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Lottery chances can't dim Byron Scott's drive for more victories: Cavaliers Insider

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Cavaliers coach Byron Scott would rather win than worry about hurting his team's chances in the lottery.

Cleveland Cavaliers lose to Wizards, 115-100View full sizeByron Scott isn't willing to play out the final games of the season without driving his team to get a few more wins. "I understand what everybody's saying, but it's just hard for me to go into to a game saying not to my players but to my coaches, 'Guys, we're not going to try to win this game,'" he said. "That's just not me."

NEW YORK -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott and the Wizards' Flip Saunders are not worried about their chances in the lottery. As far as either is concerned, they'd like to win out and let the lottery chips fall where they may.

"It's just very hard for me to go into a game thinking about not trying to win it," Scott said. "That's just not my makeup.

"I had a Cleveland fan tell me two weeks ago, 'Beat Miami but don't win too many more games.' I just can't work that way. I understand what everybody's saying, but it's just hard for me to go into to a game saying not to my players but to my coaches, 'Guys, we're not going to try to win this game.' That's just not me."

Saunders agreed.

"What we're doing right now is the same thing we said we were going to do when we started the year as far as the young guys we're playing and everything else," said the former Cuyahoga Heights High School star. "Out of respect to the game, you've just got to go out and you've just got play. Whatever happens, happens.

"Do you look at the players who are out there? Yeah, because you follow the Final Four. But that's why they call it a lottery. You don't really know where you're going to be locked in until the lottery. Then you can really evaluate the players and see what guys are really there."

Garden party: Cavs rookie Luke Harangody had a great game with a career-high 18 points in the 119-115 victory here on March 4. The Notre Dame product said he'd always played well in Big East games here, too.

"I love playing in the Garden," he said. "I have a lot of memories from the Big East tournament. I consider this a home away from home. Every time you come to the Garden, it's always an experience."

Going green: The NBA, in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, tipped off Green Week. Adidas, the league's official outfitter, will outfit all players with 100-percent organic cotton shooting shirts featuring the NBA Green logo. Players also will wear headbands and wristbands made from 45-percent organic cotton during nationally broadcast games. Coaches and staff members will wear lapel pins. Each team will also host community service events.

Just don't ask Scott, the former Laker, to put on anything that resembles Celtic green.

"I'm not wearing any of that crap," he said, joking. "Players can wear that stuff. I ain't wearing that. I'll take it home and use it to wash my car."

Tait honored: Retiring Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Tait will be among the eight honorees at the Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland Golden Achievement Awards dinner at 6 p.m. on May 1 at The Country Club in Pepper Pike.

Proceeds go to the Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland, which provides programs and support services for older persons, particularly low-income seniors.

Tickets start at $175 each or $1,750 for a table of 10. For more information, contact Jeanne Hoffmeyer, 216-231-6500, ext. 103, or jhoffmeyer@goldenagecenters.org, or visit goldenagecenters.org.


With Justin Masterson's sinker, Cleveland Indians finally rise to a victory: Bud Shaw

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Justin Masterson and his sinker gave the Indians and their declining number of fans their first uplifting moment of the season Sunday, sports columnist Bud Shaw writes.

masterson-wsox11-vert-cc.jpgView full sizeJustin Masterson gave the Indians a coveted quality start on Sunday, dominating the White Sox hitters with his sinker. "His sinker is like nobody else's," said Tribe catcher Lou Marson. "When it's on, it's just filthy with the late movement it has."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Not that he was counting -- everybody else spared him the need – but Justin Masterson didn't win until June last year.

Had he waited even a turn or two in the rotation to win his first game this season, it might've been witnessed by more ball park ushers and mascot condiments than fans, given the historic retreat in Indians' attendance in the opening weekend at Progressive Field.

After two losses and 23 runs allowed, and the lowest attendance in the ball park's history Saturday, manager Manny Acta asked Masterson to "help us win the first inning" Sunday.

There have been more inspirational battle cries, including Dan Gilbert's "Not in our garage!" but none better heeded. Masterson threw seven innings, allowed one run, and handled a free-swinging Chicago lineup in a 7-1 victory.

As for winning hearts and minds, that will have to wait for some other day. Sunday's crowd was even smaller but at least those in attendance saw some history (an Indians triple play), a happy ending to the series with Chicago and a promising start for a pitcher who started 0-5 last year, went 6-13 and spent the final month of the season in the bullpen to protect his arm.

Masterson had a lot going for him Sunday. A cool day. A good sinker. Control. Also a welcome sight was the trademark "what, me worry?" approach he brings to the mound most of the time. Let alone on an occasion when the Indians are in dire need of it after two lopsided losses.

"Strike one," Acta said when asked what he liked about Masterson's performance. "He threw plenty of them. I believe 17 of 29 first-pitch strikes. He matches up good with them because they have a lot of right-handed hitters."

Masterson allowed an RBI single by Paul Konerko in the third. But that's an old story where Konerko is concerned. Left. Right. He'd hit ambidextrous Indians pitching if given the chance.

In the fourth, after walking Carlos Quentin and allowing A. J. Pierzynski's single to center, Masterson got a return lift from his teammates when first baseman Carlos Santana charged a popped-up bunt, caught it and turned it into a triple play.

"I don't think I've ever been a part of one," Masterson said. "It's great. When you get a couple guys on and nobody out, you definitely catch a break there."

After retiring Adam Dunn and Konerko with runners on in the fifth, Masterson allowed one hit over his final two innings. He guesses he threw "90 percent" sinkers. That keeps it simple for the guy catching him. And, as long as the sinker doesn't flatten out too often, Masterson's arm slot and late action isn't so easily solved by hitters.

"When he throws like he did today he's really effective," said catcher Lou Marson. "It's a lot different calling a game with him on the mound than with say, Josh Tomlin or Mitch Talbot. He's like, 'Here it is.'

"His sinker is like nobody else's. When it's on, it's just filthy with the late movement it has."

Masterson acknowledges left-handed hitters see him differently because of his three-quarters delivery. But he argues that it's a simple matter of hitting spots against lefties. Still, Pierzynski, Dunn and Omar Vizquel had five of the seven hits off him Sunday.

"Dunn, up over the plate," Masterson said. "Vizquel up over the plate, then a broken bat [single]. I don't think I need to do anything different."

Some scouts think Masterson doesn't have enough pitches to succeed in the rotation, that he's better suited for the back of the bullpen.

Until the Indians develop some of their other candidates, it's a non-issue. Here? Now? He belongs.

Maybe never more so than he did Sunday.

P.M. Cleveland Browns links: Look here for Browns draft history and game stories

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Draft history and details of every teams' picks since event began in 1936.

doug-dieken.jpgOffensive tackle Doug Dieken after catching a 14-yard touchdown pass from Paul McDonald on a fake field goal during the Browns' 25-19 overtime win over the Houston Oilers on Oct. 30, 1983. Find Dieken and McDonald's draft details and the game story on cleveland.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The three-day NFL draft will begin three weeks from Thursday, on April 28.

For the Cleveland Browns, it will be their 59th, not counting the selection of NFL veterans when the Browns returned as a franchise in 1999. The Browns participated in 46 NFL drafts from 1950 to 1995, before the team moved to Baltimore, and 12 since the "new" Browns were formed.

The Plain Dealer's cleveland.com website features an "All-time NFL draft archive" that includes the picks of not only the Browns, but of every team since the draft began in 1936. Search by team, player, college, round, position and other ways for every player drafted.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes PD Browns beat writer Tony Grossi's story on improbable (but not impossible) candidates to be the Browns' first draft pick; his "Hey, Tony!;" columnist "Terry Pluto's Talkin.' "

Also, there's cleveland.com's Browns history database, which includes Plain Dealer game stories on every regular season and post-season game the Browns have played.

