Tom Hamilton is entering his 24th season calling games for the Cleveland Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Indians announcer Tom Hamilton has been named Ohio’s top sportscaster by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. It’s the sixth time Hamilton has won the award.

Hamilton will enter his 24th season calling Indians games when the team opens the regular season March 31 against Oakland. He joined the Indians for the 1990 season after spending three years broadcasting the Class AAA Columbus Clippers, the Yankees' top farm club at the time.

Before coming to Ohio, Hamilton worked in Wisconsin, making stops in Milwaukee, Appleton, Watertown and Shell Lake. In the off-season, Hamilton announces basketball games on the Big Ten Network.

Hamilton and his wife, Wendy, live in Avon Lake. They have four children. Their son, Nick, is a minor-league player for the Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Earlier today, the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout boys basketball matchups were released. We want to know, what game you are most excited for when the two-day events begins Jan. 25 at Walsh University in Canton? Is it a battle of two local schools, or is there a matchup featuring a local school against a team from...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Earlier today, the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout boys basketball matchups were released.

We want to know, what game you are most excited for when the two-day events begins Jan. 25 at Walsh University in Canton? Is it a battle of two local schools, or is there a matchup featuring a local school against a team from a different state that you have your eye on?

D4D here we come. Be sure to follow your Ironmen as we play a nationally ranked team Jan 25 at Walsh Univ http://t.co/DqYoRdlSut#CCC

— CCC_BoysBB (@CCC_BB_) January 9, 2014

Here are the matchups:

Saturday, Jan. 25

Beachwood vs. Leavittsburg LaBrae, 2 p.m.

Uniontown Lake vs. North Royalton, 3:45 p.m.

Newark vs. Brunswick, 5:30 p.m.

Cleveland Central Catholic vs. La Lumiere (Ind.), 7:15 p.m.

Shaker Heights vs. Huntington Prep (W.Va.), 9 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 26

Wadsworth vs. Cornerstone Christian, 11:30 a.m.

Warrensville Heights vs. La Lumiere (Ind.), 1:15 p.m.

St. Ignatius vs. Canton Timken, 3 p.m.

Mentor vs. Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 4:45 p.m.

St. Edward vs. Cincinnati Walnut Hills, 6:30 p.m.

Garfield Heights vs. North Canton Hoover, 8:15 p.m.

New this school year: Readers can now comment on all cleveland.com high school sports stories — and we encourage it.

Look for the comments section at the bottom of every post. Registering for an account is free and takes just a few minutes (click here for an account). Once you register you will have the ability to comment on all posts.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — We're excited to begin a new, weekly girls basketball podcast on cleveland.com, called the Pick-and-Roll Podcast. Listen to the first one below, and look for a new podcast every Thursday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — We're excited to begin a new, weekly girls basketball podcast on cleveland.com, called the Pick-and-Roll Podcast.

Listen to the first one below, and look for a new podcast every Thursday.

Northeast Ohio Media Group reporters Stephanie Kuzydym (@stephkuzy) and Mark Kern (@MarkKern11) debate the action to this point of the season, as well as take a look at the marquee games for the upcoming weekend.

Included is a discussion about which team deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the area. Is it St. Vincent-St. Mary, or does a team like Wadsworth or Berea-Midpark deserve to be at the top of the poll?

Speaking of the Titans, how has coach Kevin Braaten gotten the team to jell so quickly in their undefeated start? 

Find out all the answers in the podcast. Due to a technical difficulty, the portion with Berea-Midpark's team is not available. We'll get Braaten and a player on next week's podcast.

You can see the latest installment of the cleveland.com top 25 here.

A few of the area’s top teams will be in action this weekend, with many of them playing difficult teams.

The Pick-and-Roll is a weekly Thursday podcast, featuring insight from Stephanie and Mark, as well as discussions with area players and coaches. We’ll have a promo post each week inviting you to share questions you have for our guests.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the high school basketball season and engaging with you throughout the year.

The Cavaliers are beginning a five-game, eight-day road trip Friday -- with new addition Luol Deng.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – The best part about the Cavaliers' five-game, eight-day road trip that begins Friday is that they'll be in hotels for that entire stretch, eating team dinners together and finding ways to fill up the idle time that is inherent in loads of travel.

In essence, the Cavaliers are about to begin a prolonged slumber party – just in time for new addition Luol Deng to bond with his teammates.

"It's great for him to get to know us, soon and better, and for us to get to know him,"  coach Mike Brown said. "So you couldn't ask for it to happen probably at a better time."

There is the small matter of a 2-15 road record that might create a stumbling block, however. Not to mention the fact that Deng still is learning his new team's system.

Two days of practice, however, have helped Deng become acclimated. He ran through the plays with teammates after practice Thursday, and teammates admitted he still is learning. But he's adapting remarkably quickly after more than nine seasons with the Chicago Bulls.

"For the second practice, I think he's doing a great job of learning on the fly," point guard Kyrie Irving said. "It's a tough situation coming in as a new player, trying to learn a new system under a new coach. He's a professional, he's a great player, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him on this road trip. It's a big road trip for our team, especially identity-wise. We're definitely trying to have a good record on this trip."

The Cavaliers are hesitant to label this road trip a "make or break" sojourn, but at 12-23, it's clear that an unsuccessful trip might mean disaster for their playoff hopes. And hopes remain in an Eastern Conference where the current No. 8 seed is Brooklyn at 14-21.

"I definitely feel like it has that sort of importance," Irving said. "I wouldn't say make-or-break, it's still a long season. But it is an important road trip for us, like I said, for our identity, and for our record. We definitely want to get as many games as we can. It's a good test for us as a team."

