The Indians optioned TJ House to Class AAA Columbus, which cleared the way for Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson to decide the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Spring training is a strange time of year. The clock is always running and good performances do not always lead to good news.

Left-hander TJ House threw four scoreless innings Sunday as the Indians beat Seattle, 10-5. It was House's best performance of the spring.

Monday morning House was called to manager Terry Francona's office and told he was being optioned to Class AAA Columbus. House's demotion means the competition for the fifth spot in the starting rotation is down to Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson.

When Francona tells a player he's being sent to the minors, he sometimes asks, "Are you able to sit here and process this for the next five or 10 minutes? Because sometimes all a guy hears is that he's being sent down."

House said he was able to keep a clear head.

"I know this isn't what guys want to hear when they come to camp, but he was pretty realistic," Francona told reporters Monday morning in Goodyear, Ariz. "I showed him the board (roster) and told him, 'You missed so much time last year and when you look at the board it's hard to jump you ahead of those guys.'"

House made the Tribe's opening day rotation last year. He came down with a sore left shoulder and pitched only 37 innings in the big leagues and minors.

The Indians rotation is the strength of the team. The top four starters are going to be Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. The fifth spot will be decided between Tomlin and Anderson. House, working on his last minor league option, has to be wondering where he fits.

Francona told him, "If you do what you do -- you've pitched for us before and that was plenty good enough - you can do that again. And I fully believe that. I think he does to.

"I told him he's done a really good job of getting back to where he needs to be. I give him credit for being smart enough to see the bigger picture."

Francona says House's breaking ball, which looked good Sunday, still needs work.

"There is some rust he has to shake off," said Francona. "He needs to find some consistency. It was nice to see him throw like he did Sunday. We've seen when he's good what he can do."

Francona gave Tomlin a vote of confidence Sunday for the fifth spot. Tomlin can pitch out of the bullpen and rotation, but Francona said the Indians prefer him to start.

Kluber in control, Tomlin gets vote of confidence

In an interesting development, Tomlin and Anderson are trying to solve the same problem despite their different pitching styles. Last year Tomlin's average fastball was 88.4 mph. Anderson's fastball averaged 92.2 mph.

This spring they are both throwing harder. Tomlin is pitching healthy following spring-training surgery on his right shoulder in 2015. Anderson has reshaped his body, flexibility and strength through two years of training. This spring he's been throwing between 95 mph and 97 mph.

Francona said Tomlin has a new gear that he's still coming to terms with.

"Josh isn't throwing now trying to find an arm slot where it doesn't hurt," said Francona. "He's letting it go and sometimes he's got to remind himself who he is."

Regarding Anderson, Francona said he's learning to throw at his new velocity. Anderson told one reporter that he feels like a "baby horse who is still learning how to run."

Said Francona, "It's more like a baby bull."

How Tomlin and Anderson control their new found velocity will go a long way in determining their success this season.

Testing, testing: Asked what the Indians want to see out of Marlon Byrd in the last two weeks of spring training, Francona said, "I couldn't tell you one thing. We don't need to see him hit a home run. This is going to be hard one. We're balancing not trying to do too much too quick."

Byrd asked Francona if he wanted him to play in a minor league game on Tuesday. It's the Indians only off day this spring and Francona told him no.

"I felt a day away would probably be good for him," said Francona.

Byrd, who played Sunday against Seattle, started against Chicago on Monday and doubled in his first two at-bats. The Indians signed Byrd on Friday to a minor league deal.

Tribe signs Byrd to minor league deal

"Our goal will be to get the best evaluation we can," said Francona. "It's going to be hard unless something jumps out one way or the other."

The Cleveland Indians will have to pay close attention to Marlon Byrd, who drilled two doubles in his second game with the Tribe.

GOODYEAR, ARIZONA -- Scribbles in my Tribe notebook while watching Marlon Byrd crush two doubles. The Tribe beat the White Sox, 9-4:

1. So what about Marlon Byrd, who arrived in camp over the weekend after signing a minor league contract? Before Monday's game, Terry Francona said: "This going to be a hard one."

2. The manager was talking about how Byrd has so little time to make an impression. Byrd was 0-of-3 in Sunday's game. But Monday, he hammered two doubles to center filed. He also drew a walk in three at bats.

3. So Byrd can make it easy for Tribe to keep him if he keeps hitting like that. Before the game, Byrd said he needs about 15 at bats to bring his swing "up to game speed." The 38-year-old Byrd hit 23 homers last season...and has 72 over the last three years.

4. After the game, Francona said Byrd jumped on a fastball for his first double, then hit another double off a breaking pitch. The manager added: "The ball jumped off his bat pretty good. He's been doing this long enough, he knows . . . there's a reason you hit 23 homers."

5. Byrd said he had been working out with the Pierce College team in the Los Angeles area. "The pitchers throw 85-to-88 mph," he said. "The hardest was 91 mph. They don't have the snap or control you see up here."

6. Byrd also knows that he's auditioning for other teams. A solid showing with the Tribe should make him of interest to a team looking for a veteran right-handed hitter. But the Indians have to consider keeping him. None of the other veteran free agent outfields has impressed. That list includes Colin Cowgill, Will Venable, Robbie Grossman and Joey Butler.

