The White Sox rebuilding program has begun with the trade of left-hander Chris Sale to Boston at the winter meetings.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The guesswork is over. The White Sox are rebuilding.

The rebuild became apparent Tuesday afternoon at the winter meetings when Chicago sent its top starter, left-hander Chris Sale, to Boston for four players, including top prospect Yoan Moncada. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports was first to report the story.

"It was time to start the process," said Chicago GM Rick Hahn. "This is the first step in what possibly will be an extensive process. We're going to be open minded on continuing the process that started today."

The trade gives Boston a front end of the rotation of Cy Young winner Rick Porcello and lefties David Price and Sale. Sale went 17-10 this year with a White Sox team that finished fourth in the AL Central.

"The best thing about this trade is that we don't have to look across the field at him," said Boston manager John Farrell. "I reminds us how aggressive our ownership and Dave Dombrowski (president of baseball operations) is.

"Chris Sale pitches with an edge. His numbers and stats speak for themselves."

The two teams have been talking for a while, but Dombrowski said negotiations found another gear on Friday night before both teams arrived at the winter meetings.

Sale's departure from the AL Central will be well received by the rest of the division. The Indians had success against Sale, but with the White Sox headed for a rebuild it helps the Tribe's cause to repeat as division champs in 2017.

This season Sale led the big leagues with six complete games, while striking out 233 batters in 226 2/3 innings. He averaged 9.3 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per nine innings.

Sale will make $12 million in 2017 and has affordable club options for the next two seasons at $12.5 million and $13.5 million, respectively.

The White Sox used their No.1 pick in 2010 to take Sale. He made the big leagues that same year as then manager Ozzie Guillen pitched him out of the bullpen. He moved into the rotation in 2012 and has been dominant ever since.

Sale, a five-time All-Star, leaves the Windy City with a career 74-50 record with a 3.00 ERA. He is averaging 10.1 strikeouts and 2.1 walks per nine innings for his career.

"It's never easy to trade a player and pitcher like Chris Sale," said Hahn. "In talking to Chris today I thanked him for his service to the White Sox. It was not an easy phone call to make."

The Red Sox paid Moncada $31.5 million after he defected from Cuba. Baseball America rated him as its No.1 prospect at midseason last year. He hit a combined .294 (119-for-405) with 15 homers and 62 RBI last season at Class A Salem and Class AA Portland. The switch-hitting Moncada stole 45 bases in 57 attempts (79 percent).

Moncada, 21, hit just .211 (4-for-19) in eight games with the Red Sox last season. He can play second and third base as well as the outfield.

The three other players are right-hander Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe and right-hander Victor Diaz. Kopech was the Red Sox's No.1 pick in 2014.

Mount Union and John Carroll are the first pair of Ohio Athletic Conference teams to advance to the semifinals since 2002.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Ohio Athletic Conference will be well represented Saturday when conference foes John Carroll and Mount Union play in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs. It's nothing new for the OAC.

John Carroll will play at Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Eastern time). Mount Union will play at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time).

Saturday's winners will meet in the national championship game -- the Stagg Bowl -- on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. in Salem, Va.

This is the first time that two teams from the same conference have advanced to the D3 semifinals since John Carroll and Mount Union did it in 2002.

And the only time that members from the same conference played in a national title game was when OAC members Baldwin Wallace and Wittenberg met in the 1978 game. Baldwin Wallace won, 24-10.

John Carroll beat Mount Union in the last game of the regular season this year to win the OAC title. The loss snapped Mount Union's 112-game regular season winning streak.

Honor roll: John Carroll coach Tom Arth was named D3football.com North Region Coach of the Year.

"The real credit goes to our staff," Arth said. "We're so blessed to have an incredible offensive coordinator in Tim Zetts and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Sometime as a coach we receive more credit and more blame than we deserve but I would not be in this position if not for the coaches and players in our program."

Junior linebacker Mason McKenrick was selected as the D3football.com North Region Defensive Player of the Year. McKenrick is the first Blue Streaks player to receive this honor. The D3football.com awards were established in 2005.

For Mount Union, running back Bradley Mitchell received honors as the D3football.com North Region Offensive Player of the Year.  

NCAA DIVISION III FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Semifinal round
Who: John Carroll Blue Streaks (12-1) vs. Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans (12-1)
When: 1 p.m., Saturday
Where: J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh, Wisc.
On John Carroll: The Blue Streaks advanced to this stage of the playoffs with wins at home over Olivet (37-12) and Wesley (20-17 in 2 OT) before taking to the road to defeat Wisconsin-Whitewater, 31-14, in the quarterfinal round. John Carroll not only ended UW-Whitewater's string of 32 consecutive home wins, but also its stretch of 33 consecutive postseason home victories ... The Blue Streaks return to the field of their only loss this season. The Blue Streaks fell to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 33-14, on Sept. 3 and have not lost since ... John Carroll has the No. 3 defense in the country giving up only 218.3 yards per game.
More honors:  Jovon Dawson, Michael Hollins and Ray Brown received D3football.com North Region defense first-team honors. Wide receiver Marshall Howell and tackle Dominic Ditirro also received first-team honors .
On Wisconsin-Oshkosh: UW-Oshkosh is 8-2 in its three NCAA playoff appearances. Started off this year's playoffs with home wins over Washington (49-13) and Saint John's (31-14). Like John Carroll, the Titans were the road team in the quarterfinal round and pulled off a 34-31 win over St. Thomas. UW-Oshkosh caused eight turnovers and never trailed in handing the Tommies just their fourth loss in their past 61 home games, and snapping a string of 13 consecutive NCAA postseason home victories ... Former Cleveland Browns defensive end Darryl Sims is the Wisconsin-Oshkosh athletic director.
TV: ESPN3

Semifinal round
Who: Mount Union Purple Raiders (12-1) vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (13-0)
When: 4:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Crusader Stadium, Belton, Texas
On Mount Union: Mount Union makes its 22nd straight appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Playoffs ... Mount Union is playing its team record 10th road game in a single season ... The Purple Raiders are the only team since the playoffs went to 32-teams to win three straight road games to get to a semifinal game. Mount Union enters the week having won its last 114 road games dating back to a 34-33 loss at Albion in the second round of the 1994 playoffs ... Mount Union earned one of the six at-large bids to the NCAA Playoffs. The Purple Raiders went on the road to beat Hobart (N.Y.), 38-21, in the first round, Johns Hopkins (Md.), 28-21, in the second round and Alfred (N.Y.) in the quarterfinals, 70-45.
More honors: Mike Vidal received D3football.com North Region defense first-team honors. Tackle Brooks Jenkins and center Mitch Doraty made the D3football.com North Region first team on offense.
Series history: This will be the third all-time meeting between the teams after a pair of memorable NCAA semifinal playoff meetings. In 2004, Mary Hardin-Baylor rallied from a 35-21 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 38-35 in an NCAA
semifinal game at Mount Union Stadium. In 2012, Mount Union scored 34 points in the fourth quarter to rally from being down 28-14 and won 48-35 in an NCAA semifinal game at Mount Union Stadium.
On Mary Hardin-Baylor: Mary Hardin-Baylor won its 12th straight American Southwest Conference title and earned the one bid into the tournament reserved for independents or teams from a non-automatic qualifying conference (pool B). The Crusaders beat Redlands (Calif.), 50-28, in the first round, Linfield (Ore.), 27-10, in the second round and Wheaton (Ill.), 38-16, in the quarterfinals ... They were so dominant that quarterback Blake Jackson was the D3football.com All-South Region offensive player of the year, defensive end Teidrick Smith was the defensive player of the year and Pete Fredenburg was the coach of the year.
TV: ESPN3

Fansided ranked the top 250 fandoms in sports, entertainment and business.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland sports fans often like to think of themselves as the best fans in the world. The city's devotion to its teams during a 52-year championship drought was even the subject of the ESPN documentary "Believeland." The huge crowds of people that packed downtown for the Cavaliers championship parade back in June and watch parties during the World Series last month only further cemented the idea.

