A timeless moment before Sunday's Baron Cup demonstrated hockey has come a long way, and yet something important has not changed.

View full sizeLynn Ischay / The Plain DealerRocky River's Dan Schiau (left) and Amherst Steele's Connor Morris battled for the puck in the Baron Cup II final Sunday in Brooklyn. The 40th edition of the hockey tournament gave fans a chance to appreciate the players from the initial competition in 1971.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To be fair, they teetered ever so gingerly onto the Brooklyn Athletic Complex ice not because they are in their late 50s, but because they were wearing street shoes.

A few accepted a steadying hand from strapping young men in skates and pads. It was one of those timeless moments when an almost forgotten history connects with the flourishing present.

Fortunately, organizers of the Baron Cup hockey tournament linked the eras as they celebrated the venerable tournament's 40th anniversary Sunday afternoon prior to the Cup I final. The 20 graying men beamed when introduced, one by one, as members of the original Baron Cup final teams from Benedictine and Garfield Heights. (Benedictine won a best-of-five game series, 3-1, in 1971.)

It's good to recognize history, especially when it walks anonymously among us as firefighters, businessmen, public servants and laborers. It's doubtful many of them envisioned the four-team league growing into the thriving sport it is today in Northeast Ohio -- nearly 50 varsity teams and a dozen more club teams. While that represents only about a quarter of the area's high schools, it is a significant (and growing) number when considering the extraordinary financial and personal commitments hockey demands of schools, parents and players.

View full sizePD file"It was so simple and so basic, but so enjoyable," former TV newsman and original Baron Cup participant Jack Marschall says. "It was really a dream to play. It was a different era. It was a lot simpler."

Ohio high school hockey today, at its highest level, is a thrilling sight -- a high-speed, hard-hitting exhibition of gifted, gritty and graceful athletes. Even a casual fan had to leave University School's 2-1 victory over Lake Catholic in Sunday's Cup I final buzzing about so many "wow" moments -- high school sports at its finest.

Benedictine's first captain, Jack Marschall, marveled at the current players' skill level, as well as their $300 skates and $150 sticks.

"The year we first started practicing, my dad was a fireman and my mom took his pants, chopped the bottoms off, and those were my hockey pants," said Marschall, a longtime local news broadcaster who now is the city of Parma's communications director. "A lot of the guys, including me, didn't have shin guards, so we put magazines or newspapers in our hockey socks.

"It was so simple and so basic, but so enjoyable. It was really a dream to play. It was a different era. It was a lot simpler."

While Sunday's brief union of past and present was a chance to appreciate how far hockey has come, it was clear so much has not changed.

"It was a work ethic. You had to work your tail off and skate your tail off," Marschall said. "That transcends to when we got older. That same work ethic applies to when we got jobs and a paycheck.

"Those are the best memories, really, that I've got."

In the four-season history of the franchise, Lake Erie has not been this high in the standings this late in the season.

View full sizeLynn Ischay / The Plain DealerLake Erie goalie denies this scoring chance from Texas' Cody Chupp in the first period of Monday night's Monsters victory at The Q. Bacashihua had 32 saves in the 3-2 win.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the Lake Erie Monsters, being in second place never has felt so good.

The Monsters moved into second in the AHL's Western Conference North Division with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Stars on Monday night at The Q. In the four-season history of the franchise, Lake Erie has not been this high in the standings this late in the season. It improved to 27-22-3-5, two points behind Manitoba. The regular season lasts 80 games.

"I'm not surprised where we are," Monsters coach David Quinn said. "I love our team. The guys work hard. They have a great attitude and great locker room. I thought we had depth to withstand injuries and call-ups; so far, so good."

Goalie Jason Bacashihua made 32 saves in his second consecutive superb performance. He and John Grahame, sent back from the parent Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, give the Monsters a formidable duo between the pipes.

"It's a friendly competition," Bacashihua said. "When John's in, I'm cheering for him to play well. I'm sure it's the same with him when I'm in."

Bacashihua improved to 11-13-3 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .907 save percentage; Grahame, AHL goalie of the month for January, is 14-9-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .916 save percentage.

Quinn said he has an idea who will start Wednesday morning against Texas, but declined to say as of Monday night.

"I don't care what level you're at, you can't win without good goaltending," Quinn said. "It's non-negotiable. We're getting great goaltending right now."

Early in the first period, Bacashihua absorbed a shot to the shoulder. The game was delayed momentarily as he re-calibrated his compass.

"It was a high shot through a little bit of a screen, and it caught me off-guard," Bacashihua said. "It woke me up a bit. There was no chance I was coming out."

Right winger David van der Gulik gave the Monsters a 1-0 lead when he stuffed a rebound past goalie Richard Bachman at 12:24. Scott Langdon and Ryan Stoa earned the assists.

In the final minute of the first, center Mark Olver received a game misconduct for spearing. Olver, who leads the club with 21 goals in 52 games, committed a holding penalty earlier in the first.

The Monsters killed the major with authority, then rode the momentum to a 2-0 lead. Luke Walker looped behind the net from right to left and used the wraparound to beat Bachman at 8:49 of the second. Van der Gulik and Matthew Ford had the assists.

