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Alabama's attempt to steal Erick Smith, Marshon Lattimore was unsuccessful because Glenville's 'path to Ohio State is real': Breaking Bama

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"Staying on the same path that was already set for us was a big thing and we wanted to keep that going," Smith said. "Ohio State was something we grew up with. Ohio State attracted you to Glenville, and Glenville attracted you to Ohio State. They both coexist with each other. The path is real."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marshon Lattimore and Erick Smith were asked the same question at different times. Both had the same reaction. 

"Was there a time during your recruiting process when you realistically saw yourself at Alabama? 

Awkward pause. Nervous Smile.

Then answer. 

"Once I got down there and really saw the campus, yeah, I had a little idea of possibly considering them," Smith said. 

"There was a point in time where I tried to see myself fitting in with Alabama," Lattimore said. 

OK - that's the answer you had to expect. 

Six months ago both were impressionable high schools seniors. Nick Saban was walking through the Glenville hallways urging them to come to an Alabama program that has dominated college football the last five seasons. Two national titles has a funny way of opening youthful eyes. 

So of course Smith and Lattimore – two of the most coveted defensive backs in the 2015 recruiting class – gave some thought to bucking the Glenville norm, spurning Ohio State and starting something new with the Crimson Tide. 

"At the end of the day, (the recruiting process) is about finding where you want to be," Lattimore said. "And Alabama gives you a lot to think about." 

Marshon Lattimore Ohio State media dayView full sizeOhio State freshman Marshon Lattimore, a Glenville product, poses for a picture at the Buckeyes media day on Sunday.  

But after Lattimore said that, he looked down at the Ohio State jersey he was wearing as part of the Buckeyes media day, smiled and said perhaps the most telling four words of his five-minute interview. 

"Ohio State is home," Lattimore said, unintentionally echoing the same four words Smith said not more than 10 minutes earlier. 

It had to be uncomfortable for Ohio State when Nick Saban became deeply involved at Glenville. The Cleveland-area high school had become an easy pipeline of top-notch talent to Ohio State, so having one of the biggest powers in college football stirring the pot made recruiting Smith, Lattimore and offensive lineman Marcelys Jones infinitely more difficult. 

For a while, it didn't matter that Glenville sent 17 players to Ohio State in the previous 19 recruiting classes. There was a chance Urban Meyer was going to miss out on perhaps the most talented class from that high school in recent memory. 

How close was Alabama to actually grabbing three Glenville standouts out from underneath Ohio State's nose? On the surface, it seems like Saban was close.

But when you look deeper, you find that the Glenville-Ohio State connection is more powerful than the surface indicates. 

Erick Smith at Ohio State Media DayView full sizeOhio State freshman Erick Smith, a product of Glenville, poses for pictures at the Buckeyes' media day on Sunday.  

It's about history. The pipeline started even before Jim Tressel was hired in 2001, and he still remains a close, personal friend to Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. 

It's about the path. Glenville preaches about doing things the right way so that the ones who come after you have the same opportunities. 

It's about family. If you've noticed a trend with Tarblooders – players with Glenville tattoos or pictures of them wearing their high school apparel well into their college career – it's about being together and staying together. 

All that points in one direction – to Ohio State. 

"Staying on the same path that was already set for us was a big thing and we wanted to keep that going," Smith said. "Ohio State was something we grew up with. Ohio State attracted you to Glenville, and Glenville attracted you to Ohio State. They both coexist with each other. The path to Ohio State is real." 

And now it's 20 players in 20 years. 

"Ohio State is home," Smith said. 


Inside the secret world of the Cleveland Indians' baseball analytics department

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The Indians are confident that their analytics department has provided an edge. To what extent is difficult to measure. Some day, perhaps, they will develop an algorithm for that, too.

TOP SECRET LOCATION, Ohio -- Twenty years ago, scouting reports in the Indians' offices resided in filing cabinets near general manager John Hart's desk. Statistics were kept in cumbersome books that rested in executives' laps as they congregated to debate trade opportunities or potential free-agent signings.

Now, all of the information is stored digitally and the Indians -- as well as every team in the league -- have their own analytics department. Every statistical projection, used as one of a handful of perspectives incorporated into the conversations that the front office holds before executing or refraining from a transaction, is derived from a three-person team employed by the organization.

Tucked in the back corner of the fourth-floor offices at Progressive Field are a series of cubicles that funnel in toward Keith Woolner's office. Two desktop computers and a Dell laptop rest on his wooden L-shaped desk. A large framed photo from an Indians postseason victory against the Yankees in 1997 takes up most of one wall.

A giant dry-erase board takes up most of another. Aside from a short note written by his son in the bottom left corner, the board is empty. That is no surprise. No cues or clues can be on display when an outsider visits.

After all, an analytics department is akin to a CIA unit. The Indians won't let anyone know exactly what statistical programs they operate. They could be using the same methods other teams adopt. Who knows? Everyone involved remains tight-lipped. No one can say for sure how much advanced statistical analysis influences the decisions that front offices make or, a step further, how much they contribute to the product on the field and the overall team results.

So what, exactly, does an analytics department do? The specifics, few will ever know. The basics, however, are instrumental in the modern makeup of a general manager's line of thinking.

"We're very forward-looking," Woolner said. "'What is this player going to contribute to the club this year, next year, in three years? How are these prospects going to develop? What is the makeup of the team going to look like and how competitive is that going to be?'"

Keith WoolnerKeith Woolner, the Indians' director of baseball analytics. 

Woolner worked with software and technology and wrote for Baseball Prospectus in his spare time. He never anticipated that his hobby would evolve into a career until a few jet-setters crossed over from the baseball blogging realm into teams' front offices in the early 2000s. In 2007, Woolner became the Indians' first employee whose position was fully dedicated to analytics. He worked alone for a few years, but the Indians considered his contributions worthy of expansion.

The group aids in the assessment of both short- and long-term decisions. Should the team pony up the extra pennies to sign a particular free agent? Which players should the club ask for in a trade? How does a certain minor league project over the long haul?

"How can we help in drafting, player development, scouting?" Woolner said. "What are the ways we can take the information that we have and make the internal processes better?"

Before the first-year player draft, Woolner, Sky Andrecheck and Max Marchi focus on scouting reports and college data, which they interpret and present to GM Chris Antonetti and director of amateur scouting Brad Grant. Leading up to the trade deadline, they evaluate the components of all potential exchanges.

"There's a lot of conversations out there, most of which never amount to anything," Woolner said, "but you don't know which ones are going to come to fruition, so you spend a lot of time evaluating a bunch of possibilities, most of which are not going to be realistic, so that when that one comes along, you have the information in place so that Chris can make the best decision.

"'Hey, we got a call from this team for this certain player. Who do we like in their system? Who should we be asking for? Who do we think they might be down on for whatever reason?'"

When Woolner first relocated to Cleveland, his neighbor approached him in the fall and said: "Well, the season's over. You must just be kicking back and going into work at 11."

Not quite. During the winter months, they work to assemble the roster for the following year. They recap the season that was, diagnosing the club's strengths and weaknesses and determining a set of offseason priorities. They identify holes that must be filled and they rank available free agents based on statistical projection, value and fit. They examine the farm system and suggest which minor leaguers appear ready for a promotion or which areas of the organization could be shored up via tare. They partake in the winter meetings and arbitration dealings and hot stove discussions.

They have their hands in every facet of the front-office proceedings, but they attack the decisions with sabermetric reasoning. Andrecheck estimated that 70 percent of their time is devoted to building up long-term projection models. The rest of their time is spent assisting with potential transactions and drafting.

"Different times of the year, we're focused on different theories," Andrecheck said, "and we get pulled into basically almost every area of baseball operations. We get a lot of variety and a lot of exposure to different things that go on in baseball operations."

The feedback they provide is supplemental to that of the actual scouts, who travel the country and sit in stadiums so they can offer first-hand accounts of a pitcher's mechanical tendencies or a hitter's habits.

"[Antonetti] wants to know, 'Is this enough value in this trade coming back? Are we doing a favor by doing this?'" Woolner said. "'Between these three deals, how would you have them ranked?' But that's one piece of information. He's asking a lot of people across the baseball organization what they think of different situations. He's taking all of that information and making a decision. He's not coming to me or Sky and making a decision based on what we think player development is going to be able to do.'

"We're a separate department from scouting, but we have a lot of crossover and interaction. We're working toward the same goal, we just have different tools for doing that."

Those tools remain secluded in secrecy. Woolner and Andrecheck declined to even mention an example of a player on which their statistical analysis either hit or missed.

"I'm not too sure I want to get into specifics," Woolner said. "The specifics of what we're working on are considered pretty proprietary. Chris doesn't want any of that information getting out. To a certain extent, we're probably working a lot of the same problems and information that a lot of teams are, but you don't know where you overlap, so you have to assume that all of it is something that shouldn't be leaked."

Andrecheck said they maintain a pulse on what other baseball researchers are writing, but the communication between major league analytic departments is minimal.

"It's hard to know exactly what other teams are doing," he said, "which is OK because that means they don't know what we're doing."