But is it true?

In a valiant undertaking, Fansided examined the fandoms of everything from sports teams to pop culture, from celebrities to brands. The website whittled down their list and came up with the Fandom 250, billed as an ultimate ranking of fandoms. The results may surprise you.

Out of all the Cleveland sports teams on the list, the Indians ranked the lowest, coming up at No. 198, sandwiched between country singer Blake Shelton and rapper Nicki Minaj.

"The Tribe faithful turned out in droves to support their beloved small-market Indians this year," the site wrote. "But they also remained faithful when, from 1960 through 1994, the team finished above .500 only five times." High praise, it would seem, for an outfit ranked lower than No. 193 "Teen Wolf," a niche show on an increasingly niche network based on a critically panned movie from the 1980s.

Also, yes, there were a lot of Chicago Cubs fans at Progressive Field during the World Series. But you're telling me there are 197 fandoms that separate the Indians and Cubs?

Don't think so.

Further down the list, the Browns come in next among area sports teams at No. 173. "If pain tolerance was the only criteria for these rankings, then Cleveland Browns fans might just come in at No. 1." That's fair. Sure, empty seats at FirstEnergy Stadium and the $6 asking price for tickets these days suggest interest is waning, but the team is 0-12. Comedian Kevin Hart, ranked No. 161, does have 31 million followers on Twitter, but you can't possibly tell me they're more devoted than Browns fans. Would a crowd of 50,000 people show up in the cold and snow to watch Hart crack short jokes? I think you know the answer to that. 

The rest of the list is about right. Gilmore Girls at No. 122, Justin Timberlake No. 61. Fine.

The Cavaliers at No. 55 is about where they should be, especially considering four years ago, they probably don't even crack the Top 250.

Justifying the selection of LeBron James at No. 9, the site astutely posits, "Does any city love their sports hero more than Cleveland loves LeBron James right now?"

Nope.

James is ranked just below the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, which at No. 8, is the highest ranking Ohio team. Fansided gives Buckeye Nation big bonus points for showing up 100,000 strong for the spring game earlier this year. "The idea that so many people would show up for what is essentially a glorified scrimmage is absolutely jaw-dropping," the site wrote.

The rest of Fansided's Top 10 fandoms:

10. Harry Potter/JK Rowling

9. LeBron James

8. Ohio State Buckeyes

7. The Walking Dead

6. Netflix

5. Dallas Cowboys

4. "Game of Thrones"

3. Beyonce

2. "Star Wars"

1. Chicago Cubs

Akron, Cleveland State and Kent State are all still looking for a defining non-conference men's basketball victory three weeks into the new season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three weeks into the college basketball season and all three local teams are defined more by their individual losses than any victory. Akron (6-2) has yet to erase the memory of its season-opening setback to Youngstown State.

Cleveland State (2-5) has not put back-to-back wins together. And Kent State (5-3), like the other two, has yet to earn a quality non-conference win. This week is the last before the semester break, then a final round of non-conference games before league play begins. Here is where each team currently stands.

Akron Zips: The Zips are coming off a road loss at No. 10 Creighton where they were never really in the game. A veteran team led by senior center Isaiah Johnson (15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds) with strong 3-point shooting, Akron does not yet have the quality depth or production off the bench.

In the most recent loss to No. 10 Creighton, the Zips cut a halftime deficit down to four in the first three minutes of the second half, then fell behind by 18 with 10 minutes to play.

Akron hosts Coppin State on Wednesday night, then travels to No. 8 Gonzaga on Saturday. The Zips should be overwhelming favorites against Coppin and overwhelming underdogs against the Zags. The next real test will be next Saturday when the Zips host Marshall.

Cleveland State: The Vikings get a bit of a pass, considering starting center Demonte Flannigan has only recently returned after missing the start of the season due to medical issues. Flannigan has averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in three games and for a team only averaging 69 points a game, that is a welcome addition.

CSU next hosts Western Michigan on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at The Q, then travels Saturday to play at Purdue on Saturday. That is followed by a road game next Saturday at Ohio University.

So far this season, the Horizon League has taken the measure of the Mid-American Conference, so this is an opportunity for the Vikings to join the list. WMU is the second and OU the third of three MAC teams CSU will play this season. The Vikings lost in overtime to open the season against Kent State.

Kent State: The Golden Flashes are actually performing as expected, which is up and down for a team with nine new players. The negative is three early losses have come against mid-major programs much like themselves. The positive is, none of the setbacks have been by more than four points.

Coach Rob Senderoff has played 11 players an average of 12 minutes or more a game, a clear indication the Flashes are still trying to settle on a rotation. Even the deepest of teams rarely have more than 10 players getting double-digit minutes. Senior Jimmy Hall (18.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists) has been the rock so far.

KSU will host Niagara on Wednesday, then host NJIT on Saturday before the semester break.

The only time the Browns win this season is when the Eagles lose. That's a small consolation for an organization that still must answer its QB issues.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Philadelphia Eagles are an interesting subplot in the Browns season, especially since you can safely divert your attention from the home team at little risk of missing anything.

The Eagles started 3-0, then 4-2. They're 5-7 now. I would do the math but it's not my strong suit.

Let's just say they've lost often lately.

Every defeat improves the Browns' draft position because the Eagles gave up their 2017 first-round pick in the deal that brought them rookie quarterback Carson Wentz.

Wentz, who had such a promising start to the season, threw three interceptions in a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.

So now it begins: the magnifying glass Wentz escaped earlier has found him. The Eagles had hoped to sit Wentz this season to give him time to correct some mechanics issues and learn NFL defenses, but after trading Sam Bradford to Minnesota they handed Wentz the job.

Yahoo Sports' story on Wentz's recent troubles ran under the headline, "There's something wrong with Carson Wentz's throwing style and NFL teams are catching on."

"The motion was also something that concerned the Cleveland Browns in their scouting evaluations of Wentz, prior to their trading of the No. 2 pick to the Eagles," Yahoo's Charles Robinson wrote.

"A Browns source told Yahoo Sports Wentz's motion was noted in draft evaluations - though he also maintained trading the No. 2 pick was more about netting draft picks than not liking Wentz."

It can't be surprising that a raw kid who started just seven games his senior year at North Dakota State might not be a finished product, right? Meantime, he's still 6-5, 237 pounds and is smart (40 on the Wonderlic) and mobile, a terrific athlete.

Before the draft, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with scouts about Wentz. One said he'd sit him for a year and a half. That's not a shot. It's just a nod to the obvious jump in competitive levels.

"Prototypical," another scout said. "I see everything. Arm strength. Accuracy. Toughness. Athletic ability. Smart. Great kid."

Bottom line: You can be a Top 20 quarterback (with all due respect to Paul DePodesta, Wentz projects as one) without a Top 20 quarterback throwing motion. The Eagles think he's more than that obviously.

Bottom bottom line: I didn't have a big issue with the Browns passing up Wentz. They'll have two high draft picks to use to solve their QB issue while the Eagles still believe they've solved theirs.

* The White Sox trading lefty Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for top prospects is a plus for every AL Central team (save the White Sox, obviously). As for making Boston a more formidable World Series contender, Vegas tells us it has. Boston was 10-1 before the trade, 5-1 after.

But that's primarily a concern for the teams that run into the Red Sox in the postseason.

Also a concern for AL playoff teams: facing an Indians team with Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar back in the starting rotation.

A lot of teams have won the off-season and fallen short of the postseason. It's even early to say the Red Sox have won the off-season.

