Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards end their road losing streak.

Scott Shaw, The Plain DealerCleveland Cavaliers J.J. Hickson, center, and Antawn Jamison go for a rebound against the Washington Wizards' Trevor Booker in the second quarter.

In a weekend where streaks were snapped, the Washington Wizards snapped their 26-game road losing streak with a victory over the Cavaliers.

The victory, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post, ended the third-longest road losing streak to start a season in NBA history at 25 games, and it also was the first road win for the franchise since April 9, a drought of 26 games in all.

In the giddy locker room afterward, reserve forward Hilton Armstrong jokingly asked, "Where's the champagne?"

"It felt like Christmas," Wall said. "I thought I was going to get one pretty early. Luckily, we got it out the way. We didn't want to celebrate too much, because we got more games to win and we want to act like we've been in this situation before, which we haven't. Now we've got to build on it, and someway somehow, get on a winning streak."

One of the keys for the Wizards was how they went at Antawn Jamison. He was attacked by Andray Blatche, who considers Jamison a mentor.

"This has been a moment I've been waiting for, definitely to go against him and to get this win," Blatche said. "I know it hurts him to lose to us, but I told myself, it was impossible to come out here and lose. It's one of the best feelings in a while."

Losing streak from A to Z

Steven Glasser of ESPN takes a fun look, if there is such a thing, and the Cavaliers losing streak with the help of the alphabet.

So here is an example from A to Z of a statistical tribute to the best in NBA futility.
 
A is for Away. The Cavaliers lost 15 of the 26 games during the streak on the road. Despite snapping the 26-game overall losing streak, Cleveland still has a 26-game road losing streak.

H is for Heat. The Heat not only lured away the King, but sent the Cavalier into a tailspin. After a surprising 7-10 start to the season the Cavaliers lost LeBron James' homecoming by 28 points and have won only twice since.

K is for the Knicks. The only thing that stopped this streak from being 37 straight was an overtime win against New York.

Q if for Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers home crowd saw 11 straight home losses during the streak. The Cavaliers lost at “the Q” eight times combined in the previous two seasons.

R is for Regulation. Cleveland has lost 37 straight games in regulation, 26 of which came during the streak.

Game stories

Cleveland.com: Cavaliers loss is ridiculous.

Ohio.com: Cavaliers fail to defend homecourt.

News-Herald: No defense for this.

GazetteOnline: Cavs help Wizards end streak.

LeBron James left Cleveland, but at least we don't live in the second most miserable city.

(Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer) Fans react to LeBron James pregame ritual before the Miami Heat play the Cavaliers.

LeBron James took his talents to South Beach probably thinking Miami is a better city than Cleveland.

Wrong.

Sure the Cavaliers have the worst record in the NBA, the Browns won only five games, and it's still cold (not as cold), but at least we don't live in Miami.

Forbes Magazine ranked the most miserable cities. Cleveland is No. 10 but Miami is No. 2. That's right, Miami. And oh yes, the Heat lost for the third time to Boston on Sunday.

The sun and lack of a state income tax are the only things keeping Miami out of the top spot. Foreclosures hit one in 14 homes last year. Corruption is also off the charts, with 404 government officials convicted of crimes this decade in South Florida.

Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger wrote on Twitter that he was spit on before and after the game.

APOhio State's Jared Sullinger tries to shoot over Wisconsin's Jon Leuer at Wisconsin on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State coach Thad Matta said today that Jared Sullinger was spit on by a Wisconsin fan that stormed the court Saturday after the Badgers' win over Ohio State, while Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said the entire Kohl Center is videotaped and he does not know of any video that confirms a spitting incident.

After Madison.com reported Sunday that Wisconsin is looking into the situation, an Ohio State spokesperson confirmed that Ohio State did talk with Wisconsin about what happened. The first word that anything may have taken place came when Sullinger wrote on his Twitter account Saturday that he was spit on before and after the game.

Asked about it on the Big Ten coaches conference call today, Matta said this:

"He got spit on when the students stormed the court. A student ran by him and spit on him. Nothing too major," Matta said. "What are you going to do? Those things happen. It was a crazy environment, which was great for college basketball, for their fans and that sort of stuff. You don't want stuff like that to happen, but you can't do anything about it."

On the same call, Ryan said the entire Kohl Center is videotaped and regarding those tapes showing anything with Sullinger being spit on, "there's absolutely nothing that has come to my attention," Ryan said.

"All I know is we won the game, deal with it, our end, their end," Ryan said. "It was well-played by two teams. You hear a lot about how the teams went after each other and it was great for the Big Ten, and our fans were absolutely fantastic. What a great day for our students."

A Big Ten spokeswoman was unsure Sunday night about any conference involvement, but we'll check on that again today.

I did try to watch Sullinger after the game Saturday as the Wisconsin fans mobbed the floor, but I wasn't courtside and obviously it's impossible to tell what's going on from up in the seats. Sullinger, among several Buckeyes, did go through the handshake line with the Wisconsin coaches after the game, which the Wisconsin players were unable to do because they were in the middle of the swarm.

No one knew after the game about any spitting incidents, and Sullinger wasn't asked specifically about the fans on the court after the game, but he did talk about the crowd in general while I was with him.

"It was a great atmosphere. Wisconsin fans are very loud and they're all about their Badgers," Sullinger said. "It was a great game."

Just last week, the story of Sullinger exchanging Tweets with a Minnesota fan over a sign the fan made mocking Sullinger eventually led to that fan, Andrew Wagner, mailing the sign to Sullinger. Lots of fans praised both of them for the way they handled that, so Sullinger knows how to deal with the opposition. The Wisconsin student section certainly has a reputation for being enthusiastic, and the fans were into the game Saturday, chanting at least two things at the Buckeyes that I won't repeat here. But regardless of that, there are thousands of Wisconsin fans who didn't spit on anyone.