Browns links

The Browns might use the draft to try to upgrade their cornerback situation, by The Sports Xchange on Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report.

Some Browns notes, by Chris Pokorny on the Dawgs By Nature blog.

More about how the Browns might address the cornerback position during the draft, by Daniel Wolf for nationalfootballauthority.com.

The Browns might take an offensive lineman during the draft. Former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick comments on offensive line prospects for FoxSports.com.

Looking at quarterback prospects in the draft, by Matt Florjancic for clevelandbrowns.com.

 

Knicks finally beat Cavs, 123-107: Mary Schmitt Boyer's in-game blog

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Stoudemire, Anthony and Billups all shine for New York as Knicks finally snap Cavaliers' domination.

anthony-drive-gee-vert-ap.jpgView full sizeCarmelo Anthony soars toward the Cavaliers' Alonzo Gee during this first-half drive to the basket Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Notes and observations from the Cavs' 123-107 loss to the Knicks Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden:

The Cavaliers have a name for it: The Sunday funk.

They have played 12 games on Sunday this year, and they are 0-12 after Sunday's loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

They're 0-7 at home and 0-5 on the road on Sunday.

"Our Sundays...we just haven't been there,'' Cavs coach Byron Scott admitted.

And that was before the game.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 28 points, Carmelo Anthony added 25 and Chauncey Billups had 23 as the Knicks, 38-38, clinched a playoff spot with their first victory in four tries against the Cavs this season.

This also snapped the Cavs 11-game winning streak overall against the Knicks and their five-game winning streak in the Garden.

J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds and Baron Davis added 22 to lead the Cavs, 15-61. Samardo Samuels, the defensive hero of the Cavs 119-115 upset here on March 4, played with his sprained right wrist taped and finished with nine points and nine  rebounds.

Third quarter update: Knicks 93, Cavs 88. Cavs were within two several times but couldn't quite get over the hump.

Though they're outshooting the Knicks, 58.6 percent to 47.7 percent, and outrebounding them, 29-27, Knicks are 22 of 23 from the line.

Halftime update: Knicks 67, Cavs 57. With the Knicks shooting 70 percent from 3-point range at one point, New York pulled out to a 61-39 lead with about four minutes left in the second quarter.

New York still led, 62-41, but Baron Davis scored 11 straight points in about a minute to get the Cavs back in it.

First quarter update: Knicks 36, Cavs 25.

Cavs started off strong, pulling out to an 11-5 lead before Baron Davis was called for his second foul with 8:30 left in the first quarter. New York responded to Davs' absence by closing out the quarter on a 31-14 run.

Chauncey Billups had 17 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Knicks, who made 14 of 23 shots (61 percent). J.J. Hickson had 13 points for the Cavs, who made 11 of 19 shots (58 percent). The Cavs did outrebound the Knicks, 10-7, a welcome sight after Friday night's performance at Washington.

Cavs starters: F Alonzo Gee, F J.J. Hickson, C Ryan Hollins, G Anthony Parker, G Baron Davis.

Knicks starters: F Carmelo Anthony, F Amar'e Stoudemire, C Shelden Williams, G Chauncey Billups, G Landry Fields

Injuries: Semih Erden (strained right adductor), Antawn Jamison (fractured left little finger) and Anderson Varejao (torn tendon, right foot) are out for Cavs. Andy Rautins (left knee debridement) is out for Knicks.

Inactives: Erden, Jamison and Varejao for Cavs. Renaldo Balkman, Derrick Brown, Rautins for Knicks.

Officials: Derrick Stafford, Brent Barnaky and David Jones .

Three things to watch

1. Can the Cavs beat the Knicks again -- for the fourth time this season, the 12th time in a row overall and the sixth straight time in Madison Square Garden?

2. If Samardo Samuels plays, will Carmelo Anthony remember him?

3. Will the Cavs do any better on the boards -- or keeping the Knicks off the boards -- than they did against the Wizards on Friday in Washington?

Colt McCoy's younger brother, Case, the offensive star in Texas Longhorns' spring contest

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Case McCoy, who will be a sophomore next season, is making a push to be Longhorns' starting QB -- like his brother, Cleveland Browns' Colt McCoy, was for four years.

patrick-mcnamara-case-mccoy.jpgTexas quarterback Case McCoy (right) celebrates with Patrick McNamara (87) after throwing a touchdown pass to McNamara in the Longhorns' spring scrimmage.

AUSTIN, Texas -- There's a new McCoy at Texas and it was his turn to have a big day for the Longhorns.

The question now is whether Case McCoy, younger brother of former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns, can make a push to be the Longhorns' No. 1 QB next fall.

McCoy was the standout offensive player Sunday in Texas' annual spring scrimmage, passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. Most of the yards and the score came with the second-team offense against the first-team defense.

Garrett Gilbert, the starter in Texas' disastrous 5-7 season in 2010, was 8 of 15 for 76 yards and an interception. The turnover set up McCoy's TD pass. Backups Connor Wood and David Ash also got several snaps with the first-team offense.

McCoy was thrust into the No. 2 role last season as a freshman, but played in just two games and threw only one pass.

"We obviously have a decision to make at quarterback," coach Mack Brown said. "We don't think anybody is ready to take over at this point. There's so much to this offense. It's a bear."

The Longhorns have a new offensive scheme under first-year co-coordinator Bryan Harsin, who came from Boise State. Texas missed a bowl game last season for the first time in 1997, the season before Brown took over the program, and Brown hired five new assistants.

Gilbert threw 17 interceptions last season and drew a groan from the announced crowd of 45,000 when he badly underthrew a ball into double coverage that was easily picked off by Bryant Jackson.

Working behind a patchwork second-team offensive line, McCoy went 5 of 5 on the ensuing drive and hit walk-on Patrick McNamara for an 11-yard touchdown.

"To be able to drive it down there on the first-team defense and put it in the zone, that tells you something about his determination," senior safety Blake Gideon said.

Even Colt McCoy got a chance to see it. The Cleveland Browns quarterback stopped by to watch the early moments of the game and was greeted with rousing applause when he was shown on the screen on the giant scoreboard.

"The bottom line is going from point A to B. Case did a nice job getting us in the end zone," Harsin said.

Texas did not make any of the quarterbacks available for interviews after the game.

Brown said the Longhorns will not create a depth chart, giving each of them a chance to work out over the summer and come back to fall camp to compete for the starting job. All four did some good things but also made mistakes calling the plays and the formations, Brown said.

Gilbert, who did not take snaps with the second-team offense, led a couple of scoring drives that ended with touchdown runs. His first drive led to a field goal, but it nearly ended with an interception in the end zone when the defensive back dropped the ball.

Defensively, Alex Okafor was credited with four sacks in a game where the officials had a quick whistle and merely touching the quarterback would stop the play. But he also showed an explosive burst off the end for a player who spent last season playing at defensive tackle.


 

New York Knicks clinch playoffs, end Cleveland Cavaliers' hex with 123-107 romp

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In run-and-gun affair, the Knicks have far too many weapons in easing past the Cavaliers.

amare-drive-hickson-vert-ap.jpgView full sizeAmare Stoudemire drives around J.J. Hickson on his way to a 28-point effort in the Knicks' 123-107 victory over the Cavaliers Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK -- The Cavaliers have a name for it: The Sunday funk.

They have played 12 games on Sunday this year, and are 0-12 after Sunday's 123-107 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

They're 0-7 at home and 0-5 on the road on Sunday.

