Brooks Koepka won the U.S. Open Sunday for the second straight year, becoming seventh player to go back-to-back.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- Brooks Koepka won a second consecutive U.S. Open on Sunday, the first player to do so since Curtis Strange in 1989.

Coincidentally, Strange was covering Koepka's twosome for Fox.

Koepka shot 16 under par last year at Erin Hills for his first major victory, winning by four shots.

This time around, he was in a four-way tie for the lead after three rounds at Shinnecock Hills and shot 68 on a benign course for a 1-over 281 total as no player could match par.

Koepka's birdie at the par-5 16th stretched his lead to two shots over Tommy Fleetwood, who tied the U.S. Open single-round record with a 63. Fleetwood missed an 8-footer for birdie on the 18th that would have given him the record for this tournament and tied the 62 Branden Grace shot in last year's British Open for lowest round in any major.

Then Koepka parred 17 and had the luxury of making bogey at 18.

A two-putt bogey on the 72nd hole does it. @BKoepka is the 118th #USOpen champion, and the first back-to-back champion since 1989! pic.twitter.com/DaWUiRGHCw

-- U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2018

The USGA admitted Saturday it had lost a handle on the course. So Shinnecock Hills was relatively tame in the final round.

Fleetwood, who finished much earlier, wound up alone in second place at 282.

Retief Goosen was the most recent player with a good chance of repeating since Strange did it. The South African won at Shinnecock in 2004, then led by three shots at Pinehurst the next year. But he shot 81 in the final round and Michael Campbell was the surprise winner.

There have been 22 multiple winners since the U.S. Open first was played in 1895.

Check here for the final results, leaderboard for U.S. Open 2018 on Sunday, June 16. Brooks Koepka won.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brooks Koepka won U.S. Open 2018 on Sunday, June 17, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York. Koepka has won back-to-back U.S. Opens, the first to do so since Curtis Strange (1988-89).

• U.S. OPEN LEADERBOARD

Koepka, Daniel Berger, Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson were tied for the lead at 3-over entering the final round.

Scott Piercy, Charley Hoffman, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Jason Dufner and Phil Mickelson were among others who played the weekend at Shinnecock Hills.

Mickelson shot 11-over 81 on Saturday, including a controversial 10 on the par-4 13th hole. The fiasco unfolded on Mickelson's 48th birthday.

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION
U.S. OPEN
Site: Southampton, N.Y.
Course: Shinnecock Hills GC. Yardage: 7,445. Par: 70.
Purse: $12 million. Winner's share: $1.26 million.
Television (all times EDT): Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (FOX).
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka.
Notes: Shinnecock Hills is hosting its fifth U.S. Open and fourth since 1986. It held the second U.S. Open in 1896, and then went 90 years until its next one. ... Dustin Johnson returned to No. 1 in the world by winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic. This is the second straight year he is No. 1 at the U.S. Open, ending a streak of six straight years with a different No. 1 at this major. ... Tiger Woods is playing the U.S. Open for the first time since 2015. He has not had a top 10 in the U.S. Open since he tied for fourth at Pebble Beach in 2010. ... This is final year of Woods being exempt to the U.S. Open as a past champion. His last victory -- and last major -- was 10 years ago at Torrey Pines. ... Phil Mickelson tied for fourth and tied for second in his two previous U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills. ... Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy have a mathematical chance to reach No. 1 this week. ... Sergio Garcia is playing in his 19th consecutive U.S. Open, the longest active streak. ... Woods and Mickelson are among 19 players who played in the last U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Next year: Pebble Beach.
Online: www.usga.org

(Fact box from Associated Press.)

Rocky River's Jillian Hollis finished second at the Symetra Tour's Forsyth Classic 2018 on Sunday, June 17, in Illinois.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Rocky River's Jillian Hollis finished second at the Symetra Tour's Forsyth Classic 2018 on Sunday, June 17, in Decatur, Ill. Hollis lost to Isi Gabsa in a sudden-death playoff that lasted four holes.

Hollis and Gabsa finished regulation at 13-under. Hollis had an opportunity to win on the third playoff hole; her medium-range birdie putt at the par-4 18th barely missed.

• FORSYTH CLASSIC LEADERBOARD

Hollis shot an 8-under 64 in the second round and was tied for third at 9-under in the 54-hole event. Nontaya Srisawang led at 12-under and Gabsa was in second at 11-under.

Hollis made her Symetra Tour debut, which was her second tournament as a professional. Two weeks ago, she finished 62nd at U.S. Women's Open 2018.

Hollis, 21, attended Magnificat High School and graduated from Rocky River High School. She turned pro this spring after the third of three All-American seasons at the University of Georgia.

Krieger goes 5-for-5 with four RBI for Akron.

Tyler KriegerAkron RubberDucks 

READING, Pennsylvania -- Tyler Krieger was a force Sunday for the Akron RubberDucks, hitting two homers and driving in four RBI while going 5-for-5.

