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LeBron James reportedly pops the question to Savannah Brinson

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Website reports that LeBron James has proposed to longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson.

lebron-james-jr-savannah-bryce-maximus.JPGView full sizeMediatakeout.com is reporting that Savannah Brinson, the longtime girlfriend of LeBron James and the mother of his two sons, LeBron Jr., left and Bryce Maximus, are engaged.
A lone website is reporting that LeBron James has proposed to longtime girlfriend -- and the mother of his children -- Savannah Brinson. Mediatakeout.com said the former Cleveland Cavalier, who took his talents to South Beach and the Miami Heat in a controversial hourlong special on ESPN this summer, popped the question last night.

The site says that Brinson texted several of her friends with "I'm going to be Mrs. James," and that someone connected with the site was with one recipient when the message arrived.

However, The Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst, who covers the Cavs and co-wrote a book on James with PD columnist Terry Pluto, "The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers," is tweeting that the rumor is untrue. Follow Windhorst's tweets at twitter.com/PDcavsinsider.


P.M. Cleveland Cavaliers links: 7-foot Ryan Hollins gets chance to play big in absence of veteran stars

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New acquisition Hollins hopes to flourish in Cavs' new up-tempo style, and help offset the departures of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal.

ryan-hollins.jpgRyan Hollins at a Cavaliers press conference after Cleveland acquired him in an offseason trade.

Cleveland, Ohio -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas is gone from the Cleveland Cavaliers after being with them for 14 years.

Shaquille O'Neal has left after one season with the team.

The departure of the two seven-footers has created an opportunity for other big men, such as Ryan Hollins, who was acquired by Cleveland with point guard Ramon Sessions in a three-team offseason trade.

Joe Gabriele writes about Hollins for nba.com/cavaliers:

When Hollins was introduced to the media upon his arrival this past June, GM Chris Grant and Coach Byron Scott said he’s a big man who’s ready to run. Hollins couldn’t agree more.

“Coach already has a system that he wants to play, and I’m definitely blessed to be a part of it and kind of fit that mold,” beamed the Cavs new big. “He’s not going to say, ‘Let’s walk the ball up the floor.’ He’s saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s run. Let’s get into pick-and-rolls.’ And that’s definitely the strong part of my game. When it’s time to execute (in the halfcourt), let’s execute. But definitely knowing that the first push is to run is going to be huge.”

Keep track of the Cavaliers in The Plain Dealer and on cleveland.com/cavs. The Cavaliers begin training camp practices next Tuesday.

JW returns

Forward Jawad Williams, who played high school basketball at St. Edward in Lakewood and played the last two seasons with the Cavaliers, has signed a one-year contract to stay in Cleveland.

Bob Finnan writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal:

Williams, 27, will likely compete with Jamario Moon and newcomer Joey Graham for the starting job at small forward. That position was left vacant when two-time MVP LeBron James signed with Miami in free agency.

There's an outside chance veteran Antawn Jamison could also start at small forward, but some think he would struggle on the defensive end trying to cover smaller, quicker forwards.

Youth movement

Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant is among the NBA's young executives, and several current or former Cavs coaches/executives come from the San Antonio Spurs "tree."

J. Michael Falgoust writes about front office trends for USAToday.com.

Back then

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! is in the midst of an A-through-Z series of NBA-related features for Yahoo! Sports.

For Dwyer, "G" is for "Gerald," as in Gerald Wilkins, who played for the Cavaliers from 1992-94 -- though he is better known for his stay with the New York Knicks. Wilkins is the brother of former NBA great Dominique Wilkins, and the father of

Dwyer writes:

But because he was the most 1989 player ever - and not the most 1998 player, or 1984 player ever - Dougie's a little looked over. One of the first supposed "Jordan stoppers," the Cavaliers signed him before 1992-93 only to have Jordan nail a game-winner over Wilkins in Game 4 of the 1993 Conference semis. Everything about Michael Jordan has been done to death, in myriad formats by now; but this clip isn't even available on YouTube in non-videogame form.

The whole package, though? The hair and the Doug E. Fresh and the bicycle shorts and the Pitino-era Knicks association and that Jordan shot and the dunk contests and the Grizzlies and post-Shaquille Magic ... and the brotherhood? That's a collection worth remembering.


 

 

 


 

 

 

Ohio State Comment of the Day: Varied offense could lead to success

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"OSU's offense clearly rests on Terrelle Pryor, and his short and intermediate throws will be key. Should OSU continue to open up and diversify the O with plays like misdirections, shuffle passes, screens and option reads, their offense will be hard to stop." - revkume

terrelle-pryor-ap.jpgView full sizeTerrelle Pryor.

In response to the story Ohio State Buckeyes' shift to pass-first style catches opponents off-guard, says Doug Lesmerises (SBTV), cleveland.com reader revkume thinks Ohio State's passing game has the ability to keep defenses off-guard all year. This reader writes,

"OSU's offense clearly rests on Terrelle Pryor, and his short and intermediate throws will be key. Should OSU continue to open up and diversify the O with plays like misdirections, shuffle passes, screens and option reads, their offense will be hard to stop."

To respond to revkume's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Browns Comment of the Day: Patience with young quarterbacks is key

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"Surround a young quarterback with talent? Support him even as he experiences growing pains? Interesting concept. It just might work!" - jktank12

flaccocc.jpgView full sizeIt's not uncommon for young NFL quarterbacks like Baltimore's Joe Flacco to experience some growing pains.