"Our Sundays ... we just haven't been there," coach Byron Scott admitted.

That was before the game.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 28 points, Carmelo Anthony added 25 and Chauncey Billups had 23 as the Knicks, 38-38, clinched a playoff spot with their first victory in four tries against the Cavs this season. This also snapped the Cavs' 11-game winning streak against the Knicks and a five-game streak in the Garden.

J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds and Baron Davis added 22 points and six assists to lead the Cavs, 15-61. Samardo Samuels, the defensive hero of a 119-115 upset here on March 4, played with his sprained right wrist taped and finished with nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes.

After getting hammered on the boards on Friday at Washington, the Cavs did out-rebound the Knicks, 38-36, although New York had an edge on the offensive boards, 10-8. But they were undone by a season-high 22 turnovers, including seven in the fourth quarter as the Knicks broke open a close game.

"It's always hard to win with our team right now because we're so young and we have so many missing pieces," Scott said. "But it makes it extremely hard to win when you have [22] turnovers. The other night was offensive rebounds. Tonight was turnovers. It's always something."

The Cavs fell behind by 22 in the second quarter before Davis scored 11 points in the span of 1:18.

"This Knick team can be up 20 or down 20," Davis said. "No lead is safe either way when you're playing here."

After trailing at halftime, 67-57, the Cavs shot 70 percent in the third quarter while holding the Knicks to 30 percent. Early in the fourth quarter, a driving layup by Ramon Sessions cut New York's lead to 93-90. But in the next three minutes the Cavs committed five turnovers and the Knicks scored 12 straight to take control.

"They were scrappy tonight -- a little bit more scrappy than they have been," Davis said. "They created turnovers. But I think a lot of our turnovers came from the fact that we allowed them to speed us up. They changed the pace of the game."

Scott was asked if he could have foreseen this team losing 61 games and he brought up turnovers again -- although in a different context.

"Not in my wildest dreams," he said. "I didn't think we would have this type of season. I didn't think we would have the injuries we had either, and some of the turnover as far as personnel goes. But I see improvement from a bunch of our young guys and I know this team is going to be much, much better next year."

Davis agreed.

"I think next year -- barring injuries -- is going to be a great year for us," he said. "We're not far off from being where you see the Knicks. We'll be fighting for playoff position definitely next year."

Stacy Lewis' first LPGA win is a major, as she rallies to win Nabisco Championship

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Lewis shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 13-under 275, rallying from an early two-stroke deficit.

lewis-lpga-vert-ap.jpgView full sizeStacy Lewis displayed her poise and talent to pull away from the field to win the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Sunday.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Stacy Lewis held off defending champion Yani Tseng to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship by three strokes Sunday, earning her first LPGA Tour title in the year's first major.

Lewis shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 13-under 275, rallying from an early two-stroke deficit while going head-to-head with the world's top-ranked player.

She punctuated a tenacious back nine in gusty wind at Mission Hills with an improbable 20-foot par putt from the fringe on the 17th hole, essentially finishing off her inconsistent opponent.

"I can't even believe it," said Lewis, who overcame scoliosis to become an elite golfer. "I've felt like I'm going to throw up all day. It's awesome. ... I just couldn't believe I made it [on the 17th hole]. I thought I had a good shot from there, but I just tried to stay calm."

Lewis and her family took the Kraft Nabisco's traditional winner's leap into Poppie's Pond off the 18th green, holding hands while running to the water. Lewis and her caddie did modified cannonballs -- but Lewis' mother, Carol, badly injured her left leg on the leap and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

Lewis' grandfather, Al, died Wednesday before the tournament began, but her family agreed she should stay in the tournament.

Tseng shot a 74 with four bogeys, losing focus in her quest for her fifth worldwide title already this year. Lewis bogeyed the 15th hole to allow Tseng to pull within a stroke, but Tseng bogeyed the next two holes.

"She handled the pressure very well," Tseng said. "She did great, better than me."

Lewis' putt on the 17th broke abruptly to the left and dropped straight home, with Lewis raising her fist in celebration. The 26-year-old from Texas with her alma mater's Arkansas Razorbacks head cover on her driver then stood staring at the green, hands on her knees in disbelief, while Tseng missed an 18-foot par putt that essentially clinched it.

"I was shaking, just trying to calm down," Lewis said.

After sinking her final 3-foot putt on the 18th, Lewis raised her arms in disbelief before hugging Tseng and her caddie, and several players quickly doused her with beer and champagne in the LPGA tradition for a first-time winner.

Morgan Pressel, Katie Futcher and Angela Stanford finished nine strokes behind Lewis in a third-place tie. Michelle Wie (75) and 2007 Kraft Nabisco champion Pressel (76) both faltered badly in their final rounds after starting the day within striking distance of Tseng and Lewis, with Wie falling into sixth place -- still the former child prodigy's best finish in a major since 2006.

Lewis led going into the final round of the 2008 U.S. Women's Open, finishing third in her first pro tournament. She established herself as a solid pro in the 21/2 years since, but still hadn't won.

After honing her swing and refining her approach over the past year, she came into the seeason with high expectations. After blowing a second-round lead against Tseng in the Australian Masters seven weeks ago, Lewis was by far the cooler pro on the final day at Mission Hills.

The famed Palm Springs wind finally kicked up during the coolest day of the tournament, and the strong gusts might have been reflected in the scores. Lewis' 69 matched Futcher and Julieta Granada for the day's low round.

"The wind was swirling, and the greens were firm," Tseng said. "I just tried to be perfect, maybe too perfect."

Lewis shared the first-round lead with road roommate Brittany Lincicome and opened a three-stroke lead after two rounds, but Tseng blitzed past her playing partner Saturday with a bogey-free 66 when temperatures finally cooled after two days of stifling heat. Lewis struggled to a third-round 71.

A night off clearly refreshed Lewis, who came out in the final round with all the aggression and confidence she lacked as the leader Saturday. She birdied the second and third holes, and Tseng's bogey on the fourth hole allowed Lewis to pull even.

Tseng took the lead with a birdie putt on the eighth hole, but Lewis immediately pulled back ahead with a long birdie putt on the ninth before Tseng missed a short par putt. Lewis went two strokes up with a 12-foot par putt on the 12th, punctuated by a confident fist-bump with her caddy.

Pressel birdied the fifth hole to move within two strokes of the leaders, but never got closer.

Texas A&M mounts a furious late rally to earn spot in NCAA women's hoops final

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The Aggies rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes.

colson-texam-womenhoops-vert-ap.jpgView full sizeSydney Colson was the hero of an improbable rally over the final six minutes as her driving assist set up the winning basket to upend Stanford and send Texas A&M to the women's NCAA championship game on Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Texas A&M's defense was good enough to take down two No. 1 seeds.

They'll find out Tuesday if it's good enough to win a national title.

The Aggies rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes Saturday, and Sydney Colson drove the length of the floor and found Tyra White for a layup with 3.3 seconds left to give Texas A&M a 63-62 victory -- and its first trip to the title game in a thrilling finish that included five lead changes in the final minute.

After Sydney Carter stole Stanford's final pass, the Aggies leapt for joy.

"It shows our competitiveness, our toughness, we love each other like sisters," White said. "We weren't just happy to be here, we wanted to win."

Beat Notre Dame  on Tuesday night and Texas A&M (32-5) would leave Indianapolis with an improbable national championship. The Irish stunned the two-time defending champions, 72-63, in the second game of the night.

White scored 18 points, and All-American Danielle Adams had 16 points to help the Aggies end Stanford's winning streak at 27 in a row.

