Josh McCown stumbles, Johnny Manziel continues to improve and all Xavier Cooper does is sack quarterbacks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Six Browns of note in the team's 11-10 loss to the Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. And, no, that score is not a misprint.

Josh McCown: After a good start to the preseason the starting quarterback suffered through a miserable first half. McCown threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked three times on three series.

The Bills arguably have the NFL's best defensive front and it had its way with the Browns' offensive line. His first INT was thrown into traffic while trying to avoid a rush. The ball caromed off the hands of tight end Gary Barnidge, who was crushed on the play, and intercepted by Ronald Darby. On the second pick, McCown stepped up in the pocket and threw a jump ball down the right sideline that Darby snatched.

McCown appeared rattled by the Bills' stout front, which was missing Pro Bowl tackle Kyle Williams. He looked like a 36-year-old quarterback after showing surprising agility in the intra-squad scrimmage and preseason opener. McCown did finish his night by leading a field-goal drive.

Johnny Manziel: McCown set the bar low and his fellow East Texan hopped over it. It's important to remember Manziel didn't face the Bills' tenacious starters, but his momentum continues. He led a 96-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter and made two of his best throws as a Brown. Taking a page from his college days, he rolled left and fired a 37-yard pass to a sliding Darius Jennings. Manziel stepped up in the pocket and delivered a 21-yard TD pass to Shane Wynn.

Coach Mike Pettine gave his young quarterback a chance to lead a game-winning drive after the Bills took an 11-10 lead with 1:31 remaining. With the small crowd chanting "Johnny, Johnny," a penalty-filled series fizzled. 

Manziel finished 10-of-18 for 118 yards, a touchdown and a solid 94.2 passer rating. The Browns will temper talk of a quarterback controversy, but they are no doubt pleased by No. 2's progress. 

Xavier Cooper: The Browns traded back into the third round to draft the Washington State defensive lineman, who overcame a learning disability to be within eight credit hours of graduation. The early returns are favorable. Cooper registered a pair of sacks in the second half and has three in two preseason games. He won't be a starter, but looks like a solid rotation player.

Armonty Bryant: The defensive end missed most of last season with a torn ACL, but looked fast and active in the second half. The angular pass rusher created havoc in the backfield. Bryant had a sack nullified by an hands-to-the-face penalty on Johnson Bademosi.

Terrance West: The Browns gave West an extended look and he supplied several nice runs. He carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards. Running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery wants one of his charges to step up and grab the job. It's too early to make a call given how poor the group has looked in camp, but West heads into the dress rehearsal game in Tampa as the front runner. Isaiah Crowell carried five times for 14 yards.  

Rob Housler: The free-agent acquisition had done little of note through three weeks of camp, save for the occasional drop. But after starter Gary Barnidge was injured on the first series, Housler capitalized. He caught two passes for 27 yards. Perhaps he can build some momentum after a sleepy start to the preseason.

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel electrified the crowd with his 96-yard touchdown drive at FirstEnergy Stadium. It made fans forget two picks by Josh McCown. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel made Browns fans forget the two interceptions by Josh McCown when he stepped onto the field and electrified the crowd with a 96-yard touchdown drive against the Bills.

The Browns lost 11-10 on a late TD drive by E.J. Manuel, but Manziel provided some highlights and some hope in his five second-half possessions.

Playing against Buffalo's second-team defense while Pro Bowlers such as Mario Williams looked on, Manziel started the TD drive at his 4-yard line and had to overcome some adversity, including tripping over his center and falling down. But then he went into Johnny Football mode to the delight of the crowd.

He completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Manasseh Garner to dig himself out trouble and then completed two big play-action passes to put the first touchdown of the night on the board. 

On second and 6 from the Browns' 42, Manziel faked a handoff to Timothy Flanders, rolled left and fired a 37-yard pass to Darius Jennings, who made a beautiful rolling catch at the Bills' 21.

Two plays later, Manziel faked a handoff to Flanders again, stepped up in the pocket and zipped a 21-yard strike to Glenville High grad Shane Wynn in the back right corner of the end zone, over safety Duke Williams.

Within moments, Twitter was abuzz with Johnny Mania, including members of the national media calling for the Browns to scrap the McCown experiment and put the ball in the hands of the electric Manziel.

Again, it was with and against the second team, but Manziel gave the coaching staff something to think about heading into the dress rehearsal game in Tampa Bay Aug. 29.

Overall, Manziel completed 10-of-18 attempts for 110 yards with one TD and no interceptions for a 94.2 rating. He was sacked once and also ran three times for 19 yards.

Josh McCown's two picks 

Under siege on his three drives by the Bills' premier defensive line, McCown threw interceptions on his first two drives -- both by rookie cornerback Ron Darby -- and produced a field goal on his third.

He was also sacked three times and hurried on several other occasions.

By the time it was over, McCown was in the X-ray room trying to figure out why his right ring finger was sore. X-rays were negative, and he's not sure if he'll have to undergo an MRI.

Overall, McCown completed 7-of-10 attempts for 57 yards and with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 44.6 rating.

It was a far cry from last week, when McCown went 5-for-5 for 33 yards and a 2-yard TD pass on his lone drive against the Redskins for a 133.8 rating.

But the Bills' defensive line, which features a trio of double-digit sackers from last year, was too much for the Browns' offensive line to handle, and McCown struggled.

On his opening drive, he was sacked by Jerry Hughes for an 8-yard loss, and on the next play, facing a third and 15, he rolled to right to avoid pressure and fired a ball to tight end Gary Barnidge in traffic. The ball popped up off Barnidge's hands and into those of Darby, who returned it 6 yards.

To add injury to the insult, Barnidge was lit up on the play by safety Aaron Williams, who drew a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty. Barnidge left the game and was checked for a concussion, but was later cleared.

On McCown's second drive, he hit tight end Rob Housler with a 16-yard strike to the left, but got pressure from Manny Lawson on the next play and threw a short pass to Andrew Hawkins for a 1-yard loss.  Two plays later, McCown heaved a pass down the right sideline for 5-7 Hawkins, but Darby leaped up over him and won the jump ball.

Darby returned it 21 yards to set up 36-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter to open the scoring with 9:20 left in the half.

On his third drive, McCown completed passes of 11 yards to tight ends Jim Dray and Housler, and an 8-yarder to Brian Hartline to convert a third down. He also got a 13-yard run out from Isaiah Crowell and a 4-yard blast by Terrance West to convert a fourth and 1. But McCown was sacked twice on the drive, and the second setback, a 7-yarder by Marcell Dareus, stymied the drive. It ended with a 41-yard field goal by Travis Coons.

