The Indians don't have many unsettled spots on their roster, but one of them is center field. Here's a closer look on how it could shake out for 2017. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Survival skills.

Manager Terry Francona wasn't talking about a Navy Seal when he used those two words after Sunday's soggy spring-training workout in Goodyear, Ariz. He was talking about Tyler Naquin, who started 90 games in center field last year for the Indians.

There was another word Francona used in his discussion about Naquin. The word was reliable. Unlike survival skills, which Naquin already possesses, reliable is something he has yet to achieve as a center fielder.

How many games Naquin starts in center field this season and whom he might share the position with will depend on how those words merge.

Naquin laid claim to half the job last year in spring training only to find himself on the bench through a good chunk of April. The Indians, in their first 11 games, faced seven left-handed starters, which meant Naquin started those games on the bench.

The inactivity played a role in Naquin being optioned to Class AAA Columbus not once, but twice in May. When Marlon Byrd was suspended for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs on June 1, Naquin was recalled and stayed in the big leagues for the rest of the season.

"Man, he got thrown so many curveballs by me," said Francona. "Starting the season out, we faced all those lefties and he didn't play. I wasn't comfortable doing that, but we were trying to win.

"But it was tough on him, but he handled it. We sent him down; he came back. He's got survival skills and I mean that in a complimentary way."

Naquin hit .296 (95-for-321) with 18 doubles, five triples, 14 homers and 43 RBI. He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting and posted a league-high .514 slugging percentage for rookies.

Defensively, last year was a challenge. Fangraphs.com rated Naquin a minus 18 in defensive runs saved.

"I thought there were spurts where it (Naquin's defense) was better," said Francona. "I thought he had some setbacks."

That's when Francona introduced the word reliable.

Francona, blaming himself, said Naquin was probably over coached early last season. Things seemed to improve when Naquin was recalled from Columbus on June 1.

"He is very athletic," said Francona. "The more he can show that athleticism, the better outfielder he's going to be.

"There are times, maybe it's because of youth or maybe he doesn't know the league, you don't always see that. But it's there. I think with experience, and as long as he maintains his health, he'll become more reliable. That's the biggest word with him that I use all the time. On a team that thinks it can win, when that ball is hit, you've got to be out. He understands that."

Last year Rajai Davis platooned with Naquin. Fangraphs rated Davis as a minus 8 in defensive runs saved, but he did add a veteran's presence. Davis signed a one-year deal with Oakland in January.

Veteran center fielder Austin Jackson is in camp on a minor league deal. Jackson, a right-handed hitter, could certainly partner with the left-handed hitting Naquin. Jackson, however, is still bothered by last year's surgery on his left knee. Francona said last week that he expects him to miss the first "10 days to two weeks' of camp. When a player misses that much time in spring training, it usually means he won't be opening the regular season with the big league club.

Switch-hitter Abraham Almonte could share center with Naquin. He made just one start in center last year, but would have played more if he wasn't serving an 80-game PED suspension at the start of the season.

Almonte did a nice job for the Tribe down the stretch last season after serving his suspension. The Indians prefer using him against right-handers, which could get in the way of him platooning with Naquin. But last year Almonte posted a .771 OPS against lefties compared to a .649 OPS against righties.

Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said recently that Brandon Guyer, a right-handed hitter, will be tested in center field this spring. Guyer, acquired from Tampa Bay on Aug. 1, hit .336 (41-for-122) with six homers and 17 RBI against lefties last season. He played left and right field for the Tribe, but did appear in 18 games in center field for the Rays before the trade. He posted a minus 2 in defensive runs saved on Fangraphs.

Depth wise Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen, two of the Indians top prospects, are in their first big league camps. They're center fielders, Zimmer batting left-handed and Allen hitting from both sides of the plate. Yandy Diaz, another prospect, is in his first camp as well. He played some center fielder in winter ball in Venezuela, but the Indians view the right-handed hitter more as an offensive player. Zimmer and Allen are part of the Tribe's outfield future, but they need more time in the minors.

Here are some of the top linebackers available in free agency this offseason.

I don't care what Prof. Kyrie Irving thinks about the shape of the world, or about Rep. LeBron James' political views.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NBA MVP talk should begin with LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Only if LeBron's on-court responsibility decreases and production falls off should he not win -- and that certainly is not the case this season.

LeBron as leading MVP candidate was one of the topics discussed in my weekly Monday appearance on the Nick Wilson Experiment on 92.3 The Fan. The Presidents Day sub-host was Jonathan Peterlin.

Among other topics:

*Fallout from Kyrie Irving's views on the shape of the world.

*LeBron vs. Steph Curry.

*Curry's repeated misses from halfcourt in civvies on All-Star Saturday Night.

*The Cavs coming out of the All-Star break.

*A.J. McCarron as a potential bridge quarterback for the Browns.

*Corey Kluber potentially not being ready for Opening Day.

The Buckeyes moved into a tie for first place in the Big Ten with one game left after a 98-87 win over Maryland on Monday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kelsey Mitchell could have just let the ball run out of bounds, or let a Maryland player grab it for what would've been a backcourt violation. But Ohio State needed a spark at the beginning of an important fourth quarter.

So Mitchell scooped up the ball, raced to the rim and finished strong inside against two Terrapin defenders for a modest six-point lead that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Maryland made a strong push. Ohio State didn't back down, and the No. 12 Buckeyes' women's basketball team beat the No. 2 team in the country, 98-87, on Monday night at Value City Arena.