The Cardinal (33-3) were lead by Nnemkadi Ogwumike's 31 points and Jeanette Pohlen had 11, but went home empty-handed from the Final Four for a fourth consecutive year.

None of those games were as exciting as this one, though.

A&M trailed, 54-44, with 6:01 left to go. Adams started an 8-0 run with two free throws and Colson -- who woozily went to the bench after a hard screen earlier in the half -- finally gave Texas A&M a 59-58 lead by making two free throws with 53 seconds left.

Eighteen seconds later, Adams was called for a foul on Ogwumike. The upset Adams got up and started running toward the Aggies bench, with one of the referees telling her to calm down. Ogwumike made both shots to give Stanford a 60-59 lead.

A&M came back with White's layup with 19 seconds to go, only to have Ogwumike answer with a tough layup with 9 seconds left that gave Stanford a 62-61 lead.

The Aggies, without a timeout, immediately got the ball to Colson, who raced up the floor and dished to the cutting White for the winner.

"It's time to make history," Colson said. "Forget that you're tired and just push through it and I think it's exactly what we did."


P.M. Ohio State football and basketball links: Besides NCAA violations, OSU football dominance might slip

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OSU has dominated Big Ten football and been a national powerhouse for nearly a decade, but several factors will make it more difficult for the Buckeyes to continue their run. More links.

jim-tressel3.jpgCoach Jim Tressel and Ohio State's football team will face several challenges as they try to maintain their Big Ten dominance.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio State continues its spring football practices, to be capped by the annual spring game on April 23 at Ohio Stadium.

Some confusion surrounds the team, as the NCAA continues to probe the sale of OSU football memorabilia by several star Buckeyes' players and the failure of coach Jim Tressel to inform Ohio State and the NCAA of his knowledge of the situation.

Tressel and quarterback Terrelle Pryor, receiver DeVier Posey, running back Daniel Herron, offensive lineman Mike Adams, and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. The NCAA could add more penalties.

Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch writes that Ohio State's remarkable run of success for nearly the last decade might be detoured, at least for the immediate future.

Hunter notes several factors, including:

• Nebraska joins the conference, giving Ohio State one more difficult opponent to clear - this season on the road - to reach the league title game. That also comes in week six, when the five suspended players will be allowed to return.

Rust? Can't afford it.

• Michigan has a new coach, Brady Hoke, who came in saying the same kind of things that Tressel did when he got the Ohio State job. Beating the Buckeyes is Hoke's No.1 priority, and although the Wolverines have barely started recovering from the Rich Rodriguez years, there's a good chance they are going to stop doing that hilarious Indiana impression.

The Buckeyes have been the class of the Big Ten, so this negativity doesn't necessarily mean that their run of league titles is over. But when the suspensions of Tressel and his players are added to the new landscape, Ohio State's dominance no longer seems as certain.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Ohio State football, basketball and other sports coverage includes PD beat writer Doug Lesmerises' "Hey, Doug!," leading off with a reader's question about Buckeyes basketball star Jared Sullinger.

Buckeyes banter

Changes next season in Ohio State basketball, by Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch.  

Ohio State spring football is analyzed by Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com.

A look at the candidates to fill in for quarterback Terrelle Pryor for the first five games, by Tim May and Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio State football is in transition, an Associated Press story by Rusty Miller on ohio.com.

A Big Ten football blog by Adam Rittenberg on ESPN.com.

 

Butler vs. Connecticut title game matches 'mid-major' and powerhouse pegged for down year

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Butler, in its 2nd straight title game, bounced back from 14-9 start. Connecticut was 9th in Big East regular season standings.

jim-calhoun-brad-stevens.jpgConnecticut coach Jim Calhoun (left) and Butler coach Brad Stevens prior to their taping a television interview on Sunday.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Butler coach Brad Stevens loves an underdog, whether it's his team back in the Final Four or Connecticut making an unprecedented five-games-in-five-nights run through the Big East tournament.

Wait, what?

A Big East team as an underdog? The coach at tiny Butler cheering for big, bad UConn?

Welcome to the bizarro world of college basketball in 2011 — a sport where not only is anything possible, but where nothing quite makes sense. A sport in which the story of a small school from a small conference making a run to a title is no more rare than that of the late-season magic conjured by a power program with one of the nation's best players.

Butler and Connecticut will meet Monday in the national title game — the eighth-seeded Bulldogs trying to finish the deal after coming oh-so-close last season and the third-seeded Huskies (31-9), led by Kemba Walker, talking about shocking the world with their 11th straight victory after a regular season that foreshadowed none of this.

"We were all rooting for UConn because it was a great story," Stevens said, "a lot of fun to follow."

As is Butler, the team from a 4,500-student campus in Indianapolis that practices at Hinkle Fieldhouse, used as the backdrop for the classic movie "Hoosiers" — the based-on-reality melodrama in which tiny Hickory High stares down the biggest schools in Indiana and wins the state championship. On its second try.

What seemed impossible in that movie is becoming more the norm, at least in the college game. Last season, Butler (28-9) came one desperation heave from toppling Duke to become the first true mid-major to win the championship. This season, Butler wasn't even the biggest longshot at the Final Four. That was VCU, an 11th seed that fell to the Bulldogs in Saturday's semifinal.

As recently as 2008, the NCAA tournament landed all four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. This year, there wasn't a single 1 or 2 for the first time in the 33-year history of seeding.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun said this has been the natural progression since the NCAA started limiting scholarships and new NBA rules triggered a flood of players who would come to college for one year, then declare for the draft.

"It's as close to parity as there can be," Calhoun said. "It certainly can occur in a tournament a lot more than it could playing a Saturday night, then Big Monday. It's just the nature of things. ... The one-and-done thing, walking the tightrope is a hard thing, a very difficult thing."

If anyone can say they've mastered it this season, it's UConn. Led by Walker, the junior guard on the verge of becoming the best player to ever put on a Huskies uniform, Connecticut won five games in five nights against Big East competition to win the postseason tournament.

A remarkable accomplishment in any conference, but especially the Big East — the 16-team behemoth that placed a record 11 teams in the tournament this year. Maybe because of the grueling nature of its regular season, the Big East wore down and had a terrible showing, only moving two teams into the second weekend.

But Connecticut is still standing, a testament to Walker's playmaking ability (he's averaging 25.5 points during this 10-game winning streak) and Calhoun's ability to adjust on the fly to the fatigue that has predictably set in.

"Our code has been very simple: 'The hell with it, let's just go play basketball,'" Calhoun said. "Well, we wouldn't be doing all the things we did last night defensively to Kentucky if we just kind of rolled the thing out there. We worked very hard on it. But we worked on it in a different way."

Connecticut advanced to the final by holding the Wildcats to 33.9 percent shooting in a 56-55 victory Saturday night.

Butler, meanwhile, only needed two wins in four nights to capture the tournament title in the less-heralded Horizon League. Still, the Bulldogs are on a 14-game winning streak that began after losing their third straight back on Feb. 3. At that point, this was a team that had no guarantees it would even make the NCAA field. It looked nothing like the one that captured hearts as it made its run through last year's tournament.

In the final last April, Butler trailed Duke 61-59 with 3.6 seconds left when Gordon Hayward (now playing for Utah in the NBA) grabbed the rebound off an intentionally missed free throw, dribbled four times to the halfcourt line and launched a shot at the buzzer. It hit the backboard, the inside of the rim and bounced out. It could have been the greatest finish ever in sports. It wound up as something less, though Stevens insists he walked away that night feeling like a winner.

"Our guys played as well as they could have," Stevens said. "They represented themselves in an unbelievable manner throughout that whole game. That might be the reason why we had parades, too, even though we lost. It was remarkable the way people treated us even though we lost."

