Schiano talked Monday about some of Ohio State's defensive struggles against Oregon State. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Greg Schiano did the math. The majority of Oregon State's offensive production, 82 percent to be exact, came on seven plays. Other than that, the Buckeyes largely shut them down, right?

Not exactly of course.

Those big hits matter, runs of 80 and 78 yards really stick out when you consider the athletic advantage Ohio State is supposed to have over Oregon State. Schiano isn't glancing over that.

"There was a lot of good stuff on the tape, so I wasn't disappointed other than there were some plays that I was disappointed in," he said Monday. "There was actually I think it was 82 percent of the offense came on seven plays, 82 percent of their production. We can't allow that. Have to go back a long time to remember two long runs like that, not only here but anywhere. It's unacceptable."

He attributed some of that to youth, learning curves for new starters and maybe some things that need to be ironed out in the first game for any team.

Mostly, though, he didn't seem panicked after one game and reassured by the idea that starting safety Jordan Fuller should be back this week against Rutgers. Linebacker Tuf Borland could see his role expanded from the 10 snaps he played against Oregon State as he continues his road back from injury.

"As I said early on we have a young group, four or five of the guys that was their first significant action," Schiano said. "I think we learned a lot, always people say between week one and week two is when you make your most improvement, and when you're a young unit that even multiplies. We need to improve, that's for sure, that's not what we want to see out there, but the opportunity is there."

Did any of what Schiano said Monday -- you can read and watch his full remarks here -- make you feel better about the OSU defense? We discussed that in the video above.

"We had our meeting, it was business as usual." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Urban Meyer returned to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday, so Ryan Day packed up the bobbleheads and family photos he'd placed on the desk in Meyer's spacious office, took his favorite yogurt out of Meyer's mini fridge, straightened the magazines on the coffee table and went back to his own office.

No. That's a joke. 

"I think you know the answer to that," Day said Monday, when asked when he moved his stuff of Meyer's office.

Obviously, he was never in there. That's because Meyer was gone for the month of August, but he never really left.

* What Meyer can do on his return

All along the way, Day made it very clear that he was just keeping Meyer's chair warm, even though he never sat in the chair. He sat in his own chair, in his own office.

So on one hand, the return to work of a three-time national championship coach who had been away from the Buckeyes since Aug. 1, either on paid leave or suspension, is a huge deal. Meyer won't coach for two more games, but he's back coaching the Buckeyes.

On the other hand, the guy just got back to doing what he always does. No players or assistant coaches had anything to do with why Meyer was suspended. So Monday was no big deal.

"Coach came back today, we had a meeting earlier this morning, and he's been meeting with some of the players, so things are back to normal," Day said. "A lot of the coaches hadn't seen him much, again, so embracing and great to see you back, but we got back to our meeting. We had our meeting, it was business as usual."

"Coach is a very focused guy, as you know, and we hit it running, got back to it," said defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, one of Meyer's best friends. "Monday is your big game planning day, and Coach was sensitive to that. We got together as a staff and met, and it wasn't very long, and then get together and work on the game plans."

Asked repeatedly about Meyer, Day, the acting coach since Meyer's leave was announced, called Meyer "Coach," as a proper noun of address 10 times.

"Coach came back today ..."

"Coach is Coach, you know?"

"It's kind of Coach is back, and we're going with Coach ..."

"We're going to pick it up from when Coach was here ..."

"It's just great to have Coach back ..."

"Now we have Coach back ..."

"There wasn't much conversation about that with Coach."

"Coach was up with everything right from the start today."

ESPN stood outside the football building to offer updates on Meyer's return, and from the big picture, this is a big deal.

Meyer's issues and problems in mishandling former assistant Zach Smith have caused more than a month of contentious sports debate around the nation. That story isn't necessarily over, depending on whether there's any more to reveal about Zach Smith's tenure, and depending how Meyer and Ohio State proceed with a public explanation for what has happened.

But this part of the story?

He came back to work. He gave Day a little nod that Saturday's 77-31 win over Oregon State went well.

"I think the comment he made was, 'You only had to punt once, huh? That's a pretty good day,'" Day said. "I said, 'Yeah.'"

Otherwise, nothing much had changed with Ohio State's football team, even if so much had changed with Meyer.

Center Tristan Thompson (Canada), forward Cedi Osman (Turkey), and center Ante Zizic (Croatia) are all expected to participate in the second round of 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers this month, a team source told cleveland.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three Cavaliers will play for their home countries in 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers this month, a team source told cleveland.com.

Center Tristan Thompson (Canada), forward Cedi Osman (Turkey), and center Ante Zizic (Croatia) are all expected to participate in the second round of the global tournament.

In Thompson's case, the Canadians are playing the Americas qualifier Sept. 13-17, while Osman's Turkish team and Zizic's Croatian team will compete in the European tournament over the same dates.

