Fans from Virginia to Wisconsin join the scarlet and gray mix for March Madness at Quicken Loans Arena

Tom OndreyGeorge Mason University fans were excited about their team playing in the NCAA basketball tournament Friday, even before their team beat Villanova at Quicken Loans Arena. Austin Nicol, Katy Huff, Craigin Winkler, Nikki Robinson and Jennifer Storch joined the crowds around the arena before the game.

James Casebere and four friends were up past 3 a.m. Friday driving to Cleveland from the George Mason University campus.

Dan Brown left Syracuse, N.Y., at the crack of dawn to make it here by noon.

And John Caine has nearly a dozen fellow Xavier University fans and alumni camping out in his apartment all weekend.

It was all a trifling inconvenience. It's the NCAA basketball tournament after all.

Thousands of Ohio State University fans descended upon downtown Cleveland Friday to see the Buckeyes play the University of Texas - San Antonio in the second round of college basketball's big event. But diehards of the other seven schools playing here this weekend traveled hundreds of miles and slept on couches and floors so they could add school colors like orange, green, gold and variations of blue to the sea of scarlet and gray.

"I always go to see Syracuse play in the first and second round," said Brown, a 1992 alumnus of Syracuse University who has only missed two of the year-end tournaments since then. "We were going to go to Tucson, Tulsa, Washington or wherever. I just love the atmosphere of eight different teams in the same city."

Caine, a 2008 graduate of Xavier, and his close friends have tried to gather for tournament games the last few years, some traveling as far as Phoenix. This year they came to see Xavier play Marquette University, a matchup of two Jesuit schools.

"Xavier's such a big basketball school, it's almost like homecoming," said the downtown Cleveland resident who has become this year's host. "Now that we don't all live in Cincinnati, it's a good chance to see each other."

Casebere joined a few hundred George Mason University fans who trekked here from Virginia to watch their team play Villanova. The school organized a pre-game party at The Clevelander Bar and Grill near Quicken Loans Arena, feeding "Mason Nation" wings and cookies - they were on their own for beer. The school also passed out green "Go Mason" stickers along with gold and green bead necklaces that would have fit in with the St. Patrick's Day parade that ruled downtown a day earlier.

Casebere and friends were hopeful their team would prevail against Villanova, even if it would only mean facing highly-rated Ohio State in the next round on Sunday.

"We're excited to take them on," he said.

Of course, the tournament tested the loyalties of many fans. Lyndsey Greer wore a necklace of buckeyes over her University of Texas - San Antonio shirt, splitting her support between two teams playing each other. The former basketball player at the Texas school is from Columbus and now works for Ohio State.

Asked who she was rooting for, Greer laughed and said she was hoping both teams played their best.

Split loyalties didn't trouble sisters Deanna and Marissa Ferris, though. They drove from Albany, N.Y., early Friday morning sporting Duke and University of North Carolina T-shirts respectively, even though neither team plays here this weekend.

"We're just huge hoops fans," said Deanna, who said the pair goes to see the tournament somewhere each year. "Anywhere we can go, we're going."

While fans of Friday's winning teams will remain until the next round's games on Sunday, the sisters planned to make the long drive back across New York right after the late game Friday night.

"We've got to work (today) ," Marissa said.

Josh Judy, Joe Martinez and Yohan Pino sent to minors. The Indians have 44 playhers left in camp.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerThird baseman Jason Donald has been sidelined with a cracked bone in his left middle finger and won't open the season with the Indians.

 Goodyear, Ariz. -- This is a daily briefing on the Cleveland Indians in spring training as they prepare for the 2011 season.

 March 19, Day 33 -- Jason Donald will not open the season at third base for the Indians.  Lonnie Chisenhall will not replace him.

A CT scan revealed a cracked bone at the base of Donald's left middle finger where he was struck by a pitch on March 5. Donald had been the favorite to open the season at third base, but now Jack Hannahan has to be considered the leading candidate.

Manager Manny Acta said the Indians will not "cave in' and start Chisenhall at third  when they open the season April 1 against Chicago despite his .500 (13-for-26) Cactus League batting average.

The Indians sent Chisenhall to the minors last week and they intend for him to open the season at Class AAA Columbus. He has not played a game above Class AA Akron and they feel he needs to work on his overall game.

Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Donald will start playing rehab games in April. An x-ray, MRI and fluoro scope did not reveal the cracked bone. Only the CT-scan showed it. 

"It's disappointing, but I'm looking at it as just a bump in the road," said Donald. "I want to get the hand health and strong for the season."

Acta said Hannahan, Luis Valbuena and Jayson Nix are candidates for the third base job. The Indians don't think prospect Cord Phelps, who is still in camp, is ready. Adam Everett is being viewed as a utility infielder, not an every day starter.

If Hannahan wins the job, he would have to be added to the roster. The Indians signed him to as minor league deal and invited him to spring training.

Three more down: The Indians dropped three players from big league camp Saturday. There are 44 players in camp.

 Right-hander Josh Judy was optioned to Class AAA Columbus and right-handers Joe Martinez and Yohan Pino were re-assigned to minor league camp. Judy pitched in Friday night's 12-6 victory over Texas and earned the victory.

 Judy went 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA in five appearances this spring. He allowed three runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. The opposition hit .357 against him.

 The Indians acquired Martinez in a trade with Pittsburgh in January. He pitched with the Giants and Pirates in the big leagues last year, but did not have a good camp. He allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings for a 10.80 ERA.

 Pino, acquired from the Twins for Carl Pavano, pitched only 1 2/3 innings this spring.

Acta said that Judy should get a shot in the Tribe's pen this season. He said that Martinez would be converted to a starter. 

 It's a start: Carlos Carrasco allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against Texas.