This started with Sullinger writing on Twitter, and Sullinger was back on Twitter today, writing this:

"#Shoutout to everybody that is giving me fuel to the fire I have inside. Its only a matter of time until it explodes."

"I just don't buy the argument that the 3-4 is a better defense. Obviously if you have superior talent on your roster you will have a superior product like the Steelers' 3-4. But that goes for a 4-3 as well. The 4-3 run by the Buccaneers was phenomenal with Lynch, Brooks, Rice, Sapp, McFarland, Barber, etc. There is no evidence I can find anywhere that shows that one is vastly superior to the other over a long span. Obviously, in any given year, the better team defenses can come from one scheme, but that is just coincidence." - ecbeastor

View full sizeJohn Kuntz | The Plain DealerRob Ryan's 3-4 defense was fun to watch, but some fans don't mind the switch to a 4-3.

In response to the story Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about the Browns' revamped defense, the Tribe's new-look infield and a young Cavalier stepping into the spotlight, cleveland.com reader ecbeastor doesn't think the defensive scheme matters much. This reader writes,

"I just don't buy the argument that the 3-4 is a better defense. Obviously if you have superior talent on your roster you will have a superior product like the Steelers' 3-4. But that goes for a 4-3 as well. The 4-3 run by the Buccaneers was phenomenal with Lynch, Brooks, Rice, Sapp, McFarland, Barber, etc. There is no evidence I can find anywhere that shows that one is vastly superior to the other over a long span. Obviously, in any given year, the better team defenses can come from one scheme, but that is just coincidence."

PD reporter says Scott's body language during dreadful season is revealing as much as his words. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's Valentine's Day edition of Starting Blocks TV, which is hosted by Branson Wright and Chuck Yarborough. Speaking of V-Day, don't forget to check out the valentines some Cleveland grade-schoolers created to support the struggling Cavaliers.

It was an eventful weekend in basketball, as the Cavaliers broke their losing streak with a Friday win over the Los Angeles Clippers; then laid an egg on Sunday with an embarrasing loss to the Washington Wizards, who hadn't won a road game all season.

In between, Ohio State's top-ranked men's team lost at Wisconsin, their first defeat of the season.

Which of the losses was most surprising: Ohio State's or the Cavs' on Sunday? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

Today's guest, Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff, says the Cavs' loss was much more of a surprise. He also talks about how Cavs coach Byron Scott is handling this season; as well as his first impressions of new Browns coach Pat Shurmur, whom Dman interviewed last week at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. (Here is some video from another of Shurmur's interviews.)

SBTV will return Tuesday.

"I don't know how people couldn't see this coming, the Cavs coming off a win and all the celebration of ending the streak, and the Wizards probably looking at this like their best chance to end their streak. But I still didn't expect the Cavs to phone it in like that and not even compete. This team got its one win to end the streak and then started playing for the No. 1 pick again." - cyrenj

View full sizeGetty ImagesByron Scott is not happy with the Cavaliers' effort of late.

In response to the story Cleveland Cavaliers' latest loss, 115-100 to Wizards, is 'ridiculous', says Byron Scott, cleveland.com reader cyrenj isn't shocked by the loss, but is by the effort. This reader writes,

"I don't know how people couldn't see this coming, the Cavs coming off a win and all the celebration of ending the streak, and the Wizards probably looking at this like their best chance to end their streak. But I still didn't expect the Cavs to phone it in like that and not even compete. This team got its one win to end the streak and then started playing for the No. 1 pick again."

Most fans, choosing to direct their anger at the departed LeBron James, gave the Cavaliers a long leash this season as a rebuilding process was initiated. But has this ignominious record-setting winter prompted a new call for accountability?

AP PhotoWFNY wonders just how long the Cavs' free pass from fans will last

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended two streaks over the weekend.  On Friday night, they ended their own 26-game losing streak with a dramatic overtime win against the Clippers.  On Sunday evening, in an effort that Coach Byron Scott called "ridiculous," the Cavs were a willing partner in ending the Wizards 26-game road losing streak.

It was a puzzling performance to say the least.  The Cavs were not competitive and the positivity from Friday evening quickly evaporated; the era of good feelings at The Q and in the locker room was a fleeting phenomenon.  It was another discouraging evening that reinforced just how terribly bad this team is and how far the franchise has fallen in a matter of months.  

Expectations were adjusted after the events of the offseason, but performances like last night - the streak, and a 2-37 record since the beginning of December - far exceed even the most negative forecasts at the outset of the 2010-11 campaign.  The removal of just one player, albeit a league MVP, leading to such a drastic turn prompts questions about both the timeline and ability of this franchise to build itself back into a contender.

The anger and outrage from the Cleveland fan base directed at LeBron James has essentially given the rest of the Cavalier franchise a free pass for this season.  It's an incredibly unique situation. When a Cleveland team is the worst in its respective league, someone extant in that franchise bears the brunt of the blame and anger from the fans - a cheap owner, an overmatched GM, an incompetent coach or coordinator, or a star player who fails to meet expectations.  The Cavs are quite possibly the worst sports team this city has seen and yet there is no resounding anger or blame falling at the feet of a particular person or persons who would otherwise be responsible for this disaster.  

And maybe that's the way it should be.  Dan Gilbert, despite occasional bursts of imprudent impulsivity, is an owner willing to spend whatever it takes to win - a luxury not many professional franchises enjoy.  Byron Scott is an asset that the Cavaliers should retain as they build back to respectability.  GM Chris Grant is unproven, on the job for less than a year, and starting from a position of weakness in his inaugural season.

Mistakes may have been made in building the franchise around just one player but the Cavs were operating under the impression that the sense of commitment ran both ways.  Basketball moves were made based upon that centerpiece and once he was gone, the house of cards came crumbling down.  

