James won MVP award last two seasons with the Cavaliers. In a survey of league GM's, he gets just one vote for this season. Lakers are favored to win their third straight championship.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerLeBron James leaving the court after the Cavaliers were eliminated by Orlando in the 2009 playoffs - and after he didn't shake hands with the Magic players.

Cleveland, Ohio -- LeBron James has taken his talents from the Cleveland Cavaliers to South Beach and the Miami Heat, but the MVP trophy will go to Kevin Durant, and the NBA championship trophy will stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.

That's according to an NBA.com survey of the league's general managers.

James has won the last two Most Valuable Player awards, but just one of the GM's in the survey predict he'll win another this season. They give it to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Durant, who led the league in scoring last season.

Akron native James did not deliver on his promise to bring an NBA title to Cleveland in his seven seasons as a Cavalier, and just nine GM's say he'll help bring one to the Heat this season. The bosses say the Lakers will win their third straight championship.

Henry Abbott writes about the survey on ESPN.com's TrueHoop blog:

This year the survey sends a strong message: GMs are not enamored with LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

They tell this story most starkly by almost completely ignoring two-time reigning MVP LeBron James in predicting this season's MVP.

How about this for insight as to how the general managers regard James? By more than a two-to-one margin, they say James tops Durant as the league's best small forward, but by a similar margin, the GM's say they'd rather start a franchise with Durant than with James.

Apparently, some of the same execs who would love having James as a player would rather not have to tolerate his demands and selfishness.

League won't announce the fine until Friday.

Associated PressThe Browns' T.J. Ward has been fined $15,000 for this hit against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

 BEREA -- Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward has been fined $15,000 for his hit on Cincinnati receiver Jordan Shipley.

 The Associated Press first reported the fine and a Plain Dealer source confirmed it.

 In the Browns' open locker room period on Wednesday, Ward said he had not yet heard from the NFL on a fine.
 
 "I just want to let it be known that it wasn't malicious intent to knock him oout or to get him hurt," Ward said. "I just reacted to what I saw and tried to make a play.

 "The way it happened, I didn't really try to hit him with everything I had, but still it was a pretty violent hit. I wasn't trying to aim for his helmet in any way. I just hit what I saw. It all happened so fast."

 Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy is good friends with Shipley from their days as teammates at University of Texas. McCoy said Ward "was trying to make a play. I thought it was a great play. Unfortunately, (Shipley) got hurt. It's just one of those things. It's football, a violent sport."

 Shipley suffered a concussion from the hit. Ward was accused of delivering a cheap shot by Bengals players after the game.

 Mike Pereira, the former NFL vice president of officiating now serving as an analyst for Fox Sports, told The Plain Dealer on Tuesday that Ward should be fined at least $25,000 for what he called "one of the worst" cheap shots he had seen in a while.

 Ward said of Pereira's comments, "Everyone's entitled to his opinion."

Indians prospect Cord Phelps helps Team USA rout Bartolo Colon and the Dominican Republic in Pan-Am qualifying game.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians prospect Cord Phelps helped Team USA beat the Dominican Republic, 8-3, Tuesday with an RBI single and two runs scored in the Pan American qualifying tournament in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Team USA's Pan American Qualifying team is 4-0 in pool-play.

Bartolo Colon, 37, started for the Dominican. The former Indians right-hander lasted only 2 1/3 innings. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits with one walk. Colon, 37, won the Cy Young for the Angels in 2005. He's 1-1 in the tournament.

Phelps, who started at second base Tuesday, is hitting .273 (3-for-11) with three runs and three RBI. Phelps, who helped Class AAA Columbus win the International League championship and the Triple-A championship, will go to the Arizona Fall League after this tournament.

He's scheduled to play third base and could put himself in line for a big-league look by the Indians next year.

Jose Constanza, another member of the Columbus Clippers championship team, went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base for the Dominican.

Ward made a hard hit on Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley during the Browns' 23-20 win on Sunday. Shipley suffered a concussion.

Associated PressBengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley suffered a concussion from a hard hit by Browns safety T.J. Ward.

Cleveland Browns safety T.J. Ward has been fined $15,000 by the NFL for his hit on Cincinnati wide receiver Jordan Shipley, a source has confirmed to Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Tony Grossi.

Ward rammed into Shipley as the receiver unsuccessfully tried to catch a pass from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer during the Browns' 23-20 win. Shipley suffered a concussion on the play.

Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports on former NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira's opinion of the play. 

Pronk was plunked 12 times this season, 11 as the Indians' designated hitter, earning him the award. Mitch Talbot was the American League's leading hitter of batters among rookie hurlers.

Scott Shaw, The Plain DealerPronk gets plunked. Indians DH Travis Hafner gets hit by a pitch.

Cleveland, Ohio -- So the Cleveland Indians are getting a return on designated hitter Travis Hafner's hefty contract.

Hafner, who has two seasons left on a four-year, $57 million contract, is among the winners of the "2010 Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the field of HBPs" by the blog Plunk Everyone.

HBPs, of course, stand for hit by pitches. Hafner was named to the American League All Plunk Team. Pronk was plunked by pitches 12 times, including 11 while batting as the DH.

The Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates tied for the major league lead in Plunks Thrown. Both teams' pitching staffs drilled 66 opposing hitters. If any intimidation was intended, it didn't work. The Pirates lost 105 games; the Indians, 93.

Plunk Everyone gives Indians right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot the American League Gus Weyhig Award, for leading AL rookies by hitting batters eight times with pitches.

The blog truly is hilarious, so no dissing intended when we note that other sources, including Baseball-Reference.com, refer to "Gus Weyhig" asGus Weyhing. We assume the two spellings refer to the same man. Weyhing, who fashioned a 264-232 record from 1887-1901, hit 277 batters with pitches to stand as the major leagues' all-time leader.

Weyhing plunked 37, 42 and 34 batters in his first three seasons, respectively. He spent part of his final season with the Cleveland Blues and, for old times sake, nailed four batters in 11 1/3 innings. The Blues became the Bronchos in 1902, the Naps in 1903 and the Indians in 1915.  

Venus Williams shuts down her 2010 season, citing a persistent knee injury.

View full sizeAP FileA nagging knee injury has forced tennis star Venus Williams, shown in a U.S. Open match last month, to put an early end to her season.

Venus Williams is done for the season because of a left knee injury that has sidelined her for most of the second half of 2010.

In a statement released to The Associated Press on Wednesday, the seven-time Grand Slam champion said she is "very disappointed to announce that I will be unable to play" in the WTA Tour Championships at the end of October, and the Fed Cup final between the United States and Italy at San Diego in November.

"I have been getting treatment and therapy on my knee and have been making progress, but unfortunately must continue to keep weight off my knee for the short term and won't be ready to return to competition in 2010," Williams said. "I am looking forward to returning to full health in time for the start of 2011 season and hopefully having the opportunity to play in both the Fed Cup and WTA Championships next year."

She is No. 3 in this week's WTA rankings and went 38-7 with two titles in singles, and 18-1 with three titles in doubles this season, earning more than $2.5 million in prize money.

