Interest from other schools helped Smith get a raise from $648,000.

AP file photoGene Smith, OSU athletic director

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had been on the other side of the table, trying to keep a coach who was being pursued by another school.

"First and foremost, you try to ascertain whether that coach or staff member really wants to be at Ohio State," Smith said Thursday. "If there's something we have to do monetarily or structurally for them to help them stay and be part of the family, then we do that."

This summer, Smith was the one being pursued. The result was a renegotiation to his contract, which will now pay him $1 million a year. He can also make up to $200,000 in bonuses related to the athletic and academic success of the OSU sports teams.

"I've been fortunate over the last couple years there have been some things that popped up," Smith said, "and I've always known this is where I wanted to be. It did get a little hot and heavy this year, so we just had a long conversation about the future and my goals."

Among the major universities searching for new athletic directors this summer was Oregon, which is backed by the deep pockets of Nike founder Phil Knight.

Ohio State president Dr. E Gordon Gee stepped up with the increase, and Smith signed it in June. It was a major bump from the $648,000 Smith had been making since June of 2008. He was hired in 2005 at a salary of $450,000 a year plus bonuses. Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel will make more than $3.5 million this season plus bonuses.

Mike Cleary, the executive director of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, said he's been around ADs for 46 years, and during Smith's time as a NACDA leader "he was as sharp as anybody we've ever had."

Smith isn't the first member of the Million Dollar AD Club. Florida AD Jeremy Foley has a salary that has been reported at $1.2 million. Smith said he did feel the increase put him in line with the current market.

"It's humbling," Smith said.

Smith, a Cleveland native, is a graduate of St. Peter Chanel High School and went on to play football at and graduate from Notre Dame. He was the AD at Eastern Michigan, Iowa State and Arizona State before coming to Ohio State.

Thinking about lights

Michigan two weeks ago approved a $1.8 million proposal to add permanent lights to Michigan Stadium. Smith said he took note of the decision, but permanent lights are not in Ohio State's plans for the near future.

"There's nothing imminent, but it did cause us to say maybe we should look at that," Smith said.

The Buckeyes bring in temporary lights for night games, though it did get fairly dark at times during the Miami game three weeks ago that kicked off at 3:40 p.m.

The Buckeyes are 98-21 in the Jim Tressel era. They take care of Ohio recruiting, land a few out-of-state prep stars and find players under the scouting radar.

Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer Ohio State recruited linebacker Ross Homan - now a star - when other major college programs overlooked him.

Cleveland, Ohio -- Ohio State football, with Jim Tressel as the Buckeyes coach, is one of the constants in American sports.

Since Tressel took over the OSU reins prior to the 2001 season, the Buckeyes have won 98 games and lost 21. They are 59-13 in Big Ten games, and have won six league championships (four outright, two in a first-place tie), including the last five.

Ohio State has won at least 10 games in seven different seasons. The Buckeyes are 5-4 in bowl games, and have played in the national championship game three times, winning it over Miami (Fla.), 31-24 in double overtime, in the 2002 season title game.

This season, Ohio State is 4-0 going into its Big Ten opener on Saturday at Illinois (2-1). The Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind defending national champion Alabama.

The Inside Slant on USAToday.com analyzes Ohio State's formula for success:

Ohio State gets the best players from inside Ohio, a few elite players from around the country, and then fills out its roster with guys who were never expected to be big-time studs. Linebackers A.J. Hawk and James Laurinaitis are recent examples of the latter. Hawk got scant interest from the power programs, while Laurinaitis was rated a three-star recruit -- behind a bunch of guys who are not in the NFL, which is where Hawk and Laurinaitis work today.

The formula continues to work this season for the Buckeyes. Besides elite, nationally-ranked recruits such as Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State is getting big-time contributions from players who were low-profile recruits during their prep days.

Writes USAToday.com:

On this year's team, the "sleepers" abound. Senior wideout Dane Sanzenbacher (5-11, 180) was considered too small by many, but Tressel offered him on the spot after a short tryout, and the now three-year starter and captain had four touchdown receptions in last week's game.

Senior linebacker Ross Homan (6-0, 225) came from Ohio's farm country, and was considered too short to play the position in the Big Ten. He was so good last year, the NFL was calling early.

Buckeyes beat

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Ohio State coverage includes beat writer Doug Lesmerises' story on the play of quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his report that tight end Jake Stoneburner will likely miss Saturday's game at Illinois.

Get Hall, too

Tailback Jordan Hall has earned an expanded role. Ken Gordon writes about Hall for the Columbus Dispatch:

Coach Jim Tressel and several assistants were at a Jeannette (Pa.) High School basketball game in the winter of 2008, wooing star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, when a 5-foot-9 whirlwind of a point guard caught their eye.

