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Blake Bortles may not be right fit for Browns, reporter says (video)

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Campus Insiders' Pete Fiutak reveals whom the Browns should select with the fourth pick in the 2014 NFL draft. If they go quarterback, will Blake Bortles be available?

Click the video above to watch as Campus Insiders' Pete Fiutak reveals whom the Browns should select with the fourth pick in the 2014 NFL draft. If they go quarterback, will Blake Bortles be available?

Pete Fiutak is Managing Editor of Campus Insiders and publisher of CollegeFootballNews.com.


New Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine ready to 'fight' his way out of two decades of losing

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Browns coach spoke at the 83rd annual Ohio State Football Coaches Clinic.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In what must seem like a lifetime ago, new Browns coach Mike Pettine was an audio-visual coordinator for a suburban Philadelphia high school.

During his first coaches meetings in Berea, he put his old A/V skills to use in illustrating the legacy of losing his staff must overcome.

He showed assistants a chart with the names of the 141 coaches who have worked for the Browns since 1991, highlighting names of men such as Bill Belichick who left Cleveland to enjoy great success. He showed them an another image breaking down the records of the individual head coaches and tallying the cumulative won-loss sum (113-207) over that span with only one postseason win.

On Friday morning, while the addressing an audience at the annual Ohio State Football Coaches Clinic, Pettine projected the same graphics on two large screens. Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, who grew up in Ashtabula, called the 1991-to-present record “shocking” to see in print.

“This is a mountain of negativity and it can pile up,” Pettine told a collection of prep coaches from throughout the state.

Some new coaches bury an organization’s saddest parts of history and remind those who drudge them up that they occurred on somebody else's watch. Pettine appears to be taking a different course. He's not embracing the Browns’ perpetual losing, but he’s also not ignoring it, either.

“If you’re mired in a culture of losing, you’ve got to fight your way out of it,” he said.

The coach spoke for nearly an hour without answering questions or talking to the media. He was well prepared and organized, providing personal vignettes, some funny, others painful. He told those assembled about the importance of family and how his passion for the profession helped cost him a marriage. Pettine said there are two kinds of coaches’ wives – great ones and ex-ones.

photo(18).JPGView full sizeBrowns coach Mike Pettine stands alongside Ohio State assistants Chris Ash, left, Luke Fickell and athletic director Gene Smith.

He became the first Browns coach to address this delegation in more than a decade. The 47-year-old certainly could identify with the group, having been a prep head coach into his 30s before making the unusual jump from high school to low-level NFL coaching assistant with the Baltimore Ravens in 2002. He is the son of a prep coaching legend, Mike Pettine Sr., who won four state titles for Central Bucks West High in suburban Philadelphia.

Pettine has stepped out of his father’s prominent shadow and into one of the sport’s most difficult jobs – turning around the Browns.

He outlined his course of action: taking small, methodical steps, establishing an identity and being the better side at crunch time. Pettine said the difference between finishing 6-10 and 10-6 is often how a team handles two-minute drills, performs on third downs and plays in the red zone.

“We are going to over-practice in these areas,” he said.

Pettine highlighted what he looks for in staff members and how good ones are usually the best teachers. Browns players can look forward to plenty of sarcasm and humor. The coach might lighten the mood by mixing embarrassing player photos into a presentation during team meetings.

He drew laughs Friday after displaying an image of his teenage self wearing an MTV T-shirt and Beavis-and-Butthead length corduroy shorts under the caption: “Young Studs.”

When a reporter attempted to take a picture of the projected image, Pettine yelled: “Stop. I don’t want that all over Twitter in five seconds.”

He obviously has bigger concerns such as establishing what it means to “Play like a Brown.” In his mind’s eye, it’s about being “tough” and “competitive” and “passionate” and “relentless” and “productive” and “accountable.”

In the past six years, playing like a Brown has meant never winning more than five games in a season.

“Football is a tough sport for tough people,” Pettine said. “When you are trying to change a losing culture, mental toughness is as important as physical toughness.”

Meyer said he’s known Pettine since the late 1990s when the Buckeyes coach was recruiting eastern Pennsylvania.

“I think he’s the right guy, too,” Meyer said.

The OSU coach was impressed with Pettine’s presentation. He also addressed the Browns’ sorry recent history, one that Pettine refuses to ignore.

“It was shocking when he showed the records since ’91,” Meyer said. “Cleveland is too good. Cleveland is too good of a city ... Cleveland is too good of an organization ... All of us (are like) ‘let’s go.’’’


Cavaliers vs. Bucks: Get updates and post comments

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Having been eliminated from playoff contention, the Cleveland Cavaliers are focused on finishing their final days of the season in positive fashion. They face the Bucks in Milwaukee. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Having been eliminated from playoff contention, the Cleveland Cavaliers are focused on finishing their final days of the season in positive fashion. They face the Bucks in Milwaukee. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m.

Where to find the game: TV: Fox Sports Ohio; Radio: WTAM 1100

Get updates from The Plain Dealer on Twitter @PDCavsInsider and post your comments during the game here.




Bubba Watson goes on birdie spree at the Masters, surges to lead

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bubba Watson likes the way he looks in green. He wants to get that color back in his wardrobe. Watson surged to the Masters lead with a spree of birdies on the back side Friday, positioning him for a weekend run at his second green jacket in three years. "I'm trying to get the jacket back," Watson...

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bubba Watson likes the way he looks in green. He wants to get that color back in his wardrobe.

Watson surged to the Masters lead with a spree of birdies on the back side Friday, positioning him for a weekend run at his second green jacket in three years.

"I'm trying to get the jacket back," Watson said. "I want that feeling again."

The 2012 champion at Augusta National sparked the best run of the tournament so far when he stuck his tee shot at No. 12 within 3 feet of the cup. He tapped in for the first of five straight birdies that propelled him to a 4-under 68.

Even after making his second bogey of the tournament by missing a short putt at the 18th, Watson walked off with his second straight round in the 60s, a 7-under 137 total and a three-stroke lead — the biggest 36-hole advantage at Augusta since 2006.

"It's not science here," Watson said. "It's try to hit the greens, and if you're hitting the greens that means you're obviously hitting your tee shots well. So that's all I'm trying to do, just hit the greens."

Look who's in the mix again, too: 54-year-old Fred Couples, who posted his second straight 71.

This is the fifth straight year the 1992 winner has gone to the weekend in the top 10 — he was leading two years ago — but he's never been able to hang on.

"I can't panic," said Couples, looking to become the oldest major champion in golf history. "You're not going to pick up two or three shots here because you want to. It's not that kind of course. You've got to hang in there, expect a tough shot here and there. It's going to be a tough day tomorrow."

And don't count out defending champion Adam Scott, who got off to a rough start but rallied for 72. The Aussie was among those four shots back, still solidly in contention to become only the fourth back-to-back winner in Masters history.

Watson opened Thursday with a 69 and went bogey-free through the first 26 holes, finally stumbling at the ninth. But that bogey was quickly forgotten when he put on a dazzling display of the golf that had the patrons roaring. He took advantage of both par 5s, sandwiched around a curling, 40-foot birdie putt at the 14th that prompted him to throw both arms in the air.

Watson made it five in a row at the par-3 16th, pulling off another magnificent tee shot with the 9-iron, the ball rolling up about 4 feet short of the flag. He became only the fifth player in Masters history to run off nothing but birdies from the 12th to 16th holes.

A year ago, the left-hander finished in a tie for 50th last year as the defending Masters champion, his worst showing in five previous appearances. He likes being two years removed from his title a whole lot better.

"I was in awe when I was the champion," Watson said. "I didn't know how to handle it the best way, so I didn't play my best golf."

Watson's closest pursuer was Australia's John Senden, who birdied 14 and 15 on his way to a 68 and 140 overall.

Scott bogeyed three of the first five holes but wound up at 141. He was joined by Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who birdied four of the last five holes for a 68; Sweden's Jonas Blixt, who managed 71 despite a double-bogey at the 11th; and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, hardly looking like an Augusta rookie when he closed out 70 with a birdie at the tough finishing hole.

Five shots back with Couples were Jimmy Walker, a three-time PGA Tour winner this season who shot 72, and Jim Furyk, whose 68 matched Watson, Senden and Bjorn for the best round of the day.