In response to the story Can Joe Flacco reward Baltimore Ravens' confidence? Tony Grossi's Scouting Report, cleveland.com reader jktank12 thinks the Ravens might be on to something with their young quarterback. This reader writes,

"Surround a young quarterback with talent? Support him even as he experiences growing pains? Interesting concept. It just might work!"

To respond to jktank12's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Cleveland Clinic will research concussions and other sports-related head and neck injuries

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Doctors and scientists from clinic's Neurological Institute and its Spine Research Laboratory will use equipment manufactured and donated by Rawlings to do research on helmets and other protective accessories used in baseball and football.

cleveland-clinic.jpgAerial view of the Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland, Ohio -- The Cleveland Clinic will conduct independent research of concussions and other sports-related head and neck injuries.

Doctors and scientists from the clinic's Neurological Institute and its Spine Research Laboratory will use equipment manufactured and donated by Rawlings to do research on helmets and other protective accessories used in both baseball and football. They will measure the equipment's ability to minimize impacts.

The Cleveland Clinic research team is led by Spine Research Laboratory director Lars Gilbertson, who says "concussion has become a signature injury of sports in this new millennium." The studies will try to determine the effects of single and multiple impacts to the heads of athletes and how to reduce those injuries through protective equipment.

Twins score three in 6th off Carlos Carrasco to take 3-1 lead: Cleveland Indians briefing

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The Indians have added reliever Vinnie Pestano and catcher Luke Carlin from Class AAA Columbus. They'll join the team Thursday in Cleveland.

Updated: 3:01 p.m.

 MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the Twins today in the final game of a three-game series at Target Field.

 Target Field dimensions: Left field line 339 feet, left center 377, center field 403, right center 365,  right field line 328.

In-game notes:

Score: Twins 3, Indians 1 after six innings.

Bad inning: Carlos Carrasco took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but left the inning with a 3-1 deficit.

The Twins scored the three runs with two out following Alexi Casilla's leadoff single. Jose Morales doubled after Carrasco struck out two straight to make it 1-1. Matt Tolbert followed with another double to make it 2-1. Then came an RI single by Ben Revere.

Early lead: The Indians had five hits against Nick Blackburn in the first two innings, but managed to score only one run.

After Drew Sutton walked and Travis Hafner singled with two out in the first, Shelley Duncan singled through the middle with the runners moving to score Sutton.  Matt LaPorta and Luis Valbuena started the second with singles, but Chris Gimenez bunted into a force play at third.

Michael Brantley followed with a single, but Sutton hit into a double play.

Nice job: Carlos Carrasco gave up a one-out triple to Alexi Casilla in the first, but struck out Jason Kubel and retired Danny Valencia on a fly ball to right to end the inning. 

 Pre-game notes:

 Game 152: The Indians have called up reliever Vinnie Pestano and catcher Luke Carlin from Class AAA Columbus. They'll join the Indians on Thursday in Cleveland.

 Pestano and Carlin must be added to the 40-man roster, which means two roster spots must be cleared.

 "We want to get a look at Pestano," said manager Manny Acta. "He throws from a three-quarters angle, can get it up there in the mid-90 mph range and has good sink on the ball.

 "He could figure into our plans somewhere down the road."

 Carlin is a veteran catcher that the Indians acquired from Pittsburgh in August. He's played in the big leagues with San Diego in 2008 and Arizona in 2009.

 "You usually bring up a catcher in September to help handle the extra pitchers," said Acta.

 Pestano went 1-2 with a 1.55 ERA and 14 saves at Columbus this year. He struck out 59 and walked 14 in 46 1/3 innings. He averaged 11.49 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.22 walk per nine innings. Pestano's WHIP was 1.06.

 In the postseason, Pestano had one save in four appearances as Columbus won the International League championship. He struck out eight and walked one in four innings.

 Pestano added a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday night as the Clippers beat Tacoma, 12-6, for the Class AAA championship.

 The Indians took Pestano with their 20th pick in the 2006 draft out of Cal State Fullerton.

 Carlin hit .231 (9-for-39) with two homers and six RBI for the Clippers. He hit .239 (49-for-205) with two homers and 23 RBI for Class AAA Indianapolis this year before the Indians acquired him.

 The Tigers drafted Carlin in the 10th round in 2002.

 Carlin hit .350 (7-for-20) with two homers and five RBI in the International League playoffs. He went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's championship game.

 Lineups:

 Indians (62-89): CF Michael Brantley (L), SS Drew Sutton (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), DH Travis Hafner (L), LF Shelley Duncan (L), 3B Jayson Nix (R), 1B Matt LaPorta, 2B Luis Valbuena (L), C Chris Gimenez and RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-0, 2.70).

 Twins (91-60): CF Denard Span (L), 2S Alexi Casilla (S), DH Jason Kubel (L),
3B Danny Valencia (R), 1B Jose Morales (S), 2B Matt Tolbert (S), LF Ben Revere (L), RF Jason Repko (R), C Drew Butera (R), and RHP Nick Blackburn (9-10, 5.43).

 Umpires: H Sam Holbrook, 1B Greg Gibson, 2B Brian Knight, 3B Gerry Davis.  Davis, crew chief.

 Quote of the day: "I don’t know why people say I’m not supposed to be doing what I’m doing. I’m just trying to do my job. I’m blessed, and I’m glad that I’m blessed," Albert Pujols from the Baseball Almanac.

 Next: Indians open four-game series against Kansas City on Thursday night at Progressive Field.

The day after the party, the Twins still beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-1

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Carlos Carrasco had five good innings and one bad inning Wednesday at Target Field. Against the AL Central champion Twins, that wasn't good enough.