The 2019 World Cup is in China.

There are no Cavaliers on the American team, which consists of some G League players and, compared to the United States' star studded Olympic teams, unknown NBA players. Kevin Love, a gold medalist for the U.S. in 2012, attended Team USA's minicamp this summer and is eligible to play in the China World Cup.

A Cavs source said guard Jordan Clarkson was not expected to play for the Philippines in the Asian qualifier. Last month, Clarkson played for the Philippines in the Asian games, scoring 29 points with six assists and four rebounds in his last game.

Multiple sources said Cavs players were not expected to hold players-only workouts ahead of training camp, which starts with Media Day on Sept. 24. LeBron James, who you may have heard plays for the Lakers now, used to gather the troops together in September (usually on California's southern coast) for a few days of drills, pick-up games, and bonding ahead of the start of practice.

Osman and Zizic, both entering their second NBA seasons with the Cavs, were great in limited action in Summer League play in July. Osman averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in two games, and Zizic contributed 20.5 points and 12.5 boards in his two contests.

Josh Donaldson will make a rehab start Monday at Triple-A Columbus. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Donaldson has been placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians retroactive to Sept. 1. The club announced he will begin a rehab assignment today with Triple-A Columbus.

Donaldson, acquired Friday in a waiver trade with Toronto, will play third base and bat second for as the Clippers host the Toledo Mudhens at 2 p.m. at Huntington Park.

Manager Terry Francona said Donaldson will return to Cleveland on Tuesday to work out with the Indians because all of the club's minor league affiliates have the day off. On Wednesday, he will join Akron as the Rubberducks open the Eastern League playoffs. 

"We felt like him playing a handful of games would put him in the best position to be healthy where he could come back and play and maybe play back-to-back and play multiple games," Francona said.

Donaldson told reporters Sunday that the good news is he no longer needs help getting his body back to performing at a high level.

"Now it's just kind of managing the load process, and managing how many games and the schedule of how many games I'm going to play in a row," Donaldson said. "It's not a matter of getting me back on the field. I feel that I'm ready for that."

Francona said the club considered playing Donaldson a game at the big-leage level and then sitting him, but decided against letting their excitement over Donaldson's availability get in the way of making the proper decision. Francona also wanted to show respect to the other players affected by the move, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez. 

"They'll be starting to take balls at other positions," Francona said. "We'll make that move when they're ready, even if it's before Donaldson's back with us."

Donaldson arrived in Cleveland late Saturday and was in the Tribe's dugout as the Indians played Tampa Bay. He worked out prior to Sunday's game at Progressive Field, going through agility drills and taking infield and batting practice. 

The 32-year-old former American League MVP begins his third stint on the DL this season. In 36 games for the Blue Jays, Donaldson hit .234 (32-for-137) with 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 16 RBI.  He was on the DL from May 29-August 30 with a strained left calf. 

Indians president Chris Antonetti on Friday left open the possibility that Donaldson would be put on the disabled list in order to participate in minor-league rehab games before making his debut with the Indians at some point this month.

"Whether that's at the middle or end, or some time sooner than that we don't yet know, but we want to partner with Josh in developing that plan," Antonetti said.

Cleveland begins a four-game road series in Toronto on Thursday, meaning Donaldson will not play in a game at Rogers Centre against his former team. He is eligible to come off the DL next Tuesday for the middle game of the Indians' road series against Tampa Bay.

The Browns are allowed an additional practice squad member through the league's International Player Pathway program.

BEREA, Ohio -- A day after the Browns made five waiver claims to put the finishing touches (for now) on their 53-man roster, they announced 11 players signed to their practice squad.

Nine of the 11 players on the practice squad were with the Browns in training camp, including defensive back Tigie Sankoh, who does not count against the normally allotted ten practice squad slots. Sankoh is part of the International Player Pathway program. Eight NFL teams -- the NFC South and AFC North -- are allowed to carry the eleventh player through the program and that player is ineligible to be activated during the season.

The other eight players who participated in Browns camp are offensive lineman Christian DiLauro, defensive linemen Daniel Ekuale and Zaycoven Henderson, running back Dontrell Hilliard, defensive backs Jeremiah McKinnon and Montrel Meander, wide receiver Da'Mari Scott and linebacker Brady Sheldon.

The two new additions are offensive lineman Kyle Kalis, a graduate of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, and tight end Pharoah McKever.

Rookie right-hander Adam Plutko struck out a career-high eight batters on Monday, but he also tied a career high by allowing three homers in a loss to the Royals. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians keep getting closer to clinching the AL Central even though they keep losing. Yes, it's a two-edged sword, but it's not one manager Terry Francona wants to swing for long.