Should someone's feet be held to the fire for this embarrassment?  Fox's Bill Reiter recently wrote that the Cavs, having disgraced the city, should clear the roster and fire coach Byron Scott, starting completely over next season.  That hasty quick trigger would lead to prolonged misery and a constant state of upheaval and rebuilding.

But the national ignominy generated from the woes of the past two and a half months has started to wear on fans' patience.  The lack of effort and competitiveness both last night and last week against Detroit are unworthy of the continued support the fan base has shown this team.  The same was said on the morning of December 3rd.

Fans can direct their anger at LeBron for this first to worst turn but the current players must now start to take accountability.  Both Coach Scott and Chris Grant's seats will get warm quickly if the Cavaliers languish in last place once again next season.  For this year, however, that grace period remains despite this historically horrendous product.

ESPN would have you believe that the only change between last season's success and this season's disaster was one superstar player. It's not the same team Danny Ferry, another target for this season's collapse, built over his tenure in Cleveland.  There have been debilitating injuries and subsequent moves made to begin the process of rebuilding.  But that does not excuse the lack of competitiveness.  And if that persists, then accountability has to turn towards the group of men with authority and control over this team - coaches, GM, and ownership.

Part of the reason why this team gets a pass from the fan base has to do with anger at a player no longer here but, in addition, I think most understand that bottoming out is the way back to contention in the NBA.  Band-aid free agent signings in the Cleveland market will only lead to a middling existence - playoff appearances but no true title contention.  Taking your lumps and hitting the jackpot in the draft requires patience but it's the right approach. 

It's just that no one thought it would be this bad this fast.

Former OSU QB Art Schlichter is in trouble again.

Columbus DispatchArt Schlichter

Former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter is in trouble again.

Columbus Dispatch reporter Mike Wagner writes that Schlichter was charged this morning with a first-degree felony in connection with the theft of more than $1 million from a Dublin widow.

The charge filed by Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien is part of an ongoing investigation by local and federal authorities into allegations that Schlichter used a sports-ticket scam to steal more than $1 million from numerous victims.

He said the number of victims is unknown, and he is asking anyone who thinks they were affected by the scheme should call his office at 614-525-3555.

O'Brien told The Dispatch that Schlichter, 50, of Washington Court House, is expected to surrender himself at O'Brien's office this morning.

The investigation centers on a scheme involving tickets to Ohio State football games and the 2011 Super Bowl.

Basketball preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes are no longer undefeated after giving up a 15-point lead to the Wisconsin Badgers.

OSU coach Thad Matta has not won at Wisconsin's Kohl Center. Columbus Dispatch reporter Bob Baptist writes that the Buckeyes remain two games ahead of Wisconsin and Purdue in the loss column as they chase their fourth Big Ten championship in six seasons.

How good are they? A good number of national media members saw the Buckeyes in person Saturday, and some came away still thinking they might be the nation's best team.

They looked like it the last four minutes of the first half and first seven minutes of the second. After that, maybe they started thinking the same. Consequently, Kansas seems likely to supplant Ohio State as No.1 today. The Buckeyes said yesterday a Big Ten title is more important to them than the ranking. The only time they want to be No.1 is after the NCAA championship game.

 

Undefeated no more

Rob Schultz of Madison.com writes that just about everything went Wisconsin's way during their victory over Ohio State.

Schultz says Mike Bruesewitz hit two big 3-pointers in those final 13 minutes, including the shot of the game from the top of the key that all but clinched the victory with 29 seconds left.

Bruesewitz, who finished with 12 points after making 4 of 5 shots overall, guessed he put up at least 1,000 jump shots prior to team practices between the Iowa and Ohio State games.

That's why he was able to stick it to the Buckeyes (24-1, 11-1), who figured he was the weakest player on the floor for the Badgers in the final minutes. After all, Bruesewitz entered the game averaging 2.8 points and making 35.3 percent of his shots overall (12 of 34) and 17.6 percent of his 3-pointers (3 of 17) in Big Ten games. He had just two points over the prior four games.

Warm temperatures and warmer memories as the Indians head to balmy Goodyear, Ariz., for spring training.

View full sizeChuck Crow,
The Plain DealerMichael Brantley was a fresh-faced youth when he showed up at last year's spring training; now, he's a seasoned veteran for the Tribe.

Every true baseball fan is about 11 years old, even if his driver's license says he was born in 1952.

Baseball, and desert. And breathtakingly beautiful mountains that seem to rise up out of nowhere, that seem to catch fire when the sun lights up their craggy fronts. A town full of seemingly endless stucco and adobe-style housing tracts, interspersed with wide commercial boulevards populated with every chain restaurant known to America.

But mostly baseball.

In 2006, Sizemore, then 23, played in 162 games, had an OPS of .907, had 53 doubles, 28 home runs and 22 stolen bases. His numbers have since gone up and down, but mostly down, especially the past two seasons when he was limited to 106 games played, then 33 in 2010, because of a knee injury.

Sizemore's knee supposedly is healed, and he's expected to play in exhibition games by mid-March. The Indians say they have no interest in trading him. It will be interesting to see what Sizemore, now 28, can do with healthy legs. And if he returns close to the form he displayed in 2006, it'll be interesting to see how many teams call to ask about his availability.

In fact, as a team only the Red Sox walked more batters last year than the Indians staff and no American League club struck out fewer hitters. This is an organizational problem that doesn’t figure to improve soon. The most recent Indians prospects to arrive on the scene tend to fit the same mold of good-but-not-great stuff coupled with iffy command. We’ve seen this with Josh Tomlin, but also David Huff, Aaron Laffey, and Mitch Talbot.

