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Cleveland Browns trade for 49ers punter Andy Lee, waive Spencer Lanning

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The Browns will have a new punter in Andy Lee, whom they acquired in a trade with San Francisco. They released two-year punter Spencer Lanning.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's a clean sweep for the Browns in the kicking game this year. They'll not only have a new kicker and longsnapper this year, but a new punter as well.


The Browns have traded for 49ers 11-year veteran punter Andy Lee and have released two-year Browns veteran Spencer Lanning, a league source confirmed. ESPN's Adam Schefter, who first had the news, reported that the Browns gave up a 2017 seventh-rounder for the three-time All-Pro.

"Been a hell of a ride,'' Lanning tweeted. "Y'all deserve a championship, hate that I won't be here to experience it.


"Can't thank you enough for the memories!''



The Browns also last week released long snapper Christian Yount and they cut two kickers: Billy Cundiff last season and Garrett Hartley last month. Their current longsnapper is Charley Hughlett, and they have two first-year players vying for the kicking job in Mayfield High alum Carey Spear out of Vanderbilt and Travis Coons out of Washington.

Lee's days were numbered in San Francisco when the 49ers drafted Clemsom punter Bradley Pinion, who's been impressive in offseason workouts.

A sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2004, Lee was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2007, 2009 and 2011 seasons. He was under contract with the 49ers through 2018.

Lanning, originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina, punted for the Browns in 2013 and 2014. His net average was 39.2 yards in 2014 -- 17th in the NFL -- and 37.9 yards in 2013. He placed 25 inside the 20 last year and 28 in 2013.

Lanning was scheduled to make an appearance at the Browns Fan Fest at the Cleveland Convention Center on Saturday, but didn't show.

Safety Donte Whitner, who played with Lee in San Francisco, was excited to hear about the trade.

"I think it's a great pickup,'' he told Northeast Ohio Media Group at the Fan Fest. "He can place the ball where he wants it and he kicks it really high to let guys get down the field and cover them.''

The Browns will likely also have a new kick returner this year in rookie running back Duke Johnson. Justin Gilbert might also finally get his chance.


Live updates and chat: Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles, Game 55

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Get scoring updates and join beat writers Zack Meisel and Paul Hoynes for a live chat as the Indians and Orioles play the second game of a three-game series Saturday at Progressive Field. Danny Salazar will oppose Ubaldo Jimenez.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Get scoring updates and join beat writers Zack Meisel and Paul Hoynes for a live chat as the Indians and Orioles play the second game of a three-game series Saturday at Progressive Field. Danny Salazar will oppose Ubaldo Jimenez.

Game 55: Indians (26-28) vs. Orioles (25-29).

First pitch: 4:10 pm. ET.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM 1100

Inside Chagrin Falls' 5-4 double-overtime win against Mariemont to claim 2015 OHSLA Division II boys lacrosse state championship: Top plays, stats, reaction (photos, video)

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With Chagrin Falls' 5-4 boys lacrosse state championship victory, the Tigers avenged last year's state title game where they lost to Mariemont, 10-9.

NEW ALBANY, Ohio -- Chagrin Falls boys lacrosse upset Mariemont, 5-4, in double overtime on Saturday in what was possibly one of the most dramatic state championship finishes in Ohio High School Lacrosse Association history for Division II or any division. 

With the win, the Tigers avenged last year's state title game which they lost to Mariemont, 10-9


"I wanted this so bad, for this senior class in particular," said Chagrin Falls coach Crispin Napolitano. "There were no excuses this year. Last year, it was our first time down there so we had jitters but not this year. I couldn't be more proud of them. I'm still just trying to accept that this just happened." 



Defense played a major role for both teams. For Chagrin Falls, their five goals equalled a season low while Mariemont's four scores marked the Warriors' second-lowest scoring total. 


Down by two with 8.1 seconds left in regulation, TJ Subel, who began the season as mainly a face-off specialist, netted a game-tying goal to send the contest to sudden-death overtime. Subel's heroics didn't stop there. 


In double-overtime, Subel found another outstanding look at a shot and did not miss, sealing the victory for the Tigers in one glorious moment that passed in the blink of an eye but the team is sure to remember forever. 


The matchup was a low-scoring affair from the beginning between two defensively-minded teams. 


Mariemont seemed to have Chagrin Falls on the ropes when the Warriors took a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Griffen Stephens cut the lead to one, scoring his second goal with 3:05 left to play. His first came with seven seconds left in the first half to make it a 2-2 tie. 


Stephens also provided an assist on Subel's game-tying goal in the fourth. 


What it means


This state title is Chagrin Falls' (17-3) second in program history. The first title came in 2003. They finished state runners-up to Mariemont (16-5) a year ago. 


Chagrin Falls will graduate 10 seniors but has a large junior class returning. Napolitano was happy to get some underclassmen big-game experience this postseason as well which makes him optimistic for the future. 


Play of the game


With 8.1 seconds left in regulation and Chagrin Falls trailing by one, Stephens dished a well-executed pass to Subel who buried the game-tying goal to send the game to overtime. 


Plays that shaped the game


1. Sean Mackin scored with 6:31 remaining in the opening frame to put Chagrin Falls up early. 


2. Mariemont's Aaron Urevick answered Mackin's goal with 2:43. At the end of the first quarter, the two teams were tied at one.


3. Urevick struck again about two minutes into the second quarter to give the Warriors the lead. 


4. With about six minutes left in the third quarter, Chagrin Falls defenders short-circuited a potential scoring play for the Warriors steal which led to a fast-break and a shot that sailed wide. 


5. Charles Schooler gave the Warriors a 3-2 lead with 4:24 remaining in the third. 


6. With 8:31 left in the fourth, Mariemont's Aaron Urevick put the Warriors up, 4-2, with his third goal.


7. Stephens scored with 3:05 remaining in regulation to bring the Tigers to within one. 


8. An illegal procedure penalty against the Warriors gave Chagrin Falls possession with 23 seconds remaining. 


9. Subel scored with about eight seconds remaining in regulation to make it a 4-4 tie. 


10. In the first overtime, Mariemont had a shot ricochet off a goal post, which would have won the game had it gone in. 


11. Subel buried the game-winner with 2:50 left in the second overtime. 


Who stood out for Chagrin Falls


Subel: The senior midfielder scored the two most crucial goals, one to tie the game at 4-4 in the fourth quarter the game-winner in double-overtime. 


Mackin: The senior midfielder scored the Tigers' first goal and the first goal, period. 


Stephens: The senior attacker scored a game-tying goal with seven seconds remaining in the first half. His goal with about three minutes left in regulation brought the Tigers to within one. He also assisted on Subel's game-tying score in the fourth. 


Markley: The junior goalkeeper helped keep the score close and, along with his defenders, held Mariemont to the team's second lowest scoring total this year. 


Who stood out for Mariemont


Urevick: The junior midfielder scored a hat trick with two goals in the first half and then another in the fourth quarter. 


Schooler: The sophomore midfielder scored the go-ahead goal for the Warriors in the second quarter. 


Osgood: The senior goaltender did a tremendous job helping to limit Chagrin Falls to the team's lowest scoring total all season and keep the Warriors in the game throughout. 


Chagrin Falls soundbites


Napolitano on having history with his players: "I've coached most of these kids since middle school and we knew, even all the way back then, that there was a good chance of this happening. That's why when their was a chance to coach at the high school level I jumped on it." 


Napolitano on not letting mistakes get in the way of victory: "We played great today but we had a lot of turnovers and there were a lot of times where we just weren't doing things we should have been doing. We were in the penalty box for half the game but (my players) never gave up. They never stopped believing that this was going to happen." 


Napolitano on Subel: "At the beginning of the season his role was going to be to win the face-off and get off the field but he matured so fast as an offensive player that his role changed from being a face-off guy to being one of our best offensive players. We said we're going to make some plays with the focus being on TJ Subel having the shot." 


Mariemont soundbites


Coach Steve Peterson: "A one-goal game in overtime could be anybody's game. Today was their day so my hats off to them. We hit the post in overtime and should have won the game but the bottom line is we didn't, they did. You have to capitalize when you have opportunities and we missed those opportunities so all I can say is congratulations to the Tigers. They deserved to win and I wish the seniors a lot of luck because I know they have a lot of guys who are moving on." 


Follow our new high school sports Twitter account @NEOvarsity and tag your high school sports Tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.


Contact high school sports reporter Robert Rozboril by email (rrozboril@cleveland.com), on Twitter (@rrozboril) or on Facebook (facebook.com/rrozboril). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.