First-round leader Bill Haas, teeing off on a warm, sunny afternoon with the wind picking up and the greens getting firmer, was still at 4 under approaching the turn. Then came a miserable stretch of holes starting at No. 9: bogey, bogey, double-bogey, bogey, bogey. He staggered to a 78 — 10 shots higher than the day before, knocking him nine shots back.

At least Haas gets to keep playing.

Three-time winner Phil Mickelson missed the Augusta cut for the first time since 1997.

Lefty had a triple-bogey at the 12th, where he knocked three straight shots in bunkers for his second triple of the tournament. Three birdies on the back side gave him a glimmer of hope, but 73 totaled up to 149 — one shot too many.

"It's tough to overcome those big numbers," said Mickelson, who had plenty of big-name company beyond the cut line.

Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Dustin Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Charl Schwartzel were all headed home as well before the weekend.


The Indians would prefer shutouts over strikeouts from Danny Salazar: Cleveland Indians chatter

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Salazar leads the American League with 13.5 punchouts per nine innings, but he took the loss on Thursday and forced manager Terry Francona to burn through his bullpen earlier than desired.

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Seen and heard around U.S. Cellular Field on Friday.

The Indians don't want Danny Salazar falling in love with strikeouts. They would prefer the 24-year-old last deep into the game, no matter how many whiffs he tallies.

On Thursday, the right-hander became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to record 10 strikeouts in an outing of four or fewer innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"That's hard to do," said pitching coach Mickey Callaway. "We don't want that record. I want him to throw shutouts."

Salazar exited after only 3 2/3 innings, having surrendered five runs on six hits and 93 pitches. He struck out 10 and he leads the American League with 13.5 punchouts per nine innings, but he took the loss on Thursday and forced manager Terry Francona to burn through his bullpen earlier than desired.

"He needs to focus a little bit better on getting the ball down," Callaway said. "We talked about it in between starts and he really just couldn't make that adjustment, which you see a lot of times in young guys. They go out there and they're having one problem with something and it's tough for them to adjust. Well, it costs them when they can't get the ball down when they need to."

In three career starts against the White Sox, Salazar has fanned 27 batters in 12 2/3 innings. The only out he recorded on Thursday that wasn't a whiff came when right fielder David Murphy threw out Adam Eaton, who tried to stretch a single into a double.

"I'd rather see it over about seven innings," Francona said. "The stuff is there. He's young. He's learning how to pitch. We love him to death. But there's still some learning to do."

Rock and a hard place: In the fourth inning of Thursday's loss to Chicago, catcher Yan Gomes fired an errant throw into center field.

With a full count on Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza sprinted early toward second base. The pitch to Viciedo ended up being ball four, so De Aza earned his advancement anyway. Gomes, though, couldn't afford to wait to make sure the pitch was out of the zone, so he heaved the ball toward the base, but it skipped into center field.

"A lot of the umpires are slower calling the strikes now, probably by design," Francona said. "If you're a catcher, sometimes you can't wait. That's very tough. If it's a borderline pitch, it's very hard to sit there and wait."

Stat of the day: Entering Friday's affair, Chicago native Jason Kipnis had hit safely in 19 of 20 career games at U.S. Cellular Field.


No summer vacation for Anthony Bennett: Cleveland Cavaliers Insider

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Cavaliers players are thinking about a busy off-season.

MILWAUKEE -- The Cavaliers' season won't be over for another few days, and summer is still a couple of months off.

But with the season winding down, it's only natural that the team starts thinking about the off-season -- especially since it will be starting sooner than the franchise hoped.

After being eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday, Dion Waiters has pledged to "come back and kill everything."

"I think everybody coming into the off-season has really got to go hard and work on their games and try to get better, including myself," Waiters said before Friday's game against the Bucks. "That's the biggest thing for me this summer is just really focusing on my body and trying to come back a better player than I was this year. I learned a lot from this year. It's motivation to go into the off-season with this type of mindset that I have.''

The rookies -- Anthony Bennett, Sergey Karasev, Carrick Felix and Matthew Dellavedova -- are likely to take part in the summer league in Las Vegas.

"We've talked about it, but there's nothing formal that we've put forth yet," coach Mike Brown said Friday. "I think it's good for first- and second-year guys to go and play with that type of experience.''

No. 1 draft choice Bennett was unable to take part last season because he'd had shoulder surgery, so he's really looking forward to it this summer -- in part because he went to UNLV.

"My second home,'' Bennett said. "Hopefully this summer I can just go there and play. Playing against the new guys should be fun.''

It's unclear whether Bennett, who has missed 16 games with a strained tendon in his left knee, will return before the season ends. To this point, he has averaged 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 12.7 minutes in 51 games.

Asked to assess the rookie's year, Brown said, "Ups and downs. As the year went along, he got better. It was tough because he missed the summer. For a young rookie, that's a crucial time to miss.

"Going into the season, he wasn't quite where he needed to be. It took him some time to work himself into true playing shape, mentally and physically to get ready for the rigors of the NBA. He showed flashes in practice. He showed flashes in the game. We were able to feel his talent. So I look forward to him having a good summer and continuing to rise in the right direction.''

Brown thinks a full summer of work will help Bennett.

"I think it's going to be huge for him, not just summer league, but the time he spends in the weight room, the time he spends conditioning, the time he spends on the floor working out," he said. "[Summer league is] a lot of games in a short amount of time. Because of who he is, guys are going to be coming after him. The ball's going to be in his hands. It's going to give him an opportunity to go out there and showcase his abilities.''

Waiters for Sixth Man: Although he moved into the starting lineup 12 games ago, averaging 21.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists, Waiters is still the leading bench scorer in the Eastern Conference, averaging 14.7 points in 45 games as a reserve. As such, he deserves to be included in the conversation for the Sixth Man Award, although the team's record may hurt him.

Brown hopes it doesn't.

"He should deserve some credit, some recognition for Sixth Man of the year,'' Brown said. "He was giving us a big lift coming off the bench. He could be effective in a lot of different roles for a team. Obviously, he's been effective for us as a starter, but he was huge for us coming off the bench throughout the course of the season so hopefully he'll get recognition for it.''

Celtics at Cavs

Time: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Q.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio and WTAM AM/1100.

Notable: Both teams will be playing second nights of back-to-backs. Cleveland was at Milwaukee, Boston hosted Charlotte. … Cavs are 0-2 to Celtics, but this will be the first visit to Cleveland this season. … Boston's Rajon Rondo did not play Friday night because of a bruised shin.

Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox: Get updates and chat live with Zack Meisel

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The Indians and White Sox battle tonight in Chicago in the second game of a four game set.

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Though Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale doesn't consistently struggle against many teams, he had major problems with the Cleveland Indians last season.


The Chicago ace got knocked around while losing all four matchups in 2013, while the Indians look to continue their dominance over Sale in the second game of a four-game home set Friday night.


Get scoring updates and analysis as the Indians take on the White Sox in the second game of a four-game set at U.S. Cellular Field and chat with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel in the comments section.


Cleveland Browns shopped their No. 1 pick in 1999: NFL Draft rewind

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The Browns were fielding offers from New Orleans for the No. 1 overall pick, as they considered whether to take Tim Couch, Akili Smith or Ricky Williams.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Browns coach Mike Pettine has said "it's a possibility'' the Browns could start a rookie quarterback in 2014, and the team is seeking one who has that "it factor.''

This is not the first time the franchise has been seeking a quarterback who can bring the "it factor." Back in 1999, the Browns - returning after losing the franchise to Baltimore - had the No. 1 overall pick and were deliberating between Kentucky's Tim Couch and Oregon's Akili Smith.

Then, the draft was held in April, and days before the draft, the Browns were shopping the No. 1 overall pick.

This year's draft is May 8-10, but back then, just as now, quarterbacks were a hot topic of discussion.

Here is a look back at a story that appeared 15 years ago in The Plain Dealer, on April 12, 1999, when the Browns were considering whether to take Kentucky's Tim Couch No. 1 overall in the draft:

BROWNS TALKING TRADE

COUCHWORKOUTDOESN'T END INTEREST IN DEAL

By Mary Kay Cabot

Plain Dealer Reporter

The Browns emerged from their workout Tim Couch here yesterday making some of their strongest statements yet about trading the No.1 pick.

"Something dramatic could be forthcoming that could have a huge impact on us," said Browns President Carmen Policy following the 1-hour workout.

