The Indians reliever has nothing but good things to say about his former teammate in St. Louis.

View full sizeHarry E. Walker / McClatchy-TribuneCardinals first baseman Albert Pujols watches his 400th career home run go over the wall on Thursday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Clubhouse confidential: Indians closer Chris Perez cannot say enough about Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who Thursday became the 47th major-leaguer to hit 400 homers.

At 30 years, 222 days, Pujols became the third-youngest to reach the milestone (Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr.).

Perez and Pujols were teammates in St. Louis for parts of 2008 and 2009.

"He's an incredible player and a great teammate," Perez said. "People see all the highlights on TV, but when you get to watch him up-close every day, you realize how many little things he does to help the team win. He doesn't care about the individual accolades. All he cares about is the team's success."

Pigskin Pronk: Designated hitter Travis Hafner will be in six fantasy football leagues this fall. He was in six last season, winning one.

"A down year," he said. "I've made some changes in the scouting department and brought in a couple of new coaches."

In a league made up of Indians personnel, Hafner was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year by Trevor Crowe.

"Trevor thinks he knocked me out, but I knocked myself out," he said. "I had an off-week, and I just happened to be playing Trevor. It stung a bit."

Defending champion in the Indians' league is the team owned by TV play-by-play voice Matt Underwood and clubhouse manager Tony Amato. This year's draft will be held Sunday night at Hafner's home.

Stat of the day: Hafner entered Friday hitting .356 (21-for-59) with two homers and 10 RBI in 17 games since the All-Star break.

-- Dennis Manoloff

The Columbus Clippers lose in the bottom of the ninth at Louisville, Ky., and Lake County, Mahoning Valley and the Lake Erie Crushers all lose.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Bats 2, Clippers 1 Louisville (Ky.) scored a run off reliever Saul Rivera (2-1) in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday to beat Columbus in an International League game. Rivera, replacing Aaron Laffey, gave up a walk and two singles. Clippers starter Carlos Carrasco held Louisville to one run in seven innings. Laffey pitched a scoreless eighth.

Notes: Columbus and Louisville are in a tight battle for the Western Division title. The Clippers trail the Bats by 1 1/2 games.

AA Akron Aeros

Aeros 5, SeaWolves 2 Akron rallied for three two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated Erie (Pa.) in an Eastern League game at Canal Park. A bases-loaded walk to Lonnie Chisenhall forced in the first run of the inning, and Jerad Head drove in two more with his 16th double of the season.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Indians 2, Red Sox 1 Jeremie Tice clubbed his third homer of the season and Kinston (N.C.) beat visiting Salem (Va.) in a Carolina League game. T.J. House (6-9) gave up one run and two hits in six innings for the victory. Cory Burns shut down the Red Sox in the ninth for his 26th save.

A Lake County Captains

Hot Rods 12, Captains 6 Lake County pitchers walked 16 batters and host Bowling Green (Ky.) scored 12 runs on eight hits. Captains starter Trey Haley (5-10) walked eight in 2 innings. He was followed by Nick Kirk, who walked four in 2 1/3 innings and Ramon Cespedes, who walked four in two innings. Haley gave up six runs, four earned, on three hits. DH Chris Kersten clubbed his 11th home run for Lake County.

Notes: Hot Rod pitchers fanned 18. Kyle Smith struck out each of the four times he came to the plate and Delvi Cid and Gersten each struck out three times.''

A Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Doubledays 11, Scrappers 0 Auburn (N.Y.) scored in every inning except the second and fifth in a thrashing of visiting Mahoning Valley in a New York-Penn League game. [rpr: All three Mahoning Valley pitchers were rocked: Starter Jordan Cooper (5-4) gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits in four innings; Gregorio Rosario gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits in two innings; and Dale Dickerson gave up four earned runs in two innings.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Kings 8, Crushers 3 Lake Erie starting pitcher Matt Smith didn't allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth, but Kalamazoo (Mich.) broke through against Smith in the sixth, scoring four times to take the lead for good.

Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme is grateful the third preseason game in Detroit is just the "dress rehearsal" for the regular season and not the real thing yet.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerBrowns quarterback Jake Delhomme is happy with the progress the offense has made during the preseason, but he's happy to have a few more weeks to work on things before the regular season begins.

BEREA, Ohio — Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme is grateful today's third preseason game in Detroit is just the "dress rehearsal" game and not the real thing just yet.

"I feel very good about where we're at, but I'm glad we're not starting right now," he said.

"There's still more work that all of us can get better on. For a lot of us, it's still a process."

Considering that No. 1 receiver Mohamed Massaquoi has only played one series, running back Montario Hardesty won't play at least until next week and probable starting right tackle Tony Pashos is getting his first action in Detroit, it's easy to see why Delhomme considers the offense a work in progress.

"But things are good," he said. "I'm not complaining. I feel very good about what we're doing. We have a lot of things in, and we've worked on a lot of stuff. We did a lot of no-huddle last week, and it went pretty well, [despite the] conditions and all. I think we can get better at that. There are more plays we're trying to run, and we'll continue to work on those."

Delhomme, who has a stellar passer rating of 116.1 and is completing 78.3 percent of his passes, is looking forward to having Massaquoi back for the first time since straining a hamstring on the opening drive in Green Bay. The starters are expected to play through the third quarter to simulate a real game.

"It was good to see [Massaquoi] practicing this week," said Delhomme.

"It was nice last week to work with Josh [Cribbs] a little bit, too. Josh played where [Brian Robiskie] plays, and Robo played where Mohamed plays.