7. Juan Uribe started at third base and was 0-for-3. Giovanny Urshela took over and blasted a 3-run homer to right center field. That was Urshela's fifth homer of the preseason.

8. Uribe played in two games early in camp, the last being March 10. He was in the USA on a visitor's visa. He had to return to the Dominican Republic to secure a work visa, and it took about 10 days for that to be worked out.

9. Urshela is batting .314 this spring and he's ticketed for Class AAA Columbus. He's made a strong impression this spring. Francona liked how Urshela's homer went to right-center, rather than pulling the ball. "That's really good to see. He didn't do that (often) last season."

10. Old friend Jerry Sands is with the White Sox and has an outside chance to make the roster. Sands opened with the Tribe in Cleveland last season. He batted .236 (.676 OPS) with 4 HR and 19 RBI in 50 games. Sands is hitting .242 with 3 HR for the White Sox this spring.

11. Francisco Lindor has four hits in his last two games, raising his spring batting average to .286. He has made several goods plays in the field and looks ready to open the season.

12. Tyler Naquin was 0-for-3. He drew a walk. He crushed a line drive to deep left that was caught. He also struck out and popped out. He made a nice running catch in center field. He's hitting .400.

13. Jose Ramirez struck again, slamming a 390-foot double to center. Ramirez had two homers in Sunday's game. This spring, he has 4 HR and is batting .390. "He also made a very nice play defensively (at second base)," said Francona.

LeBron James posted 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for his 41st-career triple-double during the regular season in an easy Cavs win Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - LeBron James played one of his best games this season and reached his 41^st career regular-season triple-double Monday night.

But nevermind that, right? There's more Twitter drama to discuss.

James tallied 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Cavs' 124-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets. It was James' second triple-double this season; the other was Feb. 8 against Sacramento.

The Cavs also won their 50th game this season and clinched their second consecutive Central Division title.

Virtually up until James notched that 11^th assist in the fourth quarter, the Internet was ablaze because of James' apparent step earlier Monday to actually unfollow the Cavs' Twitter account.

Also Monday, for the first time since he returned to the Cavaliers, James simply chose not to speak to the media following the team's morning shootaround.

It's strange behavior, to be sure. But it's hard to know or even fathom the relevance.

Triple-doubles are easier to gauge.

"I haven't had a chance to talk with him about it," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said before the game, responding to a question about James' general mood toward the team. "I just know that, with him, he has to set the tone every night for us, offensively and defensively. When LeBron's flying around defensively, when he's attacking the basket with pace and transition, that kind of gets everyone else juiced up and ready to play, so those are probably the two main things with me for him, but I really don't know how he's feeling right now."

James is seventh all time in triple-doubles, trailing Lafayette "Fat" Lever by two. Oscar Robertson is the NBA's all-time leader in regular-reason triple-doubles with 181.

Entering play Monday, James had scored at least 20 points in 15 consecutive games against the Nuggets. He had averaged 28.7 points with 6.9 boards and 7.5 assists in those contests.

All of those averages are going up, obviously, and it was easy to see a game like this coming from James. And after the Cavs were blown out in Miami Saturday, and left the weekend leading the Toronto Raptors by just a game in the East, this was the kind of night the Cavs needed.

James shot 12-of-19 from the field and 8-of-11 from the foul line in 33 minutes. He poured in 17 of those points in the first quarter. The Cavs led by 15.

James was so far and away the best player on the court Monday night, that his plus-minus was an eye-popping plus-38. The next closest Cav was Timofey Mozgov at plus-26.

Now, for the stranger stuff.

Per NBA guidelines, players are supposed to be available to take questions either at shootaround or during the 30-minute period before each game when the media has access to the locker room.

The guideline is ignored all the time, including at times by Cavs players. Except for James. Until Monday, he had never skipped a media session at shootaround unless he was: A.) Sick, and at home; B.) Wasn't playing that night.

There can be any number of explanations for his decision Monday. All that's certain is it was abnormal behavior.

When it comes to Twitter - where James has caused quite a stir this month - he apparently unfollowed his own team, according to a search of James' Twitter account through doesfollow.com.

His action was spotted about 90 minutes before Monday's game by a fan, and of course the Internet erupted with speculation over what this could possibly mean.

James has about 28.9 million followers, and is following 159 people. Among them are some teammates, including Kyrie Irving, with whom he's allegedly (if you believe the Internet) supposed to be on shaky ground.

Who knows? More to the point, who cares?

LeBron James captured his 40th career triple-double and his second of the season to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rout of the Denver Nuggets, 124-91 Monday evening at The Q.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - LeBron James captured his 40^th career triple-double and his second of the season to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 124-91 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening at The Q.

With the victory, the Cavaliers clinched the Central Division and moved a game and a half up on the second-place Eastern Conference squad, the Toronto Raptors.

James came out on a mission. He made a concerted effort to attack the rim and he couldn't be stopped. He scored 17 of his game-high 33 points in the first quarter to go with 11 boards and 11 assists. The Cavs took a 19-point opening-quarter advantage.