Unfortunately, Darick Hall and Kyle Martin each had three RBI as the Fightin' Phils scored seven runs in the sixth inning off Akron reliever Jordan Milbrath and hung on for a 10-7 victory.

Akron was trailing, 3-0, when Krieger hit his first homer, a two-run shot to right field in the fifth inning.

He added an RBI single in the seventh and a solo homer in the ninth.

The RubberDucks were scrambling to rebound by that time as the Phils roughed up Milbrath in the sixth, punctuated by a three-run homer from Hall and turning a 4-3 Akron lead into a 10-4 advantage. Milbrath (0-3, 4.87 ERA) lasted only 2/3 of an inning.

Akron's Mark Mathias was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

RubberDucks right-hander Triston McKenzie gave up three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings. He stuck out five and walked one.

Go here to see a box score from the game.

Linebacker Pete Werner is No. 36 in our countdown of the top 50 Ohio State players for 2018.

Cleveland welcomes the Chicago White Sox to Progressive Field for a three-game series beginning Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here is the preview and pitching matchups for the Indians' series against the White Sox.

Where/when: Progressive Field, Monday through Wednesday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio and WTAM/1100 will carry the series. WMMS/FM 100.7. will broadcast Monday and Tuesday's games.

Pitching matchups and starting times: RHP Dylan Covey (3-1, 2.29) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (5-5, 2.69) Monday at 7:10 p.m.; LHP Carlos Rodon (0-1, 3.60) vs. RHP Mike Clevinger (5-2, 3.15) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. and RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-4, 3.26) vs. RHP Corey Kluber (10-3, 2.24) Wednesday at 1:10 p.m.

Series: The Indians lead the series, 5-2, this year. The White Sox lead, 1,083-1,065, overall.

Hot pitchers: Cleveland's Trevor Bauer became the third pitcher in franchise history to record 10 or more strikeouts in four straight games during his last outing June 13 against the White Sox (Bob Feller, Corey Kluber). He has posted 10 quality starts in 14 outings this season.

Hot hitters: White Sox catcher Kevan Smith extended his hitting streak to nine games on Sunday and is batting .441 (15-34) with one double, three RBI and five multi-hit efforts during the streak.

Team updates: The Indians salvaged a win against the Twins Sunday after dropping the first two contests in their nine-game homestand. The White Sox are 8-9 in June, but have lost five of their last seven games.

Disabled list: White Sox - RHP Nate Jones (right arm strain), OF Nicky Delmonico (right hand), RHP Danny Farquhar (brain hemorrhage), OF Leury Garcia (left knee) and RHP Miguel Gonzalez (right rotator cuff) are on the disabled list.

Indians - LHP Andrew Miller (right knee), LHP Tyler Olson (left latissimus dorsi strain), RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow contusion), RHP Nick Goody (right elbow), LHP Ryan Merritt (left shoulder), RHP Danny Salazar (right shoulder) and RHP Cody Anderson (right elbow) are on the disabled list.

Next: The Tigers visit Progressive Field for a three-game series starting Friday night.

David Resnik, an architectural student at Kent State University, creates models of stadiums. His re-creation of Progressive Field is amazingly detailed, with working lights and other features. Watch video

CLEVELAND - Progressive Field got David Resnik into college. 

Resnik, an architectural student at Kent State University, creates intricate models of stadiums. 

If you thought that detail on the F4F Wildcat you did as a kid was cool, you should check out Resnik's work. 

"I needed a hobby," said Resnik, 36. "I was at a low point. My brother said 'Dude, why don't you go build a model stadium'?" 

That simple suggestion about three years ago was really the only push Resnik needed.  

Resnik, who at the time was in a sales career he wasn't passionate about, had started working on stadium models as a teen - he was even featured in a 1995 Plain Dealer story with an early version of then Jacobs Field - but his talents have come a long way.  

Then a friend who saw his work said he knew Bill Willoughby, associate dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State. 

"I am going to call him on your behalf," the friend told Resnik. "Just take them down and show him." 

Resnik did. 

"These are really great," he said Willoughby told him. The professor guessed which computer program Resnik used. 

"I said 'What's that?' " Resnik replied. 

Willoughby suggested another program.  

"I have no idea what that is," Resnik said. 

At that point, Resnik said, Willoughby realized the models were done by hand. He suggested: "Let me show you around the building." 

Resnik's Progressive Field is so detailed, it feels like you are in a museum as you peer through the nooks, images, lines and structures. 

It's complete with buildings, greenery, sidewalks and Quicken Loans Arena. Lift off the roof of his Q, and you can see the interior intricacies, down to the hanging banners and suspended scoreboard. 

The four-sided trapezoid is roughly 18 inches on each of three sides and 9 inches on one. The model's tallest point is the AT&T Huron Road Building, about 6 inches high. That's the building that rises behind the left-field scoreboard. The scale is approximately one inch to 90 feet, he said. 

He cuts everything by hand using Bristol Board, a kind of poster board. The bottom is a more rigid museum board. 

