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Chris Antonetti continues to rebuild Cleveland Indians pen with Josh Outman

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After losing Chris Perez, Joe Smith and Matt Albers from the bullpen, the Indians have added Josh Outman and closer John Axford.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Like a loaf of bread or a quart of milk, bullpens have a shelf life. The Indians’ pen hit its expiration date at the end of last season.

Erratic closer Chris Perez was released on Oct. 31. Joe Smith and Matt Albers, two of the Tribe’s three free-agent relievers, have already hooked on elsewhere. Smith signed a three-year $15.75 million deal with the Angels and Albers signed a one-year $2.45 deal with Houston.

As for Hill, last season’s left-handed specialist, he was replaced Wednesday when the Indians sent outfielder Drew Stubbs to the Rockies for lefty Josh Outman. He was 3-0 with a 4.33 ERA in 61 appearances for the Rockies.

“More often than not it’s hard to keep a bullpen together,” said GM Chris Antonetti. “The exception comes when you have a bunch of young guys under team control.

“Our main focus this winter was to improve our pitching. I think our bullpen is better now than it was at the start of the offseason.”

The Indians had stability in the pen for the last three or four years, but when arbitration prices start rising and free agency arrives after six years in the big leagues, bullpens can undergo an identity crisis.

With Perez, Smith and Albers gone, and Smith three-fourths of the way out the door, Antonetti has been trying to fill the vacancies. Outman, eligible for arbitration, is on the scene. So is closer John Axford, except that the Indians can’t talk about him until he passes his physical. Axford and the team agreed to a one-year $4.5 million deal on Monday.

Besides Herb Score, is there a better name for a pitcher than Josh Outman? The name certainly fit last season when he faced lefties. They hit .198

(22-for-111) against him, but righties hit .347 (34-for-93) against Outman.

Outman, 29, throws a fastball, slider and change up. The Bill James Handbook says his the average velocity on his fastball is 92.4 mph and he throws it about 53 percent of the time.

“This is the first year Josh pitched exclusively out of the bullpen,” said Antonetti. “Before he was in that long man/spot starter role. We will keep him exclusively in the pen.”

Lefties made 126 plate appearances and righties 112 against Outman last season. Due to the radical nature of his lefty-righty splits, Antonetti said Outman would face mostly lefties in 2014.

The Indians tried to acquired Outman at the July 30 trading deadline, but a deal couldn’t be reached until Wednesday.

“Josh has pitched in a variety of roles from the middle innings to leverage situations,” said Antonetti, “but his primary strength is against left-handed hitters.”

Stubbs, the Indians starting right fielder, became available when the Indians signed free-agent outfielder David Murphy to a two-year $12 million deal on Nov. 25. Stubbs hit .233 (100-for-430) with 10 homers, 45 RBI and 141 strikeouts. His slash line was .233/.360/305 – batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage.

Murphy will replace Stubbs in right field.

The Murphy signing has been the Indians biggest of the winter, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy. Besides Murphy, they’ve added Axford (pending his physical), infielder David Adams, first baseman David Cooper and Outman to the 40-man roster.

They’ve also signed 10 players to minor league deals with spring training invitations. Last year the Indians struck gold in that category by signing Scott Kazmir and Ryan Raburn.

The 10 players include pitchers Shaun Marcum, Matt Capps, Travis Banwart, Tyler Cloyd, J.C. Ramirez, Mike Zagurski, catcher Mike Treanor, DH Jason Giambi, infielder Ryan Rohlinger and outfielder Matt Carson.

Could Marcum be this year’s version of Kazmir, who won 10 games last season and signed a two-year $22 million deal with the A’s?

Marcum was 1-10 last season with the Mets before his year ended in July because he needed surgery on his right shoulder for thoracic outlet syndrome. He was a 13-game winner for Toronto and Milwaukee in consecutive seasons in 2010 an 2011.

“He’s had injuries in the past, but we feel he’ll come to camp healthy and compete for a job in the starting rotation,” said Antonetti. “When he’s been healthy, he’s pitched very well. “

How far can a rebuilt bullpen a couple of shots in the dark take a team? Every day the Indians get closer to finding out?



Akron Zips roll in the second half to a 79-60 win over Detroit

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Akron's Demetrius Treadwell continues his dominant play for the Akron Zips against the Detroit Titans Wednesday night.

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AKRON, Ohio -- Cold one minute, hot the next. The Akron Zips found the heat in the second half to blister the Detroit Titans, 79-60, Wednesday night in Rhodes Arena.

Anchored by a double-double from senior forward Demetrius Treadwell - 22 points, 13-rebounds - the Zips have now won four straight heading on the road for the first of three games in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.

Treadwell scored 15 of his points and had eight of his boards at the break and was about the only thing going for Akron, as the product of Euclid High would produce his second double-double in two straight games, and third of the season overall.

"I did everything I could to keep our heads above water,'' Treadwell said after the game.

After shooting just 23.1 percent in the opening half, failing to score the first four minutes of the game and not notching double digits until less than eight were on the first half clock, Akron settled down and went to work, scoring 58 points in the second half against the Titans (5-7).

"Stinky and great,'' is how head coach Keith Dambrot summed the game up. "In the first half Tree kept us in it. He was terrific."

Akron was also 9-of-12 on 3-pointers the second half. After trailing, 30-21, at the half three straight 3-pointers from the Zips tied it, 30-30, in less than two minutes. Then a Quincy Diggs layup gave Akron its first lead, 34-32.

With 13:11 to play and six second-half 3-pointers already in the books, Treadwell's 20th point came from the line put Akron up by 10, 46-36, and effectively on their way to palm trees and pineapples, standing at 5-2 on the season.

Diggs finished with 10 points and seven assists while guard Nyles Evans had 17, both off the bench.

Akron began the game cold in just about every way. They missed their first six shots from the field, nearly all right at the rim, turned the ball over like a team with mittens and was 0-for-4 at the line. Yet when Deji Ibitayo hit a 3-pointer with 15:14 on the clock, the Zips were only down, 9-3.

A media timeout should have given Akron time to collect itself, but coming out of that break Akron had yet another turnover. By the time the miscues reached five for Akron, and the deficit was at 16-5, Dambrot called his first timeout with 12:35 left in the half. Of the Titans 16 points, 14 had come off turnovers.

If any good came out of it, the plus was Detroit started to follow Akron's lead with the turnovers and missed shots. With 7:05 to go before halftime, the Zips still had not hit double-digits, trailing 22-8 with seven turnovers, 15 missed shots from the field and five of six free throws missed.

With 5:22 to go an Evans 3-pointer cut the Titans lead down to 22-11, making the Zips 4-of-19 from the field. It was just a hint of what was to come after halftime.


Cleveland Indians interested in Jason Knapp's comeback attempt

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One-time prospect Jason Knapp, 23, is contemplating a comeback. He has not pitched professional since 2010.

jason knapp.JPGJason Knapp

CLEVELAND, Ohio –Jason Knapp is attempting a comeback and the Indians are interested in re-signing him.

GM Chris Antonetti said Ross Atkins, Indians director of player development, has talked to Knapp and his agent. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported Knapp’s comeback plans on Tuesday.

“Ross has talked to them,” said Antonetti. “Jason is still in the early stages of his comeback."

Said Atkins, "Obviously, we're very happy to hear that he is feeling good again and want nothing but the best for him.

"We will stay in touch with him and we'll certainly consider if he's interested in returning to us if it's a fit for us."

The Indians released Knapp on Aug. 8, 2012 after two major operations on his right shoulder. He never pitched above Class A Lake County for the Tribe.

When the Indians traded Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Phillies on July 29, 2009, Knapp was the key to the deal. Knapp, 18 at the time, was on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, but the Indians wouldn’t make the deal without the 6-5, 242-pound Knapp being included.

Knapp, the Phillies second round pick in 2007, turned out to be damaged goods. After making four starts at Lake County after the trade, he underwent right shoulder surgery. Knapp missed most of the 2010 season, but returned to Lake County late in that season and made four starts. He struck out 29 and walked eight in 16 innings.

He underwent a second operation on the same shoulder on June 14, 2011. He has not pitched professionally since.

The Indians received four players for Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco – Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco and Knapp. Carrasco is the only player still in the organization. Marson, non-tendered on Dec. 2, signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on Wednesday.


Wadsworth wins 52nd-straight Suburban League game, defeats Tallmadge 44-26 (video)

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TALLMADGE, Ohio – Why not? Why not this game? Why not this time? That was Tallmadge’s game plan. Well sort of.

