Akron remains first in the MAC standings despite struggling of late. The Zips still have a three-game lead on the field with seven to play after a 65-63 escape over Ball State on Tuesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Akron Zips (20-4, 10-1) are struggling, but still winning, coming off a buzzer beating 65-63 victory over Ball State on Tuesday night. Akron still holds a four-game lead over the field in the Mid-American Conference with seven to play, although only three of the seven are at home, where the Zips have won 29 straight.

The Zips appear to be a lock to earn at least a first-round bye for the MAC Tournament. First round games will be played on home sites on March 6 with quarterfinals set for Quicken Loans Arena on March 9.

But the Zips do have some issues, not the least of which is senior forward Kwan Cheatham's sudden slump.

After a career-high 31-point game against Buffalo, Cheatham has not scored in double figures since. He is 8-for-37 overall in the three games since and 4-for-22 on 3-pointers.

"Kwan is the key,'' Akron coach Keith Dambrot said after the Ball State victory. "When Kwan struggles we become an average team."

The Zips have won two of the three games, but both have been struggles.

"Are we coming back to the pack a little bit?" Dambrot said. "For the time being."

No. 2 tries harder: There is a five-way tie for the next three seeds in the MAC Tournament, all at 6-5 in league play. Buffalo (12-12, 6-5) clearly looks like the most dangerous of the bunch, winning five of its last seven games with the two losses by a combined two points, including a 91-90 setback at Akron.

• MAC standings, schedules

The Bulls have games left with Akron and Ohio University, but have won three straight, all by double digits. And after upcoming road games at Bowling Green and Central Michigan, Buffalo ends the season playing four of its final five MAC games at home.

Also tied for second at 6-5 are OU, Central Michigan, Ball State and Northern Illinois.

Lucky No. 7?: There is a four-way tie for the seventh seed in the MAC Tournament between Kent State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Toledo, all at 5-6.

The most snakebit of this bunch appears to be Kent State (13-11). The Golden Flashes have won four of their last six games overall but the two losses -- and three MAC setbacks overall -- have come in overtime on their home court, including Tuesday's 84-83 loss to Bowling Green.

Win one of those three overtime games and Kent is in the logjam for second place. Win two of those games and Kent is alone in second place. Turnovers have been huge in two of the three OT setbacks -- 23 in the loss to NIU and 19 Tuesday against the Falcons.

The value for being a No. 7 or a No. 8 seed is hosting a first-round game. Kent has an extremely tough road ahead with two games remaining against Akron, plus road games at Buffalo and Toledo.

Nobody out: With seven conference games left, every team is still in the mix to at least host a MAC Tournament game. However, Miami (9-15, 2-9) has the most work to do to get there. The RedHawks have lost four straight and nine of their last 10, the lone victory coming at home over Buffalo, 75-74. Western Michigan (8-15, 4-7) has won two straight and could go on a roll as its next three games are at home.

On the horizon: Cleveland State (7-17, 3-9) which has lost four of its last five games, has a tough road chore this week starting Thursday night at Valparaiso, then Saturday at Illinois-Chicago. The Vikings finish the season with three of their final four games at home.

Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and Scott Patsko get caught up on all things Browns and more in a podcast.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Things are quieting down in the NFL for now, but they won't be quiet for long. Mary Kay Cabot, Scott Patsko and I got together today to record a podcast talking all things Browns and more.

Topics we discussed include:

• The Super Bowl.
• Terrell Owens' Hall of Fame snub and did Mary Kay vote for him?
• The latest on the Browns and Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Should the Browns use their franchise tag on Terrelle Pryor?
• Is Myles Garrett too good to pass up at No. 1?

Listen via SoundCloud below or Subscribe to the cleveland.com Sports podcasts channel on iTunes (click the link or search cleveland.com Sports podcasts).

You can listen to previous podcasts using the playlist below:

Bantamweight champion Rau'shee Warren and lightweight champ Robert Easter Jr. will put their titles on the line Friday night in Toledo: Boxing Report 2017.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Rau'shee Warren is rare when it comes to the modern era of boxing. With all of the technology available to study an opponent, Warren prefers fight night to figure things out and that will be the case when he defends his WBA and IBO bantamweight titles against Zhanat Zhakiyanov at 9 p.m. Friday at the Huntington Center in Toledo.

Warren is on the co-main event, which includes Robert Easter Jr. defending his IBF lightweight title against Luis Cruz. Each fight will be shown live on Bounce TV in the Premier Boxing Champions series.

Cleveland's Terrell Gausha is also on the card, fighting Luis Hernandez in a middleweight bout.

But when it comes to Warren (14-1), long hours of video on his upcoming opponent in Zhakiyanov (26-1) was out of the question.