In the span of 11 days, the AL Central cellar-dwelling Royals have beaten the division-leading Indians three times in four games. On Monday afternoon at Progressive Field they put the boots to the Indians, 5-1, behind the pitching of Jakob Junis and the home-run hitting of rookie Ryan O'Hearn.

Rookie Adam Plutko (4-5, 5.04) had the kind of game where pitching coach Carl Willis probably doesn't know exactly what to say to him. Plutko struck out a career-high eight batters, but along the way he allowed three homers -- one to Jorge Bonifacio and two to O'Hearn. The second homer by O'Hearn came with a runner on base in the sixth inning to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.

Considering that the Tribe's offense has all but stopped scoring, that was pretty much the game. The Royals made it 5-0 on another homer, this one by rookie Hunter Dozier in the eighth off Jon Edwards.

"He had periods today, with two strikes, he didn't locate and really paid the price," said Francona. "He couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark. I didn't think he pitched bad. He just paid for his mistakes."

In case you forgot -- and no one would blame you if you did -- it was O'Hearn and Dozier who stunned Cody Allen and the Indians with consecutive homers in the ninth inning on Aug. 24 at Kauffman Stadium for a 5-4 walk-off win. The Royals have been rolling ever since, while the Indians haven't been able to get back on track.

The Royals have won six straight, while the Indians have lost three straight and seven of their last 11 games.

"O'Hearn has really swung the bat well," said Francona. "He's hit the ball in all directions with power. He's hurt us."

The left-handed hitting O'Hearn is hitting .500 (7-for-14) with three homers and seven RBI against the Indians this season.

But the weight of the season still favors the Tribe. Their Magic Number dropped to 12 to clinch their third straight AL Central title following Houston's victory over the Twins on Monday.

Since scoring eight runs in the first game of this nine-game homestand, the Indians haven't scored more than four runs in a game. They're 3-4 with two games left before leaving on their second-last trip of the regular season.

Junis (8-12, 4.32) was 0-2 against the Indians this year, but he was a different pitcher Monday. In seven innings, he allowed two hits with six strikeouts.

Plutko allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings. He did not walk a batter for the fifth time this season.

"My job is to keep the game within one swing of the bat and as close to one swing of the bat as I possibly can," said Plutko, when asked about the lack of offensive support. "Whether it's 15 runs, no runs, one run, whatever the case may be. . .I let it go one more (run), and one more (run) and two more (runs).  So it is what it is."

Junis and relievers Brian Flynn and Wily Peralta retired 13 straight batters before Francisco Lindor ended the avalanche of outs with a one-out homer in the ninth to prevent the Indians from behind shut out for the eighth time this season.

It was the Lindor's 30th homer of the season, making the Indians the only team in history have two switch-hitters with at least 30 homers. Jose Ramirez has 37.

The homer stirred the Indians to a mini-, but futile rally as they loaded the bases on Michael Brantley's single and walks by Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion. Lefty Tim Hill relieved Peralta and induced pinch-hitter Yandy Diaz to hit into a 4-6-3 game-ending double play. It was Hill's second save.

What it means

The Indians trail AL West-leading Houston for home-field advantage in the ALDS by 7 1/2 games following Monday's loss to the Royals. Houston improved to 85-53 with a win over the Twins on Monday. The Astros have won three straight and eight of their last 11 games.

The pitches

Plutko threw 95 pitches, including 64 (67 percent) for strikes. Junis threw 93 pitches, 60 (65 percent) for strikes.

Thanks for coming

The Royals and Indians drew 20,536 to Progressive Field on Monday afternoon. First pitch was at 4:10 p.m. with a temperature of 85 degrees.

Next

Right-hander Mike Clevinger (10-7, 3.17) will face the Royals and lefty Danny Duffy on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM and WMMS will carry game.

Clevinger is coming off a win against the Twins in his last start. He's 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against the Royals this season. On Aug. 24, he allowed three runs on four hits in a six-inning no-decision against them at Kauffman Stadium.

Duffy is coming off a win against the Tigers. He's allowed 22 runs in his last 33 2/3 innings. Duffy is 0-3 with 10.80 ERA against the Indians this season and 2-9 with a 5.38 ERA in his career.

Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam in his third at-bat Monday with Columbus just hours after being placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Donaldson wasted little time demonstrating he is already in game shape during his minor-league rehab debut for the Cleveland Indians. Donaldson drilled a two-out grand slam in the fourth inning Monday for Triple-A Columbus as the Clippers defeated Toledo, 8-1.

The 2015 American League MVP, acquired last week in a waiver trade with Toronto, was placed on the disabled list earlier in the day retroactive to Sept. 1. Indians officials said the move is part of a plan to build Donaldson's workload so that he is ready for major league games at some point this month.

He is eligible to come off the DL Sept. 11 when the Indians are in Tampa Bay, according to Indians manager Terry Francona.