TALLMADGE, Ohio – Why not? Why not this game? Why not this time?

That was Tallmadge’s game plan. Well sort of.

It also included eating time off the clock and then working in sets against undefeated Wadsworth.

It worked too. For the first quarter, at least, which is what made Blue Devils coach Bill Johnson proud.

“One of our main goals was how are we going to do in the first quarter,” he said. “They have pounded people in the first quarter."

Check back shortly for a video from the game.

Yet Wadsworth owns an extreme winning streak in the Suburban League for a reason. The No. 3 Grizzlies (7-0, 5-0) moved that streak to 52 games on Wednesday at No. 25 Tallmadge (4-3, 2-3), defeating the Blue Devils, 44-26.

Wadsworth sophomore guard Jodi Johnson led all scorers with 14 points, including 5-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Let’s get back to that first quarter though.

Tallmadge looked like they were having a hard time getting within half court or getting to the arc. Wadsworth started pressing from half court and it seemed like the Grizzlies were going to dominate.

Instead, Tallmadge would get within half court, pass the ball, eat anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute off the clock and then drive to the hoop. They ended the first quarter by dribbling and passing for a minute off game clock before drawing a foul with three seconds left.

Senior Kelsey Rice missed both shots, but it still sent the Blue Devils into the second quarter with a lead, 10-9.

That’s when Wadsworth guard Hannah Centea said they regrouped and stopped overlooking Tallmadge’s game plan to try and defend it back.

“They wanted to shut us down and they did it,” Centea said. “First quarter they came out to play. Kelsey Rice was a big factor in that and so was Mary (Ryan).”

Tallmadge started off the second half eating up 53 seconds of clock and passing the ball 10 times. Any time they got near the arc, they passed it back out toward halfcourt, but their passes turned from basketball passes to big lobs. It didn’t help that Centea broke free of a scoreless and slow first quarter.

The first out of bounds lob pass for Tallmadge happened at the 5:10 mark. Then Centea grabbed back to back steals.

The next lob pass came with 3:38 left in the second. Then Centea hit a three. Then Tallmadge turned it over.

Then the next out of bounds lob pass came at about 2:36. During that time, Wadsworth was able to score 13 unanswered points before a free throw by Tallmadge’s Mary Ryan stopped the streak, ending a 4:30 minute scoring drought for the Blue Devils

Centea had to have one last say in her breakout quarter, stealing the ball with under a minute remaining and sealing it with a layup to put the Grizzlies up 26-13 heading into the half. She scored nine points in the second quarter.

“She had a couple big outside shots to maybe loosen them up,” Wadsworth coach Andrew Booth said. “But more importantly I thinks she was able to get out in the open court and use her speed and her quickness and gave us a little spark on the offensive end which we needed.”

By the second half, it was evident that the Grizzles were wearing the Blue Devils down. More lob passes were overthrown. There were missed shots, travels and turnovers from both sides.

The Grizzlies scored five points in the third quarter to the Blue Devils six but widened it in the fourth thanks to a big three from Centea and another from senior guard Olivia Thompson.

The victory is just one more in a long list of them for the Grizzlies in the Suburban League.

“It doesn’t start with us,” Centea said. “It started with previous years. They set a tradition and we’re just trying to keep continuing it so hopefully years down the road it’s still going on.”

Contact high school sports reporter Stephanie Kuzydym by email (skuzydym@cleveland.com) or on Twitter (@stephkuzy). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

No. 4 Magnificat girls basketball closes out No. 12 Walsh Jesuit in final minute

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ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Everything came easy in the first half for the Magnificat girls basketball team, as the Blue Streaks were up 15 points at the half. However, the second half was different as Magnificat found themselves down four points with one minute left, before coming back for the 60-57 victory. After the game, head coach Meghann Hubach...

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Everything came easy in the first half for the Magnificat girls basketball team, as the Blue Streaks were up 15 points at the half. However, the second half was different as Magnificat found themselves down four points with one minute left, before coming back for the 60-57 victory. After the game, head coach Meghann Hubach talked about her team being able to get a victory in a close game.

"Obviously, we did not play as well as we would have liked to in the second half, but Walsh Jesuit deserves a ton of credit for that," said Hubach. " We were in a similar situation against Canton McKinley where we were unable to make the plays late to get the victory, and we said the result would be different if we found ourselves in that situation again. Obviously, I would have like to play like we did in the first half, but we got the win, so I am happy with that."

In the first half, the Blue Streaks did a great job of moving the ball and finding each other for the open shot. Senior captain Sarah Scelza talked about how Magnificat was able to play the way they wanted to.

"We were able to control the tempo from the beginning, and that was big for us," said Scelza. "The second half, when they switched defenses, we let that bother us a little bit and didn't attack like we did in the first half. However, we were able to get the win, so we are happy with that."

A big reason why the Blue Streaks didn't have the same offensive flow in the second half was the 1-3-1 zone installed by Walsh Jesuit coach Pete Zaccari. While the game did not end as he would have liked to see, Zaccari was proud of the way his girls battled back into the game.

"Obviously, I am disappointed in the sense that we did not win the game," said Zaccari. "However, I like the way our girls really fought back, and the effort was great. We dug ourselves too big of hole in the first half, and that is something we are going to need to learn, we got to play well for the entire game."

Leading the way in scoring for Magnificat were Phoebe Sterba and Bridget Pryatel, who each finished the game with 12 points. Rachel Keough scored a game-high 16 points for Walsh Jesuit.

With the win, the Blue Streaks move to 5-1 on the season, while the Warriors fall to 4-3.

LaQuinton Ross' 19 help No. 3 Ohio State men's basketball top Delaware, 76-64

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LaQuinton Ross scored 19 points, including eight in a decisive 15-0 run, to lead No. 3 Ohio State past Delaware 76-64 on Wednesday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — LaQuinton Ross scored 19 points, including eight in a decisive 15-0 run, to lead No. 3 Ohio State past Delaware 76-64 on Wednesday night.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 14 points, Aaron Craft had 12, Amir Williams had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Amedeo Della Valle added 10 points for the Buckeyes (11-0), who have won every game by double figures.

Devon Saddler, still rounding into shape after a seven-game disciplinary suspension, had 17 points and Jarvis Threatt added 14 for the Blue Hens (5-6), who have lost three straight. It was their second of three games in six days, all in the BlackRock Gotham Classic.

Both teams will be playing in the same five-team "tournament" at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, with the Blue Hens meeting Bryant and Ohio State squaring off against Notre Dame.

Ross hit 8 of 13 shots from the field including both of his 3-point attempts.

It was a surprisingly cold shooting night for the Buckeyes, who had made at least 52 percent of their field goal attempts in each of the last five games to match the longest such streak since 1991-92. They were 24 of 59 from the field (41 percent).

Up by 11 points at halftime and riding a 12-0 run, the Buckeyes added to their lead when Ross hit a 3 to open the second half.

The Blue Hens got as close as eight points twice, although the lead was never really in doubt.

They were still hanging around at 50-40 when Ross flipped in a half-hook off an offensive rebound and Della Valle hit a 3-pointer from the left corner. Moments later, Della Valle swished another 3 from the right elbow to make it 60-44 with 10:28 remaining.

Delaware cut it to 63-54 on Davon Usher's layup with 6 minutes left before Williams hit a free throw, Smith made two free throws and Ross bumped his way into the lane for a basket to make it 68-54 with just over 3 minutes remaining.

Consecutive layups by Saddler cut the lead to 68-60 with 1:48 left, but Smith hit a jumper and two free throws to put the game out of reach.

The first half was a struggle for the Buckeyes.

Not until they went on a 12-0 run over the final 3:30 did they take command. Ross led the assault with a 3-pointer that lit the match on the run and later added a finger-roll layup in transition after a steal by Craft.

Craft added the last two points of the half after Delaware coach Monte' Ross was whistled for a technical with 4.2 seconds left for a 37-26 lead.

Ross had 11 at halftime, Williams nine and Craft eight.

But the Buckeyes made just 39 percent of their shots from the field (13 of 33), including 2 of 7 3-pointers (29 percent). The Blue Hens mixed defenses against Ohio State, occasionally matching up and at other times playing zone.

Delaware, which came in with three players averaging at least 15 points a game, didn't have anyone over six points in the opening 20 minutes.

The Blue Hens fell to 0-8 against Big Ten teams and 0-17 against Top 10 teams and 0-29 against ranked opponents. The only time the Blue Hens played a higher-ranked team was No. 2 Duke last season.