"I haven't watched a whole lot of film on him," Warren said. "My trainer Barry Hunter has, so I believe what my trainer tells me. And I know he comes forward and he looks for the knockout punch. I  never watched a lot of film because I figure out how to win in the ring."

Warren has won plenty enough as a pro and as one of the most decorated amateur fighters in history, the only boxer to represent the United States in three Olympics. So more of the focus is about Warren, not his opponent.

"They're going to have to adjust to me because I'm an all-around fighter," said Warren about other fighters. "I can mix it up, bang and use my speed. A lot of people are intimidated by my speed. They have to figure me out in the ring."

In another throwback attempt, Warren would also like to see a return to the time when champions fought champions. He hopes to put his titles up against the IBF and WBC champs.

"I want to put my title against their title and may the best man win," said Warren, a native of Cincinnati. "I grew up in an era when one person in their weight class had all of the belts. People now days get their little one belt and want to run somewhere with it and not want to fight anybody because money or some other excuse is an issue. That turns people away from boxing."

And Warren wants to turn fans into the right direction.

Battle of Ohio

Cleveland's Antonio Nieves (17-0-2) has made it clear on several occasions that he wants to challenge Warren in the latest version of championship bout between two Ohio natives.

Warren is aware of Nieves' request. Nieves is ranked No. 5 in the WBO and No. 2 among fighters in the United States behind Warren.

"He's not a factor to me especially someone from America because all of my competition is from outside of the country," Warren said. "I got all-around skills and he'll have to bring all he can, those up and down punches aren't going to work with me."

Quick jabs

• Deontay Wilder's heart picks Anthony Joshua and head picks Wladimir Klitschko.
• After so many years of anger, heavyweight Michael Moore says he is now at peace.
• Andre Ward says he is tempted to shut up the haters.
• Who should light-welterweight champion Amir Khan fight next?
• Deontay Wilder takes Alexander Povetkin to court for cancelled out.

Local Fight results

King of Kings Championships - Jan. 27 - 29

60 pounds YuShore Williams dec. Lamauri Gilbert ; 75 pounds Izaiah Darden dec. Ibrahim Mason;  85 pounds  Ryan Williams dec. Abdullah Mason;  201+ James Evans TKO Hunter Matthews; 165 pounds Cody Orahoske dec. Jimmy Bland;  132 pounds Ryzeemion Frod Split dec. Marcell Bonner; 178 pounds Antwan Jones TKO  Eugene Mercer;  201+ Master Ages 50+ Bryan Gedeon TKO Ed Boehner;  123 pounds Jibreel Hawkins Split dec. Ronnell Johnson; 152 pounds Rich Cantolina dec. Elmer Dennis; 141 pounds Armond Richards dec. Omar Gracia.  Most Valuable Boxer - Ryzeemion Frod (Alliance Common Ground Boxing Club).

Battle in the Ballroom - Feb. 4

125 lbs sub novice - Garret Davidson win over Lah Htoo; 152 novice - Hector Chirinos win over Carl Polk; Female 152 sub novice - Courtney Benning win over Alice Vitiello; 152 novice Elvis Torres (rsc rd 2) win over Ben Jackson; 178 masters - Greg McQueen win over Adam Marino; 165 sub novice Charles Hereford win over Justin Beasley - (rsc rd 2); 152 sub novice Chuck Bizarro win over Marcello Senegal; 178 novice Larry Davis win over Anthony Hairston - (rsc rd 1); 152 novice Devin Mercado win over Jamall Norris - (rsc rd 2); 152 sub novice Eric Pozun win over Alex Cao; 165 novice Robbie Taylor win over Luke Groves (rsc rd 2); Heavy novice Christian Juresic win over Bryan Gedeon (rsc 1).

This week in boxing history

Feb. 7, 1997: In one of the most bizarre moments in boxing, an emotional Oliver McCall is disqualified in his rematch with Lennox Lewis.

Boxing schedule

9 p.m., Friday (Bounce TV):

• Robert Easter Jr. vs. Luis Cruz, for Easter's IBF lightweight title
• Rau'Shee Warren vs. Zhanat Zhakiyanov, for Warren's WBA bantamweight title
• Terrell Gausha vs. Luis Hernandez, middleweights
• Raynell Willaims vs. Justin Savi, junior lightweights

10:05 p.m. (Showtime):

• Ivan Baranchyk vs. Abel Ramos, junior welterweights
• Lenin Castillo vs. Joseph Williams, light heavyweights
• Jon Fernandez vs. Ernesto Garza, junior lightweights
• Ruslan Shamalov vs. Anthony Johnson, heavyweights

The Cavs beat Washington in overtime on Monday, but did the Wizards show something that should concern Cleveland? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Washington Wizards thought they had the Cavs on Monday night, especially after LeBron James fouled out.