Midway through the second, Monsters center Mike Carman was whistled for high-sticking. The penalty kill was up to the task again, making it 4-for-4 on 11 minutes' worth of infractions. Lake Erie killed off five shorthanded situations overall, and is 11-for-11 in its last three games -- all victories.

"Our penalty kill gave us a chance to stay in the game," Quinn said.

The Stars pulled within 2-1 at 15:18 when defenseman Dan Spang jumped into the play and converted a rebound.

Lake Erie signed defenseman Langdon earlier in the day to a tryout contract. The 6-2, 195-pounder administered pain in his AHL debut, crushing Stars center Mathieu Tousignant on several occasions. In the opening minutes of the third, Langdon's hit knocked loose the glass.

"Langdon is a big guy, a physical presence," Quinn said. "He certainly made his impact felt."

The Monsters built a 3-1 advantage at 15:59 of the third, Stoa poking in a rebound off a shot from Joel Chouinard. Stoa tied the Monsters' record for career goals with his 39th (T.J. Hensick).

Texas (29-18-3-3) cut the deficit to 3-2 with 9.4 seconds left.

Ohio State's major sports have become used to winning, and in losing they can help each other learn some valuable lessons.

View full sizeMorry Gash / Associated Press"Basketball, football, baseball, soccer, hockey, whatever it is, no one likes Ohio State," observed David Lighty after Saturday's loss to Wisconsin. Whether or not Lighty's analysis is accurate, the OSU men are not the only Buckeyes athletics team that finds motivation from defeat.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's something to be said for being the stormee, the team that's good enough to cause opposing fans to rush the court when you lose.

Ohio State senior David Lighty, in the moments after Saturday's 71-67 loss in Madison when the Wisconsin students stormed the court after the Badgers beat the No. 1 Buckeyes, understood once again what it means when you're on top.

"Everyone wants to knock us off. No one likes us around the country, in everything," Lighty said. "Basketball, football, baseball, soccer, hockey, whatever it is, no one likes Ohio State."

The football players should be taking note.

Both Ohio State basketball teams, the men's team by creating a target as the last team to lose this season, and the women's team by struggling with veteran talent when they were expected to win, are providing some lessons this season that could be put to use on the football field in the fall.

In off-season training for pursuit of a record-breaking seventh consecutive Big Ten title, many football Buckeyes watched Saturday's basketball loss and in the immediate aftermath wrote on Twitter about looking forward to the Badgers' visit to Ohio Stadium on Oct. 29. On that day, they will be looking to avenge their own loss to Wisconsin while ranked No. 1 as well, which created its own flood of fans.

Throw in Ohio State freshman star Jared Sullinger getting spit on by a Wisconsin fan as he left the court Saturday, and Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan's seemingly dismissive approach to the allegation on Monday. Ryan said "all is know is, we won the game. Deal with it," and the Buckeyes and Badgers could be growing into quite the little multi-sport rivalry. If the Buckeyes can narrow their intensity that much.

"I think that any time you're in our position, going into that game undefeated and we're still today sitting on top of the conference, for the next six games we're going to be everybody's rival, there's no doubt about that," men's basketball coach Thad Matta said.

View full sizeTerry Gilliam / Associated Press"There's a lot of people that want to pounce on you when they sense a weakness or they sense you're down," says women's coach Jim Foster. "It just encourages them even more so."

That sounds a lot like what football coach Jim Tressel has said in the past, and what women's basketball coach Jim Foster is experiencing this season, the notion that all teams aim for the team on top, which is recent times has usually been Ohio State.

Returning five starters from a 31-5 team, the women's team has climbed back to 6-6 in the Big Ten only after a two-game winning streak, and Foster was asked what advice he'd give the football team, which like the women's team holds the Big Ten record with six straight conference titles.

"Don't take anything for granted and understand that the work ethic is still the work ethic, and attention to detail is still attention to detail and there's a lot of people that want to pounce on you when they sense a weakness or they sense you're down," Foster said. "It just encourages them even more so. And you've got to get that much stronger and that much tougher and that much more together."

Tressel has been watching, taking in a few of the men's games and is well aware of what the women's team has accomplished in its run. He agrees with Foster that taking winning for granted is human nature, and Tressel doesn't believe it a coincidence that many players on the Buckeyes' 2002 national championship team had been through rough times with a coaching change and less successful previous seasons. His players now are used to winning.

"In 2002, we may not have been as good as some of our later teams in '05, '06, '07 and so forth, but they had suffered, and I think that's human nature. When we have tough times, we rise up," Tressel said.

Though Matta said all during the Buckeyes' undefeated run this season that he didn't believe there was any benefit to losing, Foster said that in experiencing actual losing streaks this season for the first time in their careers, his players started listening to him more.

"If you can do something against 90 percent of the people, the job is to get good enough to do it against 100 percent," Foster said. "So you have to work on that 10 percent that's out there waiting for you. I think some of our players have experience that this year."