No reason to curb expectations for the Indians

* The Indians' interest in free agent Edwin Encarnacion is legitimate. It results from a shrinking market for the Blue Jays slugger. Even if it's a longshot, why not be there if market forces reduce the asking price?

The interest in Encarnacion might also work to bring the Indians and Mike Napoli together for one more year. They shouldn't give him more than that.

A story on Napoli correctly said he "found the fountain of youth" last year. But it didn't point out how the fountain went almost completely dry in September and October.

* LeBron James had his say in response to Phil Jackson referring to his management team as a "posse." And that seems to be the end of it for now.

The Cavs are in New York today. James says he has no intentions of talking with Jackson. Especially not at a Donald Trump hotel, we can add with no fear of rebuttal.

* James, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton, declined to stay at the Trump-owned team hotel this week. Some other Cavs decided to join him elsewhere.

That's their prerogative. It's also no surprise.

The surprise will be if Trump doesn't Tweet about it.

Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016

* Free agent reliever Aroldis Chapman wants a six-year contract. Signing a reliever who throws 98 percent of his pitches 100 miles an hour to a guaranteed six-year deal?

What could go wrong?

* The Washington Post's Fancy Stats blog, via Yahoo, asks this: "Wonder why the Rams gave Jeff Fisher an extension? There's one good reason."

Whatever it is, it's just not good enough.

* The blog makes the case Fisher has faced one of the NFL's most difficult schedules over the past five years and has at least built a tough defense.

Hard to argue. But that would seem to make him Romeo Crennel, not unfireable.

* Golden State's Klay Thompson scored 60 points in a rout of the Indiana Pacers. He did it in just 29 minutes. Imagine if he weren't having trouble fitting his game around Kevin Durant's talents?

* The 60 points was the 30^th such game in Warriors history. That's a NBA record.

Wilt Chamberlain had 27 of them.

But he never played against Timofey Mozgov.

* Raiders punter Marquette King got flagged for excessive celebration after a Bills player was penalized for roughing the kicker. King picked up the flag and spiked it while dancing.

"I was like, 'You know what ref? I'm going to bring you some flowers on Monday just to show you I'm sorry for picking up your flag.'" King told USA TODAY Sports. "The thing about it is, you never know where the referees go. They're like incognito. Referees always disappear somewhere.''

Yes, sometimes they seem almost as nameless and faceless as punters.

* Cam Newton missed the first series Sunday against the Seahawks because of a dress code violation. Head coach Ron Rivera disciplined him for failing to wear a tie on the road trip to Seattle.

"If coach didn't feel like I was dressed appropriately then I wasn't," Newton told reporters. "When you're 6-foot-5, trying to get a shirt, I was away from home for a week, I didn't pack a shirt.

"There were a lot of ties I was given but I can't wear a tie with this. Meaning, I have a tank top on - we discussed it internally, me and coach, we got on the same page. I felt as if I wore a similar outfit like this before and nothing was done but he said he has rules in place and we have to abide by them. No person is better than the next person and it is what it is."

I know what you're thinking. Give me a quarterback who doesn't wear "outfits."

Not me. Give me Cam Newton and I won't care if he dresses like Tiny Tim every Sunday.

* Tiger Woods finished 15^th in a 17-golfer field at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in his first tournament in 15 months.

According to golfodds.com, his Masters chances went from 40-1 to 20-1. Same as Bubba Watson and Adam Scott.

I don't bet. But given those odds, take either Bubba Watson or Adam Scott.

* Charles Barkley said the Golden State Warriors' style of play is "little girly basketball."

Not sure what that means. But as long as he's being paid to use words, it's not too much to ask him to come up with some that don't demean women.

And yet somehow still demean a team that came within a game of consecutive NBA titles while setting the NBA regular season record for victories? Barkley should give up on both counts.

* The Cavs were outscored 90-55 in third quarters against the Bulls, Bucks and Clippers.

Barkley won't say it so I will.

That's "a little like Browns football."

* Russell Westbrook recorded his sixth straight triple double in a 102-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks Monday. One more and Westbrook will match Michael Jordan's consecutive triple double streak established in 1989.

The NBA record (nine) belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who apparently was pretty good.

Rated the No. 5 offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Smith announced his commitment to Tennessee on ESPNU on Tuesday afternoon.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State hosted five-star offensive tackle Trey Smith of Jackson (Tenn.) University School for an official visit on Nov. 26 and Urban Meyer stopped by the prospect's school Monday. 

The Buckeyes made an impressive late push.  It just wasn't enough. 

Rated the No. 5 offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Smith announced his commitment to Tennessee on ESPNU on Tuesday afternoon.  

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound prospect's six finalists were Ohio State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson and Mississippi. The three schools who had a legitimate shot to land Smith were reportedly Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State. 

The Buckeyes are still in need of an offensive tackle in their class after four-star Jake Moretti of Arvada (Colo.) Pomona flipped to Colorado two weeks ago. 

Smith's commitment could turn up Ohio State's pursuit of four-star offensive tackle Thayer Munford of Massillon (Ohio) Washington. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Munford is currently considering offers from Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and Louisville. 

A source told cleveland.com that there is no structural damage to J.R. Smith's left knee, but he is still expected to miss a few games.

NEW YORK -- The MRI done on J.R. Smith's left knee was clean and the Cavs are calling his injury a hyperextension. 

Smith will not play against the New York Knicks Wednesday night and will then be considered day to day, according to a release by the team. He was injured in the first quarter of Cleveland's 116-112 win over Toronto Monday night and examined Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic.

The Cavs watched film but otherwise took it easy in New York on Tuesday.

Smith suffered the injury when his knee buckled after shooting a runner with 1:52 left in the opening quarter. The Cavs took an X-ray in Toronto, which also was clean, but his knee had been sore for at least a week.

The team will likely want to give Smith a minimum of a few days -- and maybe longer -- to get himself healthy. This is arguably Smith's worst season of his 13-year career, and one could point to the knee problem as a potential culprit.

Smith, who signed a four-year, $57 million contract prior to the start of the regular season, is averaging 7.8 points (second-lowest of his career) and shooting 31.1 percent from the floor, a career low. His 32.7 shooting percentage from 3-point range is also the second-worst of his career.

Here's where the knee comes into play. Smith is stuck in an 8-of-42 shooting slump (19 percent) over his last six games. His knee has been bothering him for most, if not all of that stretch.

Smith has already missed three games this year because of a sprained ankle. The the question now is who coach Tyronn Lue will turn to this time in Smith's absence.

Lue turned first to Mike Dunleavy, then to Richard Jefferson, and finally to Iman Shumpert while Smith was out from Nov. 13-16. The Cavs went 2-1 during that stretch, and their lone loss was to the Pacers Nov. 16 on the road when LeBron James didn't play, either.

On Monday, Lue turned to DeAndre Liggins to play most of Smith's minutes. He scored five points and drained a 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the third quarter for a nine-point lead, and had a team-high plus-minus of plus-12.

"I like the energy he brings defensively," Lue said of Liggins after Monday's game. "I thought we needed that. I thought we needed the toughness he brings. Just him flying around. It may not be the right coverage all the time, but just his activity and the way he plays and how he plays hard, it's big for us.

"He made a big 3, got a big offensive rebound that we needed. He was great for us defensively and guys kind of fed off that energy."

But when asked if Lue would stick with Liggins in the starting lineup against the Knicks, he said he would "just kind of see who they're playing and what the lineups are.

"I like Shump and RJ and those guys coming off the bench," Lue said. "Just got to get a feel for who (the Knicks are) playing and how they're playing."

James, who scored 34 against the Raptors and is averaging 28.5 points in 22 regular-season games at Madison Square Garden, said "next man up has always been our mindset.

"Obviously we hope the MRIs come back positive with JR's injury, so, it's next man up and guys got to be able to fulfill that."

