Cleveland fans still have fresh wounds from LeBron leaving, PD's Ohio State writer says.

Associated PressOhio State's Terrelle Pryor hopes to put on a show for his friend LeBron James on Saturday against Miami.

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright.

• The Ohio State Buckeyes have a big showdown Saturday afternoon in the Horseshoe against the Miami Hurricanes. Who do you think will win, and by how much? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

• Today's guest, Plain Dealer Ohio State writer Doug Lesmerises, agrees with Branson that the Buckeyes will win by more than seven points in what will be a close and entertaining game. Looking for more predictions? You can guess which team actor/ex-wrestler/ex-Hurricane Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is picking.

Doug also talks about the Tweets that have become bulletin-board fodder in the OSU locker room; and the relationship between Terrelle Pryor of OSU and LeBron James. Also, Doug discusses a story he will have in Friday's paper and online about the Cleveland vs. Miami rivalry. Doug says Ohio State has a chance to stick it to Miami fans as payback for LeBron leaving town for the Heat, and for the 1997 World Series that the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins.

SBTV will return Friday morning with Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Tony Grossi as the guest. He will answer fans questions from his weekly Hey, Tony! feature.

Could Michael Brantley's strong play of late force Grady Sizemore to left field? Should we be concerned about Shin-Soo Choo's future as an Indian because of Scott Boras? Find out Paul Hoynes' thoughts on the team's recent play and more.

• Tell us about Indians second round pick Levon Washington?

• Are the Indians OK with Lou Marson as their backup catcher next season?

• Based on how he finished this year as a starter, is it safe to assume Justin Masterson will start 2011 in the rotation?

• Do you see the Indians trending more towards valuing for speed and athleticism?

Click on the play button below to listen or download the MP3 podcast to listen on the go.

"LeBron should be able to come to the OSU game and root for the Buckeyes if he wants to. It shouldn't be an issue. But Terrelle Pryor just made it one. Maybe the fans shouldn't boo, but they will. Pryor just needs to worry about beating Miami." - timl

View full sizeThe Plain DealerMost OSU fans just want their quarterback to focus on beating Miami on Saturday afternoon.

In response to the story If LeBron James attends Saturday's Ohio State game, Terrelle Pryor asks fans not to boo, cleveland.com reader timl thinks Terrelle Pryor shouldn't worry about the reaction to LeBron. This reader writes,

"LeBron should be able to come to the OSU game and root for the Buckeyes if he wants to. It shouldn't be an issue. But Terrelle Pryor just made it one. Maybe the fans shouldn't boo, but they will. Pryor just needs to worry about beating Miami."

The Ohio State coach said LeBron James would not be a distraction if he attends Saturday's game.

Jim Tressel on LeBron James "Sore subjects need to pass"

Asked if the idea of LeBron James attending an Ohio State game might be a sore subject for some fans, OSU coach Jim Tressel today said, "Sore subjects need to pass because things are as they are and we all make decisions."

But is Tressel surprised James remains of interest to fans?

"No, because the guy is special."

The OSU coach said his players are asking more questions during preparation.

Jim Tressel on what a more experienced offense means this week

Drew Pomeranz, No.1 pick from this year's draft, and Alex White, 2009 No.1 pick, headed for Arizona Instructional League with Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians will send 50 players, including their top six picks from this year's draft, to the Arizona Instructional League on Wednesday at their training complex in Goodyear, Ariz.

 They will play a 14-game schedule starting Sept. 22. Play ends Oct. 14.

 Fourteen players from this year's draft will report. That includes left-hander Drew Pomeranz, outfielder LeVon Washington, infielder Tony Wolters, right-hander Kyle Blair, right-hander Cole Cook and infielder Nick Bartolone. They were the Indians first six pitches this year.

 St. Edward catcher Alex Lavisky, an eighth round pick this June, will go to instructional league as well.

 Right-hander Alex White, infielder Jason Kipnis, right-hander Joe Gardner, infielder Kyle Bellows and right-hander Austin Adams, from the 2009 draft, will report as well. White and Kipnis could challenge for big-league spots sometime next year after strong minor league seasons this year. Kipnis will play in the Arizona Fall League after instructional league starting Oct. 12.

 Mike Sarbaugh, the Indians Class AAA manager, will manager Kipnis' AFL team.

 Left-hander Giovanni Soto, infielder Juan Diaz, left-hander Nick Hagadone and right-hander Jason Knapp will report as well. Those four players were acquired in trades over the last two years.

 The instructional league roster breaks down this way: 20 pitchers, six catchers, 13 infielders and 11 outfielders.

 New gig: Cord Phelps, Columbus' second baseman, has been picked for Team USA's Pan-Am roster. They begin play in Puerto Rico on Oct. 1

Kevin Durant's 33 points lead U.S. Victory is on anniversary of Soviet Union's win over U.S. in 1972 Olympics gold medal game -- that game's ending so controversial that U.S. players refused to accept their silver medals.

Associated PressThe United States' Kevin Durant puts up a shot during the 89-79 U.S. win today over Russia in a world basketball championships quarterfinal game.

Istanbul -- Chauncey Billups made the promise. Kevin Durant made sure it was kept.

And by beating Russia on Thursday, the Americans brought a little joy to one of the players who will never forget what happened against the Soviets exactly 38 years earlier.

Durant scored 33 points to lead the United States to an 89-79 victory that moved it within two wins of its first world championship since 1994.

The victory came on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's win over the Americans for the 1972 Olympic gold medal, a game with an ending so controversial that the U.S. players refused to accept their silver medals.

No player on the young American team is old enough to remember that game -- many are barely old enough to remember the Cold War. But Mike Bantom, the NBA's senior vice president of player development, played on that U.S. team and is in Turkey with the Americans.

"I told him today, I know nothing's going to bring that back, man, but at least we'll try to make you at least smile today,'' Billups said. "And he was like, 'Yeah, that'd be nice.' ''

Durant ensured there would be no worries at the finish of this one, shooting 11 of 19 while just missing Carmelo Anthony's world championship team record of 35 points set in 2006.

"We're going to go to him,'' U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I've learned in coaching you should get your best player the ball.''

The U.S. will play either Lithuania or Argentina on Saturday. Host Turkey and Serbia will play in the other semifinal.

The U.S. and Russia have met many times since 1972, including a U.S. victory 16 years ago in Toronto that gave the Americans their last world championship. And there isn't much of a rivalry anymore between the nations -- the NBA even opened an office in Moscow on Thursday.

But the memory hasn't faded of the clash in Munich, where the Soviets were given a third chance after the Americans stopped them twice in the final 3 seconds, and they eventually scored on the second do-over for a 51-50 victory.

David Blatt, Russia's American-born coach, reopened some scars that will never heal for members of that U.S. team this week when he said he'd watched a film about the game and believed the outcome was fair.

Krzyzewski responded that of course Blatt would have that opinion as a Russian - which Blatt is not. He was born in the United States and went to Princeton.

Blatt stuck by his feelings about that game, but said his comments this week were taken out of context and the resulting back-and-forth was just gamesmanship.

"Coach K knows as well as I do that disagreeing or agreeing is generally very American,'' Blatt said. "We don't all have to see things the same way.''

Blatt's team then looked poised to deal the Americans more Sept. 9 heartbreak, running its offense well in the first half and capitalizing on its size advantage inside to frustrate the U.S.

Then, leading by only five in the third quarter, the Americans finally began forcing the Russians into mistakes, which they turned into transition baskets that finally allowed them to shake free.

Russell Westbrook dunked after a turnover, hit a 3-pointer, then came up with a steal and had another dunk to key a decisive 15-5 spurt that pushed the U.S. lead to 65-50. The Oklahoma City guard converted a three-point play to open the scoring in the fourth, and Durant's brilliance from there helped the Americans further extend it in the fourth.