Ohio State won its first 11 games twice before under coach Thad Matta: in 2005-06, when it started 11-0, and 2010-11, when it won its first 24 games.

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AP Sports Writer Rusty Miller wrote this report.

Ohio State's Marcus Hall will be back for the Orange Bowl, and shows coming soon from Harry Buffalo: Buckeye Breakfast

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Four videos from our Harry Buffalo show, featuring some great stories from former OSU lineman Andrew Moses, will hit the site in the next several days.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marcus Hall will end his Ohio State career on the field. Not on the sidelines.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since the loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship 12 days ago, and for the only time before the Buckeyes arrive in Miami on Dec. 29, Urban Meyer said Wednesday that the starting right guard will be allowed to play against Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

Hall was ejected from the Michigan game, and flipped off the Wolverine crowd on the way to the locker room. Neither Meyer nor the Big Ten officially suspended Hall for his actions, but the senior did not get into the Big Ten Championship game for a single snap, though he stood on the sidelines with his helmet on and looked ready to come into the game at any point. It never happened.

“Disappointed with his actions. The good thing is, that's not who he is at all,” Meyer said immediately after the 34-24 loss to the Spartans. “He's great. I just feel it wasn't right to play him. … When did I make that decision? I made it a while back.”

Apparently Meyer has made the decision this time that Hall should be back on he field, though when I squeezed the question in as a brief eight-minute interview session was breaking up, and Meyer was walking away, he didn't clarify whether Hall would regain his starting spot or not. Redshirt freshman Pat Elflein played well while Hall was out.

Ohio State continues practice through Dec. 22 before the Buckeyes can head home for the holidays, then report back to Columbus for two more practices on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28 before flying to South Florida on Dec. 29.

We'll continue our coverage, which should include the first of four videos from our appearance at Harry Buffalo in Parma Heights on Wednesday. We ate some bison burgers, and a fish sandwich felled Ari before he could get halfway through it. Then we had some interesting conversations with former OSU lineman Andrew Moses, who has been writing one insider story a week for us all year.

We did a segment about whether Braxton Miller should head to the NFL or come back for his senior season, while Miller said Wednesday he's not sure but he feels he is ready; a segment on what bowl prep is like, with some great stories from Moses, who was a Buckeye from 2005 to 2009 and went to a BCS bowl each season, including two national title games; a segment on the actual breakdown of the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl and what might happen for the Buckeyes against Clemson; and a final segment with Ari talking recruiting as we looked at what's ahead for Ohio State in 2014.

Those videos will drop into our coverage once a day over the next several days, and you won't want to miss them.

Our countdown of the best Buckeyes of 2013 continued with No. 12 C.J. Barnett on Wednesday, with an offensive player checking in at No. 11 today. Zack's NFL draft stock report on Ohio State hit on Ryan Shazier, while the topic today will be cornerback Bradley Roby.

Much more is ahead today, including a look at Ohio State's recruiting in Florida, which could be helped by the Buckeyes getting their name out in the Miami area for a week around the Orange Bowl.


Video: Ravens move a game closer to the Bengals - AFC North report

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Watch as Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed recap what happened in the AFC North in week 15 and what lies ahead for the Browns, Bengals, Ravens and Steelers.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed take a look at what happened in week 15 in the AFC North and what lies ahead for the Browns, Bengals, Ravens and Steelers with two weeks to go.

The Browns lost their final game at FirstEnergy Stadium when they lost to the Chicago Bears 38-31 despite two defensive touchdowns.

Safeties Tashaun Gipson and T.J. Ward each ran a turnover into the end zone.  Gipson returned his second interception of Jay Cutler for a touchdown and Ward scored on a third quarter fumble.

The loss was their fifth straight and eight of their last nine.

The Ravens are going the other direction when they won their fourth straight after defeating the Lions 18-16.

Justin Tucker provided all the scoring for Baltimore with six field goals including one for 61 yards with 38 second left on the clock. 

Baltimore is finding ways to win despite quarterback Joe Flacco's pour showing in the last two games.  His quarterback rating the last two weeks were 64.2 and 70.3.

The Steelers beat division rival Bengals 30-20 in Pittsburgh.

In a span of 64 seconds in the first quarter, Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown caught a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger and returned a punt for six.   

This week, the Browns (4-10) travel to New York to play the Jets (6-8).  The Bengals (9-5) host the Vikings (4-9-1).  The Ravens (8-6) are at home to play the Patriots (10-4).  The Steelers will be in Green Bay to play the Packers (7-6-1).

Follow on Twitter: @CLEvideos



Three-game losing streak to Wisconsin-Whitewater doesn't sit well with Mount Union: Stagg Bowl Preview

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Mount Union has won 29 consecutive games, but its defense gave up 99 combined points in its last two victories.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – When it comes to Mount Union football's winning ways, there are always streaks. Two currently in progress are 29 consecutive victories and nine straight appearances in the Stagg Bowl Division III national championship game.

But there is one significant losing streak that comes into play this week in Stagg Bowl XLI: Mount Union lost the last three times it played Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl – 2009 (38-28), 2010 (31-21), and 2011 (13-10).

This does not sit well with the No. 1-ranked Purple Raiders (14-0), who play No. 5 Whitewater (14-0) in the Stagg Bowl for the eighth time in nine years at 7 p.m. Friday in Salem, Va. Over the last four years, Mount Union is 56-3. In fact, Wisconsin-Whitewater is the only team to beat Mount Union in nine seasons, during which UMU is 114-4.

“I try not to think about it, but I am kind of excited to play them and get revenge on them, beat them and come out on top,'' said Mount Union All-American defensive lineman Matt Fechko of Twinsburg. Fechko has played in all 59 Mount Union games during his four-year career, starting the last 58.

Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke of Westlake also knows the sting of defeat, even though he is unbeaten as a starter (29-0). He led the Purple Raiders to a 15-0 season and the Stagg Bowl victory against St. Thomas last year, but remembers watching his teammates lose to Whitewater when he was a freshman backup.

“It's kind of the elephant in the room that we lost to them two years ago,'' Burke said. “But you can't focus on it too much because you won't prepare as well. Emotions only get you so far in football, but it is something that's on our mind and it helps me prepare that much more.

“It's not fun to lose.''

Mount Union's path to the 2012 championship was paved by its defense. Even though the offense returned just one starter, Burke, it's the offense that has rescued the defense the last two weeks. Mount Union nearly blew a 31-0 lead in a 62-59 quarterfinal victory over Wesley, and Burke had to lead a late drive to beat North Central last week, 41-40.

Championships are about matchups and the marquee matchup Friday is Mount Union's No. 1-ranked scoring offense (49.1 points per game) against Whitewater's No. 1 defense (8.7 points per game). Each unit is led by a Gagliardi Trophy finalist – Burke and Whitewater senior linebacker Cole Klotz. Burke won the award Wednesday night.

“They are a great defense with great stats and great players,'' Burke said. “They're fundamentally sound, in technique and very well coached. They do a lot of things in coverages and disguise things well. That really doesn't effect the way we're going to gameplan against them. We're not geared to run or throw the ball just because of what they do.''

Burke, a master scrambler and accurate passer, is Mount Union's offensive turbo-engine. His 4,549 yards combined passing and rushing are 61 percent of the team's production, and his 57 combined touchdowns are 67 percent of the offense's scoring.

Redshirt freshman tailback B.J. Mitchell's speed and big-play ability has taken considerable heat off Burke. Both have rushed for more than 1,000 yards. A deep receiving corps led by Sherman Wilkinson, Luc Meacham and Jack Nicholls does not feature a standout, with each rising to different occasions.

They key matchup could be Mount Union's nimble front seven, which often lines up in a 3-6-2 stack, against a Whitewater offensive line that averages 6-4, 285 pounds.

“It doesn't worry me at all,'' Fechko said. “We're good enough and our big thing is we're quicker.''

They'll have to be quick to rattle Whitewater QB Matt Behrendt, who has thrown 36 touchdowns and just one interception in 432 attempts.

Whitewater also has a 1,000-yard back in Jordan Ratliffe, who averages 5.5 yards per carry.

Mount Union coach Vince Kehres was nonplussed when asked about Whitewater's offense matching up against his defense, which has allowed 99 points in the last two games.

“I would think we probably wouldn't be going (to the Stagg Bowl) giving up that many points, but here we are,'' Kehres said. “They were (wild games). It's a reflection of college football in this day and age.''

It also is an age that, for almost a decade, has been dominated by either Mount Union or Wisconsin-Whitewater.