"Like I said, as of right now, I'm definitely coming back next year until I sit down and talk to the coaching staff and my family." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If somebody put a briefcase filled with millions of dollars on the table, slid it forward and offered it to you, would you say no? 

Malik Hooker basically said he wouldn't take the money last week when he put it out there that he's "100 percent coming back" to Ohio State next season. 

Don't celebrate. Hooker is probably telling a white lie. But what he's doing makes sense. 

"There are a lot of people, social media, just questioning whether I am coming back and stuff like that," Hooker said. "So that's just to answer their question for right now. I don't need a lot of people calling me or messaging me and stuff like that wondering if I'm coming back.

"Like I said, as of right now, I'm definitely coming back next year until I sit down and talk to the coaching staff and my family." 

There's that phrase again: Right now. 

Regardless of what happens between now and mid-January -- whether the Buckeyes win a national title or not -- Hooker is going to be one of the top-rated defensive backs on NFL draft boards. 

That's when the briefcase of money gets pushed across the table. 

That's when the real decision is going to be made. 

"I am just being mature," Hooker said. "You don't really pay mind to anything until your season is over. I feel like I am not giving my full effort to the program and all the work that I put in if I'm focused on after the season or going into the draft. I would feel like I'm letting myself down, as well as the team." 

"There's a lot that will play a role in whether I stay or whether I leave or whatever. But like I said, as of right now, I'm not paying no mind to nothing like that. I am still in the season and still worried about trying to win a national title here. 

"After the season, whatever happens, happens." 

The Buckeyes and Tigers will get ESPN's top broadcast team on Dec. 31.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State will have some familiar faces calling its College Football Playoff semifinal game against Clemson on Dec. 31.

ESPN announced on Tuesday that its top broadcast team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder will call the Fiesta Bowl. The semifinal game will kick off at 7 p.m. on ESPN from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe will call the Peach Bowl semifinal between Alabama and Washington.

This will be the fifth time this season that the team of Fowler, Herbstreit and Ponder will call an Ohio State game. They called the win at Wisconsin, the loss at Penn State, the win against Nebraska and the win against Michigan.

So the Buckeyes are 3-1 with this team calling the game, for whatever that's worth.

That same crew will also call the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Fla, with Tom Rinaldi being added to the broadcast team as another sideline reporter.

Broadcast teams for all ESPN/ABC bowl games here.

Ohio State fell to 7-2 with a loss to Florida Atlantic on Tuesday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nick Rutherford hesitated on a cross-over dribble, got by Kam Williams and put a floater off the glass and in to hand Ohio State arguably the worst loss of the Thad Matta era.

Rutherford's bucket gave Florida Atlantic a 79-77 win in overtime on Tuesday night, sending the Buckeyes to their second loss of the season and completely back to the drawing board with games against UConn and UCLA coming up.

Ohio State (7-2) had one second left to find something after Rutherford's score. JaQuan Lyle threw a baseball pass that never got to Keita Bates-Diop. Rutherford's game-winning basket came after Ohio State turned it over on a pass from Lyle to Marc Loving that went through Loving's hands with 26 seconds left in a 77-all tie.

This is worse than losing to Texas-Arlington or Louisiana Tech last year.

The Buckeyes have been plagued by slow starts against lesser competition all season, but it never actually caught up to them until Tuesday night, when they could never pull away from a now 3-5 team that's ranked No. 240 in Ken Pomeroy's ratings.

Those same KenPom advanced stat ratings gave the Owls a three percent chance of winning Tuesday's game. 

Trevor Thompson led Ohio State with 16 points and seven rebounds, but fouled out with 1:21 left in overtime. Jae'Sean Tate had 14 points and seven rebounds.

FAU's Adonis Filer led all players with 23 points.

Ohio State finished 4-for-20 from 3-point range. FAU shot 10-for-25 from deep.

How it got to overtime

Tuesday night played out a lot like Saturday's win over Fairleigh Dickinson. There were spurts of inspired play in the second half when the Buckeyes clearly looked like the better team, but it was unsustainable.

Every time Ohio State looked like it might pull away, it went cold and then lost focus on the defensive end. After falling behind 58-47 on a tough finish from Tate, Florida Atlantic went on a 10-0 run to pull within one and force an Ohio State timeout.

The Buckeyes didn't regroup, allowing the run to extend to 14-0 before a Micah Potter dunk ended it. But the Owls kept pushing, and stretched its lead to 66-62 at the under-4:00 timeout, leaving Ohio State to claw back just to force the game to overtime.

Jae'Sean Tate made a pair of free throws to make it 70-69 with 27.9 seconds left. FAU's Nick Rutherford split a pair of free throws on the other end. Ohio State came down, and Trevor Thompson was fouled putting back a Kam Williams 3-point miss. He hit both free throws to tie the game at 71 with 9.7 seconds left.

On its ensuing possession, FAU turned it over when Nick Ingram dribbled baseline and lost the ball out of bounds. On Ohio State's final possession of regulation, Lyle tried to go behind the back through the lane and lost control of the ball.

The Buckeyes never got a shot off at the end, and didn't make a field goal in the final 2:32 of regulation.

Another slow start

Ohio State was adamant it would have a better start than it did on Saturday when it let Fairleigh Dickinson hang around. Instead the Buckeyes started 1-for-11 from the floor and were down 13-5 at the first timeout.

Bates-Diop checked in for the first team and helped fuel a 10-0 run, but Ohio State still only led by one point at the break and shot 37 percent in the first half.

Bates-Diop plays

After missing the previous five games with a high ankle sprain, junior Bates-Diop returned for the Buckeyes. He did not re-take his usual spot in the starting lineup, but finished with 10 points in 20 minutes.

It was Bates-Diop's first action since suffering what looked like a scary leg injury against Providence on Nov. 17. His left got caught underneath him when he fell to the floor, and it looked at the time like it might have been a serious knee injury. It was classified as a high ankle sprain.

What's next?

Ohio State is back home Saturday when it hosts UConn. Tip from Value City Arena is set for 6 p.m., televised on Big Ten Network.

The Cleveland Monsters scored on three power plays Tuesday, including the game-winner in overtime as they edged the Grand Rapids Griffins, 3-2.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- John Ramage scored on a power play in overtime to lift the Cleveland Monsters past the Grand Rapids Griffins, 3-2, in an American Hockey League game Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Ramage scored his first goal of the season at 2:28 of the overtime session after the Monsters had tied the game in the third period. T.J. Tynan and Sonny Milano had assists on the game-winner.

Cleveland was 3-for-3 on power plays.

The Monsters are now 9-11-1-1, while Grand Rapids is 12-7-0-2 and holds a 2-3-0-1 edge in the season series.

• Game summary
• AHL standings

Grand Rapids jumped ahead when Kyle Criscuolo scored on a power play at 8:23 of the first period.

But the Monsters countered with their own power-play goal at 16:08 of the first, Oliver Bjorkstrand getting his eighth of the season off assists from Milano and Tynan.

Evgeny Svechnikov put the Griffins up 2-1 with the only goal of the second period at 10:14.

Markus Hannikainen tied it at 11:40 of the third period, just 18 seconds into a power play. Dean Kukan and Aaron Palushaj assisted.

Joonas Korpisalo stopped 22 of 24 shots to improve to 3-3-1. Griffins goalie Eddie Pasquale stopped 39 of 42 shots. The Monsters outshot the Griffins in regulation, 38-24, including 19-6 in the third period.

Cleveland had 16 penalty minutes, compared to just six for the Griffins.

He's back: The Columbus Blue Jackets returned left wing Markus Hannikainen to the Monsters on Sunday and he was back in the starting lineup Tuesday. Hannikainen recorded four shots in five games for the Blue Jackets. He had five goals and three assists for eight points with four penalty minutes in his first 14 games with Cleveland this season.