Maybe the men's team experienced that to a smaller degree in getting back to practice after Saturday's loss. Junior William Buford thought there was a little more focus, and senior Jon Diebler said Matta told the players they weren't tough enough to win at Madison. But absorbing just one loss is nothing compared to a string of them.

"Whether it be the basketball team or the football team, we've been the top dogs and you get this confidence," women's basketball star Jantel Lavender said. "And this is kind of a reality check almost."

In the end, for any of these successful OSU teams, even though the wins may be taken for granted, they can't be expected to last forever.

"Enjoy what you're doing well, but understand that it's competitive and it's hard," Tressel said. "It's like when we lost to Wisconsin, there was a certain school of thought that the world ended. But I think we'd beaten them three years in a row and they had some fifth-year seniors and those guys had suffered and lost to Ohio State. So that's reality, and if you look at a 30-year picture, no one's going to win the conference 30 times.

"We always say, the only thing we know for sure about the Bug Ten is everybody else in the Big Ten wants to win it."

And beating Ohio State in pursuit of that goal can be cause for celebration.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said he'd seen no confirmation of Ohio State's Jared Sullinger being spit on, adding, "All I know is, we won the game. Deal with it."

View full sizeMorry Gash / Associated PressJared Sullinger wasn't talking publicly Monday about the post-game situation at Madison on Saturday, but sent out a Tweet saying "Shoutout to everybody that is giving me fuel to the fire I have inside. It's only a matter of time until it explodes."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While Ohio State prepared on Monday for Tuesday's game against Michigan State, everyone else attempted to figure out exactly what happened with Jared Sullinger, who said he was spit upon by a fan after the Buckeyes' loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.

To summarize, here's what has been said by all involved.

• Sullinger didn't speak with reporters Monday after originally mentioning the incident on Twitter after the game. An Ohio State official explained that it didn't actually happen on the court, but on the walkway back to the locker room as Sullinger passed by the stands.

• Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said all areas of the Kohl Center are videotaped, and as of Monday morning, he hadn't seen any evidence of a spitting incident.

"There is 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, it was well-played."

• Ohio State coach Thad Matta said he heard about it when the team landed back in Columbus after flying home.

"Those things happen. It was a crazy environment, which was great for college basketball, for their fans and that sort of stuff," he said. "You don't want stuff like that to happen, but you can't do anything about it."

Matta called it "nothing too major," and said he liked how Sullinger has handled what happened.

"I think he's been great," he said. "The things that people yell at you when you're walking off the court, that sort of stuff, that's just part of it. Really nothing you can do. I mean, they buy their tickets, they can yell or say or chant whatever they want to."

• A Big Ten spokesperson confirmed that the conference office has spoken with Wisconsin officials, but that the Badgers should be dealing with any further questions about the incident. An Ohio State spokesperson had previously said that the Buckeyes had talked with Wisconsin as well.

Sullinger returned to Twitter to offer his further comments – "Shoutout to everybody that is giving me fuel to the fire I have inside. It's only a matter of time until it explodes."

Roe may be limited: Michigan State junior power forward and St. Edward grad Delvon Roe, a potential key to defending Sullinger Tuesday, may miss the game and should at least be limited with a knee injury suffered late in Thursday's win against Penn State.

"It's more of a strain or a bruise," a relieved MSU coach Tom Izzo said, though mentioning that Roe has missed several practices. "It's just a matter of when he can come back. There's a little bit of optimism he'll be able to play some."

If Indians hitters stay healthy this season, it stands to reason they'll score more runs that they did last year.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerManny Acta may be pondering his lineup options, but he accepts that Shin-Soo Choo will almost certainly remain the team's No. 3 hitter this season. "He's been the most productive hitter on the ballclub the last two years," Acta said Monday in Goodyear, Ariz., "so he's there."

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Manager Manny Acta isn't ready to reveal his lineup for the 2011 season. He has good reasons to wait.

• Spring training doesn't officially begin for the Indians until Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers report. The regular season doesn't start until April 1. There's no reason to rush.

• Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana, two big parts of the lineup, are still recovering from serious knee operations. Their rehabilitation programs have gone well, but Acta wants to make sure they're sound before deciding where they fit in the lineup.

• Orlando Cabrera, who has a good chance to be the starting second baseman, has yet to pass his physical. Until he does that, his one-year deal isn't official.

Some managers construct their lineup under cover of darkness. It's top secret stuff, for the manager's eyes only.

Acta went cloak-and-dagger last spring when he asked Sizemore to move from leadoff to the No.2 spot. The full result of the move could not be measured because Sizemore's season ended after 33 games due to his damaged left knee.

Most of the time Acta's approach to making out his lineup is much more transparent.

"The philosophy is you have to pile up your best hitters at the top of the lineup," said Acta. "It's simple. You don't put your best hitter at the back end of the lineup.

"Ideally, it would be perfect if you can balance the lineup right [handed hitter], left [handed hitter], right, left, right left. At the end of the day, you have to put your best hitters all together. That will give you the best chance to score as many runs as possible."

Runs win games and that's two things the Indians didn't do much of last year. They finished 26th in runs and lost 93 games. Injuries caused many of those problems. Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Santana, Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner missed a significant number of games with injuries. If those five players can stay healthy, along with improvement from young players such as Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley and Jason Donald, things could be different this year.