A native of the northeast, Woolner grew up a Red Sox fan. Jim Rice was his favorite player, though now he might scoff at the Hall of Famer's minus-0.4  WPA (Win Probability Added) in 1981. Woolner studied the backs of baseball cards as a kind, noting the home run and RBI totals some of the league's stout sluggers amassed. He believes the day in which the backs of those cards contain such sabermetric tools as WAR (Wins Above Replacement), FIP (Fielding Independent Percentage) and VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) is not far off.

Do others in the office call refer to them as nerds or stat geeks?

"Not to our face," Woolner joked.

While his middle-school classmates were presenting book reports on The Great Gatsby or Nineteen Eight-Four, Andrecheck was scouring the Bill James Handbook, an annual document that contains hundreds of pages of baseball statistics. Not surprising for a kid who calculated his own batting averages during Little League.

Even then, Andrecheck couldn't quite quantify his value to his kid-pitch team. The Indians are confident that their analytics department has provided an edge. To what extent is difficult to measure. Some day, perhaps, Woolner and Co. will develop an algorithm for that, too.

"I can't tell you exactly how many of those 92 wins [last year] are based on what we do here," Woolner said, "because there's such an interaction between what the scouts are doing, what [manager Terry Francona] is doing with the players in the clubhouse.

"The decisions that were made to create that roster, did we contribute to that? Yeah, but it's very hard to pull it apart and say, 'We're responsible for five of those wins.' It doesn't break down like that."

Coming Wednesday: What does the future of baseball analytics hold? Will there be a day in which traditional scouting becomes outdated? Are teams relying too much on numbers and not enough on external variables and common sense?

Coming Thursday: Considering all of the avenues the Indians' explore when making decisions, what, exactly, is the organization's philosophy and, given the track record, does it work?

In case you missed it: 5 stories you need to read from Browns training camp

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Get caught up on what you missed from Monday at Browns training camp. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- It's been a long strange trip since last season ended and this car is pointed straight to Washington D.C. and preseason game No. 2 against the Redskins. There's no quarterback named yet, of course, and the string on training camp is running out.

It's Tuesday today. But hey, that doesn't mean you can't still have a case of the Mondays. So take a look at the stories you might have missed and need to read from Day 12 of training camp.

If Johnny Manziel is to start in Washington 'it needs to be earned,' Mike Pettine says

"If Johnny Manziel is going to start next week on Monday Night Football against Robert Griffin III and Washington, he's going to have to prove to coach Mike Pettine during practice this week that he deserves it."

- Mary Kay Cabot

Brian Hoyer will keep trying to prove to his Browns teammates that 'I am the guy'

"If what Donte Whitner says is true, that the Browns locker room is split 50-50 on Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer, then Hoyer will keep trying to win over the other half."

- Mary Kay Cabot

Johnny Manziel and the risks and temptations of the unusual

"Maybe it's just me, admittedly an old guy -- but young at heart and in maturity.

But critics of Johnny Manziel remind me of the authorities in the Woody Allen movie "Bananas," saying with distaste, "We'll make an example of this ... hepcat."

These people are bad news, man."

- Bill Livingston

Tight end Jordan Cameron says contract talks 'going well'

" Jordan Cameron returned to practice Monday after missing a week with a shoulder injury.

That wasn't even the most encouraging news regarding the Browns' Pro Bowl tight end."

- Tom Reed

Who won Monday at Browns training camp: Updating the battles

"One preseason game is in the books and there are four practices left in training camp. What better day than a rainy, ugly Monday in Berea to get away from the minutiae of isolating one battle each day of camp to updating where each battle we've watched stands as we get into the meat of the preseason?"

- Dan Labbe

Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division football preview 2014: Predictions, top players, best games (slideshow, videos, poll)

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Check out predictions, top players and the best games for the 2014 football season in the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here is a preview of the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division for the 2014 football season, including predictions of the league race, top players and more.

Check cleveland.com/hssports all preseason for conference-by-conference previews, as well as team-by-team outlooks for each of the 134 area squads.

CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE METRO DIVISION

1. Beachwood (6-5, 4-1)

2. Hawken (7-4, 4-1)

3. Independence (6-4, 2-2)

4. Cuyahoga Heights (6-5, 2-2)

5. Richmond Heights (4-6, 0-5)

Preseason awards

Preseason offensive MVP:

Nate Hamilton, Beachwood, RB, Sr., 5-10, 180.

Preseason defensive MVP:

Tyler Hines, Beachwood, S, Sr., 5-9, 175.

Preseason most valuable lineman:

Rjuta Fujita, Hawken, LT/DL, Jr., 5-10, 210.

Other key players: 

Max Balazs, Beachwood, QB, Sr., 5-10, 165.

Brian Calvey, Independence, WR/CB, Sr., 5-11, 158.

Paul Deely, Independence, NT, Sr., 6-1, 255.

Tonie Hamilton, Richmond Heights, QB/TB/LB, 5-9, 160.

Thomas Hockenberry, Independence, QB, Sr., 6-0, 181.

Chase Kiriazis, Cuyahoga Heights, G/NG, 6-1, 250.

Craig McDaniel, Cuyahoga Heights, QB/SS, Sr., 5-11, 175.

James Schmetzer, Independence, FB/LB, Sr., 5-10. 180.

Steven Schmetzer, Independence, TB/LB, 5-10, 167.

Landen Scott, Richmond Heights, OT/DE, 6-2, 210.

Adam Stilson, Hawken, RB/DB, Sr., 5-10, 165.

Anthony Titas, Richmond Heights, OT/DE, 6-2, 220.

Josh Weil,Hawken, RB/OLB, Sr., 5-11, 175.

Outlook

Beachwood’s strengths come on the ground and through the air. From the ground, there’s RB Hamilton, who for the last two years combined for 2,000 rushing yards. Hamilton scored 20 touchdowns last season and runs a 4.1 shuttle and a 4.5 40-yard dash. Then through the air there’s Balazs, the QB. In 2013, Balazs threw for 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns for a 162 passer rating. If that isn’t enough add in S/WR Hines and LB/TE Cameron Mack and the Bisons are the team to beat in the CVC Metro Division.

Hawken’s depth that led them to the playoff ins 2012 and a 7-4 record in 2013 pretty much graduated. Running backs Khari Anderson, Seth King and Josh Walters are gone. So is quarterback Ian Bell. The Hawks will have an experienced core on the offensive and defensive lines thanks to two-way player Sam Woods and Fujita. Look to Weil to make an impact in the backfield on both sides of the ball.

Cuyahoga Heights graduated 11 starters from last season, including the Redskins’ quarterback, top three receivers, three offensive lineman and all four starts in the secondary. That talent helped them make the playoffs for the 16th time in 17 years. This year, Heights’ coach Al Martin will look to QB McDaniel, a second-team All CVC-Metro member, to lead this young, inexperienced team.

Is there a way to replace Brycen Wise? Independence is about to find out. The Blue Devils, who lost Wise to graduation, still have QB Hockenberry, who threw for more than 1,500 yards last season, as well as the foundation created by Deely, a state wrestling qualifier, and the speed of Calvey, a state track qualifier.

Richmond Heights will look to pick up a conference win this season, after going 0-5 last season. They’ll count on the strength of their line, which includes four seniors and their linebackers, which includes two seniors and two juniors.

Top 3 games

Aug. 22, Beachwood at Hawken.

Oct. 24, Independence at Cuyahoga Heights.

Oct. 25, Kirtland at Beachwood.

   

Follow our new high school sports Twitter account above and tag your related Tweets and score updates with the #NEOvarsity hashtag. Contact high school sports reporter Stephanie Kuzydym by email (skuzydym@cleveland.com) or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Cleveland Browns training camp Day 13: Live updates

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Get updates from Berea as the Browns continue training camp.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns are back on the practice field on Tuesday morning in Berea. Practice runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. with Mike Pettine and player availability after.

cleveland.com has training camp covered. See Tweets from Mary Kay Cabot, Tom Reed and others in the box below. Scroll down to the comments where Dan Labbe will be updating you with the latest from practice.

Make sure to check cleveland.com/browns all day for the latest training camp news.

More Browns stories

Return to Browns section

If Johnny Manziel is to start in Washington 'it needs to be earned,' Mike Pettine says

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Johnny Manziel might start in Washington, but he'll have to earn it on the field this week.

BEREA, Ohio -- If Johnny Manziel is going to start next week on Monday Night Football against Robert Griffin III and Washington, he's going to have to prove to coach Mike Pettine during practice this week that he deserves it.

"To me, if you're going to put a guy in a starting role, that needs to be earned,'' Pettine said.

By Monday morning, the rising rookie hadn't yet catapulted himself into No. 1 on the depth chart just yet. Brian Hoyer took all the first-team reps in practice, and the two will most likely alternate working with the starters by the day, like they did last week.

"Nothing's changed,'' said Pettine. "If there was a significant change on the depth chart, it would be reflected on the field."

That doesn't mean Manziel can't sway Pettine and the other staffers by the time they make their decision on a starter for Washington in a few days.