"We were talking to the coach after the game, and I said, 'Man, that point guard is really good,'" Tressel said. "'He's just got eyes everywhere, he dished the ball off, he hit (three-pointers).' And he said, 'Yeah, that's the tailback,' and I said, ' That's the tailback?'"

The tailback was Hall, and Tressel decided he had to have him. He arrived a year after his celebrated Jeannette teammate, in the summer of 2009, but Hall has since begun to make a name for himself, as well.

Zone coverage

Adam Rittenberg's Big Ten Blog for ESPN.com includes several references to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State notes - including Terrelle Pryor's memory of an upset loss to Purdue last season - by Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch.

A story on Illinois standout running back Mikel Leshoure, by Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch.

As Big Ten play begins, it's a six-team race for the title, writes Bruce Hooley for FoxSportsOhio.com.

The Big Ten Insider on FoxSportsDetroit.com.

UPDATED: Illinois surprised Ohio State in 2007 by throwing with a quarterback who didn't have a great reputation for using his arm. Could the underdog Illini try that against with freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase?

Jay LaPrete / Associated PressIn 2007, Juice Williams (7) and Illinois pulled off a stunning win over the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium. Williams threw four TD passes and picked up some crucial first downs in the fourth quarter to lead the Illini.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It's an Ohio State team on a national championship track against an Illinois team with a stud running back and a quarterback with questionable passing skills.

The Buckeyes vs. the Fighting Illini in 2010 bears at least a passing resemblance to the matchup three years ago, the high point of coach Ron Zook's tenure at Illinois.

In November 2007, with future NFL first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall joining him in the backfield, mobile Illinois sophomore quarterback Juice Williams entered the game with a completion percentage of 56.1. He had more interceptions than touchdowns, and an average of 113 passing yards and 57 rushing yards per game.

And then he tossed the Illini to the upset, throwing what was then a career-high four touchdown passes in a 28-21 stunner against the nation's No. 1 team.

Now, it's October 2010. The game is in Champaign, not Columbus. But the Illini have another reliable back in Mikel Leshoure, who ranks seventh in the nation in rushing, averaging 132 yards per game. And they have mobile redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who enters his fourth career start with a completion percentage of 54.4, the same number of interceptions and touchdowns, and an average of 127 passing yards and 68 rushing yards per game.

Now, just like three years ago, there's little reason for the No. 2 Buckeyes to expect this quarterback to beat them with his arm.

Then, the Buckeyes made a few wrong half-steps in the secondary that led to big Williams throws, including two touchdowns of more than 30 yards. Now, the Buckeyes are coming off a game against Eastern Michigan when their defense controlled the game -- save for a few missteps in the secondary that helped the Eagles hit five passes of at least 19 yards and score three touchdowns.

"We just made some mental mistakes last week, lack of communication back there, things we can't have," OSU senior safety Jermale Hines said. "When you start having that, that's when you start giving up the big plays."

OSU linebacker Ross Homan said the Illinois running game is the best the Buckeyes have faced. Leshoure has rushed for 100 yards in four straight games dating back to last season, but Ohio State also hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in its past 27 games.

"He's a bruiser," OSU defensive lineman John Simon said of Leshoure.

Yet it's hard to imagine a team, at least one without an All-Big Ten-caliber offensive line, beating the Ohio State front seven by pounding the run. If there's a soft spot in the OSU defense, it's probably in the secondary, where safety Orhian Johnson still is finding his way entering his third career start. He was out of position on some of Eastern Michigan's bigger throws.

The Eagles also picked on some young OSU corners while starter Chimdi Chekwa was out in the middle of the game with back spasms. Chekwa is back, but that doesn't automatically cure every secondary issue. The OSU linebackers were beaten by some well-designed throws to the tight end as well.

"There's a lot of things that concerned us," OSU co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said of the pass defense. "We've got to play better; we've got to play more soundly and disciplined."

One wrong step again, and the Buckeyes know what can happen. The Illini have to decide whether they're going to let Scheelhaase put the defensive backs to the test.

"If a defensive lineman misses a tackle, you've got the linebackers there. If the linebacker misses a tackle, you've got the safeties. So [after] the safeties, they might be off to the races," Hines said.

"There will be about three to five plays that will determine the game, and you don't know when those three or five plays are coming," Hines added. "The play you take your eyes off your read, the big play might happen and that might be the outcome of the game."

Against Eastern Michigan, OSU coach Jim Tressel was excited about the 10 series when the Buckeyes forced EMU to punt after three plays, the most three-and-outs he could remember from his defense. But just a few throws soured that memory.