They didn't. The Cavs instead pulled out a 140-135 win in overtime that ranked as maybe the best game of this NBA season.

It even had a touchdown.

But should the Wizards have taken something from that game, even in defeat? Is it possible that Washington might be the Cavs' toughest opponent in the Eastern Conference right now, and that Washington could match up well with Cleveland in a seven-game playoff series?

The teams haven't met in the playoffs since the Cavs took an opening-round series 4-2 in 2008. 

The Cavs have beaten the Wizards twice in Washington this season and host them on March 25. Last year, the teams split their season series 2-2.

But what about this idea, from a Wizards blogger during the game Monday?

Responses from #Cavs fans to this tweet makes me regret rooting for them in Finals, they dont deserve happiness https://t.co/5vjJXqkDm7

-- Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) February 7, 2017

In this Prepare for List Off, Bud Shaw and I bat around what about the Wizards could give the Cavs trouble in the posteason.

At the moment, the Cavs are the No. 1 seed in the East and the Wizards are the No. 4 seed, so they could see each other in the Eastern Conference semis. But Washington is hot, now 14-3 in the last 17 games, so a finish as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed is very possible.

Mike Thomas, former athletic director at Akron, Cincinnati and Illinois, will be named Cleveland State's new AD after final board of trustees approval Wednesday afternoon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State will announce later today that Mike Thomas has been hired as the school's new director of athletics, following official approval by the board of trustees, according to multiple sources and reports.

Thomas would replace John Parry, who retired last month.

It's expected CSU will introduce Thomas at a news conference, possibly as early as today.

Thomas is the former athletic director at Akron, who moved on to Cincinnati, then Illinois. He was replaced at Illinois in 2015 amid scandals surrounding the football program and former coach Tim Beckman. An investigation found extensive mistreatment of players by Beckman. The school's report showed no misconduct by Thomas.

Athletic directors are generally recognized by their coaching hires. Thomas has hired several high profile coaches, beginning with Keith Dambrot (basketball) and JD Brookhart (football) at Akron, Brian Kelly (football) and Mick Cronin (basketball) at Cincinnati, then Beckman (football) and John Groce (basketball) at Illinois.

The most successful of those have been Dambrot and Cronin, who remain successful and winning head coaches at their posts today.

The most troubled were Brookhart and Beckman, who were aligned with off-the-field issues by numerous players in their programs and were fired. Kelly has moved on to Notre Dame, and Groce is currently under fire at Illinois for poor results.

Thomas did have many administrative successes. He was Illinois' AD from 2011 to 2015, where he oversaw teams that won a national championship, claimed four Big Ten titles in one year, earned numerous top 10 rankings, and made multiple bowl and NCAA tournament appearances.

He also raised $165 million in donations over four years, doubling the previous five-year average and achieving the highest annual total in school history. While at Illinois the overall student athlete GPA rose from 3.05 to 3.25.

In addition, Thomas launched and completed a $170 million arena renovation of the State Farm Center and negotiated multi-year rights deals with Nike and Learfield Sports.

Prior to Illinois, Thomas was AD at Cincinnati, 2005-2011, where he transitioned the program into the Big East Conference and Bowl Championship Series competition.

Thomas was AD at Akron from 2000 to 2005. While there, the Zips won their first MAC Championship in football and rose to second place in academic and athletic performance in the annual MAC standings for the Director's Cup.

Over his career, Thomas has also served as a member of the Big Ten Legislative Review Committee, the United States Tennis Association Athletic Director Advisory Committee and the NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet.

Here's where to watch, listen and stream the Cleveland Cavaliers' game vs. the Indiana Pacers tonight.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers play Game 51 of the 2016 NBA season Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. Here's how to watch, listen and stream the action online.

What: Cleveland Cavaliers (35-15) vs. Indiana Pacers (29-22).
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
When: 7 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Ohio.
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM; 87.7 FM La Mega.
Online: FoxSports Go.

Indiana notable: Indiana is currently 20-6 this season at home, the third-best home record in the NBA With one more home victory, the Pacers will secure a winning record on their home court for the 28th consecutive season - the longest active streak in the NBA.

Cleveland notable: Over the last 10 games, LeBron James is averaging 27.0 points on .608 (104-171) shooting from the field, 8.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 39.7 minutes. He has also registered at least a double-double in 10 of his last 13 games.

Catch the coverage from before the game; join in the live chat starting at tipoff; and stick around for full postgame coverage. For all Cavs information, be sure to check out cleveland.com/cavs.

Indians right-hander Corey Kluber, after winning 18 games last season, making three starts in the World Series and dispatching a nosy coyote, is ready for the promise of the 2017 season. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The prankster in Corey Kluber whispered enticingly into his ear. In the end, however, he felt a coyote headdress would have clashed with the overall theme of TribeFest at the end of January.