To that end, the Cavaliers hope to continue the glimmers of improvement they have shown in recent games. In Tuesday's victory over Philadelphia, Cleveland logged a season-high 29 assists, a display of better ball movement that they hope will only get better with Deng in the lineup. The 6-foot-9 forward is widely touted as an excellent off-ball player who cuts crisply and moves intuitively.

"Any time you can get body movement -- we're starting to get pretty good movement and I think anybody can see that, it's evident the last few games -- it can be infectious," Brown said.

So, with Deng added to the lineup, the Cavaliers are expecting even better ball movement. And maybe, just maybe, better results.

"We have to win some games," Brown said. "We can't expect to try to make up ground in March and April and it starts now. But for me to say we need to win 35 of the next 47 games, I'm not going to do that. But yeah, we have to win games. We can't afford to lose games in bunches. Hopefully it starts tomorrow."

Kyrie the All-Star? Irving received some good news on the same day that he had to endure a root canal two hours before he practiced: he is the second-leading vote-getter among Eastern Conference backcourt players in the latest All-Star ballot results released by the NBA on Thursday. The top two guards start in the Feb. 16 All-Star Game.

Irving trails only Dwyane Wade for votes for guards; his 652,522 votes are not far behind Wade's 718,109. The third-highest recipient is the injured Derrick Rose, far behind at 323,099 votes.

Voting concludes Jan. 20, and starters will be announced Jan. 23 on TNT's "Inside the NBA" show. Reserves will be announced Jan. 30, also on TNT.

Deng is 11^th among East frontcourt players, his 90,730 votes far behind the No. 1 vote-getter, LeBron James, at 1,076,063.

No. 9: Rookie guard Matthew Dellavedova said he had no hesitation in giving up his uniform number to Deng. He didn't even ask for any compensation, he swears. It was all out of the goodness of his heart.

"He just asked me for it, and after practice I gave it to him," Dellavedova said. "He said it was up to me, and he could pick another number. He was really nice about it; he's a nice guy. But he didn't even say that it was because of his mom, or anything like that."

Deng said Wednesday that he has worn No. 9 as a tribute to his mother, who has nine children. It actually works out, though, because Dellavedova is switching to No. 8 – the number he wore as a kid and the same number his father wore.

When reminded that players often are paid in return for surrendering numbers to a teammate, Dellavedova shrugged.

"He said he'd take care of me," he said, "but it's all good."

Vrabel was an Ohio State assistant for three years, and he'll now be the linebackers coach for new Houston coach, and former Penn State head coach, Bill O'Brien.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State defensive line coach Mike Vrabel is leaving the Buckeyes to become the linebackers coach for the Houston Texans.

A source confirmed the move to cleveland.com Thursday evening after it was first reported by BuckeyeGrove.com. Ohio State has now also officially announced Vrabel's departure, as has Vrabel himself.

I am thankful for everyone assoc with TOSU for 3 great years and my family and I are excited to join the Houston Texans as the LB coach.

— Mike Vrabel (@CoachVrabel50) January 9, 2014

Vrabel joined the OSU staff in 2011 when his former teammate and good friend Luke Fickell was named the Buckeyes' interim head coach. Vrabel was then retained by Urban Meyer, though he first had to prove himself to the new coach. Over the last two years, Meyer has praised Vrabel both as a coach and a recruiter.

This is the second coaching move for the Buckeyes this off-season. Previously, safeties coach Everett Withers left to be the head coach at James Madison. There are now two holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, where Ohio State struggled this season.

The Cleveland Indians dispute a claim that it is reducing the use of Chief Wahoo, although Major League Baseball will use the block "C" to represent the team on broadcasts instead of Chief Wahoo.

Chief Wahoo is still around. 

A report by Paul Lukas, who blogs about sports uniforms, said in a Tweet last week the Cleveland Indians are "changing (its) primary logo to the block C," suggesting that the controversial mascot has been further demoted by the team. Lukas noted in his Tweet, however, that Chief Wahoo would still appear on caps and jerseys. Other news outlets, including Cleveland Scene and Yahoo!sports, highlighted Lukas' Tweet and pushed the notion that changes are being made to the team's use of Chief Wahoo.

Indians spokesman Curtis Danburg told me that Lukas is referring to a new Major League Baseball style guide that requires that the block "C" be used during broadcasts to represent the Cleveland team instead of Chief Wahoo. He said the team made this change last year.

Danburg described the change as largely about "paperwork" and said no changes are being made to how Chief Wahoo is used on uniforms or merchandise.

I have written a couple of columns arguing that the team should dump Chief Wahoo because it represents a racist stereotype. Native Americans and others continue to protest the use of Chief Wahoo.

But the team disagrees and says fans want Chief Wahoo. The mascot attracted more critics last year during a lively national debate about the use of "Redskins" by the NFL's Washington, D.C. football team. Here's a link to my most recent column, which continues links to other stories about the NFL controversy.

Nashville-based Western Express drops its suit against Pilot Flying J after settlement is reached

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The president of a Nashville trucking firm that sued Jimmy Haslam's Pilot Flying J over claimed losses of more than $75 million said Thursday he reached a settlement with the truck stop chain.

Western Express executive Paul Wieck said his company withdrew its lawsuit filed against Pilot in Orleans Parish Civil District Court in Louisiana. He declined to disclose the terms he reached with Pilot and Haslam, owner of the Cleveland Browns.

"Pilot's been a good partner of ours for a long time," Wieck said. "We continued to be good partners after this came up and we're going to be good partners going forward."

The Western Express lawsuit alleged it took more than a $75 million hit when Pilot wrongly withheld fuel rebates. Included in its assessment was $68 million in expenses related to additional debt obligations the company said it was forced to assume.

