Western Conference teams have dominated the East in 15 of the last 16 seasons. League championships have been not quite as lopsided.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NBA Western Conference teams have beaten the East in overall record for the 15th time out of the last 16 regular seasons.
Western Conference teams were a combined 76 games over .500 when playing Eastern Conference teams in 2014-15. This just-completed season marked the sixth straight year the West has had a better record in head-to-head games with the East.
The 2008-09 season was the only time since 1998-99 in which the East had the better record.
The West, likewise, has also dominated the championships, though not by as wide a margin. Beginning with 2000, the West has won 10 titles and the East five.
Illustrating the depth of the West this past season:
New Orleans is the eighth seed in the West after compiling a 45-37 record. The No. 8 seed in the East, the Brooklyn Nets, were six games under .500 at 38-44.
Here's a quick rundown of the head-to-head records for regular season games between the West and East. (The plus number represents games above .500 in cross-conference games.)
The Lake Erie Monsters could become an affiliate of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, according to a report.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The long-rumored deal that would join the Lake Erie Monsters with the Columbus Blue Jackets is expected to be announced within days, according to a report on the Columbus Dispatch website.
The Monsters, a member of the American Hockey League, would become the top affiliate of the Blue Jackets beginning next season. The Monsters are currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche and have a deal that runs through the 2015-16 season.
Columbus' top affiliate for the past five seasons has been the Springfield Falcons, but the Falcons have called a press conference for Friday, when they are expected to announce the end of their affiliation. That deal also ran through the 2015-16 season, but the two teams have agreed to exercise a mutual option to end the agreement early, according to the Dispatch.
The Monsters would not comment.
"It's not appropriate for us to comment right now," said Pam Frasco, the team's vice-president of marketing and communications. "We hope to be able to comment very soon. That's all we can say right now."
The Blue Jackets also refused comment, but the Dispatch reported that the announcement was likely to come next week and was expected to be a multi-year deal.
Speculation about the Monsters becoming a Columbus affiliate has been discussed ever since Dan Gilbert acquired the Monsters, along with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, where the Monsters play. It gained steam in January when the AHL announced a five-team Pacific Division beginning next season, part of the long-awaited byproduct of the NHL's westward advancement in recent decades. The Avs were not part of the realignment.
"We're excited about how all this will play out,'' Ostrowski said. "We feel we have a first-class operation and the experience that lends itself to getting players prepared to play in the NHL in a downtown arena. We're going to see how it all plays out.''
The Blue Jackets have long tried to attract Cleveland hockey fans to Columbus games and this affiliation would certainly help with that as fans could follow the organization's top prospects. It would also make it easy for players and team officials to travel between the two cities for call ups, scouting, etc.
The Monsters played Grand Rapids on Thursday at the Q and at least one fan in attendance was pleased to hear about the possible deal.
Ryan Gaab, 26, of Strongsville, was asked if the prospect of the affiliation with Columbus excites him. "Yes. Definitely. I lived in Columbus for three years when I was at Ohio State. I went to many Blue Jackets games."
Would he attend more Monsters games if they are affiliated with Columbus? "Yeah, probably, to see the players who will be going to the Jackets and coming from them."
Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin apologized Thursday on Twitter for an obscene phrase on one of the baseball team's practice jerseys.
Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin apologized Thursday on Twitter for an obscene phrase on one of the baseball team's practice jerseys.
Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin has apologized for an obscene phrase visible on one of the baseball team's practice jerseys.Twitter
The Bulldogs have new Adidas baseball practice jerseys that read "Viva Starkvegas" across the front. There are also small dots across the rest of the jerseys that spell different phrases, including one that was an obscene phrase referencing SEC rival Mississippi.
Printed in backward letters on the left front, the dots spell out: "F__K THE SCHOOL UP NORTH." The phrase also appears on the back of the jersey, AL.com reported.
Stricklin sent a statement on Twitter saying the phrase was "completely unacceptable and does not reflect the standards and values of Mississippi State University."
(1/3)This afternoon it came to my attention that a shirt provided to our baseball team by adidas has an inappropriate phrase written on it ...
Mississippi State spokesman Bill Martin said the school did not approve the design prior to its release. A representative at Adidas did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Mississippi State is located in Starkville, which is sometimes jokingly referred to as Starkvegas.
Akron reliever Grant Sides walked in the winning run in the 11th.
A two-out triple by first baseman Jake Lowery in the top of ninth got the RubberDucks into extra innings Thursday, but Akron eventually fell, 2-1, to the Curve in 11 innings in a Class AA Eastern League game in Altoona, Pa.
Jake LoweryAkron RubberDucks
Akron reliever Grant Sides walked in the winning run in the 11th. Sides had four walks in the inning, one intentional.