"It shows they're pretty intelligent that they can move around like that."

View full sizePDRunning back Jerome Harrison is hoping for a better effort tonight after having some fumble troubles last weekend.

Delhomme also will get a truer picture of the right side of his offensive line, with Pashos back from a shoulder injury and rookie guard Shawn Lauvao back from Hawaii, where he was dealing with a personal issue.

"It's nice to get Tony back out there and to get Shawn back because he's someone who has really shown a lot of promise so far," said Delhomme. "Competition brings out the best in all of us."

The line will have its hands full with Detroit's revamped defensive line, which features new starters in veteran right end Kyle Vanden Bosch, former Brown Corey Williams at right tackle and No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh at left tackle. The Lions have poured on the pressure this preseason.

"[Suh's] a powerful player," said center Alex Mack. "The whole defensive line is real good. Corey Williams is real quick and shifty.

"It's good practice going against a 4-3 front for us. Last game, we had those errors in the first 10 plays, so hopefully we can have a good offensive showing without making any mistakes."

The game marks Jerome Harrison's last chance to make a case for himself before Hardesty (knee) starts seeing significant action.

Harrison, who put the ball on the ground twice against the Rams, is hoping for a better start. Overall, the Browns turned the ball over five times last week.

"[Fumbling] is something you never want to do," said Harrison. "We want to be sharp, have no mental errors, be in the right spots.

"They've got a real good front line, and they come off the ball very hard."

Despite the Lions' 2-14 record last season, the defense is in for a great battle from quarterback Matt Stafford and his significantly upgraded supporting cast. Last season, Stafford came up off the mat to beat the Browns, 38-37, on a last-second touchdown pass after he was seemingly out with an injured left shoulder.

In addition to having 6-5 receiver Calvin Johnson, the Lions added accomplished receiver Nate Burleson, 6-5 tight end Tony Scheffler, and rookie running back Jahvid Best, the No. 30 overall pick.

"They have a lot of weapons," said Mangini. "[Matt] Stafford is at 72 percent completion [rate]. When he has time, he's very efficient. I'm looking forward to seeing how we do against their group.

"[Jahvid] Best can cut back and go for 70, he can bounce it outside for 70. He's got great deep speed or long speed, so those small creases can lead to big plays."

The defense allowed big early touchdown drives from the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and the Rams' A.J. Feeley in the first two games.

"We want to start off a lot faster," said Browns rookie cornerback Joe Haden. "We've started making plays at the end of the first quarter. Coach told us to come out with the same energy at the beginning."

Haden will be reunited with Stafford, against whom he played twice in college.

"I picked him off and ran it back like 80 yards, and [former Georgia Bulldog] Mohamed Massaquoi tackled me at the 1-yard line," Haden said.

"He reminded me when I first got here. I'll never forget that."

Haden and the other defensive backs are gearing up for the 6-5 Johnson and Stafford's other big targets. Eric Wright, T.J. Ward and Sheldon Brown are all 5-10. Haden is 5-11.

"Johnson is huge," said Haden. "You look forward to really measuring where you're at."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

It only happens once -- the first football game in a college's history. For Notre Dame College, that once-in-a-lifetime is today in South Euclid, when at 7 p.m. the Falcons will host Mercyhurst College at Brush High School's Korb Field.

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — Notre Dame College will play the first football game in its history at 7 p.m. today when it hosts Mercyhurst College at Brush High School's Korb Field.

Skip Snow of the Notre Dame College sports information department said he is expecting a standing-room crowd in the 3,000-seat stadium, including fans of the visiting team from Erie, Pa.

Talk of fielding an NDC team began in 2007 and became serious in 2008. In January 2009, coach Adam Howard was hired.

Carter Welo is director of football operations and an assistant coach, in charge of the offensive backfield. Welo, 26, played football at St. Ignatius and at John Carroll University, where he first met Howard, who was coaching the Baldwin-Wallace College defense.

Quarterback Yan Cyr is from Montreal.

"He was playing junior college football in California when we saw him," Welo said.

Punter Cayle Chapman-Brown is from Australia and only arrived in town last week.

"He's never played in a football game and doesn't know the rules," Welo said. "We saw that he was averaging 50 yards per punt [on the videotape Chapman-Brown sent to the NDC coaches]. He's looking to move on to the next level, which is the NFL. So, [today] will be the first football game he's ever played in."

Last year, NDC went 7-0 as a club team, mostly against junior varsity squads. Now an NAIA team, the school must play three seasons before moving up to NCAA Division II.

"[Football] is a big step for us, being a college that doesn't have the infrastructure on campus," Snow said. "We're playing at a local high school field. We'll probably start raising funds soon for an on-campus facility."

Lions prevail, 35-27, with two TDs in fourth quarter.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerColt McCoy had a few good moments in Saturday's fourth quarter, but his fumble set up the Lions' final score in Detroit's 35-27 victory at Ford Field.

DETROIT -- Observations, opinions and some facts on Saturday's fourth quarter ...

• Evan Moore had the ball stripped after a catch. That's two lost fumbles today -- after five turnovers last week.

• The Browns' backup defense is getting stepped on by the Lions' offensive subs.

• Joe Haden made a nice recovery to break up a Shaun Hill pass for Dennis Northcutt in the end zone. On the play, David Veikune got a questionable flag for hitting Hill at the knees. Aaron Brown scored from four yards on the next play. Detroit up, 28-27, with 9:38 to play.

• Colt McCoy has 9 1/2 minutes to get something done with Syndric Steptoe, Bobby Engram and Taurus Johnson.

