Villa Angela-St. Joseph power forward Carlton Bragg committed to Kansas on Thursday, and it has all the makings of a perfect match.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph power forward Carlton Bragg committed to Kansas on Thursday, and it has all the makings of a perfect match.
Shanahan's departure adds to the instability in Berea and probably lets you know what he thought of Johnny Manziel.
BEREA, Ohio – In nine months, the Browns open a regular-season schedule that sees them facing seven of the NFL's top nine defenses from 2014.
They don't have a proven quarterback under contract, a reliable No. 1 receiver who acts like he wants to be here or, after today, an offensive coordinator.
If only Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could convince commissioner Roger Goodell to adapt a FanDuel or Draft Kings approach to the NFL, his franchise would be so far ahead of the game. Because nobody eschews continuity like the Browns.
While General Manager Ray Farmer and coach Mike Pettine remain in place, the offense is starting over again with the departure of coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Haslam let Shanahan out of his contract, allowing him to pursue a head-coaching job or another coordinator's position. Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains also is gone. He reportedly was fired.
Shanahan wanted out, according to a Northeast Ohio Media Group report, due to friction between coaches and the front office. Some coaches, including Shanahan, believe their voices aren't being heard when it comes to player evaluations and needs. How much of this revolves around management's desire to stick with Johnny Manziel at quarterback is unclear, but it would be naive to think it's not part of the discord.
The No. 22 overall pick played poorly in his two late-season starts and his continued off-field exploits don't reflect a quarterback serious about making changes to his lifestyle.
Shanahan hasn't addressed his decision, and we aren't privy to his thinking. But given the franchise's history of instability and its brutal 2015 slate of opponents coupled with uncertainty at quarterback and tensions inside the facility, you can see how Shanahan might have thought it time to take the evacuation route. He's a good coordinator with options, a 35-year-old assistant who endured one soap opera with Robert Griffin III in Washington and little desire to see how Johnny Drama plays out in Berea.
His departure, for whatever the reason, signals an ominous start to 2015 and continues the turmoil that tainted the end of last season. The Browns (7-9) finished on a five-game losing streak and with questions surrounding Manziel, Josh Gordon and Justin Gilbert regarding their maturity and commitment levels.
Haslam's announcement that Farmer and Pettine would be retained was hailed as a sign of a franchise finally valuing continuity.
"The biggest thing the organization needs is stability and I'm happy to hear we're getting some of that," All Pro left tackle Joe Thomas said after the regular-season finale.
Within two weeks, however, came news of a rift and Shanahan's departure. The offense will start next season playing under its sixth coordinator in as many years. Meanwhile, the Seahawks, Broncos, Niners, Jets, Chiefs, Ravens and Chargers await another Browns offense adjusting to new scheme.
Prior to last season's opener, Thomas spoke of how he yearned for "graduate-level thinking" as it applies to offense instead of being reprogrammed yet again.
"Day One for a new offense is we're going to put in the most basic plays then go out and run them," said Thomas, who believes it takes three to four seasons to master a system. "You can barely start working on technique until halfway into training camp when people start to understand who they're supposed to block.
"You can get to a good-enough level in a year or an off-season, but there are so many fine details on offense that make the difference in one or two plays every week. A lot of times games come down to one or two plays."
Thomas enjoyed playing under Shanahan, who remained committed to the run and made the play-action pass work for a long stretch despite the absence of Gordon to a drug suspension and All Pro center Alex Mack to a broken leg. The Browns scored at least 21 points in nine of their first 11 games.
The attack faltered in December, however, and managed a miserable three points with Manziel as starter for six quarters. There are serious concerns with the offense, but Shanahan wasn't among them. His exit -- even if the zone-blocking scheme remains -- is a damaging one. You can only wonder what Mack, who has an opt-out clause after the upcoming season, must be thinking.
The Browns will maintain consistency on defense with Pettine and coordinator Jim O'Neil making tweaks to it. That unit should only get better in its second year in the scheme.
Pettine did a nice job in his rookie season managing the chaos surrounding Manziel while also showing a three-win improvement. But unless the Browns can find a quarterback and develop an offense against a schedule that doesn't include the NFC South, more change could be on the way.
When the Browns sat 6-3 and ranked 13th in total offense there was a chance they would lose Shanahan at the end of the season. But to see him leave this way, asking out and likely willing to take another coordinator's job, lets you know what he must think of Manziel and the prospect of replacing him.
It's not a good start to the new year for the Browns, and it could get worse.