 "The one thing I did good was I threw first pitch strikes to the first nine hitters," said Carrasco, who struck out five. "My breaking ball was good, but my fastball was coming back over the plate. It's something I'll learn from."

 Carrasco allowed homers to Elvis Andrus and David Murphy.

Indians lineup vs. Angels:

  Indians: C Carlos Santana, 2B Jayson Nix, RF Austin Kearns, DH Shelley Duncan, 1B Matt LaPorta, LF Chad Huffman, 3B Luis Valbuena, SS Adam Everett, CF Ezequiel Carrera and P Justin Masterson.

 In the pen: Frank Herrmann, Jensen Lewis, Doug Mathis, Vinnie Pestano, Jess Todd and Steve Wright could also pitch.

Don't get excited, Acta said Santana is battilng leadoff to get him some extra at-bats.

 What's ahead: The Indians play Arizona on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET. WTAM will carry the game and Grady Sizemore will make his Cactus League debut. Mitch Talbot will face Arizona's Armando Galarraga.

Wildcats guard Brandon Knight scores 30 points to help hold off Mountaineers' challenge.

Associated PressKentucky guard Brandon Knight as the Wildcats begin to take control late in their 71-63 win over West Virginia.

TAMPA, Florida -- Freshman Brandon Knight scored a career-high 30 points and Josh Harrellson delivered eight of his 15 during a pivotal stretch of the second half, helping fourth-seeded Kentucky beat No. 5 seed West Virginia, 71-63, in the NCAA tournament Saturday.

Knight made six free throws in the final minute as the Wildcats (27-8) pulled away to advance to East regional semifinals against either No. 1 seed Ohio State or eighth-seeded George Mason. It's the second trip to the round of 16 in as many seasons under coach John Calipari.

West Virginia, which reached the Final Four a year ago by beating Kentucky in the regional final, led 41-33 after closing the opening half on a 22-7 run. But Kentucky scored the first 11 points coming out of the break and eventually wore down the Mountaineers (22-12).

League takes posture that exchange of letters proves the need to resume bargaining for a new labor contract.

Associated PressNFL players apparently have not responded to commissioner Roger Goodell's letter to them as he had hoped.

MARCO ISLAND, Florida -- The NFL's lead labor negotiator says a letter sent by players to Commissioner Roger Goodell "again proves that the most sensible step for everyone is to get back to bargaining."

In a statement emailed by the league Saturday, hours after the NFL Players Association released its letter to Goodell, NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash begins: "We are pleased now to have received a reply to the comprehensive proposal that we made eight days ago."

Federal mediation broke off March 11 without an agreement. Owners made an offer that day which the players say represented a "switcheroo," because it included changing salaries to a fixed cost and didn't give players a chance to get a cut of growth if revenues exceed projections in the first four years of a new contract.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MARCO ISLAND, Florida — The NFL's locked-out players wrote back to Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday, responding to his letter to them by saying: "Your statements are false."

In their four-page letter, the players told Goodell that during labor negotiations, the league's owners did not justify "their demands for a massive give-back which would have resulted in the worst economic deal for players in major pro sports."

Goodell wrote all active NFL players Thursday, outlining the league's description of its last proposal and cautioning that each day "puts our game and our shared economics further at risk."

The players' letter begins, "Dear Roger," and closes with "Sincerely," followed by the names of the 11 members of the NFL Players Association's executive committee: Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, Jets fullback Tony Richardson, Colts center Jeff Saturday, Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel, Chiefs guard Brian Waters and former players Sean Morey and Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA president.

Each attended at least some of the 16 days of federal mediation in Washington that broke off March 11 without a new deal, so the collective bargaining agreement expired.

The union dissolved itself, allowing players to file a class-action antitrust suit in federal court that day. Hours later, owners locked out the players. That created the sport's first work stoppage since 1987, and players can't sign new contracts or get paid under existing ones. Their health insurance premiums are not being paid by teams.

A hearing on the players' request for a preliminary injunction to stop the lockout is scheduled for April 6 in Minneapolis, and there appears to be little chance of a return to bargaining before then.

In Saturday's letter, the players went through various parts of the offer the NFL made on the last day of negotiations.

"You had ample time over the last two years to make a proposal that would be fair to both sides, but you failed to do so. During the last week of the mediation, we waited the entire week for the NFL to make a new economic proposal," the players wrote to Goodell. "That proposal did not come until 12:30 (p.m.) on Friday, and, when we examined it, we found it was worse than the proposal the NFL had made the prior week when we agreed to extend the mediation."

They concluded their letter by telling Goodell that if he has "any desire to discuss a settlement of the issues" in the antitrust suit filed by 10 players — including star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brees — he should contact the lawyers representing the former union.

Goodell ended his letter by saying: "I hope you will encourage your union to return to the bargaining table and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement."

Players were upset by that line, particularly the reference to "your union" — the NFLPA renounced its status as a union and says it is now a trade association, which permits the court actions under antitrust laws; the league calls that move a "sham."

Steelers safety Ryan Clark said Goodell's letter was written "to create confusion, to create dissension among the players." Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James thought Goodell's words were meant "to divide us; it's that simple."

<P>LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- A knife-wielding intruder was apprehended by police Saturday morning on the court at Staples Center about 75 minutes before the start of the Cavaliers game against the Los Angeles Clipper  No players or fans were injured as the building was cleared. The Cavs game against the Clippers was delayed five minutes. Press briefing to follow in five...

<P>LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- A knife-wielding intruder was apprehended by police Saturday morning on the court at Staples Center about 75 minutes before the start of the Cavaliers game against the Los Angeles Clipper

 No players or fans were injured as the building was cleared. The Cavs game against the Clippers was delayed five minutes. Press briefing to follow in five minutes. Check back for updates.

