ($3.9 million), Alonzo Gee ($3.2 million), Tyler Zeller ($1.6 million) and C.J. Miles ($2.2 million that is not guaranteed until January). Only three of those players -- Varejao, Miles and Gee -- have played at least three years in the league.
Presumably, they'll be looking to add a veteran big man, as well as an established small forward and maybe a backup point guard. They are a willing trade partner and a well-heeled one with more than $21 million in cap space and draft picks at their disposal. It's possible most names on the roster will be discussed, and Irving likely is the only player who is unavailable. In spite of his injuries, Varejao could draw serious interest and the Cavs may have to part with him to get the sort of veteran they're seeking.
"We're going to be active in the trade market and free agency," Grant said. "We start on Monday/Sunday night. So, yeah, we have some other areas that we're going to try to address.
"We have some other decisions coming. We'll look at our options. We have cap space. We still have draft picks. There's still going to be movement in the marketplace. There's a lot of big names that might move around which creates more opportunities."
If names such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo or even Dirk Nowitzki are moving, teams are going to need help freeing up salaries, and the Cavs can help them for the right player or deal.
They are prepared to make a lot of offers, but the offers will be financially responsible, so they're not likely to offer Andre Iguodala the $16 million he just opted out of in Denver. In addition, there is one big caveat in trades and free agency: The other side has to agree.
With so much work in front of him (and behind him already) Grant was asked if this is a particularly stressful time of year.
"I don't know if stress is the right word," he said. "It's fun. You get to work in professional sports, right? C'mon. We're all lucky to be part of it.
"We had some of the best debates we've ever had as a staff (over the draft choices), which was great. We really dug into a lot of different areas. That was fun. I enjoyed that part of it, where people were really speaking their minds. We really dug into some deep issues to try to make the right decision for our organization."
After Friday's news conference with the rookies, Grant was asked how much closer to the playoffs the Cavs are.
"Our thought process is to go into every game and win," he said. "I don't put limits on anything. We have some very special young talented players and we want to push them as much as we can constantly to be the best they can be. That means we focus on today. If there's a game today we want to go win today."
The free-agent game begins today. Let's see what the Cavs can win out there.