He pulls images from Google Maps and uses Photoshop on occasion when objects obstruct a view. There's lots of trimming, then layering with assorted design elements. Each piece is cut several times to allow a poster-board backing to be covered with a skin applied with double-sided tape. 

Look into the stadium and you will see Sherwin Williams, Pepsi, W.B. Mason, Kia and FirstEnergy signage on the outfield wall. Heritage Park is visible in the centerfield area. The Home Plate Club can be seen. The lights work via a battery-operated daisy-chain linking the towers. A toggle switch allows him to turn them on and off. Model-train trees dot the city block in the Gateway District. You can even see the tops of the black ticket gates in the center-field area. 

And when you check out the video boards, you can see the model's time frame dates to Game 1 of the 2016 World Series when the Indians beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-0.  

They remain, for the most part, labors of love meshing design, art and baseball. That's because they are mostly unsellable. If Resnik were to put a man-hours count on his models, the price tag would be exorbitant. For Progressive Field, he estimated he spent 200 to 400 hours. 

But he has donated several for charities. One on Houston's Minute Maid Park went for $800 for Astros outfielder George Springer's SAY, the Stuttering Foundation for the Young. 

Resnik is working on PNC Park in Pittsburgh, his 13th model. Proceeds from its sale will go for a baseball league for under-privileged and handicapped children. 

He has given several away to family members. He's created mini versions of Boston's Fenway Park, Seattle's Safeco Field and Arizona's Chase Field. He's also done some soccer stadiums. The Q in the Progressive Field model is his first arena. 

His favorite, though, is the baseball stadium along Carnegie Avenue in his hometown.  

"This one," he says, "got me into school." 

The roots for his hobby actually predate his teen-age model.  

"When I was a kid I built model airplanes, Legos, Construx - all those construction toys, that was me. From the time I was 5 I was much more interested in building things." 

He was also interested in baseball. And a year after Jacobs Field opened in 1994, he took his interest in building things to another level.  

"I grabbed some scissors and some cardboard and some glue," Resnik said, and the hobby was born.  

His goal is land a job with a firm to build and maybe design the models. But there's one he is shying from doing. 

"Everyone asks, but I'm not touching the Browns anytime soon," he said. "They lost me."

With the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, could the Cleveland Cavaliers be looking at Michael Porter Jr., Trae Young or Mikal Bridges?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my notebook as the Cleveland Cavaliers have the No. 8 pick Thursday in the 2018 NBA Draft:

1. The Cavaliers placed a lot of value on the Brooklyn Nets' draft pick when they made the Kyrie Irving trade with the Boston Celtics. At the time, the Nets were supposed to be terrible. Most experts thought the pick would be in the top five, or even the top three. But it turned out to be No. 8.

2. A lot of teams are fascinated with Luka Doncic. After watching his ESPN scouting tape, it's easy to understand the hype. He's 19 years, old. He's a 6-foot-8, 228-pound point guard. He has superb passing skills. At the age of 19, he was the MVP in the Euroleague Final Four for Real Madrid. That's a man's league, and he dominated some games as a teenager because of his passing skills and poise running an offense.

3. Doncic averaged 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. The stats are not eye-popping, but he was on a veteran team and was there to share the ball. He shot 46 percent from the field. My biggest question is his 3-point shooting (31 percent). The NBA is 3-point insane. Will this hurt Doncic in the eyes on some teams? It shouldn't. He can make an immediate impact in the NBA.

4. I was talking to a basketball person who recently watched an NBA team work out a top prospect. In the hour workout, they never had him take a medium range jumper. It was 3-pointer after 3-pointer after 3-pointer. They wanted to see his 3-point shot from different parts of the arc. They ran him through drills to test his quickness, leaping ability and driving to the rim.

5. It's not just the Houston Rockets who believe in the 3-pointer or shot-at-the-rim philosophy of offense. Many teams are adopting it. Duke's 6-foot-10 Wendall Carter Jr. has some nice post-up moves, making short hooks with either hand. Some teams place almost zero value on that skill. Carter also shot 41 percent (19-of-46) on 3-pointers, and that does interest some teams.

6. Carter is projected as a top-five pick. He seems to struggle defending the pick-and-roll. Many NBA teams want every player to switch defensively, meaning big men end up defending guards. Carter has problems in that area.

7. But I'm old school. I see the reason for switching at least 50 percent on pick-and-roll plays. But why do it nearly every time? If you do, then you need a bunch of guys between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-10 who are extremely athletic with quick feet on defense.

8. One of the scariest players in the draft is Michael Porter Jr. Back problems. I don't like to think about a 19-year-old who played only three games in his freshman year of college because of back problems. The 6-foot-10 Porter was considered the best high school player in the country when he enrolled at Missouri. In his first college game, he injured his back. He needed surgery to deal with herniated discs.

9. Porter could fall to the Cavaliers at No. 8, or he could be selected in the top five. It depends upon how many teams want to take chance on his back issues. He played two games late in the season. Porter's college career consisted on 53 minutes. He shot 10-of-30 and had 20 rebounds. Hard to make much of the stats because he was coming off back surgery.