Western Express was one of the Pilot customers named in the 120-page affidavit for a search warrant that the FBI used in its raid on Pilot's Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters in April.

Federal agents, acting on tips from employees and secretly-recorded conversations among Pilot sales managers, sought evidence that employees withheld fuel rebates and discounts from trucking companies to boost Pilot's profitability and their own sales commissions.

A transcript excerpt in the affidavit featured John "Stick" Freeman, Pilot's vice president of sales, talking about how he resolved a complaint by Western Express that it had been shorted $1 million in rebates, although a Haslam employee was recorded estimating the total Western fraud at $5 million.

Freeman said Western asked Pilot to settle the shortage by buying a plane for which Western owed $1 million.

"So I bought the (expletive) airplane," Freeman said to colleagues, according to the affidavit. "It was so broke that the (expletive) wasn't airworthy. So we had to sell it in Nashville."

Freeman told the informant wearing a wire that Haslam was aware of the deal.

"I mean, he knew all along that I was cost-plussin' this guy. He knew it all along. Loved it. We were making $450,000 a month on him," Freeman said, according to the FBI transcript.

Haslam has denied knowing anything about defrauding trucking customers until he learned about it when the federal investigation came out. He has not been charged in the case. Freeman also has not been charged. Seven other former Pilot sales managers and staff employees have pleaded guilty to federal charges and are thought to be cooperating with investigators.

Wieck, the Western president, declined Thursday to talk about whether the airplane deal figured into his out-of-court settlement with Pilot.

Western was among about a dozen companies that declined to participate in Pilot's $85 million class-action settlement with other customers that sued the company over fuel rebate and discount payments. That settlement reimbursed truckers for what they were owed, plus six percent interest on the debt, and covered their legal costs.

Aubrey Harwell, an attorney for Pilot, said of the Western Express deal, "It's always good when conflicts are resolved without necessitating long and protracted litigation." He had no details on the alleged episode involving an airplane.

Dolphins have received permission to interview Farmer, who has been with the Browns for one season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns assistant general manager Ray Farmer has been granted permission to interview for the Dolphins GM job, former Browns guard John Wooten told cleveland.com today.

Wooten is chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL.

Farmer was named assistant GM in March after spending the previous seven seasons in Kansas City as Director of Pro Personnel. Before that, he was a pro scout with the Falcons for four seasons.

The Dolphins' interest in him was first reported by Aaron Wilson for nationalfootballpost.com.

"Ray is more than capable,'' Wooten said in a phone interview. "He's ready to be a general manager. He needed a little more experience, and he got that in Cleveland. He's ready to go.''

With the Browns, Farmer assists general manager Mike Lombardi in all aspects of pro and college scouting.

"Ray loves his job in Cleveland,'' said Wooten. "He's very happy there. But this is also a good opportunity for him.''

Wooten said Farmer is an excellent talent evaluator.

"They make the best general managers,'' said Wooten. "Ray is outstanding.''

Talk Browns with Mary Kay Cabot and Glenn Moore at 2 p.m.

Talk Browns with Mary Kay Cabot at 2 p.m. 

Get your Browns questions ready and join Mary Kay Cabot today at 2 p.m. as she talks Browns football.

Mary Kay will talk with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore about the Browns' search for their next head coach.

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Mary Kay's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in MP3 format.

Northfield Park is stepping into the national spotlight this summer, creating the $500,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Pace, Ohio's richest single horse race in 2014.

Carl Milstein

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Northfield Park is stepping into the national spotlight this summer, creating the $500,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Pace to be raced Aug. 15, Ohio’s richest single horse race in 2014.

The top eight money winners among the country’s three-year-old pacers will be eligible for the Milstein Memorial, which has a $400,000 purse. The next eight money winners will qualify for a $100,000 consolation race that night.

“Of all my father’s achievements over a 50-year career, no business project was closer to his heart than the resurrection of Northfield Park,” reported his son, Brock Milstein, in a release. “He would be immensely proud to host this great event at Northfield Park.”

Brock Milstein is chairman of Milstein Entertainment and majority owner of the new Hard Rock Rocksino and Northfield Park.

A Cleveland real estate developer, Milstein and partners that included George Steinbrenner purchased Northfield Park in 1972. The harness racing track languished until Milstein took full ownership in 1984, pioneering simulcast racing and a year-round racing schedule. Milstein died in 1999.

The Milstein Memorial was created almost overnight. Setting the stage was a decision earlier this week by Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., not to hold the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine in 2014. Northfield Park officials jumped at the opportunity to fill that gap. They received the green light from The Hambletonian Society, which coordinates the national harness racing stakes schedule.

“Aug. 15 is a perfect fit for Northfield Park,” said Dave Bianconi, executive vice president of racing and simulcasting. “It’s about a month before Ohio’s three-year-old pacing classic, the Little Brown Jug, and nicely spaced between the Meadowlands Pace and The Adios. There are few local sports events being held at that time that could steal any of our thunder, as well.”

The 69th Little Brown Jug is Sept. 18 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Listed as a $552,551 race last year, that included purses for heats leading to the $265,224 Jug final won by Vegas Vacation.

Northfield officials did not want to boost the purse in one of its existing stakes to create the Milstein Memorial.

“We’ve wanted to put Carl Milstein’s name on a race for many years, because he loved the excitement and pageantry of big national stakes races,” said Bianconi. “We felt it had to be a new stakes race, and our premier event of the season.

“We’re definitely not trying to overshadow The Little Brown Jug. We feel the Milstein Memorial will be a very good lead-in to the Little Brown Jug, with it being held in Ohio and on a similar half-mile track.”

Nomination fees for the race are due Feb. 15.