• Nice pass to Johnson for 16 yards -- McCoy's first first-down conversion of the preseason.

• McCoy is stripped of the ball by defensive end Willie Young, who beat Casey Bender, and linebacker Ashlee Palmer recovers. Third Browns' lost fumble of the game.

• Browns defense is carved up again by the Lions' subs. Aaron Brown looks like Barry Sanders -- 6 yards, 19 and 2 for the touchdown. Brandon McDonald had a nice view of it sitting on the edge of the defense.

• McCoy had some nice dumpoffs, but they're not enough.

High school players from St. Edward, Mentor, Lake Catholic and St. Ignatius and their fans move up to first class Saturday in world of sports facilities ... at least for one day ... in the Charity Games at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Joshua GunterDave Trubisky dressed in Mentor red tossed a bag during a round of cornhole while tailgating outside Cleveland Browns Stadium Saturday in advance of the Charity Games. His Mitchell is a quarterback on the Mentor team, daughter Mariah carries a flag with the band's color guard, and son Manning was a game ball boy.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tama Burke jumped to her feet as her son Kevin -- the starting quarterback for St. Edward -- raced down the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium for a first quarter touchdown.

"That's Kevin!" said Jeff, her husband.

"Oh my God!" said Tama.

Kevin played quite a game in a rare chance for high school players to perform in a big-league environment Saturday as his school took on Mentor in the latest rebirth of the Charity Games.

Kevin scored two other touchdowns and was named Most Valuable Player as St. Edward hung on for a 35-28 victory in a game that started at 3 p.m.

"It's surreal," said mom, as she sat in the stands above the 50-yard line with more than a dozen family members. "It's almost like watching a dream."

The dream went on into the night for other high school players, their families and fans. St. Ignatius took on Lake Catholic at 7 p.m., a game Lake Catholic won, 28-21. Organizers said a combined 20,000 people were in the stands for the games.

The day began in classic football fashion as tailgaters gathered early, preparing for the goose bumps to come when the teams and marching bands took the field. Mentor and St. Edward have played at Browns Stadium before, but none of the current players were on the rosters.

"It feels like we're coming to a professional game with the fans and the excitement," said Dianne Kasberg, whose daughter Kristen plays the flute in Mentor's 198-member Fighting Cardinal Marching Band. "When we walk in, I think we're going to be star-struck to see our kids on the field. It takes on a professional air."

Jeanne Trubisky bought 34 tickets for friends and family for a spectacle that involved three of her four children. Son Mitch is a quarterback for Mentor, daughter Mariah carries a flag with the band's color guard, and son Manning was a game ball boy.

"Every kid dreams of being in the NFL," she said. "To play on the same field as an NFL player is exciting."

The day got more exciting for Trubisky as the game went on. Mitch came off the bench to rally the Cardinals from a 35-14 deficit.

The Charity Games are a throwback to an older Cleveland, when some of the best high school football in the area was played by Senate league teams. The season would end with a championship game at old Municipal Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

Jack Barno said he came to those games with his father in the 1960s.

Yesterday he and his dad were back. This time he, too, was a father, watching his son Mike play for St. Edward.

"It's really emotional," said Barno. "To watch your son play in Browns Stadium, it doesn't get any better than that."

St. Ed's first score brought Tama Burke a sense of relief. She realized her son and his team were staying focused despite the big stadium surroundings.

"It's an intimidating environment, and they still performed," she said. "It's a credit to the coaching staff. This is not your usual opening day."

Nor was this anything like a regular day for the bands.

"To march in a professional field is definitely something -- it's incredible," said Jacob Simko, after he played the tenor sax during the halftime show with the Mentor band.

Pay The Man won an early duel with Slides Choice in the $50,000 Rose DeBartolo Memorial at Thistledown on Saturday, but couldn't seal the victory, losing by just a neck in a thrilling stretch run.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- Pay The Man won an early duel with Slides Choice in the $50,000 Rose DeBartolo Memorial at Thistledown on Saturday, but couldn't seal the victory, losing by just a neck after the mares battled almost eye-to-eye in a thrilling stretch run.

Slides Choice had knocked off Pay The Man in last year's Best of Ohio Distaff, but had been having a rough season, failing to find the winner's circle in seven starts. Jockey Jason Lumpkins had her hanging tough on Saturday in the DeBartolo Memorial. He said in the winner's circle that his horse was overdue for a victory.

The 2009 Ohio Horse of the Year, Slides Choice is owned by Mary Crawford and Gerald Brown and trained by Timothy Hamm.

Slides Choice covered the 11/8-mile course in 1:51.2 to pay $4.60, 2.60, 2.10. Pay The Man returned $2.40 and 2.20; while Squeezer's Palace, two lengths back in third, paid $2.20.

Despite the narrow loss, it was a record-setting performance for Pay The Man, a six-year-old owned by the Pyrite Stables, trained by Angel Feliciano and ridden by Ricardo Feliciano. Earning $10,000 for the second-place finish, Pay The Man established a money-winning record for Ohio-bred mares, pushing her career total to $591,981. She has won 16 of 41 starts.

Ohio's 1989 Horse of the Year, Tougaloo owned the earnings mark for more than two decades after winning 13 of 31 career outings and $583,030.

Jake Delhomme looked sharp in the first half as the Browns built a 24-14 lead at the break.

UPDATED: 10:35 p.m.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerJake Delhomme couldn't stop Detroit's Chris Houston from scoring after Houston recovered a Jerome Harrison fumble in the second quarter of Saturday's preseason game at Ford Field.