Paul Kruger in midseason form
Browns linebacker Paul Kruger was sensational in his limited amount of work. He sacked quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a 9-yard loss to force the Bills to settle for a field goal on their opening drive, and had two tackles for losses, including one for 9 yards.   

Jordan Poyer gets bell rung
Safety Jordan Poyer, who started in place of Tashaun Gipson, suffered an apparent head injury on the fifth play from scrimmage when he collided with running back Rickey Seale. Poyer came up holding his head, and at one point tried to join the Bills' huddle. He was taken to the locker room to be checked for a  concussion, and was later ruled out of the game.

Extra points

Wynn provided more excitement when he peeled off an apparent 58-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, but it was wiped out by a penalty. ...Rookie Xavier Cooper had two sacks and now has three this preseason. ...Armonty Bryant showed good burst off the edge and recorded a sack.

Other injuries

The Browns had 20 idle players heading into the  RB Duke Johnson (hamstring), WR Terrelle Pryor (hamstring), CB Joe Haden (hamstring), CB Justin Gilbert (hip flexor), WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring), DB Pierre Desir (hamstring), RB Shaun Draughn (hand), DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (knee), RB Luke Lundy (concussion), LB Barkevious Mingo (knee), WR Marlon Moore (ribs), DB Robert Nelson Jr. (hamstring),  DB De'Ante Saunders (calf), QB TE Randall Telfer (foot), DB K'Waun Williams (abdominal), RB Glenn Winston (knee), FB Malcolm Johnson (shoulder) and DT Phil Taylor (knee), FB Malcolm Johnson (shoulder) and S Tashaun Gipson (calf).

What's next

The Browns will visit Tampa Bay Aug. 29 for the third preseason game at 7 p.m.

The RubberDucks (66-58) are 5 1/2 games out of first place in the Class AA Eastern League's Western Division.

Akron first baseman Nellie Rodriguez had a solo home run and third baseman Yandy Diaz had two hits, but it wasn't enough as the RubberDucks lost, 5-3, Thursday night to the Harrisburg Senators at Canal Park.

It was the second loss in a row for the RubberDucks (66-58), who are 5 1/2 games out of first place in the Class AA Eastern League's Western Division.

The RubberDucks led, 2-1, after three innings when outfielder Carlos Moncrief scored in the first on a wild pitch, then scored again in the third inning on a single from Diaz. Moncrief tripled to set up the score.

But Harrisburg scored twice in the fourth inning to take the lead, then added a run in the sixth and seven innings to secure the victory.

Akron right-hander Duke von Schamann (1-1, 5.40 ERA) gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings, striking out four. 

Josh Tomlin allowed one run on two hits in seven innings as the Cleveland Indians defeated the New York Yankees, 3-2, Thursday night in the Bronx.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Josh Tomlin allowed one run in seven innings and Jason Kipnis went 3-for-4 with a run as the Cleveland Indians defeated the New York Yankees, 3-2, Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Tribe left fielder Michael Brantley was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:

Tip of the cap or helmet: The Indians (56-64) secured one of their most impressive victories of the season, all factors considered.

They rebounded from back-to-back losses in Boston to defeat a first-place team, in its house, that had won three straight and six of seven. The Yankees (67-53) lead the AL East by 1 1/2 games.

Little Cowboy on fire: Tomlin allowed two hits, walked one and struck out six. He threw 69 of 106 pitches for strikes.

The odds seemingly were stacked against Tomlin.

*He is a fifth starter who relies on finesse and is susceptible to the homer.

*He needed to navigate a lineup with plenty of home-run pop.

*He needed to work in a stadium that gives up homers, especially to lefties. New York's lineup against Tomlin featured eight lefties.

Yet Tomlin dominated. It is one of countless reasons why Major League Baseball is such a beautiful game. If the Yankees lose the division by one game, Aug. 20 will haunt them.

The run against Tomlin came with no shame attached. New York's right-handed batter, Alex Rodriguez, homered to lead off the fourth.

Tomlin (1-1, 2.03 ERA, in two starts) relied on a fastball/cutter/changeup/curve combination. The fastball scraped 90 mph, proving that a pitcher does not need to overpower to be effective in the Boogie Down. Here are the pitch speeds of the outs recorded by Tomlin (Fox SportsTime Ohio readings):

84, 74, 85, 72, 88, 85, 83, 90, 89, 84, 89, 89, 89, 85, 75, 77, 78, 90, 86, 89, 83.

Tomlin's best pitch, as counterintuitive as it might sound, was the fastball -- specifically, the fastball up and in. He notched outs with the fastball or set up other effective pitches with it. 

Here is the outcome of each plate appearance against Tomlin (count and type in parentheses):

First inning

(L) Jacoby Ellsbury -- foul pop to third (1-1 changeup).

(L) Brett Gardner -- fly to right (0-2 curve).

Skinny: Pitch dived below the knees.

(R) Alex Rodriguez -- fly to right (3-2 cutter).

Skinny: Rodriguez missed a pitch to hit.

Second inning

(L) Brian McCann -- grounder to first (1-1 curve).

(L) Carlos Beltran -- swinging strikeout (0-2 fastball).

Skinny: Beltran chased at letters.

(L) Greg Bird -- called strikeout (1-2 cutter).

Skinny: Tomlin painted the outside corner.

Third inning

(L) Chase Headley -- double to right-center (2-2 fastball over plate).

Skinny: Tomlin narrowly missed with 1-2 cutter aimed for outside corner.

(L) Didi Gregorius -- swinging strikeout (2-2 cutter outer third).

(Tribe catcher Yan Gomes visits mound.)

(L) Stephen Drew -- walk (3-2 changeup outside).

(L) Jacoby Ellsbury -- grounder to second (1-2 fastball).

(L) Brett Gardner -- grounder to second (3-2 fastball).

Skinny: Pitch scraped the bottom of the knees.

Fourth inning

(R) Alex Rodriguez -- homer to left (0-1 cutter).

Skinny: Hanger split the plate. Rodriguez crushed it.

(L) Brian McCann -- grounder to second (2-2 changeup).

Skinny: Jason Kipnis fielded behind diving first baseman Carlos Santana. Kipnis threw to Tomlin.

(L) Carlos Beltran -- foul pop to first (3-2 fastball).

Skinny: Beltran missed a pitch to hit.

(L) Greg Bird -- liner to right (0-0 fastball).

Skinny: Tomlin was living right.

Fifth inning

(L) Chase Headley -- fly to left (0-1 fastball).

(L) Didi Gregorius -- called strikeout (2-2 cutter).

Skinny: Tomlin painted the outside corner.

(L) Stephen Drew -- walk (3-0 fastball).

(L) Jacoby Ellsbury -- grounder to first (1-2 curve).

Sixth inning

(L) Brett Gardner -- fly to right-center (1-2 curve).