Northfield Park’s stakes schedule will continue to include the $100,000 Courageous Lady in April, $150,000 Battle of Lake Erie in July and December’s $150,000 Cleveland Classic.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The cold may have cancelled nearly all of Tuesday's boys basketball games, but Friday night's slate of games is sure to please almost any fan. All but two of cleveland.com's Top 25 teams are in action, including five matchups between teams ranked in the top-25.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The cold may have cancelled nearly all of Tuesday's boys basketball games, but Friday night's slate of games is sure to please almost any fan.

All but two of cleveland.com's Top 25 teams are in action, including five matchups between teams ranked in the top-25.

Every Tuesday and Friday, we will set up the night's action in boys basketball on cleveland.com. And on Wednesday and Saturday, we will have a rundown of big developments to complement the box scores and recaps with how the games all played out. Look for those posts every week.

Here is a look at what you need to know heading into tonight's games:

GAME OF THE NIGHT

No. 7 Shaker Heights at No. 5 Medina, 7:30 p.m.

Medina's Craig Randall and Brandon Wilkens may be one of the best duos in Northeast Ohio. They will face their toughest test of the season when they host a deep Shaker Heights team.

The Bees have won seven straight games following a loss to Berea-Midpark and boast four wins against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.

Shaker Heights has hit a rough stretch, losing two straight and needing overtime Sunday to defeat Cleveland Heights. The Raiders have plenty of talent, but will need to pull things together to get a road win against a very tough Medina team.

KEEP AN EYE ON

No. 22 Holy Name at No. 4 Central Catholic: The Ironmen have had to wait a few days since suffering their first loss of the season, which came at the hands of No. 3 St. Ignatius. Now Central Catholic must turn its attention to slowing down Holy Name's duo of Lawrynce Johnson and Brad Karn.

No. 21 Brunswick at No. 6 Garfield Heights: The Bulldogs host a matchup of two of the hotter teams in the area. Garfield Heights is fresh off of an upset of Shaker Heights, and Brunswick has won four straight including a home upset of Mentor.

John Hay at No. 12 Glenville: The Hornets have won three straight games, including a 22-point rout of Buchtel. They have a chance to reassert themselves in the Senate when they meet Jimond Ivey and the Tarblooders.

No. 13 Cleveland Heights at No. 19 Warrensville Heights: Each team has had a few days to shake off some tough losses at the Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic against top-10 teams. Warrensville Heights has lost four of its last five and is in desperate need of a statement win to get its season on track.

No. 23 Brush at No. 25 Stow: Chris Oakley and the Arcs will try to figure out Stow's stifling defense as they look for their first win against a Top 25 team. The Bulldogs have held all but one opponent to fewer than 50 points.

LOOKING AHEAD

Two more matchups between Top 25 teams highlight Saturday's action as we wrap up an entertaining weekend of high school boys basketball. Here's a quick preview of what is on tap for Saturday.

No. 1 St. Edward at No. 11 Beachwood: The top-ranked Eagles may be one of the deepest and most talented teams in the state of Ohio. Beachwood will have its hands full on its home floor against a versatile and big St. Edward team.

No. 25 Stow at No. 14 Mentor: Last year's Division I state champions are desperate to right the ship after an unimpressive 3-5 start. A home win against another Top 25 team could be just what the doctor ordered for the Cardinals.

VIKINGS FACE BIG TESTS IN KENTUCKY

No. 2 Villa Angela-St. Joseph continues its incredibly rigorous schedule this weekend with a trip to Paducah, Ky., to compete in the McCracken County Festival of Hoops.

Right away, things get tough when the Vikings take on Kansas signee Cliff Alexander and Chicago Curie (Ill.) on Friday. Curie is ranked No. 14 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.

Saturday, the Vikings face another nationally-ranked team when they meet No. 13 Indianapolis Arsenal Technical and Kentucky signee Trey Lyles.

VASJ's schedule features just one game against an area team (Jan. 14 at St. Thomas Aquinas) prior to Jan. 24.

Contact sports reporter Tim Bielik by email (tbielik@cleveland.com) or on Twitter (@bielik_tim). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Here are what podcasts from Cleveland are saying about the Cavaliers and Indians. Featured today are WFNY Podcast, Right Down Euclid, and MTAF Podcast.

Here are what podcasts from Cleveland and around the country are saying about the Browns and Cavaliers.

Can Banner and Haslam turn the Browns around? (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)

Cavaliers

The Cavaliers won the trade with the Bulls. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

It is amusing to hear Ohio State blamed for the shortage of respect for Big Ten football. In fact, the Big Ten has let down the Buckeyes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – How did you like the Michigan State-Ohio State game?

Oh, not the fourth-and-2 run for one yard that so sticks in Buckeye throats that quarterback Braxton Miller is coming back for his senior year to try to gain the yard he was short. The reference is to the basketball game -- No. 3 Ohio State, losing after a huge comeback forced overtime, at No. 5 Michigan State.

Because you won’t find that kind of matchup in football. The national respect and prestige in the Big Ten are found in the winter game these days.

It is amusing that Ohio State has been blamed for Big Ten football shortfalls ever since back-to-back losses in the 2006 and 2007 national championship games. The reverse is true. The Buckeyes have been let down by the Big Ten in football, and specifically by Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State.

In the BCS era that has now passed, to be succeeded by a four-team playoff beginning next season, no one played in more BCS bowls than Ohio State (10), and only Southern California won as many (six), providing you admit the 2011 Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas was real and not a game expunged by the NCAA’s cynical Committee on Infractions.

Ohio State needs a strong, vibrant Michigan, and so does the Big Ten, along with a Nebraska that is Nebraska again and not whatever half-baked imitation it has been ever since Frank Solich was fired early in the century.