Ambidextrous reliever dream come true for Terry Francona: Cleveland Indians notes

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Asked how he would use amidextrous reliever Pat Venditte, who made his big league debut Friday for Oakland, Indians manager Terry Francona said, "I'd wear him out."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -Having an ambidextrous such as reliever Pat Venditte in the bullpen would have to be the dream of every manager.

Venditte made his big league debut with Oakland on Friday night. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Manager Terry Francona and the Indians faced Venditte in spring training. Francona, who can never have enough relievers, was asked how he'd use him.

"I'd wear him out," said Francona with a laugh. "But it would only count as half because he has two arms."

Francona is amazed a pitcher can make it to the big leagues throwing with both arms.

"I haven't seen him enough to know how good he is, but it an unbelievable feat," said Francona.

Well deserved: Hank Peters, who died in January, was inducted into the Indians Distinguished Hall of Fame before Saturday's game against the Orioles. It was fitting scene since Peters was general manager of the Indians and Orioles.

The Orioles, under Peters' leadership, won two AL pennants and the World Series in 1983. As GM of the Indians from 1987 through 1991, he built the foundation for the great Indians teams of the 1990s that went to the World Series in 1995 and 1997.

The bat is my friend: Catcher Yan Gomes is still trying to find his swing since coming off the disabled list on May 23. He went 2-for-4 in Friday's loss, but is hitting .194 (6-for-31) since returning to the lineup.

"The first handful of games he was frustrated," said Francona. "He wanted to hit the ground running and impact the team immediately. But facing major league pitching is not easy. The day he didn't play (Thursday) he hit a lot. I think he felt better about things.

"Sometimes you can hit a lot, and I know this sounds corny, but you wake up the next day and feel that the bat is your friend. It feels good in your hand and things start to happen."

Last year Gomes hit .278 (.135-for-485) with 25 doubles, 21 homers and 74 RBI. He received the Silver Slugger award for AL catchers.

"He's a good hitter. He'll hit," said Francona. "I don't want to say it's inevitable, but I can't say it's totally unexpected that a guy misses that much time and he doesn't have perfect timing."

Gomes spent six weeks on the disabled list after strained the Medial Collateral Ligament in his right knee on a play at the plate against Detroit on April 11.

In a pinch: David Murphy and Ryan Raburn, platoon partners, are two of the top pinch-hitters in the American League.

Murphy is hitting .333 (6-for-19) with four RBI. He is tied for the AL lead with two pinch-hit homers.

Raburn is hitting .308 (4-for-13) as a pinch-hitter and is tied for second in the AL with six RBI.

He's back: Shortstop Jose Ramirez was back in the lineup Saturday after being benched for three games.

Asked what he expected from Ramirez, Francona said, "There's no secret formula. We asked our players every day, try to do the best you can. That's what I try to do. There's no secret plan. Jose has been a good worker, a consistent worker.

"At times during the games, it hasn't gone the way he's wanted it to."

Last year Ramirez struggled when he first arrived from Class AAA Columbus and was sent down. When he returned following the trade of Asdrubal Cabrera, Ramirez was playing well in Columbus and it carried over to Cleveland.

Safe landing: Jerry Sands cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Class AAA Columbus. It was the second time Sands has been outrighted this year so he could have refused and become a free agent. In two tours with the Tribe this year, Sands is hitting .375 (9-for-24) with one homer and six RBI.

When the Indians designated Sands for assignment to activate Carlos Santana from the paternity list, Francona said, "For his sake I hope he gets claimed. But for our sake I hope he gets through and we can keep him."

In spring training, Francona kept saying he felt Sands could help them in the big leagues. He's done that in limited duty.

Finally: Orioles right-hander Bud Norris will be activated and pitch against the Indians on Sunday. . . Scott Atchison, who is on the disabled list with a sore left ankle, will throw a bullpen session on Sunday . . .San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in town for Browns defensive back Joe Haden's charity softball game, was in the Orioles locker room before Saturday's game. The softball game was played Saturday night at Classic Park, home of the Class A Lake County Captains.

Woman hit by broken bat at Red Sox game expected to survive, Boston police say

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Officer Rachel McGuire said Saturday that Tonya Carpenter is recovering.

BOSTON (AP) -- A fan hit by a broken bat at Fenway Park is expected to survive after sustaining life-threatening injuries during a game between the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox.

Officer Rachel McGuire said Saturday that the woman is recovering.

Tonya Carpenter was struck in the head by the broken bat of Oakland's Brett Lawrie on Friday night. Police initially called her injuries life-threatening.

Carpenter is in serious condition, her family said Saturday in a statement.

"Tonya's family and loved ones are grateful to all who have reached out with thoughts and prayers but are requesting privacy at this time as Tonya recovers," said the statement from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Hospital.

There was a "moment of reflection" for Carpenter at Fenway Park before Saturday's game between the A's and Red Sox.

"All of us offer our prayers and our thoughts as we wish her a speedy recovery," the Red Sox said in a statement.

>> MORE: Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy: 'We won't have a comment at this point' on size of Fenway Park netting

Lawrie was out of the lineup and manager Bob Melvin said it wasn't because of any psychological effect, but instead a back issue.

Friday night's game was halted in the second inning as emergency crews tended to a bloodied Carpenter and wheeled her off the field on a stretcher.

Lawrie broke his bat on a grounder and part of it hurtled a few rows into the seats between the backstop and Oakland's dugout on the third base side.

There are signs posted on the low retaining wall facing fans in the front row that read: "Be Alert. Foul Balls and Bats Hurt."

Alex Merlis, of Brookline, Massachusetts, said he was sitting in the row behind the woman when the broken bat flew into the stands.

"It was violent," he said of the impact to her forehead and top of her head. "She bled a lot. A lot. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that."

Merlis said the woman had been sitting with a small child and a man. After she was injured, the man was tending to her and other people were trying to console the distraught child, he said.

After the game, Lawrie said he hoped the woman would recover.

"I've seen bats fly out of guys' hands in the stands and everyone's OK, but when one breaks like that, has jagged edges on it, anything can happen."

Concerned about a rash of flying broken bats and the danger they posed, Major League Baseball studied the issue in 2008 and implemented a series of changes to bat regulations for the following season.

"I do know that MLB is probably taking a look at the incident last night, as they do with any bat that flies into the stands," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

Multi-piece bat failures are down about 50 percent since the beginning of the 2009 season, MLB spokesman Michael Teevan said.

"You have a ballpark here that's how old, and it's close, you have some maple bats that break. I think MLB and the players' association have talked long and hard about how they can try to keep this from happening," Melvin said.

Though dozens of fans at big league ballparks are struck by foul balls each season, there has been only one fatality, according to baseball researchers -- a 14-year-old boy killed by a foul line drive off the bat of Manny Mota at Dodger Stadium in 1970.

The National Hockey League ordered safety netting installed at each end of NHL arenas after 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil was killed by a deflected puck at a Columbus Blue Jackets game in 2002. She died two days later, and her parents eventually settled with the team for $1.2 million, the league and the arena management.

Kyrie Irving undergoes surgery on fractured kneecap, out up to four months

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Kyrie Irving has successful surgery on his fractured knee cap and will miss up to four months.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Cleveland Cavaliers' guard Kyrie Irving underwent successful surgery Saturday morning at Cleveland Clinic to repair his fractured left kneecap he suffered in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The three-time All-Star is projected to be out of commission for basketball-related activities up to four months.

The team's physician in Dr. Richard Parker and Dr. Damien Billow performed the surgery with the assistance from Dr. James Roseneck.

A MRI revealed the extent of his injury on Friday, shocking the entire basketball community. He was battling tendinitis in the same knee for weeks. The Cavaliers says the two injuries are not related.

Irving immediately knew this was a serious issue, saying "this feels different" after the Cavaliers lost 108-100 on Thursday.

He suffered the injury in the overtime period of Game 1, when he tried to make a move against Golden State's Klay Thompson and crumpled to the floor. He had excelled, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds and six assists -- plus a game-saving block on a Stephen Curry layup in the final minute of regulation that helped send the Cavaliers to the overtime period.

Backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova is expected to replace Irving in the starting lineup.

Starting lineups, Game 56: Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles

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Michael Brantley is not in the starting lineup for the Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Sunday's matinee between Baltimore and Cleveland.

Pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (7-4, 3.92 ERA) vs. Bud Norris (1-4, 9.88 ERA)

Lineups

Indians

1. 2B Jason Kipnis

2. 1B Carlos Santana

3. LF David Murphy

4. RF Brandon Moss

5. DH Nick Swisher

6. 3B Lonnie Chisenhall

7. C Yan Gomes

8. CF Michael Bourn

9. SS Mike Aviles

Orioles

1. 3B Manny Machado

2. LF Travis Snider

3. CF Adam Jones

4. C Matt Wieters

5. 1B Chris Davis

6. RF Delmon Young

7. DH Jimmy Paredes

8. SS J.J. Hardy

9. 2B Ryan Flaherty

What Tiger Woods said about 2015 U.S. Open and Memorial Tournament (videos)

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Tiger Woods talked about his 85 on Saturday, his 74 in the final round Sunday, and playing in the U.S. Open in two weeks during his meeting with reporters Sunday at the 2015 Memorial Tournament. Watch video

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Tiger Woods finished the 2015 Memorial Tournament 14-over par 302 Sunday after shooting a final-round 74 on the par-72 course at Muirfield Village Golf Course.

The good news is that he was 13 strokes better than his PGA Tour career-worst 85 Saturday. The bad news is he has plenty of work to do before the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in Washington June 15-21.

Here is what Woods had to say Sunday about the Memorial, playing by himself without a marker for the first time in his career, and the U.S. Open:

Q. Tiger, can you describe the day, just playing by yourself. Have you ever done that before, the crowds?

TIGER WOODS: The crowds were fantastic. The crowds were awesome. To come out this early and to have that many people support you like that, it was very special.

Have I ever been in that position? No, I haven't. The only thing that was close to something like that was when we had that storm  what was that storm called at Congressional? Me and Brendon out there playing, my foundation crew and that was it.

Q. What was at stake today? What were you playing for?

TIGER WOODS: Just trying to shoot under par. Just to go out there and shoot the best score I possibly can. Just because I'm in last place doesn't change how I play golf. Whether it's the first day or last day doesn't matter, play all out.

Q. When you walked out of here yesterday, did you expunge that from your mind?

TIGER WOODS: I wanted to hit balls, but my hand was a little bit sore from that, so I decided to take some time off.

Q. What was your thought process? Were you thinking about what went on or were you more looking at what you wanted to do today?

TIGER WOODS: It was kind of both. As I told you guys earlier in the week, I was changing a few things, and I was stuck right between patterns. And I had to go through yesterday I had to go through those painful moments, just like I did at Torrey and Phoenix to be able to make the leap I did at Augusta.

Yesterday was the same thing. It was just unfortunately on a golf course like this where you can't get away with much. It kicked my butt pretty hard.

Q. Did it feel like an 85?

TIGER WOODS: No, it felt a lot higher.

Q. Seriously?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. You almost have to take a couple steps back to take a step forward, because in Augusta you looked like a different player. So how do you assess that a month later?

TIGER WOODS: Well, because I made a few changes, a few tweaks. The guys that have made tweaks, you have moments where you go backwards and then you make big, major strides down the road. That's just the way it goes.

You have to look at the big picture. You can't be so myopic with your view and expect to have one magical day or one magical shot and change your whole game. It doesn't work that way.

Q. Any idea where those tweaks will take you in the week ahead, two weeks?

TIGER WOODS: Hoping a lot better than I am now. Today was more what we've been doing on the range. And to be able to step up and tag those drives like I did today and even shape some of the irons, which I was struggling with early in the week, I got those shapes back again, but doing it with a different pattern.

Q. How many shots were you hitting out there today with an eye toward Chambers Bay?

TIGER WOODS: Nothing. It's more just the overall swing. Just trying to hit the ball obviously in the correct spots in the golf course but still continue to stay committed to our plan and what we're trying to do.

Q. How did you play 18? Did you leave yourself too much in terms of the tree, too far right?

TIGER WOODS: First I had to hit the fairway. That was  I was trying to just track one down there and roll it down the middle, but I spun it just a touch. Just kind of upshot it a little bit, and that's why I was behind the tree.

Q. What is your schedule the next seven days?

TIGER WOODS: Going home, probably take a few days off and just putt and just let this finger heal up a bit.

Q. What happened to your finger, was it a blister?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. What do you think you'll take out of this experience?

TIGER WOODS: I did not win, and I wasn't even close. So hopefully in two weeks time things will be a lot better and I'll be ready to try to win a U.S. Open.

Q. Was yesterday humbling? You've gone through that very rarely, obviously only a few times in the '80s. You're doing that in the public, and guys have a lot of bad days out here?

TIGER WOODS: It's hard. It's real hard. This is a lonely sport. The manager is not going to come in and bring the righty or bring the lefty, you've just got to play through it. And that's one of the hardest things about the game of golf and it's also one of the best things about the game of golf, when you're on, no one is going to slow you down. Also when you're off, no one is going to pick you up either. It's one of those sports that's tough, deal with it. For us, unfortunately, you have those days, they're five hours long. And so those are long, tough days.

Q. When something like that is taking place yesterday, do you hear that stuff outside the ropes and can you appreciate people looking at you with everything you've done being shocked at what they're seeing as it was all going on yesterday?

TIGER WOODS: You hear some interesting comments. Yesterday Andy said something on the 18, he says, do you have to deal with this all the time? And I said, yeah, it is what it is. He said some very nice things to me afterwards about it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: As I told you yesterday, I was stuck right between the patterns. Today was what I've been doing on the driving range, and that was finally nice to see. I got a solidness back, I was hitting the driver with both shapes, cuts and draws. My irons are shaping it both ways again. But I was doing it in a different way than I had been. I'm doing it the way that I have been on the range.

Q. Did you have fun today and were you expecting to have fun?

TIGER WOODS: I was expecting to grind. That to me is the fun part is going out there and just grinding and fighting for everything I possibly can out there. After shooting whatever I shot yesterday, to be able to go back out there and get to 3under par and keep fighting and keep fighting, as I said, once  the first shot of the tournament is just as important as the last shot and you've got to play the same. So that's the way I've always approached it. No matter what I'm shooting, that's what I have to do.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: That would have been a lot more disconcerting, if I had shot yesterday's round today. We would have had to probably do a little bit more work than what I'm going to have to do now. We know that it's close.

Today was nice to be able to do that under a tournament situation. You saw the first two days I was fighting my game, I fought for every score. Today was a lot better ballstriking wise. I didn't finish off very good.

Q. You played at a faster pace, did you find yourself having to slow down physically and mentally?

TIGER WOODS: No, I felt like I was playing my same rhythm. The only hard part about playing by yourself out there like that is you don't get to see a shot with the wind blowing, what it does, if it gets stood up or if it gets blown. Putts, guys read on a similar line or opposite side to see what it does on the hole. That's the harder part of it. Playing by yourself, speedwise, I was able to maintain my own rhythm and cadence. But to not have a couple of shots when the wind picks up, especially on 12, it would be nice to have somebody go off first, because we were having to go into the wind, downwind, into the wind, downwind, so we were having to sort of guess.


Live updates and chat: Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles, Game 56

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Get scoring updates and join beat writer Zack Meisel for a live chat as the Indians and Orioles play the final game of a three-game series Sunday at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Get scoring updates and join beat writer Zack Meisel for a live chat as the Indians and Orioles play the final game of a three-game series Sunday at Progressive Field. Carlos Carrasco will oppose Bud Norris.

Game 56: Indians (27-28) vs. Orioles (25-30).

First pitch: 1:10 pm. ET.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM 1100

Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan shaves head in support of Mike Aviles, who played the role of barber

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About two hours before Sunday's first pitch, Aviles shaved the head of the Indians owner in the Tribe dugout. Dolan sported the new look in support of Aviles and his family. Aviles' 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, was diagnosed with leukemia last month. Aviles, his teammates and coaches have shaved their heads in support of her.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mike Aviles and Paul Dolan shook hands.

"You have a good-shaped head," Aviles said to the man who signs his paycheck.

"I have to stay out of the sun," Dolan replied.

About two hours before Sunday's first pitch, Aviles shaved the head of the Indians owner in the Tribe dugout. Dolan sported the new look in support of Aviles and his family. Aviles' 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, was diagnosed with leukemia last month. Aviles, his teammates and coaches have shaved their heads in support of her.

"We've seen how the team has stepped up for Mike and his family and what they're going through," Dolan said. "I'm really proud of that, as proud as winning games. How they conduct themselves is important. It's my way of joining the team and supporting Mike and really supporting what the guys have done for Mike."