Scheelhaase hasn't done it before, but neither had Williams. It's that element of surprise that could work in Illinois' favor, especially with Tressel repeating the idea that the Illini, coming off a bye week, had a lot of practice time to put in new wrinkles on both sides of the ball.

"They run a lot," Simon said. "But we don't know what they're going to do."

Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The 10th Inning" skims over the Indians' rise and virtually ignores the subsequent fall of small- and middle-market teams due to the absence of a salary cap. The film also omits apathy as the game's biggest problem.

Charles Krupa / Associated PressKen Burns waves to the crowd at Fenway Park last month. His follow-up to his 1994 baseball documentary gives short shrift to the Indians.

A generation ago, after a spring training game, Bobby Bonds usually commandeered a bar stool in a saloon called the Tainted Rose in the Indians' hotel in Tucson, Ariz. The former hitting coach would talk hitting with anyone who joined him, even a rookie columnist like me.

Sometimes, he told reporters about the son he had over at Arizona State. He said Barry could flat out play.

For years, it seemed like either the bottle or the glass in front of Bobby had tainted a career that could have been that of a Hall of Famer. Now Bobby has been dead for seven years, and Barry has been exiled for three years despite a record-setting career that was marred by suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use.

The relationship between the Bondses is a critical part of "The 10th Inning," the sequel on PBS to Ken Burns' epic "Baseball" documentary. Barry resented the way the game discarded his father. Once it was in his system, the same poison led him to begrudge the attention Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa got for their season-long home run derby in 1998. It is highly probable that Barry Bonds became a massive steroid cheat after that, putting up numbers that dwarfed all the records.

Yet Burns is a baseball romantic for all of his poking around under its rocks. Even in the steroid era, his cameras fixate on the swift, wicked violence of Barry Bonds' swing, the cannon crack of bat on ball, and the white streak of home runs that resembled rocket tracers.

The shot Burns should have taken would have been from the fifth level of Toronto's SkyDome. It was there that I climbed with the Washington Post's Tom Boswell in the 1989 playoffs, to interview fans who had dodged the ludicrously Bunyanesque home run ball Oakland's Jose Canseco had lashed into their midst.

Chris O'Meara / Associated PressJose Canseco's prodigious blast in the 1989 playoffs in Toronto was later devalued when it came out Canseco, who hit the homer with Oakland, was using performance-enhancing drugs. Here Canseco homers in 1999 for Tampa Bay.

If you held your thumb in front of your face, the nail obscured the batter standing near the plate so far below. At the time, I read the Canseco homer as a measure of might. Canseco, we would learn later, was sort of the Johnny Appleseed of steroid growth in baseball. The scale was wrong. It was not about the magnitude of the shot. It was about the miniaturization of the players' accomplishments.

Burns' film makes Cal Ripken Jr. the savior of baseball through the ironman record he set in 1995 on the heels of the 1994 strike. It is a feel-good choice, but it really was the behemoths in the batter's box who set the turnstiles to spinning. The infatuation with the long ball, and the willful blindness to steroid abuse by managers, general managers and owners, led to cynical personnel decisions. Teams fretted over signing suspected drug abusers, not on moral grounds, but because they feared the muscle pulls that come with steroid abuse.

Burns' film consistently gives the Indians short shrift, skimming over the resurrection of baseball's sad sacks in the 1990s in favor of the never-as-bedraggled Atlanta Braves. In some ways, the snub makes a powerful statement about the place of markets like Cleveland in baseball's pecking order.

Perhaps the truth is too jarring to a summer game dreamer like Burns. But the truth is, we don't matter much anymore.

The Summer Olympics come around in a more timely fashion than rebuilding programs come to fruition with small- and medium-market teams. Even when the window opens, it is soon closing, due to free agency and the impending loss of team leaders.

This is the great failing of Burns' film. "The 10th Inning" celebrates the absence of a work stoppage in this decade and the first steps toward a program of drug testing. But the owners, who had won nothing meaningful from the 1994 strike, did not have the stomach for the convulsive effects on attendance of another shutdown. They chose to live with an economic model, the only one in mainstream pro sports without a salary cap, which does not work.

The film's narrative thread ties together such iconic (that is, moneyed) teams as the Yankees and Red Sox. There is little in it about the Twins' dynasty on a shoestring, or the Indians of 2007, or Tampa Bay. There is a lot about the plucky big-market underachievers from Boston.

To better capture the elegiac feeling of baseball in this town, there should have been cameras panning the vacant seats in the section of Progressive Field once known as Pronkville. The taint on this sport isn't personal resentments or the out-of-whack perspective of epic homers by inflated sluggers.

The taint is abandonment of hope. The disease is apathy.

The Buckeyes have plenty of options on offense, and receiver DeVier Posey knows that.