Taylor Alie says he doesn't want to play in national title game
EUGENE — First things first: Taylor Alie absolutely doesn't want to have to play in the national championship game on Monday against Ohio State.
While he can envy and envision himself in the position of Cardale Jones, the third-string Ohio State quarterback tasked with commanding the Buckeyes' offense, Alie wants no part of that conversation.
Mainly because it would mean something happened to Marcus Mariota and Jeff Lockie.
But as the national title game approaches, Alie was asked to examine Jones' situation. Like Alie, Jones was the No. 3 guy on the depth chart at the start of the season. After injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, Jones started his first collegiate game late last month in the Big Ten Championship game. After leading the Buckeyes to a casual 59-0 stomping of Wisconsin, he followed it up with a win over No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
The former third-stringer has thrown for 500 yards and four touchdowns in his first two starts, which just so happened to be the two most important games of the season for Ohio State. It's something that Alie said is impressive, but frankly not completely unexpected from the perspective of a fellow third-stringer.
"It's not that big of a deal," the Eugene native said. "Everyone here is good enough to play. It's when your time is called whether you can step up and play or not."
Reversing the situation would be a pretty dramatic twist for the Ducks. Alie has only seen time during extra-point attempts, primarily serving as the holder while occasionally captaining a two-point bid. He has zero career attempts and was inconsistent during Oregon's spring game. But like all backups, Alie said he believes he could perform if called upon. The biggest challenge for him and Jones would be adjusting to the game tempo.
"Being so late in the season, it would just kinda be getting those butterflies out early," Alie said. "Everyone else is veterans out there. But that would take two plays. We've all been playing this game for years."
The biggest reason for Jones' success, according to Alie, is his teammates. While Jones is playing with confidence, the key has been the Buckeyes' belief in him. Alie said he can tell the Ohio State players trust Jones under center, just as he would hope his Oregon teammates would trust in Lockie if something happened to Mariota or even him if Lockie went down. Nobody is as talented as Mariota, and the situation at Ohio State is incredibly unique, but Alie said the backups at Oregon are in place not just to hold the fort down, they'd be used to try to win a game.
"His teammates rallied around him," he said. "He plays like he knows what he's doing. He's confident."
The UFC is giving Cleveland serious consideration for an event in the city in 2015.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland is currently home to some terrific UFC fighters in Stipe Miocic and Jessica Eye, both who are ranked very high in their respective weight classes.
For a while now, fans have been clamoring for the UFC to come to Cleveland for the first time, and those wishes have only been fueled by recent tweets from both Miocic and Eye.
I don't have any inside info but if the @ufc comes to #Cleveland this year who's coming? @jessicaevileye
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) January 8, 2015
The UFC looking to come to Cleveland in 2015. Finally! @stipemiocicufc @jessicaevileye #UFC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) January 8, 2015
The UFC has never had an event in Cleveland, but had UFC 100 in Columbus, and UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati last May.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the UFC is giving Cleveland consideration for a pay per view or Fight Night in 2015. With two local fighters being so highly ranked in their respective classes, this year would be a great time for the UFC to Cleveland.
Eye is coming off an impressive victory against Leslie Smith at UFC 180, while Miocic earned a lot of respect around the UFC with his performance in a five-round loss to Junior Dos Santos.
What would you think if the UFC came to Cleveland? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
The keys to the Buckeyes dethroning the SEC was Ohio State's offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage, and Ezekiel Elliott's Sugar Bowl-record 230 rushing yards. How will the Buckeyes' power run game fare against Oregon?
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to this week's edition of Buckeye Chalk Talk with former Ohio State offensive lineman Andrew Moses. This week we look at Ohio State's win over Alabama, and how the Buckeyes' power run game might work in the national title game Monday night against Oregon.
Ohio State played one of its most complete games in its Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. Cardale Jones made some key plays with his arm and his legs and the Buckeye defense played steady for 60 minutes.
However, the keys to the Buckeyes dethroning the SEC was Ohio State's offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage, and Ezekiel Elliott's Sugar Bowl-record 230 rushing yards. His 85-yard touchdown run, which proved to be winning score, was a perfect example of how the Buckeyes' line (and Evan Spencer) controlled Alabama's front, and how Elliott's Big Ten speed was too much for the Crimson Tide to handle.
Interestingly, the Crimson Tide lined up in a Bear defensive front on this play, but out of a nickel personnel grouping (meaning 5 defensive backs and only 2 linebackers). Defenses typically don't use a Bear front with nickel personnel.