Billups scored 15 points and Westbrook finished with 12, including seven in a row for the Americans when their athleticism finally turned away a Russian team that had the pace to its liking for the first half.

"I think some of us, we kind of started off a little slow and then didn't jump on them early, and tonight that was a big problem for us,'' Westbrook said. "Then second half we kind of got into our rhythm.''

The Americans finished with a 22-2 advantage in fast-break points and a 20-2 edge in points off turnovers.

Sergey Bykov scored 17 points for Russia, which exceeded expectations in this tournament after coming to the worlds without some of its top talent, most notably Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, the MVP of their 2007 European championship.

Andrey Vorontsevich had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Timofey Mozgov, recently signed by the New York Knicks, scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

The Americans missed 17 of their first 25 shots, rotated too slowly on defense, and were outworked on the boards while trailing for much of the first half.

The U.S. built an early six-point advantage before Mozgov began to control the middle. He hit all four of his shots in the first quarter, twice while getting fouled, and his last basket tied it at 25 heading to the second period.

Russia got the first two baskets of that quarter, starting with an embarrassingly easy drive into the lane for an uncontested layup by Dmitriy Khvostov. The Russians pushed their lead to 35-30 midway through the period on consecutive baskets by Bykov, and only then did the Americans start digging in on defense.

They held Russia without a basket for more than 4 minutes, running off 12 straight points to take a seven-point lead, before going into the locker room ahead 44-39.

The Russians will play in the consolation bracket, still hoping to finish fifth.

Walleye are the most popular catch from Lake Erie. Few will dispute yellow perch are the most flavorful.

 Walleye are the most popular catch from Lake Erie. Few will dispute yellow perch are the most flavorful.

 The green-and-gold perch have been a favorite of fish fries all along the Ohio coast for generations, and 2,900 pounds of fillets will be consumed today through Sunday at the Lake County PerchFest at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park. The flaky, white fillets are easy to fry to perfection if you follow the lead of chef Chris Bennett, the cooking star of the PerchFest.

Fried perch are breaded, dunked in hot oil for a few minutes and ready to eat. How can you mess that up? Bennett knows why some home-cooked perch fillets don't taste quite as good as his fillets. 

 "You have to bread the perch fillets 20 minutes before cooking," said Bennett. "That allows the perch to set up and the breading to adhere better, not fall off in the fryer. You'll also get a nicely cooked perch that is like a plank, instead of curled up."

 Perch breaded hours or even a day before cooking allows the breading to wick away moisture from the fillet. The result is wet breading that fries too quickly and becomes hard, and a dry perch fillet underneath. The oil should be quality peanut or canola oil heated to 350 degrees.

Bennett, 42, owns Bennett Fish Company in Lorain, and cooks perch for area festivals. He doesn't fear rain, only hot weather.

"It's amazing how many people own umbrellas," he said. "But if the weather is oppressively hot, people aren't interest in a hot meal. The evenings will be cool this weekend, perfect for a cup of our clam chowder or lobster bisque, or an order of steamed clams."

 Perch Derby on tap: Lake Erie is finally starting to settle down, and local perch anglers are hoping the yellow perch will start to bite again this weekend. The PerchFest's Perch Derby is Saturday and Sunday, with a minimal entry fee of $5, $1 for kids. The hot spot in the Fairport Harbor area is a hump northwest of the Grand River. It was attracting schools of perch before the big winds arrived early this week. Anglers can enter at local bait and tackle shops.

Making music: Joe and Kathy Sofchek of Mosquito Lake Marina, Bait & Tackle host fishing tournaments throughout the summer, and Sept. 18 they'll have their big concert of the season at Mosquito Lake State Park. Featured are the Legendary Drifters. The gates open at 2 p.m. For tickets call 330-637-2075.

Boat Show in Sandusky: The 38th annual North American In-Water Boat Show had more than 150 boats in the water on Thursday morning as it readied to show off new and used watercraft Wednesday through Sept. 19 at Cedar Point Marina in Sandusky. Show official Mike DiLorenzo said about half of this year's boats will be of the used variety, joined by a handful of 2011 models and some new boats remaining from 2010.

"We have more boats on trailers this year, and fewer big boats," said DiLorenza. "South Shore Marine has the biggest fleet, with most boats in the 20- to 30-foot range."

The show is open noon-7 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $9, with kids 12 and under free.

Lead ban considered: The Environmental Protection Agency has been trying to take the lead out of hunting and fishing. The EPA failed on the hunting side, backing off because of vigorous opposition from the National Rifle Association and other sportsmen's groups. Fishermen might not be so lucky. The EPA is still considering banning lead sinkers, lead-head jigs and other lures containing lead under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The cost would be high, with non-lead fishing gear six to 15 times more expensive than lead. The American Sportfishing Association says data does not support a federal ban on sinkers, and would stop many anglers from going fishing because of the high cost and unavailability of non-lead sinkers, jigs and other fishing tackle.

Anglers can comment on the proposed ban at www.regulations.gov through Sept. 15.

Shut out again: After years of trying, our household was blanked again in the lottery for controlled waterfowl and deer hunts. If you tossed your hat in the Ohio Division of Wildlife lottery, the lucky hunters to get permits have been posted at www.wildohio.com. 

 Women's retreat: The Stark County Park District hosts a WOW Retreat for Women on Sept. 24-25 at Deer Creek Reservoir in Alliance. The wide range of workshops and classes range from canoeing and kayaking to fishing, archery and survival skills. The event kicks off Friday at 5 p.m. and runs through Saturday evening with a $20 fee. Meals are provided. Call 330-409-8096.

Straight shooting: Bowhunters kick off their deer season on Sept. 25, and need to get in a lot of shooting before it begins. Public areas with free archery ranges in the Cleveland area include Berlin Lake Wildlife Area (Portage County), Geneva State Park (Ashtabula), Punderson State Park (Geauga), and Spencer Wildlife Area (Medina).

Clemens, a 7-time Cy Young Award winner, pleaded not guilty last month to charges of lying to Congress about whether he used steroids or human growth hormone.

Associated PressRoger Clemens leaving a federal courthouse in Washington on Aug. 30.

Toronto, Ontario -- Police searched the offices of the Toronto Blue Jays and turned over documents in connection with the perjury case against seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens.

Two officers executed the search in June and assisted the U.S. Justice Department by forwarding the two boxes they obtained, police spokesman Const. Tony Vella said Thursday.

Vella called it a U.S. investigation and said the Blue Jays cooperated with the court order. He declined to say if medical records were obtained.

Clemens pleaded not guilty last month to charges of lying to Congress about whether he used steroids or human growth hormone. Federal prosecutors didn't believe Clemens' testimony to Congress, and they subsequently charged him with making false statements, perjury and obstruction of Congress.

Clemens won Cy Young Awards in Toronto in 1997 and 1998. Most of the accusations against Clemens are based on the word of Brian McNamee, once the Blue Jays' strength and conditioning coach.

At Clemens' arraignment last week, government attorney Steven Durham said there was "voluminous" scientific evidence that needed to be reviewed before the trial could start, tentatively in April. That presumably includes the syringes McNamee alleges he used to inject the pitcher with drugs. It might also include information from the documents received from the Blue Jays.

"We do not comment about matters pending before courts other than to confirm that it is our policy to comply with all valid legal process," Blue Jays spokesman Jay Stenhouse said.

Clemens is facing three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of Congress. The 48-year-old pitcher has promised all along to fight the charges.

If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, though under U.S. sentencing guidelines, he probably would get no more than 15 to 21 months in prison.