"Even last year, if we hadn't lost those guys, I think it was still a pretty good lineup," said Acta.

Sizemore has spent most of his career in the leadoff spot. Last year, Santana hit third for 35 starts and fourth for 10. Still, Acta is reluctant to say where they'll bat in 2011.

"One hitter changes a whole lineup," said Acta. "And we've got two of them in Grady and Carlos.

"I don't think it's fair to the seven other guys in the lineup to tell them where they're going to hit. Then when a guy comes back [from injury], you change the whole thing. We're just going to wait a little bit."

The safest bet is Choo hitting third. He made 105 starts in the No.3 spot last year, while hitting .300 with 22 homers, 90 RBI and 22 steals.

"My philosophy has always been that your best hitter hits third," said Acta. "It guarantees your best hitter is going to hit in the first inning. And that he won't lead off the next inning with no one on base.

"He's been the most productive hitter on the ballclub the last two years, so he's there."

A determining factor to the Indians' run production will be the performances of LaPorta and Brantley, acquired from Milwaukee in 2008 for CC Sabathia. Acta could hit LaPorta behind Hafner in the sixth or seventh spot, while using Brantley at the top or bottom of the lineup.

"For us to get where we want to go, we're going to need contributions from everyone in the lineup," said Acta.

If the Orlando Cabrera signing goes through, he adds an interesting bat to the lineup. The 14-year veteran has spent most of his career batting at the top of the order, especially in the second spot. Acta knows Cabrera well. He was a coach for three years when Cabrera played shortstop for the Montreal Expos. It's a good bet he already has a pretty good idea where he'd use him in the lineup.

But why rush into a decision when all you have is time?

Once Richmond Height's Jason Popp started sounding more like a racist than a high school basketball coach, and classroom teacher, his removal from coaching was no longer an option.

AP fileJason Popp

To play basketball for the Richmond Heights Spartans, student athletes have to fork over $100 and sign a three-page code of conduct obliging them not to smoke, drink or break any laws resulting in a "negative" effect on the school or its host city.

The statement further calls sports participation a "privilege" and instructs students to be respectful of the rules and regulations established by their coach.

"I promise to abide by the expectations my community has created regarding good sportsmanship and behavior," it reads in part.

The conduct statement is good as far as it goes. But the problem is it doesn't go quite far enough. It doesn't tell a student athlete on how to respond to a rogue coach.

The statement contains no instruction, for example, on how to react to a white coach who has no problem tossing around the word "nigger" when instructing his ten black varsity players on how to play.

"It was at the away game against Cardinal [in Middlefield], that coach Popp was yelling at us at half-time. He said, 'Y'all are playing nigger ball. Y'all are not using your heads,' " London Fulton, a 6-foot-1 junior forward told me Sunday.

"I just looked around at my teammates. We were winning the game, but coach was still yelling. Then he said 'nigger ball.' Everybody just kept their heads hanging down. It wasn't a good scene"

Richmond Heights ran away with the game last month, 81-63. But that was the night that Jason Popp lost his locker room. That's the night a group of players on the undefeated team began serious talks among themselves, and with their parents, about forcing Coach Popp's replacement or refusing to play the rest of the season.

"We all really love the game of basketball. But we made a decision to sacrifice our season if a change wasn't made," Fulton told me in the lobby of Exclusive Eyelash Designs & Spa, an upscale Richmond Heights salon owned by his mother Dawn Johnson-Tyree.

"My definition of a coach is someone who helps his players get better on the court and off the court. Coach Popp wasn't really doing either," Fulton, 17, said of the coach he said he has known since he was 12 years old.

Last week, Popp, whose team is 15-0 and ranked No. 6 in the state's Division IV category, was relieved of his coaching duties for the rest of the season. In announcing her decision to remove Popp, Superintendent Linda Hardwick, noted that the coach, who has been with the district for 15 years and is head of the school's teachers union, has always received positive evaluations.

Hardwick also said that Popp – and the entire district –needs some cultural sensitivity training, which is an early favorite for the understatement of the year.

It is entirely possible that the rumblings of a cadre of displeased parents and discontented players -- everyone wants their kid to start -- helped ratchet up the anger and tension on display in Richmond Heights. But if Popp was using unconscionable street talk with young men in his charge, he forfeited all rights to share in any success the team enjoys.

Once Popp started sounding more like a racist than a high school basketball coach and classroom teacher, his removal was not an option.

No cell phone, no laptop, little access to ESPN and sports -- how is a columnist supposed to pass the time without them? Better than expected, actually.

View full sizeHeidi Walsh / Minneapolis-St. Paul Star TribuneIt proved to be not particularly difficult to enjoy a Caribbean sunset while ignoring the status of the Cavaliers during a winter vacation for Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It was the famous sportswriter Grantland Rice who said it matters not if you won or lost, but how you played the game.

Oh, yeah?

Tell that to a sportswriter used to instant updates on the World Wide Web who can't get the scores.