Dwight Clark, director of football operations, confirmed after the workout that Saints President Bill Kuharich called him Saturday about a trade. The Saints are offering all six of their picks this year and some choice ones in the future.

"He wanted to know if we would be interested in trading the pick and I told him we would be," said Clark. "He said he knew that our feelings might change after we worked out Tim, and he said he'd call me this week."

Their feelings didn't change. Policy confirmed that the Browns were still strongly considering a trade after the workout. Although the ex-Kentucky passer had an "excellent workout," according to coach Chris Palmer, he also did nothing to topple the Browns' other two candidates, Oregon quarterback Akili Smith and Texas running back Ricky Williams.

"We're not looking to win the division in 1999 or even get to the playoffs," said Policy. "We're looking to build for the future and if you can get that blockbuster trade that gives you a combination of picks that can really set you up for the next 12 years, I think we'd be very, very foolish not to give it serious consideration."

The Saints have the No.12 pick in the first round but no second-rounder this year. They are believed to be offering an additional first- and third-round pick next year and/or players. The Browns will undoubtedly want more picks, perhaps at least a No.2 in the future.

"The [Saints' offer] will play into our decision, like many of the offers we anticipate getting for the first pick," Policy said.

The Browns might be just as happy moving down and taking another one of the top five passers in the draft or another premier player, such as Miami running back Edgerrin James, who could be around at No.12. Clark has also called Georgia cornerback Champ Bailey "the perfect pick."

But of the Browns' top three men, he said, "There's still no clear-cut front-runner in my mind after this workout."

Added Palmer: "Akili and Tim are neck and neck and Ricky Williams is still in the race. We'll go into the bunker now to make our decision, but it won't be easy.

"It probably won't be made until Saturday morning."

Clark said: "I would say it was better [than his previous workout]. I don't know that it was much better.

Tim's mechanics need a lot of work. Akili's mechanics? You wouldn't have to touch them," Clark said. "Tim would have to work on his, but it's nothing that can't be worked out, especially with a quarterback expert like coach Palmer."

Couch, 21, threw 115 passes and ran the 40-yard dash twice, once in 4.9 seconds and once in 4.8, faster than expected. And that was after he threw 40 passes. Palmer was much more satisfied with Couch's workout yesterday than the one on March 11. He likened it more to Smith's great workout last month.

"He was more relaxed and threw with more confidence," said Palmer. "There's no question in my mind [about his arm strength]. The wind will not be a factor for him."

Palmer said Smith has greater arm strength and better mechanics, but pointed out that Couch played only three years at Kentucky and is 21. Smith is 23. "What you see with Tim right now is not necessarily what you're going to get," Palmer said.

Palmer worked a lot with Couch yesterday on the height of his release, his hip rotation and his balance. Couch also did a lot better with the new grip he's been working on for the past six weeks.

"I thought I gave a strong effort," Couch said. "I've been getting more zip on the ball each day. Of the 115, I think only three were on the ground. The things I'm doing wrong are minor and I can correct them real quick."

Palmer, who conducted the workout had Couch throwing a lot to the outside. He threw only about eight deep balls. No pass was spared. Clark even stood in on three-receiver sets.

The Browns had 11 men at the workout, including owner Al Lerner. On hand for Couch were his agent, Tom Condon; his mother, Janice; father, Elbert; brother Greg and some family friends. The workout was closed, but members of the media observed through windows.


Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox: Get updates and chat live with Zack Meisel

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The Indians and White Sox battle this afternoon in Chicago in the third game of a four game set.

CHICAGO, Illinois -- After ending their recent struggles versus Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox hope to do the same against Indians ace Justin Masterson.


They'll get the chance Saturday while trying to hand the visiting Indians a fourth consecutive defeat.


Chicago (6-5) dropped 14 straight versus Cleveland before outscoring the Indians (5-6) 16-9 to win the first two of this four-game set. Conor Gillaspie had four RBIs on Friday as the White Sox improved to 4-1 at home with a 9-6 victory.


Get scoring updates and analysis as the Indians take on the White Sox in the second game of a four-game set at U.S. Cellular Field and chat with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel in the comments section.


Ohio State Buckeyes spring football game 2014, Gray beats Scarlet 17-7: Quick wrap

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The Buckeyes didn't do a lot on offense in their 2014 spring game at Ohio Stadium in front of 61,058 fans. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio --  Quick thoughts from Ohio State's spring football game on Saturday.

Final score: Gray 17, Scarlet 7

The quarterbacks: J.T. Barrett was 15 of 33 for 151 yards for the Gray. Cardale Jones was 13 of 29 for 106 yards for the Scarlet. Injured starter Braxton Miller stood behind the line of scrimmage with Urban Meyer and observed, as he has done all spring.

The offensive stars: Receiver Michael Thomas caught six passes for 64 yards for the Gray. Thomas was a previous spring game star, catching 12 passes in 2012. Running backs Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball each scored a touchdown.

The defensive star: Defensive end Rashad Frazier, a transfer from Purdue who played little last season, had two sacks on the first series. On the first, he knocked the ball away from Barrett and recovered it for a touchdown. Linebacker Chris Worley also played very well.

The story: Neither quarterback had a great day and it was easy to see that the offensive line is a work in progress. Meyer said previously it was the part of the team that still needed the most work. Taylor Decker and Pat Elflein, the two linemen Meyer has said are sure starters in the fall, didn't play. That left a lot for the other linemen to work on.

 The attendance: The Buckeyes announced the crowd at 61,058, about what the Buckeyes have averaged over the years. Ohio State lowered the price for the tickets from $20 to $5 on Friday, with anyone who previously purchased tickets at the old advance price of $12 able to get a refund of the difference. But on a beautiful day, the Buckeyes may have drawn more with a lower price to begin with.

The quote: "I want to thank our student body and our fans, 60-plus thousand people on a beautiful day in Columbus. To sit through a spring game, sometimes I don't want to be watching it." - Urban Meyer

Cleveland.com will be back with more coverage later in the day after the postgame interviews.

If Cleveland Browns GM Ray Farmer were a pitcher, we'd be impressed -- with his warmup tosses: Bud Shaw's Spin

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Keeping Alex Mack was a good move for the Browns. The decisions get a lot tougher and even more important for rookie GM Ray Farmer come May 8.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the process of Alex Mack signing an offer sheet with Jacksonville and the Browns quickly matching it, Ray Farmer was described as:

• a rookie GM who messed up by not franchising his center;

• at best a high-stakes gambler; and

• finally, a market genius who let the fool Jaguars do the heavy lifting for him.

With every strained attempt to appraise a Browns GM on yet another off-season of work, it’s obvious we haven’t learned our lesson.

Not much happening between the end of the season and draft day is an indicator of success. What were the chances the fate of a short-snapper fought over by opposing 4-12 teams would make or break the Browns and carve a lasting legacy for Farmer? Next to nil.

Until we know how Farmer evaluates talent on draft day, until we know his specific plans for the quarterback position, any conclusions reached about him are pure folly.

The story lines from just a year ago should be fresh enough in our minds to suspend all praise, as well as most criticism.

Joe Banner had smartly assembled a strong coaching staff (Norv Turner, Ray Horton) -- remember? -- to support his rookie head coach, Rob Chudzinski, himself described as a bright light in offensive thinking.

Paul Kruger? Brought in from a team (Baltimore) where winning big is second nature, Kruger not only fit the new “aggressive philosophy” established on both sides of the ball, but he’d help a perennial loser learn how to win.

Banner promised smart decisions in quick fashion, decisions so obviously brilliant we dummies would recognize a high football IQ at work. One of those widely praised decisions: getting Davone Bess, third-down wizard and locker room mentor, for next to nothing on draft day.

How’d that work out, mon?

A year later, a new regime has brought in players from winning teams (Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby, at least in 2013) to replace two old standbys (T.J. Ward and D’Qwell Jackson) whom – we are told – may have become beaten down by all the losing.

Farmer is getting mostly credit for his off-season acquisitions even though we know free agency is a fraction as important as the draft.

Our habit of praising each new regime for simply not being the past regime is beyond old. We’ve been doing it since Butch Davis walked through the door and Chris Palmer was shown the way out in 2001. It’s instructive to remember that Davis bowed down “we-are-not-worthy style” to Jeff Garcia. Then put him in a system he was ill-suited to run.