But Williams hasn't played anywhere since losing in three sets to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open semifinals on Sept. 10. That will turn out to have been the 30-year-old American's only tournament appearance over the final six months of the year.

After being upset in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on June 29 by a woman ranked 82nd, Williams was out of action until playing in the first round of the U.S. Open on Aug. 30. That's because Williams sprained her left kneecap shortly before she was supposed to enter a hard-court tournament at Cincinnati in early August. The injury kept her out of another U.S. Open tuneup at Montreal that month, too.

It was an up-and-down season for Williams, who has been using crutches to keep weight off her left leg.

She was one of two women who reached at least the fourth round at all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2010 -- but she made it past the quarterfinals only at the U.S. Open.

Her singles titles both came in February -- at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on hard courts and at Acapulco, Mexico, on clay. Her doubles titles, all while paired with younger sister Serena, came at the Australian Open, French Open and Madrid.

In August, Venus and Serena -- who has been sidelined since having surgery on her right foot in July -- both told the U.S. Tennis Association they planned to play against Italy in the Nov. 6-7 Fed Cup final on an indoor hard court at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Neither Williams has competed for the U.S. Fed Cup team since 2007. Venus Williams owns a 17-4 career record in Fed Cup action, including 14-2 in singles. She last participated in the 2007 semifinals.

The USTA still expects Serena Williams to be on the team for the matches against Italy.

The rest of the U.S. roster includes 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and leading doubles player Liezel Huber.

The United States hasn't won a Fed Cup title since 2000 and lost to Italy in last year's final.

The Cavaliers don't have LeBron James, but they will field a roster of legitimate NBA players - some with accomplished pro careers, some with potential.

Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson played a solid game against the Bobcats in Cleveland's preseason opener.

Cleveland, Ohio -- No, 1-0 does not matter in NBA preseason games. But, 1-0, with Tuesday night's 87-72 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, does at least offer some assurance that the Cleveland Cavaliers will field a representative team this season.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Cavaliers coverage includes Mary Schmitt Boyer's game story and her Cavaliers Insider.

On the go

Zac Jackson of FoxSportsOhio.com has several observations about the Cavaliers, including:

There's so much uncertainty surrounding this Cavaliers team, and with so much new and two pretty important players missing, it would have been understandable had the Cavaliers delivered a flat performance in their preseason opener. Though it means nothing in the big picture, they delivered the exact opposite. Ramon Sessions runs the point like he's been running this system and playing alongside these teammates for years, not a week. The team as a whole is playing fast and hungry (always a good thing) and in the second half they dominated every aspect.

Same guy

LeBron James made his preseason debut with the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. As he did with the Cavaliers, James will crave attention.

Ken Berger covered the Miami-Detroit game for CBSSports.com. He writes:

But with his actions, with his play, and with his words after the game, James left no doubt about what his stature on this team will be. First impressions are important, and James made a deafening one Tuesday night. From his inaugural tossing of the talc at the scorer's table at 7:41 p.m. ET, to his relentless attacking of the basket with and without Wade on the court, to his promise afterward -- "I will never defer," he said -- James made it quite clear that he did not come here to be a sidekick or an afterthought.

Inbound plays 

Tuesday night's game story by Zac Jackson of FoxSportsOhio.com.

Game stories by Rick Bonnell for the Charlotte Observer; Bob Finnan for the News-Herald; Jason Lloyd for the Akron Beacon Journal.

"Payback" wreck of Kyle Busch by David Reutimann illuminates a problem in NASCAR's Chase system.

By Jenna Fryer

Charlotte, N.C. -- When David Reutimann intentionally wrecked Kyle Busch at Kansas Speedway, the payback for an earlier incident cost Busch significantly in the championship standings.

It also reignited a serious debate about how drivers who aren't eligible for the title should be able to affect race drivers who are competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Contact between Busch and Reutimann caused Reutimann to wreck early in the race, and he sent Busch into the wall as retaliation about 100 laps later. Busch was running seventh at the time, finished 21st and dropped from third to seventh in the Chase standings.

Busch wondered after the race why Reutimann had to retaliate when he had so much on the line.

"For a guy that's in the Chase, that's racing for something? He'll be here next year, he could have wrecked me in any of the first 26 races next year. That would have been fine," Busch said.

But Reutimann didn't wait, arguing this week he didn't have the luxury of being wrecked by Busch at a more convenient time.

"I had a dang good race car, and I didn't have an opportunity to have a choice of when I wanted to get wrecked or how I wanted to get wrecked," he said.

The conversation coming out of Kansas has centered around the many elements of Reutimann's actions. Not too many people are hung up on whether or not he had the right to send a message to Busch. Instead, it's the day of delivery that's receiving so much scrutiny.

NASCAR's championship format puts just 12 drivers in contention for the title over the final 10 races of the season. Only the Chase drivers are racing against the full field, and everybody on the track has their own personal agendas.

There are drivers outside the Chase trying to win races, attract sponsors and line up jobs for next season. Every finishing position is critical, and nobody has a desire to pull over for a Chase driver.

Reutimann's team owner argued this week that the drivers not racing for the championship have every reason to race as hard as possible.

"There are 43 drivers on the race track each Sunday, and there is no delineation between Chase participants and non-Chase participants when it comes to respect," Michael Waltrip said.

The issue has been apparent since the opening race of the inaugural 2004 Chase. Robby Gordon and Greg Biffle got into a game of bumper-cars at New Hampshire, and Gordon's intentional retaliation collected Chase drivers Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield. Their championship chances were ruined before the halfway point of the first Chase race, and the debate over scoring championship contenders on their own points system has raged ever since.

NASCAR has never moved to adopt a separate points system, but non-Chase drivers have tried to be more careful in the years since.

"When I wasn't in the Chase, I would just be aware of my surroundings," said Biffle. "I was cognizant of racing Chase guys and really making sure I didn't make a mistake and take one out. For personal reasons, I don't want to be the guy who lost control of my car and hit a guy for a no reason."

Four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson said he's never really noticed drivers pulling over and letting him go by without incident just because he's racing for a title.

"The whole theory on etiquette is you race people how they race you," Johnson said. "I have to say that as a Chase driver, there are times where I wish guys would cut me some slack and recognize that I'm in the Chase. But then once I climb out of the car and really think about it, they're trying to do everything they can as well, for their jobs and their sponsors."

NASCAR has taken a more relaxed stand this season under the "Boys, have at it" policy of allowing drivers to self-police themselves. In years past, Reutimann likely would been have punished by NASCAR immediately after the accident.

But NASCAR took no action Sunday, and series director John Darby indicated there would be no serious follow-up.

"We'll follow up at the track, but the thing that's easy to get mixed up is there are 43 drivers on the racetrack, not just 12," Darby said.

So Busch will move ahead to California this weekend knowing that if not for a dustup with Reutimann, he'd be in much better shape in the Chase. He's probably blaming Reutimann for that, but Biffle said Chase drivers have their own responsibility to stay out of trouble. Had Busch not spun Reutimann, Biffle said, the payback never would have occurred.