DETROIT -- You can pick at a lot of things in a preseason game and interpret them any which way you want.

Saturday, the Browns lost three more fumbles -- giving them eight turnovers over their last two practice games -- and allowed three touchdown drives in the second half. The Detroit Lions came away with a 35-27 victory.

But at this time of year, the first half tells a truer story of where a team may be heading.

With the regulars in, the Browns scored on three of their five possessions, running off 41 plays to Detroit's 18, and held a 24-14 lead at halftime. One of the possessions was a Jerome Harrison fumble on first down, which was returned 14 yards for a Lions' touchdown.

The Browns also scored when end Brian Schaefering stripped the ball from running back Kevin Smith and Eric Wright returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.

Detroit played hard on defense and made a lot of physical hits, but the Lions don't look like they're going to be stopping many teams this year.

Jake Delhomme had his third straight 100-plus passer rating performance, completing 20 of 25 passes for 152 yards, with one short touchdown to fullback Lawrence Vickers. Delhomme operated the no-huddle with constant formation shifting and motion.

Perhaps the best sign of all was that Delhomme completed seven of nine passes thrown to wide receivers Josh Cribbs, Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi. Cribbs had a nice catch of 30 yards on the left sideline.

"I thought Jake was outstanding tonight and he's been outstanding all preseason," said coach Eric Mangini.

The Browns also inserted Seneca Wallace for two plays on the first series. On one, he lined up in a half-shotgun formation -- a pistol -- and handed off to Peyton Hillis. All of which gives the Tampa Bay Buccaneers something else to look at while preparing for the teams' season opener on Sept. 12.

"It's a whole other set of problems for defense when Seneca's in there," Mangini said.

Delhomme said, "Things are going well. We did some decent things. Guys made a lot of good plays. We've got to just keep on going forward."

As in their previous game against St. Louis, the Browns' defense came out slowly. In the case of trying to defend fleet rookie running back Jahvid Best, the Browns were real slow. Best ran the ball 51 yards through the heart of the Browns' defense on the first play from scrimmage before Wright brought him down.

"He just busted a gap," said rookie safety T.J. Ward. "He didn't score. Now we have to work on getting better in the red zone."

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Bryant Johnson on a fade over Sheldon Brown for the touchdown from seven yards on the Lions' third play.

The Lions also moved 60 yards on nine plays on the opening series of the second half. They did it with Best on the sideline.

"It's tough because we didn't play the game we wanted to play," said Brown. "Obviously we wanted to stop the run and then eliminate Calvin Johnson from having big plays and then try to pressure the quarterback."

Stafford wasn't sacked. He completed 13-of-17 for 141 yards and one touchdown. Calvin Johnson had two catches for 42 yards, but no scores.

In three practice games, the Browns have allowed opposing starting quarterbacks to complete 30 of 36 passes.

"We've got to fix it defensively," Mangini said. "I don't think we're that far off, but you can't be a little bit off. A small margin of error leads to big plays instead of sacks and turnovers."

It's probably that Mangini and coordinator Rob Ryan are concealing their true intentions on defense. Last night, linebackers Eric Barton and David Bowens received a lot of time with the first team. There was little blitzing.

In fact, Detroit made all the noise on the field.

Lions linebacker Julian Peterson nailed receiver Carlton Mitchell after a 26-yard run on an end-around and sent the rookie flying out of bounds. Detroit's prize rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh drew a penalty for grabbing Delhomme by the helmet and throwing him to the ground. Also, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch drew a penalty for a blow to Delhomme's head.

But the hit that stopped the game in its tracks and brought a profound hush to Ford Field was made on Browns special teams ace Nick Sorensen. He received a double helmet hit to the head, courtesy of Lions Caleb Campbell and Andre Fluellen on a Cleveland kickoff.

Sorensen was immobilized on a wooden stretcher and carted off as players from both teams knelt in prayer. By the end of the night, Sorensen was released from a local hospital after tests were negative and he returned home with the team.

Wallace relieved Delhomme to start the second half and put up three points in two series. The second one ended on an Evan Moore fumble after a catch. The Lions turned that miscue into a touchdown and also scored after Colt McCoy had the ball stripped by end Willie Young.

McCoy was able to find some rhythm in this game for the first time. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 76 yards, but was unable to threaten the end zone on his last two possessions.

In Saturday's preseason game at Detroit, the Browns' offense shows real promise with a no-huddle approach, says Terry Pluto.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerJosh Cribbs goes high to grab this Jake Delhomme pass in the second quarter as Detroit's Amari Spievey defends. The completion set up a touchdown before halftime of the Browns' 35-27 loss.

DETROIT -- I know the game doesn't count, and I know the Browns were playing the dreadful Detroit Lions, who eventually won Saturday's preseason game, 35-27.

But I also know I really like how the Browns performed in the no-huddle offense, consistently used for the first time in the preseason.

It seemed perfect for Jake Delhomme, who is giving the Browns exactly what they hoped for when they signed the veteran quarterback. In the first half, the offense produced 17 points and 17 first downs. Delhomme was 20-of-25 passing for 152 yards.

You could see him changing plays at the line of scrimmage as his varied cadence seemed to have the Lions jumping around -- tipping off the pass rushes and coverages that were to come.

Delhomme completed passes to 10 different receivers.

Think about that, 10 players catching passes -- in the first half. The coaches wanted Delhomme to work with Joshua Cribbs, and indeed he did. He caught three passes from Delhomme, including a brilliant 30-yarder near the sidelines.