Mitchell finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds. Shayla Cooper, the Buckeyes' only senior playing in her final home game, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The loss was just the second of the season for Maryland (26-2, 14-1 Big Ten), which suffered its only other loss this year to No. 1 UConn on Dec. 29.

Ohio State had a comfortable lead into the third quarter thanks to a 12-0 run in the first quarter that created some nice cushion. Maryland found a response late in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes went from having their largest lead of the game at 16 points with 3:39 left to leading by just two at the end of third quarter. Maryland closed the quarter on a 14-0, buoyed by a coupled 3s from Destiny Slocum.

Ohio State responded with a good start to the fourth quarter, and built its lead back up to 10 on a nice hook off the glass from Alexa Hart late in the shot clock. Still down 10 with 30 seconds left, Maryland took a timeout to try to set up a 3 in the corner. The pass was stolen by Linnae Harper, who made one of two free throws to ice the game.

Maryland's size bothered Ohio State some. The Terps finished with a 20-4 edge in offensive rebounding and a 29-5 edge in second-chance points. But Ohio State countered that by shooting a season-best 63 percent from the field.

What it means

Ohio State (24-5, 14-1 Big Ten) is now tied atop the Big Ten standings with Maryland. A win on Sunday against Rutgers would give the Buckeyes at least a share of their first regular season conference title since 2009-10.

The Buckeyes also found out on Monday night that they're currently not among the top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament, but this should change that. Maryland came into the night as the No. 7 overall seed, on the two-seed line for the bracket.

Buckeyes start hot

Sparked by a sizzling first quarter from Mitchell, Ohio State shot 78 percent from the floor in the first quarter to build a big early lead. Mitchell made 6 of 7 shots in the first 10 minutes, scored 15 points and helped the Buckeyes put together a 12-0 run in the first quarter.

Ohio State's lead grew to as much as 15 in the early goings of the second quarter, but turnovers helped Maryland get back in the game.

The Buckeyes turned the ball over seven times in the second quarter, allowing Maryland to get within seven before a Hart layup from Mitchell gave Ohio State a 49-40 lead at the half.

What's next?

Ohio State finishes the regular season on Sunday at Rutgers. Tip-off from Piscataway, N.J. is set for 3 p.m. with the game televised on ESPN2. The Big Ten women's basketball championship begins on March 1 in Indianapolis.

The Cleveland Monsters are 1-3-0-0 on a seven-game trip.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Grayson Downing, Zac Dalpe, Kurtis Gabriel and Teemu Pulkkinen scored goals as the Iowa Wild defeated the Cleveland Monsters, 4-2, Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Monsters (24-21-2-4) are 1-3-0-0 on a seven-game trip. They were coming off a 2-0 victory over the Wild on Sunday afternoon.

The Wild led, 1-0, after one period. At 17:39, center Downing converted a penalty shot for his seventh. Downing patiently approached and switched from backhand to forehand in order to beat goalie Brad Thiessen.

The Wild made it 2-0 at 13:11 of the second. Winger Dalpe's snapper in transition zipped over Thiessen's left shoulder, banged off the crossbar and fell in the cage (No. 2).

Less than two minutes later, the Monsters pulled within 2-1. Defenseman Blake Siebenaler's redirect past goalie Alex Stalock (No. 3) was assisted by Marc-Andre Bergeron and John Ramage. Akim Aliu's entry provided the genesis of the opportunity.

At 13:47 of the third period, forward Gabriel capitalized on a Monsters defensive breakdown by crashing the net and flicking the puck around Thiessen's right toe (No. 7).

The Monsters refused to fold. They cut the deficit to 3-2 at 15:37 when winger Alex Petan beat Stalock unassisted (No. 2).

Winger Pulkkinen bagged an empty netter in the final minute (No. 18).

The Monsters play the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cavs were unable to find a partner to fill the roughly $5.4 million they had in trade exceptions that were to expire by day's end Monday.

CLEVELAND -- The Cavs were unable to find a partner to fill the roughly $5.4 million they had in trade exceptions that were to expire by day's end Monday.

Cleveland general manager David Griffin and his staff searched for trades to fit in the $4.4 million exception created last season by dealing Anderson Varejao, but couldn't get anything done in time. There was also a $947,000 exception from trading Jared Cunningham to Orlando. Both expired at midnight.

This by no means is an end to Griffin's search for more players -- a backup point guard and big man, potentially -- ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, nor are the Cavs much fretting the loss of the $4.4 million exception. They created another $4.8 million exception in the moves that brought Kyle Korver from Atlanta to Cleveland (by fitting him into part of the exception created by Varejao, and creating a new one by trading Mike Dunleavy to the Hawks).

The Dunleavy exception doesn't expire until Jan. 7. The Cavs also have a $2.2 million exception from shipping Mo Williams to the Hawks that also runs out Jan 7.

A team sourced told cleveland.com around 8 p.m. Monday that a deal for a player to fit into the Varejao exception was unlikely. But talks for other potential trades were ongoing.

Varejao, the popular former Cavs big man waived by the Warriors, is now eligible to return to Cleveland's roster as a free agent. Because the Cavs traded him last February, league rules prevent him from rejoining the team for a  But don't expect the Cavs to sign anyone until after the trade deadline passes at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Cleveland doesn't play until that night against the Knicks. The Cavs have an open roster spot, and starters Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are out with injuries.