10. High risk, high reward. That's Porter. That also worries me, even at No. 8.

11. I have heard different players in this draft compared to Kevin Durant. That's because there are some very athletic big men who look like they can shoot from the outside. Here's what Durant did in his one season at Texas: 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, shooting .505 from the field and .404 on 3-pointers. No one in this draft has those kind of numbers.

12. I mentioned Trae Young in my Sunday Cavs Scribbles. I am intrigued. I do like his court vision and passing, although he makes some very careless turnovers. He averaged 8.9 assists and 5.8 turnovers. The 6-foot-2 Oklahoma freshman averaged 27.4 points, shooting .422 from the field and .360 on 3-pointers.

13. A concern about Young is how he played after Feb. 1. In his final 11 games, he averaged 23.4 points, shooting .362 from the field and .259 on 3-pointers. Did the thin Young wear down as the season progressed? That's my guess.

14. The Stephen Curry comparison fits in terms of Young's willingness to shoot the ball from almost anywhere. Young took 102 shots from at least 30 feet ... and made only 25 percent of them. That stat comes from Bjorn Zetterberg of Cleaning The Glass.

15. Curry played three years at Davidson -- a huge advantage as he gave his body time to mature. He averaged 25.3 points, shooting .467 from the field and .412 on 3-pointers. Just as was the case with the Durant comparisons, no one in this draft should be compared to Curry -- at least if you look at the numbers.

16. That said, I'd probably take Young at No. 8 to play with the Cavs. If he did end up on the same team as LeBron James, he'd have to learn to make catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. Most of his shots come off the dribble.

17. Of players who are likely to be available for the Cavs at No. 8, my favorite is Mikal Bridges. He played on two national title teams at Villanova. He averaged 17 points and shot .435 on 3-pointers. He's 6-foot-7, a determined and athletic defender. He makes catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.

18. At 21 years old, some scouts dismiss him as being a "finished product" with not a lot of upside. I think he'd thrive with James, and would help the Cavs if James goes elsewhere.

19. I hear the San Antonio Spurs learned of Kwahi Leonard's request to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and sort of shrugged. They probably will end up trading him. But they aren't going to let Leonard dictate his trade destination. He could end up being in L.A. if the Lakers pay a steep price, but the Spurs plan to talk to a lot of teams.

20. I watched a tape of Mohamed Bamba, who is 7-foot, 227 pounds with a 7-foot-10 wing span. He can be a monster when it comes to shot-blocking and dunking off pick-and-roll plays. But the freshman from Texas is so raw, patience is required. Also, teams don't seem to be excited by really big players.

Josh Gordon had high praise for his quarterbacks. Was he right? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon said last week that Browns quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield are the most talented quarterbacks he's had in his time in Cleveland. Is Gordon right?

Mary Kay Cabot and I talked about the Browns' quarterback situation and where it ranks as far as recent Browns quarterbacks go. We talked about Taylor, the veteran, and Mayfield, the rookie, and how the entire situation is set up to help both players be successful in 2018 and beyond.

Check out the video above.

The jersey J.R. Smith wore during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors is up for sale.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The jersey J.R. Smith wore during the NBA Finals ill-fated Game 1 is up for auction. 

The NBA Auctions site lists the jersey's current bid at $3,000 as of Monday morning. More than 50 bids have been placed on the jersey in minimum $20 increments. The auction ends 9:50 p.m. Thursday, June 21 - the night of the NBA Draft. 

The Cavaliers' Smith was wearing the jersey when, in the final seconds, he dribbled the ball without shooting after teammate George Hill missed a free throw and the score tied. The game went to overtime, and Cleveland lost to Golden State.  

This month, Josh Evans of Lelands Auctions weighed in with his forecast of the jersey's value, estimating it was worth "somewhere around $5,000." But, he added, if it were to be sold, its value probably is at its highest point now and would not appreciate over time. 

Here's the full story.

Some wonder how well college players are prepared for the league when they're using different equipment than the pros.

College baseball is a stepping stone for many aspiring MLB players. Some wonder how well college players are prepared for the league when they're using different equipment than the pros. Aluminum bats are required in college baseball, but if they're trying to go professional, they should be swinging wood. Still, the new composite bats have been made to reflect the same power attributes of wooden bats. And with the NCAA beholden to sponsors, a switch is unlikely. What do you think? 

PERSPECTIVES

If professionals use wood bats, college baseball players should too. Aluminum bats might be close to wooden bats now, but it's still not the same. You wouldn't give an aspiring baker an Easy-Bake Oven to train with. These athletes should be using professional equipment.

Opinion: College baseball players should swing wood bats

Composite bats have been the standard in college baseball, and are no longer the power boosters they were in the past. Here is Art Gardner, an MLB scout, with more:

It takes some of the guesswork out of recruiting in college baseball. You used to go to a game and it seemed like every team's lineup had six guys with 10-plus homers...Now we have a much better idea who really has the ability to get the ball out of the park.