Brian Robiskie caught a 23-yarder. Delhomme has been raving to the coaches about Robiskie's precise patterns, and the two seemed to develop almost an immediate chemistry in training camp. Even Moore grabbed a 22-yarder.

Don't you love a 6-foot-6 tight end who used to play basketball at Stanford?

In three preseason games, Delhomme is a stunning 38-of-48 with no interceptions and only one sack. The Browns have been reminding Delhomme not to try for the tough completion -- something that he did last season in Carolina, leading to turnovers.

So far, he has stayed away from that bad habit.

Obviously, it won't be this easy once the regular season begins, but the fact remains that what was the league's worst offense a year ago now has a sense of order and a growing confidence.

The no-huddle makes it difficult for the defense to substitute, so fatigue can be a factor.

That's especially true if the offense can assemble some long drives, which the Browns did Saturday night. It also puts the emphasis on the quarterback's ability to exploit weaknesses by calling the proper plays. That is ideal for the 35-year-old who has 92 pro starts.

The Browns switched to the no-huddle offense at the middle of last season, and coach Eric Mangini became intrigued by it -- especially if he could find a quarterback who was an accurate short- and medium-range passer.

Delhomme was at the controls for three scoring drives of 15, 10 and nine plays -- chewing up 16:20 and 202 yards in the first half. This was the Browns starters against the Lions' first string.

Obviously, you need to curb the enthusiasm because the Browns were playing the Lions, a team that is supposed to be improved but still was 2-30 in the last two seasons. A year ago, the Browns scored 38 points with Brady Quinn having his best day as a pro against these same Lions.

But Delhomme also was effective in Green Bay. After a shaky start in the rain at Browns Stadium last week, he moved the ball. So far, Delhomme is making this offense his own, and gaining the confidence of his teammates and coaches.

The Browns are heading into the season with no quarterback debate. That's exactly what Mike Holmgren hoped for when he signed the Carolina Panthers veteran.

Keep Ohio State and Michigan in the same division when the Big Ten realigns. Leave The Game at the end of the season. Don't mess around with the Big Ten's biggest asset in its biggest sport.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerThe Wolverines and Buckeyes may not always play with the Big Ten title at stake (as it was in 2006), but the magic of The Game shouldn't be tampered with in any way by conference officials seeking extra dollars, says Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Big Ten, which has had 11 teams since 1993 and which will have 12 in the fall of 2011, clearly has learned to live with error in enumeration.

An adjectival error of vast proportions will occur if, in the new, two-division Big Ten of next season, the Ohio State-Michigan game moves from the end of the regular season. The conference's biggest attraction simply won't be as big anymore if that happens, and the league will be diminished, too.

Keeping The Game -- its simple, arrogant, fully deserved nickname -- in November would likely require putting the rivals in the same division when the league expands in 2011 by admitting Nebraska. This is a natural-enough procedure since Ohio and Michigan share a common border and, indeed, once almost sent their militias out to teach each other a lesson in a 19th century dispute over Toledo.

It is obvious that the Big Ten had to change. Ending the regular season before the Thanksgiving weekend showcase games was a mistake. Having no forum in December, when championship games in the SEC and Big 12 attract national attention and a resulting rise in their teams' poll standing, was another mistake.

But the biggest mistake would be to mess with the timing of The Game.

If OSU and Michigan are separated by division, as is possible in some realignment scenarios, The Game would be played earlier, probably in October.

Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee said the decision-makers are aware of fan sentiment on the issue. On both sides of the rivalry, fans overwhelmingly have voted in polls to leave Ohio State-Michigsan where it is.

Proponents of moving The Game say placing the schools in opposite divisions could provide more of a good thing, in the form of a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game that begins next season.

Gee, for his part, is fine with separate divisions and a championship game rematch, as long as The Game is late in the regular season. "We want to beat them twice," said Gee.

While the first Big Ten championship game will do great box office business because of its novelty, rematches are seldom a tonic to national interest. Along with money, the championship game is really about enhancing the Big Ten's profile in the previously fallow month of December.

A single event is bigger than a trend. The one-and-done NCAA Tournament in basketball is part of Americana in a way that the NBA Finals is not. Ohio State-Michigan is an event of inordinate importance and unparalleled prestige. It is not a series.

Nor should it be followed by other ho-hum games, like Indiana or Minnesota, as it would be were it played in midseason. The Game belongs in November, with turkeys on the table and Pilgrims in buckled hats.

"One of the big things about the rivalry is that it's the last game," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel once said. "It allows you to see how much progress your team has made over the course of the season. It's a kind of summing up."

Exactly.

Playing Ohio State-Michigan anytime except at the end of the season is like divulging in the middle of a mystery that the butler did it. It's clashing the cymbals too soon. Ohio State-Michigan doesn't "set the tone" for the Big Ten race. It's the roaring, thunderous crescendo to it.

The Sun Belt schools have most of the national championships, a bigger population base from which to recruit and the home-field advantage in most of the bowl games. The Big Ten has a lot of quaint relics of the pioneer past, in games played for the Old Oaken Bucket, Paul Bunyan's Axe and the Little Brown Jug. But it also has The Game.

Nothing the Sun Belt schools do in bowl games can diminish the Big Ten brand as much as the Big Ten itself might by foolishly tampering with its biggest asset.

Tight end Jake Stoneburner is the leading candidate to have a breakout season for Ohio State, and he may be the second tight end in a decade of Jim Tressel football to catch 30 passes.

OSU photoJake Stoneburner has convinced Ohio State coaches that he can be a primary option as a tight end this season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jake Stoneburner took off down the middle of the field and quarterback Terrelle Pryor hit him for a 25-yard gain. The play was a bright spot for the first team in Ohio State's team scrimmage last weekend, and the Buckeyes seemed to execute it easily.