Expectations are high for the talented switch-hitter who showed improvement defensively before a season-ending knee injury last season. And, more links on the Indians.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerMany observers believe that Carlos Santana will emerge as one of baseball's most valuable catchers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the Cleveland Indians are to improve on their 2010 (69-93) and 2009 (65-97) seasons, several of their younger players will have to make major contributions.

One of them is catcher Carlos Santana.

Charlie Saponara, writing for ESPN.com, picks one major leaguer at each position whom he thinks will have a breakout 2011 season.

About his pick at catcher, Saponara writes:

Santana, the young Indians catcher, has all the makings of a great hitter. As a prospect, Santana showed incredible plate discipline and contact skills, drawing 332 walks to 322 strikeouts in 2,171 career minor league plate appearances. It was no surprise to see him walk 37 times and strike out only 29 times in 192 plate appearances with the Indians last season. Santana was in the midst of a slump when he fell to a season-ending knee injury. Between Triple-A and the majors in 2010, Santana hit .292/.529/.540 (no, that OBP is not a typo!) with 19 home runs in 438 plate appearances.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes Paul Hoynes' spring training briefing, highlighting the Indians' third base situation now that Jason Donald will miss the beginning of the season with a broken finger; his story on relief pitcher Tony Sipp; and much more ongoing coverage.

Indians info

A story on catcher Lou Marson by Owen Perkins for MLB.com.

A story on pitcher Anthony Reyes by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.

An Indians report, featuring infielder Orlando Cabrera, by Chris Assenheimer for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette. 

An injury update on infielder Jason Donald by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Jounral.

Indians Prospect Insider continues its countdown of the top 50 Indians prospects as Tony Lastoria writes about No. 3, right-handed pitcher Alex White, and about No. 2, second baseman Jason Kipnis. 

Indians and minor league notes on Indians Prosepct Insider, by Tony Lastoria.

A report on relief pitcher Jensen Lewis by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.

An Indians notebook by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Spiders advance to the round of 16 for the first time since 1988.

Associated PressRichmond fans dressed as Spiderman cheer on the Spiders during their 65-48 win over Morehead State.

DENVER, Colorado -- Justin Harper scored 19 points and Kevin Anderson added 14, helping 12th-seeded Richmond advance to the round of 16 for the first time since 1988 with a 65-48 win over No. 13 Morehead State on Saturday in the NCAA tournament.

The Spiders (29-7) will play the winner of Kansas-Illinois in the Southwest regional semifinals next Friday in San Antonio.

Richmond shut down Morehead State big man and NBA prospect Kenneth Faried - at least as much as anyone can these days.

Faried, the all-time Division I rebounder in the modern era, was held to 11 points and 13 rebounds as the Eagles (25-10), the darlings of the tournament after knocking off Louisville, were sent home.

For a rare change, Richmond entered the game as a favorite, a departure from the usual underdog role the team has assumed in the tournament.

  Men's NIT Kent State at Fairfield Tipoff: 12:30 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena, Fairfield, Conn. TV/radio: ESPNU; WNIR FM/100.1. Notable: KSU is 24-11. Fairfield is 25-7. KSU advanced out of the first round with a dramatic come-from-behind 71-70 upset win over Saint Mary's on Tuesday in California. KSU erased a six-point margin in the final 2:25. Junior G...

Men's NIT

Kent State at Fairfield

Tipoff: 12:30 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena, Fairfield, Conn.

TV/radio: ESPNU; WNIR FM/100.1.

Notable: KSU is 24-11. Fairfield is 25-7. KSU advanced out of the first round with a dramatic come-from-behind 71-70 upset win over Saint Mary's on Tuesday in California. KSU erased a six-point margin in the final 2:25. Junior G Michael Porrini, the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, scored twice in the final 35 seconds and finished with team highs of 19 points and seven rebounds. He also assisted on junior F Justin Greene's game-winning basket. Fairfield ranks second in the country in scoring defense (57.9 ppg) and qualified for the NIT by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season title. The Stags defeated Colorado State, 62-60, in their NIT opener Tuesday. Derek Needham, a 5-11 guard, leads the Stags with 13.9 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Next for KSU: With win, an NIT quarterfinal, Tuesday or Wednesday, TBA, vs. Colorado-California winner.

-- Compiled using information from the colleges' sports information departments.

Billy White had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Aztecs.

Associated PressSan Diego State's Malcolm Thomas (4) and Billy White (32) celebrate the Aztecs' 71-64 double overtime win over Temple.

TUCSON, Arizona -- Billy White had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard sealed San Diego State's exhausting, 71-64 double-overtime victory over Temple with a steal and a slam dunk in a third-round NCAA tournament thriller on Saturday.

White sank the go-ahead jumper and Leonard made two free throws as the second-seeded Aztecs (34-2) used one last burst of their magnificent athleticism to finally put away the pesky, No. 7 seed Owls (26-7).

Ramone Moore scored 17 for Temple, which was coming off a 66-64 last-second victory over Penn State in the second round. San Diego State, never an NCAA tournament winner before this season, advanced to the West regional semifinals Thursday in Anaheim, Calif., against the winner of Saturday night's Cincinnati-Connecticut matchup.

JOSH GUNTER/PLAIN DEALERGuard Jon Diebler is a deadly three-point shooter for Ohio State.In open gym over the summer, Jared Sullinger and Jon Diebler played on the same team most of the time, and it didn't take them long to figure it out. Take a big guy. Take a shooter. Put them on the same side of the floor. Make...

JOSH GUNTER/PLAIN DEALERGuard Jon Diebler is a deadly three-point shooter for Ohio State.

Take a big guy. Take a shooter. Put them on the same side of the floor. Make the defense sweat.

"We talked about it, because he kept scoring," Diebler said. "And then we were like, 'It's going to be hard for teams to stop that.' And he was like, 'I know, because teams aren't going to double off you.'"