Skinny: Terrific catch by Almonte, who covered a lot of ground before reaching high in front of the wall.

(R) Alex Rodriguez -- called strikeout (2-2 curve).

Skinny: Sequence of the game: 89 fastball outside; 89 fastball called strike (inside corner); 90 fastball low (barely); 90 fastball swinging strike (inside edge); 90 fastball foul; 78 curve called strikeout. Tomlin caught a break because the pitch was inside.

(L) Brian McCann -- pop to catcher (0-1 fastball).

Skinny: Tomlin ambushed McCann with heater up and in.

Seventh inning

(L) Carlos Beltran -- liner to right (2-2 cutter).

Skinny: Superb catch by Lonnie Chisenhall, who dived while moving in and to his right.

(L) Greg Bird -- swinging strikeout (1-2 fastball).

Skinny: Tomlin ambushed Bird with heater up and in.

(L) Chase Headley -- grounder to second (1-1 changeup down).

Skinny: Kipnis fielded in short right.

Supporting cast: Other Indians personnel who factored in the victory included:

*Kipnis. With one out in the third, he singled to center against righty Ivan Nova.  Kipnis advanced to second on Francisco Lindor's grounder and scored on Brantley's single to left. As usual, Kipnis rounded a bag with precision; it proved huge because he narrowly beat left fielder Brett Gardner's throw.

*Brantley. His single to drive in Kipnis made it 2-0.

*Chisenhall. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and played good defense. He continues to impress since his recall from Class AAA Columbus in late July and is getting more and more comfortable in right field.

*Third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh. He aggressively pinwheeled Carlos Santana on Chisenhall's double to right-center with none out in the second. Santana, who had walked, scored from first as Sarbaugh challenged the Yankees to make two quality throws. The Yankees failed to do so.

*Left fielder Jose Ramirez. He was 1-for-3 with an RBI single from the nine-hole. His single to drive in Abraham Almonte made it 3-0 in the fourth.

Mark Shapiro has been a constant figure in the Indians' front office for nearly a quarter of a century. But even Shapiro knows that "nothing is forever."

NEW YORK -- Mark Shapiro has been a constant figure in the Indians' front office for nearly a quarter of a century.

But even Shapiro knows that "nothing is forever." Is the end of his Tribe tenure at hand, or will Shapiro resist Toronto's lure and stick around for the foreseeable future?

The Toronto Blue Jays will have a vacancy at their president/CEO position at the end of the season. According to a report by FOX Sports, Shapiro is "a strong candidate" to become the Blue Jays' newest executive. The Blue Jays have reportedly discussed the opening with Shapiro.

When contacted by the Northeast Ohio Media Group on Thursday evening, Shapiro declined comment.

Shapiro has spent the last five years as Indians president. Before that, he served as the organization's general manager for nine years. He joined the franchise in 1992, as he started in the player development realm.

Paul Beeston, Toronto's current president/CEO, plans to retire at the end of the season.

Shapiro was linked to the Blue Jays' gig last winter, as Beeston had intended on retiring last season before he eventually signed a one-year extension. When asked by NEOMG in late January if he had any communication with Toronto, Shapiro replied:

"I wouldn't answer it either way. It wouldn't be constructive. To me, you never answer those things either way.

"I have 23 years here. Nothing is forever, but I've made a lot of decisions along the way to stay here because I appreciate the things that are here and I want to be here.

"This is a dynamic period of time for the Indians, a special time to be here with the people we have in place in baseball operations and with Tito [manager Terry Francona] leading the way and the ballpark renovations and hopefully some other things coming down the pike as well. I've never lived my life here like I'd be here five years and this is my 24th season."

According to the report, the Blue Jays interviewed Dave Dombrowski this month for the position, but the former Tigers president opted to join the Boston Red Sox. Toronto's next team president could also hand-pick a new general manager, as Fox Sports notes that the contract for current GM Alex Anthopoulos is set to expire at the end of the season. 

X-rays on Browns quarterback Josh McCown's right ring finger were negative, but he acknowleged it's sore and had it wrapped. He's not sure if he'll need an MRI.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns quarterback Josh McCown was late to his post-game interview, but not because he was trying to figure out how to explain his two interceptions in three drives.

No, McCown was tardy because he was in the X-ray room having his pictures taken of his sore right ring finger, which was wrapped in an ace bandage.

"Yeah, I  just jammed a finger so just we're making sure everything's okay,'' he said. "We're just being super-cautious. (X-rays) were negative. Everything's fine. It feels fine.''

McCown, who was under siege much of the night by the Bills' premier pass rushers, said he doesn't know when he hurt the finger. The Browns also confirmed X-rays were negative.

"I just know it was sore,'' McCown said. "Like I said, we just took some precautionary pictures of it to make sure it's alright. I don't want to speculate moving forward. You know, something could change overnight, but I feel like it will be fine.''

McCown said he doesn't know if he'll have to undergo an MRI on the finger to see if there's any ligament damage. Third-team quarterback Connor Shaw underwent surgery Tuesday to repair ligament damage in his right thumb and is out for the season. Shaw, who also suffered a minor fracture, didn't know he needed surgery until a few days later.

"I don't know (about an MRI),'' said McCown. "I'll just defer to the trainers on that. I'll let the trainers and the doctors look at that and make their assessment and let me know what we need to do.''

As for his two interceptions in three series, McCown was upset with himself. He was also sacked three times and earned a 44.6 rating.

"Not good. Not. good,'' he said.  "Two turnovers. I felt like other than those two plays, I threw the ball well and did the things I wanted to do with the football, but those two plays, you can't have turnovers. Outside of the pocket, one of the things that happens in preseason ball. ... I got outside and tried to make a play. I tried to keep that drive going and fit one in there to Gary (Barnidge) and the ball gets knocked up in the air and turned over. And so throw that one out of bounds, let Andy (Lee) pin them deep and our defense go to work. So we'll move on that. It's obviously not the standard I want to play at.''

Despite McCown's rough outing and Johnny Manziel's 96-yard TD drive -- against the Bills' second-team defense -- coach Mike Pettine re-iterated that McCown is "firmly the one. We'll evaluate both guys. I'm not going to sit here and talk about trying to start up a quarterback controversy."

If McCown needs any time to rest the thumb, he has nine days before the "dress rehearsal'' game in Tampa Aug. 29th.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Free-agent guard J.R. Smith is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the sharpshooter announced on his Instagram account Thursday night. Smith agreed to a two-year deal in which he'll earn $5 million next season with a player option on the second year, a league source informed Northeast Ohio Media Group. He'll have a chance to test the market...

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Free-agent guard J.R. Smith is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the sharpshooter announced on his Instagram account Thursday night.