Any conviction, however, could damage his reputation, future earnings and chances of election to baseball's Hall of Fame.

Clemens had come to Congress after being mentioned repeatedly in the Mitchell report -- the damning breakdown of the sport's steroid problem released in 2007. Two months later, in front of a House committee, Clemens said: "Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH."

McNamee testified that the pitcher did, in fact, use steroids and HGH. McNamee also worked with Clemens when he was with the New York Yankees.

Former teammate Andy Pettitte also told congressional investigators that Clemens told him he had used HGH. Clemens said Pettitte "misremembers" the conversation.

Clemens ranks ninth on the career list with 354 victories and was an 11-time All-Star. During a 23-year career that ended in 2007, he played for the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Yankees and the Houston Astros.

He left Boston and joined Toronto in 1997 after Boston's general manager at the time, Dan Duquette, said the pitcher was in the "twilight" of his career.

Transcript of Eric Mangini's Thursday news conference.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerCleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini says offensive lineman Floyd Womack and defensive lineman Shaun Rogers will be available to play Sunday in Tampa, but rookie guard Shaun Lauvao's status is uncertain after an ankle injury.

(Opening statement)- "Good morning. One piece of housekeeping, we waived Titus Brown and re-signed Billy Yates. Just looking at the offensive line situation, I thought that Floyd (Womack) did a good job yesterday but it was his first day back. Shawn (Lauvao) twisted his left ankle yesterday so we are not going to practice him today. We'll see where that is tomorrow so we wanted to bring Billy (Yates) back in to have some more depth over there. With (Steve) Vallos he's new, he is capable, just he is new so that was the thought process there. In terms of practice itself we were inside yesterday to try to the best we could to get a little bit more heat. It's been kind of a cool start to September here in Cleveland outside a couple days last week so just to work in that environment as much as we could. It's not perfect but it's as close as we can get to it. Any time that we face either elements or noise or whatever it is, and I talked to the team about this this morning as well, the goal is to operate in that in practice so that it becomes a non-factor when you face that during the course of a game. Practice itself I thought was crisp I thought the recall from Monday's practice was good and the new install, there's always some growing pains with new install, but the guys worked at it and we got a lot of what we wanted to get accomplished, accomplished. Today we'll move to the next phase and we will get a little bit of a head start on the red zone as well because we did have that extra day on Monday."

(On how long Lauvao is going to be out)- "Really we are just looking at it today. We are going to see where he is after today and then we will reevaluate it for tomorrow."

(On the specifics of Lauvao's injury)- "I don't want to get into the specifics of when it happened, where it happened, it's just kind of where it is."

(On if it is going to be tough for Womack to play)- "I don't think it will be for a guy like Floyd. He's got a ton of experience and there wasn't a lot of drop off between what he was doing before and what he was doing yesterday. He was limited because it was his first day back but I thought it was really good for his first day back."

(On if simulating the heat during practice has been successful)- "I don't know it's better than what we have outside, what is it now like 68? It won't be 68 on Sunday. I thought it was kind of warm."

(On where Joe Haden is now and if he is ready to play at a higher level)- "I think he has made a ton of strides since he's been here. The most important thing for Joe's development is to really understand the defense and that's gotten better and better. It's the same thing for T.J. (Ward) because in them understanding what they have to do and how to play it, then they can actually play to their ability. There's anxiety for everybody going into the first game because its new and veterans, everybody has it. The butterflies of the opener, but as a rookie this is also completely new for them so the more that they can not be thinking and just be playing that's what helps those guys play to their ability much quicker. I think Joe and T.J. have done a nice job with the information and the other real asset those guys have is the people that they're playing with and the people that are in that room. Whether it's Abe (Elam) or Sheldon (Brown) or Eric Wright, I really like the way that they have latched on to the older guys and the older guys have embraced them. That's a big part on what makes a secondary successful. Having experienced that in New England really with Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel those guys have to take in as much information from the vets that they can and the vets really have to embrace them and nurture them along through the process. There's going to be bumps, there's going to be bumps with any rookie you just want to make sure it's a smaller one and not a bigger one."

(On if Haden was able to get away with more in college than now because of his athleticism)- "Yes, I think there is definitely an element of that because the thing here is all the quarterbacks are good, all the receivers are good and if you don't use your eyes the right way it's just a law, your body goes where your eyes go. Often times one of the biggest mistakes a defensive back makes is when they look back it slows them down, it draws them back in and you have to train your body, you have to counter that tendency and it's hard to do. If you have a pattern of looking back too early because your athleticism, your speed, your burst can compensate looking for the ball where before you can compensate it's not the same. Usually it's a difference between a step, a 100th of a second, but that's the difference between a play and a completion."

(On if there is much of a difference between the preparation for the Tampa Bay quarterbacks Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson)- "There are similarities which is a positive thing. With any two people there's going to be differences, but they create a lot of the same challenges. They are both very effective with their feet, they both can throw on the run well. I think both players have the ability to make plays outside of the standard way to make plays. But that consistency actually is a plus for us because you're not preparing for one guy who is one way and one guy who is completely a different way."

(On if it changes their preparation for a quarterback that will be wearing a splint on his throwing thumb)- "It really doesn't change the preparation. We don't do a splint drill or anything (joking). You don't know how it's going to affect him. You can't predict how that's going to affect his throwing pattern because you haven't seen him play with it so you don't know if the ball is going to come off lower, is it going to come off higher, you don't know how that's going to affect him because there's no pattern to base it off of."

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerDefensive lineman Shaun Rogers spent most of the preseason watching his teammates practice, but the former Pro Bowler has been able to practice this week and will be able to play Sunday against the Buccaneers.

(On if the high temperatures in Tampa will affect Shaun Rogers" reps)- "Yesterday when we were talking about sort of the approach, what I always want to do, not just in these games but in all games, is if you go to the game and you're on the 45 you're going to play and I want all of our guys to be able to play roles. They are going to have their special teams roles but they need to be able to play meaningful snaps offensively and defensively. That's the plan with the defensive guys, for all of our guys, get them their reps where we can and when they need a break or need to reload the next person that goes in has to be able to operate at a high level."

(On if he anticipates Rogers on the active 45 roster)- "Yes."

(On if Rogers is doing more each day in practice)- "Yes, he did some on Monday, a little bit more yesterday and he'll do a little bit more here today. It's just the progression, same thing as Floyd (Womack), really their both progressing back into it."

(On what it means to have Rogers on the Browns rush defense)- "He's a big man and you got to account for him. Since he is at the first level usually that means blockers stay on him longer because he is at the first level which means they are a little slower getting up to the linebacker so that's always a plus. That being said I think (Ahtyba) Rubin does a lot of the same things because he's got good size and he ties up a lot of blockers as well. That's what you are looking for from that spot is if they single you up you make the play, if they double you, you free up somebody else up to make the play. The toughest time is when you have a guy who can't do either then you're just dead."

(On if he has answers to fix the defense)- "Usually what happens is the answers are a little bit different each game because the problems are a little bit different each game. The way that you're trying to stop one offense is going to be a different approach than the other offense. Rob (Ryan) and I spend time with the defensive staff each day going through whatever the issues are or whatever we think needs to be addressed and then we proactively address those things to get them fixed and then you go into the next challenge which this week is Tampa Bay and some of the answers from previous games they don't really apply here because it's a different set of things that we face. Our discussions are consistent it doesn't change week in and week out we are both working towards the same thing."

(On his relationship with Rob Ryan and coming up with ideas for the defense)- "Yes that's just part of the operation, you throw up ideas. He may have a blitz he really likes, I may have a blitz I really like, Bryan Cox might have one, (Matt) Eberflus. You throw it up there and then the rest of the group will try to pick holes in it to see where it doesn't work and you make your case for it and then collectively we talk about it and say, "This is the one we want, this is the second one we want, this is the complement off of it." That to me is what game planning should be because you throw your ideas out there, the rational, you talk about it, you try to poke holes in it and then you get to the best one and you push it forward."