A 6-5, 245-pound former high-school receiving star found space in the middle of the field, and a quarterback entering his third year as a starter found him. Part of the game.

The only thing unusual about it was that Stoneburner is a tight end, and OSU tight ends don't typically make catches like that -- or, rather, don't have the chance to.

That should change this season, with the redshirt sophomore tight end with two career catches the leading OSU candidate for a breakout season.

In eight of Jim Tressel's nine years at Ohio State, the No. 1 tight end caught between six and 17 passes, the exception being Ben Hartsock's 33-catch, 290-yard season in 2003. Stoneburner seems like another exception because of who he is, what the Buckeyes don't have at receiver and where Pryor is now as a passer.

"I think it's going to happen this year," Stoneburner said. "With Terrelle throwing the ball a lot we will have a lot of opportunities. And with me and him being pretty good friends and having a lot of confidence in me, I think that'll help, too."

With Taurian Washington leading redshirt freshman Chris Fields and true freshman Corey Brown in the battle to be the No. 3 receiver, Stoneburner is a good bet to end this season third among the Buckeyes in receptions, behind top two receivers DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher.

Too often in the past, the tight end has been left out of the offense for one of two reasons:

• There were just too many talented wide receivers, as high-round NFL picks from Michael Jenkins to Chris Gamble to Santonio Holmes to Ted Ginn Jr. to Anthony Gonzalez to Brian Robiskie to Brian Hartline made their way through the program. While Posey and Sanzenbacher are proven, there's a dropoff after the top two.

• Young quarterbacks working into the system weren't as comfortable making throws into the crowded middle of the field, where a tight end does his best work. Don't consider it a coincidence that Hartsock's big season came in quarterback Craig Krenzel's senior year.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerAs a freshman, John Simon (54) earned some quality playing time on the OSU defense. As a sophomore, he could be one of that unit's most important players.

So now there's less receiver depth and an experienced quarterback. Into that equation throw Stoneburner, who, as Tressel said, isn't on the field to line up and block Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn 10 straight times.

"I think he'll give us a little bit different look," Tressel said. "He won't just line up and knock people off the ball. I think he has a little quickness about him, and he has terrific hips."

Expect Stoneburner to prove at least 30 times this season that his hands are pretty good, too.

Here are four other breakout candidates, considered only if they, like Stoneburner, are not one of the 19 Buckeyes who have started more than two games in their careers.

2. Defensive tackle John Simon: He flashed while forcing his way onto the field as a true freshman, and now in his first season as a starter, the sophomore and one of the strongest players on the team should prove he can be disruptive as three-down player.

"I expect the world out of him," senior defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said. "I saw him running extra this summer, I saw him lifting extra, just trying to get better. He had a great freshman year, so I always tell him you can't have that sophomore slump -- you might have that Cameron Heyward sophomore slump. So he's trying to get better than that."

3. DE Nathan Williams: Assuming Williams is back from a left knee injury for Thursday's opener with Marshall, or at least for the Sept. 11 game with Miami, the redshirt sophomore is in the same boat as Simon. As a first-year starter, he needs to prove he can do on a regular basis what he did as a pass-rush specialist last year.

4. Strongside LB Andrew Sweat: The junior beat out Etienne Sabino for the job and should pick up where he left off when ACL surgery cut short his 2009 season.

"Andrew Sweat has been good since he's been here," Tressel said. "It hurt us losing him last year. That hurt our special teams; that hurt our depth."

Even as a starter, Sweat's issue will be playing time, as he's the linebacker who will come off the field when the Buckeyes go to their nickel defense. SAM LB starter Austin Spitler, for instance, barely played in the Rose Bowl last year because of that. Sweat is also playing the position for the first time after working at weakside and middle linebacker in the past. But with what he's already done in the preseason, there's no reason to doubt he won't play more and better than expected.

5. CB Travis Howard: The only non-starter on this list, Howard is a redshirt sophomore and the clear No. 3 corner behind senior starters Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence. They both battled injuries during he preseason, so it's not unreasonable to expect Howard will start at least a couple games as an injury replacement sometime this season. If that happens, the Buckeyes may not see much of a drop off.

"This is one of the first years I actually put in a lot of work," Howard, who also has battled injuries in the past, said early in camp. "I've doing a lot of extra work and I feel I'm in the best health I've been in."

The Great Lakes Classic features two teams struggling to finally escape futility.

UPDATED: 9:44 p.m.

Mark Duncan / Associated PressJake Delhomme looked comfortable in running a no-huddle offense for the Browns in the first half Saturday against the Lions at Ford Field.

DETROIT -- Some postgame scribbles after the Browns fall to Detroit in the preseason's third game:

1. The last thing I'd thought I'd be writing after the third preseason game is what I like best about the Browns is their passing attack ... and what worries me most is the defense. But after seeing Jake Delhomme efficiently run the no-huddle offense while the defense just seemed slow and out of position -- I'm worried about the defense.

2. After the game, Eric Mangini said the 3-4 defense is "based on power,' adding they also need to be positioned correctly to make up for their lack of speed. It seems since the team returned in 1999, whenever they play on artificial turf, they look very slow. That was the case Saturday.

3. It seemed like a long night for most of the guys on the defensive front seven. The Lions opened a lot of holes, rushing for 154 yards in 26 carries. Yes, Jahvid Best had a 51-yard run, which does skew the stats a bit. But he also carried the ball only once. The rest of the Lions had 103 yards in 25 carries, a 4.1-yard average. In the first two games, the Browns allowed 2.6 yards on the ground -- but that changed Saturday.