Alabama was clearly trying to get more speed on its defense at this point in the game with five defensive backs. When you consider how many fast defenders the Tide had on the field, Elliott's breakaway run is even more impressive.
Watch my breakdown of Elliott's run touchdown run above, and if you'd like to see actual footage of the play, check out this video:
Andrew Moses was an offensive lineman for Ohio State from 2005-09. He was named Academic All-Big Ten twice, played in 27 games, started one, lettered in 2008 and 2009, and served as a team captain for the New Mexico State game his senior year. He graduated from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2013 and currently is an associate attorney at Brouse McDowell in its Cleveland office.
U.S. Olympic leaders surprisingly cast their future with Boston, hoping a compact, college-centric bid will overshadow the city's organized protest group and convince international voters to bring the Summer Games to America after a 28-year gap.
DENVER -- U.S. Olympic leaders surprisingly cast their future with Boston, hoping a compact, college-centric bid will overshadow the city's organized protest group and convince international voters to bring the Summer Games to America after a 28-year gap.
During a daylong meeting at the Denver airport Thursday, USOC board members chose Boston, with its promise of frugality and lots of temporary and reusable venues, over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.
"Today's selection by the USOC is the beginning of an incredible opportunity for Boston," said Boston 2024 Chairman John Fish, who will be part of a celebratory news conference Friday in Boston with the USOC leadership.
Boston joins Rome as the only other city that has officially decided to bid. Germany will submit either Hamburg or Berlin, with France and Hungary among those also considering bids. The International Olympic Committee will award the Games in 2017.
America's last two attempts to land the Games resulted in embarrassments -- fourth-place finishes for New York (2012) and Chicago (2016).
The selection of one of the country's most history-steeped cities comes as something of a surprise to insiders, who viewed Los Angeles as the safest choice and San Francisco as the sexiest. But a compact bid highlighted by a frugal spending plan outweighed doubts that surfaced because of the city's organized protest group and less-than-perfect history in delivering big projects like the Big Dig.
"We're excited about our plans to submit a bid for the 2024 Games and feel we have an incredibly strong partner in Boston that will work with us to present a compelling bid," USOC Chairman Larry Probst said in a statement.
Boston focused on its ability to use the more than 100 universities throughout the area to house events and athletes.
It touted a walkable, technology-based Olympics and said as many as 70 percent of its venues would be temporary, and the schools would pay for many of the venues, then take them over after the Games.
Just as quickly as the celebratory statements were coming out, the protest group, No Boston Olympics, was revving up its own act, stressing that the state's priorities should include safe communities, quality education and responsible environmental policies. No Boston Olympics was the only protest group picketing outside the USOC meeting where the cities made their presentations last month. At the time, Probst said everyone knew protests were part of the Olympic-bid process.
"An Olympics ... threatens to divert resources and attention away from these challenges -- all for a chance to host an event that economists say does not leave local economies better off," a statement from the group said.
___
AP National Writer Eddie Pells wrote this report.
Wadsworth's Andrew Booth, St. Joseph Academy's Maggie Ferrando and Hathaway Brown's Edith Spivey joined the season's third girls basketball podcast.
Wadsworth's Andrew Booth, St. Joseph Academy's Maggie Ferrando and Hathaway Brown's Edith Spivey joined the season's third girls basketball podcast.
No matter what is being asked of him, Tristan Thompson just does the best that he could do.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. – Tristan Thompson is the ultimate teammate and professional.
It's rare that such a young player is so selfless and giving. He has done everything asked of him without one single complaint.
Now he is being asked to return to the bench after starting the last eight games in the absence of Anderson Varejao, who is lost for the season. In that span, the fourth-year forward/center was averaging 13.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.
Thompson was informed Thursday that newly acquired big man Timofey Mozgov would start at center against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, a league source told Northeast Ohio Media Group. According to head coach David Blatt, Mozgov was expected to take his physical on Thursday and he would be available for the first game of their five-game West Coast road trip.
"He'll be out there playing and obviously he's going to contribute a lot for us," Blatt said.
As for Thompson, nothing changes his approach. His motto of "See ball, get ball" will persist regardless of if he's starting or not. When he was told of the demotion, that was the extent of the conversation, the source said.
He didn't have any gripes. His only concern is doing what's best for the team. Not only is his talent of extreme value, but also his character.
"I've come off the bench most of the season," Thompson said. "Whatever it takes for us to win. [I'll] come out and join the bench mob again. Bring the energy with myself, Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] and all the other guys so that's a role that I embrace and I'm trying to be the X-factor."