Lowery's triple was the RubberDucks' only extra-base hit as Akron batters continue to struggle, getting only seven hits overall.
Other than the ninth, the RubberDucks' only scoring threat came in the eighth inning when singles by Ollie Linton Jr. and Todd Hankins and a Curve throwing error put runners on second and third with one out. But outfielder Jordan Smith was called out on strikes and shortstop Erik Gonzalez flew out to center field to end the threat.
RubberDucks starter Cody Anderson had a solid effort in the loss, giving up one run on seven hits in six innings and striking out four. Trey Haley and Louis Head combined for three innings of scoreless relief, with Head striking out five in just two innings. Akron pitchers had 13 strikeouts overall and held the Curve to seven hits and just one extra-base hit.
The Lake Erie Monsters fall to Grand Rapids and are eliminated from playoff contention.
CLEVELAND, Ohio --A respectable record will not be enough to advance the Lake Erie Monsters into the American Hockey League Calder Cup playoffs.
The Monsters were eliminated from postseason contention with a 6-4 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
Lake Erie (33-29-8-4) closes its season with a home game against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday night and a visit to Hamilton on Saturday night.
The Monsters' playoff chances were slim prior to the contest. They needed to win all three of their remaining games and have the Toronto Marlies lose their final three matches to sneak into the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.
"We have one of the youngest teams in the league," Lake Erie coach Dean Chynoweth said. "The last 2 1/2 months, we played together very well and did a lot of good things. In the second half of the season, I was pleased with the progress of a lot of our guys.
"It shows how hard it is to make the playoffs in this league. There are different lineups night-to-night. This is a young team, though, that is learning and growing."
Off the ice, the Monsters declined comment on a Columbus Dispatch story that the Monsters will become the minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets next season. Lake Erie is currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche.
"It's not appropriate for us to comment right now," said Pam Frasco, Monsters vice-president of marketing and communications. "We hope to be able to comment very soon. That's all we can say right now."
Lake Erie twice came back from two-goal deficits to tie Grand Rapids (45-21-6-2), but couldn't rebound from Alden Hirschfeld's goal that put the Griffins ahead, 5-4, with 13:58 remaining in the third period. Hirschfeld scored from just outside the goal crease after taking Jeff Hoggan's pass from the right side.
The Griffins clinched the win on Mark Zengerle's empty net goal with 35 seconds left.
The Monsters had trailed, 4-2, but caught the Griffins at 4-4 on Tomas Vincour's ninth goal 28 seconds into the third period and Andrew Agozzino's 29th with 9:08 remaining.
Stefan Elliott, from the left boards, fed Vincour, who tallied from the top of the crease. Agozzino, speeding down the middle of the ice, took a perfect pass from Ben Street to his left and scored from five feet.
Chynoweth has been impressed with the play of Agozzino and Street.
"They give it everything they've got," he said. "They got that goal to get us into a tie. I can't say enough about what they give us."
Grand Rapids took 74 seconds to convert the game's first goal, as Tomas Nosek got behind the Lake Erie defense to create a one-on-one with Monsters goalkeeper Calvin Pickard and score from close range.
Marek Tvrdon, stationed near the goal mouth, tapped in the Griffins' second goal off a pass from Louis Marc-Aubry with 1:45 to go in the first period.
The Monsters, though, cut their deficit in half 22 seconds later. Freddie Hamilton netted his 10th goal of the season from about 20 feet and slightly to the right side after a cross-ice pass from Chris Bigras.
Then, nearly 13 minutes into the second period, Joey Hishon's 15th goal pulled Lake Erie into a 2-2 tie. Taking a pass from Bigras, Hishon broke free, made a nifty move to get Grand Rapids goalie Tom McCollum leaning right, then slipped the puck to McCollum's left as he neared the goal mouth.
Grand Rapids scored twice within an 88-second span late in the second period to go ahead, 4-2. First, Tyler Bertuzzi connected from the middle of the right faceoff circle, drilling the puck off Pickard's gloved left hand. Then, Nosek -- fighting off a determined defensive effort by Street -- managed to one-arm a pass across the crease to a charging Kevin Porter, who converted from point-blank range.
Are the Cleveland Browns trying to hide their love for Marcus Mariota? They aren't conducting a private workout with him or bringing him to Cleveland for a visit.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the Browns are planning to try to trade up for Marcus Mariota, they're doing a good job of hiding it.
They haven't lined up a private workout with the Heisman Trophy winner and will not bring him to Cleveland as one of their 30 allotted pre-draft visits, a league source told Northeast Ohio Media Group.
At this point, it would be highly unusual for a team to request a last-minute workout.
But if you think no workout or visit means the Browns won't go after him on draft day April 30, guess again. The Browns have been big on Mariota since last year and will likely make a strong pitch for him on draft day.