"We will mix the reps this week, but as far as starting the game, we'll make that decision as a committee,'' said Pettine. "It'll be based on several factors."

Pettine indicated that a continuation of the Detroit game, where Manziel ran and threw well, barked out the plays and got the right men in motion, will go a long way toward getting the nod on Aug. 18.

"(He needs to) just continue to master his craft,'' said Pettine. "Run the offense. Be efficient. I don't think there's any one thing like it's a tangible thing where you can say 'if he does this then this will happen.'"

Pettine has acknowledged since June that seeing Manziel with and against starters would make his decision on a starting quarterback for the opener that much easier.

"I'd think that you'd want to expose (a player) to a starting defense if he was going to be the guy opening day,'' Pettine said at the mandatory minicamp in June.

Pettine defended his decision to give offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Dowell Loggains significant input in naming the starting quarterback.

"I'm not making decisions based on being on the line,'' he said. "I'm making decisions based on what's best for the football team and what gives us the best opportunity to win. Those guys are coaches. They're right there in the front lines with them working with them every day. I think it's important to take their input. I'm just not going to make a decision based on what I feel. If it's unanimous then that's easy, but if there's a tie that has to be broken, I'll do it."

The Washington start is crucial, because it's presumably the last game before Pettine names his starter for the opener Sept. 7 in Pittsburgh. He said Sunday on a conference call that he'd still like to name his man by the third preseason game Aug. 23, although he added that "it's not 1,000 percent etched in stone.'' If Manziel doesn't get the start, he could still see action against the first team, because the starters will likely play through the first half.

Nevertheless, Manziel tightened the race with his impressive showing in Detroit, and can clinch the job with a Johnny Football special in Washington.

"I don't expect anything,'' Manziel said about getting the start. "I expect to come out and get the reps and get the team work that I'm told I'm going to get and from there, go out and make the best of the opportunity that I have.''

Manziel wouldn't even admit that he hopes to start, most likely out of respect for Hoyer and the process.

"I hope to do whatever the coaches tell me to do,'' he said. "I'm going to do whatever they say, whether it's ones, twos, whatever it is, I'm going to do what coach Pettine and coach Shanahan have in store for me.''

Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner who flourished on the big stage at Texas A&M, isn't fazed by the 10-day pressure cooker he's in to win the job.

"I'm approaching them the same way,'' he said. "I need to just continue to learn, continue to absorb everything I can in this short amount of time, and at the end of the day, it's just play football. Go out and go through your reads and execute and move the ball down the field and score points. I think whoever does that the best obviously is going to have a better chance at the end of the day."

Manziel admitted the learning curve has been frustrating, especially the 18-word plays and all of their variations.

"Anytime that you get into a new system and you're not 100 percent sure of what you're doing and you're an extremely competitive person, you want to come out and you want to do well,'' he said. "And the days that you struggle, I think it's part of it.

"But at the same time, it's hard to get over that hump and push through and know that the next day you've just got to come out and try to forget about what happened in the past and learn from that and move on, and that's what I try to do."

As for a quote by safety Donte Whitner in Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column that the locker room is divided 50-50 on Hoyer and Manziel, Manziel views that as a positive.

"I don't feel any rift or anything going on in the locker room,'' he said. "As far as my end, I think they see two guys coming out, playing football and competing, as well as everybody else out on the field competing. So quarterback is obviously just a position that gets a lot of flash and gets a lot of attention, but at the same time there are guys battling all around. So I don't really know if there's an exact split like that, it's not something I'm really aware of right now. I know two guys are going out and competing, trying to move the ball down the field for this offense, though.''

Running back Ben Tate, for one, agrees with Pettine that Manziel has to earn his place.

"He did kind of what Johnny is going to do [against the Lions]," Tate told ESPN Cleveland's 'The Really Big Show.' "He made some plays with his legs, but also he had some rookie mistakes. When he starts cutting down on mistakes, then we'll see what he's about."


Surgery ahead for Nick Swisher? Quick hits from Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona

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Nick Swisher, placed on the disabled list with a sore right knee on Sunday, is seeking a second opinion on the injury after being examined Monday at Cleveland Clinic. David Murphy, who went on the DL the same day, will miss four to five weeks with a right oblque injury.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Quick hits from manager Terry Francona's pre-game press conference on Tuesday before the Indians played Arizona at Progressive Field.

Surgery ahead? First baseman Nick Swisher is seeking a second opinion on his right knee and the possibility of surgery seems a lot closer than it was Monday. Swisher, placed on the disabled list Sunday for the second time this year because of a sore right knee, was examined by Dr. Rick Parker on Monday at Cleveland Clinic.

In a statement, the Indians said additional opinions and information are being gathered before a final decision is made.

"What we need to do is let this process play itself out," said Francona, when asked about the possibility of Swisher having surgery. "With the ballclub's help and urging, he's going to get another opinion. We're trying to align that right now.

"When we have information that is solid, we'll give it to you guys."

Swisher has struggled much of the season with sore knees. He went on the DL at the end of May and received shots in both knees. He returned to the DL on Sunday after failing to score from second on a single to right Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

"It's important to find out what's going on," said Francona. "He'll get another opinion, with the club's blessing, and the put everyone's head together and see how we'll progress. We should have some information pretty soon."

Injury No.2: David Murphy, who strained his right oblique Saturday against the Yankees, will miss four to five weeks. It could be mid- to late-September before he rejoins the Indians.

Murphy had an MRI on Monday.

"The injury was described as mild to moderate," said Francona. "That's not all that surprising because for Murph to come out of a game, you know he had to be feeling it. I think he was trying to down play it and stay in the game.

"Obliques heal on their own. That was the hard thing in explaining it to Murph. He was saying it doesn't hurt that bad, but it's not like a hamstring where you can loosen it up and try to go play.

"With an oblique you have to wait until the pain goes away before you can start doing something."

Bourn update: Francona said center fielder Michael Bourn (left hamstring) is expected to rejoin the Tribe's lineup sometime this weekend. He was scheduled to play nine innings Tuesday for Class AAA Columbus.

"Bournie is doing really well," said Francona. "The last game he played he got down to first at 4.1 seconds, some sub 4.2s. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays for us sometime this weekend.

"We've just got to sit down with Bournie and see how to get him to the weekend. We have a day off Thursday and having him sit for a couple of days might not make sense."

Bourn has been on the DL since July 6. Francona said even when he does return, he won't be ready to play every day.

Last week Bourn went 0-for-10 in three games at Class AA Akron. He went 1-for-4 on Monday for Columbus.

Voyage of discovery: Over the last six weeks of the season, the Indians want to find out more about newcomer Zach Walters.

"With his power and ability to switch-hit, we need to find out just how versatile he is," said Francona, who said the key will be how well Walters can play shortstop. Walters is a shortstop by trade, but has played several positions the last few seasons.

"I think that's what makes Mike Aviles (so valuable)," said Francona. "A guy who can play short and the outfield, that lengthens your roster. If he can do that, that makes him more interesting and we're already pretty excited about him."

Walters started at DH Tuesday against Arizona, the team that drafted him. The Indians acquired him from Washington on July 31 for Asdrubal Cabrera.

It didn't sound as if Walters would play a lot of shortstop during games, but he will spend a lot of time taking ground balls there during batting practice.

New guys: Walters was recalled from Class AAA Columbus on Sunday when Swisher and Murphy were placed on the disabled list. Troy Holt, who started in right field Tuesday, accompanied him.

"Holt has gone level to level," said Francona. "He's never been Baseball America's No.1 prospect, but everywhere he's been he's excelled and the coaching staffs have loved him.

"In the quick period I've seen him, I can see why. About 10 days ago, just before we sent him out, he was screaming on the bench in the ninth inning for whoever was hitting. When you get that enthusiasm, especially at this time of year when everyone is tired, it goes a long way.

"The first time he came up I went over and introduced myself and he says, "Let's do this!' He's ready to go. He kind of caught me off guard. He really wants to do the right thing. ... He's a very good outfielder and a very good baserunning."

KC express: Francona has said good things about the Royals all season. On Monday, they passed the Tigers and moved into first place in the AL Central.

"I'm actually surprised it took them this long," said Francona. "I think they're really good."

Steubenville football coach Reno Saccoccia stands by decision to allow teen convicted of rape back on team

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Saccoccia made his comments as the spotlight has returned to the small city in southeastern Ohio known for its zeal for the high school football team.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Steubenville High School football coach Reno Saccoccia has defended allowing a teen convicted of rape to rejoin the team, saying Ma'lik Richmond has earned a second chance.

"I feel that we're really not giving him a second chance," Saccoccia said in an interview with WTVR Channel 6. "Some may look at it like that. I feel he has earned a second chance. We don't deal in death sentences for juvenile activity and I just feel that he's earned a second chance.

"I've thought about it hard and I'm going with that decision," Saccoccia said.

Saccoccia made his comments as the spotlight has returned to the small city in southeastern Ohio known for its zeal for the high school football team, the Big Red. News of Richmond's return to the team has sparked strong reaction as many wonder if the culture at the school and in the community has changed.