Carlos Carrasco, who pitched pretty well in seven starts last year, shows promise of being more of a strikeout guy and top prospect Alex White should help once he makes his debut. If Justin Masterson can harness his walk rate, he has perhaps the best pure stuff on the team, so there is hope that the Indians can turn their pitching staff around. They’d be wise to deal (Fausto) Carmona as soon as possible, however, before he has a chance to revert to the form that saw him demoted all the way to rookie ball in 2009. 

It makes sense from a business perspective for Sabathia to at least threaten to use the clause. He went 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA and finished third in Cy Young voting last season. His first season with New York was strong as well (19-8, 3.37). Another strong year and the Yankees might be eager to add more years and dollars to his deal.

It's not clear, though, how much more the market will bear for a player of his age and if Sabathia would be willing to leave about $90 million guaranteed on the table. Free agent Cliff Lee flirted with the Yankees before signing with the Phillies for five years and $120 million at age 32. That deal averages just about a $1 million more per season than the deal for Sabathia, who would be looking for a new deal at age 31 if he opts out.

Putting Red Grange and Magic Johnson ahead of Owens is nothing short of a joke.

Associated Press file photographJesse Owens became a worldwide star at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, winning four gold medals.

Most of all, Jesse Owens proved that no racial group had cornered excellence.

He did this in the toughest competitive arena there is, the Olympic Games. The Olympics are a once-every-four-years chance for an athlete to chase his dreams. Nothing could outrun Jesse, though.

Owens handled Olympic pressure majestically, winning four gold medals, in the 100 meters, the 200, the long jump and the 400-meter relay. This magnificent performance occurred in Adolf Hitler's Berlin, the site of the 1936 Olympics and the breeding ground of the Master Race theory. The hate-filled doctrine made the Nazis consider the American Olympic team to be racial mongrels because it included African-American athletes. The Ku Klux Klan was nothing, compared to the lengths Nazi Germany would eventually go to achieve its mad racial agenda.

For this, and many other astonishing feats, James Cleveland (J.C., hence Jesse) Owens has been named third on the Big Ten's list of the conference's 50 greatest athletic icons.

This is utterly outrageous.

The only top Big Ten athletes still unnamed on the list are Illinois' pioneering football great Red Grange; and Michigan State's multi-dimensional point guard Magic Johnson. Neither had close to the impact on humanity that Jesse Owens did in Berlin in 1936.

Magic will probably be named No. 1. The Big Ten Network certainly has better footage of Johnson than it does of Grange, a guy who wore a leather helmet, or of Owens, the great Cleveland-raised, Ohio State-trained sprinter and long jumper.

The Big Ten has said that only what athletes do in their college years counts. Owens was a collegian in 1936.

Perhaps the fact that track and field is a minor sport in this country now played a part. But it was a big-time attraction in Owens' day.

Most of all, this is a marketing decision. Kids today have no idea of who Jesse Owens was, not to mention Red Grange. They all know Magic. It doesn't make it right. It does make it easier to sell as television programming.

But Jesse Owens third? Seriously?

It is such a bad decision that it reduces to a joke a conference that has the gall to call its football divisions "Legends" and "Leaders."

Jesse Owens was a bona fide legend. Cleveland's Harrison Dillard became a track athlete the day of Owens' victory parade through town, then set about creating his own legend, winning four Olympic gold medals in all in 1948 and 1952.

As far as being a leader goes, Owens led by example, proving that racial supremacy was a theory that had to, literally, eat his dust. Magic proved that a big man could handle a basketball as well as a little one and could enjoy himself while doing so. Grange put the fledgling NFL on the map.

They were transformative in their own sports, but Owens changed hearts and minds worldwide.

In Owens' day, steroids were unknown. Owens did not compete on space-age track surfaces that increase stride efficiency. He ran on cinders. His first step in the sprints was taken to dig himself out of a hole. Starting blocks were not used in the Olympics until 1948, so runners dug a hole with a trowel in the loose cinders for better traction at the start. Videotape study of technique did not exist. Nutritional information was skimpy.

Owens made it look so easy, it belied the staggering nature of the records he set. Dillard said Owens ran so smoothly, without straining, without his muscles tying up, that he looked like a man sitting in an easy chair.

In the long jump, Owens represented one giant leap for mankind at a time before Neil Armstrong was in the first grade in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Owens' world long jump record of 1935 lasted for over 25 years, longer than the nearly 23 years of Bob Beamon's record, which was set in Mexico City at the 1968 Olympics. Beamon was aided by a maximum allowable tailwind and thin air that reduced air resistance and increased his distance by about 10 percent.

Owens' Ohio high school long jump record, set at East Tech, lasted for an incredible 44 years.

Owens won eight NCAA championships in 1935 and 1936 at OSU, a record tied only by LSU's Xavier Carter, who was much more dependent on relay success for his total than Owens.

Finally, Owens had the greatest day any athlete ever had. In the 1935 Big Ten Championships at Ann Arbor, Mich., Owens -- suffering from a bad back before the meet began -- set in 45 minutes three world records (his prodigious long jump mark, the 220-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles) and tied another (the 100-yard dash.)

Grange had one of the great afternoons in college football history, scoring five touchdowns, four of them on long runs, and throwing for another. He beat Michigan.

Magic popularized college basketball in the Michigan State-Indiana State championship game of 1979, foreshadowing his role in the rebirth of the NBA. He beat Larry Bird.

Owens beat Hitler. Case closed.

Buckeyes took their first loss on Saturday at Wisconsin, 71-67. Kansas is the new No. 1 team.

APOhio State coach Thad Matta during Saturday's loss at Wisconsin.

Kansas is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

The Jayhawks moved up one spot Monday following Ohio State's first defeat, a loss at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes had been No. 1 for four weeks, the last two as a unanimous choice.