View full sizeNeal C. Lauron / Columbus DispatchReceiver DeVier Posey knows there are plenty of options on offense for the Buckeyes, so he's not going to complain if he doesn't get the ball a lot in some games.

1. Ohio State's offensive distribution

Receiver DeVier Posey didn't need a sit-down with Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor after he caught just two passes last week, while OSU receiver Dane Sanzenbacher grabbed a career-high nine passes, four of them touchdowns. Posey knows his day will come again, though he doesn't know when.

"When I look at our offense, I always say pick your poison," Posey said. "You've got Brandon Saine, Boom Herron, Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry, and you got to see flashes of him last week. That kid can definitely do something with the ball in his hands. Then you have Dane, you have Jake Stoneburner, you have me and Taurian Washington and Chris Fields and Grant Schwartz, and I haven't even mentioned No. 2's name. So it's really amazing the options we have this year."

The offense starts with No. 2, Terrelle Pryor, but they all play off each other. Trusting their line, and their pass protection, the Buckeyes can throw five legitimate receiving threats against a defense, when, for instance, Posey, Sanzenbacher, Stoneburner, Saine and fullback Zach Boren are all running routes. Last week, Posey helped create opportunities for Sanzenbacher.

"When you have so many different guys, you have to figure out who you're going to try to stop," OSU receivers coach Darrell Hazell said. "Last week, they doubled DeVier quite a bit, and Dane wound up catching all those balls."

But tight end Stoneburner is out this week, left in Columbus with an ankle injury. Reid Fragel isn't as much of a threat in the passing game, so that will change the way Illinois defends everyone. The coaches talked up the idea that in the blowout of Eastern Michigan last week, 12 Buckeyes caught passes. But the talent isn't really that deep.

Posey said there are more offensive options than in either of his two previous seasons. With a man down, it won't quite be the same.

2. Punter vs. Punter

What a surprise, another issue involving the Ohio State special teams. While OSU coach Jim Tressel saw improvement in the kickoff coverage a week ago, he didn't like what he saw on the Buckeyes' only punt of the game, a 39-yarder from Ben Buchanan that Eastern Michigan returned 27 yards through several missed tackles.

While Illinois, with punter Anthony Santella, ranks fourth in the nation in net punting at 43.3 yards, Ohio State ranks dead last, 120 out of 120, with an average net punt of 26 yards. So take note of the field position shifts if the teams start trading punts at any point. That's an edge of 17 yards per punt for the Illini, so if Illinois can put together a couple decent defensive series, they could gain a big advantage.

3. The almost-Buckeye

Justin Green gave an oral commitment to Ohio State before deciding to sign with Illinois in 2009, in part because he wanted to play running back and the Buckeyes saw him as a defensive back. Now, Green is starting at cornerback for the Illini after volunteering to switch positions before this season after several injuries in the defensive backfield.

"It's sort of not fair, is it?" Tressel said. "He's supposed to be playing corner for us. He's a great kid. What are you going to do? You make decisions and handle the adversity and deal with what comes your way, and that's obviously what he's doing, and he's got great speed out there. He's got all the things that you would love to have in a corner."

Check out Green's play and see how he'd fit onto the OSU roster at cornerback, probably in the mix with No. 3 corner Travis Howard and younger corners Corey Brown and Dominic Clarke.

Quarterback Jake Delhomme practices for the second day, but coach Eric Mangini says he won't make a decision on a starter at quarterback until Saturday night.

Evan Vucci / Associated PressSeneca Wallace has started at quarterback the past two weeks for the Browns, but coaches say that when Jake Delhomme is healthy enough to return to the lineup, Wallace will return to his backup role.

BEREA, Ohio — Quarterback Jake Delhomme was still limited in practice Friday and is listed as questionable for the Bengals game, but moved more nimbly on his sprained right ankle.

During the first 30 minutes of practice open to the media, Delhomme favored the ankle less on his drop-backs and rollouts, and limped less than Thursday when walking.

But coach Eric Mangini will wait until Saturday night to make his decision on a starter -- and will most likely keep the Bengals guessing until gametime.

"I think any combination is really possible -- No. 2 (quarterback), No. 3, No. 1," Mangini said. "We'll see how it responds (Saturday) and then we do have another 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday to see what it's like. I don't know what the combination will be just because it's only day two of him actually working on the field."

Mangini, who spoke before practice, said Delhomme responded well to his first day of practice on Wednesday.

"He moved around pretty well considering," he said. "Just having him out there and throwing and going through the plays, it's good to see. He didn't miss a beat in terms of his preparation."

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll re-iterated what Mangini said Wednesday, that as soon as Delhomme is healthy, he's the starter.

"Whether it's this week or next week, he'll be the guy," said Daboll.