Dolan said he has never been without hair.

"I have a big, thick head of hair. Or, used to have a big, thick head of hair," Dolan said. "I'm counting on it coming back eventually."

Aviles thanked Dolan several times throughout the process. Dolan said Aviles "seemed to be very confident" with the clippers.

"I felt like I was with a pro," he said.

As Aviles buzzed the top of the owner's dome, Nick Swisher yelled out that Aviles should give him a "bowl cut." Dolan joked that he wanted a "Block C" in the center of his head.

"The first shower will be interesting," Dolan said. "It's kind of weird running my hands through my hair, or lack of hair. It was a little shocking when I saw my reflection."

NBA title for Warriors now 'virtually assured ... very, very quickly?': Links to content on Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State

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Get caught up on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors at the NBA Finals in our latest installment of daily links.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lots of chatter continues about the Cleveland Cavaliers' chances in the NBA Finals following the loss of All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to a season-ending knee injury during the Warriors' Game 1 win Thursday.

Another day between games brings more questions about how the Cavaliers will respond for Game 2, which is tonight in Oakland.

For one, a headline on a Sunday column on the San Jose Mercury News Sports cover reads: Short of a miracle, this one in the bag. See a picture of the newspaper page below. Click on the image to make it larger.

Get caught up on NBA Finals content in our latest installment of daily links. The collection of links below is broken down by content from cleveland.com and content from Northern California media outlets. At the bottom is general NBA links of note.

See an interesting article or column about the NBA Finals online? We invite you to share a link to it in the comments section below.

Game 2 tips off tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Check cleveland.com's Cavs page for more content throughout the day Sunday and all the latest developments leading up to tipoff.

Content from cleveland.com

Three keys for a Cavaliers Game 2 win by Northeast Ohio Media Group Cavaliers writer Chris Haynes.

Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston has some final thoughts heading into Game 2.

Kyrie Irving suffered his season-ending knee injury on a contact play, according to Cavaliers.

Cavaliers title is the only thing Ohio-born boxers Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner agree on.

Despite mounting injuries, several Browns players remain hopeful in Cavaliers' quest for title.

There's a tangible path to victory in Finals for Cavaliers without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. It of course involves LeBron James, and it's a path Cleveland has traveled already this season.

Cavaliers aren't feeling sorry for themselves and goal remains to win NBA title.

Kyrie Irving has successful surgery on fractured knee cap and will miss up to four months.

Content from Northern California

LeBron James can't do everything, and with Kyrie Irving out, the outcome is virtually assured, says San Jose Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami.

sunday-mercurynews.jpgThe Sports cover for Bay Area News Group newspapers for Sunday morning. 

Warriors guarding against letdown (Bay Area News Group)

Stephen Curry can hit shots from anywhere on the court, but he's especially deadly with the left-corner 3 (Bay Area News Group)

Warriors' bench advantage grows larger (Bay Area News Group)

Stephen Curry's parents say Warriors star grounded by family, faith (San Jose Mercury News)

LeBron James' recalls from 2012 clash with Draymond Green, omits key detail (San Francisco Chronicle)

Matthew Dellavedova steps into the spotlight for Cavs (San Francisco Chronicle)

Warriors owner Joe Lacob rebuilt Warriors with Silicon Valley values (San Francisco Chronicle)

Warriors appear to have learned their lesson on letting up (San Francisco Chronicle)

General NBA links

Ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has 'no regrets' and doesn't believe icy relationship with team executives affected his team. (ESPN.com)

Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell is a realistic option for Lakers with the No. 2 pick in the Draft. (NBA.com)

Milwaukee Bucks unveil new uniforms, capping busy week for franchise (Yahoo.com via AP)

Here's which Cleveland Cavaliers lineups without Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love do best

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The best lineup the Cleveland Cavaliers have put on the floor during the 2015 playoffs without Kyrie Irving involves subbing Matthew Dellavedova into the starting five. Here's a breakdown for each lineup combination.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The sample size is small but the best lineup the Cleveland Cavaliers have put on the floor during the 2015 playoffs without Kyrie Irving involves subbing Matthew Dellavedova into the starting five.

The combination of Dellavedova, LeBron James, Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson has outscored the opponents by 23 points during the 2015 playoffs.

They have played together a total of 42 minutes.

The next best lineup involves Dellavedova, James, Shumpert and Thompson, plus J.R. Smith instead of Mozgov. That group has been plus 13 in 52.2 minutes so far.

Overall, the Cavs have played about 256 minutes without either Irving or Kevin Love (both injured and out for the rest of the playoffs). The club is plus 60 points without either of those players on the floor.

Projected over a 48-minute game, the Cavs without Love and Irving are 11.2 points better than the opposition during the playoffs.

With Love or Irving on the floor, the Cavs have outscored their opponents by 55 points in about 475 minutes.

Projected over a 48-minute game, the Cavs are 5.6 points better than their opponents during the playoffs with either Love or Irving in the lineup.

Read more about how the Cavs have performed without Irving from Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Here's a complete rundown of the 99 lineup combinations used by the Cavs during the 2015 playoffs, with my plus/minus calculations.

Lineups without Love or IrvingMin.+/-
Dellavedova, James, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 42 23
Dellavedova, James, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 52.2 13
Dellavedova, James, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 18.4 12
James, Jones, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 15 8
James, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 6.3 7
James, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 2.9 6
Dellavedova, Jones, Marion, Shumpert, Thompson 0.9 5
Dellavedova, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 1.6 5
Dellavedova, Jones, Marion, Smith, Thompson 2.4 4
Dellavedova, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 6 4
Harris, Jones, Marion, Miller, Perkins 3.4 3
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Mozgov, Smith 6.3 2
Dellavedova, James, Miller, Shumpert, Thompson 2.1 2
Harris, Haywood, Jones, Miller, Perkins 2 1
Dellavedova, Jones, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 10.5 1
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Shumpert, Thompson 12.7 1
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Miller, Thompson 1.7 1
Harris, Jones, Miller, Perkins, Smith 0 0
Dellavedova, Harris, Jones, Perkins, Smith 0 0
Dellavedova, Harris, Jones, Miller, Smith 0 0
Dellavedova, Harris, James, Mozgov, Smith 0 0
Dellavedova, Jones, Miller, Shumpert, Thompson 0 0
Dellavedova, Jones, Marion, Mozgov, Smith 5 0
Dellavedova, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 0.3 0
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Smith, Thompson 20.8 0
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Marion, Thompson 2.9 0
Dellavedova, James, Marion, Mozgov, Smith 0.3 0
James, Jones, Marion, Smith, Thompson 0.5 -1
Dellavedova, Jones, Marion, Miller, Thompson 1.1 -1
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Perkins, Shumpert 2.5 -1
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert 9 -1
Dellavedova, Harris, Jones, Miller, Perkins 2.3 -2
Dellavedova, Harris, Jones, Marion, Perkins 2 -2
Dellavedova, Perkins, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 0.2 -2
Dellavedova, Harris, Jones, Mozgov, Smith 0.6 -3
Dellavedova, James, Jones, Shumpert, Smith 3.8 -3
Harris, Jones, Marion, Mozgov, Smith 2.2 -4
Dellavedova, Jones, Marion, Miller, Perkins 1.5 -4
Dellavedova, James, Mozgov, Smith, Thompson 15 -14
Lineups with Love or IrvingMin.+/-
Irving, James, Love, Mozgov, Smith 48.2 20
Irving, James, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 105.1 13
Irving, James, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 17.9 10
Irving, James, Love, Mozgov, Shumpert 14.6 8
Irving, James, Mozgov, Smith, Thompson 28.4 8
James, Love, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 0.9 7
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Jones, Perkins 1.9 7
Irving, James, Jones, Smith, Thompson 13.6 6
Dellavedova, Irving, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 3.4 6
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Shumpert, Thompson 1.5 5
Dellavedova, Irving, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 4.5 5
Irving, Jones, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 22.1 4
Irving, James, Love, Smith, Thompson 17.5 4
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Shumpert, Thompson 28 4
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Jones, Thompson 4.4 4
Irving, Miller, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 3.2 3
Irving, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 5.3 3
Irving, Perkins, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 2 2
Irving, James, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert 7.6 2
Irving, James, Marion, Mozgov, Thompson 1.7 2
James, Jones, Love, Shumpert, Smith 0.5 2
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert 1.6 2
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Mozgov, Smith 4.1 2
Dellavedova, Irving, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 2.3 2
Irving, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 5.5 1
Irving, Love, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 7.9 1
Irving, James, Love, Shumpert, Smith 0.1 1
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Miller, Thompson 1.1 1
Dellavedova, Irving, Mozgov, Smith, Thompson 0.8 1
Irving, Jones, Love, Mozgov, Shumpert 0 0
Irving, Jones, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 0 0
Irving, Love, Mozgov, Shumpert, Smith 0.1 0
Irving, James, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 27 0
Irving, James, Jones, Shumpert, Smith 0.4 0
Irving, James, Jones, Mozgov, Smith 0 0
Irving, James, Love, Shumpert, Thompson 8.1 0
Irving, James, Miller, Mozgov, Thompson 1.6 0
Irving, James, Marion, Miller, Mozgov 0.4 0
Irving, Mozgov, Perkins, Smith, Thompson 0 0
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Miller, Thompson 2.1 0
Dellavedova, Irving, Perkins, Shumpert, Thompson 0 0
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Shumpert, Smith 0 0
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Jones, Shumpert 1.2 0
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Jones, Smith 0.1 0
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Perkins, Shumpert 2.7 0
Dellavedova, Love, Shumpert, Smith, Thompson 0 0
Dellavedova, James, Love, Mozgov, Smith 0.4 0
Irving, James, Perkins, Shumpert, Smith 1.5 -1
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Smith, Thompson 1.3 -1
Irving, Marion, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson 1.3 -2
Dellavedova, James, Love, Mozgov, Shumpert 1.8 -3
Dellavedova, James, Love, Shumpert, Thompson 6.8 -4
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Mozgov, Smith 3.9 -5
Irving, James, Jones, Perkins, Shumpert 3.3 -6
Irving, James, Miller, Shumpert, Thompson 3.8 -6
Dellavedova, Irving, Jones, Perkins, Shumpert 4.3 -8
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Mozgov, Thompson 6.1 -8
Dellavedova, Irving, James, Smith, Thompson 8.4 -11
Irving, James, Miller, Mozgov, Shumpert 10.5 -12
Irving, James, Jones, Shumpert, Thompson 22.3 -14