In December it was reported that Kluber, who won 18 games and made six postseason starts for the Indians last year, 'got rid of' a coyote lurking near his home in Massachusetts with a well-placed fastball. The social media world quickly turned 'got rid of' into one dead coyote.

It turns out the coyote is still among the living.

"I had a run in with a coyote, but not to the extent it was portrayed," said Kluber, at TribeFest.

Kluber said his children were about to leave for school one morning when he saw a coyote near their front door.

"I tried yelling at it to scare it away and that didn't work," said Kluber. "I didn't fire a fastball at it or whatever the headline was. I just tossed a ball in its direction. It bounced and hit it in the hind leg and it ran away. It wasn't like I decapitated the coyote or anything."

A streak of mischief runs down the middle of the stoic Kluber. When a teammate is victimized by a clubhouse prank, his fingerprints can usually be found at the crime scene. Kluber's brush back pitch to the coyote gave him a lot of potential material to work with.

"I actually thought about buying a coyote headdress and wearing it here and really make an impression," said Kluber. "But I decided that might not be the best idea."

PETA and the Indians probably appreciated that.

Indians' pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz., on Sunday. Many of them are already in camp.

It seems like only last week Kluber was starting Game 7 of the World Series against the Cubs at Progressive Field. When you play baseball into November, next season arrives quickly.

Kluber said he had to make some adjustments in his shortened offseason training program, but nothing extreme. Manager Terry Francona said Kluber and other pitchers who worked extra innings because of the postseason will start spring training slowly.

"Andrew Miller, because he might pitch in the World Baseball Classic, is different," said Francona, "But guys like Kluber, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, they're probably not going to pitch a lot (at the start of camp). You're going to see a lot of young guys early.

"We'll try to balance some recuperating things, while knowing they have to gear up because when the bell rings you can't just flip a switch."

In the postseason, the rotation consistent of Kluber, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer, down to four fingers on his pitching hand because of a drone attack. Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar were injured, forcing rookie Ryan Merritt to make an emergency start in the Game 5 clincher against Toronto in the ALCS.

Kluber went 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA, striking out 35 batters in 34 1/3 innings. He pitched on short rest for the first time in his career in half of his six postseason starts. Kluber lost Game 4 of the ALCS, but won Games 1 and 4 of the World Series before tiring in Game 7 and lasting just four innings in a 8-7 loss in 10 innings.

For the season, Kluber pitched a career-high 249 1/3 innings with 262 strikeouts. Among postseason pitchers, he ranked first with 35 strikeouts and second in innings pitched.

Kluber said he has not watched Game 7 or any of the Tribe's 15 postseason games from last year.

"It was a learning experience," said Kluber, referring to pitching on short rest. "In Toronto was the first time I did it. I learned things from that start. I learned things from the first time I did it in the World Series. It is a lot more physically taxing than you think going into it.

"But at that point in time, all the adrenaline and stuff you have is so high that it's an kind of an afterthought. I was pretty gassed afterward."

The Indians open the regular season on April 3 with much promise. They signed free agents Edwin Encarnacion and Boone Logan, Miller will be in the pen for a full year and Bauer, Carrasco and Salazar are healthy. There are still questions about Michael Brantley's return from a right shoulder injury, but overall the Indians are in a good position for another run deep into October.

Recent history provides them with a good road map. In 2014, Kansas City unexpectedly reached Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Giants. In 2015 the Royals beat the Mets to win the World Series.

"Each team creates its own rallying cry," said Kluber. "You can make it whatever you want it to be as long as guys buy into it. I think the biggest thing is not being satisfied with what we did last year. We did go to Game 7 of the World Series, but we didn't win Game 7 of the World Series. We can't just think that that's going to happen again. We've got to do the little things that we need to do that got us to that point."

The Browns, coming off a 1-15 season, have decreased many season ticket prices for 2017.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns are giving their long-suffering fans a break.

They've decreased many of their season tickets prices at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2017 to thank season ticket members for their loyalty.

"We are incredibly grateful for the passion and support we receive from our fans and felt it was appropriate to adjust our ticket pricing at this time,'' Browns spokesman Peter John-Baptiste said in a release. "We have decreased a significant percentage of ticket prices because it was the right thing to do for our fans."

Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam thanked season ticket members in a letter, and outlined reasons the club is optimistic about the future:

 

 Details from the Browns release:

• All sections' season ticket prices will see a decrease or remain the same in 2017; no section's per game season ticket price will increase for the upcoming season
• The Browns are expected to rank either 31st or 32nd in the NFL for per game season ticket price for the 2017 season
• 40 percent of the stadium will see a decrease in per game season ticket price
• Upper bowl
• More than 90 percent of per game season ticket prices in the upper bowl will decrease for the 2017 season 
• Price decreases range from $5-$15 per game, depending on location
• Season tickets are available in the upper bowl for $25-$65 per game
• Lake Club and BMW City Club
• More than 50 percent of per game season ticket prices will decrease in 2017
• Primarily, sideline seats' per game season ticket prices will decrease while corner locations will remain the same 
• Per game season ticket prices for all premium locations will decrease in 2017
• Lower bowl and mezzanine seating per game prices will remain flat
• It marks the eighth time in the past nine years that prices have not increased.

More details to come.

Cleveland Indians fans can celebrate 'Pitchers and Catchers Report Day' with a team party Sunday at the Clevelander bar downtown.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Indians pitchers and catchers report to the team's training facility in Goodyear, Arizona on Sunday, and the club is celebrating with a fan party at the Clevelander bar, 834 Huron Road.

The party takes place 4-6 p.m. on Feb. 12 and features a roundtable with Indians Radio Network broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus and SportsTime Ohio's Jensen Lewis.

Tribe mascot Slider will be on hand along with the hot dog mascots from the ballpark.

One lucky fan will win two tickets to the April 11 home opener against the Chicago White Sox.

Indians season ticket representatives will also be there selling season ticket packages, which entitle fans to priority single-game and home opener ticket access.

Pitchers and catchers report Sunday, while position players are due in on Feb. 16 and the first full squad workout takes place Feb. 19.

Iman Shumpert (sprained left ankle) won't play tonight against the Pacers, but LeBron James will. Watch video

INDIANAPOLIS -- Cavs shooting guard Iman Shumpert (sprained left ankle) will not play tonight against the Indiana Pacers or Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Shumpert was out tonight; a team spokesman said Shumpert wouldn't play against the Thunder either.

LeBron James, who has missed the last two Cavs' road games against the Pacers, will play tonight, but could miss the Thunder game if he plays a high amount of minutes in Indiana, Lue said.

DeAndre Liggins will start in Shumpert's place. Shumpert was at Cavs' shootaround without the crutches or walking boot he needed to leave the Verizon Center in Washington after suffering the injury Monday night.

The Cavs and Pacers play here tonight at 7.

It's been a monumental off-season for the Cleveland Indians in terms of payroll. What does it mean? -- Terry Pluto (video). Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Wonder why the Cleveland Indians continue spending on free agents?

It's shocking that the Tribe recently signed lefty reliever Boone Logan for $6 million.

It was even more shocking when they signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year $60 million deal last month.

We never expected anything like this winter from the Tribe in terms of payroll.

Why are the Indians spending more, and what does it mean?

We talk about it in this video.

Tyronn Lue said LeBron James was being 'bull headed' about playing fewer minutes. Then again, the Cavs have little choice but to play James more than they'd like. Watch video

INDIANAPOLIS -- There's real progress being made in the effort to gradually reduce LeBron James' minutes.

For instance, James no longer leads the NBA in minutes per game. His 37.6 minutes now trail Kyle Lowry's 37.7.

Like we said, progress.

James, 32, is averaging two more minutes per game than he did last season, and is playing the kind of minutes he was logging as a 27 and 28 year-old with the Miami Heat. It's an issue because the Cavs want to preserve him for what they all hope will be his seventh consecutive Finals appearance. He's of course played more minutes than anyone in the NBA during that stretch.

Coach Tyronn Lue has said all season that in late January and early February James' minutes would taper off a bit. In fact, Lue first made that announcement here in Indianapolis in November, where James and the Cavs will play the Pacers tonight.

But on Monday, James played 42 minutes in the 140-135 overtime win against Washington. He's only played 34 minutes (Lue's target) once in the last five games. And with Iman Shumpert out against the Pacers, James could see a big workload tonight.

So, the minutes reduction plan is either delayed (until the Cavs get healthy and add players through trades and free agency) or it's canceled. And for now everyone seems to be OK with that.

"I'm fine," James said. "Coach is going to do a good job of looking at my numbers and trying to get me rest throughout the game, but, I don't see me having slowed down. My numbers are up. But we've been in a good groove and if I get rest here, couple minutes here throughout the game, couple minutes there, off days, things of that nature. It helps the body, but it's whatever coach wants to do."

James said his minutes was a "joint venture" decision between him and Lue. Lue said James was "being bull-headed about it.

"He doesn't want to back down because he says he's in a good rhythm right now," Lue said. "We just have to play it by ear. If we've got the chance to get him rest, we've got to get him rest. When we get up on teams, we have to put teams away so his minutes will go down like the New York game.

"Being up 26 in the fourth quarter and then all of a sudden he has to come back and play extra minutes he shouldn't have to play. We've got to be conscious of that and see where it goes."