Dwayne Cohill scored 38 points and nearly produced a triple-double to lead the Green Wave past OHSAA state semifinalist Bay, 90-81. Cohill has offers from Ohio State and Northwestern.

PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio – Four times last season, Holy Name lost boys basketball games at the buzzer.

Coach Jeff Huber reminded his Green Wave of that after their 90-81 season-opening win Tuesday night against Bay. His team is a year removed from winning a Division II regional crown. That distinction went to Bay last season.

Their matchup, which pitted two cleveland.com Top 25 teams, gave an early glimpse at what is different. They split their Great Lakes Conference rivalry last season, and the 18th-ranked Green Wave took a slim lead Tuesday in the second quarter that it didn’t relinquish.

Bay, ranked No. 15, also never strayed too far behind.

Half: Holy Name 47, Bay 41. An exchange of 3s in the final seconds. pic.twitter.com/CywwaeNTjn

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 7, 2016

Check back later for more video highlights.

That’s why those four close losses in an 8-16 season mattered to Huber.

“This is a game I don’t know if we would have won last year,” Huber said. “When they cut it to four with maybe two minutes left, we were able to regain our composure. I think that was a sign of growth and a sign of maturity.”

Junior point guard Dwayne Cohill scored 38 points and filled his statistical line to keep Bay (1-1) no closer than two possessions throughout the second half. The 6-foot-2 standout, who holds college offers from Ohio State and Northwestern, added 10 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.

He dazzled early with a dunk and repeated drives to the basket. He also stepped back to knock down two 3-pointers on a night where the scoreboard didn’t work, and Huber said “it didn’t feel like 38” on Cohill’s scoring total.

“We needed every one of them,” Huber said, “so they were all valuable.”

So was 6-10 senior center Malique Burton, a transfer from St. Ignatius who sat out all of last season. He pulled in seven rebounds, all in the first three quarters and finished with 12 points.

“From where he was when he came in to now, it’s unbelievable,” Cohill said of Burton. “Before at times out there, he probably would have caught an attitude. But he just played well and got up and down the floor. His conditioning has gotten a lot better.”

Bay coach Jared Shetzer saw Burton’s presence as the difference in their matchup.

His Rockets lost all-time leading scorer John Koz to graduation — and he’s now a walk-on at Cincinnati — plus senior point guard Jack Jelen to an injury. In their places, sophomore point guard Erik Painter provided a team-high 21 points, including four 3s, while 6-6 junior R.J. Sunahara added 21.

Sunahara also pulled in 11 rebounds and played the final four minutes with four fouls.

“We’ve shown in the first two games we’ve shown we can score 80,” Shetzer said. “It’s that other side. How do we hold teams to 49, 50?”

Shetzer still said he is happy with where his team stands.

He played four sophomores and started two, including guard Max Showalter. Painter played a vital role in the Rockets’ first state semifinal appearance last season.

Now Holy Name, its rival in league and district play, hopes to replicate such a feat two seasons after flirting with it.

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.

See high school girls basketball scores from Tuesday, December 6, 2016.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Here are Tuesday's girls basketball regional scores from around Ohio.

Andrews Osborne Academy 58, Cle. NE Ohio Prep 21

Baltimore Liberty Union 62, Circleville 59

Bellville Clear Fork 52, Galion 27

Bloom-Carroll 56, Circleville Logan Elm 36

Chardon 68, Mayfield 53

Chillicothe Huntington 63, Frankfort Adena 41

Chillicothe Unioto 68, Bainbridge Paint Valley 37

Chillicothe Zane Trace 48, Williamsport Westfall 38

Cin. Taft 51, Cin. Woodward 32

Cin. Western Hills 49, Cin. Hughes 40

Cle. Hay 73, Cle. John Marshall 16

Cols. Mifflin 44, Cols. Whetstone 31

Cols. Watterson 55, Westerville Cent. 39

Columbus Grove 94, Continental 33

Dalton 55, Louisville Aquinas 41

Delaware Christian 28, Cols. Wellington 14

Dublin Coffman 64, Cols. Upper Arlington 39

Findlay Liberty-Benton 63, McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley 36

Hudson WRA 49, Cle. Hts. Beaumont 37

Miami Valley Christian Academy 45, Cin. Immaculate Conception 31

Mt. Notre Dame 69, Cin. Mercy 37

New Knoxville 44, Houston 32

Oak Harbor 49, Pemberville Eastwood 30

Old Fort 71, Genoa Area 39

Pettisville 51, Edon 25

Pickerington N. 58, Grove City 57

Reynoldsburg 49, Lancaster 31

Southeastern 43, Piketon 29

Sunbury Big Walnut 59, Groveport-Madison 44

Upper Sandusky 56, Bellevue 50

Westerville N. 52, Lewis Center Olentangy Orange 40

Westerville S. 55, Logan 40

The Buckeyes lost to Florida Atlantic on Tuesday night to fall to 7-2. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Everything Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta said after the Buckeyes lost 79-77 to Florida Atlantic on Tuesday night.

On how the game got away from the Buckeyes:

Matta: "We were 1-for-11 to start the game, and had some good looks. We let everything affect us. They outplayed us. When things happen, we've gotta be a little bit tougher. They bank a 3 in and cut it to five? Who cares? We didn't make them guard us, we took some quick shots. Down the stretch our execution was not good. We didn't get a shot at the end of regulation. We weren't pressuring the ball. They ran everything they wanted to run the entire night. We were back on our heels. We were trying to get them up to pressure, and we didn't do that tonight."

On if it felt like nonconference losses to Texas-Arlington and Louisiana Tech last year:

Matta: "Not really. I've literally forgotten about last year. This is one of those games that they made the plays down the stretch, the shot to win the game a bank in over your shoulder. I thought we were there on the close-out, forced a tough shot and the kid made it. We gotta get more ... we gotta get better. Those plays down the stretch. That wasn't the game, I don't know if we should've been in that situation but we were. That's the hand you're dealt and you play it the best you can."

On if the coaches need to re-assess how they're preparing the team:

Matta: "I think from the standpoint, we spent yesterday a lot of time on transition defense and three of the 3s they hit to start the game were in transition. We always talk about not feeling your way, but our pace offensively wasn't at the pace we've had for whatever reason. We've gotta get these guys to understand that the game tonight is a great lesson that you have to swing the game to your terms. Tonight we couldn't do it. We played on our heels the majority of the game, and that's something we've to get better at."

On how to make sure the loss doesn't carry over to other games:

Matta: "We've gotta go back at it. This team has shown to play some really good basketball this year. We know what our strengths are and tonight we didn't play to our strengths. You're gonna have games like tonight -- how many shots did we have go in and out that set up there on the rim? That can't affect the other end of the floor. You gotta go back down, you gotta defend. We didn't rotate a couple times and they made us pay in transition. You take a look at this and find ways to get better."

On if he felt his team was mentally engaged from the start:

Matta: "I thought they were at the start. We got hit early, came back and got the lead there. That was the biggest thing coming out of Saturday's game, for whatever reason we weren't ready. I thought today preparation-wise we were kind of tuned into it. We just didn't do what we're good at, and that's what we were begging during timeouts. When they're a guard-oriented team and they can see the floor under no duress, you've gotta get up and pressure the basketball."

On if the team plays to the level of the competition:

Matta: "I don't know. My biggest thing with these guys is we've gotta stick to what we're good at. You have to take great pride in doing what we do, and how we do it. Tonight the shots aren't falling. Kam is 2-for-11, he hasn't gone 2-for-11 in his career here. We've gotta get stops. If somebody makes a difficult shot on you, it's just two points or three points and you gotta come back down and execute. That's a change of the gear and a change of the mindset."

On blowing an 11-point lead in the second half and letting up a 14-0 run:

Matta: "We were saying make them guard us, run the offense. We shot a couple quick ones and I think we missed a couple free throws in that stretch. When the kid banked in the 3 to cut it to five, we looked like the world had ended. That's gonna happen, you gotta keep playing. Don't let them take our momentum from us."