Mack happy: Browns center Alex Mack was happy to hear that Chiefs defensive end Shaun Smith was fined $10,000 for grabbing the private parts of 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis during last week's game. "That's good," he said. Will it stop the antics? "I hope so," he said. But Mack didn't want the NFL to look back into Smith's similar incident with Mack, saying the league shouldn't fine for past games.

Two Ravens fined: Ravens right tackle Michael Oher was fined $5,000 for striking Robaire Smith in the head and safety Tom Zbikowksi was fined $5,000 for a late hit on Peyton Hillis out of bounds. Browns tight end Ben Watson wasn't fined for shoving Haloti Ngata to the ground, which drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that helped kill a drive.

St. Clair out: Browns right tackle John St. Clair is out with ankle injury and Tony Pashos will start in his place. Five others besides Delhomme are questionable, including the three injured defensive linemen: Kenyon Coleman (anke), Shaun Rogers (hip, ankle) and Robaire Smith (back); receiver Brian Robiskie (hamstring) and right guard Shawn Lauvao. Said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan: "We've got big plans here to win, but you actually need some D-linemen to play in the game. We better get some. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to be healthy and play. It's hard to be in a 3-4 if you don't have three D-linemen dressing. We need somebody to play." . . . Linebacker Jason Trusnik suffered a concussion in Baltimore, but is probable.

Adams fesses up: Mike Adams said Eric Wright shouldn't take all the heat for Anquan Boldin's game-winning TD catch vs. an all-out blitz. Adams said he was supposed to blitz, but stayed back to try to make a big play. "Who knows? Maybe we get to the quarterback if I go," he said.

Said Ryan: "He had coverage on the tight end as well and they had thrown a lot of screens before. That's a difficult situation. Mike's a stand-up guy, but he also had the tight end in his responsibility."

Daboll/Mo talk: Daboll talked this week with receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who has three catches this season. "He's running the right routes and he's at the right spots, and he's just got to keep a level head, keep working at it, and improve some of the little details but he's gotten better," Daboll said. "I know his stats haven't shown that, but I really believe he has."

Inside the vest: Breaking down Jim Tressel's challenge going into the Illinois game.

Breaking down Jim Tressel's challenge going into the Illinois game

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerJim Tressel and the Buckeyes play their first road game of the season on Saturday at Illinois.

During the Buckeyes' run of five straight Big Ten titles, they've had no more trouble on the road than they have at home, going 18-2 in both situations since 2005. Ohio State is 11-9 against Illinois since 1988, but the Buckeyes actually have a much better road record in that stretch, going 7-2 at Memorial Stadium and 4-7 in Ohio Stadium.

Still, coaches like to worry about road games. So knowing that the Buckeyes would open this season with four straight home games, OSU coach Jim Tressel took his players to Xenia, Ohio, for an overnight trip and two practices during preseason camp in August.

"That was to show us how road games were going to be tough," OSU defensive lineman John Simon said. "It was a good experience. I think it will help us. We were living in some little huts and stuff like that. Practices were tough. It was hot. We had locker rooms in some warehouses or something that weren't finished."

Sounds more demanding than hopping a flight to Champaign on Friday. Tressel made sure that if the Buckeyes don't play well today, they can't blame the location.

Nick Weglarz, coming off right thumb surgery that cut short his season at Class AAA Columbus, is scheduled to play winter ball for Caracas in Venezuela.

 Updated: 10:07 p.m.

CHICAGO, Ill -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the White Sox tonight at U.S. Cellular Field to start the final series of the season.

 U.S. Cellular Field dimensions: Left field line 330 feet, left center 375, center field 400, right center 375, right field line 335.

In-game notes:

Score: Indians 6, White Sox 2 after six innings.

Fausto on fire: Fausto Carmona, after allowing two runs in the first two innings,  found his groove and held the White Sox to one hit from the third through the sixth. The Indians chased Tony Pena after six.

Quick start: Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera opened the game with doubles against Pena for a 1-0 lead. Shin-Soo Choo followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0.

Choo has 22 homers.

Counterattack: The White Sox scored once in the first and second against  Carmona to make it 3-2. Luis Valbuena let Dayan Viciedo's bouncer get past him behind second base with two out in the first as Mark Teahyen scored.

Chicago made it 3-2 when Brent Morel hit a leadoff homer in the second off the left field foul pole.

Three spot: The Indians stretched their lead to 6-2 with three runs in the third. Pena wild pitched Brantley home with the bases loaded. Jayson Nix followed with a sac-fly and Trevor Crowe singled home Nix.

The line: Pena allowed six runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked two. He threw 104 pitches, 71 strikes. 