It is anticipated that Mozgov will drastically improve the team's defense at the rim. Thompson believes so, too.
"He's big, he's seven-foot, he's long, takes up space and he blocks shots," Thompson said Mozgov. "Playing with LeBron [James] and Kyrie [Irving] is only going to benefit him and we need a guy like that here."
James thinks highly of Thompson and it's no mystery why. The 23-year-old brute is just scratching the surface and was one of the attractive pieces that enticed James upon coming back home.
If this team is to reach its true potential, it's going to take continued sacrifices. Thompson is leading by example.
"Tristan is very valuable to this team," James told NEOMG in mid-December. "His relentlessness is contagious and it's something we need."
Ohio State's not in class. Oregon is. That affects how much the teams can practice. Do you think that's an edge for the Buckeyes.
COLUMBUS -- As reported by ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy on Wednesday, Ohio State can practice as much as it wants this week because class at the university doesn't resume again until Monday. Oregon is limited by the NCAA's typical 20-hour limit on football activities because school has started against in Eugene.
Is that an edge for the Buckeyes?
It doesn't hurt. Not as much because of potential extra practice, but because the OSU players can think all football all the time, while the Ducks had to run through the first few classes of their new semester.
Focusing on only football was always seen as an edge for the Buckeyes in the first month of the season back when Ohio State was still on the quarter system and would often play the first couple games of the year in early September before class started. Their opponents, meanwhile, were dealing with school.
Now Ohio State is on semesters, and the edge comes around in January. Urban Meyer has talked a lot about wanting to limit the wear and tear on his players, so practicing extra may be more of a hinderance than a help.
But all football all the time? At this time of year, that's what the Buckeyes are here to play. And focusing fully on it can't hurt.
• Betting props: Anyone like prop best? Bovada.lv sent out a bunch of them Thursday for Monday's game. Here were among the more interesting items.
- Ezekiel Elliott's over-under rushing total was set at 165.5.
- Cardale Jones' passing yards over-under was set at 260.5 and his rushing yards at 49.5.
- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Heisman winner, was set at 279.5 throwing and 51.5 rushing. That's pretty close for Jones to the best quarterback in college football.
- Interesting odds on the Buckeyes winning big if you think Ohio State's roll will continue:
Ohio State by 1-6 points, 5-1
by 7-12 points, 17-2
by 13-18 points, 14-1
by 19-24 points, 22-1
by 25-30 points, 35-1
by 31-26 points, 45-1
by 37-42 points, 70-1
by 43 or more points, 80-1
At those odds, I'd give 13-18 and over 43 a run. At 80-1? Is 59-14 impossible?
• Hello Dallas: Bill and Ari are driving to Texas and left Thursday. There's a specific reason they're driving, which we'll tell you about later. I'll fly down Friday morning.
Ohio State, which is what you actually care about, will leave from just outside the Schottenstein Center at 2 p.m. Friday and is expected in Dallas sometime after 5 p.m.
In the meantime, the preparations at AT&T Stadium are well under way. Here are some views from those already there.
Them #buckeyes (equipment truck) is here. pic.twitter.com/ZLuLo4zvLA
— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) January 8, 2015
#Repost from @InfiniteScale A sneak peek inside @ATTStadium... #CFBPlayoff #UOvsOSU @WinTheDay @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/9pRw6RNWKj
— CFB Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 8, 2015
Live look inside @ATTStadium, site of the @CFBPlayoff National Championship: pic.twitter.com/ce2TYb8BUb
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 8, 2015
Ohio State Team Bus Graphics @infinite_scale @ernzilla @cfbplayoff #CFBPlayoff
A photo posted by Dan Phillips (@spillups10) on
For all you #Buckeyes. Locker Room Graphics Detail @infinite_scale #CFBPlayoff @cfbplayoff @ernzilla
A photo posted by Dan Phillips (@spillups10) on
Our coverage from Thursday
• Ohio State's selfless MVP, WR Evan Spencer, is also a freak athlete
• Video breakdown: Why the Buckeyes could beat Oregon
• Video breakdown: Secrets stats for the National Championship
• Jim Harbaugh is rooting for the Buckeyes, Brady Hoke isn't
• Breaking down Ezekiel Elliott's big run to beat Alabama
• Comparing Cardale Jones and Marcus Mariota
• How will Ohio State close out this recruiting class?
• A look at Oregon's history and beauty
• What Cardale Jones was like in high school
From OregonLive.com
Cleveland State holds on to win, 65-61, over Oakland and remains undefeated in Horizon League play this season.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State guard Terrell Hales blocked Oakland guard Kahlil Felder on an inbounds alley-oop, then blitzed away for a coast-to-coast layup and a 65-61 victory Thursday night in the Wolstein Center.