We did our own bowing to Mike Holmgren’s quarterback guru status even as it became evident that his answers were an over-the-hill Jake Delhomme, an underdog Colt McCoy and a habitual flipper in Brandon Weeden.



So until we know what Farmer’s plan is at quarterback, his grade as GM can’t be anything except incomplete.

We needed to see Banner and Mike Lombardi on draft day, for instance, before uttering a collective “uh-oh.”

Teams don’t enjoy sustained success (there’s that term again) until they win draft day. Not coincidentally, that’s often where they find their quarterback.

What we can say so far about Farmer: he let some good players leave. He acquired some good players. He kept an All-Pro center after letting him test the market.

And his season begins May 8.

For more of Bud Shaw's Sports Spin, see Spinoffs and "You Said It"

Solon boys close strong, girls stay strong throughout to sweep Medina Relays (videos)

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Solon's boys team won two of the last three running events, and the girls team won 10 of 15 events at the Medina Relays.

MEDINA, Ohio — Very little changed for Solon's girls track team on Saturday when it dominated the field at the 27th annual Medina Relays, winning 10 of the 15 events.

But the Comets' boys team finished strong in the final events to win its first meet of the season, overcoming a tough field featuring top teams like St. Ignatius, Austintown-Fitch and Berea-Midpark to do so. They finished with 93.5 points, and the Titans came in second with 88.

Solon won four events, including Brandon Bolden winning the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.82 seconds, just 0.08 seconds shy of the meet record. Kevin Blank added an individual win in the 3,200 (9:44.21), which put the Comets in first for good.

"I think we have a core group of kids that we can really rely on. And they really performed," Solon boys track coach Dan Iwan said. "It's just a grind. Not every race, not every event went our way. We were close in some. We came up short in some. But we kept on at it."

The Comets' 4x400 relay team of Nehemiah Furlow, Kollyn Crenshaw, Tavon Riddick and Caleb Morey won the last running event of the day with a time of 3:28.22, with Berea-Midpark finishing in second.

This story will be updated with videos.

The meet came down to the pole vault relay in which Solon finished third behind Berea-Midpark, who was runner-up to North Canton Hoover. But the Comets had plenty of points left over to ensure the win.

While the Comets closed strong with wins in the last two events on the track, it was one they lost, the 4x100, that Iwan felt gave his team some momentum.

"Even though we didn't beat Fitch — I mean, they've got a great team in the 4x100 — we ran a great time and we did some things that I think surprised some people," Iwan said. "From that point on, our kids started to say, 'Okay, here we come. We have some events that we're going to be good at coming up.' I think that was the turning point, at least for me it was."

Solon's girls team had a very impressive afternoon, winning 10 events and coming in second in two other events to win, finishing 50 points better than second-place Magnificat.

The Comets were strong in the field, winning three of the five events and placing in the top-three in the others. Solon's shot put relay team of Alexis Gray, Jane Sensibaugh and Jordan Pressman broke the meet record set in 1992 by Medina, throwing for a combined 110 feet, 6.75 inches.

"They did not have (the record) until every one of those girls' last throws," Solon girls track coach Brian Sabol said. "They were in first place, but they didn't have the record yet. They took it upon themselves to not just be satisfied, but to say, 'Hey, we can even get better. We can improve.' And every single one on their last throw improved, and that's what got them the record."

Solon's girls won the 4x100 (49.48), the 4x100 hurdles (1:08.98), sprint medley (1:52.02), 4x400 (4:07.80) and 4x1,600 (23:03.13). Jelvon Butler won the 100 (12.56) and sophomore Louiza Wise won the 3,200 (11:28.67).

Medina's boys team came in fifth but it swept the throwing events as the combination of Mike Hierholzer, Austin Hazek and Jake Wickey won both the shot put relay (146-3) and the discus relay (428-7).

"Our shot and discus guys are very consistent," Medina boys track coach Bob Jenkins said. "We have two seniors and a freshman, who consistently win the meets. We usually get, from our field events, our jumps and our throws, 30, 40, 50 points per meet which gives us a great level playing field when we start the running events."

BOYS

MEDINA RELAYS

How they finished: 1. Solon 93.5; 2. Berea-Midpark 88; 3. St. Ignatius 80; 4. Austintown Fitch 73; 5. Medina 43; 6. Avon Lake 23; 7. St. Edward 20; 8. North Canton Hoover 16; 9. Brecksville-Broadview Heights 14; 10. John Adams 6; 11. Wickliffe 5; 12. Willoughby South 2.5; 13. Lorain 1.

Shot put: 1. Medina (Hierholzer, Hazek, Wickey) 146-3; 2. Avon Lake 138-2.5; 3. St. Ignatius 127-6.5. Discus: 1. Medina (Hierholzer, Hazek, Wickey) 428-7; 2. Solon 372-3; 3. Austintown-Fitch 367-5. High jump: 1. Berea-Midpark (Barwise, Coker, Diggins) 17-8; 2. Austintown-Fitch 17-5; 3. Medina 17-2. Long jump: 1. Berea-Midpark (Robertson, Coker, Reihart) 59-5.25; 2. Solon 57-10.25; 3. St. Ignatius 56-2.5. Pole vault: 1. North Canton Hoover (Peare, Shier, Shreve) 35; 2. Berea-Midpark 34; 3. Solon 33. 4x1,600: 1. Solon (Cohen, Riordan, Pearlman, Blank) 18:28.11; 2. Berea-Midpark 18:30.14; 3. St. Ignatius 18:40.81. 4x100: 1. Austintown-Fitch (Gibson, Harrington, Hall, Bowlen) 42.80; 2. Solon 43.26; 3. Berea-Midpark 43.35. 4x110 hurdles: 1. St. Ignatius (Melton-Burke, Moore, Ruddy, McVey) 1:01.88; 2. Berea-Midpark 1:05.34; 3. Medina 1:06.09. Sprint medley: 1. Austintown-Fitch (Hall, Bowlen, Harrington, Gibson) 1:34.67; 2. Solon 1:35.32; 3. St. Ignatius 1:36.01. 4x800: 1. Berea-Midpark (Ellis, Nicholas, Duncan, Carroll) 8:16.29; 2. St. Ignatius 8:19.61; 3. Austintown-Fitch 8:48.59. Distance medley: 1. St. Edward (Fioretto, Wasik, Eifel, Marquard) 11:00.65; 2. St. Ignatius 11:15.89; 3. Avon Lake 11:39.17. 4x400: 1. Solon (Furlow, Crenshaw, Riddick, Morey) 3:28.22; 2. Berea-Midpark 3:31.33; 3. Austintown-Fitch 3:32.81. 110H: 1. Wasik (SE) 14.39; 2. Ortz (AF) 14.85; 3. Melton-Burke (SI) 15.08. 100: 1. Bolden (So) 10.82; 2. Harrington (AF) 11.04; 3. Norris (SI) 11.26. 3,200: 1. Blank (So) 9:44.21; 2. Wagner (SI) 10:00.64; 3. Ellis (BM) 10:02.16.

GIRLS

MEDINA RELAYS

How they finished: 1. Solon 129; 2. Medina 79; 3. North Canton Hoover 64; 4. Austintown-Fitch 49; 5. Berea-Midpark 47; 6. Brecksville-Broadview Heights 36; 7. Magnificat 35; 8. Willoughby South 13; 9. Avon Lake 12; 10. Lorain 9; 11. John Adams 2.