UPDATED: 6:30 p.m.

choo-catch-twins-ap.jpgShin-Soo Choo made this catch of Denard Span's drive in the fifth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game at Target Field. The Indians held a 1-0 lead at the time, but the Twins continued their two-out magic in the later innings to complete the sweep of Cleveland with a 5-1 win.

ON DECK: INDIANS VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Where: Progressive Field.
When: Thursday through Sunday.
TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM AM/1100.
Pitching matchups: RHP Sean O’Sullivan (2-6, 6.58) vs. RHP Mitch Talbot (9-12, 4.58) Thursday at 7:05; RHP Luke Hochevar (6-5, 4.79) vs. RHP Josh Tomlin (4-4, 4.73) Friday at 7:05 p.m.; RHP Zach Greinke (9-13, 4.00) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (3-5, 4.96) Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and LHP Bruce Chen (11-7, 4.69) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (12-14, 3.79) Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Season series: The Indians are 7-7 against the Royals. Indians lead, 280-271, overall.
Indians update: Last weekend, they took two out of three at Kauffman Stadium. Shin-Soo Choo had a big series, going 8-for-12 with four homers and 10 RBI. Tribe is hitting .293 with 15 homers against the Royals this year.
Royals update: They’re hitting .300 as a team against the Indians. Mike Aviles had a big series against the Tribe last weekend, hitting .429 (6-for-14) with two homers and three RBI. Hochevar beat the Tribe on Sunday, while O’Sullivan lost Friday. Joakim Soria has saved four of the Royals’ seven wins against Indians.
Injuries: Indians — C Carlos Santana (left knee), RHP Anthony Reyes (right elbow) and CF Grady Sizemore (left knee) are on the disabled list. 2B Jason Donald (right index finger) and SS Asdrubal Cabrera (left wrist) are day to day. Royals — OF David DeJesus (right thumb), C Jason Kendall (right rotator cuff) and RHP Kanekoa Texeira (right elbow) on the disabled list. INF Chris Getz (concussion) is day to day.
Next: Tigers complete last homestand of the season with a three-game visit starting Monday.
Paul Hoynes

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- It is customary for a manager to rest his veterans the day after his team clinches a trip to the postseason. After a long season, and a champagne celebration the night before, the older guys deserve a break and an ice bag for their heads.

Manager Ron Gardenhire followed tradition Wednesday afternoon. He let most of his veterans rest and used his bench players in the starting lineup. That those bench players completed a three-game sweep of the Indians with a 5-1 victory at Target Field says a lot about the two franchises.

The Twins, who have won six American League Central titles under Gardenhire, are pointed toward October and the World Series. The Indians are going home for a four-game series against Kansas City to decide last place in the same division the Twins call home.

"They have good starting pitching and a good bullpen," said Shin-Soo Choo of the Twins. "Most of their pitchers can throw strikes with any pitch on any count. They don't walk people and they put pressure on the hitters.

"They've got a great leadoff hitter in Denard Span and great clean-up hitters. Joe Mauer didn't play in any of these three games, and he's the best hitter in the big leagues. Justin Morneau is hurt, but they have Jim Thome. It's a great lineup."

Mauer missed the series with a sore knee. Morneau hasn't played since mid-July because of a concussion. The Indians, who finished 6-12 against the Twins, saw a lot of those qualities Wednesday even though the Twins' big names were resting.

Indians rookie Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 3.03) was fine for five innings. He had a 1-0 lead, while holding the Twins to one hit and three walks.

In the sixth, he lost the shutout and the game as the Twins scored three runs with two outs. They added two more in the seventh against Aaron Laffey to win their 92nd game of the season.

Alexi Casilla started the sixth with a leadoff single. Carrasco struck out the next two batters, but Jose Morales and Matt Tolbert hit consecutive doubles for a 2-1 lead. Ben Revere followed with a single to make it 3-1.

"When I get two outs, I try to be perfect," said Carrasco, who said he was tiring in the sixth. "When I try to be perfect, the ball comes up."

Carrasco said his fastball was faulty Wednesday and that he pitched through the first five innings with his change-up and breaking ball. He threw only 58 percent (53-for-91) of his pitches for strikes.

"We had another good effort by Carrasco," said manager Manny Acta. "Unfortunately, we continued to struggle with our situational hitting. We had an opportunity to give this kid more to work with, but we couldn't get it done."

The Indians gave Carrasco a 1-0 lead in the first off Nick Blackburn (10-10, 5.23) as Shelley Duncan singled to score Drew Sutton from second. They started the second with singles by Matt LaPorta and Luis Valbuena, but Chris Gimenez forced LaPorta at third on a botched sacrifice bunt. After Michael Brantley singled to load the bases, Sutton hit into a double play.

"The whole story of the series is we struggled to push runners across the plate to give our pitchers some breathing room," said Acta. "The Twins showed why they won the division."

The Indians actually hit .325 (8-for-25) with runners in scoring position in the series, but they were outscored, 20-8.

In the seventh, Morales hit a two-run, two-out single off Laffey to complete the scoring. The Twins scored 16 of their 20 runs in the three games with two out. In Monday's 9-3 victory, every run came with two out. Jeanmar Gomez, a rookie like Carrasco, gave up eight.

"Carrasco did the same thing Gomez did," said Acta. "He couldn't make a pitch to get out of the inning with two out."

As to what happened to Carrasco from the first five innings to the sixth, Acta said, "This is the big leagues. That's why starters have the toughest job. They have to go through a lineup three or four times and guys sometimes make adjustments. The main thing is to make a pitch right there."