"That was a surprise,'' CSU's 5-8 guard Charlie Lee said of the alley-oop to his 5-10 counterpart, Fielder, under the basket. "You don't see alley-oops to guards."
Head coach Gary Waters said, "I think they felt he could overpower Charlie."
Lee, perhaps, but not Hales.
The triumph not only put CSU above .500 for the season, but kept the Vikings undefeated (9-8, 3-0) in conference play. It was a thrilling finish to a game CSU twice tried to give away, but held on behind Andre Yates' 14 points and Hales' defensive stop.
"I was desperate,'' Hales, a 6-4 freshman said. "I was in the corner on the shooter. I saw him lob the ball and went after it."
The Grizzlies (5-11, 1-1) have two reputations; first they score in bunches, second they play no defense. Oakland lived up to both in the first 20 minutes.
Cleveland State jumped out to a 19-2 lead at the 11:37 mark forcing turnovers, knocking down jumpers at will, crashing the boards and holding Oakland to 1-for-10 from the field. Then the script flipped, and fast. Oakland went on a 26-8 run to close within 25-24 with 5:12 in the half and two minutes later took a 28-27 lead.
The Vikings settled themselves by halftime, as Lee was in the books with all of his 13 points. But on a night when leading scorer Trey Lewis would not score, it was clearly anyone's ballgame with CSU up, 34-30.
CSU started the second half just like the first, with a pair of Andre Yates 3-pointers good for a 51-40 lead. The challenge after that was to make sure the Grizzlies did not put together another long scoring run.
Again Cleveland State's defense briefly came up lacking. A 14-4 run by Oakland closed the gap to 63-61. Oakland had their chances in the final minute, but Hales made sure that did not happen.
"He had a great game,'' Waters said of his freshman who also scored nine points. "He cuffed it. That was a big-time block."
Browns coach Mike Pettine goes back a long way with former Bears quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh, who's expected to be a candidate for their offensive coordinator vacancy.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Bears quarterbacks coach and Youngstown native Matt Cavanaugh, who has a long history with Browns coach Mike Pettine, is on the Browns' radar for their offensive coordinator job, a source told Northeast Ohio Media Group Thursday.
Cavanaugh, 58, would replace Kyle Shanahan, whose request to be released from the final two years of his contract was granted this week by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
Cavanaugh, whose contract expired with the Bears after the season, was not asked back when Marc Trestman was fired Dec. 29.
Cavanaugh's history with Pettine dates back to 1993 when both were at the University of Pittsburgh, Cavanaugh as an offensive coach and Pettine as a defensive graduate assistant.
They went on to work together for seven seasons in the NFL, including three with the Ravens from 2002 to 2004, and four with the Jets from 2009-2012. Cavanaugh was instrumental in getting Pettine hired with the Ravens as a video assistant in 2002, so it would be a great way to return the favor.
When Pettine took the Browns job last season, he was paired with Shanahan despite never having worked with him. In Cavanaugh, Pettine would have a longtime familiar colleague running his offense and would have a comfort level with his way of doing things. Cavanaugh was assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach of the Jets for the four years that Pettine was defensive coordinator there.
During those four seasons, the Jets made it to the AFC Championship game twice. In six postseason games, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had a 94.3 passer rating, ninth-highest in NFL playoff history among quarterbacks with at least 100 postseason attempts. Sanchez will be available this offseason.
Cavanaugh was offensive coordinator of the Ravens in 2000 when they won Super Bowl XXXV. That year, they rushed for a franchise-record 2,199 yards, fifth-most in the NFL. Jamal Lewis rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie that season, ranking seventh in the NFL. Under Cavanaugh's tutelage, he rushed for 2,066 yards in 2003, third-highest in NFL history.
A former NFL quarterback, Cavanaugh has 23 years coaching experience, including 17 seasons in the NFL and 13 as an offensive coordinator in the NFL or college ranks.
In Cleveland, Cavanaugh could serve the dual role of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach if necessary.
Trestman and his staff were let go this year after a 5-11 season. The offense finished 21st overall, including 15th in passing and 27th in rushing. They were 23rd with 19.9 points per game.
Another possible Browns offensive coordinator candidate, former Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, also hails from Youngstown and has worked with Cavanaugh and Pettine.