(On who will fill Lauvao's spot for practice today)- "Floyd will work there today and the other thing that we have done is John (St. Clair) has worked inside and (Tony) Pashos outside so really there's those three guys and then Billy can play inside, center or guard."

(On who is ahead at right tackle John St. Clair or Tony Pashos)- "It's Thursday so John's getting back and working back into things and that will be a decision that I'll make at the end of the week, but they both worked there. They're both comfortable there, I have confidence in both guys. Now it's just a function of watching the week unfold. We didn't have them together for very much time at any point during the preseason. It's pretty unique that way, unfortunately things happen in life where guys have to take care of them and they had to miss time."

(On if it is disappointing the right side is not settled yet)- "No, I think as opposed to looking it that way I am really encouraged by the way that they have all played. I'd much rather be in a situation where you have confidence in all the guys being able to play then you will settle with these two but you don't necessarily have the confidence that you need in the guys that could be in one play. I remember Tennessee my opening game as a head coach, we lost our starting guard three plays into the game the next guy in was a whole different thing. The guy who lined up over him was Albert Haynesworth, so yes it was one of those tough head coaching moments."

(On if he is confident Nick Sorensen won't be gun shy after his hit in Detroit)- "He's just wired one way. He's consistent, he's smart, he cares, there are so many things about him that we're going to make sure that when he's back, he's back and he's right. He's going to know that he's right and at that point I fully expect him to play the same way he always played because that's just the type of person that he is. You look at a guy like Bubba (Ray) Ventrone, he's the same way. I have known Bubba for a long time and I remember watching him come out of Villanova, those types of guys, Blake Costanzo, I remember him in college and when we had him in training camp in New York and that's just how they are."

(On how he feels about the team)- "I feel really good about this group of guys. I feel really good about the approach. I feel really good about not just the way they work but the way they work together. You can work a group of guys because you control the schedule you can work them, but there's a difference between that and them pushing themselves individually each day, them pushing each other each day to get better. I don't mean that in a negative way I mean that in a really positive way. When you get a bunch of good people in one place together and they challenge each other on the right issues studying, conditioning, all those things, usually good things happen, and I like this group of guys a lot."

(On what kind of challenges Gerald McCoy presents that Ndamukong Suh didn't)- "Each guy is a little bit different but they are the same in the sense that they are both incredibly talented and they both have really high motors. That's what I really liked about both those guys in the draft. As big as they were, as talented as they were, they were relentless and that's a great trait to have in a defensive lineman. I have seen that throughout the preseason, I saw it when we played Detroit I have seen it here in looking at Tampa Bay. He's a tough, talented guy who may make a mistake but he can then make a play off of the mistake because of the way that he pursues, the way that he attacks the ball. I think he is going to be a good player."

(On if it is easier to make a game plan with knowing who the quarterback is)- "It helps, it helps a lot to be in that position and the other thing that's been really nice is getting to know Seneca (Wallace). Seneca has been learning a new system and he's done really well with it. I have a ton of confidence in him too, he could go in at any point and I really feel that he would operate at a high level. Having those two guys and Jake (Delhomme) is a special guy in terms of the guys I've been around, he's a unique guy that way and he's done well I think in his opportunities here in the preseason and I expect that throughout the course of the season."

(On the umpire being moved around)- "I don't think it's a really big issue. I think it's more of something you have to learn about because how is it going to effect the calls? Is there going to be more offensive holding, is there going to be less defensive holding? Some of it was with the operation of no huddle some of it was trying to get a quick and snap the ball quick, but it's a learning curve for us, it's a learning curve for the officials and it's a learning curve for everybody. I think it's a good thing because it takes those guys out of a very dangerous situation, and I think that's positive so we will all adjust to it and we'll get it figured out."

(On what makes him sure this defense will do better against the run this with having the same defensive linemen)- "I think that one, it doesn't just come down to the defensive linemen so that's one component of it. Stopping the run to me is collective and there were quite a few plays where when it got past the line of scrimmage, we didn't get the guys down in the secondary, we didn't get the guys down in the perimeter so something that should have been a reasonable run became a 30-yard run or 20-yard run. You start knocking those back and that changes the average. I'd like to think we have gotten better in terms of understanding how to play the defenses against the core runs that we face and against the game plan specific runs that we face. Again, it is going to take all of us to do that."

(On the speed of the defense and if they can make up for mistakes easier)- "I think there's give and take in both. Sometimes when your built for speed you struggle with power, sometimes when your built for power you can have challenges with speed. You just have to understand what your strengths are and how you're going to play and then dictate that's how you're going to play defense as opposed to trying to match finesse with power, it doesn't work. When we played the Rams in the Super Bowl that year, they were a finesse fast team. That's not how we played the game. We got up and we made it a boxing match. You just have to know what your strengths are and play to your strengths and understand what your weaknesses are and limit those, and if you don't that's when you get into trouble."

Transcript courtesy Cleveland Browns

Cleveland State basketball coach Gary Waters gets a big commitment from a local star.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerAfter suffering through a tough season in 2009-10, better times could be on the horizon for Gary Waters and the Cleveland State basketball team after getting a commitment from Cleveland Central Catholic star Anton Grady.

For the past five years, Gary Waters has been trying to convince a major local men's basketball prospect to play at Cleveland State.

It finally has happened, as Cleveland Central Catholic's Anton Grady has given Waters and the Vikings an oral commitment. The 6-8 senior forward is considered one of the top players in Ohio by several recruiting services, and he had offers from Cincinnati, Dayton, Xavier and several Mid-American Conference schools.

"When Anton was a sophomore, [Michigan State coach] Tom Izzo was in our gym," said Central Catholic coach Kevin Noch. "He told me that he was very interested in Anton. Cleveland State is getting a special player."

Grady had a monster sophomore season when Central Catholic won the Division III state title. He averaged 11.6 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. As a junior, he suffered a knee injury and missed part of the season due to arthroscopic surgery. He returned late in the season, helping the Ironmen to the regionals. He averaged 13.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.

"His knee is 100 percent now, and he was playing great by the end of the summer," said Eugene White, who has coached Grady for the past three summers in AAU basketball for the Friends for Life team. "He was getting interest from Michigan State, Purdue, schools like that once they saw he was healthy."

So why Cleveland State?

"They were there from the beginning for me," said Grady. "I want to stay close to home. It will mean a lot to my family to see me play. My cousin, Earl [Boykins], played for coach Waters at Eastern Michigan and liked him. I liked how coach Waters and coach [Jermaine] Kimbrough were real with me. Coach Waters looked me in the eye; he didn't always say what I wanted to hear. Me and coach Kimbrough, we're just real tight."

Loyalty is a word attached to Grady by the Ironmen coaches. They talk about how high school basketball has been dominated by off-season stories of a couple of high-profile players transferring.

"But Anton has stuck it out," said Noch. "We're not easy to play for. I'm an old-school coach. We practice at 5:30 in the morning. We want the kids to go to study halls and tutoring after school."

The Ironmen also play in a Hoosiers-style gym with a stage at one end, wooden bleachers on top of the court. It's a blast from the past where you'd expect to find old guys heaving up two-handed set shots at the basket, not one of the most up-tempo teams in the area.

"It's almost the norm for kids to jump from school to school," said Noch. "A lot of bigger schools wanted Anton, and I'm sure he has thought about it. But he has stayed at Central, and I give him a lot of credit for that. It's also why CSU is a good fit for him."