Pre-game notes:

 Game 160: If not for a right thumb injury that required surgery, outfielder Nick Weglarz would have made his big league debut with the Indians this year along with just about every other player at Class AAA Columbus.

 Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Weglarz is recovering nicely from the thumb surgery. The left-handed hitter is scheduled to play in Venezuela for Caracas this winter.

 Dave Hudgens, one of the Indians minor league field coordinators, will manage Caracas for the second straight year. Jared Goedert, one of Weglarz's teammates at Columbus, is scheduled to play there as well.

 Weglarz hit .284 (89-for 313) with 51 runs, 27 doubles, 13 homers and 47 RBI between Class AA Akron and Columbus this year. He had an onbase percentage of .389 and a slugging percentage of .502 for an .891 OPS.

 -Quick hits:

 -Justin Germano is in line to start Sunday's season finale against Chicago unless he's needed tonight or Saturday.

 "He can go more than one inning because he was starting at Columbus," said manager Manny Acta. "Then we'll just go one inning at a time. We've got enough pitchers."

 -Some like it hot: In a tweet from Drew Pomeranz, Indians No.1 pick this year, he said he "loved' pitching in the 105 degree heat of Goodyear, Ariz., during Instructional League.

 Pomeranz threw three innings, allowing one unearned run with six strikeouts against Seattle, on Wednesday. In two starts in Instructional League, he's allowed one earned run in five innings. He's allowed two hits, one walk and struck out nine.

 More news from the desert: Soloff said Anthony Reyes is scheduled to start pitching in Instructional League games next week. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year and still hasn't made it all the way back.

 Soloff added that Adam Miller, former No.1 pick, is throwing simulated games in Arizona. This is probably Miller's last chance to resurrect his pitching career.

 He was sidelined by a balky middle finger on his right hand that has been operated on at least four times. According to research by the Indians, Miller's finger injury is the only one of its kind.

 Lineups:
 
 -Indians (68-91): CF Michael Brantley (S), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), DH Travis Hafner (L), 3B Jayson Nix (R), LF Trevor Crowe (S), lB Matt LaPorta (R), 2B Luis Valbuena (L), C Lou Marson (R) and RHP Fausto Carmona (12-14, 3.79).

 White Sox (86-73): LF Juan Pierre (L), SS Omar Vizquel (S), RF Mark Teahen (L), 1B Dayan Viciedo (R), DH Mark Kotsay (L), C Tyler Flowers (R), 3B Brent Morel (R), CF Alejandro De Aza (L), 2B Brent Lillibridge (R) and RHP Tony Pena (5-2, 4.85).
 
 Umpires: H Cory Blaser, 1B Dan Iassogna, 2B John Tumpane, 3B Jerry Meals.

 Quote of the day: "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring," Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.

 Next: RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 3.26) vs. LHP Mark Buehrle (12-13, 4.32) on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

At one point, the Indians sold out 455 straight games at Progressive Field. They drew more than three million fans for six straight years. This season, they finished last in the big leagues in attendance, but manager Manny Acta still thinks fans are passionate about the Tribe.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerIndians closer Chris Perez throws out two-dozen autographed baseballs to fans after Wednesday's double header against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Attendance for the Indians was the lowest it's been since the early 1990s at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

CHICAGO — The Indians went into their final series of the season Friday night with a 68-91 record. Their fans responded in kind as the Indians finished the home portion of the schedule Wednesday with the lowest attendance in the big leagues at 1,391,644.

It's the fewest people to watch the Indians at Progressive Field since the ballpark opened in 1994. Overall, it's the team's lowest attendance since it drew 1,224,274 in 1992 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

"I absolutely think the interest is still there," said manager Manny Acta, finishing his first season in Cleveland. "You have to consider that nowadays, unless your team wins consistently, people can just sit back home in front of a 50-inch flat screen TV and watch the ballgame.

"That doesn't mean they're not thinking about the Indians just because they don't show up for the games. We have a great following. Our fans our passionate.

"I'm the one who receives those letters, don't forget. Some of them are filled with bitterness, others borderline offensive, but, yes, they have that passion. ... It's human nature. Everybody likes a winner.

"Do you think they were showing up in the mid-1990s because the players looked great in their uniforms? The fans are there. It's a great fan base. We just have to bring them back and make baseball exciting again."

Medical update: Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, gave this update on the Indians injured:

• Center fielder Grady Sizemore (left knee): In two weeks Sizemore will start doing ground-based strengthening activities (lunges and squats). The rehab schedule has Sizemore starting baseball activities (hitting and throwing) in early January.

View full sizeAPCarlos Santana continues to rehab the injury to his left knee suffered in early August.

• Catcher Carlos Santana (left knee): He'll stay in Cleveland until the end of October and continue his rehab in Goodyear, Ariz.