Shot put: 1. Solon (Gray, Sensibaugh, Pressman) 110-6.75*; 2. Medina 102-1.25; 3. Austintown-Fitch 99-3.5. Discus: 1. Solon (Gray, Pressman, Csizma) 346-1; 2. Medina 287-11; 3. Austintown-Fitch 276-4. High jump: 1. North Canton Hoover (Worley, Voegele, Biss) 15; 2. Solon 14-11; 3. Brecksville 14-8. Long jump: 1. Solon (Kandakai, Wright, Obi) 47-4.25; 2. Medina 47-1.5; 3. Berea-Midpark 45-8.5. Pole vault: 1. Medina (Baluch, Conway, Campbell) 27-6; 2. Berea-Midpark 26-8; 3. Solon 24-10. 4x1,600: 1. Solon (Wise, Haiss, E. Sandridge, G. Sandridge) 23:03.13; 2. Austintown-Fitch 23:07.29; 3. North Canton Hoover 23:35.93. 4x100: 1. Solon (Hawkins, Butler, Mitchell, Kandakai) 49.48; 2. Austintown-Fitch 51.04; 3. North Canton Hoover 51.26. 4x100 hurdles: 1. Solon (Moore, Jurewicz, Hayes, Mocsiran) 1:08.98; 2. North Canton Hoover 1:09.20; 3. Medina 1:11.63. Sprint medley: 1. Solon (Hawkins, Kandakai, Butler, Wright) 1:52.02; 2. Austintown-Fitch 1:53.87; 3. Magnificat 1:54.25. 4x800: 1. Brecksville (Cook, Beaver, Schlabig, Kotchman) 9:45.19; 2. Medina 9:46.53; 3. North Canton Hoover 10:02.76. Distance medley: 1. Medina (Wolf, Vidika, Pack, Scavuzzo) 12:55.80; 2. Solon 13:36.83; 3. Austintown Fitch 13:44.00. 4x400: 1. Solon (Wright, Kandakai, Mitchell, Butler) 4:07.80; 2. Magnificat 4:07.95; 3. Brecksville 4:11.88. 100H: 1. Veldhuizen (NCH) 15.90; 2. Wilson (L) 16.31; 3. Mocsiran (So) 17.16. 100: 1. Butler (So) 12.56; 2. Fisher (NCH) 12.89; 3. Davis (AF) 13.19. 3,200: 1. Wise (So) 11:28.67; 2. DiBiasio (BM) 11:40.99; 3. Bing (NCH) 11:55.93.

*-Meet record.

Urban Meyer announces some starters, many position battles to continue: Post-spring Ohio State Buckeyes depth chart

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"The way they treat it here, spring is the opportunity to go earn a position," safety Tyvis Powell said. "When summer camp comes around, they pretty much got who they want in. There aren't too many changes made, so what you see right now is kind of what it is going to be."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Urban Meyer was asked after Ohio State's annual spring game if any position battles were resolved heading into next season. 

Meyer took it a step further and announced the starters who have earned their starting spots.

"The way they treat it here, spring is the opportunity to go earn a position," said safety Tyvis Powell, who was one of the players Meyer listed. "When summer camp comes around, they pretty much got who they want in. There aren't too many changes made, so what you see right now is kind of what it is going to be."

Below is a comprehensive look at the Buckeyes' depth chart immediately after the spring game. The players listed next to positions indicates they've won the battle, while positions that are still open have the players vying for that spot in parentheses

OFFENSE:

QB - Braxton Miller

RB - BATTLE: (Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel, Bri'onte Dunn) 

WR - Dontre Wilson

WR - BATTLE: (Devin Smith, Michael Thomas)

WR - BATTLE: (Evan Spencer, Corey Smith, Johnnie Dixon) 

TE - Jeff Heuerman

LT - Taylor Decker

LG - BATTLE: (Antonio Underwood, Evan Lisle, Demetrius Knox, Joel Hale)

C - BATTLE: (Jacoby Boren, Billy Price) 

RG - Pat Elflein

RT - BATTLE: (Darryl Baldwin, Tommy Brown, Jamaco Jones) 

DEFENSE:

DE - Noah Spence

DT - Adolphus Washington

DT - Michael Bennett

DE - Joey Bosa

SLB - BATTLE: (Darron Lee, Chris Worley) 

MLB - BATTLE: (Curtis Grant, Raekwon McMillan) 

WLB - Joshua Perry

CB - Doran Grant

CB - BATTLE: (Armani Reeves, Eli Apple and Gareon Conley) 

NB – Armani Reeves

S - Tyvis Powell

S - BATTLE: (Vonn Bell, Cameron Burrows) 


David Murphy, Ryan Raburn lead Cleveland Indians past White Sox, 12-6

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Justin Masterson struggled, but the Indians still have plenty of offense to beat Chicago on Saturday.

CHICAGO -- Justin Masterson’s ownership of the White Sox is apparently over, but Ryan Raburn still has his name on their lease.

That’s a good thing for the Indians, who scrambled to a 12-6 victory Saturday over Chicago at windswept U.S. Cellular Field.

Masterson went 4-0 against Chicago last year. Two victories were complete-game shutouts, but that was then and this is a new season. On Saturday, the White Sox bounced Masterson around to the tune of six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked five, struck out seven and left with the score tied, 6-6, in the fifth.

Enter Raburn, whose two-run single in the seventh broke the tie and helped the Tribe end a three-game losing streak. Raburn entered the game hitting .301 (91-for-302) lifetime against the White Sox with 18 doubles, 17 homers and 70 RBI.

After Nick Swisher singled to start the seventh, Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley walked to load the bases with one out. Daniel Webb, the third Chicago pitcher in the inning, retired Asdrubal Cabrera for the second out, but Raburn stung him with a soft single to center.

"This is one of those places where I feel pretty comfortable," said Raburn. "I’ve faced these guys so many times, you kind of get a knack of what they’re trying to do. But you’ve still got to put the bat on the ball. This place has been pretty good to me and hopefully it continues."

The Indians added plenty of insurance in the ninth as David Murphy hit a three-run triple and Mike Aviles delivered him with a single. Murphy, who homered earlier in the game, collected four RBI.

"My teammates gave me an opportunity to be successful right there," said Murphy, hitting .303 (10-for-33). "I’m not trying to hit a triple. I’m trying to stay small, hit something hard up the middle."

Masterson and Chicago starter Felipe Paulino were incapable of holding a lead. Paulino allowed six runs on six hits in five innings.

In his last two starts, Masterson has allowed 10 earned runs and 14 hits in 8 1/3 innings. As for getting roughed up by the White Sox, Masterson said, "There's always some factor that didn't make it happen today. One day those ground balls go to people, the next day they arent going to people." 

The Indians took a 3-0 in the first against Paulino, but Masterson couldn’t hold it.

After Nyjer Morgan opened the game with a single, Paulino walked Kipnis and Santana with one out to load the bases. Brantley singled to left center to make it 2-0. Santana scored from third when Asdrubal Cabrera ran his way out of a double play.

The inning may not have been as rewarding if the Indians didn’t appeal first-base umpire Gerry Davis' ruling that Morgan had been picked off for the second out of the inning. Manager Terry Francona challenged the call and the challenge was upheld.

Morgan never moved off the bag as the play was being reviewed.

"I knew I was safe," he said. "I wasn't going anywhere."

The White Sox came right back with four runs in the first. Masterson gave up a leadoff walk to Adam Eaton, but a double play that wasn’t turned hurt him. Leury Garcia sent a grounder to Aviles at third. His throw to second was behind Kipnis and went into right field as Eaton went to third.

Conor Gillaspie, who drove in four runs Friday night, singled home Eaton as Garcia went to second. Masterson walked Jose Abreu to load the bases and gave up a two-run double to Adam Dunn to make it 3-3. Alexei Ramirez put Chicago ahead on an RBI forceout.

"I finally found my slider again, the sinker was moving a lot and the four seamer was just average," said Masterson. "I just didn't catch any breaks. What's been incredible is the offense we've been showing."

Murphy started the second with a homer just off the right field foul pole to get Masterson and the Tribe back to even.Masterson, however, was off his game. Eaton opened the second with a homer to right for a 5-4 lead. Masterson retired the next three batters in order.

The game settled down until the fifth, when Swisher and Kipnis hit consecutive homers off Paulino for a 6-5 lead. It was the first time the Indians have gone deep back-to-back this season.

Masterson came out for the fifth. With 88 pitches to that point, he needed three outs to qualify for the win. It didn’t happen.

He found trouble right away, hitting Dunn and allowing singles to Ramirez and Alejandro De Aza to load the bases. Adrian Nieto chopped a ball in front of the plate that Santana grabbed and stepped on home for the first out, but had no chance to throw to first for the double play.

Jordan Danks, with the bases still loaded, sent a grounder to first. Swisher stepped on first for the second out and threw home, but Ramirez beat Santana’s tag with a strong slide to tie the score. Lefty Josh Outman relieved and ended the inning.

"The idea was to get through the fifth without giving up any runs and we almost made it," said Masterson.

Outman (2-0), Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and John Axford pitched the final 4 2/3 innings without allowing a run. 