"It was a horrible crime; it was a horrible crime," Saccoccia told WTVR. "Everything the judicial system of Ohio asked him to do, he completed.

"Everything that the school system asked him to do upon his release, he completed both academically and socially. He was back in school since January, and was suspended from all extracurricular activities for the remainder of the year."

"He's one of 55 players that are in good standing with their teammates and their coaches, who have the same opportunity as any other player."

Saccoccia came under fire during the investigation and trial of Richmond and former teammate Trent Mays. During the four-day trial in March 2013, Saccoccia's name was mentioned in texts sent by Mays just days after the incident.

"I got Reno. He took care of it and sh-- ain't gonna happen, even if they did take it to court," one text reads. Another text indicated that Reno had joked about the incident with Mays.

Saccoccia was not called to testify in the trial. An online petition seeking his dismissal was started in 2013 and has nearly 138,000 signatures. An online petition supporting Saccoccia has 741 signatures.

The coach is in the fourth year of a five-year contract. In April 2013 he received a two-year contract extension as director of administrative services, which is unrelated to his coaching contract.


Box scores and highlights for boys and girls high school golf, tennis for Aug. 12, 2014

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Check out box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from August 12, 2014.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from August 12, 2014.

GOLF

BOYS

Nordonia Classic 

At Ellsworth Meadows

How they finished: 1. Brecksville 323; 2. Wadsworth 331; 3. Nordonia 333; 4. Shaker Heights 339; 5. St. Vincent. St. Mary 340; 6. Highland 351; 7. West Geauga 352; 8. Firestone 356; 9. Streetsboro 361; 10. Mayfield 364; 11. Barberton 377. 

Top individuals: 1. Tobias (N) 75; T2. Craig (Br) 77; T2. Schultz (F) 77; 4. Scherler (H) 79; T5. Hirsh (SH) 79; T5. Pearl (N) 79. T5. Zagara (SH) 79; T8: Lago (S) 80; T8. LeSueur (T) 80; T10. DeVaney (SVSM) 81. T10: Hofacker (SVSM) 81; Covert (W) 81; T10. Marous (Br) 81. 

Notable: Drake Tobias of Nordonia was the medalist with a 75. 

Independence 170, Beachwood 181, Cardinal 188

At Highland Park (Red)

Top individuals: 1. Wilson (I); 2.Haynesworth (B); 3. Brunsman (I).

Mogadore 158, Waterloo 231

At Paradise Lakes

Top individuals: 1. Pearce (M) 35; 2. Popovich (M) 40; 3. Hostetler (M) 41.

Notable: Mogadore moves to 2-1 and Waterloo remains winless. 

Mogadore 173, Waterloo 222

At Paradise Lakes

Top individuals: 1. Pearce (M) 40; 2. Popovich (M) 43; 3. Hostetler (M) 43.

Notable: Mogadore’s Eddie Pearce won both matches by a combined eight strokes.

Perry 163, Eastlake North 196

At Madison Country Club

Top individuals: 1. C. Bagdonas (P) 39; 2. B. Bagdonas (P) 39; 3. Hardy (P) 40.

Notable: Perry moves to 3-0.

Valley Forge 177, Parma 181, Normandy 191, Euclid 193

At Briardale 

Top individuals: 1. Adams (VF) 36; 2. Hofstetter (P) 39; 3. Newklud (P) 39.

GIRLS

Brunswick 199, Wadsworth 201

At Barberton Brookside CC

Top individuals: T1. Gunter (B) 47; T1. Luangraj (W) 47; T1. Matson (B) 47.

Notable: Three players tied for the low score, though Brunswick’s two players with a 47 topped Wadsworth’s one. 

Chagrin Valley Conference Girls Golf Championship

At Pleasant Hills

How they finished: 1. Kenston 355; 2. Independence 359; 3. Hawken 384; 4. Perry 394; 5. Aurora 399; 6. Orange 430; 7. Berkshire 459; 8. Cuyahoga Heights 495.

Top individuals: 1. Joseph (H) 78; 2. Trombetta (I) 79; 3. Cumley (K) 80; 4. Grohe (A) 88; 5. Henry (K) 89; T6. Carole (K)  90; T6. Blum (I) 90; 8. Miller (P) 91; T9 Brown (P) 92; T9. Chardiet (H) 92. 

Notable: led by Samantha Cumley’s 80, Kenston had four girls break 100 to post the victory.  

Hoban 184, St. Vincent - St. Mary 185

At Firestone Public

Top individuals: 1. Noethen (SVSM) 41; 2. Richter (H) 43; 3. Stanziano (H) 45.

Notable: Emma Noethen was the top finisher for SVSM, but four golfers fired rounds under 50 for the undefeated Knights.

TENNIS

GIRLS

Avon 5, North Olmsted 0

Singles: Rini d. Sherman 6-0, 6-0; Nakon d. Antonescue 6-2, 6-0; Lorincz d. Youssef 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles: Nicklaus/Hejnal d. Moell/Diamantis 6-1, 7-5; Bertrand/Curtan d. Kresila/Jammal 6-0, 6-2.

Brecksville 4, Twinsburg 1

Singles: Wang (B) d. Peketi 7-5, 6-2; Burkhart d. Sharma 6-0,6-1; Londrico d. Singh 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles: Bhambra/Muvva (T) d. Schimpf/Lopez 6-4, 6-3; Humel/Richardson d. Banas/Sterling 6-2, 6-2.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 3, Magnificat 1

Singles: Norman (CVCA) d. Price 6-1, 6-0;  Pile (CVCA) d. Schwartz  6-3, 6-1; Oblena v. Petrinec  6-4, 4-6 (susp.).

Doubles: Kalra/Mellott (CVCA) d. Nock/Minnotti 6-3, 6-2; Marshall/Miley (M) d. Bolinger/Beebe 6-3, 6 -2.

Our Lady of the Elms 4, Kidron Central Christian 1
Singles: Axtell (E) d. Lyons 6-3,6-1; Wyszkowski (E) d. Miller 6-1, 6-0; Muzilla (E) d. Haven 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Doubles: O'Flynn/Kirk (E) d. Gehman/Rupp 6-2, 6-2; Amstutz/Ressering (KC) d. Robinson/Boylan 7-5, 6-4.

Revere 4, Warren JFK 1

Singles: Stroup (W) d. Hendrickson 6-3, 6-0; Lifke (R) d. Cole 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Crisalli (R) d. Walsh 6-

0, 6-2.

Doubles:Shimek/Carson (R) d. Keck/Biviano 6-3, 6-3; Godard/Hansen (R) d. Allen/Pipino 6-0, 6-

0.

Akron RubberDucks rally late to defeat Portland Sea Dogs, 5-4

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Anthony Gallas goes 4-for-5 and drives in the winning run in the ninth inning for the RubberDucks.

Designated hitter Anthony Gallas completed a 4-for-5 night by driving in the winning run in the ninth inning as the Akron RubberDucks erased a 4-1 deficit and defeated the Sea Dogs, 5-4, in a Class AA Eastern League game Tuesday in Portland, Maine.

gallas_anthony.pngView full sizeAnthony Gallas 

Portland loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but reliever Elvis Araujo got a lineout from Sea Dogs outfielder Ryan Dent and a groundout from shortstop Heiker Meneses to end the game and earn his third save of the season.

The Sea Dogs jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a three-run homer by Michael Almanzar off of RubberDucks starter Joseph Colon. Colon managed to get out of trouble later in the inning but his night was over as the RubberDucks ended up using six pitchers in the game.

A solo shot from Gallas put the RubberDucks on the board in the sixth, but the Sea Dogs responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-1.

In the eighth, the RubberDucks made it 4-3 thanks to a sacrifice fly from first baseman Bryan LaHair and an RBI single from catcher Alex Lavisky.

The RubberDucks took the lead in the ninth with an RBI single from outfielder Ollie Linton and an RBI single from Gallas. Reliever Shawn Armstrong (6-2, 2.20) got win, pitching 1 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two.

Linton, shortstop Jaime Pedroza and third baseman Justin Toole each had two hits for the RubberDucks. 

The win puts the RubberDucks (67-56) just 1 1/2 games behind Richmond for first place in the Western Division.

Cleveland Indians-Arizona Diamondbacks' game postponed; doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday at 4:05 p.m.

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The Indians and Arizona will play a doubleheader on Wednesday starting at 4:05 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tuesday night's game between the Indians and Arizona at Progressive Field has been postponed.

The teams were one minute away from resuming play at 11:30 p.m. when rain hit again. The game was postponed after a 3 hours and 40 minute delay.

The game will be made up Wednesday as part of a doubleheader with the first game starting at 4:05 p.m.

Trevor Bauer will start Game 1 for the Indians, while Josh Tomlin will start Game 2. Andrew Chafin, making his big-league debut, will start Game 1 for Arizona. Lefty Vidal Nuno will start the second game.

The Indians brought CC Lee out of the bullpen to replace starter T.J. House before the game was scrubbed. Chafin, who pitched at Kent State, was set to replace Arizona starter Josh Collmenter.

The Indians were leading, 1-0, in the fourth inning when play was stopped at 7:57 p.m.

House pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Tribe. Jason Kipnis doubled home Chris Dickerson with two out in the third for the only run.

Collmenter's allowed one run on two hits. He struck out two.

All stats from Tuesday do not count.

Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks partake in rain delay shenanigans to pass the time

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Mike Aviles recruited Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall and, without permission or disapproval, the three took a splash on the infield tarp.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It was Mike Aviles' idea.

As Tuesday night crept toward Wednesday morning, Aviles, ever the ball of energy, was growing restless. So he asked his manager, Terry Francona, if he would join him for a leisurely slide across the waterlogged tarp covering the soaked infield at Progressive Field.

"I was like, 'Tito, let's go,'" Aviles said. "'Tarp slide. Me and you. Let's do it right now.'

"He was like, 'Uh, I like my job.'"

So Aviles recruited Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall and, without permission or disapproval after a quick call to Francona on the dugout phone, the three took a splash on the white canvas.

"[Francona] didn't really say no but he didn't really say yes," Aviles said. "I didn't hear no. It's like a maybe. You just have to read between the lines."

During the final few minutes of a three-hour, 40-minute rain delay, the trio emerged from the dugout and lived out childhood dreams in front of a handful of patient fans.

"We weighed the risk versus the reward and it was well worth it," said Kipnis, who pretended to tag up from third base before he raced down the baseline and slid into home plate. "I got to tarp slide after a big league game. I've always wanted to do that. You see it on all those videos growing up as a kid. ... You have to play this game as a fan sometimes."

T.J. House, whose three scoreless innings were washed away from the record books, regrettably missed out on the tarp slides. House was part of his high school swim team. He participated in the 200-meter individual medley, the 100-meter freestyle and relays.

As soon as House was ruled out of returning to the mound after the first hour of the delay, he went out to sign autographs when it appeared as though the skies might clear.

"Of course it started raining as soon as I stepped on the field," House said.

During the delay, Tribe players kicked and bounced around a soccer ball in the clubhouse. Chisenhall beat Kipnis in a hotly contested tilt on an RBI Baseball video game. Kipnis accused his teammate of receiving unwarranted assistance from the clubhouse attendants.

"Ellis Burks had three home runs in two at-bats in that game," Kipnis joked. "It was unbelievable."

Diamondbacks players maximized their time as well.

The Indians and D-backs will play a traditional double header beginning at 4:05 p.m. on Wednesday.

Rain brings intrigue, good stories to Cleveland Indians-Arizona Diamondbacks doubleheader

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Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer starts against Arizona in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader at Progressive Field. Arizona quickly gave up on Bauer after making him the third overall player overall in the 2011 draft.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A persistent rain washed away what was turning into a good start for T.J. House on Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

When play was stopped at 7:57 p.m., House and the Indians held a 1-0 lead over Arizona with one out in the fourth inning. He wanted to get back on the field, but it never happened as the game was finally postponed at 11:37 p.m., a 3 hour and 40 minute delay.

House likes water, he was a two-time state swimming champion in high school in Mississippi, but not that much. He even missed the best part of the evening, when Mike Aviles, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall put on a tarp-sliding exhibition after the game was called.

"I'm sorry I missed that," he said. "I'm used to jumping in water. I'm a little bit faster in the water than I am on land."

After the delay reached the one-hour mark, the Indians told House he would not re-start the game. So he started signing autographs.

"People were asking me to come out and sign," said House. "So as soon as I stepped on the field, it started raining again. I think I should just stay off the grass for a while and I'll be all right."

While the rain washed away a potential win for House and an RBI double for Kipnis, the Wednesday doubleheader it left in its wake offered intrigue and a sweet story.

The Indians will send Trevor Bauer (4-7, 4.52) to the mound in Game 1 against left-hander Andrew Chafin at 4:05 p.m. In the second game, Josh Tomlin (5-8, 4.68), who lost his spot in the rotation last week, will face Arizona lefty Vidal Nuno (0-3, 4.05).

Bauer will be facing the team that made him the third overall pick in the county in 2011 out of UCLA, but soured on him so quickly that they traded him to the Indians in December of 2012.

Chafin, meanwhile, will be making his big league debut about a 40-minute drive from the Kent State campus when he played college ball. Two weeks ago Chafin's girlfriend, according to the Arizona Republic, said she wanted her birthday present to be him making his big league debut on Tuesday, her birthday, in Cleveland.

It almost came true. With Tuesday's game scheduled to restart at 11:30 p.m., Chafin was going to replace Arizona starter Josh Collmenter, but at 11:29 it started raining again and the game was called. Still, that's not a bad present even if it's one day late.

Bauer, meanwhile, will be facing a Diamondbacks' team where he always seemed to be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. The quirky and cerebral Bauer, with his different training methods, never meshed with the old-school approach of GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson and that's not even touching on his relationship with catcher Miguel Montero.

In the spring of 2013, after the trade of Bauer, Montero ripped him in a radio interview. He said Bauer didn't listen when he tried to help him.

"He never wanted to listen," Montero said at the time. "He's got his ways, and it's tough to change. Good luck to Carlos Santana there."

At the time, Santana was the Indians' starting catcher.

That same spring, Bauer came out with a rap song in which he criticized the "man behind the mask." He said he wasn't rapping about Montero, but the message was clear. Now they could meet on Wednesday afternoon.

Bauer (4-7, 4.52) has pitched well for the most part this season. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings Friday against the Yankees, but he was hurt by some atrocious defense.

"This kid is getting better," said manager Terry Francona. "He's still young, but he's really getting better. Last year we asked him to work on his fastball command and this year he's been one our better strike throwers with all his pitches."

Nuno will be facing his former team as well. He was the Indians 48th pick in 2009, but they released him in March of 2011. The Yankees signed him later that year and on May 13, 2013 he started against and beat the Indians in the second game of a doubleheader.

The Yankees traded Nuno to Arizona on July 6 for right-hander Brandon McCarthy.

So there you have it, a double dose of intrigue, a good storyline and don't forget Tomlin trying to find himself as a starter. All because of a night of non-stop rain on Tuesday.

9 points about Ohio State's interesting, and vital, 3-way battle to be the starting center

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The Buckeyes are looking to replace Corey Linsley with either Jacoby Boren, Chad Lindsay or Billy Price, and the battle is on. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Corey Linsley was the heart of the Ohio State offensive line a year ago, consistently praised as the apex of the offense. Now Linsley is endearing himself to Green Bay Packers fans, the fifth-round NFL Draft pick buying a new bike for a 10-year-old fan he befriended. Linsley made the gesture after finding out that Travis Kohlbeck was dealing with his mom having to spend a week in the hospital.

The story helped introduce Linsley to the Green Bay community. Ohio State fans know him well and know the Buckeyes have to replace him.

There are three candidates for the job - junior Jacoby Boren, fifth-year transfer Chad Lindsay from Alabama, and redshirt freshmen Billy Price. Here's what we know about the battle so far, with Boren working more with the first team and Lindsay with the second team when reporters last saw practice over the weekend.

1. The Buckeyes aren't going to be as good at center as they were last year. None of these players will turn into the 2013 Linsley. Now, Linsley wasn't a sure-thing star before he turned his career around and became a first-team All-Big Ten pick last year, so there's certainly the chance the winner could develop into a solid starting center. But for now, it's a step back.

2. Boren has been groomed as Linsley's replacement for the last two years, and he could have locked down the starting job in the spring, before Lindsay transferred here. He's still a logical candidate, but the fact that the door has remained open tells you something. 

Boren did say he worked on improving his strength, quickness and flexibility over the summer, and on playing lower and using his hands. Now he just needs to show that during this camp.

3. Boren does have his experience in the system, and familiarity with the position and the coaching staff, going for him. Then there's his legacy, following older brothers Justin and Zach as Buckeyes.

"Jacoby is a competitor, he's a tough, he works hard in the weight room, he's a Boren and Borens are competitors and they're winners," offensive line coach Ed Warinner said. "So he's got that going for him, and he's smart."

4. Lindsay transferred from Alabama, where he started four games last season after some injuries on the line for the Crimson Tide. If you want to think a guy like that wouldn't have come to Ohio State to sit, go ahead. But Lindsay was a backup before and after his brief starting stint. This isn't an SEC All-American that showed up looking for a role.

"I think he was excited to come here," Warinner said. "We told him when we recruited him to come here for this one year there was an opening for a job and he'd have to come in and compete against a couple guys who have been here and who are competitors and he chose to do that."

5. Price is interesting. Very interesting. He's competing for a guard spot as well, and you get the feeling that if he hadn't arrived at Ohio State as a defensive lineman last year, and had been on offense from the start, he could be further along in this fight.

"Billy Price is as talented a guy on our line as we have," Warinner said. "What he can do physically is unmatched by anybody on our team. So his talent level is high."

Price is probably the strongest guy on the team. A year ago, Linsley was the strongest guy on the line.

6. Lindsay started way behind. He didn't transfer in until after spring ball, and he wasn't used to snapping in the shotgun every play. That fact that he's still in the fight now means he could make up ground in the next two weeks as he gets accustomed to the ins and outs of playing center at Ohio State.