One win away from the pinnacle once again, the Bulldogs are talking about finishing the deal this time. They haven't turned their backs on the heart-tugging story lines that help define them, but they don't fall back on them, either.

"There are some connections to us and 'Hoosiers.' I understand that, and that's nice if people want to make those connections," senior forward Matt Howard said.

Calhoun, trying to become only the fifth coach to win three NCAA titles, says he appreciates Butler as much as the next guy. He sees the slow, steady improvement of mid-majors such as Butler and figures there will be more tournaments like this one and more nights like Monday — where the small school and the big school are on even footing.

Maybe one of those days, the little guy will win it all.

"I think it's good for college basketball," Calhoun said. "I think if it starts around 2012, 2013, it would be a wonderful thing."

GAME PREVIEW: BUTLER (28-9) VS. CONNECTICUT (31-9)

Butler

Road to title game: No. 8 Butler beat No. 9 Old Dominion, 60-58; No. 1 Pittsburgh, 71-70; No.4Wisconsin, 61-54; No. 2 Florida, 74-71, OT; No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth, 70-62.

Star: Shelvin Mack had 24 points and was 5-of-6 from 3-point range in the win over VCU. When he started connecting from the outside is when the Bulldogs started putting some space between themselves and the Rams.

Coach: Brad Stevens, despite being just 34, is being lauded as one of the best in the coaching profession. His ability to motivate his team while keeping a cool demeanor has made him the talk of the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year.

Key point: The Bulldogs have been here before, and most of that team is back. Butler plays solid defense and doesn’t make mistakes on offense, but it’s the way the Bulldogs play so hard and don’t let the disparity in talent affect them that has made them one of the country’s favorite teams at this time of year.

Connecticut

Road to title game: No. 3 Connecticut beat No. 14 Bucknell, 81-52; No. 6 Cincinnati, 69-58; No. 2 San Diego State, 74-67; No. 5 Arizona, 65-63; No. 4 Kentucky, 56-55.

Star: Kemba Walker showed again why he is having one of the best seasons in recent memory. He had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win over Kentucky.

Coach: At 68, Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun would become the oldest coach to win a national championship. It would be his third title and would put him in a group with John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight to win at least that many.

Key point: The Huskies are on a roll over the last 10 games with seven of the opponents being ranked in the Top 25. It hasn’t all been Walker. Freshman Jeremy Lamb had 12 points and four assists against Kentucky, and Alex Oriakhi had eight points and 10 rebounds.

White Sox risk challenging Orlando Cabrera, and lose: Indians Insider

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Orlando Cabrera's reputation for liking fast balls didn't prevent the White Sox from throwing them ... to their detriment.

Gallery previewCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians second baseman Orlando Cabrera likes to swing at the first pitch, especially if it comes with heat. Baseball people know this.

White Sox lefty John Danks and catcher A.J. Pierzynski did not care in the sixth inning Sunday, and it cost their club. Pierzynski called for a first-pitch fastball, Danks threw one and Cabrera parked it.

Cabrera's two-out, two-run homer to left field gave the Tribe a 2-1 lead en route to a 7-1 victory.

"I was surprised when I saw the fastball," Cabrera said. "I thought they would start with a breaking ball or something soft. I was able to react because the pitch was kind of over the plate."

Danks had limited the Indians to four hits -- all singles -- through five innings. He got the first two outs in the sixth before Travis Hafner singled.

Cabrera finished 3-for-4 and is 5-for-12 in his first three games as an Indian. He has 1,952 career hits.

Miscue: The Indians committed their first error of the season when third baseman Jack Hannahan threw wildly to first on Carlos Quentin's one-out dribbler in the second. The ball rattled in and out of the camera bay, allowing Quentin to advance to second after the infield single.

Quentin was stranded at third.

Marson delivers: Catcher Lou Marson capitalized on his opportunity when Carlos Santana moved to first, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the seventh. The RBI came in his first game of the season; he did not drive in a run last year until his 21st game.

With the Tribe leading, 2-1, in the seventh, Hannahan led off with a walk. Indians manager Manny Acta called for a sacrifice bunt. After Marson pulled back on a high pitch from reliever Will Ohman, Pierzynski visited the mound.

Acta, likely figuring that Pierzynski was instructing Ohman to throw a get-me-over fastball, changed the sign to a hit-and-run. Marson then redirected a fastball to right-center.

"He threw me a cookie and I was able to do something with it," Marson said.

Size and strength: Grady Sizemore rejoined the Indians in Cleveland on Sunday and did morning work in the weight room.

Sizemore, recovering from left-knee surgery last June, is scheduled to play in minor-league exhibition games Monday and Wednesday. Monday, the Class AA Akron Aeros will host the Clippers (6:05 p.m., $5 admission). Wednesday, the Clippers will host the Aeros (2:05 p.m.).

Reliever Joe Smith (abdomen) also is scheduled to appear Monday. The minor-league season begins Thursday.

Omarvelous: White Sox utility infielder Omar Vizquel started at third base and went 2-for-3. Brent Morel started the first two games. Vizquel led off the third with a single -- his 2,800th career hit. He also singled in the fifth.

Asked before the series if he could believe he has so many hits, Vizquel laughed and said: "No -- can you believe it?"

Vizquel was projected to be an all-field, little-hit shortstop when he broke in with Seattle in 1989. That year, he batted .220 in 143 games.

Vizquel did not become a consistent threat at the plate until 1992, when he batted .294 in 136 games for the Mariners. In 1993, he won his first of 11 Gold Gloves and batted .255.

Indians General Manager John Hart legally stole Vizquel on Dec. 20, 1993. Hart sent the Mariners Felix Fermin and Reggie Jefferson. Vizquel is one of four players to steal a base in four decades (Ted Williams, Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines).

NCAA shocker: Notre Dame stuns Connecticut in women's Final Four, 72-63

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Ten years after their last title, the Irish will be playing for another one Tuesday night against Texas A&M, which beat Stanford, 63-62, in the first semifinal.

irish-women-horiz-uconn-ap.jpgView full sizeNotre Dame's Skylar Diggins (4) and Natalie Novosel (21) had plenty to celebrate as the Irish defeated Connecticut to reach Tuesday's NCAA women's championship game against Texas A&M.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Even Maya Moore's magic wasn't enough for Connecticut this time.

Skylar Diggins scored 28 points and Notre Dame upset UConn, 72-63, on Sunday night, ending the brilliant career of Moore and the Huskies' quest for a third straight national championship.

Ten years after their last title, the Irish will be playing for another one Tuesday night against Texas A&M, which beat Stanford, 63-62, in the first semifinal.

Notre Dame was 0-3 against its Big East rival this season but they had all the answers this time for the Huskies, who lost for just the second time in three seasons. Notre Dame had already beaten Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, ending a 20-game skid against the Volunteers. Now they have knocked out the two-time defending champions.

Now the Irish have knocked out the two-time defending champions.

Moore finished with 36 points, including 12 straight as she tried to rally the Huskies from a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes, but it wasn't enough.

The four-time All-American and AP player of the year was overshadowed by Diggins, the South Bend native who felt right at home in Conseco Fieldhouse, where she led her high school to three straight championships. Now she can add a NCAA championship to that list with a victory Tuesday night.

"We had to be poised, I mean, we had to try to make Maya take tough shots, and I think she did," Diggins said. "And at the end we said, 'We have to stay poised on defense and we have to execute on offense.' We showed a lot more poise than we did in the first three games against Connecticut."