In 2009, DeFilippo was assistant quarterbacks coach for the Jets under Cavanaugh, where he helped Sanchez lead the Jets to the AFC Championship as a rookie. Pettine was impressed with DeFilippo during his interview last year. If the Browns like both, perhaps Cavanaugh could replace Shanahan and DeFilippo could take over for quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains, who was fired on Thursday.
DeFillipo, who received high marks for his work with rookie quarterback Derek Carr this season, is reportedly also a candidate for the offensive coordinator job at Pitt.
Cavanaugh's former boss, Trestman, would be interested in the Browns coordinator post, according to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler. He held that post in Cleveland in 1995-96.
The seminars at the Mid-America Boat Show and the Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show next week will give people a wide range of information, and some good news about the Lake Erie fishing for 2015.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Fishing, hunting and boating seminars are in the spotlight at the Progressive Mid-America Boat Show and the Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show as the outdoor expos share the sprawling I-X Center in Cleveland this coming week.
There will also be lots of good news about Lake Erie, everyone's favorite fishing hole.
The Mid-America Boat Show is making a five-day stand Jan. 15-19. The Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show starts a day later and closes a day earlier, visiting Jan. 16-18.
Headlining the boat show seminars are the Walleye College and the Bass College on Jan. 17. The Walleye College from 3-6 p.m. features fisheries biologist Travis Hartman and touring walleye pros Mark Brumbaugh, Jim Stedke and Dan Gies. The Bass College follows at 3-6 p.m. with tournament anglers Joe Balog, Jared Rhode and Bryan Coates.
Hartman has spent hundreds of hours on Lake Erie in the past year, gathering walleye research, fishing in tournaments and guiding anglers. He is in the perfect position to predict walleye fishing success for 2015.
"All signs point to a repeat of last year's very good walleye fishing," said Hartman. "We're seeing contributions (to the walleye population) from all of the year classes over the past five or six years. That hadn't always been the case, with poor hatches in the years before and after the outstanding 2003 year class."
The sport fishing harvest last year in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie was 1.3 million fish, a nice increase from 1.1 million walleye in 2013. Anglers caught less than a million walleye each year from 2009-2012.
"Because of the many seminars and information available on walleye fishing, anglers have become far more sophisticated," Hartman said. "And we still have the outstanding 2003 year class giving us trophy walleye to catch."
There has been a radical change in Lake Erie walleye techniques, a reason why the Walleye College has become so popular. During the walleye boom of the 1980s and 1990s, most walleye fishermen cast lures while their big boats drifted the waves. These days, small, well-equipped 19- to 21-foot boats dominate the fishery and trolling has been the top tactic for trophy walleye.
While Hartman agrees his training as a fisheries biologist gives him a slight edge when fishing tournaments, it's not much of an advantage.
"There are a lot of really good walleye anglers on Lake Erie these days," he said. "Those fishermen have figured out how to find the Lake Erie walleye that will bite, and how to catch them."
A native of Brecksville, Balog has evolved into America's premier smallmouth bass tournament angler, winning more than $250,000 on Lake Erie alone. He has won 11 national bass tournaments. His view of Lake Erie as a smallmouth bass hot spot has not changed over the years.
"There are more 4- to 6-pound smallmouth bass swimming in Lake Erie than in any other body of water in the world," Balog said. "Erie is not nearly as good as it was in the 1990s for catching big numbers of smallmouth bass, but when it comes to trophy smallmouth bass, there are a wealth of 5-pounders to catch from Cedar Point (in Sandusky) to Pelee Island (in Canadian waters)."
Balog now lives along the Michigan shoreline of Lake St. Clair to enjoy the exceptional fishing and waterfowl hunting. His company, Millennium Promotions Inc., promotes fishing tackle and the outdoor sports. In addition to his stint on the Bass College stage, Balog is hosting ice fishing and drift-and-cast walleye fishing seminars on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
The Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show will bring back Hawg Trough fishing seminars and trout pond fishing for the kids throughout the show. The stage shows range from Bwana Jim's Wildlife Show to the Dock Dogs retrieving competition, the Antler Ice team from "Bone Cold TV" and retriever trainer Jim Beverly's dog training clinics, which will culminate with the Companion Retriever Hunting Dog Challenge on Sunday, Jan. 18.
The SCI Monster Buck Contest will have open, Ohio state and junior classes. Successful deer hunters can enter the bucks online at ixsportsshow.com before Jan. 13. The public will note on their favorite buck in each division, not by antler score.
Hunting celebrities include Pat and Nicole Reeve, stars of The Outdoor Channel's hit show, "Driven." Archery trick shot artist Byron Ferguson will be picking off dimes fluttering through the air and other targets with his longbow.