It was evident early on that the Cavaliers would dismantle the Nuggets, and then all of a sudden, it wasn't so evident.

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue started the second quarter featuring Kyrie Irving with the second unit and they played putrid basketball. Cleveland (50-20) gave up a 20-5 run and allowed Denver (29-42) to take a two-point lead midway in the second quarter.

Irving was taken out and James came back in to help regain the team's composure, but he would be tested.

James received the ball on the block and did a nifty up-and-under post move to elude his defender, but big man Jusuf Nurkic was waiting help-side and swatted his shot as James crashed to the hardwood. Instead of running on offense to give his team 5-on-4 numbers, he looked back at James and started talking trash.

That wasn't a good decision and James didn't appreciate it.

A couple of possessions later, James elevated over the 7-footer in transition for a layup, plus the foul. James immediately walked passed his victim and started jawing at him. Nurkic just smiled and raised his hand to alert the officials he had committed the foul. He wasn't going there with James this time around.

With James running the show, the Cavaliers erased the mini-deficit they faced and bumped their lead to eight going into the break.

Remembering how the previous quarter went, Lue let his starters play the third quarter a little longer than usual. They logged the first nine minutes and managed to get the lead back up to 19.

The Nuggets' offensive arsenal isn't equipped for another comeback attempt with the Cavaliers playing their main players. Cleveland extended its lead to as large as 36 in the final quarter just before the clock ran out.

Cavs big man Kevin Love was unable to go due to an illness he's been dealing with the last couple of games. Channing Frye collected his second start with club. The last time Frye started in place of Love, he erupted for 21 points on 5-of-7 from deep in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 10. This time, Frye registered 14 points and was 3-for-7 from long distance.

The team's defense was spotty in the second quarter, but overall it was steady. The Cavs held the Nuggets to 40 percent shooting from the field. It's progress.

"I take full responsibility for our team slacking defensively," Lue said before the game. "Getting back to the basics, get back to our foundation and do what we do. When you score easy, we tend to take a step back defensively, but now, just looking at our last seven or eight games, defensively, we're not all on the same page."

J.R. Smith provided 15 points and knocked down three 3-pointers for the Cavs, and Irving had eight points and three assists.

Will Barton led Denver with 27 points off the bench and three other Nuggets had 11 points each.

Cleveland is the third team to have reached the half-century mark this season, joining Golden State (62-7) and San Antonio (59-11).

"I think it's something definitely we embrace," Lue said. "I think a 50-win season in this league, it's not every year that you can do that, unless you're the San Antonio Spurs and teams like that. It just shows the hard work the guys have put in to get to this point."

On deck

The Milwaukee Bucks take in the Northeast Ohio scenery for Wednesday's game at 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Ohio. The season series is tied at one apiece.

Chris Fedor, Michael Reghi and Bud Shaw discuss what the Cleveland Cavaliers' primary focus should be as the regular season winds down. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are winding down the regular season, with an attempt to balance a number of different things. 

They have tweaked the defense, hoping to return to their previous form, the stifling unit that ranked second in points allowed before Tyronn Lue was elevated to head coach. At the same time, the Cavs are hoping to find the perfect harmony between rest and getting the East's top seed. 

"We definitely want the No. 1 seed if we can get it, but I think we have to rest our guys also," Lue said recently. "I think health going into the playoffs is more important than the seeding."

What should be the primary focus? Should they go for the No. 1 spot? Should they focus on rest? 

Michael Reghi, Bud Shaw and I discussed that. Watch the video above. 

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam met with the media at the NFL Annual meeting. They haven't tried to persuade Peyton Manning to take their president vacancy; and there are no plans to do a Johnny Manziel jersey trade or buyback.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam met with cleveland.com and three other Browns writers covering the NFL Annual Meetings.

Here are a few highlights:

* Jimmy Haslam said he hasn't talked to Peyton Manning about joining the Browns organization. "I have not talked to Peyton since before the Super Bowl.''

* He said he knows Manning will be great at whatever he does, 'but we feel good about the group we've put together.''

* He said the team looked into a buyback or trade for Johnny Manziel jerseys, but a team spokesman said it's not going to happen.

* Haslam said team president Alec Scheiner, who's stepping down, "wants to have more capacity'' in an organization and didn't feel like he was going to have that in Cleveland.

* Jimmy and Dee Haslam said they might've gotten ahead of themselves a bit on moving training camp to Columbus. They said they'll continue to explore opportunities for their state-wide fans to attend camp, and to give the team a chance to bond. But they stressed that they'll still hold some camp in Berea, and that they're committed to their Berea facility, which is undergoing renovation.

* Jimmy Haslam stressed that "we're going to be very patient with this group'' that we've put in place.

* Dee Haslam addressed her perceived larger role as an owner. She said it just evolved from falling in love with Cleveland, moving to Cleveland and making sure her Rivr Media was set to function with her being there less.

* The Haslams said they didn't enable Manziel, tried to help and wish him well. Jimmy Haslam declined to say if they'll try to recoup some of his guaranteed money.

* Jimmy Haslam re-iterated it's a "multi-year" rebuilding process.