On what his message is heading into Saturday vs. UConn:

Matta: "We play again Saturday and have to find ways to get better. We came out of (Virginia) and honed in on what we felt like we didn't do well there. We've gotta keep finding ways. You get knocked down, you gotta get up again and be ready on Saturday at 6 p.m."

Check out statewide scores from around Ohio and the OHSAA in boys basketball.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here are Tuesday's boys basketball scores from around the state.

Akr. Ellet 78, Akr. Buchtel 66

Akr. Kenmore 72, Akr. North 53

Akr. Springfield 78, New Carlisle Tecumseh 31

Alliance 56, Canfield 55

Ashland Crestview 68, Loudonville 51

Ashland Mapleton 75, Elyria Open Door 54

Atwater Waterloo 68, Kingsway Christian 42

Bainbridge Paint Valley 57, Lucasville Valley 51

Barnesville 66, Sarahsville Shenandoah 63, OT

Beaver Eastern 61, Wellston 47

Beavercreek 60, W. Carrollton 29

Bellaire 79, Rayland Buckeye 46

Berlin Center Western Reserve 79, Salineville Southern 66

Berlin Hiland 61, E. Can. 41

Bloomdale Elmwood 81, Kansas Lakota 41

Bristol 51, Cortland Maplewood 38

Brookfield 40, Ravenna SE 2

Brookville 56, New Paris National Trail 38

Brunswick 65, Akr. Firestone 37

Byesville Meadowbrook 66, New Concord John Glenn 50

Can. McKinley 78, New Philadelphia 50

Canal Fulton Northwest 58, Can. South 50

Canal Winchester 45, Cols. Bexley 36

Canfield S. Range 61, Lisbon David Anderson 30

Carlisle 66, Monroe 51

Cedarville 63, Leesburg Fairfield 56, OT

Centerburg 42, Sunbury Big Walnut 34

Cin. Anderson 75, Batavia Amelia 65

Cin. Clark Montessori 66, Cin. Seven Hills 38

Cin. Mariemont 50, Batavia 30

Cin. McNicholas 55, Cin. Turpin 38

Cin. NW 56, Cin. Colerain 52

Cin. Princeton 65, Milford 57

Cin. Purcell Marian 58, Cin. Madeira 52

Cin. St. Xavier 57, Cin. Winton Woods 29

Cin. Summit Country Day 75, Cin. Country Day 46

Cin. Taft 65, Day. Belmont 47

Cin. Woodward 68, Morrow Little Miami 53

Cle. E. Tech 96, Cle. Whitney Young 27

Cle. Glenville 109, Cle. Collinwood 61

Cle. Rhodes 54, Cle. Max Hayes 26

Cols. Beechcroft 72, Granville 35

Cols. Briggs 59, Delaware Buckeye Valley 36

Cols. Grandview Hts. 57, Johnstown Northridge 46

Cols. Linden McKinley 84, Galloway Westland 53

Cols. Watterson 50, Plain City Jonathan Alder 34

Columbiana 56, Sebring McKinley 55

Cornerstone Christian 56, Twinsburg 52

Cortland Lakeview 55, Warren Howland 53

Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 49, Euclid 47

Day. Carroll 61, Miamisburg 59, OT

Day. Chaminade Julienne 53, Spring. Shawnee 36

DeGraff Riverside 43, Bradford 35

Delaware Christian 74, Groveport Madison Christian 57

E. Palestine 93, Mineral Ridge 86

Eaton 68, Camden Preble Shawnee 61

Elyria 76, Westlake 60

Elyria Cath. 62, Parma Normandy 60

Franklin 106, Lewisburg Tri-County N. 43

Franklin Furnace Green 61, Ironton Rock Hill 58, OT

Franklin Middletown Christian 59, Cincinnati Trailblazers HomeSchool 51

Gahanna Christian 71, Shekinah Christian 69

Gahanna Cols. Academy 56, W. Jefferson 47

Galion Northmor 56, Marion Pleasant 43

Gates Mills Gilmour 86, Chesterland W. Geauga 69

Gates Mills Hawken 49, Chagrin Falls 27

Genoa Area 59, Wauseon 52

Genoa Christian 50, Columbus Torah Academy 41

Glouster Trimble 64, Belpre 57

Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 59, Carrollton 46

Goshen 60, Bethel-Tate 49

Green 74, Louisville 68

Grove City Christian 101, Fredericktown 48

Heath 92, Mt. Gilead 46

Hebron Lakewood 76, Warsaw River View 46

Hilliard Darby 65, Grove City Cent. Crossing 58

Howard E. Knox 64, Lancaster Fisher Cath. 45

Hudson WRA 50, Aurora 39

Hunting Valley University 80, Eastlake N. 65

Ironton 59, Spring Valley, W.Va. 41

Jackson 69, Bidwell River Valley 50

Jamestown Greeneview 71, Yellow Springs 52

Lancaster 68, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 40

Leavittsburg LaBrae 69, Burton Berkshire 56

Lees Creek E. Clinton 57, Hillsboro 53

Lewis Center Olentangy Orange 42, Marion Harding 40

Liberty Twp. Lakota E. 47, Cin. Sycamore 28

Lorain 66, Vermilion 57

Lorain Clearview 78, Amherst Steele 69

Lore City Buckeye Trail 56, Belmont Union Local 55

Louisville Aquinas 61, Hartville Lake Center Christian 49

Madison 61, Lewis Center Olentangy 60

Magnolia, W.Va. 76, Woodsfield Monroe Cent. 52

Magnolia Sandy Valley 69, Newcomerstown 27

Malvern 47, Tuscarawas Cent. Cath. 40

Manchester 62, Portsmouth W. 51

Mansfield Madison 61, Lewis Center Olentangy 60

Marietta 57, Albany Alexander 49

Mason 76, Loveland 51

Massillon Tuslaw 64, Apple Creek Waynedale 59

McConnelsville Morgan 58, Dresden Tri-Valley 57

McDermott Scioto NW 42, Mowrystown Whiteoak 40

McDonald 92, Hanoverton United 60

Medina Buckeye 78, Lodi Cloverleaf 50

Medina Highland 56, Macedonia Nordonia 54

Mentor Lake Cath. 71, Willoughby S. 69

Middletown Fenwick 67, Cin. Glen Este 52

N. Bend (Cleves) Taylor 64, Oxford Talawanda 59

N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 65, Columbiana Crestview 43

N. Lewisburg Triad 49, St. Paris Graham 44

N. Olmsted 72, Parma Hts. Valley Forge 69

New Hope Christian 53, London 40

New Lebanon Dixie 44, Day. Christian 39

New Middletown Spring. 59, Leetonia 41

Northside Christian 65, Ohio Deaf 32

Oak Hill 73, Willow Wood Symmes Valley 29

Orange 81, Painesville Riverside 55

Paden City, W.Va. 69, Beallsville 23

Parma 56, Rocky River 54

Parma Hts. Holy Name 90, Bay Village Bay 81

Parma Padua 82, Rocky River Lutheran W. 41

Peninsula Woodridge 45, Kent Roosevelt 31

Pickerington Cent. 77, Zanesville 48

Pickerington N. 62, Delaware Hayes 52

Pitsburg Franklin-Monroe 53, Milton-Union 43

Poland Seminary 51, Warren Harding 50

Port Clinton 65, Elmore Woodmore 54

Portsmouth Notre Dame 37, Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant 32