Trailing 34-26 early in the second half, Diggins' three-point play started a 15-4 run by the Irish. Devereaux Peters' added her own three-point play that gave Notre Dame a 38-37 advantage -- its first lead since midway through the first half.

Diggins capped the burst with another three-point play that made it 41-38 with 13:17 left and brought the pro-Irish crowd to its feet and left Geno Auriemma's team reeling.

The Irish extended their lead to 47-40 a few minutes later before UConn cut the deficit to four on Bria Hartley's 3-pointer.

Brittany Mallory and Natalie Novosel hit consecutive 3-pointers to make it a 12-point game with just over 7 minutes left. Moore did her best to try to rally her young team, but the Huskies fell short.

Barry Bonds' homer stats deserve an asterisk as big as his head

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Another glorious baseball season is upon us — ah, I can smell the sweet scent of money drifting through the morning haze — and my unlikely sympathies go out to the fans of New York, who are doubly taxed to help sustain the boys of summer. Their state tax dollars are at work, in perpetuity, to help pay for the new Yankee Stadium. Their federal tax dollars are at work to help prosecute Barry Bonds.

barry bondsU.S. attorneys have now spent nearly eight years building a case against Barry Bonds. Eight years? LOOK AT HIS HEAD -- there's your case, writes Norman Chad.

Another glorious baseball season is upon us — ah, I can smell the sweet scent of money drifting through the morning haze — and my unlikely sympathies go out to the fans of New York, who are doubly taxed to help sustain the boys of summer.

Their state tax dollars are at work, in perpetuity, to help pay for the new Yankee Stadium.

Their federal tax dollars are at work to help prosecute Barry Bonds.

(Speaking of which, General Electric — that most American of corporations — reported more than $14 billion in profit in 2010. Couch Slouch — that most American of slackers — reported nearly $50,000 in profit in 2010. So who paid more U.S. taxes? Well, I can’t divulge my exact figure — from his prison cell, my CPA has requested an extension on my filing deadline — but I can tell you it exceeded GE, which paid absolutely nothing in federal taxes. It’s nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try to jump through huge loopholes with well-heeled lawyers.)

Outside of certain pockets of San Francisco, nobody much likes Bonds. In all likelihood, he used illegal steroids during his playing career and, in all likelihood, he told an untruth about it to a grand jury. Which left prosecutors and the public two options in dealing with it:

1. Spend millions upon millions of dollars in federal money trying to prove that he lied.

2. Put a mental asterisk next to his home run total.

Like most reasonable, taxpaying citizens, I’m in favor of the asterisk — only I would make it a REALLY, REALLY BIG one.

(How many home runs did Bonds end up with, like 1,300? It was a REALLY, REALLY BIG number — heck, for a couple of years there, he was hitting homers in his pajamas.)

But the government decided to devote its considerable efforts to pursuing the home run king. The criminal justice system, one might think, has more critical matters with which to deal, like drug trafficking, money laundering or Charlie Sheen — I mean, how is Bonds in court and Sheen isn’t?

U.S. attorneys have now spent nearly eight years building a case against Bonds. Eight years? LOOK AT HIS HEAD — there’s your case.

Anyway, if he’s convicted, I hope Bonds is sentenced to five years of hosting a daytime talk show with Stephen A. Smith.

Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, the new publicly funded Yankee Stadium — building palaces on the backs of taxpayers is the latest American dream — is in Year 3. Naturally, most taxpayers can’t afford to visit the stadium they subsidized, but they can gaze at it from time to time on TV, assuming they can put out for a premium cable package.

(I’m devoting 2011 to my “No More Stadiums, With Or Without Tax Subsidies” Tour. I will shout as loud as I can from the cheap seats that the Age of Excess has to cease. Which brings us around again to Charlie Sheen — in 1996, he and three friends bought up an entire section beyond the left field fence in Anaheim Stadium in hopes of snagging a home run ball during a Tigers-Angels game. Rather than, say, buy the tickets for disadvantaged kids who couldn’t get there otherwise, Charlie purchased 2,615 seats so he and his buddies could have their own personal playground to catch a dinger. I’d call that a bad sign of the times to come.)

This Yankee Stadium, you may recall, cost about $1.5 billion, more than half paid in taxpayer subsidies. Actually, it’s hard to pinpoint a precise cost of the stadium, because even years after it’s completed, the price keeps going up.

Of course, everything at Yankee Stadium keeps going up — tickets, parking, concessions.

In 1996, a box seat at the old Yankee Stadium cost $25; in 2011, just to park your car at the new Yankee Stadium costs $35.

You can’t believe how much a PBR costs there — it’s so obscene, I won’t reprint the figure here.

(Budget-conscious Yankees fans just walk to the stadium and then listen to the games on radio adjacent to the parking lot while drinking a six-pack of Pabst they brought from home.)

Of course, those who can afford to go inside Yankee Stadium often are treated to seeing great Yankees like Roger Clemens, who, incidentally, is next up in court for supposedly lying to Congress about alleged steroid use. What was he thinking? Nobody lies to Congress, other than congressmen themselves.

Ask The Slouch!

Q.You love criticizing bad announcers, but you’re a bad announcer yourself — aren’t you throwing stones in a glass house? — Paul West, Humble, Texas

A.I live in a basement apartment.

Q.Given John Calipari’s record, should Kentucky save time and just forfeit its Final Four finish? — Skip Hyberg, Derwood, Md.

A.That paperwork already is being processed.

Q.If Clark Kellogg had been broadcasting games in 1888, do you think Van Gogh would have cut off both ears? — Jesse Ellis, Alexandria, Va.

A. Pay the man, Shirley.

You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just email asktheslouch@aol.com and, if your question is used, you win$1.25 in cash!

Norman Chad is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.


Cleveland Indians fans: Which Tribe player(s) -- if any -- will be All-Stars this year? Poll

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Which Indians -- if any -- do you think will be on the AL All-Star team this year?

carlos-santana-tony-dejak-ap.JPGView full sizeCarlos Santana began a triple play when he snagged this popped up sacrifice bunt by Alexei Ramirez in the Indians' 7-1 win over Chicago on Sunday.


Cleveland, Ohio -- Back in the good ol' days, the American League All-Star team had enough Indians to qualify for a group discount at Golden Corral. Sadly, those days are long past -- unless, of course, you consider all the EX-Indians who end up on the squad.

The 2011 installment of the Tribe hasn't gotten off to the greatest start, but as Sunday's 7-1 win over Chicago hinted, there's some reason for optimism. After all, in its purest form, the Indians record is "only" one game under .500.

The lineup isn't quite on a par with the '95 or '97 squad, but the potential is there (and, quite honestly, some of the best potential is "seasoning" in Columbus and elsewhere in the minors, in the persons of Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Drew Pomeranz and Alex White).

That's one of those "we'll see what we see when we see it" kind of things. For now, who are the most likely Indians who will be at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 12, 2011?



Good news for Cleveland Indians: Travis Hafner's hitting; bad news: Matt LaPorta's not, says Dennis Manoloff (SBTV)

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Plain Dealer reporter says that with the cold weather, it's too early to read much into low attendance. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Bill Lubinger, as Branson Wright is "on assignment."

The Indians opened the 2011 season by dropping two out of three games to the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. It's early, but which Tribe players do you think will be named to the 2011 All-Star game in July? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

Today's guest on SBTV, Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff, says he thinks Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana and Chris Perez are the three players he thinks will receive serious consideration.

Dman also talks about what he was impressed with and what he was concerned with after watching the Tribe over the weekend; and he talks about the return of Grady Sizemore and what that will do to the Tribe lineup when he makes his way back to the majors.

SBTV will return Tuesday.