"Be careful," Biffle said. "Why even put yourself in a position to spin somebody with so much on the line?"

The release of the movie "Secretariat" on Friday recalls a dark time 37 years ago when a great race horse lifted the spirits of the nation.

Chris Pizzello / Associated PressActress Diane Lane (left) portrays Penny Chenery (right), who was the owner of Secretariat when "Big Red" won the Triple Crown in 1973.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Secretariat was a thing of beauty in an ugly time. That is one reason why his name will last forever.

His records might too. That is another reason.

"Big Red" was his nickname. He had a glossy chestnut coat, and three of his legs were marked with white "stockings." For five weeks, spanning the Triple Crown races in 1973, he showed Americans what greatness looked like, while showing the world that it could still be born and bred here.

In the spring of 1973, American troops had finally left Vietnam. Two years later, helicopters would be rescuing Americans from the roof of the embassy when Saigon fell.

The Watergate hearings were on television during the spring and summer in 1973.

In the fall, the OPEC oil embargo began, in retribution for American aid to Israel during the Yom Kipper War. Motorists waited in long lines on odd or even days, determined by the final number on their license plate, to buy gas -- when there was any.

Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby

"Secretariat showed that we could export something that was beautiful and exciting and guileless in the time of Watergate and the war we were involved in," said Diane Lane, who plays the horse's owner Penny Chenery Tweedy in the Disney movie "Secretariat," which opens Friday.

The last movie about a horse that was a big hit was "Seabiscuit," who was an underdog and raced during the Great Depression. Ordinary people identified with him. Now the country is going through hard times again. It might take the last century's super horse to carry many of us to the finish line.

Penny Chenery's role is the underdog every Hollywood sports movie has to have. She assumed control of Meadow Farm Stables, a housewife in a male-dominated world, upon her father's death and set the course that resulted in racing's first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

Lane herself is a horsewoman. She did not ride in "Secretariat," however. "Not on those rockets [thoroughbreds]," she said in a national teleconference. "But I have ridden before on film, usually in a Western saddle, which requires a corset."

Secretariat still holds the record for the fastest time in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. He should share the Preakness record, but the official clock almost surely malfunctioned during the race.

People beyond the racing world loved him, not only because of his amazing blend of speed and endurance, but because of his personality. He was a showman.

Secretariat storms through the field to win the Preakness

"It was important when he was at stud [after his Triple Crown season] that he was at a farm where people could see him," Chenery said of Kentucky's Claiborne Farm. "He loved attention. He would come out and strut around."

The Belmont, the final Triple Crown race, made Secretariat an American folk hero with his smashing victory by 31 lengths in the daunting 1 1/2-mile test. Sham, second by 2 1/2 lengths in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, simply gave up when Secretariat made the greatest move in Triple Crown history on the backstretch.

"Sham was a great horse in his own right," said Secretariat's jockey Ron Turcotte in a national conference call. "Any other year, he might have won the Triple Crown. By the Belmont, he had chased Secretariat so long, it had taken it out of him. He was washed out."

"Secretariat put wings on, like Pegasus, at the Belmont and expressed all the joy of running," said Lane.

Turcotte is played in the movie by a real jockey, Otto Thorwarth. The film's camera angles include footage from a tiny camera mounted on the jockey's cap. "You can press the thumbnail-sized YouTube icon and watch that race, but you practically have dirt in your teeth after watching this movie," said Lane.

Asked what it felt and sounded like in the Belmont home stretch, Turcotte said, "All I could hear was the clippety-clop of my own horse, but I peeked at the crowd."

Secretariat "like a tremendous machine" routs the Belmont Stakes

He saw thousands of hands clapping, as the mass of spectators rose to their feet. "You know how it is when you see rough seas, with white caps? That's how it looked," he said.

Horse racing was much healthier in 1973 in this country than it is now. But Turcotte said he wouldn't count on another Secretariat coming along as a savior. The great horse was euthanized at age 19 in 1989 after he was afflicted with a painful hoof disease.

"Secretariat set records that still stand today. He could run on any surface, in the mud and slop, on soft turf, hard turf, deep turf," the jockey said. "It was like God decided to make the perfect horse."

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott will experiment with different players in second preseason game.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerJawad Williams will get much more playing time when the Cavaliers take on the Wizards Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena. "I just want to see him with extended minutes right now," said coach Byron Scott. "I think he'll play pretty good."

CAVALIERS VS. WIZARDS
Tipoff: Thursday, 7 p.m. at The Q.
TV/radio: No TV; WTAM AM/1100.
Notable: The Cavs and their fans will get their first look at rookie John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. In his NBA debut, Wall had 21 points, nine assists and four steals and was +16 in the Wizards’ 97-94 victory at Dallas on Tuesday. ... This will be Antawn Jamison’s first game against the Wizards since being traded to the Cavs last season. ... Cavs are still without Mo Williams (groin) and Anderson Varejao (personal). Varejao has yet to return from Brazil after the death of his grandfather.
— Mary Schmitt Boyer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To say that former Cavs coach Mike Brown's rotations were, well, dizzying would be an understatement.

Players would come from the deepest recesses of the bench to start for a few games and then disappear back into oblivion.

So it must have been refreshing when new coach Byron Scott told his players ahead of time that those who didn't play a lot in Tuesday's preseason victory over the Charlotte Bobcats would play more in Thursday's game against the Washington Wizards.

Say hello to Jawad Williams, Leon Powe, Christian Eyenga and Samardo Samuels.

Right now Cavs fans know the first two better than Scott does, and everybody is eager to see rookies Eyenga and Samuels, a free agent who opted for the Cavs instead of the Bulls after playing with Chicago in the summer league.

Williams, the St. Edward product who can play guard or forward, had the longest stint on Tuesday, with two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes -- all of the fourth quarter. Samuels, an undrafted rookie from Louisville who was born in Jamaica and can play center or power forward, checked in with 5:26 left and finished with four points and one rebound.

"I like them both," Scott said. "They've worked extremely hard. Both of them are physical, tough-type players. With Samardo, he's just young. He's really anxious out there. He just goes about 110 miles an hour. We're trying to get him to go about 80 miles an hour right now. Jawad, I just want to see him with extended minutes right now. I think he'll play pretty good."

Powe, of course, is still recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee in the summer of 2009.

"He's a warrior," Scott said of the veteran power forward. "I love his attitude, I love the way he competes every single day. And even without two great legs right now, he's out there on the floor and he gives you something positive. I'm anxious to see him out there. Love his attitude. Love his work ethic."

Then there's Eyenga, the team's first-round pick, No. 30 overall, in the 2009 NBA draft. A native of Congo, he played last season in Spain. He's raw, but can jump out of the gym.

"Freaky athleticism," Scott said with a grin.

Though Eyenga speaks five languages, including English, communication on the court has been a bit of an issue.

"He has a good understanding on the offensive end of what to do with the ball, he just doesn't have a great understanding of where to go," Scott said.

"He crowds guys. Like a lot of young players, he chases the ball. So his spacing is kind of bad. All those things every day we're working on with him, and trying to get him more familiar with what we're doing and trying to get him more comfortable as well."