"I think he had a little rust (at the beginning) because he didn't go through spring ball with Alabama, so he missed some football from the end of their season – his last football was early January until now," Warinner said early in camp. "But I see a lot of good things out of him. He's very smart, very hard-working, very comitted and has a good fundamental background. All the terminology was new at a no-huddle pace, which we run, and he was a little rusty because he hasn't competed in pads in a long time, but I think he can come around."

7. Lindsay has not let a "Roll Tide" slip while in Columbus, at least not yet, according to Boren. "No, he hasn't," Boren said. "It's gone."

Boren said the centers are friendly, but you can imagine how tough this competition is. Lindsay is here for just one year, and trying to be what Boren has been prepping himself to be for three years - Ohio State's starting center.

"You can be friends," Boren said. "At the end of the day, we're all fighting for the same thing, and that's to win football games."

8. You want to handicap this race? It might be a coin flip between Boren and Lindsay at the moment. But Price could be the kind of guy who could force his way onto the field, at either center of guard, at some point before this season is over. The depth at center will be nice, but finding that one guy to seize the job matters more.

9. There may be a time this season when Ohio State fans miss Linsley. Enjoy him, Green Bay.

Ohio State's front four and the echoes of triumph and defeat they bring -- Bill Livingston

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Ohio State's rebuilt defense begins up front with the defensive line. It is the key to changing the culture of the defense, a critical weakness for two years.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Will Smith burst into the Miami backfield on the Hurricanes' first snap from scrimmage. He was an intruder on Gangsta Dynasty's turf. With one hand, the Ohio State defensive end swatted at the Hurricanes' quarterback, Ken Dorsey, felling him.

It was the end of Miami's 34-game winning streak and the start of the physical tone of the Buckeyes' play in their 31-24 double-overtime victory to win the 2002  national championship.

The names of Smith and the other end, Kenny Peterson, and of the defensive tackles, Darrion Scott and Tim Anderson, remain prominent in Ohio State lore. They were the individual parts of a collective unit that had no dramatic name, such as Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen. They might have unhorsed them, anyway.

Early in the 2006 season's championship game, Florida's defensive end, Derrick Harvey, who was split so wide that Ohio State tackle Alex Boone could not get outside and block him, raced, untouched, into the Buckeyes' backfield. The quarterback, Glenville's Troy Smith, was Harvey's target.

Smith was the wraith the Penn State pass rushers chased fruitlessly on his Heisman Trophy highlight play, a touchdown pass off a mad scramble to Chagrin Falls' Brian Robiskie. But the award was won in a protective passing pocket that had been his safe haven, but was no more.

Harvey's chase-down sack spoke volumes about the difference in speed, motivation and preparedness.

Also devastating were other Gator D-line members Jarvis Moss and Ray McDonald.

"It was just ugly watching that game at my friend's house," said 6-2, 288-pound senior OSU defensive tackle from Centerville, Michael Bennett. "I guess it's good to be compared to that defensive line."

Meyer coached Florida then, and he coaches Ohio State now. The front four that won for the Buckeyes and the one that victimized them could be matched by Meyer's OSU defensive line now. 

There will be phalanxes of substitutes because of the pace of the games, but these are the cornerstones: Defensive end Noah Spence, who must finish the final two games of a suspension; defensive end Joey Bosa, a prodigious prodigy who burst on the scene as a true freshman last season; Adolphus Washington, who was moved to the interior of the line; and Bennett.

"2006 was our best D-line," said Meyer of his Florida years. "This one possibly (could equal it) if they perform well and stay healthy."

A defensive line, as much as any component on a football team, must be viewed as a unit.

The secondary has the lockdown cornerbacks with the flashy nicknames from Dick "Night Train" Lane and "Neon" Deion Sanders to talkative, taunting Richard "The Puget Sound" Sherman. (I just made up "The Puget Sound," but as Johnnie Cochran sort of said, "It fits, you must admit.")

Front fours only seem to have nicknames in the NFL, such as Minnesota's Purple People-Eaters, and the old Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome.

The reason for the collective monickers is obvious. The front four not only play off each other's moves, but they are also critical in the meshing of the entire defense. Meyer said: "We completely have blown up and started from scratch, an area that we were not very strong in, pass defense. "

Pressure up front is where it all starts.

Ohio State will "press" with its cornerbacks, bumping receivers, "jamming" them as jazz bands do with their horns and drums.

Said Bennett, "A long pass thrown on our defenders means chances are we've given the quarterback too much time. Our job is to get to the quarterback and make him make bad decisions or rushed decisions, especially with the press defense. When they're throwing the ball over our defensive back's head, you can't just look at the defensive back and say, 'Well, he got a burn,' because it's his job to press.

"So when we get the quarterback to release the ball in one-to-two seconds, (the defensive back) is there. And if (the quarterback) holding it for five seconds or four-and-a-half seconds, then the D-line has to look at the rest of the team and say. 'Well, that's on us.'

"It's a game-changer up front because you don't have to do a lot of twisting, blitzing and movement," said Meyer. "It frees up the back seven to do a lot of things."

There was strength in numbers there with Spence (14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks), Bosa (13.5 and 7.5), Bennett (11.5 and 7) and Washington (4 and 2).

It galls Meyer, a college psychology major, when he cannot goad a player to reach his potential. Washington has obviously underachieved.

So, to Meyer, has Bennett, who was second-team All-Big Ten in 2013.

Meyer said, "The first six games last year he played like an All-Big Ten player, then in the last half he had a shoulder issue and didn't play like that. He can go as high as an early-round (NFL) pick or a free agent. It's up to him. This is his last call."

Last echo of the past. First summons to repeat it.


In Case You Missed It: 5 stories you need to read from Day 13 of Cleveland Browns training camp

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Here are 5 stories you need to read from Tuesday at Browns training camp. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Wednesday is the day before an off-day on at Browns training camp, and it's a big off-day. Coach Mike Pettine said on Tuesday he would likely pick his starting quarterback for Monday night on said off-day.

But before we get to that -- or before we even get to Wednesday -- take a look back at five stories you need to read from yesterday at Browns training camp.

Johnny Manziel's QB coach praises his 'exceptional job' in Detroit and 'you can't take the best part of him away'

"The Browns took the muzzle off quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains Tuesday and let him talk for the first time since his wildly entertaining and refreshingly candid "wreck this league'' interview on Arkansas ESPN radio in May."

- Mary Kay Cabot

Why it's a year of uncertainty for Cleveland Browns' Chris Ogbonnaya on and off the field

"Chris Ogbonnaya believes each season a football player must reinvent himself.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Browns veteran has been a gridiron chameleon, adapting to an ever-changing environment to meet the needs of the latest coaching staff. He's been a halfback, third-down back and hybrid fullback, while always contributing on special teams."

- Tom Reed

Cleveland Browns still have significant problems at receiver

"When it comes to the Browns' search for receivers ... well ... they're still searching.

And this should be no surprise."

- Terry Pluto

Rex Grossman on reunion with Cleveland Browns' coordinator Kyle Shanahan: 'Better late than never'

"From almost the day the Browns hired Kyle Shanahan in February, Rex Grossman was rumored to join his long-time offensive coordinator."

- Tom Reed

How will the Browns offense score touchdowns? Training camp observations

"I'm not sure how the Browns offense is going to score touchdowns this season.

It's tough to judge anything on training camp and the preseason. There's no way to simulate the intensity and speed of a real NFL game. But through nearly three weeks of camp, this offense is not good."

What does the future hold for analytics in Major League Baseball?

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Just what influence do analytics have on front-office decisions and what does the future hold?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For decades, 90-foot stretches of dirt have separated the bases on the diamond. Sixty feet, six inches of space have rested between the mound and home plate.

The essentials of baseball have remained the same for so long. Tradition and history have defined the game. Perhaps that has caused a hint of laziness, a dash of short-sightedness and a lack of forward thinking.

For whatever reason, the sport has been slow to accept progressive reasoning with regard to statistical analysis. Call it a war on WAR, a vendetta against VORP or a feud with FIP. Gradually, fewer followers are flaunting RBIs or pitcher wins or saves and more are coming to terms with the value of new-age sabermetric measuring tools.

Major league teams now employ analytics departments, which provide sabermetric-based perspectives and projections on potential transactions and draft decisions.

Just what influence do analytics have on these front-office decisions and what does the future hold? Let's examine.

Indians president Mark Shapiro suggests the future of analytics in baseball is "really unlimited."

"The amount of data generated in a game," Shapiro said, "the amount of data generated on every single pitch, how you actually manipulate that data, how you analyze that data and how you apply that data to a decision, the possibilities are really endless. Ultimately, you still have to balance that objective information with medical, personality makeup and character, subjective analysis, scouting -- there's still an artwork.

"Where the limit is, is there's never going to be a computer that just spits out all the answers and you can just turn off the human side. They're still human beings and you can't perfectly quantify a human being. Where it's limitless is the application of that information as being part of decisions and helping you make better decisions and defining risk. Ultimately, where the analytics factor in is they help you define risk."