Kansas, ranked No. 1 for 15 weeks last season, received 22 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. Ohio State received 14 first-place votes and was 13 points behind. Texas is third, although it has the most first-place votes with 23. Pittsburgh is fourth, voted No. 1 on six ballots.

Duke, which was No. 1 the first nine weeks, is No. 5. Completing the top 10 are: San Diego State, BYU, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Wisconsin.

Xavier enters the Top 25, replacing West Virginia.

---- Associated Press

Ohio State is now No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, trailing No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Texas. 

The Buckeyes fell from the top spot in the rankings because of their 71-67 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday. The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises reported on the game and later provided more analysis.

Both polls and the RPI rankings are on cleveland.com.

Jesse Owens reportedly finishes at No. 3 in Big Ten Network's top 50 icons, behind Magic Johnson and Red Grange.

View full sizeCourtesy of U.S. Holocaust Memorial MuseumJesse Owens beat everyone in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but it apparently wasn't enough to make him No. 1 in a Big Ten Network countdown of Top 50 Big Ten Icons.

The Big Ten Network is counting down the top 50 student-athletes in the history of the conference. Cool. Great idea. Something to do between the Rose Bowl and March Madness.

But if the latest rumors are true, Starting Blocks has a bone to pick with whoever is doing the selecting.

And so does Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston.

Jesse Owens, who effectively hit Adolf Hitler in the face with a shaving cream pie in the 1936 Olympics, was announced today as the No. 3 icon.

No. 3?

Yeah. The word is that No. 2 will be Red Grange, and No. 1 will be ... Magic Johnson.

Say, WHAT?

We can't disagree with those Owens, Grange and Johnson being in the top three. But Magic as No. 1? Seriously? Not because he wasn't a great player. But come on. He was only in college for two years. And what he did in his college years is the ONLY thing that matters, according to the network's own rules:

The No. 1 Big Ten Icon will be revealed in March 2011 (on March 10) in conjunction with the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. Big Ten Icons is the network's most ambitious multi-platform initiative to date. The program
is counting down the top 50 student-athletes in Big Ten history, based
solely on their collegiate playing careers. All student-athletes from
current Big Ten schools are eligible for the network's list.

The 1936 Olympics would take place in Berlin, and Hitler intended to use them to promote the Nazi movement and his theory of an Aryan “master race.” But Jesse Owens proved to be a gloriously stubborn obstacle to those plans. He won four gold medals in a storybook performance that established the humble sharecropper’s son as the world’s greatest athlete beyond question.

Before a crowd of 110,000 fans at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Owens won the 100-meter dash in 10.3 seconds, edging teammate Ralph Metcalfe, a fellow African American. After fouling on his first two qualifying attempts in the long jump, Owens soared 26-3 ¾ and 26-5 ½ on his last two jumps of the finals to win a second gold medal. Luz Long, the silver medalist and a German rival, had given him a tip on how to approach the takeoff board to avoid fouling, much to Hitler’s dismay.

On his final, gold-clinching jump, “I decided I wasn’t going to come down,” Owens said. “I was going to fly. I was going to stay in the air forever.”

His 200-meter gold medal was less dramatic, achieved in 20.7 seconds. Owens’ fourth gold medal came about after he and Metcalfe were added to the U.S.’ 4x100-meter relay team in place of teammates Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, who happened to be Jews. Amid claims that U.S. officials had knuckled under to Hitler’s toxic anti-Semitism by grounding Glickman and Stoller, Owens and Metcalfe led the team to a gold medal in a stunning time of 39.8 seconds, a world record that stood for 20 years.

When you say spitting is bad, you've said a mouthful.

Tiger Woods has apologized for spitting on the 12th green in the Dubai Classic on Sunday, an act for which the European Tour has fined him an undisclosed amount. He even went on Twitter today to admit his faux pas.

Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger took to Twitter to claim that he was spit on not once, but TWICE by Wisconsin fans, once before and once after the Badgers' 71-67 win over the previously unbeaten Buckeyes this past Saturday. There's no video evidence, so it's all Sullinger's word, and the blogosphere is all a-twitter -- you'll pardon the expression -- over whether he's telling the truth. The party lines in Congress aren't as sharply divided as the fans in Madison and Columbus.

But let's talk about golf and Woods for a second. Apparently, golf is one of those sports where you're not supposed to rid your mouth of excess moisture. Personally, we're amazed that anyone standing over a six-foot putt worth $500,000 even HAS any saliva to spit. But we digress.

And it's not like he's the first athlete to hawk a lugie on the playing field.

Remember Robby Alomar delivering a reading from his favorite Dickens novel -- "Great Expectorations" -- in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck after what Robby perceived as a blown strike call?  He got a five-day suspension for his troubles. Robby and John are big-time buds, now. Shoot, Hirschbeck even endorsed Alomar's recent election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.



Then there's Bill Romanowski (above), then with the Denver Broncos, who was fined $7,500 for spitting in the face of 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes. Of course, that was probably the nicest thing Romanowski did in his career. It does sort of pale next to breaking then Panthers- quarterback Kerry Collins' jaw with a helmet-to-helmet hit,  kicking Cardinals running back Larry Centers in the noggin, punching then-Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez, hitting the Jets' Bryan Cox in the crotch with a football and ending the career of a teammate by smashing his eye socket in a preseason practice.

Sometimes, a little spitting can be a motivating factor. Eagles center Mike McGlynn said Washington safety LaRon Landry spit on him not once but TWICE in a game this past season. Though the NFL declined to act, saying there was no conclusive evidence to support McGlynn's claim (thank heaven for small favors), the Eagles used the slight to inspire a scoring outburst, beating the 'Skins, 59-28, en route to walking away with the NFC East.