Mo Williams took the next step in his anticipated return to the court on Tuesday afternoon, practicing for the first time since left knee soreness sidelined him for a few weeks.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Mo Williams took the next step in his anticipated return to game action on Tuesday afternoon, practicing for the first time since left knee soreness sidelined him for a few weeks.

"He did a good job," Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said of Williams' practice. "Talking to the training staff about Mo and hopefully, I think he'd be available for New York. That's what we're hoping, so he's come along really well." 

Williams has been ruled out for Wednesday night's game at home against Milwaukee, the only player Lue expects to be sidelined. But the 33-year-old combo guard will accompany the team on the trip to New York, as the Cavs play the Nets in Brooklyn on Thursday before taking on the Knicks Saturday night.

That game against New York is the target date, one that would mark Williams' first playing time since logging four minutes in a blowout win against Charlotte on Feb. 24.

But even when healthy, Williams' spot in the rotation remains unknown. His return, the added depth, could allow Lue to rest some players, which is one of the team's goals down the stretch. Still, Lue admitted Tuesday he doesn't know where Williams fits after having established his rotation. 

Before being shut down in late February, after a visit to see Dr. James Andrews revealed chondromalacia patellae, Williams saw his minutes drop significantly, averaging 5.8 in January.

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cavs are getting back to full health. That's something not every team is fortunate to have this time of year.

It's right in time for Cleveland to make its final push, to once again recapture its championship form.

"Well I mean only time will tell," LeBron James said when asked whether the Cavs are ready for that push. "We've got to go out and play. We had a great day yesterday, started in the morning with our shootaround and it resulted in a win last night. And we had a great day today, so we'll see if we can translate that into tomorrow as well.

"We're heading in the right direction for sure. At the end of the day, we're 9-3 in our last 12, so, I mean, we're playing some good ball. We just didn't play how we want to play in the Utah game and in Miami, but we're playing some good ball."

Michigan's spring trip this year isn't something the OSU AD wants the Buckeyes to follow. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Urban Meyer didn't sound all that excited about the idea of holding spring football practice in Florida when asked about it Tuesday, backtracking a bit from comments last week that seemed to open the door on the possibility.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith? He's just against it.

"I think it's a creative idea," Smith said of the concept created and implemented by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh this year. "I understand that. But I would not be supportive of taking away student-athletes' free time to go practice."

Smith said his concerns come from the standpoint of the time commitment for athletes. That's a frontburner issue with the NCAA right now. Several ideas about the time that athletes are required to put into their sports were tabled at the NCAA convention last year and schools then surveyed athletes, which could lead to NCAA legislation this year.

Smith said the surveys done by all Division I schools were due to the NCAA on Monday. He said he met with every Ohio State team about the issue of time demands. He said the Big Ten and other conferences will talk about surveys in May and then action can be expected.

"Time demands are a big issue that we've been talking about," Smith said.

What that in mind, Smith didn't think spring practice warranted football players losing their break, even launching into Allen Iverson mode.

"We're talking about spring practice. What's my man's name? Allen Iverson? We're talking about practice, man," Smith said. "So the reality is I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't support taking that time away from our student-athletes.

"Is it creative? Does it help from a recruiting and marketing point of view? I get that," Smith said. "If we were jumpstarting our program I'd probably try and do that, too. But we're not jumpstarting our program. We're in a different place."

It may be that no programs are making spring break trips in the future. With time demands on the table, and Smith talking about players getting full days off, maybe long breaks of dead time after the end of a season, a move like spring football over spring break could be legislated away.

"I really don't know, I would anticipate there would be some legislation probably around that," Smith said.

LeBron James' explanation for why he purged the Cavs on Twitter mostly holds; meanwhile he's warning the NBA to respect what his team has accomplished.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - LeBron James seemed to confirm Tuesday what sources close to him said was the explanation for his recent Twitter purge.

He's shifting into playoff mode, a little earlier than usual.

"I have (changed his focus), a little bit sooner than normal, but you know I understand that it's right around the corner and I want to start mentally preparing myself for the distance," James said after the Cavs' practice. They play the Milwaukee Bucks at home Wednesday.

For the briefest of recaps, James unfollowed the Cavs' Twitter account Monday and then declined to explain why. He did it on the same day he chose not to speak at shootaround (which is quite rare for him), and, before the game was noticeably subdued toward teammates in the locker room.

According to two sources close to James, he's been quieter in recent days, a noticeable change in his demeanor. He gets that way during the playoffs (he swears off social media in the postseason); now he's apparently flipping that switch with three weeks left in the regular season.

"I'm just being a little more sharper-minded as of late, just gearing toward it," James said. "Understanding that it's right around the corner and it's going to be very, very challenging."

It's a plausible explanation, albeit with a few holes. James appeared to poke a couple more in it on Tuesday, when, mid-morning, he took to Twitter to announce he was thinking of joining another social medium - Snapchat - to provide "(a)nother way for my fans to ride with me throughout my journey."

Think I just may join the Snap this week. Another way for my fans to ride with me throughout my journey

-- LeBron James (@KingJames) March 22, 2016

Snapchat is a temporary picture-sharing service that's different than Twitter or Facebook in that there's much less opportunity for a user - James - to be inundated with the opinion and vitriol of those two mediums.