Michigan is the biggest MIA. Michigan is a national brand name, the only one in the Big Ten comparable to Ohio State. Ohio State needs Michigan and the other missing powers to be powerful again because otherwise the Buckeyes are eternally doomed by a circular argument.

To wit, if they win decisively in a conference game, it must be because the opponent was no good, while if they win a competitive conference game, it must be because they themselves were overrated.

For its part, Nebraska must move on beyond the polarizing Bo Pelini, a former Buckeye player, as coach and revivify the history and traditions that were seriously damaged during the reign of error of Bill Callahan. Callahan was a prairie version of Michigan’s own human exploding cigar, Rich Rodriguez.

These, however, are only football problems at Michigan and Nebraska, solvable by football remedies.

James Franklin faces a tougher task if, as seems probable, the Vanderbilt coach takes the job at Penn State soon. (Full disclosure: I am a proud Vanderbilt graduate.)

On the one hand, Franklin must cope with a reform movement in once Happy Valley, decrying the emphasis on football because protection of the program came before concern for the victims in the shocking child rape scandal. On the other hand, he must deal with a recidivist element that wants to go back to the good old days of a Paterno family fiefdom that still feeds the Joe Paterno flame.

No victories on the football field will make the scandal and its coverup go away, but Penn State is greater than the sexual predator, Jerry Sandusky, and his enablers. Football is one of the links that binds the community together.

Perhaps in trying to pull Penn State from the mud, a task made easier by lightening the heavy penalties NCAA president Mark Emmert imposed in a spasm of imperialism, Franklin will remember the links of anchor chain he gave to his Vanderbilt Commodores players. He passed out the nautical props to remind them that they were all connected. Franklin carried a link himself.

He devised a three-fingered "Anchor Down" hand gesture that mimicked the flukes of an anchor. It meant everyone was a member of the same lodge, just as is the case with the Hook’em Horns and Gig’em Aggies signals at Texas and Texas A&M.

Hilariously, he had all the orange-colored (Tennessee’s hue) Gatorade vending machines in the athletic facilities replaced by machines in the school colors of black and gold.

Vandy had only been to four bowl games in its entire Franklin prehistory. Now it has been to three straight, winning two. Students began changing the words to the fight song, “Dynamite,” from: “Win or lose, the Fates will choose” to the more forceful “we will choose.”

Franklin simply refused to believe the sound, well-documented arguments for why he could not win at Vanderbilt. There are many discouraging words for him to ignore at Penn State too.

But -- if he is the one hired to forge new links at one of the country’s great, fallen powers, in a conference in which an entire triumvirate of traditional powers is missing and little immediate help is expected from incoming members Rutgers and Maryland -- he must know it will be a heavy chain to haul from the depths.

UNIONTOWN, Ohio — Jon Wallace is in as the new football coach at Green. The announcement was made by Green's Board of Education on Thursday. “I have spent my entire career as an educator at Green and I am very happy to be home,” Wallace said. “This is a great community and I firmly believe the resources are here...

UNIONTOWN, Ohio — Jon Wallace is in as the new football coach at Green. The announcement was made by Green's Board of Education on Thursday.

“I have spent my entire career as an educator at Green and I am very happy to be home,” Wallace said. “This is a great community and I firmly believe the resources are here to take this program to another level.”

Wallace said he will be stepping down as the baseball coach to focus on the football program. He ends with an overall record of 214-119 in baseball, highlighted by a trip to the state final four in 2009.

Wallace has been a member of Green's history department for the past 15 years. He has been an assistant football coach at Mount Union University, and Massillon, Green and GlenOak at the high school level.

He succeeds Ed Cybak, who compiled a 17-13 record over three seasons. Cybak stepped down to accept an expanded position as a weight and conditioning coordinator.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Saturday marks the first day of the new year that girls basketball seems to be in full swing, with no cancellations or postponements due to weather. There are 60 matchups slated. Three cheers for the return of Northeast Ohio girls basketball.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Saturday marks the first day of the new year that girls basketball seems to be in full swing, with no cancellations or postponements due to weather.

There are 60 matchups slated. Three cheers for the return of Northeast Ohio girls basketball.

Check out our game of the night and the top matchups we think you should keep an eye on.

Every Wednesday and Saturday we'll be preparing you for all the action in girls basketball on cleveland.com. Make sure to check back every Monday and Thursday for a recap of the biggest games, highest scorers and most surprising upsets. And we're going to do it every week this season so make sure to stick right here at cleveland.com.

Here's a look at what you need to know heading into tonight's games: 

GAME OF THE NIGHT

No. 10 Mentor at No. 5 Stow-Munroe Falls, 5 p.m.

This game is one of win streaks. After losing back-to-back games to top ranked teams in Solon and North Royalton in the second week of December, the Mentor Cardinals have bounced back with a five-game win streak, including impressive wins over top 25 ranked teams in Eastlake North and Twinsburg. Then there's Stow. Unbeaten all season. And besides the fact that they have a ruthless forward in transfer Meghan Preston, the Bulldogs are supposed to get even better with the help of another transfer in Morgan Thompson. Will Mentor be able to crack Stow's defense or will the Bulldogs roll to victory No. 13?

KEEP AN EYE ON

No. 4 Solon at No. 21 Twinsburg

Solon and Twinsburg played similar games on Wednesday despite playing separate teams. Against No. 7 Magnificat, Solon was sloppy and scrappy, making silly errors, getting called for many fouls and almost letting the game slip away in the last remaining seconds. Against No. 11 Walsh Jesuit, Twinsburg was also sloppy and scrappy, combining for nearly 30 turnovers in just the first half of a physical game. Who will rebound from Wednesday better? Will Solon guard Kristen Confroy's tweaked ankle be sturdy? Will Twinsburg recover from back-to-back losses?