Newest dance craze in the NFL: 'The Quarterback Shuffle'

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Coaches are going to the hook early and often when the quarterbacks come up short this year.

Gallery preview

By Richard Rosenblatt

Two games into the season, and benching the quarterback is a trending topic in the NFL.

Almost everywhere you look, there's a team with a quarterback conundrum: bench the starter; bench the backup for the healthy returning starter; replace an injured backup with another backup; stick with your starter despite few bad games.

What's a coach to do?

Plenty.

Carolina's Matt Moore and Buffalo's Trent Edwards? Benched for poor play.

Michael Vick? Kevin Kolb's backup was superb in leading the Eagles to a win over the Lions in his first start since 2006, and a day after Kolb (concussion) was declared ready to return, coach Andy Reid called an audible. Now Vick is now his starter.

Oakland's Jason Campbell? Benched in the second half of the second game, against St. Louis. Coach Tom Cable says he'll pick his starter later this week.

Tennessee's Vince Young? Jacksonville's David Garrard? Both benched in the fourth quarter of losses last week but will be starting Sunday. The Jaguars have little choice since backup Luke McCown is out for the season after he was injured in the game.

Cleveland's injured starter Jake Delhomme? Backup Seneca Wallace likely starts again Sunday. Possibly the same situation in Detroit, with injured starter Matthew Stafford and backup Shaun Hill.

There's a lot of quarterback shuffling going on. Here's a look six of the most dramatic moves:

PHILADELPHIA: On Monday, Reid called his QB issue a "beautiful situation," after declaring Kolb his starter for this Sunday's game. A day later, he said Vick had performed too well to be sent back to the bench. "When someone is playing at the level Michael Vick is playing, you have to give him an opportunity," says Reid. So much for Kolb being Donovan McNabb's successor.

CAROLINA: Delhomme was released, and Moore already is the unsuccessful successor -- four interceptions, two fumbles in two losses. Coach John Fox is turning to rookie Jimmy Clausen. "We'll see if this works," the coach in the final year of his contract says. The second-round pick from Notre Dame is 7 of 15 for 59 yards and one interception in two brief stints.

BUFFALO: New coach Chan Gailey is looking for a spark after Edwards failed to generate much offense in two losses (one TD pass, two interceptions, seven sacks) Ryan Fitzpatrick's task? End the Bills' 13-game losing streak against the Patriots on Sunday. It's the Bills' fifth in-season QB change in six years.

OAKLAND: Once Cable decides between season-opening starter Campbell (acquired from the Redskins) and Bruce Gradkowski, he says there no longer will be a quarterback controversy. Campbell was yanked in favor of Gradkowski, who led the Raiders to a 16-14 win over the Rams last week. "I'll make a good decision, the right decision, and we'll go from there," Cable says.

PITTSBURGH: Two games to go before Ben Roethlisberger returns from suspension, and his replacement, Dennis Dixon is out with a left knee injury. Charlie Batch came on in the Steelers' win last week, but Byron Leftwich, re-signed Monday, could start against Tampa Bay on Sunday. And by the way, does it really matter who subs for Roethlisberger for the unbeaten Steelers?

ARIZONA: Kurt Warner retires (he made it to the second round of "Dancing with the Stars," by the way), Matt Leinart is cut in preseason, and Derek Anderson moves in as the starter. What happens? The Cardinals are 1-1 but have produced only 24 points, and Anderson has been hit hard in both games. He'll start against the Raiders, simply because the Cardinals other QBs are rookies Max Hall and John Skelton.


Are Cleveland Browns interested in Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb?

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A Philadelphia radio station is reporting that the Browns contacted the Eagles Tuesday night inquiring about the availability of quarterback Kevin Kolb.

kkolbgb.jpgQuarterback Kevin Kolb has lost his starting job with the Eagles. Could he be headed out of Philadelphia next?

BEREA, Ohio -- Hours after Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid announced Michael Vick would be his starting quarterback going forward Tuesday night, the team received a call from Browns General Manager Tom Heckert about the availability of deposed starter Kevin Kolb, a radio station in Philadelphia reported.

WIP reported that the Eagles said Kolb was not available.

Then on Wednesday, Reid declined to guarantee that Kolb would be on the Eagles roster after the Oct. 19 trade deadline.

"I can’t predict anything down that far, nobody in this league can do that, that’s ridiculous," Reid said to Philadelphia media. "The future, we’ll just have to see."

Heckert was out of his office on a routine college scouting trip, said a club spokesman, and was not immediately available for comment.

A league source told The Plain Dealer there was nothing to the report.

Contacting a team about a trade happens all the time. But talking about it never does because it would violate league anti-tampering rules. So don’t expect Heckert to make a comment.

Here’s why trade conversation conceivably could continue:

• Heckert was the Eagles' GM when the team selected Kolb in the second round of the draft in 2007. Philadelphia sources said Heckert campaigned hard for Kolb in the draft room, but Reid had final say.

• Not only does Heckert have the connection to Philadelphia, Browns President Mike Holmgren and Reid are good friends from the days Reid worked on Holmgren’s coaching staff in Green Bay.

• The Browns explored trade talks with the Eagles in March when Holmgren decided to reconfigure the Browns’ quarterback depth chart. They asked about Kolb and Donovan McNabb. Holmgren said the price for both was too high — each involving the Browns’ No. 1 pick in 2010. McNabb eventually was traded to Washington for a second-round pick in 2010 and a conditional pick next year.