cleveland.com/datacentral made these calculations based on lineup data made available by Sports Reference LLC.

Ohio State fights for No. 1 class after Austin Mack's commitment: Buckeyes recruiting

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What does receiver recruit Austin Mack's pledge mean to the Buckeyes and to Ohio State's recruiting ranking? Check out Mack's highlights and everything else around the announcement of the Buckeyes' 16th player in the Class of 2016.

What time and which channel is the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors NBA Finals 2015 Game 2?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will play Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will be shown on ABC.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will play Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will be shown on ABC. On radio, it will be simulcast on WTAM-AM 1100, 100.7 WMMS-FM and 87.7 FM (ESP).

The Cavs are coming off a 108-100 loss on Thursday night in the series opener. LeBron James scored a Finals-high 44 points on 18-of-38 shooting, but missed a game-winning jumper at the end of regulation. Cleveland was outscored, 10-2, in the OT period as Kyrie Irving left the game early with a left knee injury.

Irving suffered a fractured left kneecap, had surgery yesterday and will be out 3-4 months. Replacing him won't be easy as the three-time All-Star point guard scored 23 points before his exit. Matthew Dellavedova, who has started two games in Irving's place this postseason, will likely slide into the starting lineup as the Cavs try to even up the series. Dellavedova scored zero points in the Game 1 loss.

For Golden State, Stephen Curry scored a team-high 26 points to go with eight assists while Klay Thompson had 21 points and hit a playoff career-high 8-of-8 at the foul line. Behind a strong effort from the bench, including 15 points from Andre Iguodala, the Warriors outscored the Cavs' second unit, 34-9.

The Warriors enter the night with an NBA-best 47-3 record at Oracle Arena.

Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes has more on Irving's season-ending injury. Later, catch the coverage from before the game; join in the live chat starting at tipoff; and stick around for full postgame coverage.

2015 French Open: Stan Wawrinka beats No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic

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Wawrinka thwarts Djokovic's bid to complete a career Grand Slam.

PARIS (AP) -- Stan Wawrinka won the French Open by beating No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the final Sunday, thwarting Djokovic's bid to complete a career Grand Slam.

The eighth-seeded Wawrinka, so long in the shadow of his Swiss Davis Cup teammate and pal, Roger Federer, collected his second major title after last year's Australian Open.

In doing so, Wawrinka put a stop to Djokovic's 28-match winning streak and left the 28-year-old Serb ruing another close call at Roland Garros. This was the third time in the last four years that Djokovic lost in the final at the clay-court tournament, the only major title he has never won.

This one ended, fittingly, with a down-the-line backhand winner from the 30-year-old Wawrinka. That's his best stroke and considered among the best in the game. He tossed his racket overhead, then met Djokovic at the net for a hug.

"One day, you will win Roland Garros," Wawrinka told Djokovic during the post-match ceremony. "You deserve it."

Wawrinka, who earned 1.8 million euros (about $2 million), was making his 11th French Open appearance, equaling Federer and Andre Agassi for most attempts before winning it.

This was also Djokovic's 11th French Open, and he has so far been unable to clutch the trophy he so dearly desires. He has won eight Grand Slam titles, with five at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the U.S. Open.

He's made quite clear how much it would mean to him to become the eighth man in tennis history with a full complement of at least one title from each major.

"I can tell you," Djokovic told the crowd, "that I will keep trying to win this trophy."

Djokovic came up short against Rafael Nadal in the 2012 and 2014 finals, but he cleared that hurdle this year with a straight-set victory over the nine-time champion in the quarterfinals. Djokovic followed that by eliminating No. 3 Andy Murray in a five-set semifinal contested over two days that concluded about 25 hours before Sunday's start.

Normally, it's the sliding, stretching, body-contorting brand of defense Djokovic delights in that wears down opponents, but he looked spent by the end Sunday.

When he clinched the first set, Djokovic swiveled to look toward his box, where his coaches -- Marian Vajda, who's worked with him for nearly a decade, and Boris Becker, brought aboard last year expressly to help win majors -- jumped out of their seats.

Djokovic stood tall and bellowed. The trophy, propped on the wooden edge of the president's box, stood put a few feet away, reflecting the sun's rays. And now that trophy was but two sets away.

So close, yet so far.

Wawrinka was unable to take advantage of his first five break points Sunday. But with the help of a backhand winner that garnered a thumb's up from Djokovic, then a forehand winner, Wawrinka earned No. 6, which also happened to be a set point, and this one did not go to waste. On a 23-stroke point, Djokovic was the one who faltered, slapping a backhand long.

Tied at a set apiece, Djokovic reared back and spiked his racket off the court, caught it, and, unsatisfied, slammed it down a second time, mangling the thing. That drew derisive whistles from spectators and a warning from the chair umpire.

Wawrinka then took the third set, breaking for a 4-2 edge during a 10-point run and motioning to the crowd to cheer louder for him.

By now, Wawrinka was the aggressor on most points, his shots finding their appointed marks near lines, and he was delivering twice as many winners as Djokovic.

And then it was Djokovic's turn to shift gears, making zero unforced errors on the way to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. Wawrinka, though, reeled off six of the last seven games. He broke for 3-2 when Djokovic netted a forehand on a 31-stroke exchange.

Wawrinka got another break, the last he'd need, for a 5-4 edge, with -- yes, of course -- a down-the-line backhand winner, then served out the victory.

He had lost 17 of his past 20 matches against Djokovic but would not relent on this sunlit afternoon. Soon it was Wawrinka, not Djokovic, hoisting the winner's trophy overhead.

When Djokovic received his runner's-up plate, the spectators gave him a long ovation. Djokovic shook his head and his eyes welled with tears.


Michael Brantley's bothersome back, Josh Tomlin's new look and Terry Francona's thoughts on the Cavs: Cleveland Indians notes

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With an off-day on Monday, manager Terry Francona wanted to give the left fielder -- who has battled a lingering back issue since spring training -- 48 hours to relax.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michael Brantley received another day of rest on Sunday.

With an off-day on Monday, manager Terry Francona wanted to give the left fielder -- who has battled a lingering back issue since spring training -- 48 hours to relax.

"As hard as it is to not play him," Francona said, "then I think, 'As hard as it is for him to not play today, how about if we lost him for a week or two weeks?' So, I talked to him about it. He's never in favor of it, which I absolutely love. But I think this will really help him.