"It sounded like everything else went well, too," Francona said. "I think he had a walk and it sounded like he made all the plays. That was good."

Donaldson played six innings at third base for the Clippers. In the second inning, ex-Indians prospect Willi Castro singled on a ball that hit Donaldson in the glove at third.

Josh Donaldson just hit a 2-out Grand Slam in his rehab start for Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. [?] [?][?] pic.twitter.com/T4OPTy1cck

-- Tim and Sid (@timandsid) September 3, 2018

He will return to Cleveland on Tuesday to work out with the Indians because all of the club's minor league affiliates have the day off. On Wednesday, he will join Akron as the Rubberducks open the Eastern League playoffs. 

"We felt like him playing a handful of games would put him in the best position to be healthy where he could come back and play and maybe play back-to-back and play multiple games," Francona said.

Donaldson told reporters Sunday he's confident that he no longer needs help getting his body back to performing at a high level.

"Now it's just kind of managing the load process, and managing how many games and the schedule of how many games I'm going to play in a row," Donaldson said. "It's not a matter of getting me back on the field. I feel that I'm ready for that."

Francona said the club considered playing Donaldson a game at the big-league level and then sitting him, but decided against letting their excitement over Donaldson's availability get in the way of making the proper decision. Francona also wanted to show respect to the other players affected by the move, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez. 

"They'll be starting to take balls at other positions," Francona said. "We'll make that move when they're ready, even if it's before Donaldson's back with us."

Donaldson arrived in Cleveland late Saturday and was in the Tribe's dugout as the Indians played Tampa Bay. He worked out before Sunday's game at Progressive Field, going through agility drills and taking infield and batting practice. 

The 32-year-old is making his third trip to the DL this season. In 36 games for the Blue Jays, Donaldson hit .234 (32-for-137) with 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 16 RBI.  He was on the DL from May 29 to Aug. 30 with a strained left calf. 

On Friday, Indians president Chris Antonetti first indicated the possibility that Donaldson would be put on the disabled list in order to participate in minor-league rehab games before making his debut with the Indians at some point this month.

"Whether that's at the middle or end (of the month), or some time sooner than that we don't yet know, but we want to partner with Josh in developing that plan," Antonetti said.

Cleveland begins a four-game road series in Toronto on Thursday, meaning Donaldson will not play in any of the games at Rogers Centre against his former team.

Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, made the announcement on Twitter, calling the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback an "All American Icon."

Colin Kaepernick has a new deal with Nike, even without having a job in the NFL.

Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, made the announcement on Twitter, calling the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback an "All American Icon" and crediting attorney Ben Meiselas for getting the deal done. Kaepernick also posted a Nike ad featuring his face and wrote: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. (Hashtag) JustDoIt"

Kudos to @Nike who realized @Kaepernick7 is an All American icon Proud and humbled to have @meiselasb help to get this done https://t.co/fHKyRSNsU2

-- Mark Geragos (@markgeragos) September 3, 2018

Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO

-- Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018

Kaepernick already had a deal with Nike that was set to expire, but it was renegotiated into a multi-year deal to make him one of the faces of Nike's 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign, according to a person familiar with the contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Nike hasn't officially announced the contract.

The source says Nike will feature Kaepernick on several platforms, including billboards, television commercials and online ads. Nike also will create an apparel line for Kaepernick and contribute to his Know Your Rights charity. The deal puts Kaepernick in the top bracket of NFL players with Nike.

The NFL and Nike extended their partnership in March to run through 2028. Nike provides all NFL teams with game-day uniforms and sideline apparel that bears the swoosh logo.

Last week, Kaepernick scored a legal victory in his grievance against the NFL and its 32 teams when an arbitrator denied the league's request to throw out the quarterback's claims that owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests of social injustice.

Kaepernick contends the owners violated their collective bargaining agreement with players by conspiring to keep him off teams. His case hinges on whether owners worked together rather than decided individually to not sign Kaepernick.

A similar grievance is still pending by former 49ers teammate Eric Reid, a Pro Bowl safety who joined in the protests.

On Friday night, Kaepernick and Reid, also now out of the league, were each given huge ovations when they were introduced and shown on the big screen during a match between Serena and Venus Williams at the U.S. Open.

Kaepernick began a wave of protests by NFL players two seasons ago, kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. The protests have grown into one of the most polarizing issues in sports, with President Donald Trump loudly urging the league to suspend or fire players who demonstrate during the anthem.

Meanwhile, the league and players union still haven't resolved whether players will be punished this season if they choose to kneel or demonstrate during the national anthem. Owners approved a policy requiring players to stand if they are on the sideline during "The Star-Spangled Banner," allowing them to stay off the field if they wish.