James played 40 minutes against the Knicks, scoring 32 points with 10 assists. For the season, he's averaging 25.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists with a .532 shooting percentage and .374 percentage from 3-point range.

Lue did say that should James log major minutes against the Pacers, it would be "fair" to assume James might not play Thursday night against the Thunder. Cleveland has lost all three of the games James has missed this season and is 4-18 without him since the start of the 2014-15 season.

Cleveland.com sports columnists Bud Shaw and Doug Lesmerises discuss LeBron James place on the list of the all-time greats. Not surprisingly, James fails to make Charles Barkley's Top 5. Fair or unfair? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Charles Barkley says LeBron James isn't in his Top 5 all-time players.

He also says there's no way James can ever break into it.

How's that for a "Welcome" mat?

We kicked around whether James is already a Top 5 player in our video debate series Prepare for List Off.

Before a barrage of LeBron support rains down on my for perceived blasphemy, can I remind you that being on the outskirts of an all-time Top 5 isn't a snub, or even a slight. It's still pretty select company.

It's not a snub when the competition for the Top 5 is Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Barkley's list). And we haven't mentioned Magic Johnson.

Where I differ from Barkley is I acknowledge James still looks fairly indestructible at age 32. And that if the parameters were Top 6 or Top 7 he'd be on my list. To say he can never supplant anyone in front of him doesn't make sense.

(I can already tell this explanation is not going well for me.)

Hear us out on whether LeBron is a Top 5 all-time player at this point in his career, then come back and tell us whose side your on.

Let me just say cleveland.com sports columnist Doug Lesmerises is pretty sure it's his.

Hue Jackson will have some inside intel on Tyrod Taylor after hiring former Bills QB coach David Lee.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - If Hue Jackson needs some inside intel on quarterback Tyrod Taylor, all he has to do now is go down the hall and ask.

Jackson hired former Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee for the same position here on Wednesday. He spent the past two seasons coaching Taylor, who went 14-14 as a starter in that span.

Taylor, who could be released by the Bills because of his big upcoming payday, will be on the Browns' radar if they can't pull off a trade for Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, whom sources have told cleveland.com is a top target.

It was previously reported that Greg Seamon had moved from tight ends coach to quarterbacks and that Mark Hutson has switched from assistant offensive line to tight ends, but that was only for Senior Bowl practices two weeks ago. Those two will stay in their current roles.

Hue Jackson interviewed a number of candidates for the job, including former Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia.

Lee, 63, enters his 12th in the season and is coming off his second stint with the Bills, where he coached QBs in 2012 and again from 2015-16. He's also coached quarterbacks for the Cowboys, Dolphins and Jets.

Before rejoining the Bills in 2015, Lee spent two seasons with the Jets, where he helped Geno Smith in 2013 become the the first rookie quarterback in team history to start all 16 games. He also became the first quarterback since the merger to record four game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in his first seven career games.

In 2012 in Buffalo with the Bills, Lee tutored Ryan Fitzpatrick to a career-high 24 TD passes, fifth-most in club history.

From 2008-10 in Miami, Lee coached Chad Pennington and Chad Henne to 3,000-yard passing campaigns.

Justin Timberlake is paired with Justin Rose at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --  The PGA Tour's annual blend of talented players, iconic course and big-name sports and entertainment figures is this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

Among those competing for real: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker and Phil Mickelson. Day is ranked No. 1 in the world.

The list of celebrities includes: New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who won his fifth Super Bowl as HC last week; Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and future Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers; hockey legend Wayne Gretzky; singing sensation Justin Timberlake; and actors Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg and Ray Romano.

One of the three courses used is world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula CC Shore Course are the others.

PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM TEE TIMES

Thursday's live leaderboard:

PGA TOUR

AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

Site: Pebble Beach, Calif.

Courses: Pebble Beach GL (Yardage: 6,816. Par: 72); Spyglass Hill (Yardage: 6,953. Par: 72); Monterey Peninsula CC Shore Course (Yardage: 6,958. Par: 71).

Purse: $7.2 million (First prize: $1,296,000).

Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Vaughn Taylor.

Last week: Hideki Matsuyama won the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Notes: The world ranking is so close among the top five that Johnson might have a mathematical chance to replace Day at No. 1, or he could drop two spots to No. 5. ... The amateur field includes a quartet of current and retired NFL quarterbacks -- Young, Manning, Rodgers and Alex Smith. ... Mickelson, runner-up last year, gets another chance to tie Mark O'Meara's record of five victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. ... Taylor has not won in the 28 tournaments he has played since winning at Pebble Beach. His best result is 15th at the Safeway Open in October. ... Brandt Snedeker set the 72-hole tournament record two years ago at 265. ... Mickelson, Snedeker and Johnson each has won twice at Pebble over the last 10 years. ... Spieth has finished in the top 10 in all three of his PGA Tour starts this year. He has finished in the top 20 in 16 of his last 20 starts worldwide. ... Of the 12 events on the PGA Tour 2016-17 schedule to date, only four of the winners are at Pebble Beach: Cody Gribble, Pat Perez, Mackenzie Hughes and Jon Rahm.

Next week: Genesis Open at Riviera.

Online: www.pgatour.com

Cleveland sports fans wonder how far the Browns would go in bidding for JImmy Garoppolo and what the team's analytics department learned from this past postseason.

Mike Thomas, former athletic director at Akron, Cincinnati and Illinois, to start AD post at Cleveland State on March 1.

Mike Thomas, Cleveland State athletic director.Elton Alexander, The Plain Dealer 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State's new athletic director, Mike Thomas, is ready for a fresh start as head man for the Vikings.

He returns to familiar Northeast Ohio territory where his AD career began with the Akron Zips in 2000. He then was AD at Cincinnati (2005-2011) and Illinois (2011-2015).

Thomas is comfortable and has been successful  in an urban setting with past AD jobs with Akron and Cincinnati, before a troubled tenure at Illinois. He inherits a CSU program with 17 sports, including the flagship program of college basketball.

"I'm excited about coming back to Northeast Ohio," Thomas said during an afternoon telephone interview about his first order of business on March 1 when he officially gets on board.

"I think the general answer at this point is, we need to continue to build the program. For me it's a listening and learning tour. Get in here and get my arms around a number of things, and get grounded."

It's pretty clear CSU President Ronald Berkman is locked in on downsizing the flagship sport, basketball, in terms of getting rid of the 13,600-seat Wolstein Center for something smaller to make room for more dorms or classrooms. But Thomas said time will tell what his first real challenge as the next CSU AD will be.

"If you ask me this question a few months down the road I'll have a better answer for you,'' Thomas said. "But as you know the things that get a lot of play are the Wolstein Center and what's going to happen there. I know they're going through a process, and talking to outside firms about what some of those options might look like.

"So that's important, not just for basketball, but the university and the community. I think for me, it's always important to get your bearings on the different sport programs and different units to see how they function. But at the end of the day, it's about winning championships."

CSU basketball has generally been a success under coach Gary Waters, going to the NCAA Tournament and being a consistent Horizon League contender. But a string of transfer defections two seasons ago gutted what was expected to be another strong Horizon League title contender.

New NCAA rules allow rising seniors who have already graduated the opportunity to transfer to other programs. That happened to CSU when senior guard Trey Lewis and senior center Anton Grady departed following the 2015 season. The Vikings, currently 7-17, 3-9, have been trying to recover the last 15 months ever since.

Transition, historically has been one of Thomas' proven strengths. At Illinois, he raised $165 million in donations over four years, doubling the previous five-year average and achieving the highest annual total in school history.

Thomas also launched and completed a $170 million arena renovation of the State Farm Center and negotiated multi-year rights deals with Nike and Learfield Sports.

Thomas was AD at Cincinnati, 2005-2011, where he transitioned the program into the Big East Conference and Bowl Championship Series competition.

When it comes to hiring coaches, where many fans truly judge the success or failure of an AD, Thomas has had somewhat of a mixed bag.

He has had several high profile coaches over the years beginning with Keith Dambrot (basketball) and JD Brookhart (football) while the AD at Akron; Brian Kelly (football) and Mick Cronin (basketball) at Cincinnati then Beckman (football) and John Groce (basketball) at Illinois.

The most prominent of those have been Dambrot and Cronin who remain successful and winning head coaches at their same posts today. The most troubled were Brookhart, coming behind the successful Lee Owens, and Beckman.

Both Brookhart and Beckman were aligned with off-the-field issues by numerous players in their programs and were ultimately fired. Kelly was a success at Cincinnati but has moved on to Notre Dame where he has struggled, and Groce is currently under fire at Illinois.

The Indians, who won the AL pennant last year, will put single-game tickets on sale March 6. Tickets will be available only on indians.com until March 13.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The online sale of Indians single-game tickets for the 2017 season will begin on March 6. Tickets will not be sold at the Progressive Field ticket office or team shop until March 13.

In announcing the date for online sales, the Indians said there will be a limited number of tickets available for the home opener against the White Sox on April 11. This year the Indians open the season on the road against Texas and Arizona from April 3-9.

The Indians said that lower bowl tickets for key summer weekend games are sold out or nearly sold out. The team is encouraging fans to purchase tickets early so they could get the best prices for the games of their choice.

Season ticket holders, according to club policy, will receive priority access to single-game tickets, including the home opener. To guarantee priority access, the team said season tickets must be purchased by Feb. 20 at 5 p.m.