GM David Griffin confirms original plan was for Timofey Mozgov to start against Warriors had not his physical taken so long.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Cavaliers' new big man Timofey Mozgov has been officially upgraded to probable for tonight's road game against the Golden State Warriors after finally completing his physical this afternoon.
Northeast Ohio Media Group has now learned that Mozgov will be in uniform, but will not start, as we reported last night. Tristan Thompson will remain at center for his ninth straight start.
General Manager David Griffin says due to the timing of Mozgov's completed check-up, their original plan of inserting him into the starting lineup tonight had to be shelved.
"Initially the plan was for Timofey to go through shootaround this morning, having already passed his physical, and then we would have placed him in the starting lineup tonight," Griffin told NEOMG. "But we obviously were not able to get it done in time so this is the result."
Thompson was informed a few days ago that Mozgov would get the nod tonight and accepted coming off the bench again like a true professional.
Mozgov is the 7-foot-1 rim protector the Cavs landed in a trade with the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. He is averaging 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game this season.
He will wear No. 20.
Iman Shumpert is happy to join Cleveland, where his season won't end early.
SAN FRANCISCO – Iman Shumpert went from a team with the fewest wins in the NBA to a franchise with arguably the league's best player and hopes of making a deep playoff run.
"Of course" it's a breath of fresh air to have been traded from the 5-33 New York Knicks to the Cavaliers, Shumpert said Friday, in his first comments to Cleveland reporters since the trade occurred Monday night.
"Everybody wants to win and people want to be in the playoffs to compete more," Shumpert sai, prior to the Cavaliers' morning shootaround in San Francisco, ahead of Friday evening's game against Golden State. "I didn't want my season to end early. But there's work to do here, too."
The Cavaliers were 19-17 and losers of three straight heading into play Friday. But they're still in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and expected to improve, soon.
Not only is LeBron James set to return next week from injury, but trades that brought Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Timofey Mozgov to Cleveland made the Cavaliers "relevant again," according to TNT analyst Charles Barkley.
So Shumpert is happy to join a team with far more promise than the situation he left in New York, but he downplayed the allure of playing on a team with stars James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.
"I think it's going to be similar to my second year when we had, like, Jason Kidd, we had Melo (Carmelo Anthony), Amare (Stoudemire), Tyson Chandler," Shumpert said. "A lot of different guys that did a lot of different things, so you just got to focus on what the team needs you to do."
Shumpert suffered a dislocated shoulder last month and is expected to miss at least the next two weeks. Acquired to start at shooting guard and make an immediate impact as a wing defender, Shumpert said he was injured "going for a steal, doing what I'm normally doing.
"I poked the ball away and it just popped out," he said, talking about the shoulder. "Because he was going one way and I was going straight at him, I don't know, I make that play all the time."
On Wednesday, James compared Shumpert to emerging Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, a stalwart defender who's averaging a career-high 21.7 points per game.
Shumpert, in his fourth pro season, was averaging 9.3 ppg with the Knicks.
"He's a young guy who can form himself into what Jimmy Butler was a few years ago, just a guy who goes out there and you put him on the best offensive player, and he's going to try to contain him the best way he can," James said. "I kind of see him as Jimmy Butler at some point for our team."
Shumpert said he works out with Butler in the off-season and "with him having a great season, it's the ultimate compliment right now for a two-way player" to be compared to Butler.
"I think we'll get some pretty open shots playing with these guys," Shumpert said about his new team. "Just got to stay in the gym, be ready to knock those down, add what we can to this basketball club."
Ohio State officially arrived in Dallas for the national title game. Get Urban Meyer's first thoughts and see photos and video from the arrival. Watch video
DALLAS – The red Ohio State buses pulled up to the Hilton Anatole for the Buckeyes official arrival for the National Championship. Fans crowded the doors to officially welcome their team to Texas.
Only Texas didn't look like it does on TV, at least to those who have never been to the Lone Star State. It's not supposed to be 30 degrees.
Urban Meyer got off the first bus – his breath billowed in the cold – and he was immediately surrounded by reporters eager to hear the first comments from Ohio State's head coach.
Meyer was asked for the latest injury update and he had two:
• First, sophomore H-Back Dontre Wilson practiced a little on Friday and the Buckeyes expect to get him more involved. Wilson said after Ohio State's win over Alabama last week that he's 100 percent going to play vs. Oregon.
• Second, tight end Jeff Heuerman is still struggling with a leg injury, but Meyer said they expect the senior to practice on Saturday.