There's a chance -- and a good one -- that the jazziest trade Griffin makes this season was the one for Korver. He's the 7th-most prolific 3-point shooter of all-time, and has made more than half his 3-pointers since joining the Cavs.

It was LeBron James, of course, who continued his call for Griffin to add more players after trading for Korver.

Anthony Simonsen and Jason Belmonte are among the favorites at USBC Masters 2017.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Anthony Simonsen is defending champion of the United States Bowling Congress Masters, which unfolds this week at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

USBC MASTERS LIVE SCORING

The USBC Masters is the third of three consecutive majors on PBA Tour 2017. Two weeks ago, Jason Belmonte won the Barbasol Players Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Last week, EJ Tackett won the FireLake Tournament of Champions in Shawnee, Okla.

Belmonte has won seven majors, including three straight USBC Masters (2013-15). Tackett, 24, owns two major titles and is the reigning PBA player of the year.

At last year's USBC Masters, Simonsen was 19 years, 39 days old at the time of his victory in Indianapolis. He became the youngest player ever to win a PBA Tour major.

Round 1 of USBC Masters 2017 qualifying is today (Tuesday, Feb. 21).

Here is the schedule for the week:

Tuesday: Qualifying Round 1 (five games)

• 8 a.m.: "A" Squad (Fresh Oil)
• Noon: "B" Squad (Burn)
• 5 p.m.: "C" Squad (Fresh Oil)

Wednesday: Qualifying Round 2 (five games)

• 8 a.m.: "B" Squad (Fresh Oil)
• Noon: "C" Squad (Burn)
• 5 p.m.: "A" Squad (Fresh Oil)

Thursday: Qualifying Round 3 (five games)

• 8 a.m.: "C" Squad (Fresh Oil)
• Noon: "A" Squad (Burn)
• 5 p.m.: "B" Squad (Fresh Oil)

AFTER 15 GAMES OF QUALIFYING, THE TOP 63 PLAYERS PLUS THE DEFENDING
CHAMPION ADVANCE TO DOUBLE-ELIMINATION MATCH-PLAY COMPETITION

Friday: Match Play

• 9 a.m.: All 64 players
• 11 a.m.: All 64 players (16 eliminated)

              Re-oil lanes

• 2 p.m.: 16 winners and 32 Elimination Bracket bowlers (16 eliminated)

20 minutes after previous round
            16 Elimination Bracket bowlers (8 eliminated)
20 minutes after previous round
            16 Elimination Bracket bowlers (8 eliminated)

Saturday: Match Play

• 9 a.m.: 8 winners and 8 Elimination Bracket bowlers (4 eliminated)

• 10:45 a.m.: 4 winners and 8 Elimination Bracket bowlers (4 eliminated)

• 1 p.m.: 2 winners bowl for No. 1 and No. 2 seeds for TV finals

20 minutes after previous round
           4 Elimination Bracket bowlers bowl for No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds for TV finals.

Sunday: Live TV finals, 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

Cleveland sports fans wonder about the NBA All-Star game's appeal and whether Edwin Encarnacion can help return the Cleveland Indians to the World Series.

In this Prepare for List Off, Bud Shaw makes a case as Garoppolo's agent and Doug Lesmerises asks questions as Sashi Brown. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jimmy Garoppolo hangs around with the right people. Some parts of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick should have rubbed off on him over the last three seasons.

But that's not the first thing on his resume when it comes to his case for being the Browns next quarterback, is it?

In this Prepare for List off, Bud Shaw and I take on some role-playing to debate the case for Garoppolo in Cleveland. Bud made me be Sashi Brown, because sometimes he can't tell us apart. Bud played Don Yee, the agent for both Garoppolo and Brady. 

Make your case, Bud. Because telling me Garoppolo has been around the right people for three years isn't enough.

Also, if you haven't listened yet, catch out latest Takes by The Lake podcast, where we talked with CBSSports.com NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler about what he would give up for Garoppolo, whether the NFL thinks the Browns front office can get this right, if Myles Garrett is a better prospect than Joey Bosa was and which draft QB he thinks the Browns could fall in love with.

Vote for the top boys basketball performance from last week in the Cleveland area.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here are the latest boys basketball top performances nominated for “Game Balls” from Feb. 13 to 19.

Players are nominated by coaches and selected by the cleveland.com staff. Voting is open until noon Friday.

Fonse Hale, Maple Heights: A junior point guard, Hale put up 30 points Tuesday in a 92-83 come-from-behind victory against Lutheran East in overtime. Maple Heights is 10th in the cleveland.com rankings. Hale added 18 points Friday in a 78-47 win at Shaw.

Ryan Maloy, Avon: A four-way tie atop the Southwestern Conference shrank the two by week’s end. Maloy’s 17 points and well-rounded game Friday lifted the Eagles to a 67-56 win against Berea-Midpark, which entered the night amid the SWC lead. The victory also handed coach Kevin Sapara No. 100 in his career.

David Marsh, Avon Lake: The Shoremen pulled closer to at least a share of the SWC title thanks to Marsh’s play Tuesday at Olmsted Falls. The 6-foot-3 senior forward scored 26 points with 10 rebounds in a 65-62 road win. It broke up a four-way tie atop the SWC.