Owners of the No. 12 and No. 19 overall picks, the Browns know more about Mariota than most NFL teams because their new quarterbacks coach, Kevin O'Connell, spent several months before the NFL combine in February preparing Mariota for the pre-draft process.
"We're in the fortunate circumstance that our quarterback coach trained him before he became our quarterback coach,'' said Pettine. "We probably have a little bit better information about him than some others do.''
In fact, it was O'Connell who ran Mariota's pro day at Oregon March 12 in front of representatives of all 32 teams. He's a leading authority on Mariota, and Mariota stressed at the combine that he'd love to be reunited in Cleveland with his tutor.
"That would be an awesome opportunity,'' said Mariota. "I'd love to play for the Browns. ... (O'Connell) really helped me adjust to the pro game. I was very blessed to have him as my quarterbacks coach.''
The Browns actually haven't conducted private workouts with many quarterbacks in this draft. They did work out Colorado State's Garrett Grayson, whom some consider the draft's third-best quarterback behind Jameis Winston and Mariota. But they haven't worked out UCLA's Brett Hundley or Baylor's Bryce Petty. Like Mariota, Petty worked with O'Connell in the months leading up to the combine.
At the NFL annual meeting last month, coach Mike Pettine said O'Connell told him that Mariota is very advanced mentally and would have no trouble adjusting to a pro scheme.
"This was a guy that I think understood coming in from the system that he was playing in that that's not similar to potentially a lot of systems that he would be playing in, in the league,'' Pettine said. "He understood that and addressed it and that's one of the reasons that he worked with Kevin because Kevin understands more of the offensive structure that he's going to have to play in.
"He attacked a weakness. And I think even though he hasn't played in a system like that, that if you got him on the board with it, everybody that's had him on the board said he's just blown them away just because of how he's essentially turned that weakness into a strength."
Mariota, whom the Browns hoped would come out last year when they had the No. 4 overall pick, could go as high as No. 1 or No. 2 overall. The Rams, who own the No. 10 overall pick, are working him out at Oregon today, and the Chargers, who own the No. 17 overall pick, worked him out Wednesday.
Many teams are rumored to be interesting in trading up for Mariota, including the Browns and Eagles, who's head coach, Chip Kelly, coached Mariota at Oregon.
Although the Bucs seemed poised to draft Winston No. 1 overall, some experts think they will draft Mariota instead. Plenty of others believed he'll go No. 2 to the Titans.
The Browns will begin working again Monday with Johnny Manziel, who's fresh out of in-patient rehab, and they have Josh McCown as their bridge quarterback for 2015.
But you can bet they'll make a concerted effort to land Mariota regardless of which team they have to call.
Manziel has made some strides in the past 10 weeks, but the real test in salvaging his career starts now.
BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel was one of football's most irresistible stories and irrelevant players a year ago.
The Browns' first-round pick made national headlines for everything from driving an inflatable swan under the influence to a bizarre late-night dustup with a fan at the quarterback's downtown condo. For all the attention, Manziel earned 79 snaps -- or 41 fewer than cornerback Pierre Desir, another rookie who didn't see the field until late in the season.
Desir made the most of the opportunity, while Manziel squandered his. He was woefully unprepared and overmatched in his two starts. About the only thing the Texas A&M product did well was vow to change. He's becoming to mea culpas what John Elway was to two-minute drives.
So maybe we shouldn't treat the statement Manziel released Friday -- less than two weeks since exiting a rehab treatment center for possible substance abuse -- any differently. The quarterback expressed contrition for disappointing loved ones, the Browns organization and its fans.
"I take full responsibility for my actions and it's my intention to work very hard to regain everyone's trust and respect," he wrote in the one-paragraph statement.
We've heard it all before from Manziel, but give the kid credit for finally putting action behind his words. He spent 10 weeks in an eastern Pennsylvania facility trying to get his life together. He seems to understand he's one more wasted season away from joining Brian Bosworth, Matt Leinart and Heath Shuler in their Dish Network commercial pining for their glory days of college football.
His second chance with the Browns starts Monday as the team begins its off-season workouts in Berea. It's unclear whether he'll address the media the following day. Manziel acknowledged his recovery remains "an ongoing process," and that despite public curiosity he's unsure if he wants to discuss "a subject which I consider very personal."
The most important message in his first public comments came at the end of the 221-word missive, saying he's looks forward to "focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be."
That's what his teammates desire, as well. Captain Joe Thomas said as much Tuesday night after the Browns unveiled their new uniforms:
"I think it will be important for him when he comes back to prove to the team, to everybody in the organization that football is the most important thing in his life and he is willing to commit to it. ... There was some doubt based on what he did last year."