Grady said he never seriously considered leaving the private inner-city Cleveland school.

"This is the best place for me," he said. "They don't just care about getting me on the court. They work with my school stuff, and they want everything right so I can go to college."

Ironmen Athletic Director Xavier Smith said Grady has a 2.9 grade-point average in his "core courses." He will take the ACT test next month.

"Anton came from the public schools, and had a rough first year academically," he said. "But since then, he has been well over 3.0. We're proud of him."

ESPN.com rates Grady as the No. 3 player in Ohio and the No. 28 power forward in the country. NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from commenting on recruits until national letters of intent are signed.

"This is a very good 'get' for Gary Waters," said John Stovall, who rates players for ESPN and is a part owner and director of scouting for Prep Spotlight Scouting Service. "Gary and his staff have been on Anton since he was a freshman. His goal is to be close to the best players in the Cleveland area so they have a real shot at them out of high school -- or in case they go elsewhere and then decide they want to transfer back home."

Two of those type of transfers were George Tandy (Lincoln-West) and Chris Moore (St. Edward), who were important big men on the 26-11 Vikings who went to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Last season, they signed well-respected guard Anthony Wells from Shaker Heights. Strongsville's Tim Kamczyc scored 20 points in the Vikings' final game of their 16-17 season in 2009-10.

"Anton is a different level of player," said Stovall. "Purdue came on strong and offered him. He is very athletic, can run and pass very well for a big man. He needs to mature, and he really has a lot of upside."

The Ironmen coaches said another factor in picking CSU is the Vikings coaching staff. Unlike some of the major schools that backed off when he had his knee problems last season, CSU's interest remained strong.

The coaches said Grady was impressed with Butler's run to the NCAA final, and how the Bulldogs from the same Horizon League as CSU did it with mostly local players.

"That's true," said Grady. "I want to show players they can stay home and get it done here."

Waters was disappointed by last season, when his three junior college transfers failed to make significant contributions. All have left CSU, and Waters vowed to return to his usual policy of building a team with high school players and a few transfers from four-year schools.

"I love coach Waters for his vision for CSU," said Noch. "He stands for the right things. His teams play defense, and that is good for Anton. I know they will make him a better player and person."

South Florda and Ohio will be facing off again on Saturday when the Buckeyes play the Hurricanes in Ohio Stadium.

Al Diaz / Miami Herald via APWhat's wrong with this picture? Everything as far as Ohio fans are concerned and nothing as far as fans in South Florida can tell. The two fans bases harbor grudges against each other going into Saturday's game between Ohio State and Miami in Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Anyone get the idea that Saturday isn't going to be simple? From Jose Mesa to Terry Porter to The Decision, every athletic encounter between Ohio and South Florida in recent times has been angst-ridden, up to and including the high school game between Glenville and William T. Dwyer, 80 miles from Miami, four days ago.

Why should Ohio State-Miami be any different? And LeBron James ups the ulcer ante.

"Sore subjects need to pass," OSU football coach Jim Tressel said Thursday. "Things are as they are. We all make decisions. You have to respect one another's decisions and move on. Am I surprised it's discussed? No, because the guy is special."

Near the Miami campus, allCanes, a store specializing in Miami apparel, sells a T-shirt that reads "Ohio Stole the Crown in '02" on the front and "Miami Steals the King in 2010" on the back. An employee said in a phone interview Thursday that the shirt has been one of the store's highest sellers, with more than 300 sold so far.

So the free-agent signing of the summer, James leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat, was just the latest blow in this regional dogfight. The feud had been on simmer since the Buckeyes' victory over the Hurricanes for the 2002 national title, when Ohio State's hopes were kept alive by a controversial late flag from official Terry Porter.

"I can report that the Heat only signed LeBron as payback for Ohio State stealing the national championship from UM," Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote joked. "If not for that terrible call, LeBron would still be in a Cavs uniform."

Radio hosts in Miami this week joked that the Miami players, who infamously stepped off a plane wearing fatigues when arriving for the 1987 Fiesta Bowl against Penn State, would land in Columbus wearing James Heat jerseys.

What's left for Cleveland sports fans? Saturday, when the No. 2 Buckeyes face the No. 12 Hurricanes for the first time since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. With quotes from some Miami players strategically played around the Ohio State locker room this week, OSU center Mike Brewster said, "We do our talking between the white lines."

But between the lines has been as messy as outside the lines.

Lenny Ignelzi / APA pass interference call on this fourth-down play in the first overtime of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl allowed Ohio State to beat Miami in two overtimes and win the national championship. The call is a bitter subject with Hurricanes fans, who believe OSU stole the title. Miami fans apparently forget several non-calls that hurt Ohio State or that the Hurricanes had several chances to win the game before the controversial call.

Edgar Renteria's game-winning single for the Florida Marlins against the Indians came off Charles Nagy in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Ohio State's 31-24 win eight years ago came in double overtime. Glenville's 26-22 win over Dwyer in Ohio Stadium on Labor Day came only after Dwyer appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown twice in the final minutes, once on a pass, another on a final-play quarterback sneak. The game was part of the Kirk Herbstreit Kickoff Classic, and the former OSU quarterback and current ESPN analyst said he's sick to his stomach about the way the game played out.

Even the only basketball game between Ohio State and Miami in the past eight years, on Dec. 2, 2008, turned on the ejection of Miami's best player for slapping an OSU player in the face. The Buckeyes, down 12 at the time, went on to a 73-68 win.

James is the latest connection, and Saturday is the first chance for a major Ohio team to face a major Miami team since his move.

"We've all got a bitter taste in our mouths," Glenville football coach Ted Ginn Sr. said, believing the stakes had been raised.

James went to a Hurricanes basketball practice two weeks ago and scrimmaged with the team, and according to the Associated Press, was given an open invitation to stand on the sidelines for Hurricanes football games. So that does it -- the Buckeyes can take out some frustrations for Ohio sports fans this weekend.

Except that James' Twitter account has expressed his continued support for Ohio State, and he has stayed in contact with OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor. James has indicated interest in coming Saturday, though an OSU spokesperson said the school hasn't received a request from James. If he's there, Tressel sounded like his team could deal with it.

"There are going to be a lot of distractions," Tressel said. "If we can't handle distractions, one more is not going to make a difference."

But could the Ohio State fans accept it? When Pryor asked fans Wednesday to treat James with respect if he shows -- "Please, no name-calling or booing or anything like that," Pryor said -- the public response was swift. Expect boos.

"LeBron can root for any team he wants to, but he ripped the whole state's heart out, not just Cleveland, so if I was him, I would not show up at the game," said Robbie McGowan, 43, who was born and raised in Cleveland but now lives in Virginia and was among those expressing pro-boo views on Twitter.

Maybe James will be in Ohio Stadium on Saturday or maybe he won't. Or maybe he'll be there in disguise. When the teams from Ohio and South Florida get between the white lines, expect . . . what could be next?

Sometimes fans only notice a player like Nick Sorensen when something bad happens, and that's a shame. But while self-described "skinny white guy" is able to go unnoticed among fans, he's a hero to his teammates.

View full sizeTracy Boulian / The Plain DealerThe Browns' Nick Sorensen has made it through nine NFL seasons in part because of his outstanding play on special teams.

BEREA, Ohio — Although there were some anxious moments while he lie unconscious on the floor of Ford Field two weeks ago, those who know Nick Sorensen best didn't doubt he would return from one of the most violent collisions seen in a recent Browns game.

Sorensen, you see, is one of the great survivors in the brutal world of the NFL.

Surviving a double head-on collision with two Detroit Lions running full speed on a kickoff in a preseason game seemed the perfect metaphor for Sorensen's career. He's in his 10th NFL season of doing that kind of work, a core player on the club's top-ranked special teams.