Perfect 10: Daniel Gibson got to the free-throw line 10 times -- and made all 10 -- in the Cavs' 87-72 victory over the Bobcats. He'd like to make that a regular part of his game.

"That's part of being aggressive," he said of driving to the basket. "I might not get there 10 times. I might not get there at all. But I just want to be aggressive every night I'm out there on the floor."

Hitting the Wall: Scott said he hadn't seen a lot of Washington rookie John Wall yet."But I heard he's pretty good," the coach joked. "This will be a good little challenge for us."

Wall, of course, is the point guard from Kentucky who was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

"His speed. His quickness," Scott said. "He's very explosive when he's in the middle of the court. When he's in the open court, he reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul in that mode. It's going to be interesting to see how he plays."

Said Gibson, "I've heard a lot about him. Obviously he must be good, being the No. 1 pick. But it's about their team. They have a lot of guys on their team capable of doing different things. We've got to be prepared as a unit to go out and get it done."

"I'm not arguing with the results or the longterm intimidation factor the hit will bring. That said, it was a cheap forearm shiver shot. If it happened to one of the Browns receivers, the moaning would extend beyond the Cuyahoga. A stiff fine at the least is warranted." - randyosu

View full sizeJoshua Gunter | The Plain DealerT.J. Ward has had to answer for the hit he laid on Brian Shipley on Sunday.

In response to the story Former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira on T.J. Ward's hit: 'I think it was a cheap shot and he needs to be hit hard', cleveland.com reader randyosu thinks the hit sent a message, but also deserves to be punished. This reader writes,

"I'm not arguing with the results or the longterm intimidation factor the hit will bring. That said, it was a cheap forearm shiver shot. If it happened to one of the Browns receivers, the moaning would extend beyond the Cuyahoga. A stiff fine at the least is warranted."

"I imagine the word grind will be used in the interview. Any chance he can take Chris Gimenez with him? The Pirates might need a catcher that can play right field, first base and DH in AL parks." - NJTribefan1

View full sizeChuck Crow | The Plain DealerEric Wedge had seven up-and-down seasons as Indians manager.

In response to the story Eric Wedge interviews for Pittsburgh Pirates job, cleveland.com reader NJTribefan1 knows what Wedge's first move should be if he's hired. This reader writes,

"I imagine the word grind will be used in the interview. Any chance he can take Chris Gimenez with him? The Pirates might need a catcher that can play right field, first base and DH in AL parks."

The Flashes know there is something they can count on this season: their defense led by linebacker Cobrani Mixon.

View full sizeCraig Houtz / Centre (Pa.) Daily TimesKent State's Cobrani Mixon put pressure on Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden during their Sept. 18 game at State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions won the game, 24-0.

• Saturday: Akron at Kent State, 3:30 p.m. TV: STO.

RUN BUSTERS
Heading into Saturday’s game against Akron, Kent State’s defense is ranked first in the nation against the run. A game-by-game breakdown:
W vs. Murray State: minus-65 yards*
L at Boston College: 87 yards
L at Penn State: 162 yards
L at Miami (Ohio): 52 yards
* - denotes school record.

MIXON’S TACKLES BY GAME
Murray State: 8
Boston College: 15
Penn State: 8
Miami (Ohio): 8
-- Elton Alexander

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With the football season already on the brink for Kent State, the Flashes know there is something they can count on the rest of the way: their defense.

KSU's defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run and No. 27 overall. The Flashes allow just 59.0 rushing yards per game -- best in the nation -- and 306.5 yards total, No. 27 nationally.

Heading into Saturday's game against Akron, the Golden Flashes (1-3, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) are considered a heavy favorite despite having an offense that is sporadic at best.

Kent's defense began the season with a school record by holding Murray State to minus-65 yards on the ground. KSU has allowed over 100 yards just once, to Penn State.

As KSU's offense sputters through highs and lows, averaging 18.8 points per game, the defense offers hope. In the middle of it is senior linebacker Cobrani Mixon from Cincinnati.

"A day doesn't go by that we don't say, 'we've got to enjoy this group,'" KSU defensive co-ordinator Pete Rekstis said.

Mixon, in his third season with Kent, joins his high school teammate, safety Brian Lainhart, in calling defensive signals for the Flashes.

Cobra-quick and blacksmith-strong, Mixon operates behind a defensive line that funnels ballcarriers right to him. Mixon has a team-leading 39 tackles, including three for lost yardage and two sacks.

"Our defensive line is really playing well right now," Mixon said. "They have really stepped up. With those guys, there's really not much happening in the middle. They do all the hard work, I just clean up. I got the easy job."

It's a modesty the belies Mixon's true value. There are a lot of guys who play middle linebacker. But the gifted ones -- who can line up a defense after a quarterback's last audible; can see plays before they happen; can anticipate a tailback's cuts and a quarterback's snap count -- are rare.

The Flashes consider Mixon in that elite company.

"Obviously, his physical skills stand out," Rekstis said of the 6-1, 235-pound transfer from Michigan. "But the last two years, we've had two different inside linebacker coaches. Both of them came to the same conclusion. Don't over-coach him. Line him up and let him make plays.

"[Mixon] comes with God-given size and speed and an incredibly strong punch. He's hard to block, and he has the intangibles, leadership and all. We have him in several times a week, just with the coaches, when we formulate game plans. His ideas are as valuable and solid as any coach. He's settled more than a few debates about how we're going to defend things."

It shows up on film.

Akron (0-5, 0-1) has averaged 127.0 yards rushing, and to approach that total on Saturday, Zips coach Rob Ianello makes it clear that identifying Mixon's whereabouts will be essential.

"He is a physical guy, a big guy, runs to the ball well," Ianello said. "Their defense itself is the No. 1-ranked defense in the conference, and he is a big part why."

Mixon does it with no lingering thoughts of what could have been had he stayed at Michigan. Recruited by Lloyd Carr, he transferred to KSU after the coaching change where his high school teammate, safety Brian Lainhart, was already a part of the Golden Flashes.

"I've enjoyed my years here," Mixon said. "If I knew then what I know now, I would have come here first. ... Everything is working out. Hopefully we can start winning, so we can go out right."

The Browns did not explore trading for Randy Moss before New England dealt the receiver to Minnesota.

Winslow Townsend / Associated PressWith the New England Patriots eager to find a trading partner for Randy Moss, the Browns were apparently never interested in the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns' top two receivers on their depth chart have six receptions in four games, but the front office did not explore a trade for Randy Moss.

"Not that I'm aware of," said coach Eric Mangini.

Moss is 10th all-time among receivers in receptions (935), fifth in yards (14,604) and fourth in touchdowns (151). He was traded on Wednesday by New England to Minnesota for a third-round draft choice in 2011. The Patriots reportedly also included a seventh-round pick in the deal.

It's speculative how Moss would have reacted to a trade to the Browns, of course. In being swapped to the Vikings, he'll rejoin the team that drafted him and run routes for quarterback Brett Favre, who strongly lobbied the Packers to acquire him when he played in Green Bay.