• Asked if there were any status changes with the team – injury or disciplinary – Meyer reacted by only talking about Wilson and Heuerman. That means the Buckeyes should be in good shape heading into Monday's game.
Get live updates and analysis as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and other reporters bring you the latest on the game between the Cavs and Warriors.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are underway against the Golden State Warriors, the first game of a five-game road trip.
Get live updates and analysis as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and other reporters bring you the latest on the game in the comments section below.
Make sure you're following Chris as well as Chris Haynes and Joe Vardon on Twitter.
Game 37: Cavs (19-17) vs. Warriors (28-5)
Tip off: 10:30 p.m. at Oracle Arena
TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio, ESPN; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS 100.7 FM
Cavs probable starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, Mike Miller, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.
Warriors probable starting lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Marreese Speights.
FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page to get the latest updates. If you're viewing this on a mobile app, click here to get updates and comment.
Big-play wide receiver scored two touchdowns in Rose Bowl victory over Florida State
DALLAS -- Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington has been suspended for the national title game.
First reported by Comcast's Aaron Fentress and later confirmed to The Oregonian/Oregon Live by an Oregon official, Carrington did not make the trip for Monday's national title game pitting No. 2 Oregon against No. 4 Ohio State.
Fentress reports that Carrington failed an NCAA administered drug test, testing positive for marijuana.
Carrington has 37 catches for 704 yards and four touchdowns this season and is coming off a Rose Bowl win that saw the redshirt freshman catch seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Carrington's absence couples with the loss of Devon Allen, who is not expected to play after injuring his knee on the opening kickoff against Florida State.
Allen had 41 catches for 684 yards before being injured. The Ducks are also down tight end Pharaoh Brown, who had 420 yards and six touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Utah.
Oregon's top two remaining receivers are Byron Marshall (66 catches, 834 yards) and Dwayne Stanford (39, 578).
The Raiders handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
The Raiders handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
The Toledo Rockets needed a win at home ang got just that against the Akron Zips with a solid 84-67 triumph.
TOLEDO, Ohio -- A solid first half by the Akron Zips dissolved quickly against the offensive onslaught delivered by the Toledo Rockets in an 84-67 UT men's basketball win Friday night in Savage Hall.
Needing a victory to keep from falling to 0-2 in league play, the Rockets got a miracle hoop at the end of the first half for a 37-34 lead, and never looked back the final 20 minutes.
The Zips (10-5, 1-1) had little to counter the Rockets' five explosive starters. When Akron senior Nyles Evans, the only offensive producer, self-destructed with a technical for his fifth foul with 7:32 to play, the Zips were effectively finished, down 66-57.
"We had some deflating plays, like that three at the end of the half,'' Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "But we didn't guard well enough to win the game. We played young."
The game was close throughout the opening half with no team leading by more than six points. The Rockets 37-34 halftime lead came courtesy of a 30-foot 3-pointer from J.D. Weatherspoon. A long inbounds pass with two seconds left in the half actually landed in the hands of Akron's Aaron Jackson. But Weatherspoon snatched it from him, turned and heaved.
"I just grabbed it out (of his hands) and threw it up," Weatherspoon said.
His line-drive shot was true and the crowd erupted as the 6-6 Weatherspoon back-pedaled and holstered his three fingers at the hip. Typical for Akron, the Zips were relying on the 3-pointers, hitting 6-of-15 from behind the arc at that point. Holding down the paint was Akron's 6-10, 290-pound Isaiah Johnson with four points and five rebounds as leading scorer Pat Forsythe sat most of the first 20 minutes with a pair of fouls.
Adding to Akron's woes, 6-9 sophomore Kwan Cheatham suffered a hip bruise early in the half and by halftime was limping with a ice pack on his side. "And that messed up our rotations,'' Dambrot said.
Evans, despite missing the final 7:32 of the game, still led Akron in scoring as the Zips were 8-of-27 on 3-pointers and shot 40.4 percent overall for the game.
Toledo (9-6, 1-1), the preseason pick to win the league, shot 56.3 percent for the game (9-of-11 on 3-pointers) as four of five starters delivered double figures and the fifth had nine.
"We never talked about going 0-2,'' Toledo head coach Todd Kowalczyk said. "We talked about protecting our home court. It was a must-win, and our guys played like it."
Check out full highlights as well as a pregame speech from Friday's game between Garfield Heights and Shaker Heights.
Check out full highlights as well as a pregame speech from Friday's game between Garfield Heights and Shaker Heights.