Smith agreed to a two-year deal in which he'll earn $5 million next season with a player option on the second year, a league source informed Northeast Ohio Media Group. He'll have a chance to test the market again next offseason when the NBA's salary cap rises significantly.

The 6-6 off-guard has not signed yet.

The reuniting of Smith, 29, and the Cavaliers was a priority for both sides. The guard declined his $6.4 million player option for the 2015-16 season to hit the market this summer, a move that proved to be costly.

However, he'll have a chance to make up for it with a productive season. His deal also includes a no-trade clause.

No team was willing to commit long-term for his services, and the Cavaliers, in their bloated salary state, were not going to overpay since he decided to opt out. In the end, Cleveland brought back its floor-spacer, and Smith appears happy to be returning for another shot at a championship.

LeBron James is happy, too.

Welcome back brother @TheRealJRSmith! Happy you're sticking around. #TheLand #StriveForGreatness

-- LeBron James (@KingJames) August 21, 2015

Smith averaged 12.7 points and shot 39 percent from long distance in 46 games with the Cavaliers last season. His play was instrumental in Cleveland finding its rhythm and going on to capture the Eastern Conference title.

Tristan Thompson is now the lone ranger. His agent, Rich Paul, and Cavaliers continue to be at a stalemate.

Happy to say that I am returning to the Cavs! It's been a long ride this summer but I can say for sure, well worth the wait. When I opted out of my contract, I wanted to understand the landscape of the NBA and where I fit best. The Cavaliers had things they needed to do in order to piece together a championship caliber roster. I ended up deciding that instead of potentially securing a larger deal elsewhere, I wanted to rejoin an incredible organization in pursuit of the ultimate goal, an NBA championship. Thank you to the Cavaliers for making this happen. Can't wait to get started! #TheLand

A photo posted by JR Smith (@teamswish) on Aug 20, 2015 at 6:17pm PDT

Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Friday's affair between the Indians and Yankees.

NEW YORK -- Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Friday's affair between the Indians and Yankees.

Pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (11-9, 3.63 ERA) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (9-5, 3.56 ERA)

Lineups

Indians

1. DH Jason Kipnis

2. SS Francisco Lindor

3. LF Michael Brantley

4. 1B Carlos Santana

5. RF Lonnie Chisenhall

6. C Yan Gomes

7. CF Abraham Almonte

8. 3B Giovanny Urshela

9. 2B Jose Ramirez

Yankees

1. CF Brett Gardner

2. 3B Chase Headley

3. DH Alex Rodriguez

4. C Brian McCann

5. RF Carlos Beltran

6. 1B Greg Bird

7. LF Chris Young

8. 2B Stephen Drew

9. SS Brendan Ryan

Browns coach Mike Pettine says he still feels good about Johnny Manziel as the No. 2 quarterback and Josh McCown as the No. 1. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Deuce is still No. 2.

Even after Johnny Manziel's scintillating performance in Thursday's night's 11-10 loss to the Bills, Browns coach Mike Pettine made it clear Friday that the number on the back of the jersey still matches his spot on the depth chart.

"We don't want to get too wrapped up in the big picture stuff,'' Pettine said on a conference call Friday. "Those meetings are all down the road, but we feel good about where Johnny is as the No. 2 and we feel good about where Josh is with the No. 1 and also understand that a large part of it is a supporting cast thing. Our thoughts on the quarterback picture are the same this morning as they were going into last night.''

Pettine pumped the brakes a little on Manziel's 11-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 21-yard TD pass to Shane Wynn off a play-fake. The drive featured a Johnny Football special: Manziel faking a handoff and then bootlegging left and firing a 37-yard strike to a rolling Darius Jennings.

And it has nothing to with McCown's sore right thumb, because he had it checked out again Friday morning after X-rays were negative Thursday night and "he's good to go,'' Pettine said.

No, this is all about Manziel and the fact that he's still working with against backups while he comes up the pro quarterback learning curve.

"I just don't want too much read into that (performance),'' Pettine said. "We have a pretty good plan we feel for Johnny's development and I think we're on schedule with it. He's shown great improvement from the day he set foot back in the building and to me, we get very individualized during the preseason. We just want him to go out and do his job for one play and hit the reset button, do it again.''

Despite that, Pettine isn't ready to declare McCown his opening day starter for the Jets game Sept. 13. Instead, he'll let the preseason play out, including the dress rehearsal game Aug. 29th in Tampa, during which McCown will likely play into the third quarter.

"No, again, I've said that before,'' said Pettine. "I'm not into guaranteeing or announcing a game week starter. That, to me, comes down the road. We're just looking to have a good week of preparation and go out and play Tampa and get better."

Pettine isn't worried about leaving the door open for speculation and the Manziel Mania that accompanies the former Heisman Trophy winner.

"I worry about things that I have control over,'' he said. "I don't control the questions outside the building. So I'm not going to have my actions just be based on that. We have a plan for our quarterback room as we have a plan for all of our other positions, and we're going to stick to it."
 
And the plan for Manziel, who played the entire second half on Thursday night?

"For him to go out and get better every day, learn a new system and just for him to improve and be in a position that when his number's called to be out there and perform for the Cleveland Browns, he can do it to the best of his ability,'' said Pettine.
 
He refused to speculate on how Manziel might've fared Thursday night in McCown's shoes, where he would've been chased, harassed and possibly slammed to the turf by the likes of Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes and Marcell Dareus. Instead, Manziel played against backups and guys who might be selling insurance after the final cuts.

"I can't tell you how (his progress) would look (against a first team defense),'' said Pettine. "He gets work against our ones in practice. He got some work in the game with our first receivers. Again, that's a hypothetical, and I'm not going to waste a lot of time on it."

Pettine acknowledged that McCown, who threw two picks on his three drives, has to protect the football better and that Manziel continues to progress. Beyond that, nothing's changed from his preseason mantra that McCown is "firmly the one.''

"First of all with Josh, there were a couple of throws he'd want to have back,'' said Pettine. "He made some good plays, he just wasn't as settled with his feet in the pocket as he had been. That's something that we need to work on. But our protection wasn't what it should be. That was a pretty good front we were going against. Overall, I thought he did some good things, had good command. But we're in a results business and unfortunately he had the one tipped interception, which was unfortunate. And the other one was a ball that he clearly forced it. That's a lesson we'd rather learn in the preseason than in the regular season.''

As for Manziel, "I thought it got a little bit ragged at the end. That might have been more of a function of the circumstances of the game and who he was out there with. Overall I think he made strides, was still calm in the pocket. He got flushed probably more than we wanted him to get flushed, but he still made some plays on the move with his feet. Those were some encouraging things to see.

"Overall, there were some good teaching moments for both those guys.''