"The bullpen did a great job," said Murphy. "They had some tough situations. It's fun to watch them go out there."

A day without Braxton Miller: Ohio State backup QBs show in spring game how much Buckeyes' smiling starter is needed

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As Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett had a hard time leading the offenses, quarterback Braxton Miller watched from the sideline with the comfort of knowing he's unquestionably the starter this year. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Braxton Miller wore a windbreaker and shorts as he stood next to Urban Meyer and observed Ohio State's offense from behind the line of scrimmage. He spent all afternoon smiling.

When Cardale Jones misfired on a pass, Miller didn't bother changing his facial expression as he offered a shrug.

Saturday's spring game was the last game Miller anticipates not being Ohio State's starting quarterback, and there was no reason for the senior to sweat as he watched Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett put up final arguments for why they should be the backup.

Meyer announced after the Gray team's 17-7 win that Jones, who finished 14-of-31 for 126 yards and no touchdowns in a losing effort for the Scarlet, had won that race. Now the hope is OSU won't need to be concerned with quarterbacks not named Braxton Miller for another year.

"Braxton is the guy," said Jones, quickly reminding everyone that he's still the backup even though he took the podium like the starting QB would after a regular season game.

Meyer spent the entire spring talking up Jones' development, but it was clear by Saturday's erratic play that he has a way to go before becoming a reliable backup in the same vein as Kenny Guiton. J.T. Barrett, though the first quarterback Meyer recruited to Ohio State, will spend next season as the third stringer.

But spring is over, and though one of the main battles was backup quarterback, it has never been clearer that Ohio State's hopes for competing at the highest level rest solely on Miller's health and performance.

"I still have work to do to enhance my abilities," Jones, a Glenville grad, said candidly. "And a lot of (Miller's) leadership abilities from off the field, I have been trying really hard to pick up myself."

Ohio State football spring game, Scarlet vs. GrayView full sizeCardale Jones won the backup spot, but he still has a far way to go before he can fill Kenny Guiton's shoes.

Jones is still going through the proper evolution of being a quarterback at a place like Ohio State, and Meyer said that process is something of which Miller was deprived.

Because Miller arrived  as a highly touted recruit in the midst of turmoil that forced Terrelle Pryor to leave school, Miller never had a true mentor. He sat behind Joe Bauserman for a few games before being thrown into the fire.

"The problem Braxton had is he never had a grinder in front of him," Meyer said. "If you remember his history -- the normal progression of a normal freshman quarterback is to come in and play behind a monster, Alex Smith or one of those great players that does everything right.

"He came in and we had the Terrelle Pryor issue, and he left and all of the sudden, Braxton is the guy. That's not the way to do business."

It's hard to say whether Miller would have been smiling quite as much if Guiton were leading one of the teams Saturday. It had to have been hard for Miller to watch Guiton perform at such a high level during his absence last year. It was great Ohio State had Guiton waiting in the wings, but no starter wants to hear how good the backup is. 

Even when Miller returned, Meyer said he thought about pulling him from the Northwestern game in favor of Guiton. Though Miller never was in any real danger of losing his job, Guiton was good enough to create a controversy in some people's minds.

Though that may have been uncomfortable for a player like Miller, one who had never before been in a real competition, Meyer said that was an integral part of development that was previously missing.

"The best example we had was Kenny Guiton, who would prepare the right way, but he's your backup," Meyer said. "It was kind of a nonfunctional situation for a while that we worked through."

After a sloppy game that had only two offensive touchdowns – short touchdown runs by Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball – it's clear there won't be a QB controversy this year. Jones and Barrett, who finished 15-of-27 for 112 yards, were both sloppy as offenses failed to gain any real traction. 

That may cause for more comfort – and more smiles – for Miller, but that also puts Ohio State in a vulnerable situation. Miller now has to do something he hasn't done since high school -- stay healthy for a year.

Assuming he can do that, though, Meyer is pleased with the spring Miller had even if he wasn't taking physical reps.

"I believe he gets it now," Meyer said. "He's a wonderful kid who wants to be great." 


Bats, bullpen pick up Justin Masterson in Cleveland Indians' victory: DMan's Report, Game 12 Saturday

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The Indians' bullpen gave up one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings of a 12-6 victory over the White Sox on Saturday in Chicago.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the White Sox in the third of a four-game series Saturday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 12.

Opponent: White Sox.

Location: U.S. Cellular Field.

Time of day: Afternoon.

Result: Indians 12, White Sox 6.

Records: Indians 6-6, White Sox 6-6.

Rockin' Raburn (Tweet, Tweet): Indians designated hitter Ryan Raburn, who tormented the White Sox last season, had the biggest at-bat of the game. He delivered a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded to give the Tribe an 8-6 lead in the seventh inning. Credit first-base umpire Gerry Davis with an assist.

Raburn stepped in against hard-throwing righty reliever Daniel Webb. Moments earlier, Asdrubal Cabrera had popped foul to third on Webb's first pitch.

Raburn swung and missed at the first pitch. Webb thought he had a second swinging strike on a 99-mph heater away, but Davis ruled Raburn checked in time. Replays indicated that Raburn caught a break.

Instead of potentially being in jail at 0-2, Raburn was at 1-1 when he took a breaking pitch for a ball. The 2-1 count enabled him to dial in on a heater, which is what Webb threw. Raburn ripped the 97-mph pitch off the mound and into center for the go-ahead runs.

Feast or famine: Right fielder David Murphy went 2-for-5 with one homer, one triple and four RBI. Murphy has played 10 games. In seven of them, he is 2-for-20 with two singles and one RBI. In the other three, he is 8-for-13 with three doubles, one triple, two homers and nine RBI.

Hiding in the tumbleweeds: The bottom three in the Tribe order -- Raburn, Murphy and third baseman Mike Aviles -- combined to go 5-for-14 with seven RBI and three runs.

Swishalicious returns: No. 2 batter Nick Swisher, who entered hitting .178 with one homer, was 2-for-6 with one homer, one RBI and two runs. One of the outs was loud, the ball having been knocked down by the wind. He did strike out twice.

Bullish: Tribe relievers picked up Justin Masterson, who struggled for his second straight start (4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 7 K). Lefty Josh Outman and righties Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and John Axford combined to allow one hit in 4 1/3 shutout innings.They quartet walked one and struck out six.

Money men: Outman worked 1 1/3 innings and earned the victory to improve to 2-0. Allen also is 2-0, giving the bullpen 67 percent of the Tribe's victories..

Plush, Plush: Tribe leadoff batter Nyjer Morgan delivered a productive and entertaining first inning.

Right-hander Felipe Paulino threw a 1-1 fastball on the inside corner that Morgan thought was a ball. Umpire Quinn Wolcott called it a strike. Morgan, as if he were Rickey Henderson, turned to Wolcott and briefly asked for an explanation.

Paulino went back inside with a 1-2 fastball that Morgan took. The pitch was close enough that Wolcott easily could have rung up Morgan (in part because Morgan is not Rickey Henderson). Wolcott called it a ball; the K-box supported him.

Paulino went inside again with a fastball, but this one gave Morgan too much swing room and he singled up the middle.

With Swisher batting, Paulino attempted to pick off Morgan. Davis, the crew chief, called Morgan out. Morgan disagreed to the extent that he stood on the bag and waited for manager Terry Francona to arrive on the scene. Replays showed Morgan's right hand reached the bag before the tag of first baseman Jose Abreu. The Indians did, indeed, challenge, and the call was reversed in relatively short order.

Winning the challenge helped make a big inning possible. Morgan eventually scored on a two-run single by Michael Brantley. Asdrubal Cabrera had an RBI fielder's choice for a third run.

Morgan, subbing for injured Michael Bourn in center, finished 1-for-5 with a walk. The Tribe is 5-2 when Plush starts.

Cigar smoke: Indians pitchers have contained Cuban slugger Abreu since he homered twice and drove in three in the series opener. That outburst had pushed Abreu's season's totals to four homers and 14 RBI.

On Friday, Abreu went 0-for-4 with one walk and two strikeouts. On Saturday, he was 0-for-4 with one walk, one run and three strikeouts.

Masterson struck out Abreu looking to end the second. In the fourth, Abreu batted with the bases loaded and two outs. It was then that Masterson made his best three-pitch sequence of the afternoon.