I have just come back from my first cruise, buccaneering with my wife Marilyn around the western Caribbean with Father Neil Kookoothe and around 100 parishioners from our church, St. Clarence in North Olmsted.

I didn't realize I was entering what amounted to the no scores zone when we sailed from Port Canaveral, Fla., to Haiti (relax, the resort town of Labadee is pretty much owned and run by the Royal Caribbean cruise ship line); on to Jamaica, mon; to Grand Cayman; to Cozumel in Mexico; and then back to Florida. We returned Sunday to find the 40-degree thaw hadn't made much of a dent in the sheet of ice on the driveway that we had left. We suppressed guilty grins at the thought of the 80- and 90-degree weather we experienced during the past week of bitter cold here.

I left my laptop at home, due to conflicting reports about the reliability of wi-fi on the Spanish Main. My cell phone was not a factor. I'm on the "stick' em up" plan, rate-wise, and a signal usually wasn't available, anyway.

My loss, however, became my gain.

We left Florida on Super Bowl Sunday. I feared being disconnected from America on one of the few days its many quarrelsome political and special interest groups come together, if only to pass the chips and dip and, in my case, root against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But after missing the first half of the game, due to shipboard commitments, I found it was on television in our state room on the ESPN International channel. You have to watch the Super Bowl if you're an American. If you don't, it means the terrorists win, or something like that.

ESPN International is the channel where Joe Theismann, the former "Monday Night Football" analyst, has turned up like a bad penny. As the besieged Green Bay Packers fought off a near-record rally by the Steelers, Theismann filled every silence with a voluble grasp of the patently obvious. I have not missed listening to Theismann. I doubt I ever shall.

We missed all the commercials pitched to the American audience. During breaks in play, ESPN International promotes its coverage of soccer, rugby and (honest) cricket.

We also missed whatever atrocity Christina Aguilera committed on the national anthem. I trust it was not a fiasco equal to that of Leslie Nielsen, pretending to be tenor Enrico Palazzo in "The Naked Gun." I have not watched Aguilera's gaffe on YouTube. YouTube was not MyTube at the ship's Internet Cafe, where the meter is always running on minute-by-minute charges. Marilyn and I spent 10 minutes there every other day, skimming only e-mails from relatives or our children.

The rest of the televised attractions consisted of cable news shows, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese language channels, and endless reruns of CBS network shows, including "How I Met Your Mother." Like my old friend, John Anders, who read the comic strip "Nancy" faithfully, lest he miss the day it was funny, I watched "How I Met Your Mother" out of a sense of grim duty, lest I miss the time I laughed.

Although Fox News and Headline News offered score crawls at the bottom of the screen, much of the week was spent away from sports. We visited Mayan ruins, swam with dolphins, and I acquired a Scots-Irish lad's souvenir sunburn.

Life is slower without scores. The day's best show became the one outside our cabin, with glorious sunrises that made the tropical clouds flame alongside the ship, while the thunderheads faded to pink in the East and the Western cloud masses began to glow with light.

When you turn down the sound, you can pay more attention to the inflection of the waves. One day, they are a whisper; the next, a wind-whipped crash. When you skip the TV, you might spot a lizard, greening itself on a palm frond, or see a vulture perched, like an evil omen, on a twisted tree's limbs on the road to the ruins of the dead Mayan civilization.

Without updates, all games are in progress in our heads. All scores are partial, half full of dread, half of hope. I see that Ohio State actually lost a game last week. Even more stunning, the Cavaliers actually won one.

The cruise ended with a well-attended Mass aboard the ship, in which Fr. Kookoothe's sermon was about counting our blessings. You can do that without a scoreboard, too.

Hardwick removed Popp as head coach Thursday after players and parents complained of his use of racial slurs and demeaning language toward the players.

Thomas Ondrey, The PDRichmond Heights basketball coach Jason Popp: No decision from the school board.

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The Richmond Heights school board made no decision Monday night about suspended high school boys basketball coach Jason Popp.

"I need a little more time," Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick told about 65 people who attended the school board meeting. "I want to do what's best for the kids and the school district. Whatever questions you have, I will have to put them on hold until I am better equipped to answer them."

Hardwick removed Popp as head coach Thursday after players and parents complained of his use of racial slurs and demeaning language toward the players.

Popp, 38, became head coach in 2007 after serving as assistant coach for 12 years. He also teaches physical education for the district.

Popp did not attend the meeting. The school board members met behind closed doors twice to discuss disciplinary matters.

Both supporters and opponents of Popp attended the meeting. One parent who supports Popp said she checked the Facebook pages of the basketball players. "Is this the student we want representing our school?" she said of one player who used vulgar language on his page.

Carlos Slade, the uncle of one of the basketball players, said that since the students spoke up about Popp, they have been mistreated by both the principal and teachers at the high school.

"What are you going to do to protect our kids?" Slade asked the five school board members.

Parents stated in a letter dated Feb. 7 and addressed to Hardwick that the team, with its winning record, seemed to be "thriving and well" but were actually "very defeated in spirit and morale."

Players had planned to forfeit the season if Popp wasn't removed.

The team played its first game Friday under assistant coach Don Gross.