Manziel's defiant attitude and casual approach to preparation never allowed him to be a relevant player. Transitioning from a spread/system quarterback is hard enough. The dearth of young, consistent QBs is an alarming NFL trend over the past six years. (Name three of them -- and we'll spot you Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.)
Maybe Manziel won't succeed. Maybe his lack of size and athleticism won't enable him to achieve the way he did for two seasons of Saturdays in College Station, when he was the NCAA's most electrifying performer.
There's no shame in failing or falling short. But to have it in you and never let it out because you were too busy surrendering to the trappings of celebrity ... man, oh, man. That's what angers veterans like Thomas, Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner. It's what infuriates a fan base dying to root for a quarterback the way it once did Bernie Kosar all those years ago.
Manziel has made some meaningful strides in the past two months. Now comes the next step as it pertains to his career. He needs to make Alex Mack, not Justin Bieber, his wingman and be ready to start at the bottom of the depth chart.
The Browns cannot pretend last season didn't happen. They also can't place much immediate faith or trust in Manziel. Restoring that, to use his words, is an ongoing process.
All the quarterback can do is give himself a chance to be a relevant player again. Johnny Manziel owes that to his team, his fans and mostly to himself.
Here are the lineups for Friday night's game at Target Field.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Here are the Indians' and Twins' lineups for Friday night's game at Target Field starting at 8:10 ET.
Michael Brantley, who has missed six of the Tribe's eight games, is back in the lineup. Brantley has been sidelined with back problems. He will DH and bat third. David Murphy will start in left as the Indians send eight left-handed or switch-hitters against Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey.
Friday is Brantley's first game since he started the home opener against Detroit on April 10. Toward the end of the game, Brantley started getting back spasms and he's been idle since.
The back problems started as soon as he reported to spring training in February. He's been dealing with the spasms ever since.
Brantley is hitting .125 (1-for-8) with one RBI.
The Twins put left-hander Brian Duensing on the disabled list Friday with a right intercostal strain suffered in Thursday's win over the Royals. Left-hander Caleb Thielbar was recalled from Class AAA Rochester.
Brush senior Trenton Miller placed fourth in the Division I boys bowling state tournament and is the cleveland.com Boys Bowler of the Year. His coach, Scott Paluscsak, received the Coach of the Year award.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brush senior Trenton Miller capped his high school career by placing fourth in the Division I boys bowling state tournament in March, the best finish of anyone from Northeast Ohio.
His 635 series at state won him first team All-Ohio honors and he earned his third consecutive nod for the All-Northeast Ohio Conference team as well. He also has been selected as the cleveland.com Boys Bowler of the Year.
During the regular season, Miller set a new single game record for the school at 299 and the second highest series (699) during the Black Tiger Challenge.
He completed the year with a 208 average, two pins shy of his 210 mark from last season when he missed the state tournament by seven pins at districts.
When he's not bowling, Miller enjoys playing pickup basketball with his friends and golfing. He played tennis for Brush during his sophomore and junior years. This spring, he plans to try his hand at track, possibly as a sprinter. He's also a musician, playing clarinet in the school marching band.
Miller has a 3.5 grade-point average. He takes multiple AP and honors courses and is a member of the Minority Achievement Club Scholars Program.
Read more about Miller as he talks about the season, his progression as a bowler and how the game helped him to bond with his grandfather and brother Russell, who qualified for district as an Arcs bowler, as told to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
When I was a freshman I really was kind of intimidated because we had a good team and I felt like I was young and I couldn't bowl as good as they could. Some games, I didn't even get a chance to bowl. But, as time went on, in my sophomore year and junior year, that's when I ended up bowling two 278s that season. That really gave me a confidence boost in my junior year. I saw myself as stepping up. Now I can actually trust myself and not be scared to do it.
I was seven pins away from going to state my junior year and was kind of disappointed, thinking "I should have gotten that spare in that one frame and I should have done this better." But then I just thought, "I can't do anything about it so I'll just wait and do it my senior year and I'm going to work hard and accomplish that goal."
Now, I've gone to state my senior year and I ended up making a new goal of making it into the Top 15 but ended up coming in fourth so it was a good season. Going to state, it was really good to do that but coming in fourth and doing so good, unexpectedly, was great.
There was a time during my senior year, there was a whole week where I was just struggling. My coach, Scott Paluscsak, he told me to slow down, think about my adjustments and he just believed in me. I really needed that. He and my teammates really helped to bring me back to just adjust to hitting targets again.
I look up to Kyrie Irving and maybe LeBron James too. They're both just great athletes and they put in the dedication and work. My favorite bowler is Norm Duke. He's also one of my role models. He seems like a nice person, a cool guy and that's why I look up to him.
My parents, they encourage me and give me motivation. My dad, he always tells me that bowling is a mental game so all you have to do is just tell yourself positive things and you'll finish well. You'll finish in first.