But the league and union put that on hold after the Miami Dolphins faced backlash for classifying the protests as conduct potentially detrimental to the team -- putting players at risk of fines or suspensions.

--By Rob Maaddi

"The ball comes out of his hand quick, as you can see, and he is a rhythm passer." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Where were the deep passes? Where were the spectacular, game-changing downfield tosses that everyone knows Dwayne Haskins can make?

After two seasons of demanding, or begging for, more deep shots from J.T. Barrett, we're supposed to settle for Haskins going 22-of-30 for 313 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per attempt and winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in his first career start after a 77-31 win over Oregon State?

"You can't force things down the field, and some young guys want to do that," Ohio State offensive coordinator and acting head coach Ryan Day said Monday. "They want to take their shots. They get hungry, want to take a shot down the field. (But) if there's a safety sitting in the middle of the field at 25 yards, you can't throw a post, so that's all part of maturing."

Oh great, so Haskins as a redshirt sophomore in his first career start showing maturity and understanding what the defense is doing is supposed to satisfy us?

Who cares if Baker Mayfield was the only college quarterback to average more than 10.4 yards per attempt over the course of last season? Who cares if Barrett had games with more than 300 passing yards and an average of 10 yards per attempt seven times in 44 career starts and Haskins is one for one?

Who cares if Haskins had 10 completions of between 10 and 27 yards, dominated the intermediate game with throws in rhythm and gave Terry McLaurin a chance to turn a 12-yard toss into a 75-yard touchdown by hitting him between defenders?

Actually, let's care about all of that. Because the deep passing game will come. 

"He's been good, he's been good," Day said of Haskins' deep throws in practice. "We work on it a lot, and the receivers do a good job of tracking it. The more we do that in the games, then we'll see where it's at."

Taking a breath here -- and realizing I may write from a point of sarcasm too often. You know I'm kidding right? Haskins offered nothing to complain about Saturday, and the OSU game plan was smart. But there is something more out there, because when the time comes and the opportunity presents itself, Haskins will hurt teams deep.

You know that, even if the Buckeyes didn't flash it in game one. Because, even accounting for an overmatched Beavers defense, Saturday displayed a quarterback who has the confidence to try every throw without a second thought -- and the ability to make all of them.

The evidence came on Haskins' first throw as a starter. He took a three-step drop, never hesitated and found McLaurin 25 yards down the field between three defenders, McLaurin catching the ball on the move without breaking stride.

via GIPHY

That'll work. Often.

"The ball comes out of his hand quick, as you can see, and he is a rhythm passer," Day said. "So much of that has to go with the protection. When he has a nice pocket and the guys are doing a good job in protection, the spacing is right, the separation with the receivers is right, then that's when you can see we get into a rhythm and a tempo. That part is good."

Day then dove into the reality of  Haskins in this offense. If he doesn't have great protection and a clean pocket, the story may be very different. An offensive line with two new starters played well Saturday, but all that rhythm may be thrown off if one lineman gets beat.

"If there is a breakdown anywhere along the line that's where, you know, you can disrupt a passing game, Day said. "He does get the ball out quickly though, and he's accurate when he throws it."

There's another point to the deep passing game, one that may not be as obvious. The Buckeyes picked up the tempo Saturday, and Haskins is very comfortable in that. If you're sending a receiver 50 yards down the field, and waiting for him to run 50 yards back, it slows you down.

"That takes a long time for him to get all the way back," Day said, "so all that stuff goes into consideration. But you have to take what the defense is giving you."

There were some calls Saturday that could have led to Haskins really letting it rip. But with the cornerbacks playing off, and a safety sitting deep, it wasn't there.

"We called some plays that in certain coverages would dictate throwing a post or seam or down the field," Day said, "but because the coverage was softer, you saw us come underneath and get some completions."

Haskins took it. He owned it. When the deep shots are available, and they're coming, Haskins won't hesitate.

In the latest edition of Buckwhys, Bill Landis and I discuss why Tyreke Smith is the most important freshman on the team. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In Ohio State's 77-31 win vs. Oregon State on Saturday, the Buckeyes played 16 true freshmen.

Brian Snead and Master Teague each got their first college touchdowns. Several other players got a chance to get onto the field on either special teams or late in the game on offense or defense.

But the first to make an appearance was defensive end Tyreke Smith, who got onto the field on the third play from scrimmage, lining up with Nick Bosa, Dre'Mont Jones and Chase Young.

So why does that make Smith the most important freshman on the roster? Bill Landis and I discussed that on the latest edition of Buckwhys.

After watching the video, be sure to subscribe to the Ohio State football on cleveland.com channel on YouTube.

Check here for the Top 70 in the standings for FedExCup Playoffs 2018 entering the BMW Championship.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Silver Lake's Ryan Armour are part of the FedExCup Playoffs Top 70 who qualified for BMW Championship 2018 this week in Pennsylvania.

• FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS STANDINGS

The FedExCup Playoffs began two weeks ago at The Northern Trust with a scheduled field of 125 (119 started). Bryson DeChambeau won and moved into the top spot in the FedExCup Playoffs standings.

The scheduled field was reduced to 100 for the Dell Technologies Championship, which unfolded this past week and ended Monday, Sept. 3. DeChambeau won again.

• DELL TECHNOLOGIES LEADERBOARD

After the BMW, the field will be cut to 30 for the TOUR Championship. Armour, 42, has work to do if he wants the playoffs in his renaissance season to continue; he is No. 43 in the standings.

Armour, a former standout at Walsh Jesuit and Ohio State, won his first PGA Tour event in October 2017 (Sanderson Farms). He has earned more than $2.4 million this season.

Hard Knocks completes its look inside the Browns' training camp on Tuesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - HBO's Hard Knocks concludes its look at the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday at 10 p.m. with the fifth episode documenting the team's training camp and preseason.

To watch the show when it airs, you need to receive HBO from your cable/satellite television provider. The show is also available on the HBO NOW app, which is  $14.99/month but has a one-month free trial.

However, Hard Knocks isn't normally available on the app until 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, after the original broadcast is complete.

Get the best Browns news and perspective in your inbox at lunch time every weekday. Sign up for our Browns newsletter.

Don't miss the latest cleveland.com sports podcasts right here at cleveland.com/podcasts.

The Steelers are beginning preparations for their Week 1 opener against Cleveland without All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers stressed all summer the need to avoid the kind of off-the-field distractions they couldn't seem to shake in 2017.

So much for that.

While the two-time defending AFC North champions hit the practice field on Monday to prepare for their Week 1 opener in Cleveland, All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell was nowhere to be found. Bell still hasn't signed his one-year franchise tender or given any indication on when he might show up, leaving his teammates to answer for him.

"I'm not annoyed by (being asked about) it," guard Ramon Foster said, tongue firmly in cheek. "Who are you talking about? I didn't even notice."

Center Maurkice Pouncey called Bell's absence "fine" and insisted it won't be an issue going forward.

"The team is so locked in and focused on what we've got to do at hand this weekend that whenever he comes, we'll welcome him with open arms," Pouncey said. "Hopefully he's in shape and ready to run the football."

A year ago Bell skipped training camp, showed up on Labor Day and was ready to play in the opener, though he and the entire offense looked sluggish in a narrow 21-18 victory over the Browns. Bell finished with 32 yards on 10 carries in Cleveland and didn't really get rolling until October.

"I think the whole offense started out kind of slow last year," Pouncey said. "To point out one thing at one person because he wasn't here (for camp) is totally wrong."

Bell recovered in time to lead the NFL with 406 touches and likely would have won the league rushing title if he wasn't held out of a meaningless finale with Pittsburgh's playoff position already secure.

The Steelers placed the franchise tag on him for a second straight spring hoping a long-term deal could be worked out. When the two sides failed to reach an agreement by the July 17th deadline, Bell offered an apology while promising that "2018 will be my best season to date."

At the moment, it's a season that currently lacks a starting point.

The players are off Tuesday, meaning Bell would have just three days of practice to get ready for the Browns if he signed his $14.5 million tender before the team took the field on Wednesday. That's not a lot of time regardless of Bell's pedigree.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said the team was "disappointed" in Bell's late arrival, but will focus on preparing for Cleveland with the 53 men currently on the roster.

If Bell is not available, the Steelers will turn to second-year running back James Conner. The former Pitt star ran for 100 yards during limited action in the preseason and has won raves from his teammates for his improvement as both a blocker and a receiver.

"I feel like James has been in a great spot this entire camp," Foster said. "He's the one that's taken all the reps. And we've got (Stevan) Ridley who is an experienced hard downfield runner too. We'll be fine in the run game and focus on those guys over there."

While Bell is missing, Josh Dobbs is still around. The second-year quarterback capped a stellar training camp by edging veteran Landry Jones for the right to be Ben Roethlisberger's backup.

Dobbs, who threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the exhibition finale against Carolina, said he wasn't sure he made the team until offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner called him just minutes before rosters were trimmed from 90 to 53.

"I thought I played well when my opportunities came," Dobbs said. "I didn't know how it was going to shake out but I felt we prepared well and played well. We've just got to continue to improve moving forward."

Rookie Mason Rudolph will be the third-stringer for now behind Dobbs and the 36-year-old Roethlisberger, who has been remarkably durable in recent seasons. Roethlisberger has missed just five games because of injury since the start of 2013.

NOTES: The team selected Roethlisberger, Pouncey, defensive end Cam Heyward and kicker Chris Boswell as captains for the 2018 season. ... Pittsburgh re-signed S Nat Berhe on Monday and placed LB Ola Adeniyi on injured reserve.