"We've tried to give him some rest here and there. I think two days off in a row will really do him some good. We need him so bad. Missing him for one day is hard, but we need him, so I'll try to give him two days where he can really bounce back."

Brantley has downplayed the injury. He has not hit a home run since May 14. Overall, he is batting .302 with a .384 on-base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.

Entering Sunday's affair, he had missed eight of the club's first 55 games. Six of those came in April. He also rested on May 23 and on June 3. He served as designated hitter on Thursday and on Friday.

Will it be something the Indians have to manage the whole season?

"I hope not," Francona said. "I don't anticipate that. He's been working so hard, but when you're playing every day, you get beat up."

Little Cowboy: Josh Tomlin was at Progressive Field on Sunday. He is scheduled to meet with the sports medicine staff early next week, with the hope that he gains clearance for the mound portion of the throwing program. Tomlin had shoulder surgery on April 8. He has been throwing long toss up to 150 feet.

Tomlin, who usually sports long hair, arrived in the clubhouse with a shaved dome. Francona joked that "he looks terrible." His throwing, according to the manager, does not.

"He's doing fantastic," Francona said. "He's out to 150 feet and doing well. I want him to take care of himself. He'll come back this season and help us."

On the way back: Reliever Scott Atchison, on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle, will make a rehab appearance with Double-A Akron on Wednesday. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday.

Defying the odds: Francona is a Cavs fan and a season-ticket holder. He is rooting for the team in the NBA Finals.

"I don't pretend that I grew up here, but I've been here long enough to care and I would love to see it," Francona said. "I think it'd be wonderful. I hope we're home when it happens so I could go. What do you think I'd look like, a 56-year-old bald man with a big nose, jumping up and down with a LeBron jersey on?"

Francona is aware of the Cavs' tall order, given their 1-0 series deficit entering Sunday night's tilt and the loss of point guard Kyrie Irving, who underwent surgery Saturday to repair a fractured kneecap.

"There's nothing more rewarding than fighting the odds," Francona said. "With the Cavs now, they're obviously fighting the odds. That gives players unbelievable motivation. You have motivation anyway, but all of a sudden you see people do extraordinary things. That's why it's played on the court. If you look at the numbers now, it doesn't look really good. But I bet you it's far from over."

Francona compared the situation to the one his 2004 Red Sox team faced in the American League Championship Series. Boston became the first team in league history to erase a 3-0 postseason series deficit and advance.

"After that third game, it was not pretty," Francona said. "There's no way around it. Nobody was happy. Before they had the interview room, you had to go all the way around the field. I was getting pelted with stuff. You had to go around in a golf cart. The things they were saying to me were unbelievable. A couple of the wives had gotten into a fight after the game. We couldn't even lose good.

"I remember talking to [GM] Theo [Epstein] and we all had our ideas. I was like, 'I don't know if we can win this. I really don't. But I know if we change the lineup, we won't.' We stayed consistent and then one thing leads to another. I know how special that felt. I think you have to be good, a little lucky, and good enough to take advantage of that. If you look at every team that's won, there's always been a point where it could go the other way."

Tiger Woods rebounds with 74 at 2015 Memorial Tournament (videos)

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Playing solo in a "lonely sport,'' Tiger Woods attempted to put Saturday's 85 behind him, but still carded his worst PGA Tour total at the 2015 Memorial Tournament. Watch video

DUBLIN, Ohio - Tiger Woods has given fans plenty to remember at the Memorial Tournament. On Sunday, fans tried to give back to the five-time champion.

Thousands showed up to watch, cheer and, it seemed, encourage Woods early Sunday morning, lending to an unusual atmosphere when the final round began with a twist.

As the last-place golfer in a 71-man field, Woods teed off at 8:10 a.m. and played the Muirfield Village Golf Club course solo, except of course for the hundreds who followed him and thousands more waiting at tees and greens.

Tournament founder Jack Nicklaus joked later players in the locker room urged him to play as Woods' marker.

"Even the way he's playing I would be dusted pretty bad,'' the 75-year-old Nicklaus said with a chuckle.

It would have been good theater, but Woods' one-man show offered a strong curiosity factor as he embarked under sunny skies a day after shooting a PGA Tour career-worst 85. Would he blow through the round? Would he melt down? Would he suddenly regain his form?

"I was expecting to grind,'' he said. "That to me is the fun part - going out there and just grinding and fighting for everything I possibly can.

"Just because I'm in last place doesn't change how I play golf. Whether it's the first day or last day doesn't matter, play all out.''

Woods, 39, appeared relatively loose. He joked about a barking dog, "What the heck was that?'' as he pulled away from a shot. That drew a laugh. He removed and replaced a flagstick on 17 while caddie Joe LaCava cleaned up after a bunker shot on 17.

"The crowds were fantastic. The crowds were awesome. To come out this early and to have that many people support you like that, it was very special,'' Woods said.

Fans constantly yelled as Woods passed, in almost pleading voices, "Come on, Tiger you can do it!'' They sounded as though they were urging an unknown underdog or an aging veteran to keep trying, darn it, because all was not lost.

Even though it was.

In a tournament Woods has dominated, he lost. He lost big time. He lost like he has never lost before. He was 71st and last, 14-over par with a 302 (73-70-85-74).

It was his worst career 72-hole score, topping a 298 at the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

Woods walked off the 18th green after - of course - a double bogey at 2-over par 74 for the day and 14-over for the tournament. He was 29 shots behind leader Justin Day, who had yet to tee off. And yet, he had reason to feel good. A 6 on the par-4 No. 18 is better than the "snowman" 8 he carded there Saturday.

Woods was asked if he felt humbled by Saturday's round.

"It's hard. It's real hard. This is a lonely sport,'' he said. "The manager is not going to come in and bring the righty or bring the lefty. You've just got to play through it.

"That's one of the hardest things about the game of golf, and it's also one of the best things about the game of golf. When you're on, no one is going to slow you down. Also when you're off, no one is going to pick you up either. It's one of those sports that's tough, deal with it. For us, unfortunately, you have those days, they're five hours long. And so those are long, tough days.''

So, he showed up Sunday morning in his normal Sunday dark red shirt, black pants and black hat that once struck fear into the hearts of many golfers, many of whom still were in their villas or hotels elsewhere in this swanky Columbus suburb.

Woods shot a 34 on the front nine, including birdies on the two par-5s that bedeviled him earlier. He reached 3-under for the round with another birdie at 11, but the back nine continued to be his undoing with bogeys at 13 and 17, and doubles at 15 and 18. (He played Nos. 17 and 18 at 12-over par for the tournament).

Woods explained his swing still is in transition between patterns, saying he was taking one step back in order to take more steps forward.

"I was changing a few things, and I was stuck right between patterns,'' he said. "And I had to go through it yesterday. I had to go through those painful moments, just like I did at Torrey and Phoenix, to be able to make the leap I did at Augusta.

"(Saturday) was the same thing. It was just unfortunately on a golf course like this where you can't get away with much. It kicked my butt pretty hard.''

Woods practiced last weekend at the U.S. Open course in Washington, so he headed home to Jupiter, Fla., to take a few days off, rest a blistered finger and then prepare for the Open June 15-21 at Chambers Bay.

"Hopefully, in two weeks time, things will be a lot better and I'll be ready to try to win a U.S. Open,'' he said.

Cleveland Cavaliers Pregame Scribbles about Matthew Dellavedova, LeBron James, rebounding and the officials -- Terry Pluto (photos)

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The Cavs need someone besides LeBron James to bring the ball up the court.

OAKLAND, Ca. -- Scribbles in my Cavaliers notebook as they prepare for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against Golden State with no Kyrie Irving.

1. The Cavs offense tends to have the most ball and player movement when someone besides LeBron James brings the ball up the floor. That's yet another reason why Kyrie Irving was so important to the Cavs. James trusts him with the ball. That allows James to play on the wing or even at the low post near the rim.

2. But with no Irving, can Matthew Dellavedova do that? Can he bring the ball up the court quickly and start the offense? Golden State Coach Steve Kerr should have Stephen Curry or another guard tightly defend Dellavedova as he dribbles up the court. The idea is to slow down the Cavs offense -- or force James to come back to help Dellavedova with ball handling duties.

3. Iman Shumpert is the other possibility as a point guard. He did play the position once in a while with the Knicks. The Cavs tried him at that spot, but the coaches preferred Dellavedova.