The Browns have consistently pledged confidence in their young receiving corps. Their leaders in catches among wideouts are Josh Cribbs with 12 and Chansi Stuckey with 10.

"It's not a function of us not looking at receivers," Mangini said. "We look at players every day. We brought Sam Aiken in [as a free agent on Sept. 25]. There's trades, waiver wires, guys on the street, guys in UFL, it's ongoing. ... if someone pops up that we have interest in, we'll bring him in on Tuesday or Friday.

"Sometimes it's just claiming them off waivers. There's also the practice squad groups. So there's a lot of guys you're looking at simultaneously. Trades are not always the easiest thing in the world to get to."

The other trade: The Browns did confirm the trade with Minnesota for defensive end Jayme Mitchell for an undisclosed 2012 draft pick.

Mitchell, originally an undrafted free agent from Mississippi, had five sacks and one forced fumble in 29 regular-season games. Mangini said Mitchell impressed him in the Browns' opening-game loss to Minnesota in 2009.

"I think he's got good natural pass rush ability," the coach said. "It's a very different system he's coming from but there are a lot of things we think he can help us with. I think he does good job at the line of scrimmage in the running game. It's a different pattern, so we have to see how it fits with us. It's a function of us getting him up to speed, get him a role and him learning the system before he can play."

Mitchell, 6-6 and 285 pounds, said he has never played in a 3-4 defensive system such as the Browns and has not played linebacker since high school.

"[The Browns' system is] a big difference, something I have to get used to," he said.

McCoy's take: Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy is best friends with Cincinnati receiver Jordan Shipley from their five years together at the University of Texas. Here's what McCoy said about T.J. Ward's hit on Shipley: "He's trying to make a play. I thought it was a great play. Unfortunately, [Shipley] got hurt. It was just one of those things. It's football. It's a violent sport."

As the QB turns: Jake Delhomme practiced on Wednesday -- first day of the work week -- for the first time in four weeks. If he proves he can move normally and doesn't have a physical setback, Delhomme would make his first start Sunday against Atlanta since suffering a high ankle sprain in the season opener on Sept. 12.

Mangini said Delhomme would split time at practice with Seneca Wallace. All things being equal, Mangini said Delhomme's familiarity with former division rival Atlanta should help.

But "we're not going to put someone at risk for reinjury of the same injury if they're not ready," he said.

Wallace, who's compiled a 1-2 record with a rating of 82.2 in the three games of Delhomme's absence, said, "Whatever happens, happens. I can't be upset about it."

Robiskie family reunion: Brian Robiskie, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, said he is back to full health and is excited about playing in his first NFL game opposite his father, Terry, who is Atlanta's receivers coach.

"Obviously, after seeing what he's been doing for so long and now to be on the other side of it is going to be fun," he said. "Some family competition. But at the end of the day it's the Browns against the Falcons."

Robiskie usually talks by phone with his father during the week and normally the night before a game, "but we'll see about this week," he said.

Dinner with dad on Saturday night is definitely not an option.

Brownie points: Not practicing Wednesday were defensive linemen Robaire Smith (back), Shaun Rogers (hip, ankle) and Kenyon Coleman (knee). Also out were offensive tackle John St. Clair (ankle), safety/special teams ace Nick Sorensen (calf) and center Alex Mack (shoulder). Mangini said he expected Mack and most of the others back later in the week. ... The Browns' 10-2 record against Atlanta (.833) is their best mark against any opponent.

Freshman striker Darren Mattocks scored twice as the No. 1-ranked Zips improved to 8-0-1.

PONTIAC, Mich. -- The top-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team used four first-half goals -– two by freshman striker Darren Mattocks -– to cruise to a 5-0 win at Oakland University Wednesday night.

With the victory, the Zips (8-0-1) extended their regular-season road unbeaten streak to 20 games (17-0-3) dating back to 2008. Akron, which matched an NCAA record for consecutive shutouts earlier this season, has recorded a clean sheet in eight of nine games.

The Zips scored four times in the game’s first 25 minutes and rested its starters in the second half. For the game, UA outshot Oakland, 27-5, with a 13-0 edge in shots on goal. The Golden Grizzlies fell to 3-7-0.

UA jumped on top early when a through ball from Darlington Nagbe found Mattocks, who had slipped past his man on the left wing and tucked a low kick just inside the near post.

Akron then put together a great sequence to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute. Ben Speas, who earned his first start, chipped a pass from midfield that found Nagbe, who was racing down the left flank. Nagbe then touched the ball over to Mattocks, who turned and buried a shot from 15 yards.

It was the first multiple-goal performance of Mattocks' career. The true freshman striker from Jamaica has recorded four goals in his last four matches and leads the Zips with six goals for the season.

UA scored its third goal when Anthony Ampaipitakwong launched a free kick from 40 yards near the far touchline that found the head of Chad Barson, who banged it home from close range in the 23rd minute.

The Zips' relentless attack yielded the team's fourth goal of the first 24 minutes when Michael Nanchoff uncorked a free kick from 25 yards that deflected off a Grizzlies' defender and into the right corner of the net. It was Nanchoff's second goal of the season.

Akron travels to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois Saturday at 4 p.m.

Broadcaster says his main point was that "the issue of steroids belongs in the hands of doctors and not in the hands of a journalist."

By Eddie Pells

Associated Press

Brent Musburger, the play-by-play man for some of college football's biggest games, told a group of college journalism students that professional athletes under a doctor's supervision could potentially use steroids to improve performance.

Musburger, on the lead announcing team for ABC and ESPN, told students at the University of Montana that steroids have no place in high school athletics, but they could be used in the pros under the proper care and doctor's advice.

"Here's the truth about steroids: They work," he said in a story reported by The Missoulian.

"I've had somebody say that, you know, steroids should be banned because they're not healthy for you," he told the students Tuesday. "Let's go find out. What do the doctors actually think about anabolic steroids and the use by athletes? Don't have a preconceived notion that this is right or this is wrong."

Musburger said negative stories about steroids are mainly the fault of "journalism youngsters out there covering sports [who] got too deeply involved in something they didn't know too much about."

AP photoESPN announcer Brent Musburger, the play-by-play man for some of college football's biggest games, told a group of college journalism students that professional athletes under a doctor's supervision could potentially use steroids to improve performance.

Asked by The Associated Press to expand on his comments Wednesday, Musburger said through a publicist at ESPN that he stood by the comments he made to the students and that his main point was that "the issue of steroids belongs in the hands of doctors and not in the hands of a journalist."

Dr. Gary Wadler, who leads the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency, said he was "kind of surprised Brent would make that statement."

"He's categorically wrong, and if he'd like to spend a day in my office, I can show him voluminous literature going back decades about the adverse effects of steroids," he said. "They have a legitimate role in medicine that's clearly defined. But if it's abused, it can have serious consequences."

The most common health consequences from steroids include liver cancer, heart attacks and elevated cholesterol levels, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Steroids have also been shown to cause increased irritability and aggression.