This is going to be my first time trying track. Ever since I was a little kid I've always loved to run and was very competitive. I never tried it in middle school or anything like that but it's something where I just thought "I might have a talent in this so I should probably pursue it." It's similar to how I got into bowling but, in a way, kind of different.
When I was younger, my granddad actually bowled too so he was teaching us, so that was kind of how I started to progress. Track was kind of something I just liked to do as a kid.
Bowling was a bonding experience and bonding with my brother, Russell.
Notable: Cunningham placed ninth at state with a 612 series, which qualified him for second team all-state honors for Division I. His performance helped Nordonia place sixth at the state tournament.
Notable: McClain placed fifth at state with a 629 series, which won him first team all-state honors in Division I and was his highest series of the season. His single-game average was 194 for the year. Brunswick placed seventh in the state tournament.
Notable: Mramor led the Bulldogs, placing seventh at state with a 617 series. He earned second team all-state for Division I. Green finished eighth at the state tournament.
Notable: Smith took eighth place at the state tournament with a 613 series to earn second team all-state for Division I. North Ridgeville finished 14th.
Notable: Paluscsak, who was there when Brush's boys bowling program began five years ago, had player Trenton Miller become the Arcs' first state qualifier in the sport this year.
Paluscsak's team finished with a 14-4 record.
Miller, who placed fourth at state, gave a lot of credit to Paluscsak for helping him to believe in himself and helping him to reach his full potential as a bowler.
"The weekend we had at state, I can't even put it into words. I'm so happy for Trenton. He's a great kid. He listens well and is so deserving," he said.
Paluscsak described the experience of accompanying Miller to state as unbelievable. He was glad to be there to support him as well as other teams from the Northeast Ohio Conference, such as Mentor.
"I was glad to just be able to talk to Trenton between frames and try to keep him loose and make little adjustments here and there," Paluscsak said.
HONORABLE MENTION
Eric Bator, Brunswick; Ryan Liederbach, Nordonia; Tommy Lowry, Green; Nathan Paliska, Olmsted Falls.
The Cavaliers have too much basketball to play, too much work to do, to be overconfident facing the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- By almost any measure, the Cavs' first-round playoff series with the Boston Celtics would seem to be tilted far in Cleveland's direction.
The Cavs, No. 2 seed in the East, have LeBron James. Boston, No. 7, has no one like him. Not close.
The Cavs are co-favorites to win the NBA Finals with Golden State out of the Western Conference, according to Las Vegas sports book Bovada. The Celtics have 250-to-1 odds to beat Cleveland in seven games, Bovada says.
But as the Cavs took to the practice floor for the first time Friday in preparation for Sunday's playoff game, overconfidence did not sound like a problem.
"Absolutely, there will be no overlooking Boston, no matter what the records are," James said. "Everyone's zero and zero when you get to this point, so our whole game plan right now is giving ourselves a chance to win the game."
The Cavs split their season series with Boston at two games apiece, though virtually none of those contests could really offer a glimpse of what may come Sunday.
In that game, Cleveland was equipped with a healthy James and J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov, and Iman Shumpert -- three players not on the team when the Cavs first played the Celtics on Nov. 14. The Celtics were only missing former Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger.
Cleveland won that November game as well, 122-121, on a night James scored 41 points. But it was against a Celtics team with Rondo and Green on the court.
The final two Cleveland-Boston games on April 10 and 12, both won by the Celtics, were games in which coach David Blatt rested starters for parts or (in the case of last Sunday) the entire contest.
So on paper this is, one might safely say, not the best of matchups for Boston. But Cleveland has had its challenges this season, too.
The Cavs were 19-20 at one point, and endured a season's worth of mini dramas that tend to pop up on a team with their kind of star power. Also, Sunday will park the first playoff game for Irving, Love, reserve big man Tristan Thompson, back-up point guard Matthew Dellavedova and Blatt.
"We're not entitled to anything," Irving said. "We haven't won anything."
This is the franchise's 19th playoff berth, but first since James last played for the Cavs in 2010. There is a palpable buzz around the team and city, not only because the postseason is about to start but because Cleveland appears well positioned to meet the lofty expectations so many outsiders placed on the team before the season began.
James has been to the top of the mountain -- twice -- but it was with the Miami Heat. His lone Finals appearance with the Cavs in 2007 ended in a four-game sweep by San Antonio. James lost two other Finals matchups with the Heat.
The Cavs have never won a title, and only won 11 playoff series as a franchise. Also, when the final buzzer sounds on Game 1, two full months of basketball will remain if the Cavs are to reach the Finals.
Put another way, there is ample time and potential hurdles/distractions separating the Cavs from any June trophy hoisting.