These bats are similar enough to wood bats that they don't need to be replaced.

MLB scouts like college game's new metal bats

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Friday Night Lights, typically held in late July, will be held on June 22 this year. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's biggest summer recruiting spectacle is colliding with the red carpet treatment of an official visit weekend.

The Buckeyes have moved up their annual Friday Night Lights camp, normally held in late July, to this Friday, June 22. Thanks to changes in the recruiting calendar, that means OSU's most exclusive and important prospect camp will coincide with a major official visit weekend for the first time.

Beginning this year, juniors were permitted to take official visits from April 1 through the Sunday before the final Wednesday in June. That's this coming Sunday. So Ohio State, in a shrewd bit of scheduling, moved up Friday Night Lights to combine the two into what could arguably be considered the Buckeyes' most important recruiting weekend on the 2018 calendar.

Per 247Sports, expected official visitors this weekend are: four-star receiver Marcus Washington, Elijah Higgins and Jameson Williams; four-star defensive back Jordan Battle and three-star defensive lineman Etinosa Rueben. Five-star defensive end Zach Harrison will begin an official visit on Saturday, so he'll miss the camp -- not that he'd be particularly interested in the hoopla anyway. Four-star guard Zeke Correll was set for an official visit this weekend, but he committed to Notre Dame on Monday, so don't expect that visit to happen.

The new recruiting calendar, which now includes a dead period from June 25 to July 24, was likely the chief driving force behind this change.

Last year's Friday Night Lights camp was held on July 21, with the dead period only running from June 26 to July 9. The camp had been held on the third Friday in July the last couple of years, but that wouldn't have been permissible this year. Still, Ohio State could have held FNL later, say on July 27 after Big Ten Media Days and before training camp starts.

But moving it up to June rather than moving it back a week makes even more sense when you look at OSU's schedule this fall.

One of the best recruiting tools to impress a prospect remains getting him on campus for a major home game in the fall, to feel the gameday environment, walk out of the tunnel and feel part of the team for a day. Who you play on those days matters, which is why OSU hosted monster recruiting weekends last year when it played Oklahoma and Penn State.

This year? The home schedule kind of stinks.

Oregon State, Rutgers, Tulane, Indiana, Minnesota and Nebraska don't move the needle much. There isn't a marquee home game until the final week of the season, Nov. 24 against Michigan. With players now able to sign National Letters of Intent in December, it probably behooves Ohio State to get some important official visitors on campus beforehand if it can.

Friday Night Lights is not an equal replacement for a fall gameday environment, but it's to Ohio State's benefit to combine official visit weekends with events like this. That means making a priority of wrapping official visit weekends around the spring game in April and Friday Night Lights in June if you can.

If you haven't been to Friday Night Lights, it's an impressive display. The entire camp takes place in Ohio Stadium, they pump in the music, play highlight videos, have former players come back to schmooze and allow fans into the stadium for free. It doesn't get packed, but it's a cool night.

(By the way, if you're one who was planning on attending Friday Night Lights, remember it's this Friday. Not in July.)

Will this the be the case every year moving forward? An attempt to talk to Ohio State about the scheduling change was met with the response that the staff would rather not talk about strategy. Secret is out anyway. Expect copycats moving forward. That's how recruiting works.

But it seems Ohio State will be ahead of some programs, at least this year. Florida, for example, will still hold its Friday Night Lights camp in late July.

This doesn't mean OSU will be throwing open the doors to any player who wants to take an official visit this weekend. You still have to be careful about hosting an official visit this time of year for a player who won't be ready to decide until some point during his senior season. You host kids this time of year because they're ready to make a decision this time of year. You don't want the experience of your official visit to be forgotten by a kid who visited in May, but didn't decide until December.

The players visiting this weekend are all either candidates to commit on the spot this weekend, or at the very least before summer ends.

Ohio State's reputation combined with a difficult schedule make for the Buckeyes having the best game in multiple weeks of the 2018 season.

Produced by The Ringer's Bill Simmons, the one-hour documentary chronicles all the on the court battles and behind the scenes drama of the Cavaliers-Warriors series. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Not that you'd want to, but if you're looking to relive the 2018 NBA Finals, HBO has a show for you.

"Courtside at the NBA Finals" makes its Home Box Office debut Tuesday, June 19 at 9 p.m. Produced by The Ringer's Bill Simmons, the one-hour documentary chronicles all the on the court battles and behind the scenes drama of Cavaliers vs. Warriors Part IV: from J.R. Smith's brain fart and Draymond Green and Tristan Thompson's shoving match in Game 1 to Kevin Durant's deja vu dagger three in Game 3 and Stephen Curry hoisting his third NBA Championship trophy in four years.

The program will also air on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

Simmons, the former ESPN commentator who now runs The Ringer and hosts a podcast, hopes to repeat the success of his last special at HBO, "Andre the Giant," which was the most watched sports documentary on the cable network in 15 years.

In case you've been living under a rock or perhaps in Biosphere 2, the Warriors handily swept the Cavaliers in four games, thus triggering the 24/7 news cycle known as "LeBron Watch 2018."