"Jon would throw it down to me in open gym and when they double-teamed me and I made a move, Jon would keep moving," Sullinger said. "He would run around in circles until his man got tired, and I would always find Jon, because he's the best shooter in college basketball."

Sullinger then posed the question that the George Mason coaching staff will be asking itself today, as the No. 8 seed Patriots face No. 1 seed Ohio State in a round of 32 game in the East Regional at The Q.

"Do you want to give up three points? Or do you want to go one-on-one in the post?"

JOHN KUNTZ/PLAIN DEALERCenter Jared Sullinger is a potent force inside.

George Mason coach Jim Larranaga brought it up as the first thing a defense has to deal with when it comes to the Buckeyes, praising Thad Matta and his staff for creating the opportunity to accentuate what those players do best. Indiana coach Tom Crean, working as a television analyst during the NCAA Tournament, said in scouting Ohio State that 80 percent of Sullinger's post feeds come from Diebler's side of the court.

"[Diebler] shoots it at such high rate that you really gotta limit his number of looks from three and Sullinger's touches in the post," Larranaga said, "neither of which is very easy."

Each of them do their jobs on offense as well as any player who made it this far in the NCAA Tournament, with Diebler, shooting 50 percent from 3-point range during the regular season, the most accurate 3-point shooter, and Sullinger, averaging 17.2 ppg, the second-highest scorer among big guys who do the majority of their damage in the post. He trails only Morehead State's Kenneth Faried.

Sullinger makes Diebler better, and Diebler makes Sullinger better.

"I hope I do," Diebler said. "It goes back to what we talked about in the summer, but when it was time to make it a reality, it's been pretty good to see that it's progressed."

It's simple basketball made possible by the complex understanding of the game held by Sullinger and Diebler. It's not quite just chuck it to the big guy or chuck it back out to the smaller guy.

"Jon has become a much better passer since his freshman year, but the other thing is you have to be a guy who can read the floor," OSU assistant coach Brandon Miller said. "Because not only are you reading Jared's man, you're reading the help side defense and where the help is coming from."

Matta said the Buckeye guards probably throw 10,000 post passes, a practice staple, during the season. Diebler's height, at 6-foot-6, helps him make the pass, because Miller said he's often guarded by the shortest or second-shortest defender on the court. And he has to be able to handle a defender in his face, because some teams believe the best way to stop Sullinger is to harass the passer so much, the feed can't be made.

So while Diebler's ability to drive to the basket late in the season has helped him create more space for his shooting, Miller pointed out it has also helped Sullinger, because the feeds have been made easier.

Miller said the typical thing for a defender to do after the perimeter player he's guarding feeds the post is to jump back to help on that inside player, making it more difficult for the post player to dribble and maneuver.

"With Jon, you can't jump to the ball and shrink the floor and shrink the space Jared has to work with," Miller said. "What it does is let Jared know he's never going to get doubled from the passer, so as soon as he catches the ball, he knows that's gone. All he has to do is look for the help coming from other parts of the floor because it's not coming from there."

Sullinger already has great court awareness, and taking away that possibility makes it easier for him to make a choice, whether scoring or passing.

"I know if I just pass it out of the post, Jon is going to hit a three," Sullinger said. "Jon always tells me where the double-teams are coming from, and there are times where I can just close my eyes and just throw it out, and I know Jon is going to be there, so we really developed that trust."

It started in the summer. It might keep working all the way into April.

"Coach is very big on if something is working," Diebler said, "keep doing it."

Offensive skills

Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger and senior Jon Diebler do their jobs on offense about as well as anyone left in the NCAA Tournament. Among the 32 teams that advanced to play this weekend, Diebler was by far the most accurate 3-pointer shooter and Sullinger was the second-highest scorer among true post players (behind Morehead State's Kenneth Faried), and fifth in scoring among players 6-8 or taller. Here are their regular-season stats compared to tournament players like them from the final 32 teams.

3-POINT SHOOTERS

•Jon Diebler, Ohio State 102-of-204 50 percent

•Ashton Gibbs, Pitt 95-of-198 48 percent

•Doron Lamb, Kentucky 60-of-127 47.2 percent

•Justin Harper, Richmond 73-of-157 46.5 percent

•Keaton Nankivil, Wisconsin 55-of-119 46.2 percent

PLAYERS 6-8 OR TALLER

•JaJuan Johnson, Purdue, 6-10 19.1 pgg

•Jon Leuer, Wisconsin, 6-10 18.5 ppg

•Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, 6-8 17.6 ppg

•Marcus Morris, Kansas, 6-9 17.3 ppg

•Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, 6-9 17.2 ppg

Former Cleveland Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield has unpleasant memories of 1987 NFL work stoppage

Cleveland - The most recent time there was a work stoppage in the NFL was the players' strike in 1987. They walked out to force owners to give them free agency after their contracts ran out.

Ultimately, the players got what they wanted. But to get there, they had to endure the immensely divisive strike, which was broken by the owners' use of replacement "scab" players; four years of partial free agency and other management-friendly rules imposed by owners; decertification of the players union; and finally a huge win in federal court.

By the time a new collective bargaining agreement was reached in 1993, featuring unrestricted free agency for players and a salary cap for owners, many of the players who walked picket lines in 1987 were too old to take advantage of the new system.

Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield was one of them. Minnifield joined the Browns in 1984 and retired after his last season with them in 1992. A successful businessman in his hometown of Lexington, Ky., Minnifield views the current work stoppage with interest. His son, Chase, a starting cornerback at the University of Virginia, will be a draftable player in 2012.

"It's a shame," Frank Minnifield said of the labor dispute. "It happens probably to every generation. I guess it's just part of the evil that's associated with the NFL. You know, money is the root of all evil."

This time, the owners have precipitated the stoppage. They've locked out players and want a deal that is less favorable to the players.