A.M. Cleveland Indians links: Red Sox come to town nursing sting of sweep in Texas

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Boston comes to Cleveland sputtering after being swept in the season-opening series at Texas.

jacob-ellsbury-ap.JPGView full sizeJacob Ellsbury was one of several Red Sox whose bat apparently was treated with a ball repellent. The Sox, who visit Cleveland for a three-game series starting Tuesday, were swept by the Rangers in Texas over the weekend.

The joke in Texas goes something like this:

If two pickups come to a four-way stop, which one has the right-of-way? Clearly, the one with the biggest shotgun in the gun rack.

Boston's $161 million annual payroll (18 players on their 25-man roster earn $2 million or more) is $106 million more than that of the Rangers.

The Rangers must've used part of their $55 million to buy a big, honkin' shotgun.

They swept the three-game series with the Sox and did it like hitmen wielding a .12 gauge at close range, according to the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham.

“We’re not very happy with the series, that’s an understatement,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “I think there’s a difference between being aggravated with a series as opposed to sitting around and panicking. It would have been a lot more fun going on the flight with a win.’’

That flight was to Cleveland and never before were a group of people more pleased to be headed to the chilly shores of Lake Erie. The Sox open a three-game series against the Indians tomorrow night.

After Jon Lester, John Lackey, and (Clay) Buchholz allowed 18 earned runs on 21 hits over 15 1/3 innings, Josh Beckett will try to turn the season onto the right path.
Great. Once again, a team is looking at the Tribe to be the penicillin for what ails 'em. Be nice to see Cleveland get off to a, um, shotgun start (see earlier reference) when Boston pulls into Progressive Field on Tuesday evening to open a three-game series against the Tribe.

Oh, by the way, don't want to hear that "small market" guff. Texas went to the World Series last year and has a $55 million payroll. The Indians? $60.7 million.

'Nuff said.

Around the horn
Omar Vizquel: The man, the player, the whirling dervish. Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times profiles the man who may be Cleveland's favorite former Indian.

Reliever Joe Smith escapes Arizona heat those of us in Cleveland can only hope for, and readies for minor league tune-up outings, according to the Akron Beacon-Journal's Sheldon Ocker.

The triple play started by Carlos Santana's snag of a popped up sacrifice bunt attempt changed the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told the Chicago Sun-Times.

For a hundred bucks, plus S&H, you can get a signed Carlos Santana bat on eBay.

Justin Masterson, on his 7-1 win over Chicago on Sunday, talking to the News-Herald's John Ingraham: "I'll take that any day. I'll take ground balls any day. I got what I wanted today. A lot of ground balls."

From The Plain Dealer
Dennis Manoloff's game story on the Indians' 7-1 focused, as it should have, on the triple play begun by Carlos Santana's catch of a botched sacrifice bunt attempt. And as usual in something like this, there's a bit of humor.

The runners were well on their way when Ramirez popped the second attempt down the first-base line. Santana, already pinching in at the urging of Cabrera, laid out to grab it. When Santana caught the ball, Quentin was at third and Pierzynski at second.

"We were yelling to Orlando to go to second," catcher Lou Marson said. "I think everybody in the stadium was yelling it. You guys [reporters] probably were yelling, too."

Cabrera said: "Everybody was yelling at me, 'Second! Second!' I was like, 'Why?'"

Cabrera, who did not realize Quentin had reached third, tossed to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera at second to complete the 31st triple play by the defense in franchise history.
Columnist Bud Shaw puts the credit for the win squarely where it belongs: on Justin Masterson's masterful sinker.

And in his Indians Insider column, Dman talked to O-Cab about his work at the plate. Note to other AL pitchers: A first-pitch fastball down the middle of Main Street probably isn't a good idea.


Masters 2011: Phil Mickelson favored in a tournament marking the silver anniversary of the Golden Bear's win

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Remembering Jack Nicklaus' historic win at Augusta 25 years ago, giving him a record sixth green jacket as Masters champion.

jack-nicklaus-1986.JPGView full sizeIt was 25 years ago that Jack Nicklaus sank a birdie on the 17th hole that meant his record sixth green jacket as Masters champion.

Phil Mickelson just won the Shell Houston Open, and he's going to pro golf's version of Disneyworld: The Masters at Augusta.

This Masters, which opens on Thursday (or technically, with the Par 3 contest on Wednesday) could be an epic one.

Mickelson is going in as the favorite, courtesy of that win. But nobody's won back-to-back Masters since Tiger Woods did it in 2001-2002. Only Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo have done it in the history of the tournament.

Melanie Hauser, who writes for pgatour.com, has put together list of tidbits about the tournament.

Everybody's who's ever picked up a club has envisioned doing what Larry Mize did when he chipped in to defeat Greg Norman, or dreamt of curling in a 90-degree breaker like Tiger Woods. Those really are remarkable memories.

But the one that stands out to us (and possibly because this is Official Starting Blocks Nostalgic Day - be sure to write it down so you can send us flowers next year) is the 1986 victory of Jack Nicklaus, with his son Jackie on the bag.

Lots of folks think golfers are just overprivileged bad dressers devoid of emotion, and we concede there is some of that (would somebody PLEASE buy Rickie Fowler a pair of Levis, eyebrow tweezers and a cap that fits? In a color that doesn't remind you of a bad trip at a Grateful Dead gig?). But there are hearts in these guys.

Witness what Curtis Stange, a Masters champ himself, told Hauser:

"I was like four groups in front of Jack, so I heard the roars on the back side. But I think what I remember the most is, as a player if you're not winning, you finish the round and you escape as quickly as possible. Well, that afternoon, we didn't leave. I, along with all of my colleagues, sat in that locker room in the player dining there, riveted to the TV. It was truly amazing. The one last impression that I have in my mind is Jackie and Jack walking off the last green together, arm in arm. I think as a father we all can relate to that. At 46, that was unheard of back then. Forty-six back then would be like 56 today, so it was truly phenomenal."
Hard to believe that was 25 years ago, isn't it? Shoot, half the colors of Rickie Fowler's wardrobe hadn't even been invented then.

Dennis Rodman, Chris Mullin and Artis Gilmore among 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame class

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"Goose" Tatum, "Satch" Sanders, Arvydas Sabonis, Teresa Edwards, Tex Winter, Tara VanDerveer and Herb Magee also selected.

dennis-rodman-shawn-kemp.jpgThe defense of the Bulls' Dennis Rodman (left) causes problems for the Cavaliers' Shawn Kemp in a 1998 game.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Dennis Rodman, Chris Mullin and a trio of coaching legends are part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2011.

Coaches Tex Winter, innovator of the "Triangle" offense, Stanford's Tara VanDerveer and Philadelphia University's Herb Magee were part of the class announced Monday at the Final Four in Houston.

"It's cool, man. It's a great feeling," Rodman said.

Longtime NBA and ABA star Artis Gilmore, former Trail Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis and Olympic gold medalist Teresa Edwards also will be inducted. They are joined by Harlem Globetrotter Reece "Goose" Tatum and ex-Celtic Tom "Satch" Sanders.

The class will be formally inducted in Springfield, Mass., in August.

Their NBA scoring statistics don't do justice to the impact Rodman, Sanders and Sabonis had on the sport.

Rodman, whose best years were spent with the Pistons and Bulls, and Sanders were defensive specialists. Rodman led the NBA in rebounding seven straight seasons: from 1991-92 through 1997-98.

Sabonis, from Lithuania, was one of international basketball's most skilled and athletic centers, helping to make his national team a powerhouse. By the time he made his NBA debut at age 30 with Portland in 1995, his troublesome knees had diminished his mobility, but he still had seven productive seasons with the Trail Blazers.