Outfielder Greg Allen is heading to Class AAA Columbus as the Cleveland Indians have activated Yonder Alonso from the family medical emergency list.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Outfielder Greg Allen has been optioned to Class AAA Columbus and first baseman Yonder Alonso has rejoined the Cleveland Indians for Monday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox, the team announced.

In other moves, the Indians have signed left-handed reliever Mark Rzepczynski to a minor-league contract and assigned him to the Triple-A Columbus roster. Rzepczynski made 145 relief appearances for the Indians from 2013-15.

Allen was informed he would be optioned to the minors on Friday when Cleveland activated OF Tyler Naquin from the 10-day disabled list and placed Alonso on the family medical leave list, giving the infielder a minimum of three days away from the club.

Allen batted .204 with a home run and three RBI in 35 games, playing in center field and right since joining the Indians May 6 when Bradley Zimmer injured himself in New York.

Allen heated up at the plate toward the end of May, batting a season-high .286 during a seven-game hitting streak that included a walk-off home run in extra innings against Houston on May 27. But he cooled off once the calendar flipped to June, batting just .083 (3-for-36) in 13 June appearances.

The Indians also announced that outfielder Melky Cabrera, who appeared in 17 games for the club, has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent. The Indians designated Cabrera for assignment on June 13.

The Cavaliers will not know what LeBron James intends to do this summer when they execute their draft plan Thursday, numerous sources told cleveland.com. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers will not know what LeBron James intends to do this summer when they execute their draft plan Thursday, numerous sources told cleveland.com.

James has until June 29th to exercise his $35.6 million player's option on his contract for next season, and if he lets it pass then he's an unrestricted free agent who could still return to Cleveland.

In other words, James has all kinds of time to figure out where he wants to play next season. General manager Koby Altman, who will run his first draft on Thursday, has about four days to decide about his No. 8 pick.

According to sources, the Cavs' front office and James' camp have been in contact over the phone and in person, though there has been no meeting with James present, nor has the been any real dialogue as far as James' future is concerned.

Because the superstar himself doesn't know.

The Cavs have been signaling (strongly, in some cases) that they're looking to upgrade their team from the group that was swept out of the Finals this month, whether James stays or goes.

They are taking calls from teams looking to move up in the draft via trade, and are seeking proven NBA vets whose presence would both improve the roster and be enticing to James.

They've also been "obsessed" with the draft since acquiring Brooklyn's pick from the Celtics last summer for Kyrie Irving, so using it to take a player for themselves is of course a very real possibility.

Cleveland has in fact inquired about Kawhi Leonard's availability from the Spurs, among others, and league sources suggested Charlotte's Kemba Walker could be in play for the Cavs.

Because of league rules, Cleveland must make its pick on Thursday, but could trade it immediately or sign the player and then wait 30 days to trade him -- like the Cavs did when they drafted Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall in 2014 and traded him for Kevin Love.

"I guess you're walking into the wilderness of the unknown, where you are at eight, and how do you block out the draft compared to LeBron's decision eight days later and how do you try to separate it," said former Nets assistant general manager Bobby Marks, who's now an analyst for ESPN.

"I think the hard part for Koby would come where what happens when there is a potential trade that is presented to him and he can bring back players, NBA players," Marks said. "If that's the case, it maybe happens Thursday night, and how do you go about doing it without a commitment from LeBron? What's the communication process like between the front office and LeBron in a scenario like that?"

Marks appears to be speaking from the conventional wisdom that a team like the Cavs, who are in luxury-tax hell with the salary cap but have gone to four straight Finals with James, would tear it all down and save as much money as they can if James leaves.

As of now, Cleveland is a projected $40 million over next season's $101 million salary cap, assuming James exercises his option. The Cavs will pay about $50 million in luxury-tax penalties on last season's payroll and will have paid about $140 million in penalties for the past four seasons.

Even if James leaves as a free agent, the Cavs would still be over the cap, thanks in part to the contracts of Love ($24.1 million), George Hill ($19 million), Tristan Thompson ($17.5 million), and JR Smith ($14.7 million) -- to name a few. That means more tax penalties owner Dan Gilbert, and no James.

Multiple sources, however, have indicated the Cavs would look to improve (read, continue to spend) while James makes his decision.

Cleveland has a $5.8 million trade exception, Love, Kyle Korver's contract ($7.6 million next season; a small portion of the third year guaranteed); a roughly $5 million salary cap exception; Kendrick Perkins' contract ($2.5 million, if it becomes guaranteed); a young player like Cedi Osman; and of course the No. 8 pick as chief among its assets.

Depending on how the next 12 months go, Cleveland could enter the 2019 free-agency season with significant cap space, with the potential for the contracts of Love, Smith, Hill, and Korver to all be off the books.

Trevor Bauer and the Cleveland Indians face Dylan Covey and the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the starting lineups for Monday's game between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field.