Some believe there will never be another .400 hitter ever to come through the league. Pitching is way too good, and hitters are coached to swing for the fences.

MLB recently celebrated the 100th birthday of Ted Williams, the last player to bat .400 for an entire season. Some believe there will never be another .400 hitter ever to come through the league. Pitching is way too good, and hitters are coached to swing for the fences. Others feel it is only a matter of time before a supernatural hitter comes along to shatter everyone's expectations. Baseball is a game about defying the odds. What do you think? 

PERSPECTIVES

The modern game is all about home runs and swinging for the fences, which is not conducive to batting for contact. With baseball's current philosophy focused on hitting for power, there will not be a .400 hitter. That requires a disciplined hitter looking for controlled contact instead of swinging as hard as possible. Pitching has also gotten a lot more difficult to solve, with pitchers having three or four good pitches. It's also unlikely that a hitter will see the same pitcher more than three times in a game. 

There just isn't much hope for another .400 hitter.

ESPN: Why no one will hit .400 ever again

Baseball fans are so pessimistic. Every couple of years, there is a player who will excite the league with a pursuit of the hallowed .400 average. It's only a matter of time before someone can sustain that effort to reach the mark. All records are meant to be broken.

SBNATION: The joy of Jose Altuve's batting average

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Former Ohio State commit Kane Patterson from Nashville, Tenn., committed to Clemson on Tuesday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kane Patterson, a four-star linebacker from Nashville, is the only player to decommit from Ohio State's 2019 recruiting class.

And he has already joined the recruiting class of another national championship contender, committing to Clemson on Tuesday.

#ALLIN[?] #WeTooDeep pic.twitter.com/uEJnc8LKmj

-- Kane Patterson (@kane_patterson4) September 4, 2018

Patterson, who is 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, is the No. 9 inside linebacker and the No. 199 player in the country according to 247Sports.com's composite rankings.

He decommitted from Ohio State on Aug. 24, just prior to his high school team's season opener. Clemson offered him earlier in August. Patterson also had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford among others.

He originally committed to Ohio State on July 9.

OSU's 2019 class has 14 commits and is ranked No. 12 in the country according to 247Sports.com. Get to know every member of the class here.

The Buckeyes moved up one spot to No. 4 in the AP college football poll.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 4, and Michigan fell from No. 14 to No. 21 in this week's Associated Press college football poll. The top-three remained the same with Alabama, Clemson and Georgia topping the poll.

The Buckeyes were the only Big Ten team to move up. Wisconsin fell one spot to No. 5, Penn State fell from No. 10 to No. 13 and Michigan State fell from No. 11 to No. 15.

See how cleveland.com's Bill Landis voted this week

Ohio State was also No. 4 in this week's coaches poll.

Here's this week's AP poll:

1. Alabama (48 first-place votes)

2. Clemson (12)

3. Georgia

4. Ohio State

5. Wisconsin (1)

6. Oklahoma

7. Auburn

8. Notre Dame

9. Washington

10. Stanford

11. LSU

12. Virginia Tech

13. Penn State

14. West Virginia

15. Michigan State

16. TCU

17. USC

18. Mississippi State

19. UCF

20. Boise State

21. Michigan

22. Miami

23. Oregon

24. South Carolina

25. Florida

The Indians have moved outfielder Tyler Naquin from 10-day disabled list to 60-day disabled list.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians have selected the contracts of outfielder Brandon Barnes and utility man Adam Rosales for the big-league roster.

To make room for Barnes and Rosales, Tyler Naquin was moved from the 10-day to the 60-day disabled list and James Hoyt was recalled from Class AAA Columbus and placed on the 60-day disabled list.

Barnes and Rosales spent this season at Columbus.

The 32-year-old Barnes hit .273 (136-for-498) with 38 doubles, 14 homers and 18 RBI for the Clippers. He played 132 games, leading the International League with 39 doubles, while tying for the league lead in runs with 75.

Barnes finished second in RBI, third in total bases (221) and fourth in steals (19). He played all three outfield positions, hit .310 (39-for-126) and .312 (68-for-218) with runners in scoring position.

This will be his first appearance in the big leagues since July 24, 2016 with the Rockies.

Rosales, 35, hit .239 (91-for-380) with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 61 RBI in 114 games at Columbus. He scored 52 runs and played all four infield positions -- 36 games at second base, 32 at first base, 28 at third base and nine at shortstop.  He finished tied for seventh in the IL in homers and ninth in slugging pct. (.445).

He's spent parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues. Last year he split time with Oakland and Arizona.

The major-league roster consists of 31 players.

Mike Clevinger and the Cleveland Indians face Danny Duffy and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday's game between the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals.