"The owners have such a huge advantage on the players," Minnifield said. "I'm sure we're all amazed [the players] have been able to negotiate to the position where the owners feel they're at a disadvantage. But I don't believe the owners are going to lose that much money."

Minnifield, naturally, sides with the players in this newest scuffle. He said they deserve all the money they can make in their short careers.

"There's just too many kids who get hurt to the point where their life is affected the rest of their lives," he said. "I saw a statistic . . . it was mind-blowing, about how many kids in college are maimed because of football. Then you're talking about a person in the owner's box, just taking a financial risk. That's a different risk than a physical risk."

Minnifield is 51. He played two years in the United States Football League and came to the Browns after surgery to fix a busted a knee. The rest of his injuries in his nine-year NFL career, including a lacerated kidney, were treated without surgery.

"I think anybody that was on the football field trying to win has a [health] problem," he said. "I'm not in no hospital, but I know I played 11 years of pro football. I like playing golf. There are many times I have to say, 'I can't play today,' with something hurting. There's many of those days. That goes on with all of us.

"Some of these guys get through it unscathed, without paying a real heavy toll with their health. But I would say the majority, over 50 percent, when they get to my age will be experiencing some problems they don't even realize. And they're going to need all the money they have to make it to 70. It takes a lot of money to make it to 70."

When Minnifield thinks back to the 1987 strike, the memories are not pleasant. The players walked out after the second game. The third game of the season was canceled. By the fourth week, owners had rounded up whole new teams of "replacement players" -- former college or pro players who had gone on to their life's work as truck drivers, teachers and the like.

Stressed for money, the regulars slinked back late in the week after the second "scab" game -- only to be turned away until the replacements were given a third game. Divide and conquer was a successful strategy for the owners.

The strike tore apart the Browns, Minnifield said.

"It got real ugly," he said. "I think those days are still kind of a little messy for all of us because of how we were all divided. I really believe that it really messed up the chemistry of our team from that point on."

Surprisingly, Minnifield did not begrudge the replacement players from taking his job temporarily. Much stronger emotions were spent on the regular players who broke ranks and crossed picket lines. Eight Browns did that for the third replacement game, including team leaders such as Gary Danielson and Ozzie Newsome.

"It was kind of hard dealing with the fact some guys went back, some didn't, and some guys were financially better off because they went back [versus] the guys who stayed together," Minnifield said. "I think that was tough. We didn't talk about it because everybody would get mad. But I think it affected us for the rest of our careers together.

"We didn't want anybody to go back. We wanted to stay together and whatever consequences there were we wanted to face them as a team. If we were going to have to fight harder because we were behind and lost those three games, then so be it. I don't think anybody was going to accept any reason for crossing the line.

"We had a special relationship. Our whole team was special. We'd go over each other's house. We actually liked each other. There aren't too many [teams] that hung out like we did. It was common to go over somebody's house each week and just eat together. Thanksgiving was unbelievable. After that strike, we didn't do it again. Most of that stuff just stopped. There was a whole lot of guys who were upset that didn't talk about it. We went on with our business. But our relationship was never the same."

The Browns were hurt more than most teams by the disruption. Coming off the AFC Championship Game loss to John Elway and "The Drive," 1987 was to be their year. The strike wiped out Game 3 of the '87 schedule. It happened to be Elway's regular-season return to Cleveland.

Had the game been played and the Browns won, they would have finished with a better record than Denver and earned home-field advantage in the '87 season AFC Championship. Instead, they had to play in Denver. Elway again prevailed in the loss remembered by "The Fumble."

"We would have beat Denver in Cleveland because we were a better team," Minnifield said. "They wouldn't have beat us two years in a row. That was our best team. We were all young kids. We were probably as good as football players in '87 as we were in our whole career."

Matt Howard wins it with a free throw. In the final 1.4 seconds, Butler, and then Pittsburgh, committed inexplicable fouls to give the other team a chance to win.

Associated PressButler's Matt Howard (54) and Shawn Vanzant (2) after the Bulldogs' wild 71-70 win over Pittsburgh.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Matt Howard made one free throw with 0.8 seconds left to cap a wild final sequence, and Butler added another amazing victory to its list of NCAA tournament upsets, eliminating top-seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70, Saturday.

Each team had a chance to win it from the foul line in the last 2 seconds. After Butler's Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Gilbert Brown near midcourt with 1.4 seconds left, Brown made the first try to tie it.

He missed the second, and Howard was fouled by Nasir Robinson while grabbing the rebound. Howard made the first shot, then intentionally banged the second attempt off the rim.

Brown finished with 24 points, but he will forever remember the missed free throw.

Mack scored 30 for Butler (25-9), which used a string of upsets to reach the championship game last year. Butler has won 11 straight overall and is 7-1 in its last eight NCAA tournament games.

The Bulldogs will next face either Kansas State or Wisconsin in the Southeast regional.

Pittsburgh (28-6), the Big East regular-season champion, trailed by 12 points in the first half and blew a five-point lead in the second.

Twinsburg girls win state title

Twinburg's girls rebounded from a 26-19 halftime deficit with a productive third quarter in a 55-42 Division I state basketball tournament championship game victory over Kettering Fairmont.

With the help of an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter, the unbeaten Tigers earned the program's first championship in their Final Four debut.

 Junior post Malina Howard scored six points during that run, all under the basket, to finish with 19 points and nine rebounds.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- There were two reactions when the Indians signed Jack Hannahan to a minor-league deal Dec. 4. The first was, "Who's that?" The second was a snicker and it had nothing to do with the candy bar. Well, there's a good chance Hannahan is going to be the Indians' Opening Day third baseman. Make that a very...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- There were two reactions when the Indians signed Jack Hannahan to a minor-league deal Dec. 4. The first was, "Who's that?" The second was a snicker and it had nothing to do with the candy bar.