How do those working in the department know if what they're doing is working?

"It's uncharted territory," said Keith Woolner, the Indians' director of analytics. "But we have predictions and models that we've used in the past that we can go back and say, 'Well, five years ago we predicted this to happen and something else actually did or we got very close to what actually happened,' but if we run our models now against that, then we're taking more information, are we hitting more often or are we missing more often? If we're missing more often, then we don't do that anymore."

Does the increase in implementation and influence of analytics mean traditional scouts are an endangered species?

"Does a scout who has been out there for 30 years really understand the ins and outs of what we do?" Woolner said. "No, probably not, but he doesn't need to to do his job. I couldn't be sitting next to a scout in a ballpark and watching a game and come away with the same set of observations that he had. He's an expert in collecting certain type of information and we're doing it with a certain other kind of information.

"It's what they see from grading on the 20/80 scale, from power makeup to movement on pitches, things that scouts have been doing for a long time, and particularly the further the players are away from the majors, there's a lot more development that has to take place and that's where scouting adds a tremendous amount of value."

How can the two sides help each other?

"It's hard to tell if a guy's swing has changed or if his timing is off," Woolner said, "but we can look into and see if there have been patterns. Has this guy had slumps like this before? Has he been facing an unusual mix of pitchers? Has he been facing more righties than lefties than he typically has? Are there certain pitchers he's struggling against? There are angles you take to try to shed some light on it, but we don't have a magic button that spits out, 'If he does this, this and this, he'll start hitting again.'

"We spend a lot of time talking to the other people in baseball operations. We find out: What are they working on? Where can we help them? They're coming to us and saying, 'We got a player. His pitch mix doesn't seem to be right. Are there other players like him that we can point him to as good role models?' Or we talk a lot about the trade discussions and free-agent discussions. How much do we value what someone is offering? How much can we give up for that in players or dollars? It's less about crunching numbers, but finding what you should be crunching numbers on because it's a decision that the ball club makes."

From Tuesday: Inside the secret world of the Cleveland Indians' analytic department

Andrew Wiggins isn't only former No. 1 overall pick to be traded before professional debut (slideshow, video)

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Trading a No. 1 pick before his pro debut is rare, but it's happened in each of the four major sports.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Andrew Wiggins era was over before it started in Cleveland. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft will be shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Kevin Love trade.

While trading a No. 1 overall pick before he plays a professional game is rare, it's not unprecedented. It's happened a handful times in each of the four major sports, and not every trade is an even one.

Here's a look at other No. 1 overall picks that have been traded and how those trades stack up.

NBA

1993

Orlando Magic trade Chris Webber (No. 1 overall pick) to Golden State Warriors for Anfernee Hardaway and three 1st-round picks (1996, 1998, 2000).

When the Magic drafted Chris Webber first overall, the idea of pairing him with Shaquille O'Neal up front had Orlando fans giddy. But the duo was never to be, as Webber was quickly traded to Golden State.

As for Orlando, Hardaway became a force in the league. He earned two All-NBA First Team selections before injury slowed his career. 

Orlando would trade the future picks several times, and the only player of consequence it ever received from those selections was Mike Miller, who only played two full seasons with the Magic.

Besides Webber going on to have a terrific NBA career, throwing salt into the wound was the fact that one of the draft picks Orlando traded turned out to be Vince Carter.

Verdict: Bad trade.

NFL

2004

San Diego Chargers traded Eli Manning (No. 1 overall pick) to New York Giants for Philip Rivers, a 1st-round pick (2005), 3rd-round pick (2004) and 5th-round pick (2005).

Wiggins and Manning might be connected by their draft status and trades, but their situations are far different, as Manning forced his way out of San Diego.

However, the Chargers made out well. Two of the draft picks turned out to be Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding. Meanwhile, Rivers developed into the franchise quarterback that San Diego desperately needed.

Of course, Manning did go on to win two Super Bowls with the Giants, but this still was a trade that San Diego would probably do again.

Verdict: Good trade.

1983

Indianapolis Colts trade John Elway (No. 1 overall pick) to the Denver Broncos for Mark Hermann, Chris Hinton and a 1st-round pick (1984).

Much like Manning, Elway did the Colts no favor by making it known that he would prefer to play for another team and using his baseball career as leverage.

The Colts didn't get an awful package in return. While Hermann didn't amount to much, Hinton, an offensive tackle, made seven Pro Bowls during his career. The future draft pick was offensive guard Ron Solt, who also made a Pro Bowl.

Still, Elway developed into one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, while the Colts didn't get their franchise quarterback until they drafted Peyton Manning in 1998.

Verdict: Bad trade.

1979

Buffalo Bills trade Tom Cousineau (No. 1 overall pick) to Cleveland Browns for a 1st-round pick (1983).

Cousineau, a linebacker who was an Ohio native and attended St. Edward High School, refused to sign with the Bills after the 1979 draft because the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League offered twice as much money.

Upon expressing his desire to return to the NFL in 1982, the Bills traded his rights to the Browns for a draft pick. While Cousineau never amounted to much (just 6.5 career sacks), the draft pick became Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

Verdict: Good trade.

MLB

2004

San Diego Padres trade Matt Bush (No. 1 overall pick) to Toronto Blue Jays for player to be named later and cash considerations.

One of three MLB No. 1 overall picks to go their entire career without making the major leagues, Bush not only struggled with his production but also had behavioral issues.

By 2009, San Diego gave up on him and essentially traded him away for nothing. He was released later that year.

Bush is now serving a 51-month jail sentence in connection with a DUI and his projected release date is in January 2016.

Verdict: Even.

2000

Florida Marlins trade Adrian Gonzalez (No. 1 overall pick), Ryan Snare and a minor leaguer to the Texas Rangers for Ugueth Urbina.

This trade didn't actually happen until 2003 when the Marlins were in the thick of a playoff push.

Gonzalez was developing as a prospect for Florida, but the team needed a late inning reliever, so they made the move to get Urbina.

The Marlins did go on to win the World Series, but that was the only season it got out of Urbina. Meanwhile, Gonzalez had made four All-Star games and won three Gold Gloves.

Verdict: Bad trade.

1984

New York Mets trade Shawn Abner (No. 1 overall pick), Kevin Mitchell, Stan Jefferson and two minor leaguers to the San Diego Padres for Kevin McReynolds, Gene Walter and a minor leaguer.

Following their World Series title in 1986, the Mets pulled the trigger on a big trade. Gone were Abner and Mitchell, a fan favorite, and coming in was McReynolds, a budding third baseman about to enter his prime.

The Mets didn't lose out on too much with Abner, an outfielder who only played 392 games in his major league career. The real loss was Mitchell, who won the 1989 MVP with the San Francisco Giants.

McReynolds, though, was a reliable presence for the Mets at third base for the next five years, as he averaged 24 home runs and 87 RBI per season.

Verdict: Even.

NHL

1995

Ottawa Senators trade Bryan Berard (No. 1 overall pick), Martin Straka and Don Beaupre to New York Islanders for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes.

Berard didn't give Ottawa much of a choice, as the No. 1 overall pick made it clear he did not want to play for the Senators. As a result, he was traded away less than a year after being drafted.

In his first year, Berard was named the NHL's top rookie, but an eye injury altered what started as a great career. Meanwhile, Straka was waived shortly after getting dealt to the Islanders.

The return for Ottawa was headlined by Redden, who would play 11 years on Ottawa's defense and was voted a Top 10 defenseman in three seasons.

Verdict: Good trade.

1991

Quebec Nordiques trade Eric Lindros (No. 1 overall pick) to Philadelphia Flyers for Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, a 1st-round pick (1993) and future considerations.

While Lindros' refusal to play in Quebec made it hard on the Nordiques to have any leverage in trade talks, they made out quite well in this one.

After Quebec relocated and became the Colorado Avalanche, Forsberg was one of the main reasons they won the Stanley Cup twice. In 2014, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.

Ricci also developed into a quality NHL player and helped the Avalanche win the 1996 title. One of the future considerations was Chris Simon, also helped that team.

Meanwhile, Lindros started out as a superstar and won the 1995 Hart Trophy, which is given to the league's best player. However, injuries would derail his career by his late-20's.

Verdict: Good trade.

Contact high school sports reporter David Cassilo by email (dcassilo@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@dcassilo). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

FCC commissioner calls for end to NFL TV blackouts: Cleveland Browns & NFL links

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Check out links and stories from across the web this morning on the NFL and the Browns.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Blackouts are a part of life for NFL fans in some markets. FCC commissioner Ajit Pai wants that to end.

From the New York Daily News:

"Ajit Pai called the NFL's television blackout rules "outdated," and urged his fellow Federal Communications Commission representatives to vote in favor of having them repealed to address fan concerns."

Pai said in a news conference:

"'Right now, the FCC is officially on the side of blackouts. We should be on the side of sports fans.'"

Do you think it's time for blackouts of NFL games to end?