But their status hasn't changed, even with the Manziel Machine getting cranked up nationally.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Three thoughts after meeting with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and associate AD Martin Jarmond on Friday to talk about the new beer sales at Ohio Stadium. A few other topics of interest popped up.  1. Black football uniforms: The folks over at ElevenWarriors.com have been driving the talk of black uniform rumors for a...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Three thoughts after meeting with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and associate AD Martin Jarmond on Friday to talk about the new beer sales at Ohio Stadium. A few other topics of interest popped up. 

1. Black football uniforms: The folks over at ElevenWarriors.com have been driving the talk of black uniform rumors for a few weeks. Former Ohio State offensive lineman and graduate assistant Kirk Barton wrote on Twitter that the Buckeyes would wear black against Penn State.

This dates back to last year, when a photo of a black jersey was caught on Urban Meyer's desk and I asked him in October if he'd be open to wearing black for a game.

"Somewhere down the line, maybe," Meyer said then.

Down the line may be here. Jerod Smalley of Channel 4 in Columbus asked Smith about a black uniform possibility Friday.

"Next question," Smith said, laughing. "I like that publicity. Keep it going."

Yeah, it seems like it's going. Prepare for black.

2. Future schedules: Jarmond is in charge of football schedules, with input from Smith and Urban Meyer. We know the Buckeyes get asked about playing neutral site nonconference games and haven't had interest to this point. We know the Buckeyes started increasing their schedule strength years ago. And we know they have a few holes to fill.

With the Big Ten moving to a nine-game schedule in 2016, Jarmond said that actually makes scheduling nonconference games more difficult. There are only three games to add instead of four, but there's less wiggle room and more fighting for those games. With one hole in 2017 and another in 2018, Jarmond said, "there are a lot of schools we contacted already who are either not interested in playing or who already made plans."

In 2017, the Buckeyes have an opening in week two on Sept. 9 and nonconference games against Oklahoma and UNLV.

In 2018, the Buckeyes have an opening in week four on Sept. 22 and nonconference games against Oregon State and at TCU. 

There's also one game needed in 2019 and several in the years beyond. Jarmond said there should be an announcement about those 2017 and 2018 games in the next couple weeks.

Given the scheduling philosophy, expect both to be home games against MAC-type teams. 

3. Minnesota AD behavior: Smith worked with former Minnesota athletic Norwood Teague for three years, since he was hired by the Golden Gophers in 2012. Teague resigned this month after admitting to an incident of sexual harassment, and a pattern of behavior has emerged with multiple reports since then of Teague harassing other females in the workplace.

"Surprised and disappointed, obviously," Smith said. "There's no place for that behavior in any environment, so I was really shocked and disappointed and felt really painful for the victims involved in that."

Smith said the athletic department holds regular "Lessons Learned" meetings where news around college athletics is discussed, and a discussion about sexual harassment in the workplace was held this week. 

Get scoring updates and join beat writer Zack Meisel for a live chat as the Indians and Yankees play the second game of a four-game set Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK  -- Get scoring updates and join beat writer Zack Meisel for a live chat as the Indians and Yankees play the second game of a four-game set Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Game 121: Indians (56-64) vs. Yankees (67-53).

First pitch: 7:05 pm. ET.

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

The old idea that, "These are college kids playing an amateur sport, you shouldn't sell alcohol are their events," is gone. "Gone," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. "They still are amateurs. But the old model, the way we think about it, is different." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nine thoughts on beer, money and progress with the announcement Friday that Ohio State will sell wine and beer in club seats and suites starting this season.

1. You may remember a time when beer wasn't intertwined with the very fabric of sports, a more innocent era when the thrill and beauty of competition gave fans enough of a high that they didn't want to dull their senses with outside influences.

Wait, you don't remember that time? People always drank while watching football? OK, then Ohio State selling beer should be no big deal.

2. It's important that money in is tied to money out. The most troubling part of college athletics can be its hypocrisy. Amateur student-athletes when it's convenient one minute, brazen cash grabs from anyone wanting a piece of the immensely popular product the next.

Things are changing. The NCAA still shudders at the idea of athletes ever being termed employees, and that bullet has been dodged for now. But athletes are getting several thousands of dollars a year in cost of attendance stipends, they're allowed to be fed better, they get travel money for the college football playoff, they'll get some money for video games using their likenesses .... more money is going out.

So more has to come in. 

I asked Ohio State AD Gene Smith if the old idea that, "These are college kids playing an amateur sport, you shouldn't sell alcohol are their events," is gone.

"Gone," Smith said. "They still are amateurs. But the old model, the way we think about it, is different." 

3. Beer shouldn't be sold because beer didn't used to be sold is not a valid argument. 

4. Anticipate that the sales of beer and wine will go stadium wide by 2016. This is a pilot program, selling only to 4,700 suite and club seat holders, but why wouldn't it work. Are we going to see brawls in the suites? Doubtful.

"I'm not looking for (problems), but I don't know," Smith said. "I don't make decisions in a vacuum, so I'm looking forward to hearing what others thinks and see. So if someone presents something to us as significantly problematic that we can't manage, I don't know what that would be, then we'll probably walk away from it. I can't see what that is now, but we don't know what we don't know yet."

5. An idea floated that I might buy - selling beer in the stadium may curtail drunken behavior. If people know they can buy beer at the game, maybe they won't go crazy pounding beers before the game. 

Maybe, maybe not. What will not happen - someone who never considered consuming beer on the day of a game before will now go crazy because it's sold inside.

6. Smith said he gave about one minute of thought to starting with stadium-wide alcohol sales, but he preferred to ease into it. There may be some sniff of elitism to this - sure, give booze to the rich guys in the fancy suites, but not the average fan - but it seems reasonable to start small. And the Buckeyes have been selling to suiteholders at basketball games for more than 15 years.

"I just think we've got to do it right," Smith said. "We have to be careful and make sure if we do it, we do it the right way."

Smith didn't talk about prices but said products from local breweries may be part of the menu.

7. Smith said there won't necessarily be more security involved with increased alcohol sales, but he said there probably would be more staff around to help manage anything. But not necessarily security personnel.

8. Ohio State saw other schools selling beer and was influenced by that. Texas, in particular, is selling stadium wide starting this year. If and when Ohio State goes stadium wide with beer sales, figure it won't take long for everyone else in the Big Ten to follow.

"There's a whole lot of schools that already do suite and club section sales, so we're far behind in that regard," Smith said. "If we get to that point (of stadium-wide sales), I think it will have that influence."

9. I attended the One Direction concert at Ohio Stadium on Tuesday with my wife and young daughters. Much of the crowd was teenagers, it seemed. And there was beer for sale. 

Progress, money and beer. What are you gonna do?

The club optioned Choice, the 10th overall selection in the 2010 amateur draft, to Triple-A Columbus.

NEW YORK -- The Indians acquired outfielder Michael Choice from the Texas Rangers on Friday in exchange for cash considerations.