Deuce Martin, Clearview: A 6-2 senior guard, Martin’s 33 points lifted No. 24 Clearview to a 75-63 overtime win Friday against Oberlin that won the Patriot Athletic Conference Stripes Division title. Martin had 19 points three days earlier in a 76-67 home win against Stars Division champ Buckeye.

Tyler Powell, Lutheran East: A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Powell’s 18 points proved pivotal Friday in the Falcons’ regular-season finale win, 67-61, against East Tech.

Desean Reed, Bedford: The senior guard’s 32 points pushed Bedford to a 58-57 upset win at Elyria Catholic.

Tyler Williams, Brush: Williams lifted No. 23 Brush to the Western Reserve Conference title Friday in a 63-55 win against Madison. The 6-6 junior forward had 18 points and 22 rebounds.

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.

We asked people at Tribe Fest to attempt to spell the last name of Edwin Encarnacion, the slugger who was acquired by the Cleveland Indians over the off-season. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- How well do Cleveland Indians fans know their players? In particular, the big off-season signing of slugger Edwin Encarnacion?

We had a little fun with fans at Tribe Fest, which was held last month at Cleveland's InterContinental Hotel, asking them to spell the new player's last name.

Surely, we'll be seeing that name all over the ballpark -- whether it's on the big screen or on the backs of jerseys worn by fans all over Progressive Field.   

We asked several fans to spell Encarnacion. How many of them could do it?

Watch the video above to see all the spellings offered.

Related: Terry Francona tells Cleveland Indians to be proud of 2016, but strive for more in 2017

The NBA needs to re-think the entire All-Star weekend, starting with the game itself. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The final score of the NBA All-Star game was 192-182.

That is reason alone not to watch it. No token effort was made to play defense. There is more intensity in some pickup games at your local playground.

It's amazing how the game -- and the Slam Dunk Contest -- has degenerated.

Forget defense being a rumor, this is an embarrassment. And drones in the dunk contest!

Please spare me!!!

I know I sound like a grumpy old man, but I wonder if fans feel the same way.

But there is something about All-Star weekend that I do like...

Let's talk about it.

The Ohio State women's basketball team beat No. 2 Maryland on Monday night. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The best basketball team at Ohio State positioned itself to win a Big Ten regular season title on Monday night.

The No. 12 Buckeye women beat No. 2 Maryland, 98-87, in a fast-paced, fun game. It was a reminder that exciting basketball can in fact be played in Value City Arena.

It was Ohio State's first win over a top-two team since beating No. 2 Iowa in 1993. It had been awhile. And it was deserved for a talented team that showed a lot of resolve against a Terrapins team that has now lost just twice this season: On Monday against Ohio State, and in December against No. 1 UConn.

With a win on Sunday at Rutgers, Ohio State (24-5, 14-1) clinches a share of the Big Ten regular season title, and the top seed in the conference tournament.

Inside the same basketball facility is another team trending in a totally different direction. The Buckeye men (15-13, 5-10) are in danger of finishing below .500 with three games remaining, beginning Thursday night against No. 16 Wisconsin.

That could be Ohio State's final chance to beat a ranked team in this season, something it has done just twice in 15 chances over the last two years.

Over that same span, the Ohio State women are 6-10 against ranked teams, and 4-6 vs. top-10 teams. The win over Maryland was likely the best win of head coach Kevin McGuff's tenure in Columbus, but this is a program that's now cemented among the best in the country.

In that big win on Monday night, there were lessons the Ohio State men can take from the women:

Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell, right, drives to the basket against Maryland's Blair Watson during the second half of Monday's game at Value City Arena.Jay LaPrete, Associated Press 

1. Show up: This is simple, yet something that's proved so difficult for the men. Think of early Big Ten losses for the men's team where they went in a hole early and couldn't get out, or on Saturday against Nebraska when they lost focus and let a win slip away. 

Monday was the biggest game of the season for the Ohio State women, and they came out accordingly, shooting a ridiculous 78 percent in the first quarter, but also holding Maryland under 40 percent on the other end.

"Our kids were really focused today," McGuff said. "They did a phenomenal job in practice with a great process leading up to this game, and it really showed with how we started."

2. "Soft jazz": Watching the men's team get through an offensive set can be difficult to watch sometimes. There are times when their offense is fluid, but more often than not, it's stagnant. 

The women came into Monday night with the No. 3 scoring offense in the country. Much of that has to do with junior guard Kelsey Mitchell, who will most likely be the program's all-time leading scorer when her career is over. The men don't have anyone like her. But this women's team is also balanced outside of Mitchell.

That's what the men have been striving for, but often come short of. Without a dominant scorer since D'Angelo Russell left, the Buckeyes know they've had to rely on movement and a team-oriented offensive philosophy, but have rarely put together a complete game in that regard.

In the women's game Monday against Maryland, seven players scored and five were in double figures. There was a fluidity and pace to the offense that didn't end with gaudy assist numbers (13 on 36 makes), but the ball was moving.

"When the ball is moving like that it' so beautiful," senior forward Shayla Cooper said. "It's like an orchestra, it's like soft jazz music. It's so beautiful, and everyone is feeling it. It's a beautiful sight."

.@CoachMcGuff showing a little of his moves. Not all of them tho. More work to do Sunday pic.twitter.com/YbZMs2m2cH

-- OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) February 21, 2017

3. Don't fold: Ohio State men's coach Thad Matta often talks about resiliency with his team, the ability to fight back when that inevitable run or tough break comes against you. With the men's team you've seen a lot of head-hanging this year.