No. 19 Richmond Heights at No. 12 Cuyahoga Heights

At the start of the week, this was looking like one of the biggest games. Cuyahoga Heights is still undefeated at 13-0. This week also was the toughest week on their schedule, including a matchup against former top 25 member Beachwood and then Richmond Heights. Then Richmond Heights lost to unranked Independence on Wednesday. So will Cuyahoga Heights turn the card to 14-0 or will this be one of the top upsets of the season?

No. 24 Olmsted Falls at No. 9 Westlake

Top 25 newcomer Olmsted Falls ends the toughest stretch of their schedule with a game against No. 9 Westlake. During the past four games, dating back to Dec. 28,  the Bulldogs played North Royalton, a top 10 team, Rocky River, a former top 25 team, and Berea-Midpark, a top 3 team. Westlake, winner of four straight, is coming off a Wednesday matchup against Highland that the Demons grabbed for the win with just a bucket differential. This game marks the first of nine games remaining on Westlake's regular season schedule and the first against five ranked opponents.  

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.

How does this coaching search reflect on the Browns? Would Jim Tressel be successful in the NFL? Who should be the Browns next head coach? The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

How does this coaching search reflect on the Browns? Would Jim Tressel be successful in the NFL? Who should be the Browns next head coach?

The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.

Among other topics discussed:

• How much of an impact will Luol Deng have on the rest of the Cavs' season?

• Will the addition of Deng make the Cavs a playoff contender?

• Who will move on in the NFL playoffs?

You can download the MP3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to follow DMan on Twitter.

Oregon QB Marcus Mariota is the early favorite here, while the Alabama running backs, as well as Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, should also be in the mix.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Braxton Miller’s Heisman Trophy strategy is obvious – wait them out.

Ninth in the voting this season, the Ohio State quarterback will be back in 2014 as the third-leading vote getter among the guys returning to college. Ahead of him is Florida State QB Jameis Winston, the Heisman winner and undefeated national champion as a redshirt freshman, and Baylor QB Bryce Petty, who finished seventh.

No. 2 AJ McCarron of Alabama, No. 3 Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, No. 4 Andre Williams of Boston College and No. 8 Derek Carr of Fresno State were seniors, while No. 5 Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M and No. 6 Tre Mason of Auburn declared early for the draft. No. 10 Ka’Deem Carey, the running back from Arizona, is expected to declare as well.

That will put Miller back in the same position he was entering this season, as No. 3 among the returnees. He finished fifth in the Heisman voting in 2012, and then saw Manziel, the winner, and USC receiver Marquise Lee, who finished fourth, also return.

So where should that put Miller in the field as people talk about Heisman candidates entering 2014? As it was with Terrelle Pryor, who never wound up in the top 10 of the Heisman race, a big-time Ohio State quarterback should always be a Heisman candidate.

But the field looked very crowded at times this season, before losses and rough games derailed some leading contenders. And many of them will be back. I’ll follow the logic of the Heisman Pundit and say that repeating is very difficult, obviously, so Winston isn’t my favorite right now. But neither is Miller.

The contenders:

1. Marcus Mariota, Jr. Oregon QB: The Ducks’ quarterback puts up huge stats and he’ll play the biggest game of the first month of the regular season when Oregon hosts Michigan State on Sept. 6 in what almost certainly will be a top-10 matchup. Given the attention the Spartans’ defense received this season, justifiably, Mariota would make a statement if the Ducks can move the ball. And the Spartans will be replacing several key starters, including All-American cornerback Darqueze Dennard. But if Michigan State shuts him down, Mariota will be in trouble.

He was rolling, with the Ducks at 8-0, averaging 319 yards of total offense and nearly four touchdowns per game, before a 26-20 loss to Stanford this season. But in that offense, the numbers will always be there – he averaged 73 more total yards per game than Miller.

Given that Mariota also should be a darling of NFL draft analysts – he probably would have been a top-10 pick had he turned pro -- he’ll open with an edge.

2. Jameis Winston, So. Florida State QB: You can't do any better on the field than an undefeated national championship season while winning the Heisman. Off the field is a different story, and it's a story that may not be over, with the woman who accused Winston of sexual assault planning a lawsuit against him.

View full sizeAlabama running back Derrick Henry carried the ball just 36 times this season, but he opened some eyes in the Sugar Bowl.Patrick Semansky, Associated Press

3. Alabama running backs: With A.J. McCarron gone, Alabama will still be Alabama. But the Crimson Tide will have a new look, especially if Nick Saban replaces offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who left for Michigan and had his introductory news conference with the Wolverines on Friday, with a play-caller who wants to spread it out more and play more up-tempo. That could mean bigger numbers for whomever the next QB is.

Or it could mean a chance for the primary ballcarrier to put together big numbers and become the first running back to win the award since Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009. The leading candidates to be that guy are junior T.J. Yeldon, who ran for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore this season, and sophomore Derrick Henry, who carried the ball just 36 times but averaged 10.6 yards per tote. At 6-3 and 238 pounds, Henry has folks drooling over his physical skills, especially after running for 100 yards on eight carries in the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

4. Braxton Miller, Sr. Ohio State QB: The nonconference schedule is more difficult than this season, with games against Navy, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. But the Buckeyes still may not play a ranked team until game nine against Michigan State on Nov. 8. That's a long time to wait for a major matchup.

5. Redshirt freshman QB of the year: The last two Heisman winners were redshirt freshman quarterbacks starting for the first time after replacing first-round NFL draft picks. Johnny Manziel did it at Texas A&M after stepping in for Ryan Tannehill, and Winston did it with Florida State after sliding in for E.J. Manuel. Who might fit that criteria?