What: Indians (77-60) vs. Royals (46-91).
When: 7:10 p.m.
Where: Progressive Field.
Broadcast: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Francisco Lindor SS
Yandy Diaz DH
Jose Ramirez 3B
Edwin Encarnacion 1B
Brandon Guyer LF
Melky Cabrera RF
Jason Kipnis 2B
Roberto Perez C
Rajai Davis CF

Mike Clevinger (10-7, 3.17)

Kansas City Royals

Whit Merrifield 2B
Adalberto Mondesi SS
Alex Gordon LF
Hunter Dozier 1B
Ryan O'Hearn DH
Brian Goodwin CF
Alcides Escobar 3B
Brett Phillips RF
Cam Gallagher C

Danny Duffy (8-11, 4.72)

Umpires

Joe West, crew chief, HP
Marty Foster 1B
Mark Ripperger 2B
Doug Eddings 3B.

Here's the Buckeyes' depth chart for Saturday's game at Rutgers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State released its depth chart for Saturday's game against Rutgers. The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights will kick off at 3:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium (Big Ten Network).

There's nothing new in the way of starting jobs, but some new names do appear for Ohio State. Freshmen defensive end Tyler Friday is listed as a third-teamer, walk-on safety Kevin Dever is listed as a reserve and freshman Marcus Hooker is on the depth chart after serving a one-game suspension in the opener against Oregon State.

*Ohio State Rutgers Depth Chart .pdf

Jordan Fuller, who did not play last week due to a hamstring injury, is still listed as a starter at safety. No official update on Fuller has been provided by OSU, but defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said he's expected back this week. Tuf Borland, who played 10 snaps last week and is expected to play a few more this week as he comes back from an Achilles injury, is still listed as a backup to Baron Browning at middle linebacker.

Sophomore Thayer Munford started at left tackle last week, but is still listed as a co-starter with Joshua Alabi.

Here's Ohio State's depth chart for this week:

OFFENSE

QB: Dwayne Haskins

Tate Martell

RB: J.K. Dobbins OR Mike Weber

Brian Snead OR Master Teague

WR: Austin Mack

Binjimen Victor

WR: Johnnie Dixon OR Terry McLaurin

Chris Olave

H-back: Parris Campbell

K.J. Hill OR C.J. Saunders

TE: Luke Farrell OR Rashod Berry

Jeremy Ruckert OR Jake Hausmann

LT: Thayer Munford OR Joshua Alabi

LG: Malcolm Pridgeon

Brady Taylor

C: Michael Jordan

Josh Myers OR Brady Taylor

RG: Demetrius Knox

Wyatt Davis

RT: Isaiah Prince

Nicholas Petit-Frere

DEFENSE

DE: Nick Bosa

Tyreke Smith

Tyler Friday

DT: Robert Landers

Davon Hamilton OR Taron Vincent

DT: Dre'Mont Jones

Haskell Garrett OR Tommy Togiai

DE: Jonathon Cooper OR Chase Young

Jashon Cornell

LB: Malik Harrison

Keandre Jones

LB: Baron Browning

Tuf Borland OR Justin Hilliard

LB: Pete Werner

Dante Booker

CB: Kendall Sheffield

Shaun Wade OR Marcus Williamson

S: Isaiah Pryor or Jahsen Wint

Josh Proctor

Kevin Dever

S: Jordan Fuller

Amir Riep OR Brendon White

Marcus Hooker

CB: Damon Arnette

Jeffrey Okudah

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Sean Nuernberger

Blake Haubeil

Kickoff: Blake Haubeil

Sean Nuernberger

P: Drue Chrisman

Sean Nuernberger

Kick return: Demario McCall OR Johnnie Dixon

Punt return: Demario McCall OR C.J. Saunders

On this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, Joe Vardon and Chris Fedor are joined by play-by-play man Fred McLeod to get his outlook on this upcoming season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are about one month away from the beginning of training camp. Yes, believe it or not, the NBA season will be here soon.

While the Cavs have a few things left to iron out with the roster, they have a pretty good idea of what the team will look like -- on paper anyway. 

Beyond that, it gets tricky. 

How much better are the Cavs than the first time LeBron James left? Do they have the pieces to be a surprise team in the Eastern Conference, similar to the Indiana Pacers of the 2017-18 season? Can Kevin Love flourish as the offensive focal point? How will Tyronn Lue's coaching approach change? Is Collin Sexton capable of carrying a significant workload early in his career? 

Those are just a few of the questions facing the Cavs this season. 

On this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, we are joined by play-by-play man Fred McLeod to get his outlook on this upcoming season. We also discuss his memories of the last four years, how he will remember LeBron's time in Cleveland, the challenge of this season from a broadcasting perspective and the emotions he feels when thinking about the 2016 title. 

Download this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast

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