And sometimes you only notice a player like him when something bad happens, like in Detroit on Aug. 28. Which is a shame.

"I blend in, which is cool. I like that. I'm a skinny white guy walking around," Sorensen said this week, smiling again after being cleared to rejoin his teammates this week.

Sorensen sometimes finds himself joining anonymous conversations about the team in coffee shops or restaurants. Even after three years on the Browns, he is never recognized out of uniform.

"I can hear what people really think and I can be like an instigator and see how they feel about things," he said. "I've done that many times, my entire career. I don't pretend I'm a fan. I just listen and talk."

He never hears anyone talking about No. 27, Sorensen.

"If anyone mentions my name, I know they must be a true fanatic. They must know everyone on the team if they mention me," he said with a laugh.

But that anonymity does not exist in the Browns' locker room. He is a hero to some teammates.

"He's the inspiration to all of us out there. He's our leader. I know a lot of guys look up to him," linebacker Blake Costanzo said.

"He really has taught me how to be an NFL player, just since the time I got here last year. How he's made it, how he presents himself, how he plays the game. There's no other guy on this team I look up to more than Nick."

Added defensive back Ray Ventrone: "He's a great, great player. Tough kid. Smart player. Obviously, he's a great special teams player."

Sorensen was his high school's best athlete in Vienna, Va. He played quarterback, defensive back, and punted and place-kicked. But in the NFL he is scraggly, 6-3 and 210 pounds. When he collided with onrushing Landon Cohen, who is 6-3 and 300, and Caleb Campbell, 6-2 and 237, his head snapped backward and bounced off the turf.

"He was out, man," Costanzo said. "I've never seen that before, never seen a guy just knocked out. The doctors kept us away. He was out of it for a while."

At the game were Sorensen's parents and wife, Danielle, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child. A Browns aide kept them informed of Sorensen's condition as he was taken to a hospital.

Sorensen was released in time to return to Cleveland on the team bus. He suffered concussion symptoms -- severe headache, blurred vision, dizziness -- and was cleared to begin working out again only after the symptoms disappeared for several days.

Sorensen said he doesn't remember the play or lying on the field and has yet to see the collision on video.

"I'm not scared to watch it. I want to watch it," Sorensen said. "It's weird. I went to see it the other day. We had it TiVo'd at the house. We're watching and my wife says, 'It's coming up,' and it just stopped playing five minutes before and then rewound to the beginning."

It's doubtful Sorensen will play in the season opener Sunday in Tampa. But when he returns to the field, he said he won't be gun-shy about throwing around his body on punts and kickoffs like he has for nine NFL seasons.

"He's just wired one way," coach Eric Mangini said. "He's consistent, he's smart, he cares. There are so many things about him that we're going to make sure that when he's back, he's back and he's right. He's going to know that he's right and at that point I fully expect him to play the same way he always played because that's just the type of person that he is."

Sorensen was a special teams captain in Jacksonville before he joined the Browns in 2007. He also played for St. Louis. He routinely leads his team, or is in the top three, in special teams tackles. He said the secret to his survival on special teams is being productive. Physically, somehow he always avoids major injury.

"I've been blessed with good opportunities and good coaches and good teammates and have just been fortunate," he said.

Many of those teammates sought out Sorensen's wife after the game in Detroit.

"She said she could just tell how much they cared," Sorensen said. "That to me meant the most. Because it really does feel like a family with these guys. It's been awesome."

Despite the uncertainties, coach Eric Mangini says he's still encouraged by the play of the offensive line.

View full sizeLynn Ischay, The Plain DealerBrowns offensive llineman Shawn Lauvao, center, hurt his ankle Wednesday and missed practice Thursday. It's unclear how much more time, if any, he'll miss.

BEREA, Ohio — The right side of the Browns' offensive line is still in flux as the opener approaches.

Rookie guard Shawn Lauvao missed practice Thursday after twisting his left ankle the day before. Veteran Floyd Womack moved back into the starting spot after missing most of the preseason with knee issues.

Meanwhile, John St. Clair, back after missing a couple weeks for personal reasons, is still listed as the starting right tackle ahead of Tony Pashos.

Asked if he's disappointed the right side is still unsettled, coach Eric Mangini said: "No, I think I'm really encouraged by the way they've all played. I'd rather much be in the situation where you have confidence in all the guys being able to play, than you will settle with these two but you don't necessarily have the confidence that you need in the guys that could be in one play."

For a while, it looked like the starting right side for Tampa Bay would consist of Lauvao and Pashos. But Mangini said it's up in the air, depending on how the week unfolds. He even included St. Clair as a candidate to play right guard.

Womack, for one, is unconcerned about how it shakes out.

"I don't think it'll be a problem," he said. "I think we've been around each other enough to know what's going on. We'll be ready."

Mangini wouldn't say whether Lauvao would miss more time. But as an insurance policy, he brought back Billy Yates, a swingman at center and guard. Linebacker Titus Brown was waived to make room.

Hot times: According to the Browns, Sunday's opener in Tampa, Fla., could be one of the hottest games in club history. The highest recorded temperature at the start of a Browns game was 95 degrees Sept. 9, 1984, in Anaheim, Calif.

The weather forecast for Sunday in Tampa calls for temperatures above 90 degrees and a heat index of 110. Mangini continued Thursday working the team indoors with the heat turned up, but it's impossible to simulate the conditions waiting in Tampa.

Left tackle Joe Thomas, a native of Wisconsin, said it will be his first experience playing "in significant heat."

Thomas isn't sure that Cleveland's long, hot summer prepared the team for Tampa.

"You can't really get used to sweating," Thomas said. "There were some tough days. Like anything else in football, sometimes you have to dig deep, gut it out and survive. I'm one of the more weight-challenged guys at practice because I do sweat a lot."

Thomas said during the heat of August, he lost about 25 pounds in a single day of double practices.

"Twelve in the morning and 12 to 14 in the afternoon," Thomas said. "You gain it right back because as soon as you lose that, you get two bags of IVs and a big meal. But it can't be very good for your body to be losing weight like that. And you don't feel good for a while until you get your fluids back."

Thomas said he is at his normal playing weight of about 315 pounds. He might dip below 300 after Sunday, however.

Rogers speaks: Shaun Rogers spoke with the media for the first time since the team reported to training camp July 31. Rogers, who was cleared to practice this week, said he's happy to be back to work with the full team and doesn't mind if he is moved to defensive end to make room for emerging nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin.

"Whatever they ask of me. Whatever they think is best, I'll do," he said. "It's D-line. Long as I don't have to play wideout, we'll be all right."

Rogers said he doesn't expect to automatically be at full strength after missing all of preseason. He admitted he was "sucking wind" in his first full practice Wednesday.

"There's always a learning curve. Every year's a new year. There's new defenses, chemistry. I'm happy to be back and working to develop those things," he said.

Like most of the defensive players, Rogers figures to be on a "rep count" in Tampa's steamy conditions. The object will be to have fresh legs available in the brutal fourth quarter.

Fujita's take: Linebacker Scott Fujita likes what he sees of his new team after spending the past four years with the New Orleans Saints.

"Until you get into live action, you never really know," he said. "I remember back four years ago, coming off a tough training camp in New Orleans, our first year together, and we really didn't know what we had yet. I have a much better sense about this group than I did about that group.

"We had a bunch of ragtag guys from different teams, didn't do well in preseason, and won some games early. This group, I feel a lot more cohesiveness, guys communicate better. I feel guys know what they're doing, more than we did in New Orleans four years ago."

The Saints team of which Fujita spoke surprised everyone by going 10-6 and winning the NFC South. Three years later, the Saints won the Super Bowl.