On Monday night, Maryland put a 14-0 run on the Buckeye women at the end of the third quarter that took Ohio State's lead from 16 down to two in about three blitzing minutes. That would be enough for most teams to go in the hole, especially against the No. 2 team in the country.

Instead the Buckeyes never lost their lead, and quickly built it back up to double-digits at the start of the fourth quarter.

"That's the part I'm most proud about, because we had plenty of opportunity to go away when they made that impressive run," McGuff said. "Our kids kinda stuck together, we got back to executing."

That piece of it has been so difficult for the men, who have appeared a little emotionally fragile this year, not able to deal with ebbs and flows that come naturally in every game. Part of that might be having offensive firepower, which the women have and the men really don't, but part of it is also a mindset.

"It showed a lot of poise," Cooper said. "It showed a lot of growth and maturity with our team. In the past we've kind of fumbled with that."

Not in front of @torimccoy23 pic.twitter.com/WyQf8njXnz

-- OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) February 21, 2017

4. Playing short-handed: McGuff's talent pool appears to be a little deeper than Matta's, so maybe it's not surprising that the Buckeye women were able to lose a player averaging a double-double and play their best game of the season.

With junior forward Stephanie Mavunga (11.8 points, 11.3 rebounds) out with a foot injury, the Buckeyes stood up to one of the most physical teams in the country. Maryland still found some success inside (20 offensive rebounds, 29 second-chance points), but losing a key piece like Mavunga wasn't a kill shot for Ohio State.

"With Steph being out that's a huge loss for our team right now, but we all gotta step up in other ways to secure the wins," Cooper said.

So Cooper, playing on her Senior Night, did. She finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, well above her season averages of 9.9 and 5.9. Junior forward Alexa Hart, a former starter who's seen her minutes drop because of Mavunga's emergence, finished with 15 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes.

Alexa Hart has played well tonight. Nice spin move. pic.twitter.com/kUS5iTctYn

-- OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) February 21, 2017

Losing a player as productive as Mavunga is not easy, but Ohio State made it look that way for at least one night against the No. 2 team in the country.

Meanwhile, the men have struggled to deal with the loss of junior forward Keita Bates-Diop. They miss his length on both ends of the floor, his ability to guard all five positions and his versatility as a slashing/shooting wing. That's a tough loss. Bates-Diop is probably their best player, but nobody has stepped up to assume that role in his absence.

5. Let it fly: I asked Thad Matta last week why it seems like his players are often a little gun shy, particularly when they have a good look late in games. It's as if they don't want to take the big shot, and often put themselves in a worse-off position offensively because of it.

Matta's answer: "I don't know." Add that to the list of puzzling things with the men's team.

Maybe they can take this last lesson from the women, a high-octane offensive team that's not afraid to be confident and let shots fly.

"'Hand down, man down' is what I've always heard -- so I let it rip," Cooper said.

The Cleveland Indians have slowed down Corey Kluber in spring training after. The decision seems far more proactive than a legitimate reason for concern.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Reducing the speed limit for Corey Kluber in spring training seems more like a yellow light than a red flag.

Kluber not only pitched 215 innings in the regular season in 2016 (after 222 and 235 the previous two seasons), he threw another 34 innings in the postseason.

Minus Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, the Indians leaned heavily on Kluber in their chase of a World Series title. Three times he pitched on short rest.

Obviously Kluber's offseason didn't begin as early as usual.

"If he's not ready for Game 1, we can adjust," manager Terry Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Arizona. "We're more than willing to, because there's a lot at stake over the course of the year.

"We know Opening Day is a big deal, but we want him to position himself where he's ready to log as many innings as we need."

So, if you're keeping track: no need to get overly concerned about Kluber.

Not when there's the Michael Brantley comeback to worry about.

* Sacramento Kings GM Vlade Divac was asked why he didn't wait for demand to increase in the hours before Thursday's trade deadline before dealing DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans for an unimpressive package of players and draft picks.

"Most likely we would get less (by waiting)," Divac told reporters, "because I had a better deal two days ago."

So Kings fans can appreciate the fact Sacramento's front office played it smart?

Ish?

* Looking at the deal and knowing Divac's reputation as a player, he can at least claim he's had bigger flops.

* Anthony Davis of the Pelicans won the NBA All-Star Game MVP in front of the hometown fans. His 52 points shattered Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star scoring record.

Davis was 26 of 39 from the field in the 192-182 West victory.

Raising the question: how do you miss 13 shots against that kind of defense?

* Former BYU star Jimmer Fredette scored 73 points while playing for the Shanghai Sharks against the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.

Under normal circumstances Fredette might like to say all that matters is winning. In his case, his team somehow lost the game in double OT.

But when you're a former No. 10 overall NBA draft choice, all that matters is if your cry for help was heard back in the states.

No word yet if it was.

* Colts owner Bob Irsay says his coaching staff and new GM Chris Ballard are "clicking on all cylinders."

True enough, Andrew Luck hasn't been sacked once in the month of February.

* Former big-league closer Eric Gagne expects to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Via Big League Stew, his hope is the exhibition launches a MLB comeback.

He's 41. He last pitched in Milwaukee in 2008 and posted a 5.44 ERA. That's eight seasons away from baseball.