Louisville and old/new coach Bobby Petrino, who is replacing Charlie Strong, will be looking to replace Teddy Bridgewater, who will be a top-five pick in the draft. Petrino knows how to get an offense going, with Will Gardner, who served as Bridgewater’s backup this season as a redshirt freshman, looking like the most likely guy to take over as redshirt sophomore. So he almost fits.

Arizona and Rich Rodriguez aren’t losing an NFL quality quarterback, but the Wildcats could start a redshirt freshman next year in Anu Solomon, who was the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the Class of 2013 according to Rivals.com.

Then there’s a true freshman with tons of potential in Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Tigers QB Tajh Boyd ended his career with an Orange Bowl win over Ohio State, and Watson, a player the Buckeyes were very interested in, has enrolled early and will fight in spring ball for the new starting job. With million-dollar offensive coordinator Chad Morris, if Watson picks up the offense quickly, he could make some noise right away.

6. Other big number quarterbacks: Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, UCLA’s Brett Hundley and Baylor’s Petty, who ranked No. 6, No. 23 and No. 8 in the nation in total offense this season, are back. Hundley and the Bruins, who play Texas in a neutral-site game in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 13 and then get Oregon, USC and Stanford at home, could be darkkhorse national title contenders.

View full sizeWisconsin running back Melvin Gordon (25) is returning to the Badgers and should be in the Heisman conversation, especially if he plays well in an early showdown against LSU.Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

7. Big Ten running backs: Other Big Ten Heisman talk? Sure. Carlos Hyde is gone, but the two other leading rushers from the Big Ten this season both decided to stick around. And they could actually factor into this face. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (1,609 rushing yards, 124 yards per game) and Nebraska’a Ameer Abdullah (1,690 and 130) both have the resumes to garner attention. Gordon will have a showcase game right away, with the Badgers opening up against LSU in Houston on Aug. 30. Abdullah’s big nonconference game is in Lincoln against Miami on Sept. 20. Neither play Ohio State.

There's no shortage of outdoors shows right now at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Growing up in Cleveland with an avid interest in the outdoors, show time was always the highlight of the winter season. There were exotic adventures on display, interesting characters willing to chat with a pint-sized outdoors-minded kid and lots of fishing tackle to wrap my grubby, little fingers around.

I’d fill a sturdy bag with brochures, the grist for late-night reading with a flashlight while hidden under the covers. Those brochures promised fantastic success, fueling a growing passion to become one with the outdoors.

The shows are still a big hit for me, perhaps more so these days. Many of the outdoors friends I’ve made over the past few decades are at the shows. There are always new and different people to visit and things to do, from checking new fishing boats to visiting with fishing guides and hunting outfitters from Alaska, the wilds of Canada and even Africa.

There’s no shortage of shows right now at the I-X Center in Cleveland. The Ohio RV Supershow is on through Sunday. The Mid-America Boat Show drops anchor on Thursday through Monday. It shares the sprawling I-X Center with the Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show, open Thursday through Sunday.

Sportsmen who want to attend both the boat and outdoor shows can buy a $17 combo ticket. Here’s what to expect from this year’s expositions.

The Progressive Mid-America Boat Show

“We have more boats on display than we’ve had the last three years,” said Ken Alvey, executive director of the sponsoring Lake Erie Marine Trades Association. “With boat sales on the upswing, we’ll have more than 300 new boats and various other watercraft, and lots of exhibits featuring boating equipment, marine electronics, fishing tackle and marinas.”

Featured on stage is Capt. Tyler McLaughlin, 24, one of the stars of the Wicked Tuna television show. McLaughlin, whose home port is Rye Harbor, N.H., competes with other deep-water commercial tuna fishermen in the second season of the show on the National Geographic Channel.

Fishing is in the boat show spotlight. The angling stage features local walleye stars Gary Zart and his son, Nicholas; brothers Jim and Rich Stedke; and tournament anglers Mark Brumbaugh, Matt Davis, Dan Gies and Travis Hartman. Bass fishing is the topic for pro tournament anglers Bryan Coates and Jared Rhode, and marine electronics expert Lance Valentine.

The Walleye College is Jan. 18 from noon-3 p.m. The Bass College is Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. The Future Anglers Foundation has its Kids’ Fishing Clinic on Jan. 18 at 4 p.m.

While lots of fishing boats are on display, the queen of this year’s show is the Sima Prestige 450S, a $500,000 coupe-concept yacht with a trend-setting design. Special days at the boat show include Hops & Props Friday, featuring 10 artisan breweries on Jan. 17, and Lake Erie Day on Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 20), with Lake Erie and fishery experts from Ohio Sea Grant.

Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show

A mix of fishing and hunting exhibits and seminars, the Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show has hundreds of exhibits featuring outfitters from around the U.S. and the world, hunting and fishing gear and all-terrain vehicles. There are hunting and fishing seminars, big buck and wild turkey calling contests, dog training and an archery shoot.

To entertain youngsters there are Bwana Jim’s Wildlife Show and the Kids Trout Pond.

Deer hunters will want to check the entries in the Monster Buck Contest hosted by Safari Club International. Hunters are invited to bring their mounts and enter them in the Open, Ohio State and Junior categories to win prizes. Hunters can pre-register their mounts at ixsportshow.com.

New this year are the RV, Camping & Powersports Pavilion and the 4-Wheel Drive Truck & SUV Pavilion. There is an IBO Archery Shoot and a National Wild Turkey Federation Turkey Calling Contest.

The Hawg Tank, a 40,000-gallon aquarium, is stocked with game fish and bristling with angling experts holding fishing seminars, including Bass Fishing Basics every day. Fishing seminars include local ice fishing expert Carl Bachtel; muskie fishing with Steve Jones of The Buckeye Angler; and kids fishing with Jack Kiser of The Buckeye Angler.