Online single game tickets can be purchased at Indians.com. Fans interested in buying season tickets to attain priority access should call 216-420-4487.

The Indians open spring training Sunday with pitchers and catchers reporting to Goodyear, Ariz. The first workout will take place Tuesday with position players reporting on Feb. 16 and the full squad working out for the first time of Feb. 18.

The Tribe opens the Cactus League season Feb. 25 against Cincinnati at Goodyear Ballpark.

The system pegged the Indians at 93-69, comfortably atop the American League Central. No other team in the division is projected to attain a winning record. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The war on machines is bound for Baltimore, Kansas City and St. Louis.

In less than two months, the 30 major-league teams will commence a lengthy journey through another baseball season. By the end, some teams will overachieve, others will disappoint.

No one will remember if the clubs' records match the preseason projections, including those concocted in some number-crunching computer program. Yet, here we are, with another batch of the annual PECOTA projections, released by Baseball Prospectus.

The formula forecasts each team's outcome. The teams will still play 162 games; we won't just use the projections to crown the Dodgers the 2017 World Series champions. But take them with a grain of salt, or, if residing in Baltimore, Kansas City or St. Louis -- three cities with teams to which the projections were unkind -- maybe take them with a shot of something strong.

Where do the Indians stand?

The system pegged the Indians at 93-69, comfortably atop the American League Central. No other team in the division is projected to attain a winning record, with the Twins, the owners of the worst record in baseball last year, slotted into second place, at 81-81.

PECOTA (which stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, in case you want to sound smart and stand-offish at your next social gathering) projects the Indians to sport the most proficient offense in the league, with 798 runs. They're also expected to have the third-best pitching in the AL.

Here's how the AL Central shakes out:

Indians: 92-70

Twins: 81-81

Tigers: 79-83

White Sox: 77-85

Royals: 72-90

Now, this system has been unkind to the Royals in the past, even when they won the World Series in 2015. That said, Kansas City could be forced to sell this season if they start slow, as a slew of their core players are headed for free agency after the season.

Other items of note

* Only the Astros (94-68) and Dodgers (100-62) are projected to boast better records than the Tribe. Los Angeles reached the NLCS last season before bowing out against the Cubs. Houston missed the playoffs.

* The champion Cubs are given a 92-70 record and a 10-game cushion over the Pirates in the NL Central.

* The projection for worst record in the league goes to the San Diego Padres (70-92). The Orioles are projected to finish 74-88; they went 89-73 last season.

* The Cardinals were assigned a 77-85 record, which would be their worst mark since 1999.

What about last year?

PECOTA projected the Indians to win the AL Central with 92 victories in 2016. Cleveland finished with a 94-67 mark (a rainout against Detroit was never played) and its first division crown in nine years.

LeBron James drained a key 3-pointer on Monday after shooting 32.5 percent from the same position on the court over his career. Watch video

LeBron James' 3-point shooting in 2016-17. His current 37 percent success rate from behind the arc would be his third-best single-season performance of his career.NBA.com 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Yes, it was crazy to see LeBron James drain a buzzer beater to send the Cavaliers into overtime against Washington on Monday night, especially when you consider he did it from a historically unfavorable position for him and his least successful area on the court: At the right shoulder outside the 3-point line.

Following the Cleveland Cavaliers' 140-135 overtime win against the Wizards, cleveland.com researched and found that out of five areas around the 3-point arc, the right shoulder is James' second-least favorable spot to make a shot over his career. The bank shot also had added difficulty because he was fading away into the Wizards' bench.

James averages shooting 32.5 percent from the right shoulder on 1,184 attempts during the past 14 regular seasons. The only area in which his success rate is (by a tiny amount) worse is the top of the key at 32.49 percent.

LeBron James 3-point shooting during the past 14 regular seasons.Nathaniel Cline, cleveland.com

The left corner has been his most favorable at 40.6 percent, although he seldom goes there -- his 309 attempts is by far his fewest at any location.

LeBron James 3-point shooting attempts during the past 14 regular seasons.Nathaniel Cline, cleveland.com 

Overall, James' best 3-point shooting performance came in Miami during the 2012-13 regular season, when he averaged 40 percent. That was a substantial improvement over 10 seasons -- he shot just 29 percent as a rookie in 2003-04.

If it seems that James has gotten more efficient beyond the arc, it's because he is. His current success rate of 37.4 would be the third highest of his career if maintained for the entire 82 games. Through his last 50 games, James is shooting 35.6 percent from the same area as Monday's shot. He is well above league average when he's at the top of the key (55.6 percent) or in the left corner (46.7).

See related: Rank LeBron's clutch shots

LeBron James' 3-point shooting career averages during the past 14 regular seasons.Nathaniel Cline, cleveland.com