• Pitcher Anthony Reyes (right elbow): He's scheduled to start pitching in Instructional League games next week.

The Indians could non-tender Reyes on Dec. 2. They did the same thing to him last year, signing him to a minor league deal.

• Outfielder Nick Weglarz (right thumb): Coming off right thumb surgery. He's scheduled to play winter ball for Caracas in Venezuela. Weglarz, who would have made his big league debut this year if he hadn't injured his thumb, hit. 284 (89-for 313) with 51 runs, 27 doubles, 13 homers and 47 RBI between Class AA Akron and Columbus this year. He had an on-base percentage of .389 and a slugging percentage of .502 for an .891 OPS.

• Pitcher Adam Miller: The former No.1 pick is throwing simulated games in Arizona. This is probably Miller's last chance to resurrect his career.

He was sidelined by a balky middle finger on his right hand that has been operated on at least four times. According to research by the Indians, Miller's finger injury is the only one of its kind.

Miller has not pitched at any level since 2008.

Some like it hot In a Tweet from Drew Pomeranz, the Indians No.1 pick this year, he said he "loved" pitching in the 105 degree heat of Goodyear during Instructional League.

Pomeranz threw three innings, allowing one unearned run with six strikeouts against Seattle, on Wednesday. In two starts in Instructional League, he's allowed one earned run in five innings. He's allowed two hits, one walk and struck out nine.

Start me up: Justin Germano is in line to start Sunday's season finale against Chicago unless he's needed before that.

"He can go more than one inning because he was starting at Columbus," said Acta. "Then we'll just go one inning at a time. We've got enough pitchers."

To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158.

The date that players on the 40-man roster must be offered contracts for 2011 has been moved to Dec. 2 from Dec. 12, giving teams a longer time to study the players who aren't offered contracts and become eligible to sign with other teams as free agents.

View full sizeElaine Thompson / Associated PressOakland's Jack Cust.

This will give teams a longer time to study the players who aren't offered contracts and become eligible to sign with other teams as free agents.

Non-tendered players from last year included Matt Capps, Jonny Gomes, Jose Veras, John Buck, Jack Cust, Ryan Church and Dustin Moseley.

Too quick: Manager Manny Acta doesn't think the Tigers were pitching out when Trevor Crowe squeezed home Michael Brantley in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep by the Tribe.

"From watching video of the play, I think Michael probably left a little too early from third," said Acta. "I think Justin Verlander picked it up and tried to throw high and outside because [catcher] Gerald Laird was set up inside. It was a great bunt by Trevor and a great job of keeping the ball fair."

Stat of the day: The Indians went 15-12 in September, their first winning month of the season.

-- Paul Hoynes

UPDATED: The Indians, with just two games left in the season, stretch their winning streak to seven games. It's their longest since 2008. The offense scores early and Fausto Carmona ends his year on a winning note.

View full sizeCharles Rex Arbogast / Associated PressIndians starter Fausto Carmona finished this season undefeated against the White Sox.

In 2007 Carmona helped the Indians win the AL Central and reach the seventh game of the ALCS. But he was just a big guy throwing the same pitch time and time again.

Friday night, after two years of toil and trouble, Carmona pitched six innings in his final start of the year as the Indians beat Chicago, 7-3, at U.S. Cellular Field for their seventh victory over the season.

"I'm more happy with this year than in 2007," said Carmona (13-14, 3.77). "I learned a lot from last year. I went to the minor leagues. I kept working.

"This year I've pitched in a lot of close games. It's been tight, tight, tight. In 2007, I was just throwing sinker, sinker, sinker. Now I've been throwing my slider and change up more and more. I'm very happy with 2010."

Carmona threw 210 1/3 innings, just 4 off his 215 innings from 2007. He made 33 starts, including 24 quality starts.

"I'm glad to see Fausto finish the year this way," said Manny Acta. "He's been very consistent for us all year. Tonight, he once again put us in position to win."

After six innings and 93 pitches, the TV cameras showed Carmona smiling in the dugout. The smile was well earned, but it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"He wasn't that happy," said Acta. "He was trying to fight me for one more inning. He's had enough. He's thrown over 200 innings. He's done enough for us this year."

Said Carmona, "I said, 'Manny, come on, let me go one more. He said, 'no, no, no.' "

Typical Indians, right? With two games left in a season lost months ago, they go on their longest winning streak since winning 10 straight in August 2008.

It's hard to figure, but if the Tribe is rolling, why not enjoy it? Based on the last two years, and the immediate future, such streaks could be few and far between.

"I'm not going to say I believe in finishing the season strong because it's going to carry into next year . . . five months down the road," said Acta. "Still, it's important. It's been a long year for these kids . . . and they're finally getting to feel they belong up here.