"It's not sensible and it's not correct to put the cart before the horse," Blatt said. "We've got a lot of tough basketball ahead of us to get anywhere. We're nowhere near what's going to be at the end. We're very much in the moment of the beginning of this process. And hopefully we'll know how to handle it and we'll be the same good team that we've been since January and grow into a successful playoff team."
The Buckeyes didn't just get their rings. They were presented their rings by assistant coaches with stories and highlights.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Urban Meyer drove toward the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Friday morning. The sun had just risen. Ohio State's coach, with football practice ahead to be followed by another day of a high school coaching clinic, thought it looked like a beautiful day.
He wanted to make sure the Buckeyes celebrated that, by celebrating their National Championship.
The second versions of the national title rings, the ones designed by the Buckeyes themselves, were in. Rather than just giving them out, Meyer decided Friday morning he wanted to present them. He made some calls to make sure the seniors from last year's team would be around.
And Friday became a morning he hopes his coaches won't forget.
Veteran defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who came to Ohio State from Penn State last year in pursuit of that ring, made a presentation to Michael Bennett, a star he'd grown particularly close to.
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner handed the ring to right tackle Darryl Baldwin, a first-year starter as a fifth-year senior last season.
So it went through the team. The Buckeyes watched a highlight video from last year. The assistants told a story about each player. They presented the boxes that would hold the three rings earned for last season. And Meyer wanted every younger Buckeye to see that - see something more than just, "Hey, here's your ring."
For competitive coaches, it's easy for losses to linger. It can take more work to remember the good. In his tenure at Ohio State, Meyer has seemed to understand that.
He remembered that Friday.
"It was a great moment this morning," Meyer told the high school coaches gathered at Ohio State for a clinic on Friday. "And something I was honored to be a part of."
Beautiful day in Columbus, OH and I just got to hand over this box of rings to a special group of seniors pic.twitter.com/LMm2AcM61v
A look at softball in Northeast Ohio in the softball best of the beat.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The weather has been absolutely perfect the past few days, which has allowed local softball players and stars to show what they are capable of.
Throughout out the rest of the softball season, there will be a best of the beat where we take a look at what is going in the softball world in Northeast Ohio.
Alexis Mack finishing her career off in style.
For three years, Brecksville's Alexis Mack has been one of the best softball players in the area. The second baseman is terrific with her glove, but she is at her best when she is causing havoc on the bases.
The South Carolina commit is hitting .666 with 25 stolen bases through nine games, helping the team to get off to an undefeated start.
The Bees have a team that is capable of contending for a state title in Division I, and Mack's ability to get on base will play a big role in how far the team goes.
Cuyahoga Heights lost pitcher Meredith Chopka from last season, but Samantha Rodriguez has shown he has more than capable
The Redskins had a great year last season as the team won the first ever state title in school history.
With many players coming back from last season's team, there is plenty of talks about the making a run at a second consecutive state championship. However, heading into the season, there was one big question that needed to be answered.
Did Cuyahoga Heights have someone on the team who is capable of replacing Chopka?
Six games into the season, and Samantha Rodriguez has answered that with a major yes. She currently has a 6-0 record, while also sporting a .500 average from the cleanup spot.
The Redskins have the offense capable of making a deep run in the playoffs, and if Rodriguez can continue her strong start, then a repeat could be in the works.
Holy Name showing its potential with big week in Myrtle Beach
The Green Wave are off to a great start this year, and is coming off a 6-1 week. The team outscored its opponents 78-25 during that streak, with the lone loss coming in a 3-2 game against Liverpool (N.Y.).
Shortstop Abbey Yaugher played a huge role in the successful week as she went 18-of-27 from the plate, while driving in 16 runs and knocking in 12 runs.
The offense has been great all season long, and if Holy Name can continue to hit the ball like it has, the Green Wave will be a tough team to beat late in the season.
Local apparel company Fresh Brewed Tees teamed up with the Cleveland Cavaliers to launch a line of Cavs gear at their Cleveland Hopkins Airport storefront.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The 2015 NBA Playoffs are underway and local apparel company Fresh Brewed Tees is getting into the game.
The shop recently teamed up with the Cleveland Cavaliers to carry a line of gear at their Cleveland Hopkins Airport location. In honor of playoff season, store owner Tony Madalone dedicated half his shop to support the team. They supply licensed NBA gear, jerseys, player tees and more. Madalone also unveiled three new designs he created for Cavs fans.
Watch the video above to check out the new product launch and find out where you can get your team gear.
Though Watts has more than 30 early offers, he released an initial top 10 on his Twitter account recently, and the Buckeyes made the list.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Safety Craig Watts Jr. of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Admiral Farragut Academy is one of the most elite defensive backs in the 2016 recruiting class, so making any of his lists is a small battle.