Racine Southern 61, Stewart Federal Hocking 25

Reedsville Eastern 40, Crown City S. Gallia 39

Richmond Edison 68, Bowerston Conotton Valley 58

Riverside Stebbins 69, Spring. Greenon 41

Rootstown 55, Windham 41

Russia 67, Newton Local 43

S. Point 46, S. Webster 43

Salem 77, E. Liverpool 49

Seaman N. Adams 71, Fayetteville-Perry 54

Shadyside 41, Bridgeport 13

Sidney 70, Bellefontaine 58

Smithville 71, Orrville 64, OT

Southington Chalker 61, Kinsman Badger 58

Sparta Highland 51, Utica 38

Spring. Cath. Cent. 51, Day. Miami Valley 38

Springboro 64, Fairborn 52

Strasburg-Franklin 55, Sugarcreek Garaway 39

Struthers 58, Austintown Fitch 55

Tallmadge 77, Mogadore Field 58

Thornville Sheridan 64, Crooksville 41

Tipp City Bethel 87, Spring. NE 52

Tol. Christian 40, Oregon Stritch 37

Tol. Emmanuel Baptist 47, Northwood 46

Tol. Maumee Valley 62, Gibsonburg 58

Tol. Ottawa Hills 80, Lakeside Danbury 32

Tol. St. Francis 62, Tol. Scott 34

Tol. St. John's 90, Lima Cent. Cath. 35

Tol. Whitmer 80, Holland Springfield 48

Tontogany Otsego 47, Maumee 40

Urbana 53, Day. Ponitz Tech. 50

Versailles 60, Tipp City Tippecanoe 46

Vienna Mathews 66, Heartland Christian 34

Vincent Warren 60, Pomeroy Meigs 46

W. Liberty-Salem 72, Spring. Kenton Ridge 69

Washington C.H. 53, Chillicothe 52

Washington C.H. Miami Trace 59, Clarksville Clinton-Massie 51

Waverly 73, Circleville 55

Wellsville 63, Lowellville 57

Wheelersburg 99, W. Union 60

Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 57, Oregon Clay 25

Williamsburg 65, Mt. Orab Western Brown 43

Wilmington 43, Greenfield McClain 27

Wintersville Indian Creek 48, Brooke, W.Va. 43

Wooster Triway 61, Millersburg W. Holmes 60

Worthington Christian 49, Johnstown-Monroe 30

Xenia 59, Day. Meadowdale 58, OT

Youngs. Boardman 63, Niles McKinley 43

Youngs. East 75, Hubbard 53

Zanesville Maysville 63, New Lexington 45

Zanesville W. Muskingum 57, Philo 46

Coldwater vs. Greenville, ppd. to Jan 17.

Hamler Patrick Henry vs. Defiance Ayersville, ppd. to Dec 22.

Kidron Cent. Christian vs. Rittman, ppd. to Dec 20.

Wahama, W.Va. vs. Waterford, ppd. to Feb 9.

The Indians need a hitter for the middle of the lineup. Free agents Mike Napoli and Edwin Encarnacion meet the requirements, but will they get the job?

HARBOR PLACE, Md. - They are the perfect match. Not for each other, but for the Indians.

On one hand you have Edwin Encarnacion. He's a veteran right-handed hitting free agent, who led the American League with 127 RBI last season while hitting 42 homers and posting a .886 OPS for Toronto.

Encarnacion, 33, is first baseman-DH, who was made to hit in the middle of the lineup.

On the other hand you have Mike Napoli. He's a veteran right-handed hitting free agent, who set career highs last season with 34 homers, 101 RBI and 150 games played for the Indians.

Napoli, 35, is a first baseman-DH, who was made to hit in the middle of the lineup.

A perfect match for sure, but the Indians can only sign one. In reality they might swing and miss on both of them, but you get the idea.

Right now, Encarnacion figures to be a lot more expensive. He's younger and has been a more consistent hitter than Napoli, averaging 39 homers a season over the last five years.

The Indians, obviously, know Napoli a lot better than Encarnacion. Manager Terry Francona kept calling him the "heart and soul of our team" last season. The Indians saw the home runs, the RBI and the 194 strikeouts.

Tribe, Edwin Encarnacion talking

In September, and throughout the run to Game 7 of the World Series, they saw Napoli go into a slump he never emerged from. Was he tired? Probably? He never played that much or had that many plate appearances in one season in his career.

So that's why the Indians would probably love to sign him to another one-year deal like they did last season. Napoli made $7 million in base salary and earned another $3 million in incentives.

But if you're Napoli, you've already played for a discount. You've already proved a point. So that's why he and his agent, Brian Grieper, are seeking at least a two-year deal.

Encarnacion made $10 million last season with the Blue Jays. He turned down a reported four-year, $80 million offer from the Jays. Then he rejected their $17.2 million qualifying offer.

So he wants a payday, a big one. But the game of free agency is a lot like musical chairs. Every time the music stops, a chair gets removed.

Napoli is listening to the same tune and it goes like this: The Blue Jays have signed Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce. The Astros have signed Carlos Beltran. The Yankees have signed Matt Holliday. The Red Sox just agreed to terms with Mitch Moreland.

No qualifying offers for Napoli, Davis

Most of those guys do the same thing Encarnacion and Napoli do - play first, DH and hit.

There are still opportunities out there. Texas is still looking for a hitter. The Red Sox could always add a right-handed bat to go with Moreland. And of course there's the defending AL champion Indians. But the chairs are dwindling.

The Indians have talked to Paul Kinzer, Encarnacion's agent. The talks have some traction, but nothing is close. Yes, if they did a deal with him it would cost them their No.1 pick, but the Indians would find a way to cope.

Tribe casting wide net for first basemen

Grieper and the Indians have been talking about Napoli since the end of the regular season. It took a long time for them to sign him last year. In fact, they thought the deal was scuttled a number of times, but finally got him signed in January.

Perhaps that's how these negotiations are going to go.

"Nap made a tremendous impact on the field and off the field," said GM Mike Chernoff. "Getting to see him first hand, we know exactly who he is and what he can contribute.

"I think you take the totality of his season and then we have to weigh the conditions of the market. Free agency is about supply and demand on a market and figuring out what works for a player and what works for a team. We're exploring that with every player and Nap is a part of that."

The same goes for Encarnacion, but Chernoff wasn't as expansive on him.

"I can't comment on any one guy," he said. "We're in the market and we're trying to touch base with every player."

Contract talks collapsed between the Washington Nationals and 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper after the team learned the slugger wants a 10-year contract worth over $400 million.

Contract talks collapsed between the Washington Nationals and 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper after the team learned the slugger wants a 10-year contract worth over $400 million. Harper would be just 26-years-old when he is an eligible free agent, heading right into his physical prime as a professional athlete. But baseball money is guaranteed, and that's a lot of cash to swallow if Harper doesn't play out his contract. Or is $400 million a small price to pay for a generational talent? Vote below! [?]

PERSPECTIVES

The prospect of a MVP-caliber player hitting the free agent market at age 26 has some teams salivating. But over $400 million through 10 years is a huge price tag. It would easily eclipse the 13-year, $325 million contract the Miami Marlins awarded Giancarlo Stanton just two years ago (which still ranks as the biggest contract in North America). Could Harper justify blowing past that milestone? Maybe. Noah Frank breaks down the math.

A 10-year deal beginning in 2019 would cover Harper from age 26 through 35, well into the decline phase for most hitters. There has been plenty of debate over exactly what the aging curve looks like, but this study from FanGraphs shows us a fairly consistent pattern of drop-off from a player's peak at age 25 down 10 percent in the first 3-5 years, 20 percent in 5-7 years and 30 percent in 7-9 years.

Those who study the subject concluded last year that teams, per the metric Wins Above Replacement, were willing to pay roughly $7.7 million per win last offseason. That is up from $7 million two years prior, and has been a steadily increasing number (roughly $3.2 million 10 years further back). If we assume that metric continues to rise at a rate of $1 million every 2-3 years, a win would be worth somewhere around $10 million on average during the course of Harper's deal.