"It's also good for our fans. We're trying to put together a bunch of kids who are relentless . . .who play hard with passion."

The Indians started quickly, taking a 3-0 lead off Tony Pena (5-3, 5.10) in the first. Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera opened with doubles, Brantley doubling past first and scoring on Cabrera's double to right for a 1-0 lead.

Shin-Soo Choo followed with a two-run homer to center to make it 3-0. It was Choo's 22nd homer of the season. He is coming off a sizzling September in which he hit .333 (33-for-99) with six homers and 25 RBI.

"Choo is a stud," said Acta.

Chicago scored once in the first and second against Carmona to make it 3-2. Luis Valbuena let Dayan Viciedo's bouncer get past him behind second base with two out in the first as Mark Teahen scored. Brent Morel hit a leadoff homer in the second off the left field foul pole. Carmona made an adjustment and stopped Chicago cold.

He's 3-0 against the White Sox this year and 7-0 in his last seven starts against them. For his career, he's 7-3.

"That's a good stat, especially with Chicago being in our division," said Acta, "but I don't think Fausto worries about that. He attacks everybody pretty much the same way."

The Indians stretched their lead to 6-2 with three more runs in the third. Pena wild pitched Brantley home with the bases loaded. Jayson Nix followed with a sacrifice fly and Trevor Crowe singled home Nix.

The Tribe out-hit Chicago, 12-7. Cabrera led the way with three hits. Choo and Crowe had two each.

It was another good night for the pen as Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez and rookie Vinnie Pestano combined to allow one run over the last three innings.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

The Cavaliers show some positives and some rust in front of a large crowd at Akron during the Wine & Gold Scrimmage.

View full sizeGus Chan / The Plain DealerCavs forward J.J. Hickson is fouled by as he drives to the basket against Leon Powe during Friday's scrimmage at Rhodes Arena in Akron.

With three of their top players not playing and everyone else in the midst of a blitz of information from a new coaching staff, it wasn't exactly a recipe for a polished performance.

On just their fourth day of practice and having their second workout of the day, the team looked a little rigid and fatigued at times. It was enough to persuade coach Byron Scott to schedule three more practices before Tuesday's preseason opener against the Charlotte Bobcats.

There were bright spots, though perhaps the most telling was the more than 4,000 fans who filled James A. Rhodes Arena. The attendance was as strong as it has been over the past several years, an early sign the fan base remains interested.

The highlight was probably the effort by point guard Ramon Sessions. His "wine" team beat the "gold" team, 47-41, in 40 minutes of running clock play mostly because of his efforts.

On a night when the team often looked unsure getting into Scott's Princeton offense, Sessions looked the most at home. He repeatedly created space with drives to the basket, expertly used picks and effectively ran the floor.

He had a game-high 13 points with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and just one turnover.

"There's a lot of freedom, and I can't ask for more as a point guard," Sessions said. "It has been a great fit for me and I'm enjoying it."

His counterpart on the other team, Daniel Gibson, also seemed to look the most at ease within the new offense. Gibson, who will handle the ball more this year than at perhaps any time in his career, had seven points, five rebounds and two assists. He had four turnovers but pushed the tempo like Scott wants.

"Ramon is pretty comfortable, as is Boobie," Scott said. "They are two of the guys who have a really good grasp of what we're doing."

The rest of the team is still learning, though. Often, players would pause while running plays. At dead balls, there would be little conferences on the floor with fingers pointing. That seemed to fluster Scott a bit, who understands but is expecting more.

"We've got a game in a few days and we've got a few guys who are making the same mistakes they made on day one," Scott said. "So we've got to clean that up some more."

Part of what Scott is doing on the offensive end is letting J.J. Hickson operate on the wing. Hickson had some moments, scoring eight points with six rebounds. But he is learning how to be an inside-out offensive player.

"Our biggest problem on the offensive end is we're still thinking too much, we're not reacting," Scott said. "But you expect that when you're putting in a whole new system. It's going to take us some time. Right now guys are a little hesitant. You have eight or nine guys who have a good feel for what we're doing and the other half of the guys are really not there yet."

The best the fans got to see from veterans Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison were waves after introductions. They didn't see Anderson Varejao, who is in Brazil after a death in the family.

Williams is still out with a strained groin muscle and Jamison will be shut down for a few days with soreness in his left knee, another sign of just how hard Scott has been pushing his players physically this week.

Jamison will take a couple of days off as a precaution, but there's a chance he might play Tuesday. He was bothered by knee tendinitis after coming to the team last winter in a trade.

"It's really precautionary, we're just going to give him a few days off," Scott said. "We're going to get him some treatment; I'm not going to rush him back."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166