Among the many examples of the negative effects of steroids are the cases of dozens of East German women Olympians who took the drugs in the 1960s and '70s and wound up with a variety of medical issues after their careers were over. Former NFL lineman Lyle Alzado, who died in 1992 at 43, blamed his fatal brain tumor on his persistent use of steroids. Taylor Hooton was a 17-year-old baseball player who committed suicide in 2003; doctors believe Hooton became depressed after he stopped using steroids.

Almost all the major pro sports have rules forbidding steroid use, though the effectiveness and enforcement of those rules are widely debated.

"No athlete should ever be made to feel compelled to use drugs, nor should such behavior become normalized, particularly when our youth are so influenced by the example set by their sports heroes," said Erin Hannan, spokesperson for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Musburger, 71, was the top sports anchor on CBS through much of the 1980s but was fired in 1990. He made a comeback on ABC and ESPN and is the play-by-play man for the network's lead announcing team on college football. He has worked the last three BCS title games.

He said he doesn't trust journalists when they report about steroids.

"They come in with a negative view and they take it from there," he told the students.

Charlie Manuel took a big risk when he left the Indians the way he did, and once again it has paid off in Philadelphia, Bud Shaw says in his Spin column.

View full sizeMatt Slocum / Associated PressCharlie Manuel may have left the Cleveland Indians before he was fired, but he never lost his belief in himself -- which has paid off in four consecutive playoff seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tell em' in Cleveland that Charlie Manuel's back in the playoffs...

Manuel tells the Philadelphia media he called more meetings this season than ever.

So that was the reason for the turnaround that produced baseball's best regular season record for the first time in club history?

Not exactly.

"A lot of times I don't even know what I'm saying, especially when I get upset," Manuel told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I curse a lot. I'm not afraid to call you out. I'll tell you where it's at. I've heard people call me 'Uncle' or say that I'm soft -- I'm definitely not that."

So there. Charlie could claim to have rallied the troops with fiery well-chosen words ... if he had absolutely any recollection of what he said to his players.

For all he knows, he could've re-enacted "Braveheart." It would be news to him.

We know how it turned out and that's all that matters. The Phillies won 97 games and another division title. Manuel became the third NL manager -- along with Bobby Cox and John McGraw -- to reach the postseason four years running.

In Philly, they weren't just calling Manuel "Uncle" when he didn't make the playoffs as Phillies' manager his first two seasons. They were calling him a hillbilly, a hick, Elmer Befuddled.

Philly's World Series title in 2008 brought sweet justice to one of baseball's good guys. His shout-out to Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes in the post-game press conference was classic Charlie, which is to say heartfelt and a little confusing.

"Hoynsie, I'll ask you something," a smiling Manuel said after the Phillies knocked off Tampa Bay. "Why don't you go back to Cleveland and tell them that we won a World Series, all right? OK?"

Uh, Charlie, the game aired nationally. They probably saw it.

Hoynes asked him if he felt he had something to prove to the Indians front office.

"I already knew how good I was," he said.

While that boast was out of character, it was hard to hold it against him.

Say this for Charlie. Of all the players, managers and coaches to have called Cleveland home over the years, you can make the case that none took a bigger risk in leaving than Manuel. He forced his own firing at the All-Star break because he suspected he'd be out at the end of the season.

GMs and owners don't look too fondly on managers quitting in mid-season. In a sport trending toward Ivy Leaguers analyzing computer programs fed by stat geeks, Manuel took the chance he'd never manage again.

He was replacing the fiery Larry Bowa in a city where Bowa was celebrated as baseball's Clint Eastwood. With his country manner, twisted speech and players' manager reputation, Manuel was as out of place as Jed Clampett on Rodeo Drive.

Now his Phillies are favored to reach their third consecutive World Series. If by now anyone still believes he can't manage, they deserve the nickname Charlie gave one of his hard-throwing, stubborn young pitchers here in Cleveland.

Jughead.

Manuel dropped it into a conversation one day. Why that name, someone asked.

"Cuz he's got a big head," Manuel said, then paused. "Kinda empty, too."

SPINOFFS

Lynne Sladky / Associated PressHey, maybe it was a problem that you couldn't see LeBron James' face on that banner in Cleveland for all those years. Thank goodness the Miami fans will actually be able to identify him with the Heat.

ESPN's dedicated coverage of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will be known as the "Heat Index." With most of the country divided between those who want to see the Heat fail and those who grow tired of ESPN beating certain stories to death, ESPN runs the risk of being met by what will become known as the "Cold Shoulder."...

Browns' safety T.J. Ward got appropriately fined for a dangerous hit on Cincinnati's Jordan Shipley. At least I think it was T.J. Ward. To hear Fox's rules expert Mike Pereira rake Ward over the coals for the incident, it could've been Son of Sam...

Sixty-three percent of respondents to the annual NBA.com GM survey pick the Lakers as the team to beat. Miami was second with 33 percent, no doubt leaving CNN's Soledad O'Brien to wonder if race played a factor...

Bill Belichick gets rid of Randy Moss two days after a reported heated exchange between Moss and QB coach Bill O'Brien. The difference between Moss and Bernie Kosar vis a vis Belichick? Kosar was insubordinate and had diminished skills...

Oh yeah, there's one more slight difference. This time Belichick turns to Tom Brady and not Todd Philcox...

Baltimore's Brian Roberts missed the last six games of the Orioles' season with concussion-like symptoms after hitting himself in the helmet with a bat in frustration after a ninth-inning strikeout. It's the dumbest self-inflicted baseball injury since Marty Cordovamissed a game with a bad sunburn after falling asleep in a tanning bed...

HE SAID IT

"[It] would just cause too much trouble. It's just going to interrupt the game. Baseball's going to be boring again." -- San Francisco Giants reliever Brian Wilson on expanded use of instant replay during the postseason.

Again?

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Mid-Week Edition)

"Bud:

"I don't think I can handle any more disappointment. Please tell the truth. Will you be taking your talents to South Beach too?" -- Regards, Tom Hoffner

No, but I was once asked to speak at an insomnia clinic in South Euclid.

"Bud:

"How about this for a 'separated at birth.' New Cavaliers' coach Byron Scott and County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones?" -- Rich Silver

I thought you were going to say LeBron James and Martin Luther King.

"Bud:

"Mary Kay Cabot recently updated her byline picture and looks great. When you re-did yours a while back, well, what went wrong there?" -- John Reinker

When I pose for a picture I consider it "performance art." In that particular photo I was trying to look like Gollum from "Lord of the Rings."

"Dear Bud:

"Will LeBron be offended if I continue to root for the Cavs?" -- Jim O., Chardon

LeBron will have to ask LeBron what LeBron thinks and right now LeBron isn't thinking at all.

"Bud:

"I have a chicken or egg question. In practice, do the Browns' wideouts appear to be of all-pro caliber because of our corners; or are the corners in lockdown mode due to our wideouts?" -- Jim Lefkowitz, Pepper Pike

The Browns have wideouts ... good one.

"Bud:

"Should someone inform Manny Acta that the so called 'mistake by the lake' was torn down years ago?" -- Bob

According to a Wikipedia entry by a O.C. Boyd, that's an ocean.