• By then, Holmgren had traded for Seneca Wallace and signed Jake Delhomme after Carolina released him. Now Delhomme is hobbled with an ankle injury, the extent of which the Browns have never disclosed. If the injury is serious enough to threaten Delhomme’s season, the Browns may want to re-start talks for Kolb.

• After the Eagles traded McNabb, they signed Kolb to a one-year contract extension through 2011, at a cost of a reported $10 million signing bonus. The Eagles had to pay the signing bonus. Kolb’s base salaries are $715,000 this year and $1.392 million next year.

• Vick’s contract is up after this year. So the Eagles will be in a similar position after the season as they were last spring, when McNabb’s contract was up. They have to commit to somebody. The Kolb extension obviously wasn’t a lasting commitment to him.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio's heart attack spotlights the stress on college football coaches

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Dantonio, now out of the hospital, suffered heart attack hours after his team's dramatic win over Notre Dame. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, a former Akron Kenmore HS and Kent State star, cites stress of coaching, but also the love of it.

mark-dantonio.jpgMichigan State coach Mark Dantonio leaving the field after the Spartans' overtime win over Notre Dame -- just hours before he suffered a heart attack he is now recovering from.

The more attention paid to sports --with heightened reward for success and ridicule for failure -- the more the stress on the participants.

The heart attack suffered by Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio hours after the Spartans defeated Notre Dame, 34-31 in overtime last Saturday, prompts some thought that coaches can pay a steep price in exchange for hefty paychecks and fame -- or infamy.

Vahe Gregorian writes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Explaining the absurdly audacious fake field goal he called to beat Notre Dame in overtime on Saturday, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said afterward that part of his reasoning was to avoid thrusting intense stress on sophomore kicker Dan Conroy to win or lose the game.

“I’d rather the pressure be on us or on me,” he said.

So absorb it he apparently did.

Hours later, Dantonio suffered a mild heart attack and had surgery to insert a stent in a clogged blood vessel leading into his heart. He is expected to make a full recovery but won’t be coaching when the Spartans play host to Northern Colorado on Saturday.

What caused the heart attack is uncertain.

Gregorian writes that Missouri coach Gary Pinkel -- an Akron Kenmore High School graduate who was a two-time honorable mention All-American tight end at Kent State -- says that the "intensity level and stress is beyond, I think, what anybody could ever imagine on a head coach."

Gregorian quotes Pinkel on reasons for the stress:

“Because of ESPN, because of the national sports scene, because of the Internet, because of all the instant communication out there,” he said. “And there’s so many media avenues that now exist, (and) the amount of money that coaches make.

“To me, it’s going to do nothing but get worse, the pressure. It’s not going to go the other way."

Even as some fans grumble that Mizzou’s 3-0 start is tainted by a 27-24 win over San Diego State, though, Pinkel, 58, isn’t complaining about the circumstances.

“This is the way the business is,” he said. “People sit there and say, `Well, can you take the pressure off?’ I don’t know how you do it. And (for) some reason you thrive on it. That’s why you do it, also. There’s this kind of love-hate deal there. You feel like hell all day Saturday waiting for the game, but then you love it.”

Cleveland Browns RB Jerome Harrison and WR Brian Robiskie sit out practice today

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Browns running back Jerome Harrison sat out practice with a thigh injury and receiver Brian Robiskie left the field with a hamstring injury.

 

jerome harrison.jpgJerome Harrison sat out practice today with a thigh injury apparently suffered vs. the Chiefs,

CLEVELAND -- Browns running back Jerome Harrison sat out practice today with a thigh injury and wide receiver Brian Robiskie  walked off the field early on with a hamstring injury and did not return.

The two joined six other players on the idle list today, including starters Jake Delhomme (ankle), Shaun Rogers (ankle, hip) and Robaire Smith (ankle).

If Harrison can't play, running back James Davis will get some playing time along with Peyton Hillis. If Robiskie can't go, Josh Cribbs and Chansi Stuckey will get more reps, and rookie Carlton Mitchell could be pressed into service.

Harrison appeared to have hurt his wrist against the Chiefs, but nothing was known about the thigh. Harrison was frustrated after the game and declined to talk to reporters. He was not available in the locker room today.

St. Edward junior offensive lineman Kyle Kalis commits to Ohio State

Raiders get their first win: Football blog with Shaker Heights' Tony Underwood

Braylon Edwards apologizes to Jets, family and fans in wake of his arrest for drunken driving

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"I would like to apologize to my family, my fans, Mr. (Woody) Johnson, Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan and my teammates. I will respect the process that is in place and will fully cooperate with the league," he said.

braylon-edwards3.jpgBraylon Edwards during a New York Jets exhibition game last month.

Florham Park, N.J. – New York Jets receiver Braylon Edwards has apologized to his teammates, coaches, family and fans, a day after he was arrested for drunken driving.

Edwards practiced with the Jets on Wednesday and later released a statement through the team.

"I would like to apologize to my family, my fans, Mr. (Woody) Johnson, Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan and my teammates. I will respect the process that is in place and will fully cooperate with the league," he said.

"I am truly happy to be a member of the New York Jets and I hope I have the opportunity to retire here. I now have to regain the trust of my teammates, the organization and the fans."

Tannenbaum said Tuesday night that Edwards would be active Sunday night against Miami.

Ohio State Comment of the Day: Big Ten or SEC? Who cares?

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"I've never understood these 'Who's conference is better?' debates in college football. There is no 'Best Conference' award, so does it really matter? Where are these games being played? What is the weather? There are too many factors for a simple analysis of A against B. As we know in football, any given Saturday a team can be a champion or a goat." - cwags2

mark ingram.jpgView full sizeWhen it comes to the Big Ten vs. SEC, individual stars like Alabama's Mark Ingram stand out.