What: Indians (37-33) vs. White Sox (24-46).
When: 7:10 p.m.
Where: Progressive Field.
Broadcast: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Francisco Lindor SS
Michael Brantley LF
Jose Ramirez 3B
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Yonder Alonso 1B
Lonnie Chisenhall RF

Rajai Davis CF
Jason Kipnis 2B
Roberto Perez C

Trevor Bauer (5-5, 2.69) RHP

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Yoan Moncada 2B
Yolmer Sanchez 3B
Jose Abreu 1B
Daniel Palka RF
Kevan Smith C

Matt Davidson DH
Tim Anderson SS
Charlie Tilson LF
Adam Engel CF

Dylan Covey (3-1, 2.29) RHP

Correll, the No. 5 player in Ohio for 2019, picked the Fighting Irish on Monday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State landed a commitment from four-star center Harry Miller last week, that very well could have closed the book on interior offensive line recruiting in the Class of 2019.

But as long as Zeke Correll had an official visit to Columbus on the books, he was considered a legitimate option to join the class.

Well, Correll committed to Notre Dame on Monday. So consider the visit off. The four-star guard from Cincinnati Anderson and the No. 5 player in Ohio picked the Fighting Irish over Ohio State, Clemson and Stanford. He officially visited Notre Dame over the weekend. 

I AM 100% COMMITTED TO NOTRE DAME! #GoIrish [?][?][?] pic.twitter.com/izGZowQMIj

-- Zeke Correll (@zekecorrell) June 18, 2018

Correll was set to be one of a large group of official visitors at Ohio State this weekend, a big couple of days for the Buckeyes that coincides with their Friday Night Lights camp. That he committed now, with that visit coming so soon down the road is a bit surprising. That he ultimately ended up choosing a program other than Ohio State is not.

He never felt like a lock to pick OSU. There's a good breakdown of his Notre Dame commitment here from 247Sports, which touches on Correll's family ties being closer to Kentucky than they are Ohio and the fact that he has an older brother studying at Notre Dame. 

When it comes to interior offensive line, Miller had long been Ohio State's top target. OSU also has a pair of tackles committed in Doug Nester and Ryan Jacoby who could be candidates to play guard in college. Doesn't mean the staff wouldn't have taken Correll's commitment, because it likely would have and figured the rest out later. He's good. But this is going to be a big offensive line group in 2019, and the focus right now seems to be on tackles, which meant Correll was less of a priority.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is still working on landing commitments from five-star tackles Darnell Wright and Devontae Dobbs; four-star tackle Trevor Keegan and three-star tackle Jonathan Allen.

Ohio QB picks Mizzou

While Ohio State tries to figure out who its guy is at quarterback in 2019, the staff never offered Kettering Alter's Connor Bazelak. Bazelak told cleveland.com last month that he'd leave a door cracked to the Buckeyes, but he was ready to slow things down.

Turns out he was ready to make a commitment.

Bazelak, the No. 20 pro-style passer in the country and the top quarterback prospect in Ohio, committed to Missouri on Sunday night. He chose the Tigers over offers from Georgia, North Carolina State, Purdue, Iowa and others.

COMMITTED!! [?] #MIZZOU pic.twitter.com/TAgil7XyoH

-- Connor Bazelak (@BazelakConnor) June 17, 2018

He remains a player OSU could take a run at late in the 2019 cycle. If quarterbacks coach Ryan Day wasn't comfortable offering now, he could get comfortable after a few weeks of the 2018 high school season -- especially if he doesn't have a commitment. Though it should be noted that Bazelak doesn't throw the ball a ton in Alter's run-heavy offense, which is part of the reason OSU never got hot on him in the first place.

Ohio State will host uncommitted three-star Florida quarterback Brian Maurer this weekend. He doesn't have an offer, but could jump to the front of the line with Wisconsin commit Graham Mertz publicly shutting down his recruitment last week. Other committed targets -- Ryan Hilinski (South Carolina) and Dwan Mathis (Michigan State) -- seem firm in their pledges for now.

Corner sets decision date

Four-star Texas cornerback Erick Young listed Ohio State among his top-six schools back in April. Now he's ready to decide. Young, the No. 12 corner in the country, will make his decision on July 4.

Commitment date set for the 4th of July, after that i will be shutting my recruitment down #Eyto............

-- Erick Young 4 (@Fvmous_ey) June 18, 2018

Young also has Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC among his finalists. Don't expect an Ohio State win here. Young took an official visit to A&M in April, and has one set to USC this weekend. He hasn't taken one to Ohio State. Easy enough to follow. A&M is the leader in the 247Sports crystal ball.

But, Ohio State could be getting good defensive back news this weekend anyway. Jordan Battle -- a four-star safety from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- will be on campus for his official visit. He's long been considered an OSU lean, and will be on commitment watch this weekend.