And apparently, just saying you're sorry is plenty. There was a huge cry to kick Romanian Victor Hanescu off the pro tennis tour for spitting at fans at Wimbledon last summer, but in the end got away with just an apology and a $15,000 fine.

We gotta admit, we're not a fan of spitting, one way or another. Perhaps it goes back to that time early in our career where a fellow sportswriter at a high school football game got his spit cup too close to our coffee cup.

Or maybe the Little League catcher who was doing his best to perfect his throat-clearing as a phlegm-flam artist when we were the umpire ("Two things are gonna happen, kid, if you do that one more time: You'll watch the rest of this game from your mom's car ... and you'll do it wearing my lunch, 'cuz I'm gonna hurl all over you.").

But really, the worst spitting incident? Two words: Roseanne Barr.

For that, sports fans, we say: Phooey on ptooey!


 

Top goal scorer in World Cup history says injuries the past two years kept him from playing at a high level.

Associated PressRonaldo at today's press conference announcing his retirement.

SAO PAULO, Brazil -– A tearful Ronaldo said goodbye to soccer, having finally met an opponent he couldn't overcome.

His body no longer able to meet the demands of the game, the 34-year-old striker retired Monday. He ends a magnificent career in which he won two World Cups with Brazil and thrived with some of Europe's top teams. He played 18 years despite repeated knee trouble and leaves as a three-timer FIFA Player of the Year and the top goal scorer in World Cup history.

"It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy," Ronaldo said at a news conference, with sons Alex and Ronald by his side. "Mentally, I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost (the fight) to my body."

Now he confronts a new stage, shadowed by all that's left behind.

"With this announcement," he said, "it feels like it's my first death."

Ronaldo said a string of injuries the past two years kept him from playing at a high level with the Brazilian club Corinthians. He also learned four years ago he had hypothyroidism, making it difficult for him to lose weight and stay in shape.

"The pain made me anticipate the end of my career," Ronaldo said. "It hurts when I go up the stairs — people who are close to me know this. I've given my life to football. I don't regret anything, but I can't keep going."

Ronaldo blamed the excessive number of games and practices for his physical decline. A muscle injury last week was the final blow.

"I thought about it at home and realized that it was time," he said. "I had given everything that I had."

With his uncanny sprints toward the goal and an extraordinary finishing touch, Ronaldo captivated fans everywhere he played, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. All despite having to come back from three serious knee injuries that threatened his career.

"My career was beautiful, was wonderful," he said. "I've had many defeats but infinite victories."

Ronaldo's contract with Corinthians was expected to end at the end of the year, but his condition kept deteriorating. He was visibly out of shape and fans jeered him after every missed play.

The announcement came days after he was heavily criticized by Corinthians fans for the team's elimination from the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most important competition and the only major tournament the popular club has yet to win.

Fans damaged players' cars and threw rocks at the team bus, but Ronaldo said that did not play a part in his retirement. With his voice cracking, he said he wanted to only thank Corinthians fans for their support.

"I've never seen fans with so much passion," he said. "Their need for results sometimes made them a little aggressive, a bit out of control."

Ronaldo's exit comes two days after former Brazil teammate Roberto Carlos left Corinthians because he and his family were threatened by fans after the Copa Libertadores elimination. Corinthians players already had been under pressure since last year, when the club failed to win titles despite celebrating its centenary.

"I want to publicly apologize for failing in the Libertadores project," Ronaldo said, crying, before team President Andres Sanchez handed him a jersey with the words "forever" and "phenomenon."

The last of Ronaldo's more than 400 career goals came on a penalty kick in a 1-0 win over Cruzeiro in the Brazilian league on Nov. 13. The last match was the 2-0 Copa Libertadores loss to Deportes Tolima on Feb. 2 in Colombia.

Ronaldo was part of the World Cup squad that won the 1994 title in the United States, although he was a teenager and never played. He was the team's top star in France in 1998, but just before the final he had seizures in the team hotel and did not play well in the game won by the French.

"Ronaldo is the best player I ever played with," former Inter Milan teammate Youri Djorkaeff, who also played against Ronaldo in the 1998 World Cup final, told French RMC radio. "But he was also a very engaging person. When we were training, he would always come up with crazy dribbles. We would practically stop to watch him. It was extraordinary."

Ronaldo peaked with the national team in 2002, helping Brazil win the tournament in South Korea and Japan with two goals in the final against Germany. He was voted Player of the Year, adding to the awards won in 1996 and 1997.

He was among those who disappointed in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when Brazil fell to the French again in the quarterfinals. But he did score his record-breaking 15th goal, a mark that still stands.

Ronaldo also helped Brazil win the 1997 and 1999 Copa America, as well as the 1997 Confederations Cup and a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Ronaldo scored 67 goals in 104 games with Brazil, but was never again called up to the national team after the uninspired performance in 2006. There were calls for his return to the squad after he helped Corinthians win the 2009 Brazilian Cup, but he was never able to get back in shape.

In all, injuries sidelined him for nearly three years. He tore up his right knee with Inter Milan in 1999 and needed surgery. A year later, he twisted the same knee on the day he was returning and had was sidelined for several months again after another operation. The third injury came with AC Milan in 2008, forcing more surgery and another long layoff.

Ronaldo began his professional career with Cruzeiro in 1993. He was 16 and it didn't take long for him to stun fans across Brazil. He moved to PSV Eindhoven that year, becoming the club's top scorer and earning a transfer to Barcelona in 1996.

He quickly became an idol at the Spanish club, scoring 34 goals in 37 matches in the Spanish league and helping the club win the Copa del Rey. A year later he signed with Inter Milan, winning the 1998 UEFA Cup and earning the nickname "The Phenomenon."