Is Bradley Roby leaving Ohio State 1 year too late? NFL Draft Stock Report

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Bradley Roby has made it clear he is leaving for the NFL. Should he have made that decision a year ago instead?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With a quick, four-second sprint, Bradley Roby can mute all conversation about his supposedly declining draft stock.

With a few swift bursts around some cones, the cornerback can extinguish all debate about whether he should have declared for the draft a year ago.

Of course, Roby must wait until February before he can impress talent evaluators at the NFL Combine. Then, he can atone for what some experts have deemed an unsatisfying redshirt junior season, one during which Roby may have, at times, lost concentration or motivation.

"While he had flashes that showed why he frequently appears in the first round of mock drafts, he also struggled with focus issues most of the year," said Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft expert for CBS Sports. "It's almost as if he read too many of his own press clippings from a year ago."

Roby was widely projected as a first-round selection a year ago, but he instead opted to return to Columbus for one, final season. Ohio State's pass defense, however, proved to be the team's Achilles' heel throughout the 2013 campaign. The Buckeyes surrendered 755 passing yards over their last two games. Earlier in the season, Urban Meyer referred to the secondary's performance as "very alarming."

Roby's play seemed a bit inconsistent throughout the year. One NFL scout surmised that he "wasn't crazy about playing," though "you still see flashes and capability of what he's able to do, which few people can do."

Wisconsin receiver Jared Abbrederis amassed 207 yards and a touchdown while matched up in single coverage against the Suwanee, Ga., native. Roby did tie for the team lead with three interceptions. He also blocked a pair of kicks. He paced the defensive backs with 13 pass break-ups.

"I love his fighting attitude and the way he never backs down," Brugler said. "His lack of elite size and length tends to show up, especially when blockers eliminate him from plays. He has the foot speed, supreme confidence and natural athletic talent to hold up on an island in either man or zone, but he needs to do a better job staying alert and aware to be a more consistent finisher at the next level."

Brugleranticipates that Roby will post an impressive time in the 40-yard dash and the other drills at the NFL Combine. He said Roby "will almost always be the fastest guy on the field whenever he's out there." That, Brugler said, could help Roby land in the first round on a handful of teams' big boards.

"He will still be highly regarded by several teams and could end up in the top 25 mix," Brugler said. "But he isn’t viewed as the lock first-round prospect many thought coming into the year and will grade as a day two prospect for many teams."

So, did Roby make the proper decision in returning to school for another year?

"[His stock] is probably not where it was a year ago today," the NFL scout said, "but by the first week in May, I think he'll be right where he was."

There was no decision this time. Roby won't be sticking around for his senior year at Ohio State. According to those who have kept an eye on him all along, his choice to return for the 2013 season will work out just fine.

"He's a guy who's going to have a great combine, great workouts and he's going to restore faith," the NFL scout said. "He hurt himself if the draft would have been Dec. 1, but it's not."





Cleveland Browns rout Buffalo Bills for third AAFC title: This Day in Browns History

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This Day in Browns History: The Cleveland Browns won their third AAFC title in 1948, crushing the Buffalo Bills, 49-7, before a crowd of just 22,981 at Cleveland Stadium.

The Cleveland Browns became pro football's first team to win three straight titles in routing the Buffalo Bills, 49-7, on this day, Dec. 19, of 1948.

The victory was the 18th straight for the Browns and ran their unbeaten streak to 24 as they won the title of the All-America Football Conference. It wasn't until 1950 that the Browns joined the NFL.

Just 22,981 witnessed the game at Cleveland Stadium.

This is the 16th installment in a season-long series on cleveland.com - This Day in Browns History. We'll do what the current Cleveland Browns can't possibly do, guarantee a victory every week as we dig into the files of Browns history.

Enjoy the stories for the game memories, the player names you may recognize, and - especially with the older stories - the writing styles as sports reporting has changed over the years.

Curious about other games? Try out our online database that will connect you to all other Cleveland Browns game stories since the beginning of the franchise in 1946.


BROWNS WIN THIRD TITLE, 49 TO 7
Browns 49, Buffalo Bills 7
December 19, 1948

By Harold Sauerbrei
Plain Dealer Reporter

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland's unconquerable Browns - a football specialty shop - combined an alert defense and power offense to keep their All-America Football Conference championship and write some new records into the world of sports yesterday at the stadium.

1948-BROWNS-PROGRAM.JPGA 1948 Cleveland Browns game program.

The Browns inaugurated a scoring spree in the final minute of the first period when Edgar Jones powered over from the 3-yard line and Marion Motley, 238 pounds of thundering fullback, carried on from there to give the proud Clevelanders a 49-7 triumph over the challenging Buffalo Bills.

It was the end of a perfect season for a perfect football team. Directly from their dapper little general, Coach Paul Brown, came the remark that this was a football team without a weakness.

For the Brownies, the victory was their 15th of the year, the 18th in a row over two seasons and it marked their 24th game without defeat. Thus, they became the first club in pro football history to go through a regular campaign and playoff without defeat and the first to rule their league three years in a row.

Just as a year ago in the playoff over the icy turf at New York, Motley was the driving force in the Cleveland offense yesterday. He scored three touchdowns on runs of 29, 31 and 5 yards and accumulated 133 yards on 14 ball-carrying efforts - an average of slightly less than 10 yards per try.

Special Delivery Delivers

Edgar Jones tallied twice, his second on a pass from Otto Graham. George Young picked up a fumble and rambled 18 yards for another, and Capt. Lou Saban intercepted a pass and roamed 39 yards for the final touchdown.

The touchdown by Saban was the first in his professional career. Listed as a backfield man on the roster the first two seasons, Capt. Lou had to wait until a career got under way as a center to make his inaugural six-pointer.

The brilliant defensive star reached the end zone, started to throw the ball into the bleachers, then changed his mind and clutched it firmly as he trotted to the bench. That is one for the Saban trophy case.

A crowd of only 22,981 saw the rivals battle for the fourth time this season. The temperature was 35 degrees when the game started, and snow surrounded the playing field. But the playing area was in perfect condition, dry and soft. It looked particularly good to Motley.

Bills Avert Shutout

While the Browns were prancing to their seven touchdowns, the Bills were finding difficulty moving the ball and were saved from a shutout only because of a penalty called against the Browns in the third period. Cleveland was charged with roughing the kicker in the third period, and the Bills took advantage of the break to move for their only score.

It was made on a pass from Jim Still to Alton Baldwin, who turned in a startling finger-tip catch in the end zone. It kept the Browns from registering a whitewash - about the only item they failed to accomplish this season.

The Bills had only one other scoring opportunity, late in the second period when they marched 46 yards to Cleveland's 7-yard line. But when George Ratterman tried a fourth-down pass, he was tossed for a 12-yard loss by John Yonakor.

Ratterman, who always is brilliant except when he faces the Browns, had a bad day. He completed only five of 18 passes for 224 yards before leaving the game with an injured shoulder in the third period.

Cleveland's defensive unit had a merry time with Buffalo passes and fumbles. Besides the touchdown runs of Young and Saban, four of the other touchdowns came after intercepted passes or fumbles.

paul-brown-1948-lockerroom-cliff-lewis-otto-graham.jpgView full sizeCliff Lewis, left, and Otto Graham, right, listen to coach Paul Brown's chalk talk in the locker room during the 1948 season.

Five Buffalo passes were intercepted, two by Tommy James and one each by Tommy Colella, Tony Adamle and Saban. The Bills fumbled three times and the Browns recovered all of them.

With Motley running brilliantly, Graham attempted only 24 passes and completed 11 for 118 yards. Edgar Jones was his principal receiver with three catches for 39 yards. Mac Speedie caught only two for 22 and Dante Lavelli two for 16. It was one of Otto's slowest days of the campaign.

James' first interception got the Browns on the way to their first touchdown in the waning minutes of the opening period. The Massillon redhead got in the way of a Ratterman toss at midfield and carried the ball back 30 yards to the 20. Edgar Jones and Motley divided the work in advancing to the 3-yard line, and then Edgar shot through right guard for the touchdown.

Lou Groza kicked the extra point, a function he repeated after the next six touchdowns.

A weird succession of fumbles, two by Buffalo and one by Cleveland, preceded the next Brownie score. The third fumble was made by Rex Bumgardner of the Bills, and this was the one Young grabbed and carried to six points. Bumgardner was running wide, a multitude of Browns were trailing him, and he suddenly dropped the leather, Young being the first to reach it.