That would require him to be worth 40 WAR to pay off his free market value.

The Nationals already have $87.4 million tied up in 2019 for just three players: Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman. With Harper asking for over $40 million, you're talking about a payroll exceeding $120 million with just two position players and two starting pitchers to show for it.

"But if he gets $400 million, it's hard to put together a team around him.''

And that's the problem. Baseball is a team sport, and betting the farm on just a couple of superstars can backfire if one or more go under with injuries. A roster full of scrubs won't win the World Series. Before Stanton, the only analogous contract was Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $252 million deal back in 2000. Adjusted for inflation, it's easy to see why Bryce Harper might think he's worth more. But A-Rod managed to help the Yankees win just one World Series championship after collecting $317 million over 13 years. It's hard to see how one player is worth so much.

 

$400 million? That's nothing. Some talking heads think Bryce Harper is worth over $500 million. We're talking about a guy who won the MVP at age 23. His plate presence is out of this world; the kid reached base seven times without taking a single swing in a game against the Cubs last year. He's going to get paid. Even the Yankees' Robbie Cano thinks so:

"I bet you there is somebody that will give him that money. He's one of the best players in the game."

If you're a club that's looking to win a title, the prospect of paying a 26-year-old generational talent over $40 million a year is a bargain. Look at Harper's performance. He can change the trajectory for an entire franchise. The reality is that the Nationals got a ton of unpaid performance from him the last several years. Harper has earned his historic paycheck.

Even just looking at the past two seasons, Harper has been worth an average of more than $50 million a season. If you think last year was the real Harper (which is a stretch), $400 million is more than Harper is worth. But even if he alternated great years and "down" years, something he's unlikely to do, he'd still be a bargain.

If Harper really wants that kind of money, he's not being unreasonable. He's likely selling himself short.

 

Fans appear to be pretty split on the contract demands.

If Bryce Harper is asking 10 years 400+ million after 2018 then Mike Trout needs to ask for 1 billion

-- Nick Ezzi (@nickEZZI19) December 5, 2016

400 million? Is that really worth it for a guy who always gets hurt and hasn't done well in playoffs #MLB #Nationals https://t.co/21SQAov5fV

-- Fanopedia (@Fanopedia) December 6, 2016

Bryce Harper wants 400 mill for 10yr w/ these numbers? Only 1 good year & he's missed over a 100 games due to injury. Clown demand, bro. pic.twitter.com/YZ0g543wba

-- 6'3 (@CaAngels61) December 6, 2016

Nationals when Bryce Harper mentioned 400 million dollars pic.twitter.com/OqELQ4TOJo

-- TJ Fox (@thethomasfoxjr) December 6, 2016

Bryce Harper wants $400 million and he is worth every single dime . He will look great in Dodger blue

-- St.Nick [?] [?] [?] (@shasha31nick) December 6, 2016

Not a big deal that Bryce Harper is demanding a $400 million deal. If some team is going to pay it, more power to Harper for getting it.

-- Brian Lester (@BLester1993) December 6, 2016

Go ahead let @Bharper3407 walk next season see how many games you sell out. I say under 7 sellouts. IF YOU WANNA WIN YOU NEED TO SPEND MONEY

-- ChristianSof (@ChristianSof) December 6, 2016

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

The timing makes sense, especially considering Fickell, who has been an Ohio State assistant since 2002, spoke out to cleveland.com about his deep desire to be a head coach.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It seems like every Ohio State assistant is a potential candidate for every head coaching vacancy in college football. 

But one seems to really have legs. 

Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville recently stepped down and the Bearcats have been reportedly in contact with Ohio State-co defensive coordinator Luke Fickell. 

The timing makes sense, especially considering Fickell, who has been an Ohio State assistant since 2002, spoke out to cleveland.com about his deep desire to be a head coach. 

Cincinnati Enquirer sports writer Tom Groeschen also said there's an idea floating out there that Fickell would consider taking Buckeyes cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs with him as a defensive coordinator if he were to take the Bearcats job. 

Scenario making rounds: #OSU's Fickell could become #UC head coach, with Coombs as defensive coordinator. Hmm.

-- Tom Groeschen (@TomGroeschen) December 7, 2016

Groeschen reported that Cincinnati has met with two Ohio State assistants the last two days. 

#UC has met in last day or so with '2 OSU assistants,' a source says. Read into that what you will.

-- Tom Groeschen (@TomGroeschen) December 7, 2016

Coombs was a defensive backs coach at Cincinnati before taking the Ohio State job. Before jumping to the college ranks, Coombs' was a longtime high school coach in the Cincinnati area at Colerain.

Coombs has been a major part of Ohio State's recruiting charge into Cincinnati and Detroit. 

Get the latest updates and analysis from the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 20 against the New York Knicks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers face the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 20 of the 2016 NBA regular season.

Follow along in the comments section as Joe Vardon brings you observations and analysis throughout the game.

Make sure to follow Vardon on Twitter.

Game 20: Cavs (14-5) vs. Knicks (12-9)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

TV/radio: FoxSports Ohio; ESPN; WTAM 1100 AM; 87.7 FM (ESP).

Cavs probable starting lineup: LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, DeAndre Liggins, Kyrie Irving.

Knicks probable starting lineup: Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, Joakim Noah, Kristaps Porzingis.

James delivers a Statue of Liberty dunk in New York

Love throws another TD pass to LeBron

FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page to get the latest updates. If you're viewing this on a mobile app, click here

Robert Griffin III said Hue Jackson welling up with tears about being 0-12 makes his players want to win for him even more.

BEREA, Ohio -- The sight of Hue Jackson welling up with tears after the 27-13 loss to the Giants was not lost on his players.

They love playing for him. They know how meaningful it would be for him to bust the 0-12 streak Sunday against the Bengals, where he spent four seasons before taking the Browns job.

"It's paramount,'' said Robert Griffin III, who's expected to start. "It's his former team, but I just think when you see coach break down like that, as a player in this locker room, we already wanted to play hard for him, but it makes you want to play harder for him and win for him because he doesn't deserve to be 0-12.

"Talking about is not going to do anything about it but I think seeing that emotion from coach lights a fire in everybody, so we've got to go out and prove it on Sunday.''

Hue Jackson wells up talking about 0-12

Left tackle Joe Thomas also knows what a win would mean to Jackson against the team which rescued him after he had been fired as head coach of the Raiders in 2011. His recent stint with the Bengals, including the 2014-15 seasons as offensive coordinator, was the second of his career. He previously was receivers coach from 2004-06. So he's spent more time in Cincinnati than anywhere in his 16 years in the NFL.  

"Obviously getting a win this week would be really big for us for a number of reasons, but I think the man that's leading the ship right now is very well-respected in the locker room and we understand how important it would be for him to be able to beat the Bengals,'' said Thomas. "I think that's a little extra motivation for the guys in the locker room."

Jackson had a chance to succeed Lewis, as a succession plan was in place. But he opted to come here instead. Now he's in jeopardy of becoming the second head coach in the NFL to go 0-16.

The last guy, Lions coach Rod Marinelli, got the axe, but the Browns have no plans of firing Jackson, according to Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown.

"Obviously, the situation has been difficult, but what I see is a football team that is still playing very hard, still having opportunity to win these football games,'' said Lewis. "It just has not broken their way."

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who became close to Jackson, wouldn't say he feels for his plight.

"I love the guy," he said on a conference call Wednesday. "I'm mad that he left us, but obviously, he had to go take another opportunity. He's going to change that program. It's going to take time. You just can't come in and change it as soon as you want it to. ... He he will get that program up and running sooner or later."

Burfict said Jackson took him under his wing after he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

"I was able to talk to Hue about anything, and we have a close relationship,'' he said. "He is a great coach, a great person, a great personality. He is great motivational coach because he will get you fired up and ready to go.''