Abreu swing and missed at a nasty slider away, losing his bat in the process. Masterson came back with another slider away, and Abreu fouled it. For the 0-2 pitch, catcher Santana set up way outside with a pronounced body shift, hoping Abreu's peripheral vision detected it. Santana wanted to deke Abreu into thinking another slider was coming. Masterson instead threw a sinker over the middle but low enough. Abreu tapped it to Masterson, who triggered a 1-2-3 double play to keep Cleveland's deficit at 5-4.

Outman, who had given up one of the homers Thursday, struck out Abreu swinging at a high off-speed pitch in the sixth. Credit Francona for allowing the lefty Outman to face the righty Abreu, especially after what happened Thursday.

Axford struck out Abreu swinging at a 98-mph fastball off the outside corner in the ninth.

Fowl play: Allen, who doesn't like his former-teammate-issued nickname, "Chicken Al,'' struck out the side in the eighth. He pitched around a one-out double by Adam Eaton.

Cab fare: Cabrera doubled in the ninth inning against lefty Donnie Veal, extending his hitting streak and doubles streak to four games. All six of his hits in the past four games have come against lefties.

Cabrera is hitting .087 (2-for-23) with zero extra-base hits as a left-handed batter. He is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with five doubles and one homer from the right side.

Trouble early: The Indians and Masterson had mostly themselves to blame for what happened in the White Sox first.

The Tribe's offense had just given their No. 1 starter -- a No. 1 starter who had dominated the White Sox last year -- a three-run lead. One of the worst things Masterson could do was walk the leadoff batter, but that is what happened. Masterson fell behind Eaton 2-0 and 3-1 before losing him with a full-count fastball.

Leury Garcia chopped an 0-1 pitch to Aviles for what should have been a routine double play. But Aviles hurried the throw and sent it way wide of second baseman Jason Kipnis and into the outfield.

With runners on first and third, lefty Conor Gillaspie stepped in. Gillaspie entered with a nine-game hitting streak to begin his season. He had been good against the Indians the past year-plus in part because he hadn't been forced to worry about the inner half. After Masterson got ahead 1-2, Gillaspie fouled. Masterson threw back-to-back quality sliders away that Gillaspie spit on; K-box supported Wolcott in both cases. Masterson's full-count pitch was a fastball up that Gillaspie slapped to left for an RBI single.

Those three at-bats were a lot less excusable than what happened next. Cleanup man Abreu walked and Adam Dunn hit a two-run single to right-center to tie the score, 3-3. Alexei Ramirez grounded into a fielder's choice -- Masterson's first out coming on his 24th pitch -- before Alejandro De Aza's multi-hop RBI single through the hole at second gave Chicago a 4-3 lead.

Masterson struck out the next two batters to end the uprising, but the damage had been done. A 1-2-3 inning against Masterson might have deflated the White Sox a bit, even as hot as they have been offensively. Instead, the Indians not only let the White Sox back in it, they allowed them to take the lead.

Bouncing back: The White Sox have excelled in the series at answering Cleveland runs from the top of an inning. The four in the first pushed their series total of "response'' runs to 11.

Murphy led off the Tribe second with homer. The White Sox responded with an Eaton leadoff homer. Swisher and Kipnis gave the Tribe a 6-5 lead with one-out homers in the fifth. The White Sox responded with one run.

Shaw delivered the Indians' first shutdown inning of the game when, after Raburn's two-run single in the seventh made it 8-6, the White Sox went 1-2-3.

Issues in the field: The Aviles miscue, and a mishandled grounder by Kipnis in the ninth, are part of the Tribe's sloppy start to the season defensively -- and errors only tell part of the story. The Indians have failed to make an assortment of plays that weren't ruled errors but were costly. The list includes passed balls; wild pitches that should have been blocked; double plays not turned; and grounders under or through gloves.

Help from above: Kipnis led off the third with what should have been a routine pop to center. The wind pushed the ball away from Eaton, who chased in vain. The ball dropped in shallow left-center.

Kipnis, upset with himself as he exited the box, reached first with a gift single -- but he needed to be on second with a gift double. The lack of the extra base loomed large when the next batter, Carlos Santana, grounded into a 4-5-3 double play. Third baseman Gillaspie turned it because the White Sox had shifted against Santana.

Santana slumping: Tribe cleanup man Santana entered the afternoon in an 0-for-13 slide. It grew to 0-for-16, but he did walk twice and score twice. He is hitting .179 but owns a .396 on-base percentage.

Bunt that wasn't almost KO's Nick Swisher: Cleveland Indians chatter

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Indians first baseman Nick Swisher thought it was a bunt so he charged before slamming it into reverse and trying to avoid a heat-seeking liner off the bat of Alejandra De Aza.

CHICAGO – Seen and heard Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.

Clubhouse confidential: One moment Nick Swisher was thinking bunt. The next he was thinking plastic surgery.

The White Sox had runners on first and second Saturday with no one out in the fifth inning. The Indians led, 6-5, and with Alejandro De Aza at the plate, Swisher felt a bunt coming. When you think bunt, and you’re a first baseman, you’ve got to charge, so charge Swisher did.

“As soon as I didn’t see that bat coming down in the bunt position, I tried to backpedal as fast as I could,” said Swisher. “He screamed one right at me. I said, “Oh, man, just don’t hit me in the face.’”

Swisher jumped for the ball, got a glove on it, but the ball ended up in right field for a single that loaded the bases.

“It ripped my glove right off,” said Swisher. “I said, “Thanks, bro, you couldn’t hit that on the ground to shortstop?’”

Said Justin Masterson, the man who threw the pitch, “It went right through Swish’s glove.”

He’s all yours: Lefty Josh Outman relieved Masterson with one out in the fifth in the Tribe’s 12-6 victory. It was the third straight quick exit by an Indians’ starter so Outman figured he’d be out there for a while. What he didn’t know was whether manager Terry Francona would let him face rookie power hitter Jose Abreu in the sixth with the score tied, 6-6, and a runner on first.

Francona did and Outman struck him out. Abreu, a right-handed hitter from Cuba, entered the game with four homers and 14 RBI in his first 10 games in the big leagues.

“He’s a relative unknown,” said Outman, who earned the win. “He’s got tremendous power and he covers a lot of the plate. From watching him the first night (Thursday) that we were here, he does a lot better with the ball coming to him than the ball going away from him. I kept the ball going away from him.”

Stat of the day: Jason Kipnis has hit safely in 21 of his 22 games at U.S. Cellular Field. He is currently on a 10-game hitting streak on the south side of Chicago.


Middle-of-the-pack defense marks huge step forward: Cleveland Cavaliers Insider

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The Cavaliers' have improved their defense from dead-last in the league last season to 12th this season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – With one game left, the Cavaliers have begun to reflect on their season. No, they didn't meet their biggest goal – the playoffs.

They did, however, manage to accomplish the other big item on coach Mike Brown's to-do list: Their defense improved dramatically. The Cavaliers went from 30th in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage last season (.476) to 12th (.453) in 2013-14.

Middle-of-the-pack is actually an area of pride for these Cavaliers.

"When Coach Brown came in, he truly made an emphasis on it," Kyrie Irving said. "That was something we needed to improve on. We kind of took it as a challenge to ourselves to go out there and be in the right spot, challenge yourself to be better individually and as a group. I think we've done that."

Brown admitted it took his team some time to buy into his philosophy, and the struggles through November and December still haunt him. The Cavaliers were 4-12 in November.

"We have gotten better on both ends of the floor," Brown said. "It's shown statistically, it's shown in our record, and it's shown in our play. The direction that we're going, I'm excited about, I'm happy about. The area where I struggle, and I've said this before, is we didn't play good basketball in November and December."

Toughest part of season: Brown admitted the final week might be the toughest stretch for his squad. The Cavaliers have little to provide motivation.

"This part of the season is hard. It's real hard for a lot of teams in our situation -- that have guys who are banged up and bruised and out of the hunt, out of the chase," Brown said. "My whole thing is every time we step on the floor, whether it's for practice or shootaround, I want my guys to continue to appreciate an opportunity to get better."

'If' is a big word: Irving reminded reporters before Saturday's game that he has only been chosen for a pool of 28 players for USA Basketball's men's national team, and hasn't officially been named to the squad that will play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain Aug. 30-Sept. 14.