Back to school: The Browns have another up-close look at one of the top defensive players in the draft in Tampa Bay tackle Gerald McCoy, who was taken No. 3 overall. In the preseason, they handled No. 2 pick Ndamukong Suh of Detroit fairly well.

Center Alex Mack said of McCoy: "McCoy's a little faster. He looks like a really good player, gets off the ball quick. Not quite as strong as Suh, but he's still strong. I think speed wins. It's more dangerous."

Injury report: Besides Lauvao, who didn't practice with a twisted ankle, the Browns added tight end Robert Royal to their injury report. Royal (ankle) did participate fully . . . Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman (thumb) returned to full participation.

Sports rivalry between Ohio and Florida is intensifying. Miami fans donning shirts to spite Ohio and Cleveland fans.

allCanesThis shirt is becoming a popular item around the University of Miami.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A simmering rivalry involving three sports is heating...oops, didn't mean that...warming up.

Ohio State, ranked second in the nation, hosts No. 12 Miami (Fla.) in a big early-season college football game on Saturday afternoon.

Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises details some of the goings-on between Ohio and Florida teams, beginning with the 1997 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins, and recently intensified by LeBron James decision to "take my talents to South Beach."

Ohio State defeated Miami, 31-24 in double overtime, to win the 2002 season national championship game, a Buckeye highlight in the growing feud.

Floridians were not happy with that outcome. Lesmerises writes in his story, referring to the photo accompanying this report:

Near the Miami campus, allCanes, a store specializing in Miami apparel, sells a T-shirt that reads "Ohio Stole the Crown in '02" on the front and "Miami Steals the King in 2010" on the back. An employee said in a phone interview Thursday that the shirt has been one of the store's highest sellers, with more than 300 sold so far.  

Carlin, a catcher who clouted a walkoff homer in Columbus' Game 1 playoff win, and outfielder Carrera came from the Pittsburgh and Seattle organizations, respectively.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerLake County's Tyler Holt steals second base Thursday despite the leg block of West Michigan second baseman Corey Jones. The Captains lost Game 2 of their playoff series against the Whitecaps, 2-0, and will play a series-deciding Game 3 on Friday night in Eastlake.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Yankees 5, Columbus 4 For the second straight night, Columbus and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) played 10 innings.

But unlike Wednesday, on Thursday the visiting Yankees won and evened the International League best-of-five playoff series, 1-1. Game 3 is tonight in Scranton/Wilkes Barre at 6:05.

Columbus committed three errors Thursday, which led to three unearned Yankees runs.

Zach McAllister started for Columbus and lasted 5 innings. The right-hander allowed four runs, one earned, on five hits and four walks. He coughed up three home runs.

Columbus right-handed reliever Saul Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth but walked the leadoff man in the tenth, who stole second and scored on a single.

DH Wes Hodges homered for the Clippers, and center fielder Ezequiel Carrera had two hits and four walks.

Columbus lefty Aaron Laffey pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Notes: (Numbers in parentheses are regular season statistics. Other numbers include playoff games) Going into Thursday night's game, Clippers OF Jose Constanza (.319) was hitting .369 (38-of-103) in his last 25 games....OF Ezequiel Carrera (.286) was 15-of-45 (.333) with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, six stolen bases, six RBI and seven runs in his last 11 games. Carrera, 23, was acquired by the Indians with IF Juan Diaz -- a 21-year-old who hit .271 at Advanced A Kinston -- in the June 26 trade that sent Russell Branyan to the Seattle Mariners. Carrera homered and doubled in the Clippers' 6-4, 10-inning Game 1 win over the Yankees....Catcher Luke Carlin, who slugged a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning on Wednesday night to give the Clippers a 6-4 Game 1 win over the Yankees, was acquired by the Indians on Aug. 10 from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for a player to be named later. Carlin, 29, hit .239 with two homers and 23 RBI in 205 at bats for Class AAA Indianapolis before hitting .231 with two homers and six RBI in 39 at bats for Columbus. Carlin has 112 major league at bats -- 94 with San Diego in 2008 and 18 with Arizona in 2009 -- hitting .152 with one homer and seven RBI....1B Wes Hodges (.270) had hit three homers and a double and driven in eight runs in his last nine games....RH reliever Vinnie Pestano (1-2, 14 saves, 1.55) had posted five saves and an 0.82 ERA in his last 11 games, pitching 11 innings and striking out 13, while allowing four hits and two walks....RH reliever Zach Putnam (0-1, 3.33) had allowed one run (unearned) while going 1-0 in his last 11 games, fanning 16, walking three and giving up five hits in 15 1/3 innings....RH reliever Josh Judy (3-0, two saves, 2.68) had allowed one run (unearned) in his last nine games, fanning 13 in nine 10, while yielding five hits and two walks....RHP Zach McAllister, the Clippers' starter on Thursday night, was the New York Yankees' third pick in the 2006 draft. He was 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 24 starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, before being acquired by the Indians from the New York organization on Aug. 20 as the player-to-be-named-later in Cleveland's July 31 trade of Kerry Wood to New York. McAllister was 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA in three regular season starts for the Clippers.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Dash 2, Indians 0 Kinston had four hits, which was one more than host Winston-Salem, N.C., but still lost the Carolina League playoff game. The K-Tribe trails the first-round best-of-five series, 2-0. Game 3 is Friday night in Kinston, N.C., at 7 p.m.

Righty Austin Adams started for Kinston and went 4 innings. He allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Lefty Chris Jones (three innings, one hit allowed) and righty Matthew Langwell closed out the game.

One of Kinston's four hits went for extra bases, a double off the bat of 3B Kyle Bellows.

Notes: (Numbers in parentheses are regular season statistics. Other numbers include playoff games) Going into Thursday night's game, Catcher Chun Chen (.320) was 15-of-35 (.429) with six doubles, one homer, seven RBI, six runs and eight walks in his last 10 games games. Chen, in 172 at bats with Kinston, had 17 doubles, six homers, 30 RBI and 38 walks. Including his time this season with Lake County, Chen hit .315 with 38 doubles, three triples, 12 homers and 69 RBI in 390 regular season at bats........3B Jeremie Tice (.283) was 12-of-43 (.279) with three homers, two doubles, one triple, 11 RBI and eight runs in his last 11 games....LF Bo Greenwell (.292) was 16-of-41 (.390) with three doubles, one triple, one homer, eight runs and five RBI in his last nine games....OF Donnie Webb (.267) was 14-of-33 (.424) with two doubles, one triple, one homer, 12 runs, seven RBI and three stolen bases in his last 11 games....RHP Austin Adams, the Indians' starter on Thursday night, finished the regular season 6-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) for Kinston. Including his stint with Lake County to begin the season, Adams was 8-5 with one save and a 2.49 ERA in 26 games (20 starts), striking out 112, walking 36 and holding batters to a .218 average in 112 innings....Indians RH starting pitcher Joe Gardner and RH reliever Cory Burns were named to the Carolina League year-end all-star team, which includes just one starter and one reliever. It is the first time Kinston has swept the pitching spots on the year-end all-star team since RH starter Bartolo Colon and RH reliever Danny Graves won the honors in 1995....Gardner (12-6, 2.65), Cleveland's third-round pick in the 2009 draft, led the league in wins and was third in ERA. He was also first in the league in holding hitters to the lowest batting average, .199. Including his time with Lake County to begin the season, Gardner led pitchers in the Indians minor league system with 13 wins and 142 strikeouts. He finished 13-6 overall with a 2.75 ERA, walking 62 and allowing just six home runs. Overall, Gardner held hitters to a .197 batting average. He is scheduled to start Friday night's third game, in Kinston....Burns (1-2, 1.83) led the league with 30 saves. With Kinston, Burns had struck out 56, walked 13 and held batters to a .210 average with two homers going into Thursday night's game. Burns began the season with Lake County, and he finished a combined 1-2 with 42 saves (in 45 opportunities) with a 1.96 ERA. Burns struck out 81 and walked 14 in 55 innings, while allowing a .212 batting average and two homers....Going into Thursday night's game, RH reliever Matthew Langwell (4-2, five saves, 2.41) had struck out 58, walked 14 and held batters to a .219 average and four homers in 56 innings....RH Brian Grening (4-3, 3.74) had fanned 67 and walked 28 in 53 innings, holding batters to a .214 average....LH reliever Chris Jones (4-3, two saves, 2.39) was a combined 6-5 with three saves and a 2.51 ERA in 89 2/3 innings with Kinston and Lake County. He had struck out 85 and walked 29 in 89 2/3 innings. Opponents were hitting .226 with four homers against him....RH reliever Tyler Sturdevant (3-2, 3.72) had struck out 35 and walked 11 in 29 innings with Kinston. Including his time this season with Lake County, Sturdevant was 6-2 with two saves and a 2.09 ERA. He had struck out 91 and walked 19 in 64 2/3 innings, holding batters to a .192 average and four homers.