In response to the story Big Ten Conference vs. Southeastern Conference: Who would win? Poll, cleveland.com reader cwags2 doesn't get the whole SEC vs. Big Ten debate. This reader writes,

"I've never understood these 'Who's conference is better?' debates in college football. There is no 'Best Conference' award, so does it really matter? Where are these games being played? What is the weather? There are too many factors for a simple analysis of A against B. As we know in football, any given Saturday a team can be a champion or a goat."

To respond to cwags2's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Indians Comment of the Day: Need as many bullpen arms as you can get

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"It's important to at least have a stockpile of bullpen arms because you never know when a guy will click. Remember, guys like Betancourt and Mujica came out of nowhere to become quality bullpen arms." - The Great Michael

hector ambriz.jpgView full sizeIndians reliever Hector Ambriz has been shut down for the remainder of 2010.

In response to the story Cleveland Indians end Hector Ambriz's season because of sore right elbow; getting second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum, cleveland.com reader The Great Michael thinks the Indians need as many bullpen arms as they can get. This reader writes,

"It's important to at least have a stockpile of bullpen arms because you never know when a guy will click. Remember, guys like Betancourt and Mujica came out of nowhere to become quality bullpen arms."

To respond to The Great Michael's comment, go here.

For more comments of the day, go to blog.cleveland.com/comments-of-the-day.

Proponents of college football playoff system accuse premier bowls of violating tax-exempt status

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Associated Press obtains copy of accusation-loaded complaint to be filed with IRS on Thursday against Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls. Complaint is by a political action committee that wants the bowls replaced with a championship playoff system.

fiesta-bowl-logo.jpgThe Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls are being accused of violating their tax-exempt status.

By Frederic J. Frommer

Washington, D.C. –- Opponents of how college football crowns its champion accused three of the nation's premier bowls of violating their tax-exempt status by paying excessive salaries and perks, providing "sweetheart loans" and doing undisclosed lobbying.

Playoff PAC, a political action committee that wants the bowls replaced with a championship playoff system, plans to file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday against the operators of the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls, three of the five games that constitute the Bowl Championship Series (the others are the Rose Bowl and the BCS title game). The Associated Press obtained a copy of the complaint prior to its filing.

A team of six lawyers and one accountant, working for no compensation, reviewed 2,300 pages of tax returns and public documents associated with all four bowls, said Playoff PAC co-founder Matthew Sanderson. The Pasadena, Calif.-based Rose Bowl was found to be "fairly free of these irregularities," Sanderson said.

The bowls operate as 501(c)3 charities, meaning their operations are tax-exempt and donations they receive are tax-deductible. Such groups may not operate for the benefit of private interests.

Playoff PAC said it found the following in the bowls' tax returns, which are publicly available:

• Paul Hoolahan, CEO of the New Orleans-based Sugar Bowl, received a $645,000 salary in 2009, a nearly $200,000 increase from his 2007 salary.

• John Junker, CEO of the Arizona-based Fiesta Bowl, received a salary of nearly $600,000 from the bowl and related organizations in the fiscal year ending in 2009, a hefty bump from his 2006 salary of $415,000. Also, Junker and the bowl's then-vice president for marketing, Doug Blouin, both received $120,000 worth of zero-interest loans in the early 2000s, and Junker received an additional $4,500 loan whose interest level was not disclosed.

The AP independently confirmed the figures by reviewing the tax returns.

In a statement Wednesday, the Fiesta Bowl called Playoff PAC's allegations "dated, tired and discredited," adding, "The Fiesta Bowl is confident that it has always fully complied with tax laws and rules in its operations and activities."

Sugar Bowl spokesman John Sudsbury said in an e-mail Wednesday that Hoolahan's salary is set by the board of directors after a review that includes input from a professional compensation analyst and a compensation committee. His organization is audited every year by an outside firm and has always complied with IRS regulations, Sudsbury said, and he dismissed the complaint as "rehashed information" routinely trotted out by those against the bowl system.

Playoff PAC argued that the executive salaries are "above market" and "an abuse of their organizations' favorable tax status." The PAC cited a 2009 NonProfit Times survey, which calculated an average chief executive salary of $185,000 at nonprofits with similar operating budgets ($10 million-to-$25 million).

In addition, the PAC noted, top executives at the Rose Bowl and Florida-based Orange Bowl are paid roughly $280,000 and $360,000, respectively, which makes the salaries paid to Hoolahan and Junker seem "extravagant" and "a legally troublesome use of charitable funds."

University of Miami law professor Frances Hill, a specialist in nonprofit tax law who reviewed the complaint at the AP's request, said the loans to the Fiesta Bowl officials could be a serious matter.

"If there are zero-interest loans being given to insiders, that's wrong," Hill said. But even if the IRS takes issue with this, she said, it wouldn't necessarily mean the bowl's tax-exempt status would be revoked; other penalties such as fines are available. Hill added it was difficult to predict what the IRS would do in this case, but that the agency has been more aggressive in recent years in reviewing tax-exempt organizations and in some cases, yanking their status.

The PAC also criticized the bowls for what it called overly generous perks, citing the $750,000 in travel expenses for the Orange Bowl in 2009 and the Sugar Bowl's $200,000 in "gifts and bonuses" in 2008; and "frivolous" use of funds, such as the Orange Bowl spending more than $1 million in entertaining and catering in 2009, and the Fiesta Bowl shelling out nearly $400,000 for its "Fiesta Frolic" golf retreat in 2009.