4. Shumpert had a tough playoff opener. He scored only six points in 34 minutes, 2-of-6 from the field. He was oddly passive. He had only two rebounds. He didn't draw a foul. In his 34 minutes on the court, the Cavs were outscored by seven points -- the worst of any Cavs starter.

5. The coaches saw that Shumpert was not his usual energized self. That's why he didn't play in the overtime period, despite Irving being injured. Shumpert played eight minutes in the fourth quarter. He didn't score. Took one shot and missed it. He had only one rebound.

6. It's a small sample, but the Cavs were out-scored by 13 points in the nine minutes played by Delavedova. In his nine minutes, Dellavedova didn't take a shot. He had one rebound and one assist.

7. I was glad to hear Coach David Blatt and James talk about the need for J.R. Smith to keep shooting. He was 3-of-13 from the field, 3-of-10 on 3-pointers. It was a bad day, but a good day from Smith can help the Cavs pull an upset. In the Atlanta series, Smith averaged 18 points and shot 50 percent.

8. The Cavs are 12-0 when they out-rebound the opposition, 0-3 when they don't in the playoffs. In the sweep of Atlanta, Smith (7.5) and Shumpert (6.5) really helped on the boards. That's right, they accounted for 14 rebounds per game against the Hawks. They had five in the opener against the Warriors.

9. Maybe some high pick-and-rolls with Timofey Mozgov or Tristan Thompson combining with James would create more player movement. It also may lead to some easy baskets on lob passes. Mozgov had a good opener, 5-of-10 shooting for 16 points. He also was 6-of-8 at the foul line and had seven rebounds. Thompson shot only 1-of-4 in 47 minutes as he was not a part of the offense.

10. The Warriors have an 80-18 record right now, counting the playoffs. If James leads the Cavs to an upset in this series, it will be the most remarkable basketball accomplishment of his career.

11. Cavs fans looking for some good news will be glad to hear the lead official is Scott Foster. Road teams are 10-1 with him in the playoffs. He has worked three Cavs playoff games, and the road team is 3-0. The Cavs lost Game 1 at home in the Chicago series with Foster. They won Game 4 in Chicago with Foster, and Game 1 in Atlanta with Foster.

12. Foster was also the lead official in the game where Coach David Blatt tried to call a timeout that he didn't have -- that was Game 4 in Chicago.

13. Also on the crew is Tony Brothers, who was the lead official in Game 4 of the Boston series. That was when Brothers and his crew didn't even call a foul when Kelly Olynyk nearly tore off Kevin Love's arm. That was a game where the players got out of control. Brothers did a poor job keeping order. At least he's not the lead official in this game. The third official is Zach Zarba.

American Pharoah to rest after Triple Crown win, then race again

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A hero's welcome greeted Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in Kentucky on Sunday, the first of many such receptions expected for the sporting world's newest superstar

NEW YORK -- A hero's welcome greeted Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in Kentucky on Sunday, the first of many such receptions expected for the sporting world's newest superstar.

The 3-year-old colt has more racing in his future, along with an avalanche of publicity and money-making opportunities after pulling off the first sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 37 years.

Before leaving Belmont Park, trainer Bob Baffert led American Pharoah onto a patch of grass outside of, fittingly, Barn 1 on a sunny and warm morning. It was only hours after his front-running, 5 1/2-length victory, but the low-key champ appeared to enjoy the attention, dutifully posing for photographers and patiently letting bystanders pet him.

"He's a really sweet horse," Baffert said. "We're going to share him with everybody."

There were celebrity visits, too, for the newest member of racing's elite club. Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott stopped by for a close-up look at American Pharoah, much like Baffert visited Mott's barn in the mid-1990s to see Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races.

American Pharoah arrived in Louisville, Kentucky, later in the day, and was greeted by hundreds of cheering fans at Churchill Downs, his home in between Triple Crown races.

Jockey Victor Espinoza threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, where Baffert attended the game.

Next up for racing's 12th Triple Crown winner is some well-deserved downtime, having run in and won five Grade 1 races in nearly 2 1/2 months. That's a compressed schedule for a racehorse, most of which have at least 30 days between starts.

"It's ridiculously insane what he did yesterday," Baffert said. "It was a beautiful moment."

Owner Ahmed Zayat pledged to keep the horse in training, at least through the end of the year. Before the Belmont, Zayat sold breeding rights to American Pharoah to Coolmore Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky. The family has said it received offers higher than $20 million, but the terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.

"They have zero say until he retires," Zayat said. "We owe it to the sport to do the right thing. Money plays an important factor in this game. I've already sold the breeding rights, but it is my genuine desire, as a fan, as someone who loves horses, to race him as long as I possibly can."

Zayat will leave it up to Baffert to map out a schedule. Among the races under consideration are the Jim Dandy at Saratoga in upstate New York on Aug. 1; the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in New Jersey on Aug. 2; the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22; and the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29.

With a newfound legacy to protect, Baffert vowed American Pharoah would be properly prepared for his next race, saying, "He'll tell me."

The Haskell might have an edge because Baffert has won it a record seven times and Zayat lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.

"He's an athlete. We have to keep him moving," Baffert said. "He's so happy when he's on that track."

The ultimate goal would be the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, to be run Oct. 31 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the cradle of American racing and breeding and near where American Pharoah will serve stud duty.

The colt was named champion 2-year-old last year and is a cinch to lock up similar honors as a 3-year-old. But all that racing "wears on them and eventually it catches up," said Baffert, who understands Zayat's eventual desire to retire American Pharoah to the breeding shed.

"This way they get rewarded," Baffert jokingly told The Associated Press recently. "They get to have sex with 200 mares a year."

Should anything happen to the colt in future races, Zayat is covered by an insurance policy for which the rates are "incredibly high," Baffert said recently.

Zayat, who has invested tens of millions of dollars into his breeding, buying and racing operation, believes it's not always about money when you're passionate about something.

"We are not thinking here of value or money," he said. "When the horse is ready, we will not be scared of running him to lose or not. It's all about the fans and this belongs to history."

Off the racetrack, Zayat figures to have marketing and merchandising opportunities to sort through. Just what kind of offers he receives and deals he cuts are uncharted territory since American Pharoah is the first Triple Crown winner in the Internet and social media age.

Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, was featured on major non-sports magazine covers and the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor. He remains a pop culture touchstone for even non-racing fans, and merchandise featuring him sold at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Judging by the crowd's reaction to history, American Pharoah seems likely to be a popular champion, having cemented his legacy in New York, where the public is not easily won over.

"Everybody was on board with this horse," Baffert said. "I was pretty in awe of him myself."

What Jordan Spieth said after final-round 65 at 2015 Memorial Tournament

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Jordan Spieth put himself in contention with a final-round 65 at the 2015 Memorial Tournament and was waiting for leaders Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and David Lingmerth to decide his fate.

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Jordan Spieth pounced back into contention at the 2015 Memorial Tournament when a final-round 65 left him 13-under for the tournament. With Spieth in the clubhouse, Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and David Lingmerth still were battling for the lead.

Here is what Spieth, the reigning Masters champion, had to say after his round.

Q. Tell me how you feel about today's round?

JORDAN SPIETH: A little better. This is one of the better rounds I've played in a long time. It's not playing easy out there. It's gusty winds, you've got side winds. The greens are getting crusty and they're getting fast.

Very pleased with today's round. I thought that if I played great golf I'd shoot 5under today and that was my goal. So to grab a couple extra is nice.

Q. I felt like today's conditions are you've got to pick a club and you've got to take a shot. But you've got to pick the right time. What can these players do coming down the stretch?

JORDAN SPIETH: Well, it's tough. These pins, if there's no wind, you can feed it into a lot of them.

But today, with these crosswinds, you've got to watch out. If it's not the right time and it catches that wrong gust into the breeze instead of down, you end up in the water and you have to re-hit the shot. This back nine is really tricky with that wind. I think the stretch of 8 through 12 is huge.

I know the guys  the leaders are on 9 or 10. As they play these next few holes, I think it will determine a lot and I'll have an idea if I need to stick around or if I can get going.

Q. What do you plan on doing between now and the end of the tournament?

JORDAN SPIETH: Get some food. Just kind of hang low. If it starts to get interesting, I may go out and listen up. Until then I'm just going to kind of stay in the clubhouse here.