The club optioned Choice, the 10th overall selection in the 2010 amateur draft, to Triple-A Columbus. He batted .244 (99-for-406) with 25 doubles, 12 home runs and 60 RBIs in 110 games this season at Round Rock, the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. He appeared in 62 games in left field and 16 games in right field.

Choice, 25, began his professional career as a center fielder. He belted 30 home runs, drove in 82 runs and compiled a .285/.376/.542 slash line in 118 games with High-A Stockton, a farm team of the Oakland Athletics, in 2011. He excelled at Triple-A Sacramento in 2013, as he batted .302 with a .390 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 89 RBIs.

He couldn't translate that into production at the big league level, however. Choice, a native of Arlington, Texas, was traded to his hometown Rangers in December 2013. He logged a .182 average and .570 OPS with nine home runs in 86 games for the Rangers in 2014.

He struck out in his only at-bat with Texas this season. The Rangers designated him for assignment on Tuesday.

Cleveland's 40-man roster stands at 39 players.

The Browns are pleased with Manziel's progress, but they continue to take things slow. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When it comes to Johnny Manziel it pays to think in moderation.

It's not an easy mental exercise given the past few years of intoxicating debate regarding the game's most polarizing quarterback. Many fans and pundits staked out positions on the extremes, which is only fitting seeing as it's where No. 2 lived his life until recently.

While Manziel supporters and detractors continue to clash, a middle ground is forming inside the walls of Berea. Browns coaches and players recognize the changes their backup quarterback is making on and off the field.

Will they translate into Manziel becoming their eventual starter? It's too early to predict, although his recent improvement is launching 1,000 hot takes on the athlete Cleveland Scene dubbed "Click Bait Jesus" a year ago.

Even as Manziel begins to play faster the Browns, led by coach Mike Pettine, are taking a measured approach. There's no quarterback competition unlike last year and, despite Manziel's 96-yard touchdown drive against the Bills, Pettine reiterated Friday he "feels good about where Johnny is as the No. 2 ... and "our thoughts on the quarterback picture are the same this morning as they were going into last night."

It's within the constructs of this environment where Manziel appears to be thriving. Josh McCown remains "firmly the one," Pettine says, while leaving the door ajar by refusing to name him the starter for the Sept. 13 opener against the Jets. Although it seems like a formality, it keeps Manziel pushing to build on the momentum he's been creating since checking out of a 10-week rehab program in the spring.

Does he look like an NFL starter? Not yet. But it's funny how nobody is calling for the Browns to release him anymore. A year removed from the hype, sense of entitlement and failure that characterized his rookie season, Manziel looks like he's in a good place mentally.

He's more committed to his craft - which veterans such as Joe Thomas appreciate - and he's gaining a better understanding of a pro-style offense. Pettine once spoke of Manziel to reporters like a man giving a deposition. Now, he talks as a coach who sees a player buying into the program and making himself accountable.

"I think a large part of it has to do with his focus, that clearly he's all about football." Pettine said. "I just think it's a product of the progress that he's made personally, and that's obviously shown up of for him professionally."

The improvements are coming with second- and third-teamers against second- and third-teamers. It's hard to imagine Manziel faring much better against the stout Bills defense than McCown (two interceptions, three sacks) did Thursday in the ugly 11-10 loss -- a score more suited for a 40-and-over slo-pitch softball league.

Manziel struggled, however, against second- and third-teamers in the 2014 preseason and was out of his element against the Bengals and Panthers in two late-season starts. The improvement is marked.

With each appearance, Manziel is keeping his eyes more downfield and trusting what he sees. Against the Bills, he made a nice read on the 37-yard pass to Darius Jennings and stepped up in the pocket to deliver a 21-yard arrow to Shane Wynn for a touchdown.

Another encouraging sign is Manziel's ability to elude the rush. Remember last season when he couldn't seem to outrun anyone? Being able to process the game allows him to play faster. He's starting to resemble the Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M, making plays on the move.

He even had a chance to win it on the final drive. (If the Bills hadn't tackled Jennings on the kickoff return ESPN staff members would have come off the sidelines to maintain the drama.) The quarterback went 1-of-6 for 6 yards and a 15-yard run. It's a reminder of how unpolished he remains.

Manziel did, however, have a 17-yard completion to E.J. Bibbs negated by penalty and demonstrated a willingness to stay with the play and throw downfield rather than taking off at the first hint of trouble.

It's all part of the learning process Manziel is embracing. He's no closer to wrecking the league as he brazenly predicted a year ago, but simply showing the incremental growth of second-year quarterback plucked from a college spread offense.

Sorry if slow gains don't fit with the timeline some, including Manziel, had set for him a year ago when you couldn't turn on a TV without seeing him flash the money sign.

He's ditched the trademark hand gesture and nickname, cartoon relics from his life on the edges.

Johnny Manziel is gravitating to a middle ground. It doesn't offer the same view as his old downtown condo, but his coaches and teammates will tell you he's in a good place now.

"Softness will show up," Urban Meyer told the Buckeyes at the start of the fourth preseason highlight video from camp.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State finished its roughest week of preseason practice with another round of two-a-days on Friday. The plan this week was for two practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and single practices Tuesday and Thursday. 

There's also one practice planned for Saturday.

With the week winding down, the Buckeyes dropped their fourth practice highlight video of the season, this one from work on Wednesday.

It features some plays from receivers James Clark (82), Terry McLaurin (83) and Noah Brown (80) as that battle to start in the opener against Virginia Tech heats up. You'll also see a big play from top receiver Michael Thomas (3) and Braxton Miller (1) battle safety Tyvis Powell (23) in a drill.

And No. 6 Torrance Gibson, moving from quarterback to receiver, is out of a black jersey and into the regular red with the rest of the offense, making a catch.

"It's Mark's business and there's nothing that's happened," Francona said. "We'll wait and see."

NEW YORK -- The fact that Mark Shapiro's name has been linked to the Toronto Blue Jays' front office vacancy is no surprise to Indians manager Terry Francona. After all, Shapiro gave members of his staff a heads up.

"[It] didn't send shockwaves," Francona said Friday, the day after a Fox Sports report suggested Shapiro is "a strong candidate" to assume the position of team president in Toronto. Paul Beeston, who currently serves in that role, plans to retire at the end of the season.

When contacted by the Northeast Ohio Media Group on Thursday evening, Shapiro declined comment.

Francona opted for a similar route on Friday.

"It's Mark's business and there's nothing that's happened," Francona said. "We'll wait and see."

Francona often mentions his relationships with Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti as a reason he filled the Indians' managerial opening in 2012. Francona's contract includes language that would allow him to opt out of the remaining years of his deal should Shapiro or Antonetti not be part of the organization's front office arrangement. Francona's deal runs through 2018, with club options for the 2019 and '20 campaigns.