Guard puts OSU in top 7

Jakai Moore, a three-star 2019 guard from Virginia, included Ohio State in his top-seven schools on Monday. The Buckeyes are there with Penn State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Top 7 No Order!![?]!![?] pic.twitter.com/SCR5YIezF8

-- Jakai Moore (@jdamonsa) June 18, 2018

Moore last visited Columbus in March, and Penn State is the leader in the crystal ball predictions. He took an official visit to South Carolina in April. Plus, as noted earlier, it seems unlikely that OSU will add another interior offensive lineman in this class.

Top 2020 receiver visits

Ohio State is still putting some finishing touches on the 2019 receiver group that will join five-star commitment Garrett Wilson this year. That could happen this weekend with four-star prospects Marcus Washington, Elijah Higgins and Jameson Williams in for official visits.

But the staff was certainly up for diverting some attention to the top player at the position in the next recruiting class.

Julian Fleming, a five-star prospect from Pennsylvania and the No. 1 receiver in 247Sports Class of 2020 rankings, was on campus Monday. Fleming right now is rated as the No. 2 overall player in the country.

THE [?] [?]HIO STATE #buckeyes pic.twitter.com/8u1PZSvFtV

-- [?] 0J4[?] (@julian_040) June 18, 2018

The Buckeyes will get the nation's No. 2 receiver this year in Wilson. Can they get the No. 1 receiver next year? They're trying. Fleming has offers from Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and a bunch of other programs. The Nittany Lions are the current crystal ball favorite to land the top player in their state.

Fleming (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) caught 69 passes for 1,461 yards and 20 touchdowns last year as a sophomore at Southern Columbia High School.

The Cavaliers will not renew the contracts of two assistant coaches and is promoting one of their player development coaches to a seat behind the bench.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers will not renew the contracts of two assistant coaches and is promoting one of their player development coaches to a seat behind the bench, a league source confirmed to cleveland.com.

Assistant coach Jim Boylan and director of player development Phil Handy will not return next season.

Dan Geriot, who worked with Handy on the development side, is being promoted to take Handy's place (it's considered an assistant coach's role). Assistant Damon Jones may slide toward the front of the bench, where Boyland used to sit with Larry Drew and Mike Longabardi next to head coach Tyronn Lue.

ESPN first reported the moves, though a league source made clear that Jones was not being "promoted."

Lue said he plans to return as head coach.

Geriot, 29, is from Springfield, Pa. and has worked as a video coordinator and player development coach for the Cavs since 2015. He played at the University of Richmond and was an assistant coach at Princeton while current general manager Koby Altman was an assistant coach at rival Ivy League school, Columbia University.

According to a 2015 story in the Delaware County Times of Pennsylvania, Geriot was introduced to the Cavs by Altman and hired after an interview with then-Cavs coach David Blatt.

Boylan worked as a Cavs assistant to Mike Brown, Blatt, and Lue. Handy has been with the Cavs since 2013 and worked often with Kyrie Irving before Irving was traded last summer.

The Cavs already lost Vitaly Potapenko, a player development coach, to a new job as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Pitcher Carlos Carrasco is dealing with a bad bruise and nothing more serious, according to manager Terry Francona after Carrasco was examined by doctors Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tests on starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco's injured right elbow came back negative and the Cleveland Indians right-hander will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, manager Terry Fracnona said.

The news came as a relief to Francona and the Indians as it appears right now that Carrasco will not be dealing with anything more significant than a bad bruise after taking a line shot off the bat of Minnesota's Joe Mauer in the second inning Saturday.

Francona said Carrasco will continue to be treated for swelling and then start to work on strength and range of motion in the injured joint in the next few days.

"He still got hit really hard and there's some trauma," Francona said. "So we dodged a huge bullet. The hope would be, once he gets the swelling out of there, that he'll come (back) quick because it's a bruise and it could have been a lot worse."

Francona was not exaggerating when he said everybody in the organization is relieved by the news.

"He's been hit before and you think, 'OK will it bother him?'" Francona said. "But I think he's champing at the bit to get this out of there and start pitching again."

Carrasco has been hit by line drives to the mound on no less than four occasions in his major league career. Most significantly at the end of the 2016 season when a line drive by Detroit's Ian Kinsler broke his pitching hand and forced him to miss the postseason. And in 2015 when Melky Cabrera's liner hit him in the left cheek.

Francona said he does not expect this latest injury to affect Carrasco's performance once he does climb back on the mound.

"Guys get a little jumpy," Francona said. "It's easy to tell him, 'Hey, don't worry about it,' I'm not the one standing out there. But with Carlos, this is fourth time, and I've never seen any ill effects before. I don't anticipate any going forward. I think he's just glad that it's a bruise and to see how quick he can get better."

Meanwhile, rookie starter Adam Plutko will move to the bullpen for the next week, Francona said, in order to keep the Tribe's starting rotation on its regular rest. The Indians have an off day on Thursday and begin a 10-day road trip to three cities beginning June 25.

"We're going to keep guys on their day," Francona said. "We're going to put Plutko in the bullpen until the second game in St. Louis, so that will keep Kluber on Wednesday, Bieber Friday, keep guys right in order and then the second day in St. Louis we'll need a start and that will be Plutko."