Halt Bills' Drive

It was after this touchdown that Don Schneider made a 27-yard kickoff return to the Buffalo 37 that the Bills advanced to Cleveland's 7-yard line. Bumgardner, who was Buffalo's best ball carrier with 34 yards in 11 tries, made most of the total advance. But when the Bills reached the 7 and had four downs to make the rest of the distance, the Browns resisted all their efforts.

On the second play of the second half, James spoiled another pass by Ratterman, returning this interception 16 yards to the Buffalo 22. Motley made 4 yards, a Graham pass to Lavelli 9, and then Otto pitched to Edgar Jones in the corner for the touchdown that made it 21-0.

It was several minutes before Cleveland got another, this time the drive started when Schneider fumbled a punt as he attempted a fair catch. The ball was recovered by Lou Rymkus at the Buffalo 43.

Five plays later, Motley got away on his 29-yard run to the end zone.

Bills Drive 80 Yards

After this touchdown, Buffalo marched 80 yards to its lone score. When the Bills reached the 31 and could go no farther, Still kicked on fourth down.

But Cleveland was caught in a roughing act and the Bills got a first down on their own 46. Still hit with two nice passes, one to Bumgardner for 25 yards and the other to O'Connor for 19, the latter taking the ball to the Cleveland 10-yard line. Still then connected to Baldwin in the end zone, and Armstrong added the extra point.

Cleveland's only touchdown that didn't develop from an interception or Buffalo fumble followed when Dub Jones traveled 46 yards with the kickoff to the Bills' 29. Dub went two yards around end on the next play and Motley, with the defense massed in the center, went around the outside for 31 yards and his second touchdown.

Colella's interception on the Cleveland 40 set up touchdown No. 6. Ollie Cline entered the game for one play and traveled 20 yards on a trap effort. He was injured, and Motley promptly made 24 yards when he returned to action. After Ara Parseghian picked up 4 and Dean Sensanbaugher 1, the Bills were penalized 5 for offside, and Motley then completed the drive by running wide around left end for the remaining 5.

The Bills received again and then came Saban's first opportunity to register his name in the Browns' scoring summary for touchdowns.


Cleveland State and Akron take to the road after success at home - Local colleges this morning

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Both the Akron Zips and Cleveland State earn home basketball victories before taking to the road.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Solid victories at home Wednesday night send Cleveland State and Akron basketball teams on the road feeling good. The Zips left Thursday Morning for the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii this weekend, while CSU has a Saturday game at Toledo.

Cleveland State: The breakout game came just in time for Bryn Forbes and the Cleveland State Vikings. The 97-72 victory over Notre Dame College was expected. The career-high 27 points from Forbes should give CSU (6-5) a boost as the Vikings look to give UT (10-0) its first loss on the season.

Forbes had scored just 20 points just once in the previous four games getting nine points against Akron, 11 against Western Carolina and 15 against Ball State. A quality shooter, hitting 49.2 percent overall and 47.7 percent on 3-pointers, the key for the 6-3 sophomore is just to get shots up.

It does not take a lot for Forbes to score a lot. He was 5-of-10 on 3-pointers against Notre Dame College, and now can look to the 2 p.m. game against the Rockets with extra confidence. CSU will have to have its defense in order against UT as the Rockets are undefeated for a reason.

They have averaged a whopping 87.9 points a game shooting 51.4 percent from the field on the season. The Rockets have scored over 90 points five times already this season and have a double-figure scorer at every position on the court.

Akron Zips: It is no secret where the Zips are weak. But that weakness, which is ball handling at point guard, is starting to become a strength. Teams are pressuring Akron, all over the court trying to force turnovers. But the flip side of that is, in the open court is where Akron is at its best.

That showed itself again with Akron's 79-60 victory over Detroit. In the first half, when the game was pretty much played in the half court, Akron struggled to score 21 points and trailed Detroit, 30-21.

"We could have been down 19 points the way we played,'' head coach Keith Dambrot said.

Akron shot 23.1 percent in the first half and had nine turnovers as the Zips were clearly not comfortable playing at the Titans pace. That changed in the second half when three straight 3-pointers tied the game in less than two minutes and exposed the Titans own backcourt issues.

"We never got control of the game again,'' said Detroit head coach Ray McCallum, who saw his son and point guard Ray McCallum Jr., leave early for the NBA after last season.

"I'm not the kind of coach who calls every play from the sidelines and brings the ball downcourt. Point guards feel the game, play the game, and direct the game. We're struggling with that right now. We only turned the ball over seven times, but we still lost by 20.''

With open shooters in every corner, and playing at their best on the fly, Akron scored 58 points in the second half, only had three more turnovers, and shot 71.4 percent after intermission. Off the bench senior Quincy Diggs had 10 points and seven assists.

The Zips next game will be against Oregon State, 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, in Hawaii.


Urban Meyer's first Orange Bowl thought? Recruiting - and here are 8 Florida prospects Ohio State wants: Buckeyes recruiting

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Plantation junior quarterback Torrance Gibson is among the players the Buckeyes would love to grab out of Florida.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In only four quarters, Ohio State saw its 24-game winning streak snapped and its chance to play for a national championship vanish. The Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game set the program back.

And it’s still sinking in for Ohio State’s players and coaches. But one loss won’t define the Urban Meyer era – at least if it is up to him.

Because even with the missed opportunity to play for a national title, Meyer immediately saw another one when he first learned of Ohio State’s Orange Bowl matchup with Clemson. Why? The game is being played on a large stage in a state that has been a hotbed for top talent in recruiting.

“(Recruiting) is what I first saw when I saw the Orange Bowl,” Meyer said. “The respect I have for the entire state of Florida is great. We have a couple excellent players for us from Florida. We’re hitting it real hard down here as we speak.”

Ohio State most recently picked up an oral commitment from four-star wide receiver Johnnie Dixon of West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer, and Meyer hopes Ohio State’s exposure in Florida will continue to pay dividends.

Meyer has taken at least one prospect in his first two recruiting classes at Ohio State and has signed three total. By adding Dixon, Meyer just made it three classes in a row with at least one Florida prospect.

Following is a list of some more important Floridian prospects. Because the Buckeyes have 19 oral commitments in the 2014 class and likely won’t sign more than 25, most of the names on the list are rising prospects in the 2015 class.

West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman WR Travis Rudolph (2014) – It’s unclear whether Meyer is still interested in the other wideout from West Palm Beach after landing Dixon, but Rudolph is one of the best in the country. Rated by Rivals.com the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2014 recruiting class, Rudolph has officially visited Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and Tennessee. That list of programs alone tells you what type of player he is, but here’s more proof – he caught 63 passes for 1,237 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns to lead his school to its first district title since 2004.

Glen St. Mary Baker County defensive end CeCe Jefferson (2015) – A 6-foot-3, 260-pound prospect, Jefferson is one of the top defensive players in the country despite being a junior. Ohio State pulled five-star defensive end Joey Bosa out of South Florida in the 2013 class, and getting in with Jefferson would have a similar impact. Rated by Rivals the No. 6 defensive end in the 2015 class, Jefferson has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, South Carolina, UCLA, USC and others.

Apopka Senior offensive tackle Martez Ivey (2015) – Ivey is probably considered a strong Florida lean at this point, but he recalls the Gators’ success and remembers that it was Meyer who led them to two national titles. What does that mean? That Ivey, rated by Rivals the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2015 class, wants to see Ohio State. And getting Ivey on campus eventually could keep the Buckeyes in the hunt. Ivey has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Plantation American Heritage School quarterback Torrance Gibson (2015) – One of the handful of junior quarterbacks to earn a scholarship from Ohio State, Gibson has expressed interest in visiting the Buckeyes and speaks regularly with offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Rated by Rivals the No. 3 athlete in the 2015, Gibson has earned other offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, West Virginia and others. He’s an interesting quarterback prospect because he has good size at 6-4, 195 pounds.

• Fort Lauderdale University School safety Jordan Scarlett – Scarlett, a 5-11, 205-pound speedster, hasn’t hid away with expressing interest in the Buckeyes. After rushing for 16 touchdowns as a junior, Scarlett looked at an offer list that consists of Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Ohio State, UCLA and others. Florida State may be the team to beat, but the Buckeyes are hoping to get Scarlett on campus.

Jacksonville Trinity Christian outside linebacker Jeffrey Holland (2015) – With nearly 50 scholarship offers before reaching his senior year, Holland is one of the truly elite juniors in the country. A 6-2, 226-pounder, Holland has a unique combination of size and speed that makes him a standout defender. Holland’s recruitment is still in the early stages, but Ohio State has been one program that has stood out. Like most prospects from Florida, getting Holland on campus will be important for the Buckeyes. Ohio State assistant Tim Hinton has been assigned as Holland’s primary recruiter.