On the hunting stage, stars of the Forever Wild Outdoors television show are in town, with Teresa and Mike DePalma talking about hunting as a couple; Gerry Rightmyer tackling trail cameras; and Steve Schicker providing tips on turkey hunting. Tom Richardson has secrets about the art of calling deer. Paul Cwiklinski will discuss deer food plots.

Archery trick shot artist Byron Ferguson returns to dazzle the crowd with his recurve bow, shooting dimes out of the air and snuffing candles, among other tricks. Retrieving dog expert Jim Beverly is back with his talented canines, providing seminars on dog training. He will also judge the 4th annual Companion Retriever Hunting Challenge for amateur trainers.

Ohio RV Supershow

With more than 600 recreational vehicles camping at the I-X Center, the Ohio RV Supershow is the largest indoor show of its kind in the country. RVs range from affordable tent campers to travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers and motor homes that range from modest to luxurious.

New seminars include RV Cooking, RV Adventure Travel and the Animal Interaction Experience, the latter developed by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

The show provides a look at the latest innovations in recreational vehicles, and some of the best RV prices of the year, reports Bruce Wolfson, president of the Great Lakes RV Association.

RV owners getting ready to plan a summer adventure can visit the Campground and RV Supplier Area. It boasts brochures from more than 100 campgrounds, sporting vacation areas and RV clubs around the region.

Editors Note: For show hours, admission prices and contact information for all three shows, check the Outdoor Calendar at cleveland.com/outdoors.

With Braxton Miller returning for his senior season, where might the quarterback end up in the discussion of the greatest signal-caller in Ohio State history?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Braxton Miller could wind up as the most heralded quarterback in Ohio State history.

Let that marinate.

On Thursday, Miller announced his intention to return to Columbus for his senior season. Next winter, he could walk away from Columbus with more passing yards than Art Schlichter, more rushing yards than Eddie George and more victories than any other quarterback in program history.

Granted, Miller's longevity has plenty to do with his statistical accumulation. Only Art Schlichter has started 10 or more games in four different seasons. Miller, should he stay healthy, would become the second.

Miller enters the 2014 campaign needing 2,256 passing yards to surpass Schlichter's school record of 7,547. His passing yardage has increased each year at Ohio State. As a freshman, Miller totaled 1,159 yards through the air. As a sophomore, he tallied 2,039. This season, the number swelled to 2,094.

The Buckeyes ran the ball plenty during Schlichter's days under center, but Miller would need 285 passing attempts in 2014 -- 30 more than his career high of 255, established this season -- to match Schlichter's career total of 951.

Miller stands five touchdown passes shy of the Ohio State record of 57, shared by Bobby Hoying and Terrelle Pryor. (We're going to temporarily ignore the fact that Pryor's 2010 stats have since been erased from Ohio State's record books.)

Through his three years in scarlet and gray, Miller has recorded 84 touchdowns. Schlichter holds the program record for total touchdowns, with 85. Miller currently sits in a tie for sixth place in Big Ten history in the category. He needs 21 total touchdowns in his senior year to overtake Drew Brees for most all-time.

Miller won't top Archie Griffin's record of 5,589 career rushing yards, but the quarterback could scoot up to second place -- trumping George -- with 715 more leg-produced yards.

Miller will undoubtedly conclude his collegiate career as the all-time leader in total yardage at Ohio State. He needs only 505 yards to eclipse Schlichter's mark of 8,850 yards. Miller ranks 20th in conference history with 8,346 total yards. Another 3,000-yard season could place him comfortably in the top five. Brees holds the all-time record with 12,692 total yards, gained while at Purdue from 1997-2000.

When he officially revealed his decision on Thursday, Miller provided the motivation behind his return.

"I want to help this team win a Big Ten championship next year," Miller said. "Plus, I want to improve as a quarterback in all aspects of my game. I'm looking forward to working for another year with Coach [Urban] Meyer and [offensive coordinator Tom] Herman."

Should Miller lead the Buckeyes to 11 wins next season, he would surpass Schlichter as the winningest quarterback in program history. Schlichter racked up 36 wins as a starter between 1978-81. Miller sits at 26, despite a 4-6 mark as a freshman in 2011.

Miller could depart for the NFL as the most accomplished quarterback in Ohio State history. Of course, a conference championship and a bowl win to his name would go a long way in cementing his legacy in Columbus.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown can't wait to see newcomer Luol Deng in a Cavs uniform on the court.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Cavaliers fans are excited to see Luol Deng in his first game with the team tonight against Utah. So is coach Mike Brown.

Brown has been preaching ball and body movement on offense all season, and that's exactly what Deng brings to that end of the court.

"He's very intelligent,'' Brown said of Deng, obtained in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday for Andrew Bynum and three draft picks. "He's got a great feel for the game. That's what his game is. His game is ball movement and body movement. He's done a heck of a job doing that for his nine or 10 years in the league. That can only add to what we're trying to continue to preach to our guys.''

Deng is expected to start at small forward, and Brown would like him to play about 34-36 minutes a game. He was averaging 37-38 in Chicago.

"If we can cut that down that would be great for his long-term durability,'' Brown said.

Probable starters: Cavs -- F Luol Deng, F Tristan Thompson, C Anderson Varejao, G C.J. Miles, G Kyrie Irving. Jazz -- F Richard Jefferson, F Marvin Williams, C Derrick Favors, G Gordon Hayward, G Trey Burke.

Injuries: Cavs -- Jarrett Jack (lower back spasms) probable. Jazz -- Hayward (left hip flexor) game-time decision.

Officials: Marc Davis, Courtney Kirkland, Justin Van Duyne.

Up next for Cavs: At Sacramento on Sunday.