A source close to James said Snapchat would be a non-intrusive way for James to occasionally post a short video of a workout or pre-game car ride without truly engaging on social media.

See: Why LeBron unfollowed the Cavs on Twitter

But, if James is truly trying to pare down his social media exposure to prepare for the playoffs, joining Snapchat is an odd way to do it.

Also, James and his business partners created Uninterrupted, a digital platform for athletes (him included) to share their experiences with fans through videos. Warner Bros. and Turner Sports recently pumped $15.8 million into Uninterrupted.

See: LeBron's partnership with Warner for 'Uninterrupted'

While James using Snapchat would seem to present a conflict with Uninterrupted, James' representatives say the content on Uninterrupted is far more diverse and substantive than a 10-second video posted to Snapchat.

James also apparently re-followed the Cavs on Instagram on Tuesday, a day after "Unfollowgate" erupted.

Moving on.

Taking James' statements Tuesday at face value, his weaning himself off of outside distractions is an excellent development for the Cavs.

He of course posted a triple-double in Monday's blowout win over the Nuggets, and sounded bullish on Cleveland's prospects heading into the postseason.

"At the end of the day, we're 9-3 in our last 12 (games), so, I mean, we're playing some good ball," James said. "We just didn't play how we want to play in the Utah game and in Miami, but we're playing some good ball."

The Cavs entered Tuesday with a 11/2 -game lead over Toronto for first place in the East. They've won the Central Division, and are 50-20. Obviously, a whopping 30 games over .500.

For context, James and the Cavs won just 53 games last season and wound up in the Finals. And this season there's controversy?

James was asked if teams around the league were recognizing not only the Cavs' record, but their prowess.

He said: "They better, or they'll lose."

Garfield Heights senior boys basketball player Frankie Hughes will no longer attend Louisville, according to reports.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Garfield Heights senior boys basketball player Frankie Hughes will no longer attend Louisville and has reopened his recruitment.

Hughes and Louisville “mutually agreed” to part ways Tuesday, Garfield Heights coach Sonny Johnson said.

“He didn’t feel like they were showing them enough love,” Johnson said. “They still wanted him to go there, but he just wants to go somewhere where he can play.”

Johnson added Hughes is unsure of what school he could pick. When Hughes committed to Louisville, his other suitors included Wisconsin, Saint Joseph's, Minnesota, Wichita State, Dayton and Texas A&M. Hughes said in September he liked Saint Joseph's, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Hughes helped the Bulldogs to their second straight OHSAA Division I state semifinal. Hughes committed to Louisville in October. The school withdrew this year from the NCAA Tournament as part of its self-sanctioning for violations committed between 2010 and 2014. The move cost former Garfield Heights player Trey Lewis a chance to play in the tournament this year after transferring from Cleveland State.

Hughes received first-team All-Ohio honors this year after averaging 19 points per game. The Bulldogs finished 23-5 and lost to Westerville South for the second straight year in Columbus. 

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

Cleveland sports fans wonder about the Cavs' quality of play heading into the playoffs, which NBA team has the coaching advantage and whether the curiosity between Robert Griffin III and the Browns is mutual -- Bud Shaw's You Said It

Meyer still gets the Shoe when he needs it.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Stadium is hosting two European soccer teams for a match on Wednesday, July 27.

Ohio State football always holds its major recruiting event of the season, Friday Night Lights, in Ohio Stadium in late July.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Tuesday the teardown from the night of soccer, which will include removing the sod stitched together for the game to provide a grass field, will take three of four days.

So what does that mean for Friday Night Lights?

Don't worry. Urban Meyer called dibs.

Don Patko, Ohio State's associate athletic director for facilities operations, told cleveland.com on Tuesday, shortly after the official announcement of the soccer game, that Friday Night Lights will be held on Friday, July 22.

Preparations for soccer will begin immediately on Saturday morning, July 23.

Soccer headed to Ohio Stadium

This will be Meyer's fifth season coaching the Buckeyes and his fifth Friday Night Lights event, an idea he brought from his time at Florida and is now copied by many teams. High school players from across the country take part in a skills camp, coached by Ohio State coaches, at night, in the Buckeyes home, under the lights with fans in the stands.

The event has been held on the fourth Friday in July, taking place on July 27, 2012; July 26, 2013; July 25, 2014; and July 24, 2015. This year, July has five Fridays. It will stay on the fourth Friday, landing on July 22. 

The night was on the minds of OSU officials while booking soccer.

"Such a premiere camp like that is priority one to us," Patko said. "Obviously we've got to take care of our football team. But a revenue-generating event like this world-class soccer game is very important to us as well."

Patko said Ohio State officials talked about the timing and the need to keep the stadium free for football before signing the contract, but the planned schedule of the International Champions Cup, of which the soccer game is a part, fit with the schedule needs of the Shoe.

Patko said the installation of the grass field will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with final stitching of the sod and refining of the field on Tuesday. Afterward, it will take several days for the sod to be removed, then the artificial surface on which the Buckeyes play will be groomed and ready for use again.

Cleveland Indians have been very impressed with Joba Chamberlain, who is close to claiming a spot in the bullpen and with Tyler Naquin.