Well, there's a good chance Hannahan is going to be the Indians' Opening Day third baseman. Make that a very good chance.

The Indians announced Saturday that Jason Donald, the middle infielder they've been trying to convert to third base this spring, will open the season on the disabled list with a cracked bone at the base of the middle finger on his left hand. He's not expected to play in rehab games until sometime in April.

Chris Carlson / AP Indians third baseman Jason Donald will start the season on the disabled list because of a broken finger.

As for the second shoe dropping, how about this? There is no way Lonnie Chisenhall, and his .500 (13-for-26) Cactus League batting average, gets a sniff of the third-base job on Opening Day.

"He is not finished with his development," said manager Manny Acta, when asked why Chisenhall isn't being considered. "It's as simple as that. We're not going to cave in to a knee-jerk reaction in spring training."

Acta said Hannahan, Luis Valbuena and Jayson Nix are the third-base candidates. The Indians don't think prospect Cord Phelps, who has played mostly second base this spring, is ready to play third in the big leagues. Veteran shortstop Adam Everett isn't in the running because if he makes the club it will be as a utility infielder.

Everett started at shortstop in Saturday's 10-7 Cactus League victory over the Angels, but left with a jammed left thumb after two innings.

The Indians have looked at bringing in someone from outside the organization, but chances of that happening are slim. The Indians anticipate Donald returning sometime in April.

Realistically, the race is probably down to Hannahan and Valbuena. Nix made 16 errors at third last year in 56 games for the Indians and White Sox. He would have to do something sensational in the last 10 games of camp to have a chance to start there.

Hannahan, 31, didn't play in the big leagues last year. He split his season between Class AAA Tacoma (Seattle) and Class AAA Pawtucket (Boston). He has a reputation as a good fielder, but not much of a hitter.

"He's always been regarded as a very good defensive player," Acta said. "He's shown that in camp.

"The fact was, from the get-go, we told him he was going to have to hit his way, and play his way, onto the roster, providing a situation presented itself."

Consider the situation presented.

Hannahan is hitting .400 (14-for-35) with four doubles and four RBI this spring. He's played in 290 big-league games with Detroit, Oakland and Seattle and is a .224 (192-for-856) career hitter.

In 2008, Hannahan played 143 games for Oakland. He appeared in 126 games at third, making only nine errors, to rank third among AL third baseman with a .969 fielding percentage. Unfortunately, he hit only .218, the lowest average in the big leagues for players with enough at-bats to qualify to be ranked.

The crack in Donald's finger wasn't revealed by X-ray, fluoroscope or an MRI exam. It was only after Donald complained that the pain was getting worse after playing six innings of defense in a minor-league game Thursday that he was sent for the CT scan.

"It's a little disappointing, but I'm looking at it as just a minor bump in the road," Donald said. "I want to focus on getting the hand healthy and ready for the season."

Donald was hit by a Gavin Floyd pitch March 5. He returned to the lineup March 10 and March 11, but felt discomfort swinging the bat and has not played in a Cactus League game since.

Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Donald will be sidelined for seven days before beginning to train again. Soloff said the crack is already showing signs of healing.

Vikings coach Kate Person Abiad called Saturday's game one of her team's worst performances of the season.

View full sizeVikings coach Kate Peterson Abiad.

The Vikings finished 21-12 overall, with the second most wins in school history and just their second 20-win season. But coach Kate Peterson Abiad called Saturday's game one of her team's worst performances of the season.

The Cougars improved to 24-9 and advance to the semifinals of the WBI.

Shawnita Garland closed out her CSU career with a career-high 13 rebounds, and 10 points. She scored 1,468 points in her career, the fifth-most for a CSU player.

Garland also is the winningest player in school history with 77 wins, and her 315 steals are the third most in school history.

Cleveland State took a 21-12 lead midway through the first half, but the Cougars rallied for a 23-21 lead with 3:53 left. Chicago State took a 31-26 lead into the locker room.

The Cougars opened the second half on a 13-3 run over the first five minutes to take a 44-29 lead, and the Vikings couldn't get the deficit under double figures the rest of the game.

Destinee Blue scored 15 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland State.

It is a discouraging end to the season for Cleveland State star Norris Cole and the Vikings as they are eliminated from the National Invitational Tournament by the College of Charleston.

At least a half-dozen NBA scouts and executives were at the Wolstein Center, including Cavs General Manager Chris Grant and San Antonio Assistant General Manager Danny Ferry. They came to see two conference MVPs -- the Vikings' Norris Cole of the Horizon League and Andrew Goudelock from the Southern Conference.

Charleston's 64-56 victory was not what anyone expected, be it the scouts or the two teams' coaches.

About 30 minutes after the game, CSU coach Gary Waters was staring at the box score, biting down on his lower lip and shaking his head.

His Vikings -- a notoriously terrible rebounding team -- won the war of the boards, 37-35.

CSU had a 15-8 edge in second-chance points, 14-3 on fast-break points. They committed only six turnovers while forcing 15. It was CSU, 40-20, in points in the paint.

"Our bench even outscored them, 8-3, and our bench never outscores anyone," said Waters. "In 30 years of coaching, I never lost a game like this."

So why did the Viking lose?

"It was 1-for-25," said Charleston coach Bobby Cremins. "They shot 1-for-25, and that was the end of things."

Cremins meant that CSU was 1-of-25 on 3-pointers. They missed their last 22.

"I never had a team shoot 1-for-25," said Waters. "Never."

It was such a baffling game that Cremins had problems naming the turning points. He praised his team's defense, but admitted they usually win with offense.

His star, Andrew Goudelock, had 13 ugly points on 3-of-12 shooting and didn't make a field goal in the second half.

He was blanketed by Cole, the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year.

"Cole can play some defense," marveled Cremins. "He's built a little bit like Travis Best. . . . He's tough, he's tough. We heard so much about him going into this game, and we were scared stiff of this guy."