Orlando Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick (2015) – Patrick is closing in on 40 scholarship offers and Rivals rates the 6-2, 225-pounder as the No. 3 running back in the 2015 recruiting class. The running back took an unofficial visit to Ohio State the weekend of Oct. 26 for Ohio State’s 63-14 win over Penn State. Other notable offers Patrick claims come from Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, California, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Penn State.

Tallahassee Lincoln wide receiver John Burt (2015) – Rated by Rivals the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2015 class, Burt is emerging as one of the best junior prospects in the country. Ohio State, though, has been on Burt for a while, offering the 6-4, 175-pounder a scholarship in his sophomore year. Other offers Burt claims come from Florida, Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Miami (Fla.), South Carolina and West Virginia.


Durkalec, Cleveland Metroparks keep local fishermen happy no matter the season: Outdoor Notes

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It is no accident the Cleveland Metroparks has become known for its fantastic fishing during winter, and all of the other seasons, as well. The park system’s Mike Durkalec works hard at providing game fish to tug an angler’s line.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It is no accident the Cleveland Metroparks has become known for its fantastic fishing during winter, and all of the other seasons, as well. The park system’s Mike Durkalec works hard at providing game fish to tug an angler’s line, and this week’s winter trout transfusion has given the cold-weather ice fishing a big boost.

Under Durkalec's direction, the Cleveland Metroparks has released more than 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout in five of its area lakes. Many of them are trophy fish weighing in at a very respectable four pounds, as well as a few dozen colorful golden trout, a bright yellow strain of rainbow trout.

“We release the largest percentage of the trout in Berea’s Wallace Lake (in the Mill Stream Run Reservation),” said Durkalec, an aquatic biologist. “It has the best depth and habitat for the trout, and lots of shoreline and fishing platforms for anglers. We also plan to release more trout in late January or early February.”

The Cleveland Metroparks also released trout earlier in the week at Solon’s Shadow Lake in the South Chagrin Reservation; Ledge and Judges lakes in the Hinckley Reservation; and Ranger Lake in Strongsville, also in the Mill Stream Run Reservation.

Durkalec also spends a lot of his time promoting Ohio’s premier steelhead trout fishery, and with good reason. The Rocky River is one of Ohio’s top steelhead streams, and there is plenty of public access to the big trout as the Rocky winds its way through the Cleveland Metroparks on its way to Lake Erie. The park system also offers lots of access to the Chagrin River, just east of Cleveland.

The Cleveland Metroparks has taken over the Cleveland Lakefront State Park, turning it into its Cleveland Lakefront Reservation. A fisherman’s bonanza, the park offers a great deal of shoreline fishing, and launch ramp access to Lake Erie and its schools of yellow perch, walleye, white bass and steelhead trout.

To make sure anglers know what’s biting at the moment - and where - Durkalec has on online weekly fishing report on the Cleveland Metroparks web site. A big hit has been his collection of fishing photographs from anglers, or taken by Durkalec as he makes his rounds throughout the week.

“A big treat for me this week was to see a fishermen fight a nice fish on the Rocky River near the Puritas Rd. area,” said Durkalec. “When the guy finally got it to the net, he discovered he had a real nice 4-pound brown trout, a stray from state stockings in either Pennsylvania or New York. He caught that brown on a minnow, and said he’s landed about three Rocky River brown trout this season.”

The Ohio Division of Wildlife doesn’t stock brown trout in Lake Erie or its tributaries. It does release more than 400,000 yearling steelhead trout, though, that it raises at the Castalia State Hatchery in Erie County.

Last minute gifts: Finding just the right Christmas gift for an angler can be easy around Northeast Ohio. There are a lot of local fishing shops with experts who know what's hot, what's not and how to please the fisherman in the family. And their prices can usually match the big online retailers and big box stores. If you're still puzzled, get a gift certificate. It's always appreciated.

Teach fishing to kids: Free workshops starting Jan. 21 by the Ohio Division of Wildlife will certify local anglers as Passport to Fishing instructors. The workshops are from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., teaching the volunteers to pass on the basics of fishing and how to run a four-station fishing program and fishing event. The workshops are also being held March 16, April 16, June 7, Sept. 9 and Nov. 6. Call Ken Fry (330-245-3030) at the Akron District Office. Everyone attending will be required to have a background check.

Sauger road trip: The winter weather has arrived, and for Ohio River anglers that means it’s sauger time. For the next couple of months, schools of sauger will be gathering downstream of the Ohio River’s nine locks and dams along its southern boundary. The top tailwater areas on the Ohio side are below the Pike Island, Racine, R.C. Byrd and Greenup dams, where fishermen will find shore accesses. A cousin of the walleye, sauger prefer river current, are generally smaller than walleye and bite best early and late in the day, hitting jigs dressed with brightly-colored twister tails.

Give Asian carp some gas: University of Illinois researcher Cory Suski reports a new method for thwarting Asian carp trying to invade the Great Lakes. According to The Rock River Times in Illinois, Suski has added carbon dioxide to waters filled with Asian carp and finds the gas repels them, or acts as an anesthetic. Suski said the gas could team with electric fences in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to divert the noxious fish from their quest to expand their range.


Looking for a shakeup in the Ohio State secondary? Safeties coach Everett Withers reportedly taking head job at James Madison

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Withers basically would be the first assistant to leave Urban Meyer's staff in his two years at Ohio State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Something has to change with the way Ohio State defends the pass. Urban Meyer admitted it again Wednesday.

"It's too many," Meyer said, making clear there isn't just one fix to be made.

There could be one big change on the way.

Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Everett Withers reportedly will be the next head football coach at James Madison University, Footballscoop.com reported Wednesday.

Neither Ohio State nor JMU has confirmed the report, but Matthew Stoss, who covers JMU for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Va.,  said no deal has been signed, but he does not doubt the report.

That means Urban Meyer may have to retool one of his signature lines - that eight of his assistants are from Ohio and the other one wishes he was.

That other one is Withers, who came to Ohio State two years ago after serving as the interim head coach at North Carolina for a season, where he had been an assistant before Butch Davis was fired in the midst of NCAA turmoil.

Withers' greatest act as an OSU assistant may have been locking up safety Vonn Bell in recruiting last season, as Meyer called Withers' efforts in pulling Bell out of SEC country as good of a recruiting job as he had ever seen.

But on the field, the Buckeyes' pass defense struggled this year. And it wasn't hard to see that something maybe was going to change, not necessarily in the coaching staff, but in scheme or strategy or something.

Withers leaving a $580,000 salary with Ohio State to move to FCS level James Madison, would almost certainly mean a pay cut. But something may have had to give for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is ranked 21st in the nation in scoring defense, 29th in total defense and 104th in pass defense, giving up 260 passing yards per game.

Meyer likes staff continuity and saw some of the problems later in his tenure at Florida arise because he lost so many assistants he valued to other jobs. But it's not a surprise that the entire nine-man group doesn't look like it will stay together, as it did after last season.

Withers would be the first assistant to leave Ohio State since Meyer was hired, sort of. Bill Sheridan was hired as a defensive assistant by Meyer in early 2012 as he was filling out his staff, but he lasted only about two weeks with the Buckeyes before taking a job as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive coordinator. That's when Kerry Coombs was brought in as the cornerbacks coach. But Sheridan never coached a game, or even a practice, with the Buckeyes,.

Cleveland Browns' Ray Horton says his defense is tightening in crunch time: "We've failed the last three weeks''

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Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said collapsing in the fourth quarter has become a mental thing for his defense.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton prides himself on being a look-in-the-mirror kind of guy, and the man staring back at him can't deny that his defense has choked in the fourth quarter of the last three games.

"We have failed the last three weeks,'' said Horton. "You can not play well for three quarters and then come crunch time tighten up. We talk about being the backbone of the team, well, you can't do that. You don't do that. It's highly. …it's very disappointing.''

Horton acknowledged that some of his players are crumbling under the weight of a close game.

   "I think as the games go on, there's more pressure to perform well and to not repeat a pattern that has happened in the past,'' he said. "So is there a psychological pressure affect? I think there is."

He said players might be pressing to make the kill shot at the end, and it shouldn't be that way. Corner back Joe Haden, who might sit out the Jets game with his hip-pointer, admitted Monday that he's been trying to go for the interception when perhaps a breakup would do.