"My hope is that we can resolve the matter," said parent Nneka Slade Jackson in a telephone interview before Monday's meeting. "We feel some success in his immediate removal."

The Russian-born, 25-year-old model is the girlfriend of soccer superstar Christiano Ronaldo.

Samantha Critchell, AP Fashion Writer

NEW YORK — A sun-kissed Irina Shayk in a tiny pink-and-yellow halter bikini has landed her first cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The Russian-born, 25-year-old learned Monday at a taping of David Letterman's show that she won the coveted spot based on a photo shoot months ago in Hawaii. She's been in the wildly popular issue five times before.

"There were 10 models there to do the Top 10 List, and nobody knows until the last minute who the cover will be," Shayk said. "And then I saw it, and I couldn't believe it."

In keeping with tradition, the cover of the special issue is kept secret until the magazine is ready to hit newsstands.

Shayk, the girlfriend of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, said if she were going to choose one of her photos as her favorite, the cover selection likely would be the one. She liked the push-up bra style of the suit, in a design of pink diamonds on the front of the top with yellow around the neck and sides.

"I never get to see the photos when we take them, but I remembered the swimsuit," Shayk said.

Her other photo shoot for this year's issue was in the Philippines'.

She has a wardrobe of hundreds of bathing suits thanks to her Sports Illustrated work. "When I'm going to vacation on my own — I get the swimsuits after the shoots — I have so many choices!"

Her regimen to get ready for the skimpy work doesn't really change from her normal beauty routine.

"I do work out five times a week, but I'm never dieting," Shayk said. "I try to be healthy because to be happy and healthy on the inside shows on the outside."

Who is the number one sports icon in the Big Ten?

APIs Magic Johnson number one?

The Big Ten Network is running a series of the 50 best student-athletes in the history of the conference.

Here's their list, which includes Archie Griffin at No. 4 and Jesse Owens, one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time, at No. 3.

Red Grange, is No.2 and Magic Johnson is No. 1.

Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston has a problem with the list, as does Starting Blocks great Chuck Yarborough.

Who should be number one?

Get your Indians, Browns and Cavaliers questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports.

Terry Pluto tackles your questions live every Tuesday at noon.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports.

Hear Terry's thoughts as the Indians begin spring training, the Cavaliers look to rebound from another embarrassing loss and Browns head coach Pat Shurmur completes his staff.

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Terry's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in mp3 format.

J.J. Hickson and coach Byron Scott are finally on the same page.

PDJ.J. Hickson

Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson has had his issues with coach Byron Scott at times this season. It's been a clash of old school vs. new school.

News-Herald reporter Bob Finnan writes how Hickson is learning how things are done under Scott, and Hickson ran afoul of the coach's law just once that we know of — when he was benched for the Jan. 5 game against Toronto for missing a practice.

Hickson came off the bench the next game against Golden State and has started the last 19 contests.

The 22-year-old still has mental lapses from time to time and at times falls in love with 18-foot jumpers, but he's evolved into one of the Cavs' best players.

He's also learned he's not going to win a battle of wills with his coach.

Hickson has played well.  He has had nine double-doubles in his last 13 games since Jan. 22.

Lockout looming

Antawn Jamison expects an NBA lockout and he told Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com that a possible NFL lockout going first could affect the NBA's public perception.

''I remember after the last [lockout] how we had to just go over and beyond to get the public back in our favor,'' Jamison said. ''You've got billionaires and millionaires fighting over money, there's a recession going on and a lot of that doesn't make sense. We can't get a perception that we're not talking and they're not trying to budge.''

The NBA and players will meet during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

''Just having another lockout is going to set us back even more,'' Jamison said. ''I know we have to iron things out with the numbers, but I think sometimes we tend to forget the fans are the reason we're here."

Radio man

Joe Tait has undergoing double-bypass surgery and an aortic valve replacement but he still hopes to return as Cavaliers radio play-by-play man.

He's aiming for March 21 home game against Orlando, writes Rick Noland of The Chronicle-Telegram.

“I would like to come back and do some games before the season is over,” Tait said Monday. “It’s what I do. This is my last year. I’d like to go out standing up. I’d like to be working at the end.”

Tait, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who has been the Cavs’ radio voice for 39 of their 41 years of existence, was released from a rehabilitation facility on Feb. 7.

Gibson out again

Plain Dealer reporter Mary Schmitt Boyer writes how the injury to Daniel Gibson will result in a few more changes in the Cavaliers' rotation.

Ted Ginn Jr. could benefit from former Cleveland Browns special teams coach Brad Seely.

Joshua Gunter | The Plain DealerFormer Browns special teams coach and assistant head coach Brad Seely.

Jimmer Fredette is the new craze.

APJimmer Fredette

You knew it wouldn't take long for someone to come up with another song based on "Teach Me How to Dougie." Since BYU's Jimmer Fredette is the hottest thing in college basketball, a group called the Feel Good Music Coalition has come up with "Teach Me How to Jimmer."

Who knows, maybe Fredette will play for the Cleveland Cavaliers next year, and the crowd at The Q will sway from side to side to this song following each of his jumpers.