Goudelock scored 39 points in his last game, an NIT victory over Dayton. He scored 28 against North Carolina, 27 against Maryland and 31 at Tennessee.

But when it came to shooting the ball, Cole was just as futile.

He put 18 agonizing points next to his name in the box score, but was 6-of-22 (0-of-8 on 3 pointers). In four years, he has never shot so many airballs, glass balls, or balls that simply had no chance to go in. He even missed two free throws, breaking a streak of 30 in a row.

Cole did sprain his ankle with 10 minutes left in the game, but said that was no excuse for his poor shooting.

Fact is, he was frigid from the field before that, and he scored six of his points in the last 68 seconds.

Waters had a message for the scouts at the game: "A smart scout sees that he held their best player to 13 points and only 12 shots. . . . Norris just had a bad shooting night. . . . He's one of the best players I've ever recruited in regards to the total package. Not just the basketball player he is, but also his leadership."

The 6-2 senior finishes as CSU's third all-time leading scorer. His worst game of the season hardly negates the fact that CSU finished 27-9, the second highest win total in school history. Or that the Vikings averaged 23 victories a year in his four seasons.

"This has been a great year, and regardless what occurred out there today," said Waters. "Some days the ball just doesn't fall for you. . . . Think about it: You win 27 games, you don't have a bench, and you have to rely on your 3-point shooters. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that was a good job. And not by me, by the team. This group was a pretty special group."

To reach Terry Pluto: terrypluto2003@yahoo.com, 216-999-4674

After a knife-wielding intruder is detained by police near the Cavaliers' bench area 75 minutes before tipoff, the Cavs' 100-92 loss to the Clippers caps a weird day.

View full sizeAssociated PressCavaliers guard Ramon Sessions, center, gets rid of the ball as he is surrounded by Clippers guard Mo Williams, right, and center DeAndre Jordan during the second half Saturday in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — It was, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott admitted, a weird day -- and it had little to do with the Cavs' 100-92 loss to the Clippers Saturday afternoon at Staples Center.

It had everything to do with the fact that an intruder with a large knife breached security and was apprehended near the Cavs' bench area by police about 75 minutes before the game was scheduled to start.

Even without the normal warm-up and preparation time, the game was delayed only briefly.

"Takes you back to your AAU days -- minus the guy walking in with a knife," Cleveland's Daniel Gibson said with a smile.

After their 41-point drubbing at Portland on Thursday, the Cavs did play much better against the Clippers, who improved to 27-43.

But Cleveland was unable to overcome 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Blake Griffin, and 29 from Eric Gordon.

Gordon returned to the court for the first time since re-injuring his right wrist on March 5. He has missed a total of 24 games with the injury this season.

View full sizeAPBlake Griffin, left, had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Clippers.

J.J. Hickson had 28 points and nine rebounds for the Cavs, who fell to 13-55.

Cleveland trailed by five, 91-86, when Griffin made a hook shot and two free throws -- which came after a traveling call on him was reversed and a foul was called on Samardo Samuels instead, with 3:42 left. That gave the Clippers enough cushion to avenge their 126-119 overtime loss in Cleveland on Feb. 11 that ended the Cavs' NBA-record 26-game losing streak.

Although Scott and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro had agreed to a 15-minute delay in the 12:30 start time, Scott said the NBA allowed them only five minutes.

"We asked for 15 more minutes," Scott said. "We agreed on it, myself and Vinny. And the league said five, which I don't understand. Either give us 15 or don't give us any. What's five minutes going to do? That didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The league said five minutes, from what I heard."

Earlier, the Clippers Randy Foye said he came within about 15 feet of the man he said was holding a long, shiny knife.

"I'm looking, like, 'Is this real?' " Foye said. "I was in shock when I saw it. So I kind of got up and ran across the court, slipped a little bit. . . . But it was serious because there were a lot of kids in there. We were thinking about the worst-case scenario if he would have grabbed one of them kids and held them hostage or something. If something had happened with one of those kids, it would have been heartbreaking."

Foye said the man ran right past the Clippers' Eric Bledsoe while trying to elude security and Los Angeles Police Department officers, who cornered the man near the scorer's table close to the Cavs' bench area.

"He was saying, 'What are you going to do? Shoot me?' " Foye said. "That's all I remember him saying. That's when I said, 'Wow!'

"When I was younger growing up in North New Jersey, I've seen people get shot before and stabbed. But that was when I was between 8 and 13 years old. I've never seen nothing like that up close since. My tendencies of getting out of the way of harm kicked in. I just took off.

"It was so slippery, I couldn't get out of the way. I was like, 'What if this guy is attacking people?' I wasn't really worried about myself. I was worried about the kids."

Gibson was just heading to the court when his teammates ran back telling him what was happening.

"So I sat myself back down in the chair," Gibson said. "I've been at the park when something like that happens, and it's time to go home. I started to go back to the bus. I've had some of those experiences. I know firsthand how to act in those situations -- get as far away as possible."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

See a photo gallery from the game here. COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the Dayton Carroll girls pushed, Hathaway Brown turned to its bread and butter.

Hathaway Brown's Vanessa Smith drives the baseline against Dayton Carroll's Susan Wollenhaupt in the second half Saturday in Columbus. - (Gus Chan l PD)

See a photo gallery from the game here.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the Dayton Carroll girls pushed, Hathaway Brown turned to its bread and butter.

The Blazers (18-9), ranked No. 13 in the final state poll, used their height and transition game in the second half to squeeze out a 54-51 victory Saturday and earn their third consecutive Division II state basketball title inside Value City Arena.

"We felt all along that Kelley Austria's the person who makes [Carroll] go," said HB coach Paul Barlow, whose team was making its fifth straight final four appearance. "We were worried about [6-6 Ciara] Triplett inside, but we felt pushing her away from the basket would be more beneficial than letting them just lob the ball into her."