He moved to Real Madrid in 2002, one of the few players revered by fans of both Spanish powers. He helped Real Madrid win the Spanish league in 2003 and 2007. After that season he joined AC Milan, but his third knee injury cut short his stay.

Ronaldo is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nation's Development Program. He played a big role in organizing the "Game for Peace" in Haiti in 2004, when the Brazilians visited the country devastated by gang wars.

Former NFL head coach Ray Rhodes was one of five new assistants hired by Browns coach Pat Shurmur to round out his staff.

Cleveland Browns new head coach Pat Shurmur completed his inaugural coaching staff Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns rounded out their coaching staff Monday with the addition of three assistants to the position coaches and two senior assistants.

They also confirmed the coaches who have been retained, as previously reported.

The newcomers are Chris Beake (offensive assistant), Chuck Bullough (defensive assistant), Shawn Mennenga (special teams assistant) and Ray Rhodes (senior assistant/defense), who was formerly head coach of the Packers and Eagles. Keith Gilbertson will also return to the coaching ranks in 2011 as senior assistant – offense after previously serving as the Browns' director of pro personnel last year.

“With our coaching staff now complete, I'm excited about the group that we have been able to assemble,” head coach Pat Shurmur said in a press release. “I believe we have a blend of coaches with a tremendous amount of experience who have proven to be excellent teachers throughout the course of their careers.

"I have known most of these guys for a considerable amount of time, and not only have I been impressed with their work, but they are all greatly respected around the league.

"Many of our coaches have been a part of winning programs, which is an important element as well. I feel very good about the strengths that each coach possesses, and I am confident this will benefit our team.''

The Browns confirmed they've retained the following coaches: Gary Brown (running backs), Steve Hagen (tight ends), Jerome Henderson (defensive backs), Kent Johnston (strength and conditioning), Rick Lyle (assistant strength and conditioning), Luke Steckel (assistant to the head coach) and George Warhop (offensive line).

Rhodes brings 30 years of NFL coaching experience, including five seasons as a head coach. He spent the past three seasons with the Houston Texans, serving first as assistant defensive backs coach in 2008 before spending the last two seasons as senior defensive assistant. Rhodes spent five seasons working under Holmgren in Seattle as defensive coordinator (2003-05) and special projects/defense (2006-07). He also worked under Holmgren in Green Bay in 1992-93.

He was the head coach in Green Bay in 1998, leading the Packers to an 8-8 record. Rhodes was the head coach in Philadelphia from 1995-98 and in his first year there he earned NFL Coach of Year honors after guiding the Eagles to a 10-6 mark.

Beake spent last season as an offensive assistant with the 49ers. Prior to that, he spent two years with the Seahawks, first as an offensive quality control coach in 2008 before serving as an offensive assistant/assistant special teams coach the following season.

Bullough has 14 years of coaching experience on the collegiate and professional levels. He spent the previous five seasons at UCLA, where he served as the linebackers coach (2006-08) and defensive coordinator (2009-10). Bullough was an assistant at Michigan State at the same time as Shurmur.

Gilbertson joined the Browns last season. He has 38 years of coaching experience, most recently with Seattle, where he served in several capacities, including offensive consultant (2005), assistant offensive line coach (2006-07) and wide receivers coach (2008).

Mennenga brings 17 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Browns’ special teams. He most recently spent the past two seasons (2009-10) as the linebackers coach at South Dakota State.

Steckel enters his third season with the Browns as the assistant to the head coach. Steckel’s father, Les, was a coach for 32 years, 23 in the NFL, including the 1984 season as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings

LaPorta struggled in 2010 after hip and big toe surgeries. Brantley began 2010 poorly but improved after a trip to the minors.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerMatt LaPorta begins to round the bases after slugging a home run.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians were one of baseball's least active teams during the offseason, generally counting on the personnel already on hand to better 2010's 69-93 record and bolster hopes for future success.

First baseman Matt LaPorta and outfielder Michael Brantley are among the young players that the Indians hope will emerge as impact big leaguers.

Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal looks at the Indians as spring training is set to begin, and writes:

Equally important as resolving the problems at second and third is determining whether LaPorta will fulfill his promise and become a force in the middle of the lineup at first base. In his first full season last year, he batted only .221 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 376 at-bats.

Both he and the Indians blamed his fitful season on surgery in late 2009 that kept him from starting the 2010 season on time and fully healthy. If that was the problem, LaPorta has nothing to worry about.

After a trip to the minors early last season, Brantley returned to demonstrate the ability that scouts had promised. He will open the season in left (or center, if Sizemore isn't ready) and presumably pick up where he left off. In the second half, Brantley batted .284, scored 32 runs and stole 10 bases in 11 attempts. He struck out only 26 times and grounded into just three double plays in 229 at-bats.

The Plain Dealer's longtime Indians beat writer, Paul Hoynes, arrived today in Goodyear, Arizona, the Tribe's spring training home. Thus, Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage from Goodyear is almost set to begin.

Indians pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Goodyear on Thursday, and the full squad is due on Sunday. Numerous players are already in camp.

Indians coverage includes an earlier Starting Blocks Indians links, which, among other stories, connects to some of Hoynesie's work.

Tribe chatter

The change in Jeremy Sowers' early Indians career, on the Let's Go Tribe! blog. Sowers recently had rotator cuff surgery.

Manager Manny Acta talks Indians, by Jordan Bastian on MLB.com.

Baseball's top 100 prospects of 2011, by Frankie Piliere on MLB FanHouse.

Voting has begun in this week's You Pick the Game contest. Vote in the online poll that decides where we send one of our reporters Friday or Saturday. Voting is open until noon Thursday. The winner is announced in Friday's Sports section.

Voting has begun in this week's You Pick the Game contest. Vote in the online poll that decides where we send one of our reporters Friday or Saturday. Voting is open until noon Thursday. The winner is announced in Friday's Sports section.