If he makes it back, his manager might want to get another reliever up when Gagne enters the game. You don't know what you're going to get when a guy is pitching on 2,900 days rest.

* For perspective, former Indians closer Jose Mesa last pitched in 2007 -- though the bigger difference, obviously, is he's 50, not 41.

Mesa probably lost his desire to make a comeback when his biggest incentive - the chance to hit Omar Vizquel - disappeared upon Vizquel's own retirement in 2012.

Mesa and Vizquel still haven't spoken since Vizquel's wrote about Mesa's "vacant eyes" in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

Despite Vizquel saying he regretted upsetting Mesa, the relationship continues to make Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant look like soul mates.

* Yankees setup man Dellin Betances asked for $5 million in arbritation and lost. He will make $3 million.

No big deal, except Yankees president Randy Levine was so bothered Betances' people asked for closer money, he called a press conference and criticized the losing side.

Levine said Betances demands would be "like me claiming I'm not the president of the Yankees, I'm an astronaut."

Except for being nothing like it.

* Levine is right about one thing. The arbitration hearing did lead to something totally outrageous.

The idea that pitching in the eighth inning is baseball. Pitching in the ninth inning is rocket science.

* Former running back Cedric Benson was arrested in Texas after refusing a field sobriety test.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, via Pro Football Talk, Benson told police he didn't know his ABCs and couldn't count higher than three because he'd spent eight years in the NFL.

The police report says Benson's eyes were glassy.

He was cut in Chicago in 2008 following a second alcohol-related incident in five weeks. One of those charges was boating while intoxicated.

Benson refused to take a lake sobriety test, too.

* From Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver:

"Two nights before Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest, in a mostly empty Smoothie King Center crawling with overzealous security guards, Aaron Gordon tested his secret weapon.

"As NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe, former Dunk Contest champion Brent Barry and a small group of onlookers watched, the 21-year-old forward pantomimed his interplay with the Magic's mascot, smoke billowed off the stage, and the Star Wars theme song kicked in.

"Then, a custom-build drone, managed by a team of six from Intel, lit up, rose above the hardwood, motored into position, and dropped an alley-oop pass to a waiting Gordon, who passed the ball between his legs and pounded the rim with a right-handed dunk."

I'm not saying the Slam Dunk contest has gotten totally out of hand. I'll let "team of six from Intel" do it for me.

* Kyrie Irving's flat-earth comments seem to resonate with Draymond Green.

A few days after Green walked back his ridiculous "slave master mentality" take in regard to Knicks owner James Dolan's treatment of Charles Oakley, I'm not sure having Green's support was a good thing for Irving.

"It's hard to call someone's opinion crazy, that's what he thinks," Green told reporters. "Who's to say that picture is telling the truth? I can make a round picture with my iPhone today, on the panoramic camera, and make it look round.

"So, I don't know. I'm not saying I think it's flat or round, I don't know, but it could be."

Good grief.

* Can we agree all opinions aren't equal?

Is that too much to ask?

Think about it. If we can agree on that much -- that some opinions are more informed -- it will save kids from wasting time and money by attending Neil deGrasse Tyson's basketball skills camp.

Clevinger and Encarnacion squared off in a live batting practice session on Monday at the Indians' spring training complex. It's their second-ever encounter, and it carried far less hype than the first. Watch video

GOODYEAR, Arizona -- The sequel had a much simpler plot. There was less drama and far less action and turmoil.

No one questioned why Mike Clevinger was on the mound. No umpires gathered on the infield to deliberate over whether Clevinger balked while his twitchy front foot tapped away at the dirt. And Edwin Encarnacion didn't pose much of a threat.

In fact, when Clevinger tossed him a breaking ball, Encarnacion stood in a daze, motioning his head in a circle like he were a life-size bobblehead. Maybe it's too early in the spring to time up a plunging off-speed pitch.

Clevinger and Encarnacion squared off in a live batting practice session on Monday at the Indians' spring training complex. It's their second-ever encounter, and it carried far less hype than the first. Swinging was optional for hitters; Encarnacion never lifted his lumber off of his shoulder.

Clevinger threw between 20-30 pitches and fired his fastball in the 93-95 mph range. He's still the guy who paces around before he attacks his duties and whose heart rate triples when he's called upon, but this meeting paled in comparison to his introduction to Encarnacion.

On Aug. 21, 2016, Corey Kluber loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh and the Indians trailing Toronto, 2-1. Terry Francona summoned Clevinger, a wild-maned, unpolished rookie with seven shaky major-league appearances under his belt.

Even Clevinger's bullpen mates questioned the decision.

"Everyone was surprised," Clevinger said. "They were like, 'Those are Kluber's runs.'"

Encarnacion, one of the sport's premier power threats, stepped up to the plate with a trio of insurance runs patiently standing atop white squares on the infield.

As Clevinger prepared to deliver a 1-2 offering, one umpire called for time. Another umpire ruled that Clevinger balked, a result of his tendency to tap his front foot while getting set.

Clevinger was confused. Encarnacion was confused. Tribe pitching coach Mickey Callaway was confused. Manager Terry Francona was confused. Toronto skipper John Gibbons was confused. Clearly, the umpires were confused.

After several minutes of discussion, the umpires ruled that the balk occurred during a timeout. Encarnacion then watched a 94-mph heater sail past on the outside corner for a called third strike. Clevinger power walked back to the Indians' dugout, having completed the most daunting mission of his career to that point.