Though Watts has more than 30 early offers, he released an initial top 10 on his Twitter account recently, and the Buckeyes made the list.
Along with Ohio State on Watts' list are Indiana, Alabama, Florida State, Colorado, Notre Dame, South Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Penn State.
"As I have time to make visits," Watts posted, "I'll narrow it down. I'm open to everyone, I just have favorites."
According to 247Sports' Crystal Ball -- a tool that pools recruiting experts to project a prospect's college decision -- the 6-foot, 180-pound Watts is leaning toward in-state Florida, as the Gators earned 60 percent of the five predictions.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will be heading into his first postseason game healthy, which looked improbable one week ago.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will be heading into his first postseason game healthy, which looked improbable one week ago.
"No. No. It's not any concern," Irving said of his right hip. "I feel pretty good right now."
Last Friday morning, Irving went through shootaround at Cleveland Clinic Courts, expecting to play against the Boston Celtics later that night. But the three-time All-Star felt soreness during pregame warmups and was held out for precautionary reasons. After missing the next game and then sitting out the second half during Monday's contest, Irving returned for the season finale. He scored nine points and dished out seven assists in 18 minutes.
"I thought he was fine in the last game Wednesday against Washington, with limited minutes of course," Cavs head coach David Blatt said. "And he looked great in practice today. So I believe he'll be 100 percent come Sunday."
Irving isn't the only postseason rookie. Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and Blatt will all be taking part in their first seven-game series, but appear prepared.
"The challenge that we faced on a nightly basis on the part of our opponents coming after us with their A-game seemingly every time we played, that's definitely strengthened us and hardened us and made us ready for the challenges that are ahead of us," Blatt said. "I think it has and I think that any increased focus is by nature of the fact that the playoffs are here. But we don't have to suddenly become something that weren't last week."
The first challenger in Cleveland's title quest is Boston, a team that relies heavily on guard play. Rookie Marcus Smart, defensive-minded Avery Bradley and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Isaiah Thomas helped the Celtics win nine of their last 10 games and move up to the No. 7 seed.
"They obviously are looking forward to it as much as we are and preparing for us as we are preparing for them," Irving said. "You just got to give a lot of credit to their guards. They do a great job of pressuring the ball with Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley and Evan Turner is an improved on-ball defender. For us, we just want to lock in on our plays and execute at a high level."
The Celtics will have to deal with a talented trio as well. Cleveland's Big Three -- Irving, Love and LeBron James -- finished the regular season as the highest scoring triumvirate in the NBA.
"That's up to them," Irving said when asked what he expects the Celtics to do on defense. "We have a pretty good trio here as well as other guys that are high-level players. We have our starters and also our bench is great. It's just the luxury of having great guys, great professionals on our team."
Irving and the Cavaliers enter the series as the odds-on favorite after going on a tear in the final few months. They finished with 53 wins and emerged as the East's second seed after slipping to 19-20 in January.
"We're not entitled to anything. We haven't won anything," Irving said. "It's my first playoff series and this is our first playoff series as a team and we're going to take it one game at a time and go into Sunday with the mindset that we have to take this Boston team seriously and prepare for them as we would for anybody.
"It's a mindset going in that we all share and for me, it's just exciting to finally get the playoffs started. You put a few days of preparation together and now you get to go out and execute it. As a competitor, it's going to be a high-level game. It's something I've dreamt of since I was a kid and I just can't wait."
Only two days after earning a pledge from four-star quarterback Tristen Wallace of DeSoto, Texas, Urban Meyer locked up another 2016 prospect when four-star linebacker Tuf Borland of Bolingbrook, Ill., announced his decision to attend Ohio State.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Commitments always seem to come in waves for Ohio State.
Only two days after earning a pledge from four-star quarterback Tristen Wallace of DeSoto, Texas, Urban Meyer locked up another 2016 prospect when four-star linebacker Tuf Borland of Bolingbrook, Ill., announced his decision to attend Ohio State.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker recorded 110 tackles and four sacks in his junior season. He took an unofficial visit to Ohio State earlier this week before coming to his decision.
Borland also recently visited Purdue, Michigan State and Notre Dame.
Caitlin Vari will continue her basketball career at Akron.
RICHFIELD, Ohio – Revere girls basketball player Caitlin Vari announced on twitter Friday night that she will be attending Akron to continue her basketball career.
Proud to finally call myself an Akron Zip!!☺️🎉 Blessed to have the opportunity to continue playing basketball throughout college!🏀💙💛
The 6-foot-1 power forward averaged 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds to help the Minutemen go 19-6.
Vari returns with Camryn Brown to form what could be one of the best inside-outside duos in the area. The duo will also lead what should be one of the better teams in the area as well.