"From a personal standpoint, I hope, because I like him so much, I hope he -- whether it's in Cleveland or Tokyo -- I hope he's doing whatever is fulfilling to him, because that's how you feel when you care about people," Francona said. "I think I have to limit it to that now because of where it's at or where it isn't at. I don't know."

Shapiro has spent the last five years as team president in Cleveland. Before that, he served as the organization's general manager for nine years. He joined the franchise in 1992.

Shapiro was linked to the Blue Jays' gig last winter, too, before Beeston signed a one-year extension.

In January, Shapiro told NEOMG: "Nothing is forever, but I've made a lot of decisions along the way to stay here because I appreciate the things that are here and I want to be here."

Willoughby is the fourth new Buckeye to lose his black stripe. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jack Willoughby had to feel a little weird about. Ohio State freshmen get black stripes on their helmets when they join the Buckeyes, they have to earn the scarlet stripe that everybody else has.

Willoughby isn't a freshman. He's a fifth-year senior transfer kicker from Duke, but he's new, so he got a black stripe.

Not anymore.

Urban Meyer announced on his Twitter account Friday that Willoughby is the latest new Buckeye to lose the black stripe from his helmet. He joins freshmen Isaiah Prince, Mike Weber and K.J. Hill. All four are now recognized by Meyer as full-fledged members of the Buckeyes.

Willoughby getting his stripe moved, though, is interesting, because of all of the new players, he might have the fastest route to seeing playing time. He transferred to Ohio State in June because he was looking for a school that was looking for a kickoff specialist ... and could maybe offer him a chance to kick field goals.

Meyer said Willoughby all but has the kickoff specialist job locked up.

When he spoke with Northeast Ohio Media Group during Ohio State's media day, Wlloughby didn't back down from wanting to take the starting field goal kicker spot from sophomore Sean Nuernberger.

"You said I was a kickoff specialist, and that's the role that I've taken on, but not necessarily by choice," Willoughby told NEOMG. "I want to kick field goals. That's part of the reason why I'm here. I didn't have the opportunity to do that at Duke."

Getting that black stripe removed gets him one step closer.

We already knew Meyer liked him, even though Willoughby did steal Meyer's parking spot on his first day with the team.

"He's got a strong leg, great guy, and the competition has been good," Meyer said.

Ohio State players to lose black stripe

* Isaiah Prince, freshman, offensive tackle

* Mike Weber, freshman, running back

* K.J. Hill, freshman, receiver

* Jack Willoughby, senior, kicker

Congrats to K Jack Willoughby for getting his black stripe off today. Go Bucks!

-- Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 21, 2015

Cody Anderson is nearing a return, but Josh Tomlin has secured a spot in the rotation -- for now, at least. So what will the Tribe do?

NEW YORK -- Cody Anderson tossed a successful bullpen session. Now, the Tribe right-hander could soon be headed for a minor league rehab assignment.

Josh Tomlin, though, seems to have -- for now, at least -- secured the fifth spot in the Indians' rotation. So where does that leave Anderson?

That question might remain on the back burner until September, when the club can expand its major league roster.

"You start getting to September and there are a lot of ways to manage that and make it work," said manager Terry Francona.

Would the club institute a six-man starting rotation?

"Not for the whole month. I don't think so," Francona said. "We discuss a lot of things. I doubt we'd do that. We may, at times, to help where need be. If we have too many starters that are feeling good about where they are, it can be a disservice."

Anderson, sidelined with a strained left oblique, simulated a 35-pitch first inning and a second inning of 20 to 25 pitches.

Tomlin limited the Yankees to two hits and one run across seven innings in Thursday's series opener.

"I think there's more in the tank with him," Francona said, "because the further he's removed from those things, you can see he's a good pitcher. Teams have to beat him. He doesn't beat himself."

Flip flop: Michael Brantley started in left field on Friday. It marked his first cameo in the outfield in eight days. Brantley, bothered recently by shoulder inflammation, missed three games and served as the designated hitter for four more. Jason Kipnis, meanwhile, returned to the DH role on Friday.

"We can go back and forth a little bit," Francona said. "This gives us some flexibility. Kipnis hadn't played in a couple weeks, so it'll help him."

Quite an honor: The Yankees will recognize former catcher Jorge Posada and pitcher Andy Pettitte this weekend. On Saturday, the club will retire Posada's No. 20 in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium and will honor him with a plaque on the field. The team will do the same for Pettitte on Sunday.

Posada, a five-time All-Star, spent his entire 17-year career with the Yankees. Pettitte, a three-time All-Star, spent 15 of his 18 big league seasons with New York.

Quite an honor, II: Longtime Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel was named to the 2016 induction class for the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame. Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove Award winner and three-time All-Star, will join an entry class that includes Orlando Hernandez, Jesse Orosco, Edgar Renteria, Ivan Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Vizquel, who retired in 2012, played for the Tribe from 1994-2004.

Mark Shapiro, who has risen from assistant in the baseball operations department to president of the Indians, is believed to be a candidate to become president of the Toronto Blue Jays. This is Shapiro's 24th year with the Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In Mark Shapiro's first game as general manager of the Indians he'd just settled down at Angel Stadium to watch Bartolo Colon go to work against the Angels in the season opener in 2002. He got a phone call from Chuck Finley, one of the Tribe's starting pitchers.

Finley said his wife, actress Tawny Kitaen, attacked him the night before. She'd been arrested and he wouldn't be at the ballpark for a couple of days. Before Shapiro could get more details, Finley hung up.

Welcome to the big leagues Mr. GM.

At the All-Star break that year Shapiro and manager Charlie Manuel got into an argument that almost turned physical. Manuel wanted to know if he was going to be the manager the following year. Shapiro said he wasn't ready to make a decision.

It's safe to say the two large men went nose-to-nose.

The next day Manuel was fired.

Five years later, the night before Game 7 of ALCS against Boston at Fenway Park, Shapiro was in his hotel room getting ready for what could have been the pinnacle of his GM career. The out-of-nowhere Indians won 96 games during the regular season and beat the Yankees in four games in the AL Division series. Now they were one game away from reaching the World Series against a stale Colorado Rockies team that wrapped up the NL pennant way too early.

Instead of enjoying the moment, Shapiro was listening to pitcher Paul Byrd explain how he'd tested positive for HGH. The next day Byrd's suspension was announced and the Indians lost to the Red Sox, 11-2. To this day there are members of the Indians front office who believe it was no accident that the suspension was announced before Game 7 to rattle their team.

Ah, the thrills of being a general manager.

Could that be the reason Shapiro has emerged as a strong candidate to become president of the Toronto Blue Jays? Does he want to get back into the competitive side of the game? Does he long to reach the World Series that evaded him in 2007?