GOODYEAR, ARIZONA -- Scribbles in my notebook as the Tribe took Tuesday off:

1. Joba Chamberlain has pitched himself into position to grab a spot in the Tribe bullpen. The former Yankees top prospect came to camp on a minor league contract. He signed with the Indians on December 1 and reported to Goodyear in January to work on getting in shape. Chamberlain gave up three runs in his second spring outing. Since then, he's pitched five times . . . five scoreless innings.

2. Manager Terry Francona on Chamberlain: "He's had an excellent camp. He came out (to Arizona) early and spent a lot of time getting in really good shape for this season. He is an unbelievably good teammate. . . it's exciting to see how he can potentially help us."

3. Chamberlain is only 30. Early in his career, he was a starting pitcher with the Yankees. He had elbow reconstruction surgery in 2011 and has pitched out of the bullpen for the last six years. He's been very inconsistent, and tended to gain weight. He was released by Detroit and Toronto last season. He ended up with Kansas City, and the Royals had no interest in signing him for 2016.

4. It seems the decline has caught his attention. The Indians and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have a reputation for helping pitchers in times of trouble. In 2013, they did that for Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir. Last spring, Jeff Manship was in camp on a minor league deal. He opened the season at Class AAA Columbus, then came to Cleveland where he had a 0.92 ERA in 39 innings as a reliever. Cleveland was Manship's fourth big league team. It's the first place where he's had success.

5. The Indians could not have asked for a better spring performance from rookie Tyler Naquin. At the start of training camp, the Indians challenged the players to give the team a reason to notice them. The rookie has done just that and is on track to start in center field once the season the opens. Naquin is hitting .400 (1.090 OPS) with two doubles and three triples.

6. The other outfielders who came to camp on one-year, big league deals or minor league contracts have struggled. This has made Naquin look even better. Terry Francona stresses that he must take more than spring training into account when picking the team. The Tribe front office is thrilled to watch Naquin, because he's playing like he did when healthy in the minors. He is not a power hitter, but batted .300 over the last two minor league seasons between Class AA and Class AAA.

7. While he was 0-for-3 in Monday's 9-4 victory over the White Sox, Naquin made a nice running catch in center field. He also hit a rocket to left field that was caught, robbing him of a double. With Abraham Almonte suspended for 80 games for flunking a test for PEDs, the door to center field is wide open. Only Naquin is taking advantage of it.

8. The Indians are looking for offense and that's why Marlon Byrd can make the team, even though he didn't arrive until March 19. A couple Tribe people were telling me how they are impressed with how Byrd just stepped into the batter's box and looked so comfortable right away. He is a player with some holes in his swing and won't win a Gold Glove in right field, but he has hit at least 23 homers in each of the last three seasons.

A look at some of the best uses of the Crying Jordan meme in past year.

Ohio State officials made a novel suggestion in helping getting the big game at the Horseshoe. And, it involves Michigan. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio - To understand how far Ohio State was prepared to go to land an international soccer match this summer you must know its officials were willing to share a weekend billing with their biggest rival.

The announcement of the Real Madrid versus Paris St.-Germaine game on July 27 at Ohio Stadium was the culmination of 15 months of groundwork laid by university officials. Securing two European powerhouses, including the world's most valuable sports franchise in Real Madrid, required many bridges to be built with event organizers.

It also required some creativity and the manipulation of at least one valuable piece of information. Stephen Ross, co-founder of Relevant Sports - the company staging the International Championship Cup - is a University of Michigan graduate and a major donor. Two years ago, an ICC match featuring Real Madrid and Manchester United at Michigan Stadium drew 109,318 fans, a record crowd for American soccer.

Ohio State representatives kept this nugget in mind when traveling to New York in November to state their case for hosting one of the ICC matches. They were unable to secure a 2015 game in part because of schedule conflicts.

The Buckeyes weren't sure if Michigan would bid for another match this year, but they were prepared with a novel idea: Why not allow Michigan and Ohio State to stage matches on the same weekend, enabling soccer fans to make the three-hour trek to catch both?

"There was some concern if they played in Michigan again would they be willing to come to Columbus?" OSU executive associate athletic director Xen Riggs said. "And, if they have to pick, it's probably a pretty easy choice for Mr. Ross. We told them, 'believe it or not (Ohio State and Michigan) work together on things despite the rivalry.'"

Related: Ohio State to host soccer giant Real Madrid in July

Not every North American game is finalized and there's speculation the Real Madrid-Chelsea fixture on July 30 could land in the Big House. Riggs believes organizers appreciated the thought OSU put into the unique plan.

"I think what they saw was a willingness to get creative and do anything possible to make this a successful event," he said. "We were looking for ways to overcome the potential obstacles."

Ohio State didn't need to worry about the Browns making a bid for FirstEnergy Stadium, which hosted an international friendly between the United States and Belgium in 2014. The Browns unsuccessfully tried to lure the Copa America tournament to Cleveland this June, but a team spokesman confirmed they weren't wooing the ICC for a game.

Riggs said Ohio State plans to bid for future ICC matches.

Relevant Sports executive Kwame Byran, who attended Tuesday's announcement, praised the efforts of the OSU contingent.