In an e-mail Wednesday, Orange Bowl spokesman Larry Wahl said, "We run one of the nation's premier college football games in a forthright and honorable manner that is compliant with IRS rules and regulations."

The complaint accuses the Fiesta Bowl of not disclosing lobbying activities. The IRS says that an organization can't qualify for 501(c)(3) status "if a substantial part of its activities" involves lobbying, although some lobbying is allowed.

The PAC noted that the Fiesta Bowl reported paying around $1.2 million in fees over the last five years to lobbying firm Husk Partners Inc., yet in each of the last five tax returns, the bowl checked "no" on whether it engaged in lobbying activities or attempted to influence legislation. In addition, the Fiesta Bowl registered with the Arizona Secretary of State lobbying disclosure system during this period.

Tax-exempt organizations are also forbidden from making campaign donations. Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth listed the Arizona Sports Foundation — the entity for the Fiesta Bowl — as making a $2,000 donation to his legal defense fund, prior to his unsuccessful challenge to Arizona Sen. John McCain in the GOP primary. The PAC said Hayworth was testing the waters for a Senate race, making the contribution suspect.

And the PAC pointed to an Arizona Republic story last year, which reported that several past and present Fiesta Bowl employees said they were encouraged to contribute to friendly politicians and then were reimbursed by the bowl. Such an arrangement, which the Fiesta Bowl denied, would violate state and federal campaign finance laws, as well as the prohibition against charities engaging in electoral politics.

As to whether the complaint, even if successful, will help the PAC's goal of a playoff system, Sanderson argued that "when we raise awareness about these types of irregularities, the need for change becomes more apparent."

The complaint was signed by Sanderson, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale who served as campaign finance lawyer for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, and two partners at the firm — Marcus Owens, former director of the IRS exempt organizations division, and Joe Birkenstock, a former chief counsel for the Democratic National Committee.

Lake Erie Monsters eager to get training camp started Sept. 29

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The Monsters will play an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Hoover Arena.

bacashihua-save-vert-jk.jpgMonsters goalie Jason Bacashihua returns to Lake Erie after a season with the Hershey Bears, last year's AHL champions.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Monsters, AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, officially open camp Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Hoover Arena in Strongsville. All practices are open to the public.

The Monsters will play an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Hoover Arena. Admission is free. Hoover Arena is located at 15381 Royalton Rd.

The Monsters do not have a preseason game scheduled. They open their fourth AHL season Oct. 8 against Syracuse at The Q.

Key players returning include center Phil Dupuis, who has been with the club since the inaugural season, and left winger Justin Mercier. Mercier played at Miami (Ohio). Goalie Jason Bacashihua also is back. Bacashihua was with the Monsters for the first two seasons before playing with Hershey last season.

Rookies expected to make an impact include defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen, high Avalanche draft picks who won national titles at Boston University under David Quinn. Quinn begins his second season as coach of the Monsters.

Key newcomers include right winger David van der Gulik (entering fifth season in AHL, most recently in Abbotsford) and center Greg Mauldin (entering sixth full AHL season, most recently with Bridgeport).

Key losses include Darren Haydar (The Hockey News' AHL Player of the Decade; AHL's all-time playoff leader; two-time Calder Cup champ; signed with Chicago), T.J. Hensick (Lake Erie's franchise leader in multiple categories; with the club the previous three seasons; traded to St. Louis organization), Brian Willsie (captain the past two years; signed with Washington organization); and Tyler Weiman (franchise leader in all major goalie categories; with team previous three seasons; signed with Vancouver).

James Davis believes his chance to shine for Cleveland Browns could arrive this week

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As the Browns seek to nullify errors on offense, running back James Davis believes he can be a spark to get something going in Baltimore on Sunday.

james-davis-exult-bears-jg.jpgJames Davis rushed for 103 yards in 26 preseason carries this fall. Now, the second-year running back from Clemson hopes to get a chance to strut his stuff in a regular-season game against Baltimore on Sunday.

BEREA, Ohio -- Peyton Hillis was the Browns' starting tailback in Game 1, and he fumbled.

Jerome Harrison was the starter in Game 2, and he fumbled.

As coach Eric Mangini continues to rail about his team's costly turnovers, is the sentiment rising to try James Davis next?

"I'm excited about the week. Coach told me to go out and have a good week of practice," Davis said Wednesday.

Davis also said that coaches -- Mangini and others -- deliver pretty much the same message every week.

But something is different this week.

Harrison, who had 11 and 14 carries in the first two games, declined to speak to reporters after the 16-14 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. Harrison did not practice on Wednesday because of a thigh injury.

Speaking of what Davis needs to do at practice to get some action Sunday against Baltimore, Mangini said, "Each week you look at the guys. If the guy is having a standout week in practice, you just view it as earning opportunities in the game. That's really how Evan Moore got his first chance. He stood out in practice, so he got opportunities in the game. It happened quite a bit last year. Marcus Benard [is another]."

Davis feels he is in the same situation now, especially with the offense looking in need of a spark.

"In my mind, that's kind of what I think of myself as when I'm out there," he said. "I kind of showed in the preseason I can be a spark. That's something I have to show in practice. I'm going to try to change stuff up differently -- gonna go out there early and I'm gonna go full out. I want to play."

Playing in Baltimore is another thing that's got Davis perked up. It was in Baltimore exactly a year ago -- in last season's third game -- that Davis last carried the ball in the regular season.