Asked if he already had marked down the dates of camps and exhibition games throughout the summer, Irving stopped further questions.

"'If' is a big word," he said. "I've still got to make the team, first, so that's where my focus is. When that time arrives to be in camp, just trying to be there and take advantage of the opportunity."

Nordonia boys, Mentor girls pick up track and field wins at Knight Relays (slideshow, videos)

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Nordonia boys edged Brunswick in the final event while Mentor girls outdistanced Stow to win the 2014 Knight Relays.

MACEDONIA, Ohio -- Ahead by two points Saturday with one event remaining, Nordonia coach Scott Barwidi said he was confident his boys track team could hold off Brunswick and capture the Knight Relays team title.

But just to be safe, Barwidi and his staff applied some pressure as soon as they found out what was at stake in the 4x400-meter relay.

"We told them it's going to come down to this 4x400 and there's only one option," Barwidi said. "They got the message."

Nordonia's Dylan Mabin jumped out to a quick lead, and Theo Washington, Jordan Nobles and Brandon Truett finished strong in a meet-record time of 3:26.73, eclipsing the mark set by Maple Heights in 2006 (3:26.80).

Brunswick, which closely trailed the Knights heading into the final leg of the relay, bobbled its third exchange and finished fifth.

"My jaw dropped, and my eyes got big," Washington said after he saw Brunswick botch the final handoff. "Coach said if we took care of our business that we would win the meet, and we did that, regardless of how (Brunswick) finished."

This post will be updated with videos shortly.

Nordonia won five events and was second in two more, earning 103 points to finish ahead of Brunswick (95) and Mentor (90). 

The Knights, who won last week's Bill Dodd Invitational at Byers Field by more than 100 points, got wins in the long jump from Denzel Ward [21-11(3/4)] and the 110 hurdles from Theo Washington (15.87). 

Ward is unbeaten this season in three long jump competitions.

"It's real comforting to know that we can go somewhere and Denzel is going to be at the top of the long jump standings every time," Barwidi said. "We feel that way about our sprinters and our throwers too. We've got kids that are competing at practice and getting better, and that's the most important thing."

Brunswick got wins in the sprint medley relay (1:37.14) and the 100 meters (Richie Norman, 11.27) and combined to win the discus relay behind Nick Zak (155-1) and Tyler Laffin (146-3).

Mentor's John Maurins had the top individual throw in the discus (158-5) and posted a Boliantz Stadium record in the shot put (63-2). The Cardinals also got wins in the 4x800 relay (8:31.81) and the 4x1600 relay (18:52.12).

Meanwhile, Mentor's girls team turned in another strong performance one week after capturing the Avon Lake Invitational. The Cardinals collected 100 points to win, followed by Stow (82) and Brunswick (78). 

Host Nordonia was fourth with 60 points despite missing top sprinter Tierra Stephens, who sat out due to a coach's decision, according to Barwidi.

Aysha Muhammad led the Cardinals with a first-place finish in the 100 hurdles (15.66) and anchored the runner-up 4x400 relay.  Muhammad held off Asya Reynolds of Brush (15.72) to win the 100 hurdles for the second straight year.

Reynolds, a transfer student who ran for Shaker Heights last year, successfully defended her individual title in the long jump (17-8) and anchored the third-place 4x400 relay for the Arcs. 

Stow got wins in the 4x400 relay (4:13.76) and the 4x800 relay (10:03.40) and finished 1-2 in the discus with Natalie Winters (117-9) and Kelly Andrews (115-0) taking top honors. 

Brunswick won the 4x100 relay (50.45) and the 4x200 relay (1:47.64), as well as the sprint medley (1:51.87).

Mentor coach Brian Butler called the win "satisfying" after his team finished fourth at the event in 2013. The difference, Butler said, was Mentor's success in the field events.

"We were pretty disappointed when we got on the bus after last year," Butler said. "This year our field events really came through. Jaime Eiben was second in the high jump, and Rachel Piazza scored in the long jump and pole vault. Our field events are still our strength."  

Spring football can lie, but Ohio State game may have shown flipped truths about secondary and offensive line

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"We were talked about so bad in the media, how bad the pass defense was," safety Tyvis Powell said of last season, "so today was just the way to show that we improved that and we were able to be aggressive."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State has undergone a three-month flip, which is what happens with every college football team, unless this flip is a lie, which it might be. Because that's what spring football can do.

Spring football can lie to you.

“I'm not sure what to do with these,” Urban Meyer said, glancing at the stats in his hand after a collection of a few starters and multiple backups in Gray beat a collection of a few starters and multiple backups in Scarlet 17-7. “I don't care.”

Meyer said he was forming impressions on individual players, not his team, during Saturday’s spring game at Ohio Stadium. The 61,058 fans on hand were probably doing the same. So here’s an impression after one glorified, previously-overpriced (the drop from $20 to $5 for tickets on Friday probably helped attendance a bit) practice in a stadium, and the 14 practices before it.

The secondary, which likely kept Ohio State out of the national title game last season, is better. The offensive line, which carried the team through games to allow the Buckeyes to reach that point, is worse.

How much better and how much worse will tell you much, if not most, of what you need to know about the 2014 Buckeyes.

From glumly thinking in the Orange Bowl locker room about the players Ohio State was losing in the secondary – Christian Bryant, C.J. Barnett and Bradley Roby – to embracing the optimism of a new scheme and new talent on Saturday, starting safety Tyvis Powell looked like a new man.

He will be the face of this secondary, a ready and able spokesman in good times and bad. For that reason, we’ll offer the reminder that a year ago at this time, many thought the experienced secondary would be the strength of Ohio State’s 2013 defense. That was before Bryant’s season-ending injury left Meyer banging his fist on a podium, and confusion and soft coverage left fans, and Meyer at times, shaking their heads.

So take this for what it’s worth, more than four months before the Aug. 30 opener in Baltimore against Navy. But that secondary could go from the hole in Ohio State’s championship hopes to something to rely upon.

“I knew we would lose a lot of key players after the season, but just now after going through spring practice, I’m confident we can go out and compete at the highest level with any team now,” Powell said. “We’ve got to get better, but I feel like we’re on our way to being back to the Silver Bullets that everybody once knew.”

Playing aggressively against backup quarterbacks Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett and a receiving crew that didn’t include Dontre Wilson (whom Meyer this spring called the Buckeyes’ best playmaker but was sidelined by a minor shoulder injury) wasn’t impressive in itself. Top cornerback Doran Grant didn’t play after absorbing what Meyer said as slight concussion recently.

But with press coverage from growing corners Gareon Conley, Armani Reeves and Eli Apple, and no glaring mistakes from safeties like Powell, Cam Burrows and Ron Tanner, there was a basic level of confidence and competence that should be encouraging.

“I hope the reaction was that they looked quicker, they look faster, they trigger on the ball much better than they have in the past,” Meyer said of the defense. “If that's your perception, that's mine as well.”

That would certainly be Powell’s.

“We were talked about so bad in the media, how bad the pass defense was,” Powell said of last season, “so today was just the way to show that we improved that and we were able to be aggressive.

“I knew we had to make dramatic improvement in the passing defense. Last year I felt like people had this fear, they didn’t want to get beat deep. And it didn’t allow us to be aggressive on the little short stuff, which was killing us. So this year we just said forget it, we’re going to be aggressive. And with our effort, we just made up for it.”

Effort may not be enough on the offensive line. Meyer has said left tackle Taylor Decker and guard Pat Elflein are the only sure line starters, and he played neither Saturday. He was searching for evidence among the others doing battle. Meyer knew coming into the spring the line was an issue. It remains that way. Fifteen practices didn’t solve anything.

Meyer said he told incoming freshman Jamarco Jones, who will arrive in June with the rest of the remaining freshmen, to be ready to play. He said the same of fellow incoming linemen Demetrius Knox and Brady Taylor. That’s because he’s not certain the answers were on the field Saturday.

“The offensive line, we got a lot of work to do,” Meyer said. “We've got to really go, we gotta really go from here.”

That’s not much different from what Meyer said coming into the spring, when he was thinking about losing four senior starters from the team's best unit. With a quick passing attack and more playmakers, the Buckeyes could craft an offense that doesn’t need the line to be great.

Spring didn’t answer his questions there. Meyer knows that’s the truth.


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