"We got it down to the point where we view it as a partnership and you know you have such an iconic venue (here) and obviously the success of the (MLS soccer team Columbus) Crew," he said. "It just felt right."

The state capital and nation's 15^th-largest city is an established soccer market. Last year's MLS Cup final sold out. The city's soccer-specific venue, Mapfre Stadium, has hosted the men's national team 10 times, and the Americans have gone unbeaten (7-0-3) with another game scheduled for Tuesday night against Guatemala.

But Columbus' love for soccer extends beyond the Crew and the national team. The English Premier League, televised by the NBC Sports Network, does well here. Columbus has the fifth-best ratings this season among American markets.

"What that means is we know there's an appetite for global soccer in Columbus," Crew executive Andy Loughnane said. "I imagine that's the kind of data Relevant used to pinpoint a marquee matchup here."

Former Crew and U.S. National team member Frankie Hejduk, who lives in Columbus, said the Real Madrid-PSG game only fuels the interest of young soccer fans here. His young son had tears in his eyes Monday night when he learned of the matchup, Hejduk added.

Bryan said the Horseshoe's surface and configuration won't be an issue. Organizers plan to install temporary grass in the 105,000-seat facility several days before the match. The dimensions are a few yards shy of FIFA-desired width, but organizers are accustomed to making these games work in American football and baseball stadiums. These matches serve as preseason tune-ups as teams prepare for domestic competition.

Other European sides in the American leg of the ICC tournament include: AC Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Leicester City and Liverpool. The complete schedule can be found here. Tickets for the game at the Horseshoe start at $35 and go on sale to the general public April 5.

Drawing Real Madrid is a major coup for Columbus. The Spanish side has won a record 10 European Cups and boasts one of the world's greatest players in Cristiano Ronaldo. Forbes has listed Real Madrid as the world's most valuable sports franchise -- $3.26 billion in 2015 - for three years running.

"You have to get the team buy in," Bryan said. "You can suggest locations and they might not want to go. ... There was a lot of interest (in Columbus) from both teams."

Fifteen months of hard word and one precious bit of Michigan-related information have paid off for Ohio State.

Gene Smith wasn't intentionally trying to talk trash Tuesday afternoon when he addressed Michigan's decision to move a week of its spring practice to Florida. Harbaugh took offense to the comments anyway.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith wasn't intentionally trying to talk trash Tuesday afternoon when he addressed Michigan's decision to move a week of its spring practice to Florida. 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh took Smith's comments offensively, though, and responded with a major crack at Ohio State on his public Twitter account later in the day. 

Good to see Director Smith being relevant again after the tattoo fiasco. Welcome back!

-- Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) March 23, 2016

Smith addressed Harbaugh's decision to move a portion of his spring practice down to Florida during a media session this afternoon, one attended by cleveland.com. 

Smith wasn't taking a shot at Michigan as much as explaining that it makes more sense for the Wolverines to experiment with ways of gaining new exposure for a program under the guidance of a new coach. 

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is bitter, but facts are facts. Ohio State and Michigan are in different spots, and Smith was explaining his stance. 

Ohio State is two years removed from a national title with an established coach, while Harbaugh, who despite being established himself, is trying to build Michigan back to Michigan's storied standard.

Smith actually said that he would give the spring in Florida idea a second look if Ohio State was in a different situation.  

"Is it creative? Does it help from a recruiting and marketing point of view? I get that," Smith said. "If we were jumpstarting our program I'd probably try and do that, too. But we're not jumpstarting our program. We're in a different place."

But only the bottom part of Smith's comments were presented in the Twitter Universe by some who heard them, which led to a misconstrued view of the words. 

Harbaugh fired back with his not-so-subtle comments regarding Ohio State's tattoo scandal in 2010, which led to the demise of former coach Jim Tressel's career leaded the Buckeyes. 

Our Doug Lesmerises was standing next to Smith when he made those comments. Here are some thoughts Doug had on the matter: 

For the moment, I'm not going to believe the Jim Harbaugh tweet is real.

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

I'm saying I don't believe it because there's nothing for Harbaugh to be firing back at. Was standing next to Smith when he spoke today.

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

His point was he'd do it if Ohio State needed a jumpstart, which Michigan clearly did. That's not a shot. Ohio State doesn't need that now.

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

Part of issue is reporters inflaming something that wasn't inflammatory. Typically, it's the people who weren't there who do that.

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

Bottom line: Reading regurgitation sites that do no reporting and itchy Twitter fingers can both be dangerous. https://t.co/RPbT5QBbHY

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

This is lovely entertainment. But context, truth, judgment and ability to relax aren't bad either. https://t.co/RPbT5QBbHY

-- Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) March 23, 2016

The Browns are getting closer each day to signing Robert Griffin III, who hasn't excelled since his rookie year in 2012. Here are 5 pressing questions about him.

Ohio State has one scholarship available for the 2016 recruiting class. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Andre Wesson won an Ohio basketball state championship on Ohio State's floor on Saturday. He got the scholarship offer he was waiting for from the Buckeyes on Tuesday.