A Lake County Captains

Whitecaps 8, Captains 0 West Michigan put up 18 hits and cruised to the Midwest League playoff win in Eastlake to force a series-deciding third game, which will be played tonight in Eastlake at 6:30.

Left-handed starter Vidal Nuno gave up four runs, all earned, on nine hits in five innings. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Lake County had four hits, all singles, and drew two walks.

Notes: (Numbers in parentheses are regular season statistics. Other numbers include playoff games) Going into Thursday night's game, 1B Adam Abraham (.264) was hitting .355 (66-of-186) with 16 doubles, 11 homers and 44 RBI in his last 47 games....RH reliever Preston Guilmet (4-1, 11 saves, 2.25) had struck out 80 and walked 10 in 53 innings, holding batters to a .184 average and two homers....RH reliever Jose Flores (1-1, six saves, 2.14) was 1-0 with two saves in his last eight games, striking out 13 in 11 scoreless innings, while giving up seven hits and one walk. Flores had fanned 55 and walked seven in 43 innings overall, holding batters to a .219 average and one homer....RH reliever Francisco Jimenez (8-1, one save, 3.59) was 3-0 with an 0.84 ERA in his last eight games, striking out 24 in 21 1/3 innings while yielding 16 hits and four walks....OF Delvi Cid (.253) led the Midwest League with 71 stolen bases (in 87 attempts), the stole two bases in two tries in Game 1 against the Whitecaps. The 73 steals overall in 89 attempts are an 82 percent success ratio for Cid. In his first three minor league seasons, Cid stole a total of 68 bases in 102 attempts, a 67 percent rate....RH reliever Rob Bryson, acquired from the Milwaukee organization when the Indians traded CC Sabathia to the Brewers in 2008, began the season with Lake County, pitching in eight games. He was then promoted to Advanced A Kinston, where he made 13 appearances. Bryson then was promoted to Class AA Akron, where he pitched in 12 games, including his only three starts of the season. With the three teams, Bryson was 7-2 with one save and a 2.53 ERA. He struck out 80 in 53 1/3 innings, an average of 13.5 strikeouts per every nine innings. Bryson walked 21 and held hitters to a .165 batting average....RHP Jason Knapp (1-0, 3.94) is scheduled to start for the Captains if a third game is necessary in the best-of-three series. Knapp was a 2008 second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies, who sent him to the Indians in the Cliff Lee trade last July. Knapp, coming back from offseason shoulder surgery yet still regarded as an elite prospect, began pitching in July for the Indians Arizona League rookie team. He has struck out 29 in 16 innings for the Captains in four games, after fanning 18 in 12 1/3 innings over five outings in the Arizona League. In the 28 1/3 combined innings, Knapp has given up just 17 hits -- including no homers. He has walked 12....LHP Giovanni Soto is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA in six starts with the Captains since the Indians acquired him from West Michigan, a Detroit Tigers farm team, in exchange for Jhonny Peralta. In a combined 22 games -- all starts -- for the Captains and Whitecaps, Soto is 9-8 with a 2.93 ERA and two shutouts. He has struck out 107, walked 36 and held batters to a .237 average and seven homers in 113 2/3 innings.

Race organizers say it's "make or break" for the event as they try to pull out all the stops for athletes and spectators.

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SANDUSKY, Ohio — 140.6 miles. That's how far you swim, bike, and run in an Ironman-length triathlon. Yet those who have organized Sunday's inaugural Revolution3 Cedar Point race are about to complete a journey even longer.

That's because not only are they mounting the region's largest multisport event but they are also striving to make a good first impression by putting on a race that sets new standards for the triathlon.

"It's make or break for us," said race director Eric Opdyke. "Everything depends on this."

Registration for the race, the largest in Florida-based Revolution3's four-race series, closed last month. At that point, marketing director Heather Gollnick said approximately 1,200 amateur and professional athletes had signed up for either the full- or half-Ironman-length event.

Both races launch from a transition area outside Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky.

In the first leg, competitors swim either 1.2 or 2.4 miles. Lake conditions permitting, all athletes will swim on the east side of the peninsula. Otherwise, both groups will swim on the west side.

From there, athletes will hop on bikes, don helmets, and embark on either 56- or 112-mile rides through Erie County. Opdyke said he took care in planning the mostly flat course to avoid both train tracks and highway crossings. Wind, however, is likely to be a factor.

The final run takes athletes down Cedar Point causeway and through Sandusky. Half-distance entrants will make one loop of a 13.1-mile route, while full-distance contestants will go around twice, wrapping up their epic effort with a 26.2-mile marathon.

The final cut-off for the full-length race is midnight, 17 hours after the start and four hours after sunset. "You're dealing with a daylight issue, which presents a challenge," Opdyke said. "It's different when you're going to have people out there in the dark."

It's a long day for athletes, to be sure, but by setting the race at Cedar Point, Rev3 aims to at least help time fly for spectators. Included with each registration are two passes to the park. Other amenities include live video coverage, high-tech athlete tracking and a finish line festival in the park beginning at 9 p.m.

"For families to be able to enjoy an amusement park is great," noted Gollnick, a professional triathlete and coach.

For professionals, of course, the attraction at Rev3 isn't the Top Thrill Dragster or Magnum roller coasters so much as a prize purse totaling $150,000. Top-10 finishers in the full-length race are eligible for cash awards ranging from $500 to $16,000 apiece.

That's how the race was able to attract 34 professionals from around the world, despite the relative proximity of several comparable races in surrounding states and the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

"There are always good athletes when the prize money is good," said professional competitor Bjorn Andersson, 31, a native of Sweden. "Except for a few of the very best, there's not a lot of money in this field."

With the debut of a major new race and the participation of international professionals comes the attention of the world. In addition to winning over Greater Sandusky, the presenters must also meet their own high standards -- established at earlier Rev3 races in Middlebury, Conn. and Knoxville, Tenn. -- and fulfill the expectations of the entire triathlon community.

"They have a good reputation," Andersson said. "It's definitely well known. The first two races were some of the most competitive triathlons this year."

But Opdyke isn't worried. Every step, he said, has been taken to ensure competitors and spectators have positive experiences.

In addition to plump goodie bags and clear course markings, athletes can look forward to individual, handmade bike racks, personalized race bibs, equal space in the transition zone, and a finisher's medal.

"We try to give you more than you get elsewhere," Opdyke said. "It's those little things together that can make a big difference. I do believe this is going to be the best race in our series."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: zlewis@plaind.com, 216-999-4632