"Bud:

"I saw on Sunday that Shaun Rogers was offside twice. Today, I read that the Cleveland Schools have recruited Shaun to combat tardiness. Do you think the kids will start showing up early?" -- Edward Aube

First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

"Bud:

"Behind home plate [at Progressive Field] there was an advertisement for 'Lumber Liquidators,' Does that explain the disappearance of the Tribe's bats?" -- Pat

Repeat winners receive an autographed box of toothpicks.

The Yankees rally from a 3-0 deficit against Francisco Liriano and improve to 10-2 against the Twins in the postseason since 2003.

View full sizeCharlie Neibergall / Associated PressThe Yankees' Nick Swisher (33) congratulates Mark Teixeira after Teixeira hit a two-run home run during the seventh inning in Minneapolis.

Jon Krawczynski / Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Indoors or outdoors, the New York Yankees still own the Minnesota Twins in the postseason.

Mark Teixeira hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning to rally the Yankees to a 6-4 victory over the Twins in Game 1 of the AL division series on Wednesday night.

Yankees ace CC Sabathia labored, but reliever David Robertson fanned Jim Thome in a key spot and Mariano Rivera got the final four outs to close another win for the defending World Series champions. The Yankees rallied from a 3-0 deficit against Francisco Liriano and improved to 10-2 against the Twins in the playoffs since 2003.

Even a blown call by the umpires -- shades of the previous two postseasons -- that went against the Yankees with two outs in the bottom of the ninth didn't hurt them.

"It's just bad luck for Minnesota. We just keep fighting. That's a great team over there. We've played a lot of tough games against them," Teixeira said.

Michael Cuddyer homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Twins, who played their first outdoor postseason game in Minnesota since 1970. They were hoping a move from the shabby Metrodome outdoors to gorgeous Target Field would turn their fortunes around, but it was more of the same against the mighty Yankees.

Game 2 is tonight. Carl Pavano will pitch for the Twins against Andy Pettitte.

Jorge Posada had two hits and RBI and Curtis Granderson added a two-run triple for New York, which has never won a postseason series as a wild card.

Rivera recorded his 40th career postseason saves in 45 chances, but had to work a little harder than he planned. Replays showed Yankees right fielder Greg Golson -- inserted that inning for defensive purposes -- caught Delmon Young's sinking liner for what should've been the last out.

But umpire Chris Guccione ruled that he trapped it and the call stood after the umpires huddled. Manager Joe Girardi came out to argue, but to no avail. With the tying run at the plate, Thome flied out to Alex Rodriguez to end the game.

"Mo did a great job there," Teixeira said. "Should have been four outs in a row."

Rivera came into the game in the eighth with runners at second and third and retired Denard Span on a grounder to preserve a two-run edge.

Liriano gave up four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in 5 2-3 innings for the Twins.

The Dominican lefty breezed through the first five innings of his first career postseason start, allowing just four hits as the Twins jumped out to the early lead.

Cuddyer crushed a two-run homer into the trees in center field in the second inning and Orlando Hudson scored on a passed ball in the third to make it 3-0, as more than 42,000 at jam-packed Target Field leaped to their feet.

But these power-packed Yankees, who swept the Twins in the ALDS last season en route to their 27th title, don't rattle so easily.

During the regular season, the Yankees overcame deficits of three runs or more to win seven times, according to STATS LLC, and led the majors with 48 come-from-behind victories. Seven of their 11 victories in the postseason last year came after they fell behind, including all three against the Twins.

Their latest started in the sixth against Liriano who retired 10 in a row before Teixeira doubled down the left-field line. Liriano walked Rodriguez and Robinson Cano and Posada followed with RBI singles to make it 3-2.

Rather than go to Jose Mijares in the bullpen, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire stuck with Liriano against the lefty Granderson, who came into the game hitting just .234 in 158 at-bats against lefties.

Before the game, Girardi was asked about going with Granderson, who was 4 for 22 against Liriano. The center fielder made Girardi look pretty smart, hitting a triple off the scoreboard in right-center field to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

Sabathia gave it right back in the bottom of the inning, walking rookie Danny Valencia with two outs and the bases loaded to tie the game. But the big lefty -- one of the leading contenders for the AL Cy Young award -- fanned J.J. Hardy to escape the jam.

Sabathia gave up four runs -- three earned -- on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Teixeira came up with one on and one out in the seventh to face Jesse Crain, who has been the Twins' best reliever over the second half of the season. But Teixeira sent a fastball soaring just inside the right-field foul pole, completely deflating the juiced home crowd.

It's not the first time Teixeira has trampled the Twins' hearts. His 11th-inning home run in Game 2 last year gave the Yankees a 4-3 victory and got them rolling toward the sweep.

The Twins had a chance in the seventh, when Thome came to the plate with two runners on and two outs. But Robertson got him to chase a breaking ball in the dirt to end the inning.

In the last four years, 15 of 16 teams to win first-round openers have gone on to advance to the league championship series. The lone exception was the 2006 Detroit Tigers, who lost the opener at Yankee Stadium and then won three in a row.

No team has lost a first-round opener at home and still advanced since the 2005 Los Angeles Angels, who beat the Yankees in five games.

With its baseball-colored roof and earsplitting crowd noise, the Metrodome was long thought of as one of the few true home-field advantages in baseball. But it wasn't doing the Twins any good recently. They lost their last eight playoff games under the big top, then went an AL-best 53-28 at home under the stars in the first season at Target Field.

Many lobbied the Twins to put a roof on Target Field for these supposedly frosty October nights. It was a gem of a night for the opener, with the temperature at first pitch a comfortable 63 degrees.

What Target Field lacked in the volume department, it more than made up for in ambiance. The brand new ballpark sparkled under the pitch black sky, with the lights from the skyline just beyond right field providing a breathtaking backdrop.

But it did the home team no good. Reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer went just 1 for 5 with a single and the Twins finished 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Ohio State sophomore safety Orhian Johnson could have been an Indiana quarterback, but with injuries in the secondary, the Buckeyes need to him to play like a veteran against the Hoosiers.

View full sizeMarvin Fong / The Plain Dealer"I definitely feel like I've come a long way from my freshman year in knowing the defense and knowing where I need to be," says former high-school quarterback and now college safety Orhian Johnson. "But I feel as if I still have more room for improvement."

THE JOHNSON FILE
Orhian Johnson: OSU soph strong safety
Ht./wt.: 6-2, 205 pounds
The scoop: Was a three star recruit out of St. Petersburg, Fla., and recruited by some teams as a quarterback, though Ohio State always saw him as a safety. ... Will make his fourth career start against Indiana on Saturday. ... Was expected to win the starting job in preseason camp before he was sidelined by calf injury that allowed sophomore C.J. Barnett to win the job. Coaches also indicated they thought Johnson let down after assuming the job was his. ... Came back into the starting lineup when Barnett was lost for the season after hurting his knee against Miami. ... Tied for ninth on the team with 12 tackles, and has forced one fumble.
— Doug Lesmerises

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two of Orhian Johnson's best options in recruiting were playing safety at Ohio State or quarterback at Indiana.