"That could be,'' said Horton. "Somebody could be putting the reverse pressure of 'I'm going to do it' and then you get out of your gap and you do a different technique. But why would you ... we talk about every play is weighted the same, whether it's the first play or the last play of the game, to me it really doesn't make a difference. And I know for athletes it does, because as the clock ticks down, they do. There's a psychological affect on them but it shouldn't be that way.''

Safety Tashaun Gipson, who had two interceptions against the Bears including a pick-six, agreed that some players are psychologically freezing in the clutch.

"Oh absolutely. It's very evident,'' he said. "You see the guys out there and most of our games we're either winning in the fourth quarter or we're tied or we're not down by more than a field goal and I think that there's guys -- and maybe myself included and I'm not pointing any fingers -- but guys out there trying to do too much instead of trying to do their jobs.

"You might want to sit on routes thinking that play can change the game, you might want to jump outside the gap thinking that can change the game and I think this defense is fierce enough that if we all just play within the gameplan that it's going to be hard to score points on this defense. When we all settle down and play football as though we do the first three quarters, I think it's very evident that this defense is pretty ferocious.''

Gipson stressed that the way to bust out of the mental slump for each player to demand more of himself.

"I don't think it's nothing that the coaches can coach,'' he said. "I think it should just really start with us and coach Horton has really been on it this week more particularly than others and I think that it truly comes down to each and every individual that's going to have an impact on the game to truly just look at himself and say 'I've got to do my job and my job only. I can't worry about making a big play. If the play's going to come by me doing my job than so be it.'''

In each of the past three weeks -- all losses -- the defense led in the fourth quarter and then collapsed, sometimes in unfathomable fashion. To put it in perspective, opponents have scored four touchdowns in the final 2:17 of the last three games:

* In the 32-28 loss to Jacksonville, the Browns led 28-25 until Joe Haden gave up a 20-yard TD pass to Cecil Shorts with 40 seconds remaining.

* In the 27-26 loss to the Patriots, the Browns led 26-14 until Tom Brady threw two TD passes in the final 61 seconds.

* And in Sunday's 38-31 loss to the Bears, the Browns led 24-17 until the Bears scored three touchdowns in the final 10:59 of the game, including the gamewinner with 2:17 remaining.

Granted, Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback Joe Haden was out of the game with a hip-pointer when the Bears scored their three fourth-quarter TDs, but Horton isn't blaming the loss on that.

"I don't want to use any kind of excuse or crutch to say we're young or this and that,'' Horton said. "It's not acceptable at this point in the season. You have to do your job and you have to be accountable or at some point you move on.''

Overall, the defense has given up eight scores on nine fourth-quarter possessions over the past three games -- including six touchdowns -- for a total of 47 points. During that span, they've also produced only one fourth-quarter sack, no takeaways and seven penalties for 114 yards. The 47 points have catapulted the Browns into a first-place tie with Dallas for most fourth-quarter points allowed.

"Anytime you have a meltdown like that and you can potentially change the course of the season, it's frustrating,'' said Gipson. "If my memory serves me correctly, we could be 7-7 right now with a high possibility of going to the playoffs. Anytime you think about it, it's very frustrating. But at the end of the day, you really can't do anything about it but continue to move forward.''

The final-stanza meltdowns have led Horton to conclude that some of his players simply aren't doing their jobs at the end, and if it continues, they won't have a job to do much longer. The Browns have given up 24 touchdown passes the last nine games compared to only two in their first five.

"We've looked at our plays and we've talked about being clutch in the end and some of our players have really played at a Pro Bowl level,'' said Horton. "Tashaun Gipson had a Pro Bowl-level game and T.J. (Ward, a fumble-recovery for a touchdown) did. There are a lot of players playing at a high level and the word we used this week to talk to our players is accountability.

"We need somebody to step up and not take that backstep and say, 'I'm going to wait for somebody else to do it' and to me that's been the biggest disappointment as our big-time players play well but we also need our role players to do their role and whether that's being in the right gap or making tackle or knowing your assignment. There's too many guys playing at a high level for us to be successful for three quarters and then come crunch time or two minutes to kind of play differently."

Horton likened it to a basketball team relying on LeBron James to make the clutch play.

"Some of the guys will wait for LeBron to go and score in the fourth quarter,'' said Horton. "Well, Tashaun and T.J. played like they did but the rest of the guys are accountable to do your job. Now some of the job is assist and get the ball to them and get out of the way, block, rebound. Our guys' job is to know what to do and how to do it and make the tackle and not commit error. Just because the game is in the fourth quarter and the game is a 7-point game one way or another or tied, you can't tighten up and go, 'I'm going to do something different or I'm going to wait for somebody.'''

Horton was asked if the defensive collapses might hurt his chances of becoming a head coach next season. According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, an NFL Panel including Tony Dungy and Bill Polian has recommended Horton and other minority coaches as quality candidates for top jobs next season. Last season, Horton interviewed for the Browns and Cardinals job, and thought he was a lock for the promotion in Arizona, a spot that went to Bruce Arians instead. Others recommended include Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, former Bears coach Lovie Smith and Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell.

“I think out of respect for New York, for the Cleveland Browns, I think that’s probably a question that should be broached at the end of the year,'' said Horton. "It has no bearing on anything. It doesn’t help us prepare for New York, so if I could table that until the end of the year out of respect.”

 

Horton said it's not any one player stiffening at the end of the game.

"No. I think as you go back and look, if one guy was making the mistake, we would be good enough to say, 'well, he's not good ready, let's get him out and get someone else in,''' he said. "I think it's a combination of no turnovers, no sacks at crunch time. You can go down and have an 80-yard drive and you have to have some kind of negative play to get them off the field and that hasn't happened. We talk about turnovers. We created I don't know how many in the last couple weeks, but they were early in the game and there were (21) points scored in the fourth quarter when we needed (takeaways).''

Horton defended Haden, who's given up a touchdown pass in each of the past four games after surrendering only two in the previous 10 games.

"It's hard to go through a season, especially being a corner and not have a touchdown pass thrown on you because it's a passing league and the rules are the way they are,'' said Horton. "When you look at the body of his work, he's had a fantastic year, catching the ball, tackling, being smart doing that, and to go through the murderer's row that he's been on being on the top guy, not giving up a touchdown would be spectacular.''

Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson doesn't think the fourth-quarter collapses have become a mental thing.

"That’s a coach’s perspective,'' he said. "I’ll tell you what, we fight every snap. That’s not something that goes through our head. We’re trying to figure it out. That’s one thing we’ve been trying to harp on is finishing drives, finishing practice, finishing whatever we’re doing. That’s been the topic of discussion the last few weeks. Whatever reason we can’t seem to pull it together from a team aspect. Defensively, we’ve had some letdowns. To be a great defense, we can’t do that. These last few weeks, we’ve fallen out of the top five (No. 8) and we want to get back to that.''

A fantastic finish would help.


Former Ohio State OL Tim Gardner, sent home this summer after an arrest, will now play at Indiana

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Gardner was one of just two offensive linemen signed in the Class of 2013, but he ran into troubles over the summer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former Ohio State offensive lineman Tim Gardner, who was dismissed from the team in July after an arrest for police obstruction, has decided to play college football at Indiana.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Gardner will enroll at Indiana in January and take part in spring practice. He played at a prep school this fall.

Gardner's dismissal came this summer when the Buckeyes had a run of off-field incidents involving Gardner, fellow freshman Marcus Baugh and starters Bradley Roby and Carlos Hyde.

At the time Ohio State said Gardner was "sent home" and wouldn't play in 2013 after the arrest.

Gardner was one of just two offensive linemen that the Buckeyes signed in the Class of 2013, along with Evan Lisle. He was ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and listed as the No. 17 player in the state of Indiana. So his dismissal was a potential blow to the future depth on the line, along with the transfer of 2012 signee Joey O'Connor. The Buckeyes do have four offensive linemen on the hook for the Class of 2014.


Cleveland Indians convinced John Axford can be 'bounce-back' closer

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John Axford is excited about getting a chance to close again.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – All bullpens start with a closer. The Indians finally have one in John Axford, who officially joined the club Thursday on a one-year $4.5 million deal after passing his physical.

Axford lost his closer’s job in April with Milwaukee after his first four appearances of the season. Whether it was fallout from pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic or just a late-arriving dead arm from spring training, Axford never got the job back.

That has changed.

“John is going to be our closer,” said GM Chris Antonetti.

Axford, 30, holds no grudge against the Brewers for replacing him.

“I had struggled and had some issues the year before (2012),” said Axford, in a conference call. “I stepped back from the role and then stepped back in and was able to save 17 of my last 18 save opportunities.