Plain Dealer OSU writer says Buckeye loss, spitting incident may push the rivalry to a new level for basketball and football. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, which is hosted by Branson Wright and Chuck Yarborough.

The Big Ten Network is in the process of unveiling the last of its 50 Big Ten Icons, the greatest student-athletes in the history of the conference. The network caused a stir around parts of Ohio on Monday (and with PD columnist Bill Livingston) with the news that former OSU great Jesse Owens is placed at No. 3, behind Illinois running back Red Grange and Michigan State basketball great Magic Johnson (the order of the final two has not been announced).

Which athlete do you think should be No. 1 on the list? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

Today's guest, Plain Dealer Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises, says the list is based on an athlete's college career, which is what has raised some flags about Johnson possibly being named No. 1.

Doug also talks about what it's like for a team to be ranked No. 1 in basketball; and how the weekend's events may have changed the dynamic of the OSU-Wisconsin rivalry, across more than one sport.

SBTV will return Wednesday.

Grady Sizemore's ginger move toward a return to the starting lineup.

View full sizeChuck Crow,
The Plain DealerGrady Sizemore, shown in a 2009 at-bat, is taking the slow-and-steady route back to the starting lineup after microfracture surgery on his left knee last June. He has begun workouts -- batting practice, some jogging -- and hopes but won't promise to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day, April 1.

Let the Grady Watch begin.

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com followed the Indians' once-and-future star center fielder on his workout in Goodyear, Ariz., and it's tough to say whether the right words are "cautiously optimistic" or "uh-oh" when it comes to Grady Sizemore being in the lineup April 1, when the Chicago White Sox visit Progressive Field to open the 2011 campaign.

As every Tribe fan knows, Sizemore underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee last June. And, because you almost have to be an orthopedic surgeon to follow sports nowadays, you probably know that his microfracture surgery involved drilling tiny holes in his kneecap to stimulate cartilage growth.

It's been a long, slow process getting back on the field for Sizemore. His goal, the Indians' goal, is for him to be in the lineup on Opening Day. Check out this excertpt from Bastian's piece and see if you think he'll be there:

On Monday, Sizemore stepped up to the plate on Field 2 at Cleveland's spring home and took part in batting practice with a few of his teammates. After scattering baseballs all over the field -- with team trainers watching closely from behind the cage -- he moved this day's workout to another diamond.

Sizemore proceeded to jog around the warning track with a handful of timed breaks between laps. The center fielder then played catch before moving inside to wrap up another day in what has been a long rehab process. Returning from microfracture surgery is no easy task, and Sizemore is playing it safe.

... "We built everything around Opening Day," Sizemore said. "But we're not going to push anything or speed the process up to get to that point. If two weeks from Opening Day, I'm still a little bit behind, or I still need two weeks and five days, we're not going to ramp it up so I can get an extra five days of work in. I want to be playing at the end of October or the end of September -- not just at the beginning of April."

Here's Starting Blocks take on that, based on nothing more than a gut feeling: Sizemore will open the season on the DL, and probably won't be in the starting lineup till May, when it's just a tad warmer here. The hope is that they won't be 20 games out of first by that time.
 
From The Plain Dealer
Paul Hoynes is the hardest-working man in show business.

For proof, you need look no further than today's pages of The Plain Dealer, in which he offers his take on manager Manny Acta's options for a batting order.

The short version: Opening Day is 45 days away; two of his best players -- outfielder Grady Sizemore and catcher Carlos Santana -- are rehabbing injuries and may not be available on April 1. And dang it, it's the FIRST official day of Spring Training. Willie Mays Hayes hasn't even had time to sprint onto the field in his jammies. Shoot, none of the managers have even had time to learn English, as you can tell from this clip.

The Indians report to spring training today, is there reason to be optimistic? Break the losing streak one night, get embarassed by the Wizards two days later. Can anybody figure out these Cavaliers? Get the word on Cleveland sports from Terry Pluto in his weekly chat.

Terry Pluto answers your questions live every Tuesday at noon.

The Indians report to spring training today, is there reason to be optimistic? Break the losing streak one night, get embarassed by the Wizards two days later. Can anybody figure out these Cavaliers?

Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

Among other topics discussed:

• What do you think of the signing of Orlando Cabrera?

• Who will be in the Indians' starting rotation?

• Will the Cavaliers be looking to trade or buy out Antawn Jamison?

• Would the Cavs have been better off with Mike Brown as coach?

• What do you think of Pat Shurmur's coaching staff?

• Who will be back next year: Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme?

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player below.

Former Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers, who was cut by the Browns last week, said in a radio interview that he played hurt last season against the advice of his agent.

Thomas Ondrey/The Plain DealerShaun Rogers said during a radio interview that he played injured last season against the advice of his agent.

CLEVELAND -- Former Browns defensive linemen Shaun Rogers, in a radio interview on KILT in Houston, talked about getting cut last week by the Browns and the fact that he played hurt against the advice of his agent in 2010. Here are some excerpts from that interview:

If he was surprised that he was released:

“No. No it didn’t. It’s one of those things that come with the territory when you’re a veteran guy like myself. These kinds of things are going to happen.”