While the native of St. Petersburg, Fla., was in high school, coaches for the Hoosiers told him not to let other schools take the ball out of his hands. If Johnson had listened, he might be preparing for the Ohio State defense this week instead of being part of the defense preparing for the Indiana quarterback.

"I mean, with my goals, of course I think I would have hopefully made it to the Heisman and those other good things," Johnson said with a smile.

In reality, the third-year sophomore probably would have been backing up Indiana fifth-year senior and starting quarterback Ben Chappell. With the Buckeyes, Johnson will make his fourth career start Saturday as part of a secondary that has grown even younger with freshman Christian Bryant stepping in for senior Tyler Moeller, who is out for the season after tearing a pectoral muscle at Illinois last week.

Johnson entered the starting lineup after sophomore C.J. Barnett was lost for the season after injuring his knee against Miami. OSU safeties coach Paul Haynes on Wednesday admitted that the Buckeyes are at the limit of secondary injuries they can handle without really digging into the depth chart.

As Bryant and Johnson continue to find their way, they'll have to rely on their natural skills, and Johnson has plenty of those.

"He can jump out of the gym and run fast and do everything," OSU senior cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said. "So we have high expectations for him."

"He's a crazy athlete," senior Jermale Hines said. "He's probably the most athletic on the team besides Terrelle."

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Johnson isn't as big as 6-6, 235-pound Terrelle Pryor, but he might be the closest thing to Pryor the Buckeyes have on the roster. Indiana saw Johnson as a dual-threat quarterback, and Johnson said he could do it all under center, though he was a sucker for the big play.

"Every down I was trying to score. I went too much for the big play," Johnson said. "That's why I never criticize the quarterback because no else knows how that really feels until you've got 300 pounds in front of you and you're trying to look downfield. That's a tough job."

It's a job he wasn't attached to.

Johnson's final three choices in recruiting were the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers and South Florida, which also saw him as a quarterback.

Johnson said the Hoosiers showed him a lot of love and he seriously thought about going to Indiana, but he considered his future teammates more important than his position.

Johnson said he committed to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day in 2008 because of the friendships he'd established with fellow recruits Etienne Sabino, Travis Howard, Mike Brewster, DeVier Posey and Jake Stoneburner.

Then the quarterback, who also played some defensive back in high school, went about becoming a safety.

"I knew I wasn't great at any one position because of the fact I had played so many positions," Johnson said. "But I looked at it as more of a plus that I could fit in at a lot of places on the field. I definitely feel like I've come a long way from my freshman year in knowing the defense and knowing where I need to be. But I feel as if I still have more room for improvement."

He does.

Johnson was late making plays on several throws against Eastern Michigan two weeks ago. In the wind at Illinois last week, the secondary wasn't tested much. Hines said Johnson was making some small mistakes, while Chekwa said he's maybe more critical of Johnson than others because he sees so much potential.

But with Bryant now in the lineup, and Hines having to take the freshman under his wing, Johnson is no longer the young guy the seniors in the back end can protect. Now he really needs to be ready to be not just a football player, but a safety.

"We've got to make sure we're not happy just going out there and getting lined up. We've got to make plays," Haynes said. "He's been solid for us. He just needs to step up and make some plays."

Haynes believes that in the right system, Johnson could have been a college quarterback. Maybe it would have worked at Indiana. The best thing for the Buckeyes would be for Johnson to play safety Saturday in a way that makes the Hoosiers really wish he was theirs.

Injury update: Ohio State senior backup receiver Grant Schwartz was taken to the Ohio State Medical Center after going down during practice on Wednesday. He had movement in his extremities when he was taken to the hospital, and Schwartz's father told Channel 10 in Columbus that his son was released from the hospital and was fine. ... Quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano said Pryor was full-go in practice again on Wednesday and looked fine after straining his thigh against Illinois. ... Tight end Stoneburner practiced some on Wednesday, according to tight ends coach John Peterson, but his status for Saturday with a high ankle sprain has still not been determined. He missed last week's game.

The Phillies' ace is near perfect in his masterpiece over the Reds on the opening day of the playoffs.

View full sizeRob Carr / Associated PressRoy Halladay and catcher Carlos Ruiz begin the celebration of Halladay's no-hitter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Ruiz recorded the last out, fielding Brandon Phillips tapper in front of the plate and throwing to first baseman Ryan Howard.

Matt Gelb / Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The ball just sat there. It was a few feet from home plate, a sure out. But Brandon Phillips' bat was in the way.

A sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park gasped. Carlos Ruiz fell to his knees. He finally found the ball and threw to first.

Roy Halladay achieved immortality. Again.

The Phillies' ace threw the second no-hitter in postseason history Wednesday in a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League division series.

He pitched the game of his life twice in one season.

Already having thrown a perfect game May 29 against the Marlins, Halladay did it again -- this time allowing just one runner on a walk. Incredibly, Halladay threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 28 batters he faced. Of the 104 pitches he threw, just 25 were balls. He struck out eight.

It's the second postseason no-hitter ever. The other was a perfect game pitched by the Yankees' Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Halladay's would have been a perfect game had he not issued a six-pitch walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth. He was the Reds' lone base runner.

Halladay is just the fifth pitcher all-time to have two no-hitters in the same season (counting the playoffs). The others: Johnny Vander Meer (1938), Allie Reynolds (1951), Virgil Trucks (1952) and Nolan Ryan (1973).

There were just two close calls. In the third, Reds reliever Travis Wood lined out sharply to right. In the fourth, Joey Votto hit a grounder in the hole on the left side that Jimmy Rollins fielded on the edge of the grass. He threw off his back foot to retire Votto with ease.

In the eighth, Halladay struck out Drew Stubbs on three pitches to end the inning. The third one was a cutter that a helpless Stubbs just watched fly by him. Halladay slowly walked off the mound as the fans waved their towels.

The fans rose after Raul Ibanez popped out to short to end the eighth. They waited quietly until Halladay finally emerged from the dugout to throw his warm-up tosses.

They chanted "Let's go, Doc!" as he pumped strike after strike in the ninth. When it was over, the 46,411 fans in attendance stood in amazement as Halladay's teammates stormed the mound.

Before Halladay allowed a postseason hit, he had one of his own. Ruiz drew a two-out, four-pitch walk in the second. Wilson Valdez hit an infield single up the middle. Halladay followed with a sinking liner to left that bounced right in front of a lunging Jonny Gomes to score Ruiz.

That's when things turned from bad to worse for Reds starter Edinson Volquez. He walked Jimmy Rollins on eight pitches. Shane Victorino singled to center on the eighth pitch he saw to score two runs.

Volquez's night was over, having thrown 39 pitches in the second without being able to retire the side.

His counterpart didn't hit 39 pitches until the fourth. Halladay needed more than 12 pitches in any one inning just two times.

The Phillies jumped on the mound as if they had won a postseason series. Not yet, but Wednesday was a memorable start.

In the first game of the day, Cliff Lee carried the Texas Rangers to a Game 1 victory over Tampa Bay with a 5-1 complete-game victory.