He came in after the Browns were down, 27-0, in the third quarter and carried five times for 10 yards. He also had a one catch for one yard. Davis already had suffered a shoulder injury in Game 1, but was mostly recovered by the Baltimore game. The following week, however, he re-injured the shoulder in a post-practice "opportunity period" and had to be shut down for the year following surgery.

Now Davis said he is 100 percent healthy and about seven pounds heavier than a year ago at 213 pounds. He said there's no question that he is the team's fastest player on offense.

"Definitely. I can pretty much tell," he said.

Davis admitted he was a bit awed as rookie playing the Ravens.

"When I played in this game last year, my thing was, I was a rookie and I wanted to see Ray Lewis come out," he said of the Baltimore linebacker's famous entrance to the field. "I had never seen it. ... So in the pre-game, I'm watching him the whole time 'cuz I was all excited to see it. Once I got in, he talked a lot on the field, and stuff. Now I feel I've played against one of the best linebackers in the league. I feel I'm more prepared now."

The Browns' running game never has been in the rhythm it had in the final month of 2009. Through two games, the team is averaging 88.5 yards a game and 3.6 per attempt. Although Hillis has two touchdowns, the two fumbles by him and Harrison have stunted advances by the offense.

"I don't know [the problem]," Davis said. "Teams probably prepare for stuff that we did at the end of last season. I think it's a different mindset. We're more balanced this year. It can be a hit or miss thing.

"Right now, we're just working on getting this running game going. Everybody's kind of talking about it. I'm hearing it from guys. I think it's a big deal. I think we definitely have to get better."

The Ravens are 17th against the run through two games. They allowed 62 on 11 attempts by the Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson and 78 on 23 attempts by Cinncinati's Cedric Benson.

"We showed some clips in the film and there's some holes in the defense," Davis said. "They're pretty tough with Ray Lewis in there, but I think we can run on that defense."

The Browns had 71 and 86 yards rushing in their two losses to Baltimore last season. Davis is unfazed by that lack of success. Besides, he was a rookie then, partially hurt in one game and not able to play in the other.

"Hopefully I can get plugged in," he said. "I'm going to go out this week and push the issue. I'm gonna work so hard, they're going to have to say, 'We've got to give that guy a shot.'"

Mo Williams' summer of stress should be a concern to Cleveland Cavaliers: Bud Shaw

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Mo Williams has given the Cavs another reason to worry about bouncing back from the loss of LeBron James, sports columnist Bud Shaw writes.

mo-williams-upset-celts-jk.jpgIt appears that the worried and depressed look that Mo Williams wore in the second half of Game 6 in last May's Eastern semifinal against Boston has remained on his face throughout the off-season. That's not a good thing for the Cavaliers, writes Bud Shaw.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Alarm bells should be sounding for the Cavaliers.

OK, that's sort of obvious.

I mean more alarm bells, louder alarm bells.

In separate communications recently -- one a tweet and the other an old-fashioned interview -- Mo Williams hardly comes off sounding like a guy new head coach Byron Scott can count on to lead a Cavaliers' resurgence.

Williams alludes to "family problems" in his latest Twitter feed. He calls this summer "the worst time of my life." He says everything with the team -- and you know, based on previous tweets he means LeBron James' departure and the firing of Mike Brown -- "has been very hard."

And he signs off by saying, "keep me in your prayers."

Williams often shares his thoughts 140 characters at a time, but the limited word count doesn't hold him back.

First came his plea for the Cavs not to trade him in June. Then his reaction to James' decision -- "The only thing, and I mean the only thing I disagree with is ... If he knew somewhere else was the destination. He should have spared cle."

That's as close as he came to finding fault with James. Understandably, he fell far short of Dan Gilbert's angry and defiant statement after James' self-absorption on ESPN spilled over and created a tsunami of hard feelings by the lake.

Williams didn't agree with Gilbert's decision to fire Brown. Danny Ferry's departure was another detonation for a team that won more regular season games than anyone over the past two years.

Gilbert's statement succeeded in rallying a city. Everyone knew it would take much more to rally the teammates James left behind, but not to the extent Williams hinted at in an interview with Yahoo Sports.

Williams says he was so depressed over the Cavaliers' upheaval he thought about retiring.

Even if you chalk that up to Williams being overly dramatic and emotional, he should've put that behind him by now. Training camp is about to start.

It's difficult to blame any Cavaliers' player for the urge to grab on for dear life in July. The franchise floor shifted. The deck chairs slid completely off the cruise ship.

It's September now, late September. This is not the message you want a veteran player broadcasting a week before training camp opens.

The public venting you expect from one of your veteran leaders is chastising prognosticators for selling your team short.

You'd like to read that Williams made a dart board of his LeBron James Fathead. That he planned to lead a state-wide boycott of talcum powder or that he immediately called Gilbert to pledge his support in recruiting free agents to Cleveland.

That's the way fans think. Players relate to players. Even so, you don't want to hear Williams say depression moved in and refused to leave.

"That's how bad it got," Williams told Yahoo. "I contemplated it. I really sat down and envisioned life after basketball. ... I really saw myself not playing."

The guy isn't 37. He has three years and $26 million remaining on his contract.

Maybe it speaks well for him that he didn't just react to James' departure with a "I'm still getting mine" shrug. But there's a lot of middle ground between that and being so crushed you consider retirement.

He's being honest, I suppose.

If you're Scott, though, you're hopeful Williams, who's had shrinking performances under playoff pressure, embraces an old slogan: "Rise up" -- this time from the ashes.

That doesn't sound promising.

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