More NFL links

Practice? Yes, but NFL joint practices far better than preseason games (Sporting News)

Magic Johnson: LA ready for NFL team (ESPN.com)

Late-round draft picks key to fantasy championships (NFL.com)

Browns links

Cleveland Browns notes: Buster Skrine battling for starting cornerback job (The News-Herald)

Brian Hoyer wise to 'tune out the noise' in Browns' quarterback battle (ClevelandBrowns.com)

'Dummy' visor serves as reminder for quarterbacks coach (ESPN.com)

MLB rundown: Revisiting the 1994 strike, AL Central drama, latest buzz and headlines

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A look back at the strike's lasting legacy and some of the top stories making an impact on this season's playoff race.

Twenty years ago Tuesday, baseball ceased to be and didn't return for 232 days. Fortunately, there has been no such strike since to damper the drama of late-season pennant races and again change the face of baseball as we know it.

Here's a look back at the strike's lasting legacy, as well as some of the top stories making an impact on this season's playoff race:

How the 1994 strike change baseball

More than 900 games, including the entire 1994 postseason and World Series went down the drain in what became the longest work stoppage in American professional sports history. Since surpassed in length by the 2004-05 National Hockey League lockout, the 1994 strike forced lasting changes to baseball, both on and off the field.

The disagreement stemmed from team owners' perceived need for a salary cap, which would in turn limit players salaries. With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Dec. 13, 1994, the players picked Aug. 12 as the strike date, assuming the owners would give in and make a deal to keep the season going.

History suggested this plan would work out for the players, writes Sports Illustrated's Cliff Corcoran:

Seven times before, Major League Baseball had undergone a work stoppage (five of them occurring exclusively in spring training). All seven times, the owners blinked first. During the last major strike, in 1981, the owners caved in the day after their strike insurance ran out. In 1994, they couldn't get covered. The players, who saw their resistance to a salary cap as a principled stand in favor of a free market for player services consistent with their previous gains in free agency, thought they would triumph once again.

When the owners didn't back down and strike day arrived, baseball changed forever. Among the fallout, the league-best Montreal Expos missed their best chance at a World Series championship, Matt Williams' quest to top Roger Maris' single-season home run record ended, and Michael Jordan walked away from baseball and back to basketball, where he would win three more NBA championships.

But possibly worst of all was the impact the strike had on baseball's reputation, in the eyes of both fans and players: (via USAToday.com)

"I never felt the same way about baseball again after that,'' Dave Stewart, a four-time 20-game winner and then pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, tells USA TODAY Sports. "Even today, after all of my years in baseball, the passion I have for the game has never been the same. All because of that strike.

"It was one of the most embarrassing moments that's ever happened to Major League Baseball. I wish I had never come back.''

While Maris' home run mark would be surpassed multiple times in the years that followed, one of baseball's longest-lasting and seemingly unbreakable records might have been broken in 1994 if not for the strike.

Tony Gwynn finished the season with a .394 batting average, just a handful of base hits shy of the .400 mark most recently surpassed by Ted Williams in 1941. The strike put an unceremonious end to the best run at .400 since before World War II: (via ESPN.com)

On Aug. 11, the final night of the 1994 season, with the work stoppage looming and nearly every player distracted to the point of disinterest, Gwynn went 3-for-5, hitting a single to each field, and raised his average to .394.

"From beginning to end," [then-Padres base coach Bruce] Bochy says, "it's got to be one of the most consistent seasons ever."

In an interview with San Diego magazine before his death earlier this year, Gwynn said, "To this day, I really believe I'd have hit .400."

The best thing to come out of the strike was that baseball learned from its mistakes. In the 20 years since, there have been no work stoppages and there doesn't appear to be one on the horizon.

AL Central down to the wire

James Shields, Ned YostKansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) celebrates his complete game shutout against the San Francisco Giants with manager Ned Yost after a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals won 5-0. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) 

The Royals' eight-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday, but the Tigers lost as well and the Royals remained atop the AL Central. After winning 89 games last season -- the most for the franchise since 1989 -- the Royals have won 64 games with 44 left to play and are trending in the right direction.

Monday, the Royals traded for veteran slugger Josh Willingham to plug a hole in their lineup that opened when Eric Hosmer hit the disabled list on July 31 with a broken hand. Willingham is in the middle of an extended slump at the plate that goes back to last season, but is a low risk acquisition for the Royals, writes Sports Illustrated's Jon Tayler:

All told, Willingham is a worthwhile gamble for the Royals as they try to fight their way past the Tigers in the division and hold off a trio of teams in the wild-card race. If he can shake off his summer slump, he could give Kansas City the kind of power threat it hasn't had in the recent past.

While the Royals won their way to the top of the standings, they received some help from the Tigers, who have been coming apart at the seams. 

The Tigers have lost four in a row and seven of their last nine games, and it only gets worse from there. The Tigers traded for starter David Price at the trade deadline, but have since lost the services of starter Anibel Sanchez and reliever Joakim Soria, and Justin Verlander's season-long decline is looking worse by the day.

Sanchez is expected to miss three or four weeks while on the disabled list nursing a strained pectoral muscle, and Verlander is expected to miss one start while recovering from discomfort in his shoulder that arose during a one inning outing during which he surrendered five runs. (via MLive.com)

An MRI on Verlander's shoulder showed no structural damage, but the Tigers are trending downward in a bad way, writes ESPN.com's David Schoenfield:

Is it time to panic in Detroit? Absolutely. As I wrote on Sunday, the Royals have a better bullpen, better team defense and better team speed. And the rotations? The Royals have a 3.75 ERA, the Tigers 3.73 (obviously, that only includes two Price starts).
I'm not kicking the Tigers to the curb, but suddenly two-fifths of the team's biggest strength may be missing and you're looking at a Tigers team that doesn't have the depth of last year's squad, easily the best of its three division-winning teams.

Injury notes

Manny MachadoBaltimore Orioles' Manny Machado reacts after grounding out in the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, in Baltimore. Machado was assisted off the field after the play. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) 

• Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has a sprained ligament in his right knee, but that will be viewed as good news in Baltimore after Machado crumpled in the batter's box while trying to run out a grounder. Machado began the season on the disabled list while healing from an injury to his left knee, but hopes to avoid the disabled list this time around: (via ESPN.com)

"He was optimistic (Monday) night. I wouldn't let him be anything else," [Orioles manager Buck] Showalter said. "Unfortunately, he's had a little experience with it, so he knows the difference. He's joking around and speaking very positively."

• Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Orioles in what will be his first big-league action since April 23, when he was caught using pine tar on the ball and subsequently ejected. During his 10-game suspension, Pineda injured his back throwing a simulated game and went on the disabled list. (via NJ.com)

• The Indians will be without outfielder David Murphy for four to five weeks after he strained his oblique over the weekend. First baseman Nick Swisher might be destined for the operating table to fix his sore right knee, but Swisher is seeking a second opinion. (via Cleveland.com)

• Despite injured pitcher Matt Harvey's continued assertion that he will play in a game this season, the Mets may forcibly slow Harvey's rehabilitation process and err on the side of caution. The move may be in response to a second major injury to another Mets pitcher: (via ESPN.com)

Describing a setback suffered this week by Mets pitcher Jeremy Hefner as a "cautionary story for others," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday that he already has talked to Harvey about slowing down the ace's own recovery from Tommy John surgery. ...
"My sense is that Matt will at least take this into account, as we will," said Alderson, who already has had an initial conversation with Harvey on the subject. "My sense is he's reassessing."

• As if the Mets' injury troubles weren't bad enough already, pitcher Jacob deGrom landed on the 15-day disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis. The diagnosis could have been much worse, however, and deGrom is expected to return to the rotation as soon as his DL stint runs out. (via NJ.com)

Around the Horn

• Orioles manager Buck Showalter has an interesting idea for what to give Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter as his parting gift during Jeter's farewell tour around the league: (via WashingtonPost.com)

"I would give him a big picture of the home run," Showalter told reporters Monday before Baltimore's 11-3 win over the Yankees. "Well, it wasn't a home run. We know that. That's what I'd give him. A big picture and have the whole Baltimore Orioles team sign it. That's a good idea. That's cheap, too, right? Make it in bronze or something. Not that we remember that at all."

• The Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A affiliate of the Twins, completed a no-hitter Monday in Rochester, NY. The no-hitter alone is remarkable enough, but then consider that the game was started July 24, in Durham, NC, and by a pitcher who has since made his major league debut. (via Yahoo! Sports)

• Baseball's team owners have a chance to vote for a new commissioner Thursday to replace the outgoing Bud Selig, but if no candidate gets the nod, there's no clear plan for what will happen next: (via NJ.com)

Current commissioner, Bud Selig, was asked what would happen if one of the three doesn't garner the necessary 23 votes from the 30 owners to take the job.

"I'm not going to deal in hypotheticals," Selig said at a press conference at Camden Yards Tuesday. "We have a very well-refined process. I think there's been enough time. So I'll play this hour by hour, vote by vote."

• Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is having a career season and continued Monday night, pitching seven innings and giving up just one run on three hits. The outing was King Felix's 16th consecutive start in which he pitched seven innings and gave up two or fewer runs, the longest such streak since 1900. (via Yahoo! Sports)

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