4. The Browns have only one sack in the three games. They have been blitzing. Maybe these are not the type of blitzes they use in the regular season, but they are designed to pressure the quarterback. Marcus Benard overshot on a couple blitzes and was burned on inside gains -- but he was hardly the only one. Matt Roth made some very nice plays against the run, but it seems the Browns didn't use their outside linebacker much on the blitz -- and he is very effective in that role. Could be that will come in the regular season.

5. The Browns are using so many combinations of linebackers, it's hard to know if part of the defensive struggles is due to the changing personnel, or if it's a scary omen of what's to come.

6. Starting quarterbacks are 30-of-36 against the Browns. Some of it is due to the secondary. Veteran safety Abe Elam struggles in pass coverage. Fellow safety T.J. Ward is an impressive rookie, but still a rookie. The Lions threw the ball to their taller receivers over the Browns' defensive backs.

7. The Browns have been working Joe Haden to play physical coverage defense -- much like Sheldon Brown -- but also stay away from pass interference penalties. Haden has been flagged in preseason games and practice, and a young player does not want to be labeled as a guy the officials watch closely and flag often. Mangini thought Haden made progress in this area, and the rookie is a good tackler.

8. No one has said so publicly, but Tony Pashos has played so little in practice, no one is sure what he can do. He was injured most of last season, and again in training camp. They do need him to help at right tackle. But Pashos seemed slow and ineffective for much of the game. The Browns need help on the right side of the line because of age and injuries.

9. With Peyton Hillis showing lots of promise as a bullish running back who can catch passes, along with rookie Montario Hardesty coming back from his knee injury, Jerome Harrison has a lot of competition -- especially since he's fumbled twice (lost one) and just looked sluggish. He has only 72 yards in 23 carries (3.1 average).

10. Joshua Cribbs has caught eight passes in the last two games, thrilling the coaches who have been insisting the Kent State product is making major progress as a receiver.

11. How about the touchdown pass to blocking fullback Lawrence Vickers and the end around to rookie Carlton Mitchell for 26 yards? The offense was pretty creative. Guess who is the Browns leading preseason receiver? It's Hillis with nine catches. The power running games with Vickers blocking for Hillis continues to be impressive.

12. Here's the note that you've been waiting for: Since the Browns returned in 1999, they are 59-117 with five coaches. Yet they look like the Browns of Blanton Collier compared to the Lions, who are 50-126 in that span under seven coaches (including two interims).

Asdrubal Cabrera was the hero of the Indians' 4-3 10-inning victory over Kansas City on Saturday night, but another solid start by rookie Jeanmar Gomez helped make the win a reality.

UPDATED: 11:28 p.m.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerAsdrubal Cabrera's first big-league walkoff home run earned a hero's welcome at home plate after his blast gave the Indians a 4-3 win in 10 innings over Kansas City.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jeanmar Gomez, before he talks about his performance following his starts, tells everyone with a microphone, tape record and pen and pencil, "I'd like to thank God for the giving me the opportunity to pitch."

The way manager Manny Acta saw things Saturday night after Asdrubal Cabrera homered to give the Indians a 4-3 victory in 10 innings over Kansas City at Progressive Field, the Indians should be thanking the skinny rookie from Venezuela.

"Asdrubal Cabrera played the hero," said Acta, "but the night belonged to Gomez. We wanted him to keep Kansas City down because we knew we weren't going to score a lot of runs against Zack Greinke."

The Indians have won three straight. That's called a winning streak in most parts of the big leagues, but it's something the Indians haven't done since July 31-Aug. 2.

Cabrera, who says his swing still isn't full recovered from having surgery in May to repair his broken left forearm, faced Jesse Chavez to start the 10th. Chavez was ahead in the count, 1-2, and Cabrera was trying to read his mind.

"I was looking for a fastball middle in," said Cabrera, batting left-handed. "He's got a really good fastball and I was looking for it."

Cabrera drove it to the right-field bullpen. As soon as ball met bat, he flipped the bat in celebration. As he came around third, he pointed to his wife, Lismar, in the stands.

The win went to Chris Perez (2-2), who pitched a scoreless 10th.

"As I watched the ball go out, I just felt really happy for the team," said Cabrera, after his first walkoff homer. "We needed this win."

Until Cabrera's homer, Wilson Betemit put on an impressive one-man show to pull the Royals into a 3-3 tie. He hit a 434-foot, two-run homer in the in the sixth off Gomez to make it 3-2. In the eighth, he doubled off Rafael Perez to make it 3-3.

"Betemit hit a fastball right down the middle," said Gomez.

Gomez allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four. It was quite a turnaround from his last start when he allowed eight runs on 11 hits in three innings against Detroit.

"That was good to see," said Acta. "He came right back and attacked the strike zone and pitched to contact."

The Indians scored early against Greinke and waited for Cabrera to save them at the end. Michael Brantley started the game with a double. Cabrera, playing for one run, bunted Brantley to third. Shin-Soo Choo made it 1-0 with a grounder to first for his 62nd RBI.

The Indians made it 3-0 in the second on Brantley's RBI single and Choo's bases-loaded walk. Matt LaPorta started the rally with a one-out double. Jason Donald struck out, but No.9 hitter Lou Marson walked. Brantley singled through the middle for a 2-0 lead.

Greinke, who entered with 38 walks and 148 strikeouts in 174 innings, walked Cabrera to load the bases and Choo to score Marson.