Ohio State offered Wesson, a 2016 small forward from Westerville South on Tuesday. The news was posted on Twitter by Kaleb Wesson, Andre's younger brother and a center who's already committed to the Buckeyes in the 2017 recruiting class.

The Buckeyes do have one scholarship spot available for next season, and Thad Matta said Sunday that Ohio State planned on adding another player. There has been no news of a commitment from Andre Wesson, but this looks like it would bode well for the Buckeyes.

Andre and Kaleb are the sons of Keith Wesson, who played at Ohio State in the 1980s.

Andre Wesson didn't want to talk about his recruitment after Westerville South beat Lima Senior for the Ohio Division I State Championship on Saturday at Value City Arena. That's understandable. But everyone knew this is the offer Wesson had been waiting for.

The 6-foot-5 small forward had a stellar senior season, one that would probably bump him up from being the No. 17 player in Ohio according to 247Sports. But there's no time for that, because Wesson is a senior and it's likely too late for recruiting rankings to change. That also doesn't matter, because Wesson got his Big Ten and Ohio State offer, and that's likely the only validation he needed.

Wesson averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games at Value City Arena last weekend. Matta and assistants Jeff Boals and Greg Paulus watched Westerville South's semifinal game on Friday.

Ohio State has two players already signed for 2016, forward Derek Funderburk and center Micah Potter. Ohio State needs to add a player on the perimeter, and Wesson would fill that role.

He's not a ball-handling guard, but he could play as the off-guard or small forward. He's a good 3-point shooter and a versatile defender who can probably guard four positions.

Players can still commit at any time for the 2016 recruiting class, but they can't sign until the regular signing period begins on April 13. Wesson also holds offers from Xavier, Richmond, Akron, Bowling Green and others.

Andre got offered by OSU [?] [?][?] [?] [?][?] [?] #PackageDeal #Brother4Life

-- Kaleb Wesson (@Elite_Hooper99) March 23, 2016

Brown is fifth player committed in Northwestern's 2017 recruiting class. Watch video

Northwestern football added a third Texas player to its 2017 recruiting class on Tuesday, and it was a big one.

Four-star defensive end Earnest Brown -- from Denton, Texas -- committed to the Wildcats, according to 247Sports.com. Brown is the No. 11 strongisde defensive end in the country, and the No. 44 player from Texas.

What makes the addition of Brown so big for program like Northwestern is that Brown held offers from the state's big college football powers. Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Houston all offered Brown.

Hue Jackson had Terrelle Pryor as a quarterback when he was head coach of the Raiders in 2011. He might give him another look there with the Browns.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Hue Jackson had Terrelle Pryor as a quarterback with the Raiders in 2011, and is intrigued by him as both a quarterback and receiver for the Browns.

"I'm kind of working through that as we start to put pieces on our team,'' he said Tuesday morning at the AFC coaches breakfast when asked if Pryor is a receiver. "You guys know I have a lot of respect for Terrelle and what he tried to do a year ago. He's very talented, in my opinion. I've known him as a quarterback, and I think he's always had ability to play quarterback in the National Football League.''

Jackson believes Pryor, whom he helped draft in the supplemental draft in 2011, can contribute in a variety of ways. In fact, he gave him an opportunity as a quarterback in Cincinnati last season, but he was waived after six weeks. A day later, he switched to receiver and was claimed by the Browns.

"He's demonstrated the ability to play receiver, so to me he's a weapon,'' said Jackson, who's not shy about his preference for big, fast receivers. "He's somebody that we can do a lot of different things with and we'll see where fits here pretty soon."

Jackson said he'll try to assign a primary role to Pryor to the start of the offseason practices so he has a chance to succeed. Phase I of the program begins April 4th, but that's mostly conditioning. The on-field workouts don't begin for a few weeks.

"I'll have an idea before we start because I think what's only fair to him is to give him a chance to where he feels like he can compete and do the best he can do,'' said Jackson. "So I'll make that decision here pretty soon, but I don't think it's something I have to do today.''

Jackson revealed that Pryor (6-4, 223) has been keeping him posted on a regular basis.

Robert Griffin III has convinced Hue Jackson he's 'humbled'

"The guy, he's spectacular,'' said Jackson. "He sends me videos probably every other day of him doing something."

Here's #Browns WR Terrelle Pryor working on his route-running. Hue Jackson also likes him as a QB pic.twitter.com/ETb4YTmscA

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 22, 2016

Throwing? Catching?

"All of it,'' said Jackson. "And trust me, he is as competitive as they come and he wants to play, and that's what I love about him. He's going to work. He's going to do whatever he feels he needs to do."

Does he view Pryor, a dual-threat passer, as a potential third quarterback?

"In the back of my mind, he's a lot of things, so we'll figure it out,'' said Jackson.

Even a tight end?

"No, not a tight end,'' said Jackson. "I don't think that. Not at all.''

The Browns cut Pryor on Sept. 10 last season to make room for running back Robert Turbin, but re-signed him on Dec. 2. He played in two games and showed a glimpse of what he can do when he caught a 42-yard pass against the Steelers.

Pryor signed his one-year tender worth last week, and got back to the business of honing his skills.

Which end of the pass he's on remains to be seen.