Austria, a junior, gave the Blazers fits in the first quarter by accounting for nine of her game-high 26 points, mainly by driving to the basket. The Dayton recruit scored all her team's points during a 7-0 run that helped stake Carroll to a 17-9 lead heading into the second quarter.

The tide turned, however, when the fourth-ranked Patriots (23-5) got away from going inside and chose instead to attack from the perimeter, while Blazers senior Alanna Guy was assigned to face-guard Austria to limit her touches.

"We took some unforced shots that turned into baskets, which is sometimes worse than if you miss it," said Carroll coach Rob Berry. "We wanted to move [HB] from the basket then drive to the hole and force them to double-team us so we could get good shot selections."

HB senior Molly Crosby had other ideas.

The Loyola/Chicago recruit stepped up with 10 second-quarter points, including a layup with four seconds remaining, to put the Blazers up at the half, 29-26.

"I knew I had to bring energy to help my team win," said Crosby, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds to pace a balanced offense. "I was seeing great passes and that made for easy buckets."

A 3-pointer by Carroll senior Molly McGloin tied the game at 46-46 with about five minutes left, and Ciara Poppa's fast-break bucket put the Patriots ahead, 49-48.

Tanisha Lawler and Nia Marshall answered with close-range buckets to give HB breathing room at 52-49 until Austria's layup again made it a one-point game with 1:10 left.

"We just locked down on defense, got some turnovers and that got our transition game going," said Lawler.

The teams then exchanged turnovers before Marshall's block on Susan Wollenhapt's attempt on the right side of the perimeter sealed the deal.

Lawler collected 12 points, as did Vanessa Smith before she fouled out 1/2in the fourth quarter. Marshall proved a force inside with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665

Fredette hit 7 of 12 3-pointers and delivered six assists as the Cougars made 53 percnet of their field goal attempts.

Associated PressBrigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (32) goes to the basket against Gonzaga's Steven Gray (41) and Elias Harris (20).

DENVER, Colorado -- Look out Big Easy. Here comes The Jimmer.

Jimmer Fredette scored 34 points Saturday to lift third-seeded Brigham Young to an 89-67 victory over 11th-seeded Gonzaga and send the Cougars to New Orleans for the regional semifinals.

It will be BYU's deepest trip in the NCAA tournament since 1981, the year Danny Ainge went coast to coast against Notre Dame for a last-second game-winner -- a play that still holds a special place in BYU's rich sports history.

Fredette has a few dozen of his own clips on that highlight reel with a chance to add some more next Thursday against Florida, a 73-65 winner over UCLA on the other side of the Southeast regional.

In this game, the hoop must have seemed as wide as the Mississippi for the nation's leading scorer.

He shot 7 for 12 from 3-point range, and after having trouble getting shots over Gonzaga's tough defense in the first half, he found his rhythm in the second.

He opened the half by pulling up from 5 feet beyond the upper-right part of the 3-point arc and swishing the shot. That triggered an 11-2 run that put BYU up 56-40.

Gonzaga pulled within eight, but with 8:58 left, Fredette made a shot from the exact same spot as part of a 12-0 run that expanded the lead to 20.

Game over, and the rest was simply a matter of seeing where No. 32's scoring line would settle. He came up far short of the 52 points he scored earlier this month in the Mountain West Conference tournament against New Mexico, but had enough to bump that average up a couple notches, to 28.8.

As the game wound down, the winner long decided, BYU fans chanted "Sweet 16." But then they came up with a more familiar refrain: "You got Jimmered!"

Or, to sum it up more succinctly -- "We came, we saw, we Jimmered," as one of the ubiquitous clever signs in the stands proclaimed.

But it wasn't all Fredette. He didn't get his first shot off until almost three minutes into the game and didn't score until the 11:33 mark, which had to seem like dog years for a team that grew even more dependent on its star earlier this month when leading rebounder Brandon Davies was suspended for violating the school's honor code.

For the first time since then, BYU genuinely looked like it had some legitimate second options.

Jackson Emery had two 3-pointers, a layup and a steal during Fredette's early scoring drought. He finished with 16 points. Noah Hartsock (13 points) hit three more 3-pointers to go with the pair he made in BYU's opening 74-66 win against Wofford.

Who'd have thought that game would be closer than this one?

Even though they were seeded 11th, the Zags (25-10) had the look of the kind of team, the kind of program, that could give a supposedly undermanned club such as BYU some problems.

This was Gonzaga's 13th straight trip to the tournament, and unlike BYU, the Zags are frequent visitors to the regionals; they were going for their sixth trip since 1999.

They were long and quick, played good defense, had a veteran coach in Mark Few and came in on a 10-game winning streak.

They had some guys who could score. Elias Harris finished with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and Steven Gray also scored 18.

But they had no answer for Fredette, who drew some comparisons to a Gonzaga star of a few years ago, high-scoring Adam Morrison, who was also known as "The 'Stache."

The Bulldogs opened the game with Demetri Goodson shadowing The Jimmer and Goodson made it tough for him to find an open shot. He also got two fouls in the first four minutes and had to go to the bench, which is when things started opening up and Fredette found his shot.

As usual, he had no qualms jacking them up from 25, 26, 27 feet and beyond. But he showed his athleticism, too, never more than when he got fouled hard coming down the lane, but had the strength to pull up and shoot a fadeaway 12-footer -- good for a three-point play, the old-fashioned way.

That gave BYU an 82-59 lead with 4:39 left.

As big as the win was for BYU this year, it also may have been a tone-setter for the future. The Cougars will join Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference starting next season, adding a major hurdle to the Bulldogs' quest for their 12th straight conference title.

Fredette won't be there, though. He's a senior. And certainly, Gonzaga's not the only program happy about that.