Shapiro was named president of the Indians following the 2009 season after nine years as general manager. Chris Antonetti, his assistant, replaced him as GM.

Some say Shapiro, in his 24th year with the Indians, welcomed the change because he'd grown weary of the 24/7 grind of being a GM. I remember it differently. I remember Shapiro saying during the 2009 season that he was committed to putting a championship team on the field in 2010. Then suddenly he was president and Antonetti, drawing interest from other teams such as St. Louis, was the general manager.

Depending on how the Toronto job is shaped, Shapiro could have more power and resources, along with a general manager to share the grind and pressures of the job, than he would have in Cleveland.

With the Indians, all baseball and business decisions run through Shapiro. On the baseball side, he has gone out of his way to give Antonetti the freedom to make trades and other player acquisitions. When Antonetti traded No.1 picks Alex White and Drew Pomeranz to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez in 2011, Shapiro said he wouldn't have done it, but he OK'd the move because he believed in Antonetti.

Jimenez was dreadful for most of the 21/2 seasons he was with the Indians. But in the second half of the 2013 season, he pitched like a No.1 starter and led them to their first postseason appearance since 2007.

As team president Shapiro has busied himself with renovating Progressive Field, establishing a ticket pricing plan and making an Indians game a family-friendly event. The renovation of the center and right field sections of the ballpark was completed before the start of this season and has been a big hit even though the Indians have a losing record and rank 29th among MLB's 30 teams in attendance. The area behind home plate is scheduled for renovation this winter.

But you wonder how long that will hold Shapiro's interest. There are only so many seats you can tear out of a ballpark before it becomes a movie theater.

Shapiro, 48, is a member of MLB's competition committee and was mentioned as a candidate to replace Bud Selig as commissioner before Rob Manfred was hired before this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates at one time pursued him to be their president.

The Toronto job is open because Paul Beeston is retiring at the end of the season as president and CEO. GM Alex Anthopoulos' contract reportedly expires at the end of October.

The Blue Jays, who have a chance to make the postseason this year for the first time since 1993, have talked to several baseball executives about this job, including Baltimore's Dan Duquette, Minnesota's Terry Ryan and Kenny Williams of the Chicago White Sox. Boston's new director of baseball operations, David Dombrowski, reportedly interviewed for the job before signing with the Red Sox.

If Shapiro could go to Toronto with the power Boston gave Dombrowski, that would be a strong lure. Dombrowski is in charge of all baseball decisions.

Shapiro would be competing in the rugged AL East, but he'd also have a much bigger checkbook to play with. Toronto's opening day payroll this season was $123 million. The Indians opened at $87 million.

In his eight years as general manager, 2002-09, Shapiro had the unpleasant task of tearing down and rebuilding the great Indians teams of the 1990s after Larry Dolan purchased the club from the late Richard Jacobs. John Hart, six division titles and two AL pennants proved to be a hard act to follow.

Like all general managers he made good deals and bad. He set the template for the modern-day veteran for prospects deal by sending Colon to Montreal for minor leaguers Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips in 2002. Colon, remarkably, is still pitching, but here's what Sizemore, Lee and Phillips have accomplished: 10 All-Star game appearances, one Cy Young award, six Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger award and 143 wins for Lee.

Unfortunately, Shapiro listened to then-manager Eric Wedge, who felt Phillips couldn't help them as the 25^th and final man on the roster. He was designated for assignment and traded to Cincinnati in 2006, where he became an All-Star second baseman.

There have been three GMs under the Dolan ownership: Hart, who quit after the 2001 season, Shapiro and Antonetti. Hart left for Texas when he saw the rebuild coming. Shapiro and Antonetti have done the hard work of team building on a restricted budget in front of an indifferent fan base.

When Shapiro left the GM job, he quoted Ryan, the Twins' long-time GM who stepped down before him. Ryan said he'd reached a point in the job where the enjoyment of victory didn't last long enough and the pain of a loss or other misfortune connected to the team lingered much too long.

Ryan returned to the fray in 2011. Could Shapiro be next -- only this time with a better chance to win it all?

Browns quarterback Josh McCown had his injured right ring finger re-examined Friday morning and he's "good to go.'' Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns quarterback Josh McCown won't miss any time with his jammed right ring finger.

"He was checked out this morning,'' said coach Mike Pettine on a conference call. "He's good to go.''

McCown suffered the finger injury during Thursday night's 11-10 loss to the Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium, but X-rays after the game were negative.  Team doctors checked it out again Friday morning and determined that he's fine.

 The Browns are gearing up for the dress rehearsal game Aug. 29th in Tampa, and McCown is expected to play into the third quarter.

Despite McCown's two interceptions in three series against the Bills, Pettine re-iterated that he's firmly the one, and stressed that he's comfortable with Johnny Manziel as the No. 2 and McCown as the No. 1.
 
"With Josh, there were a couple of throws he'd want to have back,'' said Pettine. "He made some good plays, he just wasn't as settled with his feet in the pocket as he had been. That's something that we need to work on. But our protection wasn't what it should be. That was a pretty good front we were going against. Overall, I thought he did some good things, had good command.

"But we're in a results business and unfortunately he had the one tipped interception, which was unfortunate. And the other one was a ball that clearly he forced it. That's a lesson we'd rather learn in the preseason than in the regular season.''

McCown shouldered the blame for his offensive woes despite the fact he was sacked three times and hurried several others by Buffalo's sensational front men.

"It is obviously a quality test,'' he said. "I would be surprised if that defense isn't somewhere near the top of the league towards the end of the year. They are a good front. They is no question about that. (But) the things that stopped us were my mistakes that I feel like I can fix. I can do that and help us have a better chance to succeed in that matter."

Injury update: Safety Jordan Poyer suffered a concussion against the Bills and offensive lineman Michael Bowie injured his shoulder on the last play of the game. The Browns are awaiting results of Bowie's exams.

On the mend: Pettine said some injured players that have a chance to return this week include Marlon Moore, Justin Gilbert, Joe Haden, Pierre Desir, Duke Johnson, K'Waun Williams, Tashaun Gipson, De'Ante Saunders, Malcolm Johnson, Dwayne Bowe and Terrelle Pryor.

On Alex Mack vs. Marcell Dareus: Pettine said Mack, who was beat by Dareus for a sack, is still working his way back from his broken leg.

"I was with Marcell in Buffalo and when he's properly motivated I don't know who in this league can block him one-on-one,'' said Pettine. "That's a tough draw and I think Alex is still playing his way into shape. The guy is coming off an injury and you have to get game reps to get confidence. Last night was a learning experience for him and we'll obviously get him a bunch more reps this week and play him a good amount against Tampa and hopefully that will be enough for the opener.''