Greinke eventually found a different gear after the second. Gomez pitched well from the start, holding the Royals scoreless through the first five innings.

This was Gomez's seventh big-league start. He made his debut on July 18 after opening the year in Class AAA Columbus.

"To say he has taken advantage of his opportunity here is an understatement," said Acta.

The Indians didn't help themselves against Greinke with some questionable baserunning. Jayson Nix started the third by reaching on third baseman Willie Bloomquist's throwing error. When the ball got away from first baseman Kila Ka'aihue, Nix tried to go to second, but was an easy rundown victim.

Trevor Crowe followed with a single. He stole second and third, but Greinke struck out LaPorta and retired Donald on a grounder.

Choo walked with one out in the seventh, but was thrown out by catcher Jason Kendall attempting to steal second.

Greinke, 5-0 in his last nine starts against the Indians dating back to September 2008, didn't allow a run after the second. He was removed after eight innings and 111 pitches. He struck out four, walked four and allowed eight hits in three innings.

Manager Manny Acta likes what Asdrubal Cabrera has given the Indians since returning to the lineup on July 20 following surgery on his broken left forearm.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerIndians manager Manny Acta admires how Asdrubal Cabrera has worked to return to the lineup after his broken arm in May.

INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: Chris Gimenez's homer Friday night gave him 10 for the season, nine in Class AAA Columbus, one in the big leagues. Anything is possible now.
“I hit 26 homers in 2007 [20 at Class A Kinston, six at Class AA Akron],” said Gimenez. “The last three years I've been stuck on nine each year. I kept telling my wife, it's going to be a big deal if I can get 10. That means I'm over the hump. I'm pumped about it.”
So for Gimenez, his homer Friday was a perfect 10.

The bigger they are...: Acta on Washington National phenom Stephen Strasburg facing possible Tommy John surgery on his right elbow: “The same thing happened to Hector Rondon a few days ago. The great thing about it is that kids are coming back from Tommy John surgery with a higher percentage of success.
“It's never good news, but back in the day there were no MRIs. When a guy had an injury like that, he had to pitch through it or end his career. God bless technology.”

Stat of the day: Friday night was only the second time Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley, according to Elias, drove in more than one run each in the same game for the Indians. They were each acquired from Milwaukee in 2008 for CC Sabathia.
— Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Asdrubal Cabrera continues to try and fit into his new role as a leader on the Indians, even though manager Manny Acta doesn't think he's completely healed from the May 19th surgery that reassembled his broken left forearm with screws and a metal plate.

Cabrera went into Saturday's game against Kansas City hitting .261 (35-for-134) with nine runs, one homer and 13 RBI in 34 games since coming off the disabled list on July 20. Cabrera broke his left forearm in a collision with Jhonny Peralta behind second base on May 17 at Tropicana Field.

"He's a key for our club offensively and defensively," said Acta. "He's got big-time character. To me, he's probably not 100 percent strength-wise from that surgery from the left side, but he's a gamer.

"He really went after it in that rehab. He came back earlier than expected. He's the guy I want to be out there all the time. That's why I feel he can be one of the leaders going forward."

Cabrera was supposed to miss eight to 10 weeks with the injury. He rejoined the lineup July 20, an absence of just over eight weeks.

When the Indians started trading their veterans at the end of July, Acta said he was counting on Cabrera to fill the leadership void.

"He's taking steps toward that," said Acta, "but it's very tough for these kids when they're that young and they don't have that many years in the big leagues to become vocal and try to tell people what to do it.

"He's taking small steps toward it. We don't want to force it on him and put him in an uncomfortable position with his teammates."

Cabrera, who doesn't appear to say a whole lot, is one of the few Indians left from the team that made it to the ALCS in 2007.

"He's very quiet in English, but he's not quiet in Spanish," said Acta. "He's got the energy. He wants to play every day. He's not afraid [to say something]. He's got a lot of the qualities you look for and he's been on this club just about as long as anybody. He was here when the Indians were in the postseason in 2007."

Cabrera is hitting .274 (74-for-270) overall with 14 doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 RBI. He's hitting .289 (26-for-90) right-handed and .267 (48-for-180) left-handed.

Traffic jam: In Friday's lopsided win over the Royals, the Indians had 24 baserunners. They had 28 total in their three-game series against Oakland.

Short and to the point: The postgame press conference with KC manager Ned Yost following Friday's 15-4 loss lasted 79 seconds. Sounds about right.

Sore wrist: Switch-hitting second baseman Cord Phelps, hitting .317 (71-for-224) at Class AAA Columbus, has been getting some time off because of some hand and wrist issues over the last three weeks.

The wrist is getting better, but Phelps hasn't been swinging right-handed.

Testing, testing: Aaron Laffey pitched a scoreless eighth inning Friday night as Columbus lost to Louisville, 2-1. He struck out one in continuing his rehab from a tired left shoulder.

"He's not 100 percent," said Acta.

Anthony Reyes, recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, continues his rehab at Class AA Akron. Acta says the Indians have three options with Reyes when his rehab runs out: Bring him to Cleveland, send him to Goodyear, Ariz., or shut him down for the season.

Talk, talk: No.1 pick Drew Pomeranz will be on SiriusXM MLB Network's Minors/Majors show Sunday at 9 a.m. EDT. It's on XM Channel 175.

Power vs. pop: Toronto's Jose Bautista, who leads the big leagues with 42 homers, hit 16 homers in July. Shin-Soo Choo entered Saturday's game leading the Indians with 15 homers for the season.