Danny Salazar's arrival from Class AAA Columbus means Zach McAllister will move to the bullpen. The Indians are hoping Salazar turns Saturday's start into a long run in the rotation.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Saturday's start against the Twins is not going to be a one and done for Danny Salazar.
As of right now, he's in the rotation and Zach McAllister is in the bullpen. Manager Terry Francona talked to McAllister about the move. In spring training, Salazar was optioned to Class AAA Columbus and McAllister won a spot in the rotation.
Now it's Salazar's turn to see what he can do with the job.
"The plan is for this to not be a spot start for Danny," said Francona. "I mean we can always adjust, but we've put Zach in our bullpen to stabilize the pen. I told Zach that I think he's going to be a starter in the big leagues, but right now I think he can help us as a weapon in the bullpen."
Salazar made one start at Columbus and threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He allowed four hits and didn't walk a batter.
"Danny threw the ball so well in his last outing in Columbus," said Francona. "I think we have a chance to make this move work on a couple of fronts."
Salazar was a disappointment in spring training. He went 1-2 with an 8.18 ERA in Cactus League play. The opposition hit .304 as he allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings.
He had 15 strikeouts, but he wasn't keeping the ball down like the Indians wanted so he was optioned to do some repair work on his delivery.
"In spring training I think I was focusing on other things besides pitching," said Salazar. "The whole off-season I was working on building my body so maybe I was focusing more on that than pitching.
"When it came to being consistent with keeping the ball down, and keeping my off-speed pitches down, I wasn't that good."
Salazar said he was surprised to be recalled so soon, but added, "I hope I stay. We'll see what happens tomorrow. ... I have to show them that I've been working hard and then I have to prove it."
Pitching coach Mickey Callaway said the reports from Salazar's start in Columbus were good.
"He threw the ball over the plate, commanded it and probably threw the best breaking ball (slider) that we've seen from him," he said, adding that Salazar is starting to realize that he has to earn everything he gets in the big leagues.
"This is always going to be a challenge for him," said Callaway. "It's good for a young guy to realize that because one day he's going to be out of options and not have that opportunity."
Callaway hopes Salazar can turn Tuesday's start into a long run in the rotation.
"I think the whole team hopes that," said Callaway. "Not to put all the pressure on him, but if we get a good Danny Salazar, a good Carlos Carrasco, a good Trevor Bauer and a good Corey Kluber, we're going to have a pretty good staff."
Testing, testing: Carrasco, hit in the jaw by a line drive off the bat of Melky Cabrera on Tuesday, threw a bullpen session Friday and is in line for his start Monday against Cabrera and the White Sox.
"He threw about 35 pitches and looked really good," said Callaway. "His jaw is still a little sore. It bothers him when he tries to eat, but other than that he's OK."
On the move:Utility man Zach Walters (right oblique) is getting ready to leave extended spring training and start a rehab assignment with one of the Indians' minor-league clubs. Francona said Nick Swisher isn't far behind as he recovers from surgery on both his knees in August. When Swisher begins his rehab, he'll play the outfield. "We don't want him bouncing around between two positions," said Francona. "We did the same thing with Brandon Moss."
Michael Brantley, dealing with a sore back, was in the Indians starting lineup for just the third time this season Friday night at Target Field.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Michael Brantley doesn't like to DH. He'd much rather be playing left field, but after spending the last six days dealing with a strained lower back, he was just happy to be back in the Indians' lineup Friday night at Target Field.
So happy, in fact, that he singled in the first inning.
Brantley has two hits and has started just three of the nine games this season, which explains at least part of the reason why the team is 3-5 prior to Friday's game.
Brantley has been dealing with back pain that won't leave the premises. A long line of doctors have examined him. He's had an MRI and has gone through therapy, but no one can tell why the back keeps grabbing at him.
"Frustrating," is how Brantley puts it.
"Perplexing," says manager Terry Francona.
"That's the most frustrating part," said Brantley. "We gotta figure out why it's doing it. We're trying to get a good game plan to what we can do to stop it. It's one day at a time."
If Brantley gets through Friday's game, Francona said he'll play left field on Saturday.
"I went in (to Progressive Field) on Thursday and watched him work out," said Francona. "The last thing I want to do is to get so overanxious to write his name in the lineup that I make a mistake.
"But he's done a real good job of doing what he's supposed to. That's why I told him he wouldn't play left field both days. He doesn't like DHing, but the trainers were pretty strong that this would be good for him."
Friday was Brantley's first game since playing the home opener on April 10.
"It's very frustrating," said Brantley, coming off a breakout season in 2014. "You never want to miss time. You always want to be out there with your team. I'm just glad to be back today."
Brantley's back has been barking at him since the start of spring training.
"It's just kind of lingered," he said. "It's something I can't explain. I'm just trying to get ahead of it. The training staff knows what we have to do to keep it strong."