What he wants teams to take into account when they think about signing him:

“I would just hope that my track record would speak for itself. Unfortunately last year I played through some injuries against some advice from my agent Kennard (McGuire). He probably would’ve liked to see me sit down a little bit ‘till I was fully there. We’re competitors in this game and guys go out there and try and give there all excluding all circumstances. I think I did alright with what I was asked to do this year. My goal right now is to get healthy and look into any opportunities.”

On what happened in Cleveland this past year:

“We just continued to rebuild and we lost a couple of guys. We lost crucial guys like Robaire Smith and we lost Shaun Smith to free agency. Those were versatile guys for us. The problem with me getting hurt last year, one of my young protégé’s Ahtyba Rubin showed great promise and they wanted to get him on the field. They moved him to nose and we had a little rotation where I would go in at end and he would play nose and that’s just what it was. I was kinda banged up this year so I had a little more spot play than usual, but years previous to that I’ve been blessed and I’ve been one of the few guys in this league that I would consider a three-down guy. The league is getting specialized as far as guys playing two downs and bringing in other guys in third down situations. You see that a lot in the league. In my career I’ve been blessed and had the ability to do both. I’m just looking to get healthy and go out there and play at a level where I played at for many years which I consider to be one of the upper levels or a Pro-Bowl level.”

What he thinks about Rob Ryan:

“Coach Ryan is great. If guys like what they see in his brother, they’re twins so you’re getting the same thing. The level of excitement, the attitude – I want to put this the right way – it’s not a bad attitude, but it’s that swagger and confidence that they possess and what they do and provide to their defense. Defenses are built on attitude. Their attitude most definitely carries over to their defenses. As you see his brother was a D-Coordinator to the Ravens and they had a top defense for a long time. He went to the Jets and brought that same attitude and that toughness to their defense. I think Rob most definitely has that ability. He did well in Oakland and came to Cleveland and made strides with our defense there in several categories. I think with the level of talent in Dallas he will do well.”

On signing with Houston:

“Like I said it would be most definitely a fairy tale situation, but again you just look forward to exploring all opportunities and hopefully whoever reaches out to me and wherever I go it will most definitely be a positive experience.”

 After visiting the Washington Redskins, former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers could now take his talents to Kansas City. Well at least he's visiting the team, reports ProFootballTalk.com. Per a league source, Rogers is getting a tire-kicking from the AFC West champions.  Where he goes next remains to be seen. Rogers is a free agent and he can sign with...

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerCleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers.

 After visiting the Washington Redskins, former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers could now take his talents to Kansas City.

Well at least he's visiting the team, reports ProFootballTalk.com.

Per a league source, Rogers is getting a tire-kicking from the AFC West champions.  Where he goes next remains to be seen.

Rogers is a free agent and he can sign with any team through March 3.  If/when a lockout commences, Rogers won’t be able to sign with anyone.

As a result, he’s expected to sign somewhere before March 3.

Mr. Rogers

Plain Dealer reporter Mary Kay Cabot writes about a radio interview where Shaun Rogers says he wasn't surprised he was released and that he played hurt against the advice of his agent last season.

On what happened in Cleveland this past year:

“We just continued to rebuild and we lost a couple of guys. We lost crucial guys like Robaire Smith and we lost Shaun Smith to free agency. Those were versatile guys for us. The problem with me getting hurt last year, one of my young protégé’s Ahtyba Rubin showed great promise and they wanted to get him on the field. They moved him to nose and we had a little rotation where I would go in at end and he would play nose and that’s just what it was. I was kinda banged up this year so I had a little more spot play than usual, but years previous to that I’ve been blessed and I’ve been one of the few guys in this league that I would consider a three-down guy. The league is getting specialized as far as guys playing two downs and bringing in other guys in third down situations. You see that a lot in the league. In my career I’ve been blessed and had the ability to do both. I’m just looking to get healthy and go out there and play at a level where I played at for many years which I consider to be one of the upper levels or a Pro-Bowl level.”

Coaching staff

Ohio.com: Browns stockpile experience.

News-Herald: Rhodes is added to staff.

Former Browns coach Chris Palmer, who spent last season coaching in the UFL, is the new offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

View full sizeChuck Crow,
The Plain DealerFormer Browns head coach Chris Palmer, pictured with quarterback Spergon Wynn at the Browns practice facility in Berea, has been hired as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans by new Titans coach Mike Munchak.

Nashville, Tenn. -- Titans head coach Mike Munchak has filled his second coordinator job by hiring Chris Palmer, a former head coach with the Cleveland Browns who spent last season coaching in the UFL.

The Titans announced the hiring Tuesday afternoon, shortly before Munchak is due to introduce his new defensive coordinator Jerry Gray.

Palmer was head coach fo the Browns for two seasons, and he also spent seven seasons in the AFC South as offensive coordinator with Jacksonville and Houston. Palmer spent last season as head coach of the United Football League’s Hartford Colonels.

He was quarterbacks coach with the New York Giants between 2007 and 2009 working with Eli Manning, including their Super Bowl run when Manning was named the game’s MVP.