The scene was much more relaxed on Monday. Clevinger and Encarnacion are teammates now. There were no baserunners, no threat of insurance runs, no game hanging in the balance.

Francona noted how Clevinger has "cut out some of the extracurricular parts" of his pitching delivery, including the frequent toe-tapping. A small cluster of fans watched the battle from behind a fence, as opposed to a Sunday afternoon summer crowd at Progressive Field.

When the two finished their bout, Clevinger walked away again looking strong.

"He's noticeably stronger," Francona said. "He [goes] 100 mph, and it's February. At the same token, you don't want to penalize a guy for working hard. He worked his [tail] off and he's in great shape and he's throwing the ball great."

Deshaun Watson, who skipped the Senior Bowl and a chance to spend a week with Hue Jackson, will do everything at the NFL Combine, which begins next week. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Deshaun Watson may have blown a prime opportunity to spend a week working with Browns coach Hue Jackson at the Senior Bowl last month, but he'll attack the NFL Combine next week with a vengeance.

Watson, the national championship MVP from Clemson, will do everything at the Combine in front of NFL personnel men and coaches, including those from the Browns. The Combine is Feb. 28-March 6.

"That's the plan," Watson told the Associated Press on Monday. "Run, throw, meetings, everything."

Despite NFL draft projections being all over the map for Watson, he believes he'll be a top-10 pick. The Browns have the No. 1 and No. 12 overall selections.

"I'm hearing that,'' he said. "First round, anywhere in that range, top 10, top five, just depends on what the teams say. It's something I can't control. I just make sure I can control what I can control. Stay positive.''

Watson, listed as 6-3, 215, said the measurements at the Combine will be what they are.

"The height is the height,'' he said. "This is how God made me. My hands are this size. I can't really control that. I can put on weight and be able to go out there and throw and run and talk in the interviews and my knowledge."

At the Super Bowl earlier this month, Watson told NFL Network that he'll just try to be himself at the Combine.

"I can just go out there and compete and just be the quarterback that I am," he said. "I don't want to get too focused on what I have to show or what I need to do, because I think I'd lose track of doing the little things. Doing the little things right, completing passes, doing whatever the coaching staffs want me to do at the combine and just go out there and show what I've got."

Watson also stressed that he didn't skip the Senior Bowl to avoid the Browns, which had been speculated. Jackson told cleveland.com that he had a "great conversation'' with Watson, and that he wouldn't hold the decision against the Davey O'Brien Award winner as the nation's best QB. He said he'd have plenty of time to spend with Watson, including at the Combine.

"I talked to (coach) Hue Jackson,'' Watson. "We had a great conversation right after the national championship game and I told him, 'Hey, this is what I'm thinking about,' and he understood everything. I talked with my family, my agent, my trainer, all the coaches at Clemson, and it was just best for me to go ahead and get started in the draft process."

Watson also addressed his coach Dabo Sweeney's answer when cleveland.com asked him about the Browns taking him at No. 1 overall.

"I'm just telling you, if they pass on Deshaun Watson, they're passing on Michael Jordan," Swinney said at the Senior Bowl. "I'm just telling you. I don't know what the heck I'm talking about; I'm just an old funky college coach. But Deshaun Watson is the best, by a long shot."

Watson said Swinney called him after that and said,"You see my comment? I'm just applying the pressure to Cleveland right now."

Fans weigh in on which Cleveland Cavalier they think is most likely headed to a new team at the trade deadline.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to make a move before the NBA's trade deadline on Thursday, it could mean parting with a player currently on the roster.

On Monday, the team lost $5.4 million in traded player exceptions that expired before they could have been used to bring in a backup point guard or some frontcourt help.

But General Manager David Griffin and his staff still have a number of avenues to pursue ahead of Thursday's deadline. And they can jump into the free agency chase for eligible players such as Anderson Varejao after that.

But in either case, the Cavaliers are likely going to have to part with a current roster player in order to bring in another body.

A cleveland.com fan poll conducted three weeks ago showed readers overwhelmingly favor swingman Jordan McRae as the current current Cavalier they would most be willing to part with in order to improve the roster.

McRae (39.5 percent of 7,300 votes) topped the list, followed by Kay Felder (16.4 percent), Iman Shumpert (13.7 percent) and James Jones (10.2 percent).

Fans indicated they were unwilling to part with starters Kevin Love (9.6 percent) and Tristan Thompson (7.6 percent).

With the deadline looming, and rumors about the possibility of players such as Shumpert being shopped around to teams like Minnesota or New Orleans, the question raised is one for the oddsmakers: Which current Cleveland Cavalier is most likely to be dealt by Thursday's NBA trade deadline?

Take the poll below and then defend your answer in the comments section.

Ohio State will again hold its annual coaches clinic around the Buckeyes' spring football game.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football will once again hold its annual coaches clinic around the Buckeyes spring game in April.

Ohio State announced on Tuesday that it will hold the 2017 coaches clinic from April 13-15. The spring football game will be played on Saturday, April 15 at 12:30 p.m. in Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes' annual coaches clinic typically features speeches and seminars from Urban Meyer, Ohio State assistant coaches, Ohio high school coaches and special guests. The full list of speakers and seminars will be announced at a later date.

Those interested in attending can register online here, or you can register through the mail using the form below.