Rodman, when asked who helped him get to the Hall of Fame, had a simple answer: "Me."

Rodman, known as much for his flair for fashion as his equally impressive defensive skills, did not disappoint Monday. The two-time NBA defensive player of the year wore sneakers, jeans, a black ballcap, tan vest with leopard and tan scarves, and his white shirt with gold sequined cuffs was unbuttoned and knotted at the waist, a la Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman."

For VanDerveer, Monday's announcement was bittersweet, coming just hours after her Stanford team lost 63-62 to Texas A&M in a national semifinal in Indianapolis.

"This is kind of a tough morning to be a basketball coach for me waking up after our loss last night," she said on a conference call. "This opportunity to be enshrined in Naismith is an incredible honor, and I'm overwhelmed by it."

In December, VanDerveer became the sixth woman to get 800 coaching victories.

"It's the ultimate compliment to a coach or basketball player," she said. "I'm humbled and honored. You should be really excited about it, but I wish it hadn't come on this day. I'm not feeling great about myself or how we played. You go back and think about all the things I could have done or should have done. The sun didn't come up this morning here."

Five-time NBA All-Star and St. John's all-time leading scorer Mullin learned he had made the Hall in an early morning phone call that woke him up.

"I actually went back to sleep, but I slept with a big smile on my face," Mullin said.

---- Associated Press and Plain Dealer staff

NFL Roger Goodell says next labor deal must include testing for HGH

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the next bargaining agreement with players must include a provision to allow for testing for human growth hormone.

roger-goodell-ap.JPGView full sizeNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told an audience of Maryland high school students that the next labor agreement -- if and when it comes -- must provide for testing for human growth hormone. The substance already is banned, but the now-expired collective bargaining agreement didn't include language to permit testing for it.

Woodlawn, Md. -- One of the hundreds of high school students attending an assembly Monday about the dangers of performance-enhancing substances wanted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to answer this question:

Why is there more drug use in baseball than football?

Goodell began his response this way: "I'm not sure that's true."

While making sure to emphasize that he believes the NFL's drug-testing program is a strong one, Goodell acknowledged that it can be improved, and he said the league will insist that its next labor deal with players -- whenever there is one -- includes testing for human growth hormone.

"We'd be naive to think that people aren't trying to cheat the system. But we have to have the best testing program to be able to offset that," Goodell told reporters after joining Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, to speak to area students at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County.

"I made it clear to the kids in the room today that the integrity of the NFL is critical, and we need to make sure we're doing everything possible to have the best drug program in sports," Goodell said. "Making changes to our program is critical and we have done that over the years. We need to do more, including the inclusion of HGH testing."

Preventing athletes from using HGH is considered a key target in the anti-doping movement. The substance is hard to detect, and athletes are believed to choose HGH for a variety of benefits, whether they be real or only perceived -- including increasing speed and improving vision.

HGH use is prohibited by the NFL, but the league's old collective bargaining agreement did not have testing for it. Goodell said he thinks players "recognize the importance of" adding HGH tests.

NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah declined to comment Monday. The NFLPA has opposed blood tests in the past but did say last summer it would be open to hearing a proposal from the league during CBA talks. Goodell said Monday HGH was "part of a broader proposal on where we go with our drug program."

CBA negotiations broke off March 11, and the old deal expired. The NFLPA said it would no longer function as a union, and a group of players filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota. The owners then locked out the players. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on the players' request for a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout.

Goodell wouldn't say whether he's optimistic about what will happen in court.

"We're going to present our case, and the judge will make their decision from there," he said.

Asked whether owners have decided under what rules the league would operate if the injunction is granted, Goodell said: "We're prepared for every outcome. I can promise you that. And we don't believe this is an issue that should be decided in court. This is an issue that should be decided at the bargaining table. We have to get back to that bargaining table, no matter what the outcome of litigation is."

Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he talked briefly to Goodell about the NFL lockout.

"The players and the owners have got to understand that this is bigger than them, and that we've got a lot of folks who are spending their hard-earned dollars to come and watch football games, and many of them struggle for those dollars, and there are a lot of people out work," Cummings said. "I would hope that Congress would not have to get involved in this. ... That is not something I would advocate for. We have enough problems we're dealing with, as it is."

P.M. Cleveland Browns links: Another McCoy in the wings; Peyton Hillis still in running for Madden 2012 cover

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Is Colt McCoy's backup -- and blood -- about to take over as quarterback at Texas? Also, Peyton Hillis is still in the running to be on the Madden 2012 cover.

mac-brown-colt-mccoy-ap.JPGView full sizeThe reunion of Texas coach Mac Brown and his star, Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy, drew tons of applause in Austin Sunday. Also earning some hand-clapping: a TD pass from Colt's kid brother, Case, who could become the Longhorns' starter as a sophomore.

All you Colt McCoy detractors, take heed: There's a new kid on the horizon. He won't be out this year -- he's only a sophomore.

But in Sunday's spring game for McCoy's alma mater, the University of Texas, he threw for 124 yards and a touchdown and looked far superior to the guy who took over as starting quarterback for the Longhorns.

The kid's name? Case McCoy. Yep. Colt's baby brother. University of Texas, Class of '13. Coach Mack Brown tells espn.com there are some decisions to be made.

The Austin American-Statesman covered the scrimmage and came away impressed.

One of the biggest cheers at Sunday's Orange-White Game came when a former Longhorns quarterback Colt somebody snuck up on Mack Brown and gave him a hug.

There also were some cheers for Colt McCoy's little brother. While the battle to become Texas' starting quarterback is far from over, Case McCoy appeared to help himself more than the other three candidates at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

McCoy, leading Texas' second-string offense against its first-string defense, moved the ball more consistently than incumbent starter Garrett Gilbert, Connor Wood and David Ash.

McCoy completed nine of 11 passes for 124 yards and threw the game's only touchdown pass, an 11-yard strike to walk-on wide receiver Patrick McNamara.

"Strike." We like that. Yeah, it's a bit of a sportswriting cliche, but it shows that the water runs pretty deep in the McCoy accuracy gene pool.
 
First down
* And then there were eight. The brackets to see who's going to be on the cover of Madden '12 are tightening.

Browns running back Peyton Hillis is part of the Elite Eight. He's against the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles. The winner will face either Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers or New England's Danny Woodhead for the right to go against the other side of the bracket. That side features New Orleans' Drew Brees vs. Minnesota's Adrian Peterson; and Philadelphia's Michael Vick vs. San Francisco's Patrick Willis.

Vote early and often at ESPN.com.

* Mel Kiper, talking to SI.com's Peter King, calls it a crazy year for quarterbacks in the draft, made crazier by the consensus No. 1 who's NOT in the draft: Stanford's Andrew Luck.

* Oakland Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy was arrested Sunday on charges of possessing 11 Viagra pills without a prescription, according to USA Today. He told the Gainesville, Fla., cops who busted him -- and it took three to detain him, which is why he's also facing resisting arrest charges -- that he'd peeled the label off because he didn't want his girlfriend to know he had 'em. So keep that to yourself, OK?

* George Atallah, whose last title was director of external affairs for the now-decertified NFL Players Association, is taking to the web. He's answering fans' questions on NFLLockout.com. Today's questions include queries about salary caps and possible negotiation even with pending litigation.

* Former Ohio State and Walsh Jesuit standout Mike Vrabel, a member of the NFLPA Executive Committee, was arrested at 5:28 a.m. on felony theft charges, according to ProFootballTalk.com. Just what was reportedly stolen is unknown. He was popped in Florence, Ind., and freed from the Switzerland County hoosegow after posting $600 bail.

 

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