Q. Exciting things, the chipin at 7, the eagle at 15. You had a lot of big shots today, you've got to be very pleased, especially with the way you finished?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, if my putts weren't going to go in, I had to find a different way to do things. I missed a couple of 4footers for birdie early in the round and really  Michael and I did a great job of rebounding, recognizing that we've got a lot of golf yet. I knew I probably needed everything to go perfectly to win, and I think that still needed to be the case. To battle back like that and to get a couple of those to go in, those chipins, and make a couple of putts on 11.

The one on 18 is the exact putt that I struggled with this whole week and I was pumped to walk up and see that I had it, because I wanted some revenge.

Q. Today was your 12th straight round of par or better. What is the reason behind this remarkable consistency lately?

JORDAN SPIETH: I'm not sure. I'm hitting the ball better and better each week. I putted well at Colonial, but didn't strike it great. But struck it better last week and even better this week with my putter being a little off. Everything is kind of coming in place for the U.S. Open.

But to go four rounds at par or better on this course is special. It was nice. It was set up a little easier the first couple of rounds. I'm not sure if there's a method to the madness, but if I can keep those rounds going the next four out at Chambers Bay, I'll be in good shape.

Q. You're visibly bigger and stronger, especially in the shoulders. Your drives are over 300 yards now, that has to be one of the reasons?

JORDAN SPIETH: That definitely helps. The ball is going farther. I noticed some fatigue the last few days here on the back of the stretch, this threeweek stretch with those home events.

But by the time of Chambers, I should be back to full strength. I had some adrenaline today and the ball was carrying, that was nice to see.

Q. Is there a chance you might be in a playoff today?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, there's certainly a chance. This back nine is not playing easy. I thought I played it extremely well and shot 2under. If the wind gusts pick up or guys are kind of playing a little conservative, I know I have a chance. I know the lead is at 15. I thought I needed to get to 14 to have a chance for a playoff today and fell one short. But that was a good run in there.

Q. Did you mean to be so aggressive on those closing holes with your approaches and your putts or was the situation dictating it?

JORDAN SPIETH: No. 16 in particular, I was trying to be aggressive until you get to 16. I was going at the SHOTLink tower there, that was our line, that was the intention. I ended up about 15 yards left of that and it almost went in. So, no, that wasn't the intention on that hole. But I did have a good number. I had a nice ripped 9iron.

I had good clubs on the last three holes. When you start feeling the adrenaline, you want to swing hard at something. I had a 9iron and a gap wedge and another 9iron on 18, which is about as easy as you can have those three holes.

So a little bummed I didn't get one of those putts to go on 16 or 17. I thought I put good strokes on those, better strokes than I have really from the second nine of the first day until then. I put good strokes on them, just a little low on the first line, a little high on the next, the lefttorighters.

But cleaned it up on 18 there. 18's putt was the hardest of the three. And that's a putt I struggled with this week from inside 10 feet, downhill lefttorighter. I was walking with Michael and said, gosh, I hope that's six feet. I just need some revenge on these sixfooters, I've missed so many of them this week that I want to get up there and knock one right in the middle, and it snuck in the right side.

Q. Can you take us through the chip-in?

JORDAN SPIETH: Which one? (Laughter).

Q. For the eagle.

JORDAN SPIETH: The eagle. I had 242 to the pin, 236 front into the wind off an upslope. A hybrid normally maxes out at 240, which means it's not even going to reach the front of the green. It wasn't a 3wood. So I just went ahead and just smashed a hybrid. I saw it fly the bunker, I figured it would kick down. And I think it got a tough break to fly it and not catch the green.

I had that shot two years ago to the same pin from the left bunker and I made it. I made eagle on the hole from the left side of the left bunker, hitting the same shot. I landed it just on the green, it went all the way around and went in. I tried to visualize that, pick the line, pick the spot. The lie wasn't great, so I had to kind of open it up and just get right under it.

But it was kind of funny to have a similar chip shot on a Sunday that I made a couple of years ago and to see it go in again. I yelled at it "do it, do it" because it looked with four or five feet to go and it was exciting to see it go in.

Q. Yesterday you said the golf gods were not on your side. Would you say they were on your side today?

JORDAN SPIETH: Not necessarily.  Yeah, to have two chipins, you've got to catch a break. There's no doubt.

But 14, I look back and really wasn't a bad shot, it hit down the left side and it hit so firm. I think a lot of balls are doing that there, we just didn't recognize it. It ended up bouncing in the water.

But they were certainly a little nicer today than they have been. But I would call it kind of evening out over the day. On a course like this, you're going to get some unlucky breaks more than you will catch good ones just given how tough it is. If you don't hit the shot exactly where it's supposed to go, you can't expect it to end up being right where you wanted. Some courses you can get away with missing it a little bit. Out here you can't.

Q. What did you hit on 14?

JORDAN SPIETH: 14, I hit a hybrid off the tee. I actually walked up 

Q. The shape was what hurt you?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, if I held it up, it would have been a lot shorter and fine. But that hole with that pin today, if you're hitting a 9iron or 8iron into that green it's really firm back there and it's almost impossible to judge that next shot correctly. If I had  I thought a hybrid  it was supposed to be righttoleft and, if anything, a little bit of a hurting wind. So I was trying to hit a draw hybrid to get it up there to where I could maybe get a pitching wedge on it. The wind is flipping and gusting, and I caught that down gust and it went forever. It went 255, 60 yards there.

Q. You played so well today, what do you gain by now having a week off before the U.S. Open?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, that was exactly what we needed for some momentum going into The Open. I felt like it was coming along. I was striking the ball a lot better this week, to be down the list. When I felt like I was playing well, I just couldn't capitalize on the opportunities. My putts per green in regulation was much lower than it has been in a while. I just wasn't capitalizing, but it was all there. And I felt okay putting, I just lost a little bit of trust on the shorter length ones.

So to see some of them go in today, I made some good par saves, like on 12 and 8 were great par saves. Those putts were ones that I really struggled with earlier in the week and I just was more positive walking into them today. Kind of strutted into them, tried to be a little cocky walking into the ball. And just seeing it go in is the way you need to putt those. And I just didn't have that the other days.

But today I gained a lot of momentum going into the U.S. Open no matter what happens.

Q. Was your game where you wanted it when you got here this week?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think it was. The first round was potentially going to be a great round. The scores were lower in the afternoon. We were off in the morning and I was 5under through 16 with a par 5 and a downwind par 5 and two easier holes after that. But I played really solid that first round, and then I just got a little off with the putter.

But all in all, my game came in here ready. I wanted to work into contention to feel the nerves, that's the best way to get prepared for a major. I would have liked to maybe feel the nerves for two solid days on the weekend, but I certainly was feeling it there on the back nine. It felt awesome. It was nice to be back in the hunt.

Q. Now that you posted a number, how do you spend the rest of the time as other guys finish up?

JORDAN SPIETH: I'm going to go in and grab some food, probably sign some stuff. Go grab some food and then just sit around. I probably won't watch golf. I'll just get some updates here and there if I need to be ready, start to pack up my stuff. And if I need to go out to the range, that's a good break and I'll try and get ready.

Q. Any question about your game?

JORDAN SPIETH: No, just really need to work hard on my putts inside ten feet this week, and I'm going to work  Michael told me some shots that I needed to get ready for Chambers, he walked it a few weeks ago a couple of times.

Other than that I feel very confident off the tee right now, about as good as I felt ever. My ball striking with my irons took a big leap forward this week, and my wedges feel good, too. It comes down to knocking the short ones in the middle.

Q. Tell me what you know about Chambers. Give us the number one asset you need there.

JORDAN SPIETH: I think it's going to be a lot of speed control. I think it's going to be a lot of judging the undulation. It's going to be different short game shots, almost like you're playing an Open Championship. You need to learn whether you're going to putt it off of these slopes. It's going to be really tight and kind of dry, so it's going to be  you are going to need to practice flying some ridges with spin, if you have a hybrid shot. I need a shot I can trust from the runoff areas. The greens are massive, so controlling your speed on these longer putts, you're not going to be able to feed it into a lot of these pins.

Q. In some respects you almost are describing Pinehurst?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yes, but it's going to be a little easier to hit greens than Pinehurst because they're bigger and things feed into the greens rather than feeding off the greens.

Q. Did you make any equipment adjustments that you can think of going into next week?

JORDAN SPIETH: The only thing I'll think about is taking a driving iron instead of my hybrid. But it's not really windy there usually, so a hybrid is going to be beneficial in lofting the ball up in the air. But that will be the only thing, and that's what I do going into an Open Championship. The balance on my lob wedge is almost none, and I think that's going to be very beneficial next week, that I'm used to hitting something with no bounce.

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