Early registration (by April 8 through mail, or April 10 online) cost $65. Late registration cost $75.

Bill Landis, cleveland.com 

Some risk of interceptions has to be accepted with franchise quarterbacks. Concern over that should not cloud the Cleveland Browns' view of the dominant player in college football, Clemson's Deshaun Watson.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The first pass Clemson's Deshaun Watson threw against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal was intercepted. His receiver fell down on the play.

The dominant player in college football, no matter what the Heisman Trophy voters said, at the dominant position, quarterback, in the game of football threw a second interception later. Ohio State safety Malik Hooker made the kind of play on the ball deep in the end zone that invited flattering comparisons of him to Baltimore Ravens great Ed Reed.

If you're going to harp on interceptions, the first wasn't his fault and the second, well, sometimes you just get beaten, and Hooker, with one season only as a starter, was such a sensation that he left the Buckeyes for the draft.

Other that those two throws, Watson completed 23 of his 34 other passes for 259 yards and a touchdown.

Elusiveness

Watson didn't run as much in his final season last year as before, 15 times for 57 yards against Ohio State. On one of them, a 33-yard broken-field zig-zag that epitomized his speed and shiftiness, even Watson himself stood afterward and watched the replay on the video board.

Clemson was so superior in the first shutout of an Urban Meyer team in his head coach career that I doubt even a Watson for J.T. Barrett pre-game trade would have changed much.

But it wouldn't have been 31-0, not with Watson as another electric game-breaker in addition to Curtis Samuel.

Should the Browns take Watson with No. 1 pick?

It shouldn't even be a question. If the Browns like any quarterback more than moderately with the No. 1 overall pick, take him, take him, take him.

Otherwise the donkey serenade continues.

The interceptions problem

Watson skeptics are over-reacting to the interceptions. In my column the day before the game, I quoted Ohio State's defensive coordinator Greg Schiano:

"Watson's as talented a guy as we've faced. He's got incredible arm strength; he's a very mobile athlete; he doesn't choose to (run) a ton, but when he does, he's as good as there is. Flick of the wrist -- it's 40 yards and pretty darn accurate. He's thrown 65 yards in the air on tape, so I'm sure he can throw it 80 yards. He's a freakish-type football player. You watch the video, you sit there and go 'Whoa! That's a rare cat.'"

Of the 15 picks Watson threw in the regular season, Schiano said: "Now, maybe you don't want 15 interceptions -- but if you're not throwing interceptions, you're not trying hard enough. If everything's got to be wide open, we're not going to be explosive enough on offense."

I know I've got some baggage after the smoke and mirrors of the former Johnny Football, who was made by his Texas A&M receivers as much as the reverse was true. Watson had excellent receivers too.

Even supposedly ultra-conservative Ohio State coach Jim Tressel admitted quarterbacks had to be playmakers and a certain amount of calculated risk had to be tolerated.

A look at other greats with INT problems

As my fellow Watson enthusiast Ray Yannucci, editor of "Browns News Illustrated" until it died from internet injuries, pointed out in a recent email, some of the best quarterbacks ever threw their share of interceptions.

• Terry Bradshaw: 212 TDs and 210 interceptions.
• Y.A. Tittle: 242/248. (Yes, more interceptions.)
• Johnny Unitas: Even throwing his dismal partial year in San Diego at the end, he averaged 17 TDs and 14 picks in Baltimore. Total: 290/253.
• Warren Moon: 291/233 (17-year average: 17/14).
• Otto Graham: 174/135 over 10 seasons.
• Brett Favre: 508 TDs, but his 336 interceptions are the most ever.

In college, admittedly a lower level, of course, Watson threw 90 touchdown passes and 32 picks. In his last two seasons he was 35/13 and 41/17.

Watson was leader enough to take the Tigers back to a championship rematch with Alabama and to win as thrilling a game after the 2016 season as they lost despite his best efforts after the one in 2015.

Trubisky

The Flavor of the Month to Browns fans is Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina. He had only one season as a starter, had a 30/6 ratio TDs to picks, but didn't play Ohio State or Alabama.

The fervor for him is partly based on being a local, from Mentor.

Don't overthink it. Didn't the Browns learn anything from Brian Hoyer?

• Tomorrow: Don't take a pass rusher. Take a quarterback.

There will not be a Hall of Fame ceremony at Progressive Field this summer.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There will not be a Hall of Fame ceremony at Progressive Field this summer.

With a pair of statue unveilings scheduled for this season, the Indians have opted not to induct any new members to the team's Hall of Fame. The club will reveal a Frank Robinson statue in Heritage Park on May 27 and a Lou Boudreau likeness beyond the center-field gates on Aug. 5. 

That will give the team five statues. Depictions of Bob Feller, Jim Thome and Larry Doby already stand outside the ballpark. 

The Indians added four former players to their pantheon of greats last season: Thome, Robinson, Albert Belle and Charlie Jamieson. The club's Hall of Fame includes 44 former players.

Related: Indians to unveil two more statues in 2017

Robinson became the league's first African-American skipper when he was named player-manager of the Indians in October 1974. As a player, he tallied 586 home runs, made 12 All-Star teams and captured a pair of Most Valuable Player awards. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Boudreau also served as a player-manager during his tenure with the Indians. He claimed the American League MVP award in 1948, the year of the Indians' most recent World Series triumph.