“I thought that was the idea last year, but Jim Henderson stepped in and did a fantastic job. Then when he got injured, K-Rod (Francisco Rodriguez) stepped in and did a fantastic job.”

In his first four appearances, Axford went 0-2 with a blown save and a 22.10 ERA. He allowed nine hits, including four homers, and to walks. When the Brewers made the move, he did not complain.

“I pitched in the WBC and loved the experience,” said Axford. “I loved pitching for my country. I went from throwing 98 mph against Team USA to throwing 91 to 92 mph when the season started.

“My velocity was down. I don’t know if it was a dead arm or what. If you erase those four games, my year was pretty normal.”

The Brewers traded Axford, who saved 106 games in 120 chances for them, to St. Louis on Aug. 30. He didn’t close there either, but he did get some answers.

The Cardinals’ coaching staff showed Axford their scouting reports on him. Exactly what flaws they discovered remain confidential, but Axford worked on correcting them with the help of All-Star catcher Yadier Molina.

“He made some adjustments in St. Louis that go him back to where he’d been a successful pitcher in Milwaukee,” said Antonetti.

The Indians did their homework on Axford, who became a free agent when the Cardinals non-tendered him on Dec. 2. They felt he could still close.

“He has maintained an elite fastball with a very good secondary pitch,” said Antonetti. “As we looked at a lot of information -- subjective information from our scouts, video analysis, analytics -- they all pointed to a bounce back.”

Axford’s fastball averaged 95.4 mph last season, according to the Bill James Handbook.

If Axford proves he can still close, he could be in Cleveland for a while. The Cardinals made him a free agent by non-tendering him, but he only has three years and 170 days of big league service. It means the Indians control him through 2016.

There were a lot of closers on the free agent market and a lot of teams in need of closers. Axford’s agents and the Indians explored all the available matches before settling on one another.

“Getting a chance to close again was a big part of signing with the Indians,” said Axford.

There were some other things as well. The wild-card Indians made the postseason for the first time in six years. Axford also liked the makeup of the club.

“Obviously, talking to Terry Francona before I signed played a part,” said Axford. “He was very upfront about how he felt about me, the team, the organization and the city.”

One more thing, Axford lives in Ancaster, Ontario.

“It’s almost straight across Lake Erie from Cleveland,” he said. “It’s about a 4 ½ hour drive. It will be nice to be closer to home.”

Should Axford struggle, the Indians have closer options in Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw and, perhaps, Vinnie Pestano.

“As we found out last year, roles in the pen can change as the year goes along,” said Antonetti.

But for now the job belongs to Axford.

Right-hander Trey Haley, Indians No.2 pick in 2008, was designated for assignment to make room for Axford.


Norv Turner expects TE MarQueis Gray to have a bright future with the team: Browns Insider

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Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner expects tight end MarQueis Gray to have a bright future with the team because of all the things he can do.

BEREA, Ohio -- Offensive coordinator Norv Turner expects tight end MarQueis Gray, who's expected to play a lot against the Jets in the likely absence of Jordan Cameron (concussion), to have a bright future with the Browns.

"MarQueis has improved a lot,'' said Turner. "He’s probably going to get an opportunity to play a lot in this game based on where we are today. That could change back. But he, to me it’s a combination of things. Number one, he wasn’t in camp. Number two, he’s making a position change. That’s a very complicated thing.

"Usually guys that make a position change, it’s two or three years, particularly if you move from quarterback to another position, before they can really feel comfortable playing. I think he’s way ahead of that. I think he’s made great strides and I expect him to be a guy that’s got a real good future with our team, with our organization, because he does a lot of things well. I think because he hasn’t played as a receiver, whether a tight end or a move guy or a slot guy, he can improve real fast.”

Gray and fellow tight end Gary Barnidge will split the extra reps at tight end if Cameron sits out with his concussion. He was idle for the second straight day Thursday.

"I think it’s what coaching in this league is,'' Turner said. "Like I said, we’ve got a good plan if Jordan can play. If he can’t, I think we’ll handle it. We’ve got guys that will step up and make plays for us.”

Gray, the former University of Minnesota quarterback and receiver, can also play in the wildcat and at fullback. Last week he ran for 18 and 12 yards off of direct snaps to set up an Edwin Baker TD run.

Turner on Campbell: Turner cut Jason Campbell no slack for his poor outing against the Bears.

"When you come off of a performance like the one Jason had in New England and you play at that level, you really don’t miss a throw and you make all of the plays, you feel like you did everything you could to help your team win,'' said Turner. "Then when you come in Monday and look at the tape and you see the three or four plays that had a big impact on the game, the ball sailed on him, and that happens in the wind, but it sailed on him, that play to Josh (Gordon). Josh would have had a good chance of scoring on that play. It could have been a 55-yard touchdown at the end of the half. Instead, we punt and they go two minutes and score a touchdown. That’s a big swing in the game. I think you want that in your players. You want them to say, ‘Hey! Those are my plays to make and I can make them and I’m going to make them the next opportunity I have to do it.’ ”

Turner attributed Gordon's off day more to Campbell than to his star receiver.

“I don’t think they did anything unusual,'' said Turner. "The first play, actually, could have gone to him. We got pressure and Jason went to the other side. We only ran six plays in the first (quarter); we had one drive. I think we had six plays, they had in the twenties. Sometimes games come up like that. It wasn’t that much different than the New England game. When you looked at it, and during the game, I thought there was opportunities for Josh. I thought he could have easily had six or seven catches for another 150 yards. We were just off. We missed him a couple of times and we didn’t throw to him a couple of times when he had chances to make big plays. I was really excited about the play at the end and I know some people think about it, ‘end of the game garbage time.’ It’s amazing to me how people have short memories. We scored with a minute left, the same exact time on the clock when New England scored against us, so we had an opportunity to get an onside kick and go score again. That play is a pretty meaningful play and I never take any of those for granted. They mean a lot to me.”

 Turner defends play calling: The Browns ran only 17 times against the Bears 32nd-ranked run defense for 93 yards, but Turner stood by the decision.

"I think the way that game went, we’re doing what gives our team the best chance,'' he said. "Anyone who’s seen the 12 games before that, or 13 games before that, I don’t think would sit there and think, ‘We should be running the ball more.’ And the big run we had that changed the game ended up being a 10-yard holding penalty. We run the ball down to the 18 with a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. That drive is the one that you’d like to go score points. Instead, we take the penalty and don’t convert and end up punting.”

Turner on Mack: Turner is high on Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who's set to become a free agent. "I think Alex is an outstanding player and he works awfully hard at it,'' said Turner. "He cares a great deal about it, like we’re talking. He’s got a demanding job, and particularly, when you play three different quarterbacks and you have a lot of change, and playing the defenses we play, he’s got a lot of responsibility in terms of getting us into the right calls, right protections. So, he’s awfully valuable to this team.”

 Horton on Haden: Horton said Joe Haden (hip-pointer) is doing everything he can to get ready to play vs. the Jets. He sat out Thursday's practice but rode the exercise bike and shadowed at his position during drills. “I believe that’s probably a game-time decision,'' said Horton. "Knowing Joe, if he can play, I think he will. He’s been an integral part of this defense and we definitely need him to play, want him to play. But obviously, it’s a health and safety concern for him. We’ll just wait and give him as much rest and rehab time as necessary to get him out there.”


Caleb Potter's big night not enough as No. 3 Shaker Heights boys basketball tops No. 4 Mentor

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MENTOR, Ohio — Caleb Potter and the Mentor Cardinals fell short in their season opener despite his 34 points, as they lost to Shaker Heights 82-77 on Thursday. Esa Ahmad had 25 points for Shaker Heights, ranked third in the cleveland.com Top 25 poll, and TJ Steele added 19.

MENTOR, Ohio — Caleb Potter and the Mentor Cardinals fell short in their season opener despite his 34 points, as they lost to Shaker Heights 82-77 on Thursday.

Esa Ahmad had 25 points for Shaker Heights, ranked third in the cleveland.com Top 25 poll, and TJ Steele added 19.

Potter powered the Cardinals, ranked 4th in the cleveland.com Top 25 poll, with his 34 points, including eight three-pointers.

Mentor led by as many as nine points in the first half, but the Raiders closed the half on a 13-6 run capped by Steele's halfcourt buzzer-beater.

Shaker Heights outscored Mentor 45-38 in the second half to secure the win and spoil Mentor's season opener.

This story will be updated with further detail and reaction.

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