Daniel Gibson's strained left quad throws the Cavaliers guard rotation into flux again

View full sizeMike Cardew / Akron Beacon-JournalA strained left quad muscle sidelined Daniel Gibson for most of Sunday's Cavaliers loss to the Wizards and extended Gibson's season of ailments.

• Next game: Cavaliers vs. L.A. Lakers, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., The Q.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott jinxed himself.

Before Sunday's loss to visiting Washington, the coach was talking about Mo Williams' return from a strained left hip flexor and allowed that this might be as healthy as the Cavaliers are going to get this season.

That lasted until halftime.

Daniel Gibson suffered a strained left quad and played just 8:46 in the first half before leaving the game. He had two free throws, an assist and two fouls and missed the only shot he took -- a 3-pointer.

Gibson's left quad has been giving him problems since the beginning of the year. He missed two games on Jan. 1 and 2 with a left inner thigh contusion and then missed two more on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 with a bruised left quad. It seems that every time he tries to come back from this particular injury, he takes another hit on it.

The Cavs had Monday off, so his status for Wednesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers has not been determined. So while Scott was discussing Williams' return and a reduced role for Ramon Sessions, perhaps that won't be the case after all.

"His role will be the same," Scott said, talking about Sessions before Gibson's injury. "We still want him to come in and be aggressive and push the tempo, look to get to the basket and find open guys."

Sessions did a great job of that while filling in for Williams, who had last played on Jan. 15 in Denver before Friday night. Williams came off the bench against the Clippers for 17 points and 14 assists. He started on Sunday and had 10 points and eight assists in 27 minutes.

Scott was surprised that Williams was so effective after missing 13 games. After playing just five minutes in Denver, Williams got a cortisone shot and took some time off.

"I was surprised he was able to make the shots he made, make some of the decisions, the type of timing he had," Scott said. "[I thought] that rust would get to him a little bit, but it didn't. Obviously, he kept himself in great condition."

Scott said the Cavs had been missing Williams' energy and leadership -- as well as his ability to get the team into its offense.

"That's what we want," Scott said. "When he came in the game, the tempo, the energy, everything just kind of revved up. He did a heck of a job getting it -- make or miss -- and really forcing the issue. That's the style we want to play and the way we want to get up and down the floor.

"If we don't have anything, at least it gives us more time on the clock to run the offense."

"Drafting Hardesty was a risk that hasn't paid off yet. It may pay off or it may not. The last I heard the doctors expect a full recovery by training camp. There is no question that drafting a player with a history of injuries throughout his college career is a risk. With or without Hardesty last year, the Browns are still a bad team. So maybe he comes back next year and contributes. If he doesn't, then it is another bad draft move the Browns can ill afford." - ManginisMother

View full sizeMontario Hardesty came to the Browns with a history of injuries and never saw the field in the 2010 season thanks to another.

In response to the story Solving a few of the 10 great mysteries of the 2010 Cleveland Browns: NFL Insider , cleveland.com reader ManginisMother thinks it's too early for fans to judge the Montario Hardesty pick. This reader writes,

"Drafting Hardesty was a risk that hasn't paid off yet. It may pay off or it may not. The last I heard the doctors expect a full recovery by training camp. There is no question that drafting a player with a history of injuries throughout his college career is a risk. With or without Hardesty last year, the Browns are still a bad team. So maybe he comes back next year and contributes. If he doesn't, then it is another bad draft move the Browns can ill afford."

More wide receivers and defensive ends have been taken in the first round of the last 10 drafts than players at any other positions.

Associated PressAlabama wide receiver Julio Jones (8) might be among the players the Browns would consider drafting with their first-round pick.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To build toward being a contender, the Cleveland Browns would, indeed, benefit from having a strong draft come April.

The Browns, barring a trade, own the sixth pick in the first round.

For the National Football Post, Joe Fortenbaugh breaks down how first-round picks were used in the last 10 drafts (2001-2010).

Many observers expect the Browns to select a wide receiver or defensive end with their first pick. Fortenbaugh reports that 40 wide receivers were first-rounders in the last 10 years, more than any other position, and that the second most popular position for first-rounders was defensive end, with 37.

About wideouts being tabbed in the first round over the last 10 years, Fortenbuagh adds:

Most Selected: 7 (2004)
Least Selected: 0 (2008)

First Overall Selections: 0

First Round Picks in 2011: Julio Jones (Alabama) and A.J. Green (Georgia) are in and could hear their names called in the top-ten. Jon Baldwin (Pittsburgh) and Leonard Hankerson (Miami) are two solid prospects, as is Titus Young (Boise State).

And, about defensive ends as first-rounders beginning in 2001, Fortenbaugh details: 

Most Selected: 6 (2003)
Least Selected: 2 (2004)

First Overall Selections: 1 (Mario Williams in ’06)

First Round Picks in 2011: Despite a lengthy 2010 suspension, Robert Quinn’s (UNC) talent speaks for itself. Aldon Smith (Missouri) is a name you should become familiar with, as he should be joining the more well-known J.J. Watt (Wisconsin) and Adrian Clayborn (Iowa). Da’Quan Bowers (Clemson) could be the first No. 1 pick from the DE position since Mario Williams in 2006.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Mary Kay Cabot's story on the Browns completing their coaching staff; Bud Shaw's column on how a potential lockout could affect a Browns team already in transition.

Draw plays

Debating the Browns' release of Shaun Rogers, by Dave Kolonich on Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report.

What the Browns and other teams might do by pinning their potential free agents with transition or franchise tags, by Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com.

Details on the Browns' new coaching staff, on clevelandbrowns.com.

The task ahead for the Browns' new defensive coordinator, Dick Jauron, by Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository.