Indians outfielder Trevor Crowe, recovering from right shoulder surgery, thinks he could be playing again sometime before September.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Outfielder Trevor Crowe knew better than to slip into the Indians dugout during the 14-game winning streak at Progressive Field. If the streak ended, the night he arrived, his teammates would never let him forget.

But when the streak ended Wednesday against Tampa Bay, he felt it was OK to make an appearance.

He was there Friday night when Travis Hafner hit a two-run, two-out walkoff homer against Brandon League for a 5-4 victory overs Seattle.

"I was one of the first ones out there waiting to celebrate," said Crowe. "It was great just being in the dugout."

Crowe, however, was careful in his celebration at the plate. He stayed on the outside of the scrum and only slapped his teammates backs with his left arm. Crowe underwent surgery on his right shoulder on March 30.

He's scheduled for a check up in the next two weeks.

"Things are going very well," said Crowe. "I should be able to start baseball activities in the next couple of weeks."

Crowe thinks he can be back playing before September.

Regarding the surgery, Crowe said, "It was basically a clean up of my shoulder. I got really lucky. There wasn't as much work as I thought they'd have to do.

It's raining: Saturday's game was delayed with two out in the bottom of the first inning by rain. The Indians had runners on first and second when play was stopped.

Waiting game: Manager Manny Acta said center fielder Grady Sizemore (right knee) "could be' an option for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Sizemore has not played since jamming his knee sliding into second base in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game.

"Could be an option is key compared to will be," said Acta. "Today he's scheduled to increase on what he did Friday in the batting cage."

Tonight's lineups:

Mariners (16-23): Ichiro Suzuki (L), 3B Chone Figgins (S), 1B Justin Smoak (S), DH Jack Cust (L), C Miguel Olivo (R), LF Carlos Peguero (L), SS Brendan Ryan (R), CF Michael Saunders (L), 2B Jack Wilson (R), LHP Erik Bedard (1-4, 4.78).

Indians (24-13): CF Michael Brantley (L), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), 1B Shelley Duncan (R), DH Travis Hafner (L), 2B Orlando Cabrera (R), LF Austin Kearns (R), C Lou Marson (R), 3B Adam Everett (R), RHP Alex White (1-0, 3.75).

Him vs. me: Asdrubal Cabrera is 3-for-6 with a homer and Duncan 3-for-9 with a homer and four RBI against Bedard.

White has never faced the Mariners.

Left vs. right: Lefties are hitting .188 (3-for-16) and righties .357 (10-for-28) with three homers against White.

Lefties are hitting .243 (9-for-37) with one homer and righties .257 (29-for-113) with six homers against Bedard.

Quote of the day: "Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's what it feels like when Nolan Ryan's throwing balls by you," Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

Umpires: H Laz Diaz, 1B Scott Barry, 2B John Hirschbeck, 3B Wally Bell.

Next: RHP Josh Tomlin (4-2, 2.70) will face Seattle's Michael Pineda (4-2, 2.84)

The lockout doesn't help the Browns as they move away from the defense they used for several years.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerThe Browns' defense, here halting New Orleans' Devery Henderson, will employ the 4-3 next season instead of the 3-4 of recent years.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NFL post-draft analysis has pretty much run its course.

Due to the lockout, teams have made minimal contact with the players they drafted.

Players are banned from the facilities and practice fields of the Cleveland Browns and the 31 other NFL teams.

Little is left to discuss but history. Dave Kolonich, writing for Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report, goes over the coaching history of the Browns' new defensive coordinator, Dick Jauron.

Kolonich writes, in part:

Jauron’s history indicates that all of his defenses improved in their first year under his helm. Chicago’s defense became a powerhouse unit, while both Detroit and Buffalo allowed upwards of 50 fewer points during Jauron’s first season as coach. As for the blueprint for Jauron’s initial success, each of these teams featured some massive bulk at the defensive tackle positions, along with one run-stopping defensive end and another more geared to rush the quarterback. Filling in the gaps of Jauron’s various front seven alignments were veteran linebackers such as Warrick Holdman, Earl Holmes, London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes.

Arriving in Cleveland, Jauron faces another impressive challenge, as the Browns are transitioning from six years of a 3-4 system into a more traditional 4-3 defense.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes PD Browns beat writer Tony Grossi talking about the team on Friday's Starting Blocks TV. And, Grossi writes about Jauron wanting to get started with his new team and its new defense.

Grossi writes about the challenge ahead for the Browns and Jauron:

The changes involved in moving from a 3-4 alignment to the traditional 4-3 are more complex than simply subtracting a linebacker and replacing him with a fourth lineman. There will be a culture shock suffered by returning players not versed in the scheme.

Just the difference in coordinators will throw them -- going from gregarious, fun-lovin', back-pattin' Rob Ryan to the subdued, Yale-educated Jauron. Jauron has to undo six years of the Browns stocking linemen for the 3-4. Now the team needs two speedy defensive ends and two tackles -- one to stay at home and the other to provide some inside pass rush.

"We knew there'd be a lot of change, a real lot of change," Jauron said. "Certainly, the 4-3 is different than the 3-4. So up front, we knew we'd have to get personnel that fit our scheme, just like they went after personnel that fit theirs."

Post patterns 

James Walker of EXPN.com answers readers' questions and responds to comments about the Browns and the other AFC North teams.

Recent Browns' draft-day moves, by Dave Kolonich on Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report.

Matt Florjancic of clevelandbrowns.com writes about Dick Ambrose, a solid linebacker for the Browns from 1975-83, and now a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge.

On NFL.com, an Associated Press report on how the lockout makes things difficult for new coaches and young quarterbacks.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository also writes about the Browns changing their base defense.

Browns cornerback Joe Haden, already known as a loyal Cleveland Cavaliers fan, is rooting on the Indians, too. By Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Josh Tomlin takes the mound against Seattle on Sunday for the Indians, who were rained out Saturday after Hafner's last-chance clout gave them a 5-4 win over Mariners on Friday night.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer Travis Hafner (fourth from left) is congratulated by happy teammates after his two-run walkoff homer gave the Indians a 5-4 win over the Mariners on Friday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Major league baseball's 162-game schedule allows teams to usually think, "Well, there's another game tomorrow," after a tough loss.

To turn that around, the nature of the near-daily grind doesn't allow teams to savor sweet wins for long.

Therein lies the benefit for the Cleveland Indians in the aftermath of Friday night's dramatic 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The rainout of Saturday's Indians-Mariners game allows the Tribe and its fans another night to enjoy the memory of Travis Hafner's ninth-inning, two-out, two-run home run that made Cleveland a winner for the 24th time in 37 games this season.

Jordan Bastian writes for MLB.com that Friday night was still the topic of conversation on Saturday morning at Progressive Field:

A smile crept across manager Manny Acta's face on Saturday morning when he was asked if he could tell a difference in the decibel level inside Progressive Field on Friday night.

"You can't miss it, man," Acta said.

For Friday's game, a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Mariners, the Indians drew an announced crowd of 33,773. Within that total was the second-largest walk-up crowd (8,519) in the history of the stadium.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes Dennis Manoloff's report on Saturday's postponed game, for which no makeup date has yet been announced; Manoloff's game story on the Indians' Friday night win over the Mariners; PD beat writer Paul Hoynes' Cleveland Indians daily briefing; and much more.

The Mariners and Indians are scheduled to play Sunday afternoon at 1:05. Seattle is expected to start 67-, 260-poind rookie righthander Michael Pineda (4-2, 2.84). Righty Josh Tomlin (4-1, 2.70) will start for the Indians.

Around the horn

ESPN.com video on the AL Central Division race including, of course, the Indians.

Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about Eric Wedge, Seattle's first-year manager who was the Indians' skipper from 2003-09.

Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider looks back at his top 30 rankings (he's ranked as many as 100 players) of Indians prospects over each of the last five years.

Indians 5, Mariners 4 game story by Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Indians-Mariners Friday night game story by Bob Finnan of the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.

Browns cornerback Joe Haden is not only a Cavaliers fan, but an Indians fan, too. By Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Indians notebook by Jordan Bastian on MLB.com.

Eric Wedge back in Cleveland with the Mariners. An AP report on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Indians 5, Mariners 4 game story by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Foul play was not immediately suspected. Boogaard, a fan favorite and considered one of hockey's most intimidating players, was found dead Friday in his Minneapolis apartment.

Associated PressDerek Boogaard playing for the New York Rangers earlier this season.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- It may be weeks before authorities know exactly how and why New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard died, although foul play was not immediately suspected.

The 28-year-old player was found dead Friday in his Minneapolis apartment. Few details were available, but the news rippled across the NHL, where the 6-foot-7 Boogaard was a fan favorite and one of the game's most feared fighters. He missed most of last season because of a concussion and shoulder injury from a fight.

"I don't think we have any answers as to what happened or why it happened," Ron Salcer, Boogaard's agent, said Saturday.

Authorities received a report of a man not breathing shortly before 6:15 p.m. Friday, Minneapolis police Sgt. William Palmer said. Minneapolis fire officials were the first to arrive and determined he was dead.

Palmer said authorities do not suspect foul play at this point, but the police department's homicide unit and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating. Palmer said the medical examiner will decide the cause of death.

An autopsy was being conducted Saturday, but county spokeswoman Carol Allis said results probably will not be released for at least two weeks.

She said in cases with no obvious signs of physical trauma or an obvious immediate cause of death, it takes time to receive results of laboratory tests. Allis said the medical examiner's office doesn't anticipate releasing preliminary autopsy findings until all results are in.

"The news that we have lost someone so young and so strong leaves everyone in the National Hockey League stunned and saddened," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "The NHL family sends its deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Derek Boogaard, to those who played and worked with him and to everyone who enjoyed watching him compete."

Glen Sather, the Rangers' president and general manager, called Boogaard an "extremely kind and caring individual" and a "very thoughtful person."

Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Boogaard was an "amazing teammate."

"Anytime anything happened or if you needed anything, Boogy was always there. He was always a pleasure to be around. Always joking and having fun."

Rangers forward Brandon Prust said on Twitter: "At a loss for words. I'll miss my roomy Derek Boogaard. You will be missed by everyone. Great friend and teammate."

Fans, meanwhile, flocked online to express their sadness. For years, fans have been going to YouTube to watch "The Boogeyman" do battle.

His final game was Dec. 9 at Ottawa when he fought Matt Carkner and sustained a concussion and shoulder injury. That was the 70th fight of his NHL career, and by midday Saturday more than 80,000 people had watched replays of that fight on YouTube.

Boogaard signed a four-year, $6.5 million deal with the Rangers in July and appeared in 22 games last season. He had a goal and an assist to go with 45 penalty minutes.

Boogaard was out for the last 52 games of the regular season because of his injuries and did not play in the playoffs. He didn't skate again until about three months after the concussion. He was sent home to Minnesota late in the season to work on conditioning.

In several player polls, Boogaard was voted as the league's most intimidating player. When the Rangers signed him last summer, Sather said the decision was made because Boogaard was "the biggest and toughest."

He had seven fights with the Rangers. His lone goal of the season was scored at home against Washington on Nov. 9. That ended a drought of 234 games he played without a goal, dating to Jan. 7, 2006. It was the longest streak without a goal in the league.

Boogaard began his NHL career with Minnesota and appeared in 255 games with the Wild from 2005-10. He missed four games with the Wild because of a concussion. In 277 regular-season games with Minnesota and the Rangers over six seasons, he had three goals and 13 assists and 589 penalty minutes.

Minnesota center Pierre-Marc Bouchard played with Boogaard for five years.

"Every player on our team felt a little bit more safe with him on the ice with us," Bouchard said in a phone interview. "He was really tough on the ice, but outside the ice he was a great guy."

Wild media relations coordinator Ryan Stanzel first met Boogaard when he was working the ECHL and Boogaard was assigned to Lafayette, La., in 2002.

"I remember the first day he was on the ice, he was larger than life," Stanzel said. "He was so much bigger than everybody in that league. He certainly wasn't the best skater in the world, but he worked 45 minutes to an hour every day after practice with the coaches on his footwork."

San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan coached Boogaard for two years in the minors in Houston.

"He was a lovable guy that everybody liked," McLellan said. "Obviously mean and nasty on the ice. He'll be sorely missed."

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Boogaard was drafted by Minnesota in 2001 in the seventh round, the 202nd choice. He drew notice in 2007 when he and brother Aaron ran a hockey-fighting class in Saskatchewan. Some voiced concern about such a camp. Boogaard insisted he wasn't teaching kids how to hurt each other, but rather how to protect themselves so they don't get hurt on the ice.

This is the second death of a player in the Rangers organization in the past three years. Alexei Cherepanov, drafted in 2007 but never signed by New York, died at 19 in Chekhov, Russia, in 2008, after collapsing on the bench during a game.

Roman Lyashenko, who briefly played with the Rangers several years ago, was found dead in a hotel in Turkey in 2003. His death was believed to be a suicide.

Fans can do all the calculations they want on what the schedule has in store for the first-place Indians. Manager Manny Acta isn't going to worry about it until the All-Star break.

Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerShin-Soo Choo and the Indians will try again Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against the Mariners to close out this homestand.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Put away the calculators. Power off the pie charts. Cancel your next visit to the neighborhood fortune teller.

"Too early, way too early," said manager Manny Acta, before Saturday's game against the Mariners was rained out at Progressive Field.

Josh Tomlin will face Seattle's Michael Pineda Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Saturday's game won't be replayed until Seattle makes its second and final visit to Cleveland on Aug. 22-24. If it's not made up as doubleheader during the three-game series, both teams have an off day on Aug. 25.

Fans must keep their Saturday tickets so they can use them when the postponement is rescheduled.

Saturday's game was called with two out in the bottom of the first. There was no score, but the Indians had two runners on base with Travis Hafner at the plate. Alex White pitched a perfect first inning. Lefty Erik Bedard started for the Mariners.

The game was officially postponed after a two-hour delay. Acta said White will be available to pitch out of the bullpen on Monday. If not, he'll make his next scheduled start Thursday against the White Sox.

Now back to the calculators.

Some managers are number freaks. They dissect the schedule, adding and subtracting until they have every possible scenario for the remainder of the season mapped out to their satisfaction. If we do this and teams B, C, D and E do that, we'll be drinking champagne at the end of the season.

Acta, despite the Indians' 24-13 record, is avoiding all such mathematical endeavors. He studies scouting reports, goes over pitcher-hitter matchups and the opposition's tendencies. Just don't hand him a schedule. He doesn't want to see it.

"I'm not going to start crunching numbers or start following the other teams until the All-Star break," he said. "I understand that everybody has stories to write, but you can look up Boston's record right now and how many people are going to bet against them making the playoffs, compared to the first six games."

The Red Sox, favored to not only reach but win the World Series in spring training, opened the year at 0-6. They've gone 18-14 since to improve to 18-20.

"It's very easy to sit down and say, 'There are only so many teams who have made the playoffs after starting the season 0-3.' Come on, we only have 159 games to go," said Acta.

While he tries to ignore the team races, Acta does pay attention to individual players.

"You still know it's early," said Acta. "I don't think Albert Pujols is going to hit .270. And I don't think Shin-Soo Choo is going to hit .220. I can bet my paycheck on that one."

Not only is this the Indians' best start since they went 26-11 in 2001, it's Acta's best start as a big-league manager. He's in his second year with the Indians after managing Washington for 2 1/2 seasons.

"It's always a little easier to handle when you're winning," said Acta. "I spend less time walking around and pumping guys up and trying to convince guys to be patient because things will turn around. It's easier in that aspect."

Managing is always about points and counterpoints.

"You to try and keep people even keel and cautious," said Acta. "It's early. We can't get comfortable and we've still got to work hard and still get out there and try to win every single day. We're not even close to where we want to be."

Acta said the success of the first 37 games of the season started during the 93 losses of 2010. He complimented Eric Wedge, now managing Seattle, for stressing that the team be built around players with character during his seven years as the Tribe's manager.

"I had a great time here last year because of the character of these guys," said Acta.

Still, there's nothing like being on a hot streak.

"It's easier to go home at night when you're winning," Acta said with a smile. "Not that it makes any difference because my wife's not here. I don't have anyone to fight with. But I'm pretty good at not taking my game home anyway."

Chagrin Falls architect Jeff Graves toppled a field of 131 pro anglers from around the country on Saturday in his first National Guard FLW Walleye Tour event.

D'ARCY EGAN/THE PLAIN DEALERJeff Graves of Chagrin Falls puts the winning Lake Erie walleye on the FLW Walleye Tour scale on Saturday in Port Clinton to win the national fishing tournament, and $50,000.

PORT CLINTON - Chagrin Falls architect Jeff Graves toppled a field of 131 pro anglers from around the country on Saturday in his first National Guard FLW Walleye Tour event. Trolling locally-made Reef Runner lures, Graves won $50,000 for a three-day limit of 15 walleye weighing 117 pounds, 6 ounces.

Tom Kennan of Hatley, Wisc., totalled 116-5 to finish second in the pro division, winning $22,500. He was followed by first-day leader Danny Steffans (106-5, $16,000) of Oxford. Wisc. Also in the top 10 in the pro division were Ohio anglers Shawn Ritchie (5th, 94-8, $7,000) of Spencer, Canton's Scott Geitgey (6th, 94-4, $6,000) and Mark Brumbaugh (7th, 91-5, $5,000) of Arcanum.

In the co-angler division, the top three finishers were: Ed Szymczak of Osceola, Ind., who won $6,000 with a total of 98-9; Daniel Leach (97-9, $3,000) of Linwood, Mich.; and Todd Rairigh (93-6, $1,800) of Sheffield Lake, Ohio. 

 "I've been fishing for Lake Erie walleye for about 15 years, but didn't get into tournament fishing until four years ago," said Graves, 62, an owner of Sedlak Management Consultants of Cleveland.  "My best finishes have been a seventh on the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, and a 33rd in the MWC tournaments. This tournament was a lot more fun."

 While many pro fishermen struggled to catch a tournament limit of five walleye each day, Graves said he was "culling" his catch all three days of the competition, releasing small walleye and keeping the biggest ones. He was the only angler to weigh a pair of limits over 40 pound over the first two days.

Graves revealed he was trolling Marblehead-made Reef Runners lures about 28 feet down in 50 to 60 feet of water at a speed of 2.1- to 2.2-miles per hour. His top colors were raspberry dolphin and copperhead.

 "Jeff Graves is a smart guy, and a smart fisherman," said Lorain's Ronnie Rhodes, Graves' partner for the past year in local walleye tournaments. Rhodes was 25th the FLW event. "He studies the systems that catch fish and is very precise in his lure presentations."

In a Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament hosted by the Western Basin Sportfishing Association at Sandusky on Saturday, winners Michael Doornink of Pittsburgh, Pa. and Bridget Urie of Columbus Grove, Ohio brought in a limit of five walleye weighing 42.81 pounds. Jerome Dorlack of Monroe, Mich. and Todd Miller of Ingleside, Ill were second with 39.77 pounds, followed by Jeff Lash of North Lawrence, Ohio and Alan Baumgardner of White Hall, Md., with 38.39 pounds.

The NFL lockout is a counter-productive money grab by the already obscenely rich and powerful owners.

View full sizeStephen Chernin / Associated PressNFL commissioner Roger Goodell absorbed considerable anger for the lockout from fans at last month's draft, and his reputation is getting a little more tattered every day, says Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As "Camp Colt" moves from the University of Texas to Baldwin-Wallace, with other undisclosed sites possibly in the offing, one thing becomes obvious: How much the players for the Browns and other teams love the game the NFL owners have taken away from them.

Although there is some debate about the usefulness of such informal workouts, this is exactly the kind of enterprise fans want to see from their team and its leader, Colt McCoy.

A.J. Hawk, who won a Super Bowl in Green Bay last season after starring at linebacker at Ohio State, says such workouts are almost useless, since they can't come close to simulating game conditions. For a young team like the Browns, though, the downside, except for a freak injury which could occur anywhere, is hard to see. At the very least, McCoy and his receivers get some timing down through repetitions and, since McCoy has a playbook of the new West Coast offense, the players can familiarize themselves with it.

That the players should have to travel the land to practice together speaks to the destructive effects of this needless lockout, not to mention the gall of the owners who have fostered it.

The NFL is the most successful sports league in this country by far. Even now, in a troubled economy, Americans can't get enough vicarious violence on Sunday, so games are also played on Monday, Saturday and Thursday. Television networks negotiate with the league the way vassals did with medieval lords, murmuring, "Your wish is my command, my liege."

It does not seem to matter that the league did not get on top of the concussion issue for too long, although the physical price the game exacted was obvious every time you saw Doug Dieken's bow-legged gait (until he had a double knee replacement) or listened to Bernie Kosar's slurred words. The latter was caused in part by Kosar's refusal to use a mouthpiece so he could clearly call out audibles -- and by the shots he took to his unprotected mouth as a result.

Yet one of the things the NFL is seeking in the next collective bargaining agreement is an 18-game regular season. They claim the fans want that. But what fans probably want is two fewer overpriced, half-baked exhibition games, not two more games that will count and will increase the injury toll on players.

The NFL is a $9 billion organization. The owners immediately take $1 billion off the top under the old CBA to cover expenses. Now they want another billion and more games that count to increase the gate receipts. Otherwise, they say, they can't conduct business the way they have in the past.

When the players asked to see the books to determine just how dire are the owners' straits, the response was the same as always: "Not no how, not no way." You know, just as it was when Dorothy asked to see the Wizard of Oz.

It is at this point that we must mention NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

Goodell cuts a fine figure in a suit. He looks like a leader. But the effect of his hard-line stance was to have fans almost booing him off the stage at the NFL Draft.

He is wasting the equity he built up with fans for a firm, but measured response to the Michael Vick dog-fighting scandal. Adam "Pac-Man" Jones and other miscreants felt the sting of his wrath. But a commissioner has to be about more than preventing vicious treatment of animals by his employees and policing the help at last call.

Fans usually blame players for labor disputes because they are living out the fans' fantasies and still want more benefits. This time, though, the majority of fans polled fault the owners.

This needless lockout disadvantages young teams. It hurts the integration into the Browns' system of the players from their much-praised draft. It leaves in limbo the many undrafted players who could sign as free agents with the team that best fits their abilities. Josh Cribbs began that way.

Goodell's answer is a grandstanding promise to take a $1 salary during the lockout. It should not disguise that the NFL is seeking to exploit its own players, who endure more punishment and play for a shorter time with less contractual security than in any other mainstream sport.

This is a money grab by the already obscenely rich and powerful, and nothing more.

Follow Bill Livingston on Facebook and on Twitter @LivyPD

Hazell, 47, is striving to turn around the Golden Flashes after nine stops as an assistant, most recently molding Ohio State's top pass-catchers into NFL wide receivers.

View full sizeLonnie Timmons III / The Plain DealerNew Kent State coach Darrell Hazell has an express purpose for that yellow KSU helmet that is displayed in the Golden Flashes' football offices. "That's our bowl helmet this year," he says, trying to turn around the fortunes of a program that has seldom needed to worry about bowl gear.

KENT, Ohio -- Aside from a go-cart he patched together as a kid, Darrell Hazell hadn't built anything in his life.

But the summer before last, his son wanted a tree house, so Hazell dug in and got to work. There were no directions. All he had was a hammer and nails, a hand saw, an old circular saw and the self-induced pressure of not wanting the project to linger all summer.

He talked a forklift operator into loading the frame into his tree, then he and a neighbor finished the shingles in a thunderstorm.

The tree house was done in 16 days.

Now he's faced with another construction project -- again with no owner's manual, no lessons learned from having done it. In December, Hazell, 47, became head football coach at Kent State after nine stops as an assistant, most recently molding Ohio State's top pass-catchers into NFL wide receivers.

He left a program where four-loss seasons are volcanic to coach a program that hasn't won a conference title or played a bowl game in almost 40 years. There's much work to be done.

Like the tree house, he couldn't wait to get started.

In January, Ohio State returned to Columbus from its hair-thin Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas at 5 a.m. After an hour-and-a-half catnap at home in Westerville, Hazell cleaned up, packed, told his family that he was leaving and hit the road for Kent, arriving shortly after noon for a staff meeting on his first day on the job.

Hazell is meticulous, almost militarily precise, whether in his vest and sweatshirt -- always tucked into long sweatpants -- or the pinstriped suit and tie, white shirt and cuff links he wears to the office. In late March, he was so keyed up for his first practice as a head coach he awoke way ahead of his usual 5:30 a.m. alarm. He told the media it was 4:09. Not 4 or 4:15, but 4:09.

His smile is effervescent -- and ever-present. Those who know him best describe a quiet confidence, a quality from being ultra-prepared.

Kent signed Hazell to a five-year deal for $300,000 per year, plus bonuses for reaching specific recruiting, attendance and other performance goals. If his team wins at least eight games in any of his last three seasons, for instance, his contract is extended two years.

Making a fast impression

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerDarrell Hazell and his coaching staff have been busy creating new ties to Ohio high schools unfamiliar with the Golden Flashes. During the KSU spring scrimmage, Hazell spent time with recuit Skevo Zembillas of Campbell Memorial.

Hazell has been granted sufficient time to rebuild the program, not that you could tell at a recent spring practice.

"Let's go, let's go, lets go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he shouted above the mock crowd noise blaring throughout Kent's Field House.

About 100 high school coaches watched, some taking notes, pictures and video of the drills. Coaches from Grove City, Boardman and Ravenna, from Crestwood, Lake Catholic and Cleveland Heights, from Madison, Canfield and Hoban. They were invited for practice and a "Chalk Talk," where Kent's assistants drew up plays and formations on grease boards and answered questions in the football classrooms beneath the home stands of Dix Stadium.

When Hazell and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had discussed Kent State's interest in him, Tressel urged him to recruit talent-rich Ohio. There's also an incentive for Hazell to do so. Each year in which at least 60 percent of his football scholarships go to players from Ohio is worth $5,000.

In the first five weeks, Hazell and his staff crammed in recruiting visits to coaches at 30 out-of-state schools and 177 high schools in Ohio, many of whom told them Kent State hadn't paid them a visit in years.

One was Orange football coach Adam Bechlem, who said hadn't heard from KSU while there, or at Garfield Heights, where he previously coached. "Within two weeks of taking over, coach Hazell was in [our] school," he said. "I thought they should be more visible. This was their back yard."

During halftime of the cold and wet spring football game at Dix Stadium, Hazell and his assistants schmoozed high school recruits on the sidelines. Some, like senior tailback Terrell Bates of state champion St. Edward and 6-4, 245-pound defensive end Nate Terhune of Orange, had already committed to Kent State. Others were high school juniors on their radar for next year. Many wore their school colors -- Cardinal Mooney, Campbell Memorial, Alliance.

"Hey," said offensive coordinator Brian Rock, striking up a conversation, "my wife was born in Alliance."

Hazell and his crew were setting a foundation.

Lineage of developing talent

Hazell replaced Doug Martin, who was 29-53 in seven years and announced late in the Golden Flashes' 5-7 season he wouldn't be back for another.

If not for the team pictures and their season records hung year by year on the walls of the MAC Center, Kent State's legacy of losing football would be almost unthinkable.

Since its lone bowl appearance, the losing has continued on and off through 11 coaching changes. It's continued despite a consistent run of NFL-caliber players, as a huge mural in the MAC Center lobby advertises to visitors: "Congrats to KSU 2008 NFL Pro Bowlers James Harrison, Josh Cribbs and Antonio Gates."

Hazell's name was among six to 10 that first-year athletic director Joel Nielsen kept on a ready list of head coaching candidates. Hazell's winning legacy, polished at Army, Rutgers, West Virginia and Ohio State, put him on Kent's radar. His OSU resume, where he coached future NFL receivers Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Hartline and the Browns' Brian Robiskie, spoke for itself. Tressel promoted him to assistant head coach within a year.

"People say, 'Well, he had all these [NFL] first-rounders,'" Gonzalez, a former St. Ignatius standout, said. "First of all, none of us were first-rounders when we got there. We were just kids."

Nielsen also heard how the OSU players felt about Hazell. Many still call Hazell's 10-year-old son, Kyle, on his birthday. In emotional good-byes after the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State receiver DeVier Posey was bawling.

"He was my father for three years," said Ginn, the former Glenville speedster who still talks to Hazell a few times a month. "He was on top of me in class, he was on top of me off the field."

"We had just as many conversations about how I was doing as we did about football," said Robiskie, the former Chagrin Falls standout. "And it was like that with all the guys."

During Kent's spring practices, Hazell left most of the yelling to his hand-picked assistants, one of whom is former Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman. The huge stack of resumes Hazell sifted through included coaching candidates he knew well and even learned from but didn't hire, because he thought they were too disrespectful to the players. He said that style of teaching turns his stomach.

Not that he's soft. When a KSU player continued to ignore warnings about blowing off required team study sessions, Hazell had his locker cleaned out. The player apologized and asked for another chance.

Coaches refer to such moments as "learning opportunities." This one was about commitment.

Program upgrade needed

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerFrom the moment he arrived to lead the program, Hazell has stressed developing pride and cohesiveness in the KSU locker room.

While Kent State's athletic administrators had a good idea about the commitment they would get from Hazell, he needed to find out kind of commitment he would get from Kent State -- namely, whether they were committed to winning.

Nielsen opened the books, revealing the financial realities of a Division I program that competes in the Mid-American Conference, not the wealthy Big Ten.

When Nielsen and associate AD Tom Kleinlein led Hazell on a tour of the football offices at the MAC Center, he was shocked. There were holes in the walls, discolored and missing ceiling tiles, '70s-style furniture and no place to watch game video.

Hazell thought to himself, "There's no way in the world I can bring recruits through here." He didn't have to say a thing.

"They said, 'I know, I know,'" he recalled.

Nielsen assured Hazell he would get whatever he needed to succeed. Hazell promised he wouldn't ask for anything that wasn't necessary.

On Hazell's second day on the job, a painter, carpet installer, electrician and architect were waiting outside his office. Three weeks later, the work was done.

For Hazell, the reconstruction was just beginning.

First, there must be pride

A sign on the front door where athletes train reads, "Attention: Staff and student-athletes. Please wear only Kent State apparel while in the weight room."

The reminder shouldn't be necessary, but the lack of pride -- shame even -- in a program accustomed to losing had permeated the football players themselves.

Around campus, the players rarely wore the dark blue and gold of Kent State, avoided eye contact in conversations with athletic staff and rarely hung around the football offices. Sophomore linebacker C.J. Steward said the team could feel the tension last season from coaches who were certain they were out if they didn't win.

When Hazell interviewed coaches from Martin's staff -- none of whom he retained -- he found so much separation between the offense and defense that the concept of "team" was almost nonexistent.

"And I'm not sure how long that went on," he said.

The question recruits want to know, Kleinlein said, is, "When's it going to change?"

Some players say the attitude already has, although that's typical after a coaching shuffle. Junior quarterback Spencer Keith said it feels like a fresh start. "There's a lot more sense of urgency," he said after a recent practice.

There'd better be. Hazell couldn't be walking into a more difficult debut, except for maybe facing his previous team at Ohio Stadium. (That comes in 2014, by the way.) When Alabama's opponent to open the 2011 season bailed, Nielsen jumped at the $1.2 million payday, even if KSU had to pay a $425,000 penalty to break a commitment to Purdue for the same date.

When Kent State takes the field in Tuscaloosa, the coach across the way might trigger a flashback for the program's loyal older fans. Alabama coach Nick Saban was a defensive back on the 1972 Kent State team that won the only Mid-American Conference championship in school history, earning a trip to the Tangerine Bowl.

As challenging as Alabama -- and a visit to Kansas State in week three -- will be, Hazell has a bigger concern: the team's traditional late-season collapse.

When researching the program before accepting the job, Hazell found that Kent State was 7-17 in November over the last seven years, and that the team had a bad habit of losing when games were on the line.

"You can't win championships and go to bowl games if you can't win in November," Hazell said.

When he brought up the November record at the first team meeting, the players had no idea. He also showed them a Kent State helmet that was shiny yellow instead of the traditional navy blue. He found it behind a bunch of boxes while rummaging through the equipment room the day after arriving at Kent. The dusty yellow helmet was a painting experiment from the past, but never used.

It now sits on the top shelf of a lighted curio cabinet Hazell picked out at Ikea in suburban Pittsburgh late one Friday night to have displayed in time for a weekend of on-campus recruiting visits.

The shelf below it has a ceramic Kent State football his son Kyle made for him; and nine rings, representing conference championships or bowl appearances Hazell earned at Ohio State and West Virginia. The helmet was purposely placed so recruits can see it as they approach his remodeled office from down the hall.

"That's our bowl helmet this year," Hazell said. "The equipment guy told me he can get them painted in four days."

Four days. One-fourth the time it takes to build a tree house.

The Browns are holding firm in not demanding employee pay cuts as the lockout enters its third month. Things could change in September, however.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerMike Holmgren has remained true to his word of not cutting Browns employees' salaries as the NFL lockout stretches into its third month.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the NFL owners' lockout stretched into its third month, some teams are implementing paycuts for low-salaried employees to save dimes in their $9 billion enterprise.

The Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins informed employees last week they will cut pay 20 percent for anyone making more than $75,000. Lower-salaried employees will take cuts of 15 or 10 percent.

Other teams that previously imposed paycuts include the Cardinals, Bills, Jets, Packers, Chargers and Raiders, according to reports. The Browns are holding firm to not institute any cuts at present.

Although they are downsizing the security department, say several sources, the Browns have not demanded paycuts, furloughs or other cost-cutting measures. They are holding true to comments made by President Mike Holmgren a few days after the lockout started on March 12.

At that time, Holmgren said, "It's going to be business as usual in the building for the Cleveland Browns. Our philosophy is that we're going to keep people working. We have a lot of good people working hard, doing their jobs, and we will continue to do that."

Last month, the NFL reduced salaries of its employees by 12 percent. Previously, Commissioner Roger Goodell and chief legal counsel Jeff Pash reduced their salaries to $1 until the lockout ends.

Two months ago, Holmgren joked, "I'm going on record. I am not working for $1 a year." But he also said with caution, "If the time comes where financially we get struck down, it probably starts with me."

Just about every head coach and assistant coach hired in the last three years has lockout language in their contracts, but most don't take effect until 90 days into the lockout. The current lockout reached 64 days on Sunday.

Larry Kennan, head of the NFL Coaches Association, which is not a formal union, said "a lot" of teams began taking money out of coaches salaries at the start of the lockout. He estimated as many as 13 teams currently are deducting coaches' pay.

"There are several teams that have clauses that say they can take money, but they haven't done so yet," Kennan said in an interview on Friday. He said 90 days is more of a benchmark to do so than 60 days.

Kennan said the Browns "are one of the better teams that are not going to do that until they feel they have to. With the Browns, it might be six months before they take any money from their coaches.

"That's kind of the benchmark for some of the real good teams that don't want to take money. Six months would take you up to September when the games are not being played. So they would have to do something at that point."

Hurry up and wait: Akron's Delone Carter took a break from personal workouts this weekend to attend commencement at Syracuse, where he starred as a running back. Carter, a fourth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, is in the same holding pattern as everyone else during the lockout.

He's eager to kickstart his career, but is a player without a league.

"I've been communicating with my new teammates on the Colts," Carter said in a phone conversation while driving to Syracuse on Friday. "They're trying to get the rookies together and start some workouts. They might start next week."

Carter, a compact 5-9 and 225 pounds, is excited about joining an offensive juggernaut headlined by multi-MVP winner Peyton Manning at quarterback.

"Man, I'm just waiting for this lockout to be over," Carter said. "I've just got to be patient."

After the Colts selected Carter in the fourth round, Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said, "He's a different style of back than we've had in some time here. He's much more of an inside slam-bang kind of runner than we're used to having, and brings what we think is a much-needed skill set that we've been lacking."

Carter, who attended Copley High School and earned Ohio Mr. Football honors in 2005, graduated in December with a degree in child and family studies.

Every little bit helps: Browns left tackle Joe Thomas recently donated $5,000 to help pay for a new artificial turf football field at his high school in Wisconsin, Brookfield Central. The NFL matched the donation through its Player Matching Grant program. So Thomas accounted for $10,000 of the turf cost of $139,400.

Besides last at-bat victories at Progressive field, fans might see Browns cornerback Joe Haden walking through stands dressed up like Indians reliever Tony Sipp or outfielder Michael Brantley.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerJoe Haden has made no secret of his fondness for wearing the jerseys (and occasionally, the hairstyles) of Cleveland athletes that he supports while attending their games. With basketball season over, the Indians' Tony Sipp was the latest subject of Haden's sartorial efforts on Friday night -- and Michael Brantley could be the next.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You never know what you're going to see at the ballpark.

Friday night some of the 33,774 fans who turned out to watch the Indians beat Seattle, 5-4, on Travis Hafner's walk-off homer with two out in the ninth inning, may have been surprised to see Tony Sipp, in full uniform, walking in the seats watching the game.

That would be unusual, to say the least, because Sipp pitched the final 1 1/3 innings Friday night to earn the victory.

So who was the Tony Sipp double that some fans asked for an autograph? None other than Browns cornerback Joe Haden. Tony Amato, the Indians' clubhouse manager, supplied Haden with the uniform.

Haden isn't done. Later this season he wants to impersonate Michael Brantley during a game. During the Cavs' season, Haden attended games and sat near the bench wearing the uniforms of Anderson Varejao, Baron Davis and J.J. Hickson.

Switch signals: Grady Sizemore went from being a tentative option to play Sunday against Seattle to no option at all.

Sizemore has missed four games with a sore right knee injured on a slide into second base Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Before Saturday's game was rained out, manager Manny Acta said Sizemore "could be an option" on Sunday. After the rainout, Acta said Sizemore would not play.

Sizemore hit in the batting cage Saturday, but apparently things didn't go that well.

Good timing: Outfielder Trevor Crowe knew better than to slip into the Indians' dugout during the 14-game winning streak at Progressive Field. If the streak ended the night he arrived, his teammates would never let him forget it.

When the streak ended Wednesday against Tampa Bay, he felt it was OK to make an appearance. He was there for Friday night's victory.

"I was one of the first ones out there waiting to celebrate," said Crowe. "It was great just being in the dugout."

Crowe, however, did not overdo the celebration. He stayed on the outside of the scrum and only slapped his teammates' backs with his left arm. Crowe underwent surgery on his right shoulder on March 30.

He's scheduled for a checkup in the next two weeks.

"Things are going very well," said Crowe. "I should be able to start baseball activities in the next couple of weeks."

Crowe thinks he can be back playing before September. Regarding the surgery, Crowe said, "It was basically a clean-up of my shoulder. I got really lucky. There wasn't as much work as I thought they'd have to do."

Inhale, exhale: After sprinting around the bases and fighting his way through a maul of teammates waiting at the plate on Friday, Hafner was interviewed by STO's Rick Manning and Matt Underwood.

Hafner was still breathing hard during the interview. "I guess I'm not in shape," he told Manning and Underwood with a laugh.

On Saturday he said, "It's weird. I didn't do anything that took a lot of physical activity, I just couldn't catch my breath. It was fun."

Out of nowhere: Jim Folk, the vice president of ballpark operations at Progressive Field, said the storm that postponed Saturday's game and turned the outfield into a small lake came out of nowhere.

"We were looking at the radar and there was a front to the west," said Folk. "We thought it was going to miss us and we'd get the game in. Then we looked and saw another front coming out of the south. It was right on top of us."

This is Folk's 20th year with the Indians and he's never seen this much rain so early in the season.

Finally: On the message board in Acta's office are these two words in Spanish: Patience and Faith. ... The Indians were 15-22 at this time last year and eight games off the pace in the AL Central. ... The Hardball Classic at Progressive Field has been rescheduled for Monday, May 25 and May 26.

How many ping-pong balls? 14. How many possible combinations? 2,001.

View full sizeAP photoWhen the Chicago Bulls won the NBA draft lottery in 1999, GM Jerry Krause couldn't contain his excitement for a No. 1 pick who eventually became Duke's Elton Brand -- who played all of two seasons in Chicago gear.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Frequently asked questions about Tuesday's NBA lottery.

Q: How does the draft lottery work?

A: Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a drum. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Prior to the lottery, 1,000 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating teams by a computer. Four balls will be drawn to the top to determine a four-digit combination. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The four balls are placed back in the drum and the process is repeated to determine the number two and three picks. (Note: If the one unassigned combination is drawn, the balls are drawn to the top again.)

The order of selection for the teams that do not win one of the top three picks will be determined by inverse order of their regular-season record. Thus, Minnesota can pick no lower than fourth, Cleveland (19-63) no lower than fifth and Toronto (22-60) no lower than sixth.

The actual lottery procedure will take place in a separate room prior to the national broadcast on ESPN with NBA officials and representatives of the participating teams, the accounting firm of Ernst & Young and the media in attendance. After the drawing, team logo cards will be inserted into envelopes marked 1 through 14 by an Ernst & Young representative. These envelopes then will be sealed and brought onstage, where the announcement of the lottery results will be made by NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. A second representative from each participating team will be seated on-stage.

Neither Silver nor the team representatives will be informed of the results prior to the opening of the envelopes. The team whose logo is in the last envelope opened will pick first in NBA Draft 2011 on June 23 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Q: How many times has the team with the worst record earned the No. 1 pick?

A: Technically, twice in the previous 26 lotteries -- 1990 by New Jersey and 2004 by Orlando. In 2003, Cleveland and Denver tied with the worst records in the league, 17-65, and in a drawing to determine which team would draft first should neither earn one of the top three spots, Denver finished first and Cleveland second. So, technically, the Cavs moved up one spot by winning the lottery.

Q: How many times have the Cavs been in the lottery?

A: Counting their two picks this year, 14 times. In their previous 12 appearances, they picked 11 players, sending the 2005 pick to Charlotte via Phoenix in a trade.

Q: Who has made the most appearances in the lottery?

A: The Los Angeles Clippers have made 22 appearances. Golden State is second at 19 and Minnesota and Sacramento are tied at 16.

Q: Who has made the fewest appearances?

A: The Los Angeles Lakers (2) and San Antonio Spurs (3).

Q: What's the most lottery picks by one team in one year?

A: Orlando had three picks in 2000.

Q: How many teams have had two picks in one lottery?

A: Counting Utah and Cleveland this year, 11 teams have had two picks in the same lottery 14 times.

The Cavaliers hit the jackpot in the 2003 lottery, when they won the right to draft LeBron James with the No. 1 pick, but their overall luck hasn't been good.

View full sizeDavid I. Andersen / PDIn 1999, the Cavaliers drafted Utah's Andre Miller with the eighth pick determined in that year's draft lottery, then took Duke's Trajan Langdon three selections later. Miller has proven to be a quality NBA player for more than a decade ... Langdon not so much.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You could argue that the Cavaliers won the NBA lottery when they needed it most -- in 2003, when they had a chance to draft LeBron James, a hometown hero and once-in-a-generation talent.

But by and large, the team hasn't had much luck in the lottery proper or with the players it has drafted as a result. Only once has it actually improved its position, and that was more of technicality. In 2003, Cleveland and Denver tied with the worst records in the league, 17-65, and in a drawing to determine which team would draft first should neither earn one of the top three spots, Denver finished first and Cleveland second. So, technically, the Cavs moved up one spot by winning the lottery.

As for its lottery selections, 12 times Cleveland has had either its own lottery pick or that of another team as the result of a trade. It has made 11 picks, trading the 2005 selection to Charlotte via Phoenix, and it would be tough to name the second-best selection behind James.

Terrell Brandon in 1991? Kevin Johnson in 1987? Andre Miller in 1999?

In 1999, the Cavs had two chances in the lottery, just as they do Tuesday night in Secaucus, N.J. They took Miller with the No. 8 pick, one of their best selections, and Trajan Langdon with the No. 11 pick, one of their worst.

Miller is still playing in the NBA; Langdon played just three NBA seasons, although he had a successful career overseas, where he is still playing.

Miller's career path is not atypical for lottery selections. A recent chart by LaRue Cook in ESPN The Magazine showed that most lottery picks spend less than half their careers with their original teams. In the case of the Cavs, lottery picks play an average of 4.2 seasons in Cleveland and an average of 9.1 seasons in the NBA.

Of course, the Cavs average was tweaked a bit because the magazine included Brad Daugherty and Danny Ferry among the list of lottery players who suited up for the Cavs, and then spent eight and 10 years, respectively, with the team. Also, it figured in Jamal Crawford, who was drafted by the Cavs with the No. 8 pick in 2000 but traded that night to Chicago for Chris Mihm.

In an effort to rate how well teams do with their selections, the chart also broke down the Player Efficiency Rating (PER) or per-minute productivity for all the lottery picks through the 2010-11 season. The average Cav lottery choice has a 15.4 PER, which tied for eighth best in the team averages. The Spurs, who have been in the lottery only three times, and the Lakers, who've been in the lottery only twice, made the best selections, with their lottery picks averaging a 21.6 and 19.7 PER. Boston lottery picks had the worst average PER at 12.9.

Who did the Spurs and Lakers take with those picks, you ask? San Antonio won the lottery twice -- in 1987, when it took David Robinson, and in 1997, when it took Tim Duncan. In 1989, the Spurs finished third and took Sean Elliott. The Lakers took Eddie Jones with the 10th pick in 1994 and Andrew Bynum with the 10th pick in 2005.

The last 10 AL Central champions have averaged 92 wins per season. Here's what the Indians and the four other teams in the division have to do to reach 92 victories.

View full sizeJim Mone / Associated PressReliever Jim Hoey and the Minnesota Twins have dug themselves a very, very deep hole in the AL Central.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Twenty baseball moments from last week that you can't do without. All stats are through Friday.

1. Over the last 10 years, the team that has won the AL Central has averaged 92 victories a season. The Indians entered the weekend needing to go 68-57 (.544) over their last 125 games to win 92 games.

Here's what their four competitors would have to do to reach 92 wins: Detroit 71-52 (.577) in its last 123 games, Kansas City 72-52 (.581) in its last 124 games, Chicago 76-47 (.621) over its last 123 games and Minnesota 80-46 (.630) over its last 126 games.

The Twins have won the AL Central six of the last nine years, but only once before have they faced a double-digit deficit. They were 12 1/2 games out on May 26, 2006 before rallying to win the division.

2. MLB is investigating an operation that Yankee right-hander Bartolo Colon underwent in April of 2010 in which stem cells from his own body were injected into his right elbow and right shoulder to repair ligament and rotator cuff damage. The New York Times reported that the doctor who did the operation has done similar surgeries using human growth hormones, a banned substance in baseball.

Dr. Joseph R. Purita, who runs a regenerative medicine clinic in Florida, told the Times that he did not use HGH during Colon's surgery. The Indians scouted Colon over the winter and had no knowledge that Colon had such an operation.

3. In its first mock draft, Baseball America links the Indians, picking eighth overall, to UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer, Georgia Tech left-hander Jed Bradley and Dylan Bundy, a high school right-hander from Owasso (Okla.) High School.

4. The Indians will miss injured lefty Bruce Chen this week in Kansas City. He's 3-0 against them over the last two years.

5. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games. Victor Martinez, off the disabled list, has helped with a 12-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .488 (21-for-43) with six doubles, two homers and 14 RBI.

6. Detroit's Justin Verlander has allowed one run in 17 innings over his last two starts, including a no-hitter against Toronto.

7. Jhonny Peralta helped the Tigers beat the Twins on Wednesday with the first pinch-hit homer of his career.

8. The Twins, who have scored five or more runs just five times, are last in the big leagues in scoring.

9. The White Sox, playing 20 games in 20 days, are going with a six-man rotation. It will allow them to protect Jake Peavy, who is just off the disabled list.

10. Carlos Beltran hit three homers for the Mets on Thursday, one to center, one to right and one to left to beat Colorado.

11. Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez, who started the All-Star Game last year with a 15-1 record, is winless in six starts.

12. The Phillies have converted 12 of their first 13 save opportunities, the highest percentage rate in the big leagues, according to STATS, with injured closer Brad Lidge not registering a single save.

13. Cleveland Heights native Justine Siegel, who threw batting practice for the Indians in spring training, threw BP for the A's before Friday's game in Oakland.

14. Former Indian Edward Mujica, carted off the field Monday with a knee injury, returned Friday to earn the win in Florida's victory over the Nats.

15. The Padres raised their batting average from .219 to .230 with 23 hits Wednesday in a 13-6 win over Milwaukee.

16. Atlanta's Jayson Heyward, hitting .071 (2-for-28) in May, says his right shoulder has been bothering him since spring training.

17. Cincinnati's Aroldis Chapman faced four Astros on Tuesday, walking three and hitting the other. The Reds won, 7-3.

18. White Sox lefty John Danks has five quality starts, but he's 0-6 in his eight starts this season.

19. Twins lefty Francisco Liriano, fighting the flu, lasted three innings Tuesday against the Tigers following his no-hitter against Chicago.

20. Tim Lincecum's counterpart, Arizona's Ian Kennedy, ruined The Freak's no-hitter Tuesday with a one-out single in the sixth.

Indians' third baseman thinks his Progressive Field music is just right ... the melody and his play have been a hit.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer"You have to have good reactions (to play third base)," says the Indians' Jack Hannahan. "They call it the hot corner for a reason."

Q. Where did the Irish music come from that's played when you walk to the plate?

A. "My good buddies Mike Runyon and Teddy Casper own a local Irish pub in St. Paul, Minn., and that's their last-call song. When it gets jam-packed, they put those tunes on and the place goes wild.

"I was thinking, 'That's got a good beat.' So in 2005 I was at Toledo (Detroit's Class AAA team) and started using it. I started hitting pretty good and the place would just erupt. So it just stuck. The band's name is the Celtic Storm."

Q. How do you survive the winter in St. Paul?

A. "I love the winter. I love living in Minnesota because you get the four seasons. I'm outdoors all winter. I hunt a lot, ice fish. I have a cabin in northern Wisconsin.

"I've sat on a bucket in the middle of a lake, ice fishing. Or a bunch of my buddies have those big ice houses with the four bunk beds, the TV, the stove and everything. We stay out there all weekend."

Q. When you were a senior at Cretin-Derham High School in St. Paul, Joe Mauer was a freshman. Did you play on the same team?

A. "I didn't get to play with him, but I played baseball and basketball with his brothers Jake and Billy. I think everybody in St. Paul knew Joe was going to be one of those special players. He's huge, 6-6. Everybody knew him. He didn't strike out once in high school.

"He was just as good a football player as he was a baseball player. Even basketball, he could have played Division I. He comes from a great hard-working, hard-nosed family."

Q. What's the key to playing third base?

A. "You have to have good reactions. They call it the hot corner for a reason. You'll get some choppers, but the majority of balls are one-hoppers with some sink.

"I played shortstop my freshman year in high school, but then third all the way through college. When I got to pro ball, I played a lot of second, first and short, but somehow I always end up back at third."

Q. How old is your gamer, the glove you use in games?

A. "I've had my gamer since 2003. It's a Rawlings MP5JB model, 11 3/4 inches long. If I find a glove I like, I'm going to use it until it breaks. I've played with a lot of guys who have a new glove every year. I can't do that."

A win would have given the Gladiators the best eight-game start in franchise history. Instead, they fell to 5-3.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- For the third week in a row, Dan Whalen had to replace Kurt Rocco at quarterback for the Cleveland Gladiators. But it was an inability to move the offense, not an injury, which prompted coach Steve Thonn to make a switch this time.

The change behind center Saturday night didn't bring about a change of fortunes as the slow-starting Gladiators absorbed a 56-26 drubbing by the Orlando Predators.

A win would have given the Gladiators the best eight-game start in franchise history. Instead, they fell to 5-3 and are bound to face questions this week about whether Rocco or Whalen will start in their next game at The Q against the Philadelphia Soul.

"Obviously we're struggling on offense," Thonn said. "We've been struggling on offense for the last four weeks or so. Our defense is still playing good. But we have to do a much better job of [scoring points with] whoever's going to be the quarterback. You can't score 20, 30 points in this league and expect to be successful."

Troy Bergeron, who managed only two catches in the loss but was still able to extend his streak of games with at least one touchdown to 11, said: "They're both rookie quarterbacks, and they're still learning the game. It's just hard to get a rhythm out there. We find a rhythm at times, and at times we don't."

Rocco, who injured his left ankle early in the third quarter a week ago in a win over Milwaukee, got off to an inauspicious beginning. With the Gladiators in a 7-0 hole, his off-balance pass in the right flat was intercepted by 13-year Arena Football pro Kenny McEntyre and returned to the 1.

"It's first down," Thonn said. "No matter what happens, if it's not there, you just throw it away and go to second down. But you can't have that type of play down there."

A false-start penalty set back the Predators (5-4). But that posed no problem for Nick Hill, who took off on a scramble and lunged into the end zone to give Orlando a two-touchdown advantage after less than eight minutes.

When the Gladiators came away empty after having first-and-goal at the 1, Rocco was pulled. His stats in one quarter of work: one completion in five attempts, plus a fumble as the result of a blindside sack by 290-pound Frisner Nelson.

Whalen, the Case Western Reserve product by way of Willoughby South High School, kept the Gladiators afloat in the third quarter with a 5-yard pass to Bergeron for one score and a 2-yard run for another. But the defense couldn't come up with a stop after halftime.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Hill found Josh Bush wide open down the right sideline for a 42-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Whalen finished with 14 completions in 29 attempts for 200 yards. He had three touchdowns but also was sacked three times.

Ken Hornack is a freelance writer in Florida.

Buck, who was with Cleveland earlier this season, began Saturday night hitting .357 with plenty of extra-base hit and run production for the Clippers.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer Travis Buck with the Indians during spring training.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Indians 4, Clippers 2: Jason Kipnis doubled home two runs in the top of the ninth, but Columbus lost an International League game at Indianapolis. Mitch Talbot (0-1) gave up six hits, including a solo homer and two runs, both earned, in five innings.

Notes: Going into Saturday night’s game, LF Travis Buck was hitting .357 (20-for-56) with 21 RBI, 12 runs, four doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 runs and 11 walks since the Indians optioned him to Columbus on April 19, essentially to make room for Grady Sizemore. Buck, a 27-year-old left-handed hitter, had just 29 at bats with the Indians, hitting .241 with three doubles. In 616 career big league at bats, Buck has a .250 batting average with 39 doubles, six triples and 18 home runs....RF Jerad Head was leading the International League with a .374 batting average (34-for-91). He had six doubles, four home runs, 19 runs and 15 RBI....RF Chad Huffman (.289) was hitting .344 (33-for-96) since starting the season hitless in his first 18 at bats. Huffman was third in the league with 26 runs, and had six doubles, five homers, 20 RBI and 21 walks....CF Ezequiel Carrera (.315) was first in the league in runs (29) and stolen bases (14, in 15 attempts)....SS Cord Phelps (.302) was first in the league with 27 walks. He had seven doubles, one triple, five homers, 20 RBI and 25 runs....RH reliever Zach Putnam (2-0, five saves, 2.29) had pitched 19 2/3 innings in 12 games. He had struck out 16, walked four and yielded 13 hits....RH starter Zach McAllister has made six starts and won them all, with a 3.00 ERA. He has fanned 29, walked six and allowed 36 hits (two homers) in 39 innings....RH Jeanmar Gomez, back with the Clippers after a stint with the Indians, is 3-0 in three starts, with a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings.

AA Akron Aeros

Aeros 4, Baysox 2: Chun-Hsiu Chen clubbed a two-run home run for Akron in the top of the 10th, and the Aeros won an Eastern League game at Bowie, Md. John Drennen preceded Chen’s blast with a two-run single. Matt Langwell (1-1) picked up the win in relief. Cory Burns pitched a scoreless 10th for his 11th save.

Notes: Going into Saturday night’s game, LF Tim Fedroff was seventh in the Eastern League with a .330 batting average, and was on a seven-game hitting streak, going 13-for-29 (.448) with three doubles and seven RBI....CF Jordan Henry (.300) was 16-for-45 (.356) in his last 11 games, with 15 runs, nine walks and eight stolen bases in nine tries. He was fourth in th eleague with 14 stolen bases (in 15 attempts) and tied for fifth with 23 runs....1B Matt McBride (.254) was 14-for-40 (.350) with five homers, two doubles, nine RBI and eight runs in his last 10 games....RH Paolo Espino had pitched 26 innings in eight relief appearances. He was 0-0 with one save and a 2.77 ERA, had struck out 28, walked five and allowed 22 hits....LH reliever Nick Hagadone was 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA, fanning 23 while allowing 14 hits (no homers) and six walks in 20 2/3 innings....RH Austin Adams is 4-2 with a 2.36 ERA in seven starts. He has fanned 35, walked 19 and given up 26 hits (one homer) in 34 1/3 innings.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Indians 5, Keys 0: Kinston pitchers Giovanni Soto (2-3) and Tyler Sturdevant combined to shut out Frederick, Md., in a Carolina League game in Kinston, N.C. Soto, a left-hander, struck out eight in seven innings. Sturdevant, a righty, struck out three in the final two innings.

Notes: Going into Saturday night’s game, RH reliever Adam Miller, a Cleveland first-round pick in the 2003 draft who, until April 30, had not pitched in an official game since 2008 because of finger ailments, had pitched four scoreless innings in his last three games, allowing two hits while fanning six and walking two. Miller, considered one of baseball’s premier pitching prospects before his finger injuries, allowed four runs (three earned) in one inning in his April 30 game, his lone appearance prior to his last three outings....RH reliever Preston Guilmet (0-0, five saves, 0.00) had pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts, no walks and six hits allowed....RH reliever Tyler Sturdevant was 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA, fanning 16, walking five and allowing 14 hits in 18 innings....Shortstop Tyler Cannon was 1-for-2 with two walks in his Kinston debut Friday night, after hitting .366 (34-for-93) for Class A Lake County, with 10 doubles, two triples, three homers, 17 RBI, 18 runs and 17 walks....OF Tyler Holt (.297) was on a six-game hitting streak, going 9-for-20 (.450) with four walks. He was tied for third in the Carolina League with 20 walks and tied for sixth with nine stolen bases (in 13 tries)....The Indians were last in the league in runs (98; 2.97 per game), doubles (46) and homers (11) and were next-to-last in batting average (.232)....3B Adam Abraham (.226) was leading the Indians with three homers....LH Drew Pomeranz (1-1), the Indians’ first-round draft pick last season, was fifth in the Carolina League with a 1.93 ERA and second in strikeouts with 48. He has struck out 13.2 batters per every nine innings. Pomeranz has allowed 22 hits (one homer) in 32 2/3 innings, with 12 walks. Opponents wae hitting .188 against him....RH Brett Brach (3-2) was second in the league with a 1.63 ERA. He has fanned 19, walked 11 and held opponents to a .181 batting average (one homer) in 27 2/3 innings. Including his six scoreless, two-hit innings for a win for Akron, Brach is 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA. He has struck out 23, walked 12, allowed one homer and held opponents to a .170 batting average in 33 2/3 innings.

A Lake County Captains

Captains, Whitecaps rained out: The game between West Michigan and Lake County at Classic Park in Eastlake was suspended because of rain after 3½ innings, with the Captains ahead, 2-1. Alex Lavisky homered for Lake County in the second inning. The game will resume at 1 p.m. Sunday, and will be followed by the regularly scheduled game.

Notes: Going into Saturday night’s game, OF Anthony Gallas was second in the Midwest League with a .356 batting average. He trailed only former teammate Tyler Cannon, who was hitting .366 for the Captains before being promoted to Kinston this week. Gallas was leading the league in doubles (16) and was tied for fourth in runs (24). He had slugged four homers....RH reliever Nikolas Sarianides (2-1, one save, 2.50) had struck out 17 and walked two, allowing 13 hits, in 18 innings....RH reliever Clayton Ehlert (0-1, eight saves, 2.03) had fanned 13, walked one and given up 10 hits in 13 1/3 innings....RH reliever Dale Dickerson (0-0, 2.19) had pitched in 12 games, fanning nine while giving up seven hits and four walks in 12 1/3 innings....Besides his start on May 8, when he pitched 1 2/3 innings and took the loss, RH Michael Goodnight (3-3, 2.93) is 3-2 with a 2.11 ERA in 38 1/3 innings, holding opponents to a .147 batting average and striking out 35 against nine walks....LH Mike Rayl was 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA going into his start Saturday night. Rayl had pitched 35 1/3 innings in seven starts, striking out 39, walking nine and holding opponents to one homer and a .181 batting average.

There's plenty to discuss during a busy week of sports around Northeast Ohio.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerStatistics revealing Colt McCoy's struggles when trying to force the ball deep reinforce the expected value of the Browns' move to the West Coast offense, says Terry Pluto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On some weekends, the thoughts about local sports just rain down ...

About the Browns...

1. At first, I was rather non-committal about the Browns switching to the West Coast offense. I know that Mike Holmgren likes it, and Pat Shurmur knows how to coach it. So that seemed like a plan. But then I found two fascinating articles on profootballfocus.com by Khaled Elsayed about NFL quarterbacks.

2. The first dealt with who throws deep -- a pass of at least 20 yards. Some of the Browns' recent offenses relied on a QB's ability to throw downfield. Last season, Peyton Manning threw the most times -- 95. Then came Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers (86) followed by Matt Hasselbeck and Drew Brees (76).

3. Colt McCoy threw "deep" 32 times, which doesn't sound like much. But he played only eight games. If he played all 16, that's 64 deep throws ... right in the middle of the pack.

4. Here's the problem: Throwing deep is not McCoy's game. He completed only 31 percent (10 of 32) of those passes, ranking him 21st of the 31 QBs considered by Elsayed. More alarming, he had 22 percent (seven) picked off, by far the highest percentage. Next was Jay Cutler at 12 percent. Seven of his nine interceptions were on those throws.

5. You can put an asterisk by some of this as McCoy had six interceptions in the final two games -- losses by scores of 20-10 (Baltimore) and 41-9 (Pittsburgh). The Browns got behind. Peyton Hillis was banged up and not running well. McCoy had to throw long to try and get the offense going.

6. But McCoy did complete 62 percent of passes in the 11- to 19-yard range. That is in the upper half of the NFL. He was at 65 percent in the 1- to 10-yard range, slightly below the NFL average of 67 percent. The point is McCoy can be an accurate passer, assuming he throws the right kind of passes.

7. Welcome to the West Coast offense, which should underline his strengths and not force him to throw deep that often. It's an offense based on short, quick passes. It is designed to hit receivers on the run and to help a QB counter a blitz.

8. Which brings up another issue -- McCoy against the blitz. According to Elsayed's article, McCoy was blitzed on 45 percent of his passes. Only Bruce Gradkowski (58 percent), Joe Flacco (49 percent) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (49 percent) faced more pressure. Against the blitz, McCoy had only two TD passes compared to three interceptions. That 2/3 ratio ranked 29th. Manning and Mark Sanchez (13 TDs, 3 INT) were the best, followed by Flacco (12/4) and Matt Ryan (14/5).

9. McCoy completed 56 percent of his passes against the blitz, ranking 23rd. The best were Brees (66 percent), Chad Henne (64 percent), Rodgers (63 percent) and Philip Rivers (62 percent).

10. Former Brown Derek Anderson ranked the worst against the blitz (41 percent) and the worst ratio (1/5).

11. McCoy ranked 14th in percentage of deep throws -- even higher than the likes of Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Ryan. That makes no sense, other than he's trying to make big plays downfield -- and doing it with receivers who are not especially fast or known as deep threats.

12. Maybe these numbers are why the Browns believe the offense will improve. Perhaps they think short routes will lead to more catches. Certainly, they will help McCoy do what he does best -- make a fast read of the defense and deliver the ball on target.

13. In this offense, the receiver needs enough strength to get off the line not be bumped around by the cornerback. Then he must catch the ball. As the Browns will tell their receivers, "We don't drop passes." Second-rounder Greg Little impressed the team at the combine and in workouts with his terrific hands, his strength and ability to run after the catch. Watching film, the new coaches really do believe that Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi can do more in this system.

14. All of this is guesswork to an extent, but it's why they didn't spend much time worrying about their quarterback situation. Instead, it was who will make this offense work. The tight ends also are important, and they believe in Ben Watson, Evan Moore and rookie Jordan Cameron they will have more guys who can catch the ball.

15. The Browns believe the new offense has a lot of flexibility. Quarterbacks ranging from deep-throwing Donovan McNabb to the scamper and throw short Jeff Garcia have been effective. So they sincere believe they can make it fit to McCoy.

About Joe Haden...

This e-mail came from Ryan Kelber, a Brooklyn High social studies teacher:

"As I sat through an hour-and-half rain delay at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, I noticed someone familiar sitting next to me in the picnic plaza behind the Indians bullpen. It was Joe Haden.

"Dressed with a Tribe hat and a few friends, the Browns cornerback stood out with his friendliness and openness to all the fans. Numerous kids and adults approached Joe and he did not turn down one single picture or handshake.

"It was amazing to see an athlete be so friendly and responsive to fans while at the ballpark enjoying the game. He remained in the picnic and Rigid Bar area for most of the rain delay and continued to talk with fans and take pictures.

"He really represented Cleveland and the Browns well. We sometimes criticize drafting players based on character and talent, but Joe Haden showed me Tuesday night that he definitely has both."

View full sizeCarlos Gonzalez / MCTKevin Love was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick in the 2008 NBA draft. If the Cavaliers fall to fifth following this week's lottery, they will hope to be just as fortunate with their selection.

About the Cavaliers ...

1. The lowest the Cavs can pick in this draft is fifth. Let's play worst-case scenario...yes, I can hear your moans. But let's look at the No. 5 picks since a certain player from Akron came out in 2003, left last summer and set up the Cavs to have the second-worst record in the NBA.

2. The fifth pick in that 2003 draft was ... Dwyane Wade. Most of us would take that. In 2004, it was Devin Harris, a very good point guard. In 2005, Raymond Felton, another very good point guard.

3. There are two strikeouts at No. 5 since 2003: In 2009, Minnesota took point guard Ricky Rubio, not knowing if they could convince him to leave Europe. He's still playing overseas. The other big miss was Shelden Williams by Atlanta in 2006. Now with the Knicks, he's a career 4.5 scorer.

4. But look that these names -- Jeff Green (2007), Kevin Love (2008) and DeMarcus Cousins (2010). Green is now a backup in Boston behind Paul Pierce. But his previous two seasons, he averaged 15 points in Oklahoma City. Love is a monster at power forward, leading the NBA in rebounding (15.2) this season. Cousins had some significant maturity issues with Sacramento, but the 20-year-old averaged 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds as a rookie.

5. Cousins was named first team all-rookie by the NBA. The others were John Wall (No. 1 in 2010), Blake Griffin (No. 1 in 2009), Landry Fields (No. 39 in 2010) and Gary Neal (undrafted in 2007, played in Europe). By now you should get the idea that being unlucky in Tuesday's lottery is not the end of the Cavs' rebuilding, assuming they do their homework.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerMichael Brantley looks ever more comfortable as a big-league outfielder, writes Terry Pluto, whether that's in the field or at the plate, batting leadoff or lower in the order.

About the Tribe...

1. Most fans have a clear memory of the Travis Hafner homer in the bottom of the ninth to win Friday's game against Seattle. But don't forget how Michael Brantley began that rally with a double. Or how Brantley is putting together a superb season, hitting .298. The lefty is batting .308 vs. lefties, .293 vs. righties and .333 with runners in scoring position. He's looking like the hot prospect who had a career .303 minor-league average, .388 on-base percentage.

2. Brantley turns 24 today. He sometimes is the forgotten player in the C.C. Sabathia deal, because Matt LaPorta was leading the minors in homers when the trade was made with the Brewers on July 7, 2008. Brantley was the played to be named later after that season. The Indians picked him over third baseman Taylor Green, thank goodness.

3. The 6-2, 200-pound Brantley has a chance to be bigger and stronger. He already has three homers, matching his total in 297 at-bats with the Tribe last season. This is not to say Brantley will become a 30-homer guy like Grady Sizemore ... but just as Sizemore added power during his career, so will Brantley.

4. In the meantime, he is an extremely disciplined hitter with a short swing. He rarely seems fooled, an he knows the strike zone. He is effective as a leadoff hitter or batting seventh. He has an excellent .372 on-base percentage. He plays center or left field very well. He has stolen five bases in seven attempts. He's just a good all-around player destined to get better.

5. Brantley opened the 2010 season with the Tribe and struggled, especially against inside pitches. He was hitting .157 when sent back to Columbus. He hit .319 in Class AAA, came back on August 6 -- and hit .292 for the rest of the year. He made some adjustments in his stance, and now rips that hard stuff inside to right field. That's why the best is yet to come for Brantley -- he quietly works and figures things out.

6. It was great to see Hafner hammer a 96 mph fastball over the center field wall, flying over that 400-foot sign. That's a real indication that Hafner's shoulder is stronger -- overpowering a fierce fastball. Most Tribe fans are aware that Hafner is hitting .340 with five homers and 16 RBI. It's .344 vs. lefties, .338 vs. righties, a stunning .480 (12-of-25) with runners in scoring position.

7. Even more important, Hafner is a .336 hitter with 10 homers, 37 RBI and 20 doubles in 74 games since last season's All-Star break. His OPS is exactly the same in the second half of last season, and this year -- a very impressive .932.

About high school sports reform...

Does the high school playoff system need to be changed? Of course.

Private schools have been dominating. Seven of the last 10 Division I football titles have been won by private schools, 12 of 13 in girls volleyball. Five of the six football titles last year were won by private schools.

But the Ohio High School Athletic Association's plan to revise this is ... at best ... incomprehensible.

Now, divisions are determined by the number of boys in the school. But the OHSAA has come up with a plan that makes the IRS code look like the A-B-Cs. They will take everything into consideration from the "tradition factor" to the boundaries of where a school can recruit from to the amount of kids on the school lunch program.

What do school lunches have to do with it? The fact that schools such as Glenville and Akron Buchtel are in the inner city have not stopped them from having elite football programs. Maple Heights has emerged as a football power, and that's not an affluent suburb.

Does something need to be done? Yes. But this convoluted mess is not it. Most schools voting on this issue would have no idea where they'd end up once all the computers blew their hard drives trying to calculate the new division.

It should be rejected and the OHSSA should try again with a plan that doesn't try to appease every interest group – and can at least be understood.

Some fans love all the draft intrigue, some are worried. But all seem to want to change Tony Grossi's mind.

View full sizeAP photoTrade down, trade up, trade all around. It's been a couple of weeks, but Browns fans are still buzzing about the team's wheeling and dealing -- and occasionally about first-round pick Phil Taylor (right) and Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis in this week's mailbag.

Hey, Tony: I like the draft generally speaking, but the Browns seem to be getting a pass on the trade up from 27th to 21st. Obviously they are very high on Phil Taylor -- but even as the draft progressed, it was apparent that a good DL would be there for them at #27. As it turns out Muhammad Wilkerson could have been had and they would not have had to trade away their third-round pick. Other than this move, I liked their draft a lot. What say you? -- Dan Fairz, Warren, Pa.

Hey, Dan: You're correct to say the Browns had to surrender a third-round pick to make sure they would not lose Taylor after their initial trade down. He was the player they targeted. Wilkerson, an end, would not have filled the same role in the middle of their defensive front as Taylor.

Hey, Tony: I understand that contact between a team and their players is forbidden during this work stoppage, but are teams permitted to converse with the players' agents or the agents for players likely to be free agents? -- Mike Egan, McAllen, Texas

Hey, Mike: No, there is supposed to be no contact -- or, rather, conversation -- between team officials and a player's agent.

Hey, Tony: My friend is not willing to see the side of NFL owners. He claims that if he were an owner, he would give the players all of his team info that the league did not want to turn over because he sides with the players. I say his competition will pummel him because he gave away his company information and his product will suffer greatly. Can you knock some sense into him even though he won't accept the truth? -- Mark Dominic, Houston, Texas

Hey, Mark: I think owners are against showing their books because of possibly embarrassing revelations, such as the salaries of family members and ownership luxuries charged to the team.

Hey, Tony: Any chance the Browns have interest in Ray Edwards? I saw that he was unhappy in Minnesota. Also, do you have any inside information on who the Browns will be targeting as far as undrafted free agents? I'd like them to bring in Terrance Tolliver, Mark Herzlinch, John Clay, Dane Sanzenbacher, Pat Devlin, Noel Devine, Devon Torrence, Will Hill, Justin Boren, and there are plenty of other good players to be had. -- Dan Desai, Westlake

Hey, Dan: You would assume that Edwards would be on the Browns' radar screen. He would be a fine complement to No. 2 draft choice Jabaal Sheard, and they do need another starting end. As for the undrafted free agents, I would guess that the cornerbacks and Devlin would be players of interest.

Hey, Tony: What is the earliest possible timeframe for the beginning of free agency? What are your thoughts on the chances of the Browns (a) wanting to and (b) being able to pick up Dane Sanzenbacher from OSU or Keith Darbut from Baldwin-Wallace? Any other undrafted guys that you could see them pursuing? -- Don Jones, Stonington (formerly of Westlake), Conn.

Hey, Don: Some framework of rules may be set in place by the NFL after the June 3 hearing in appeals court regarding their lockout. However, if the owners win that appeal and the lockout is kept in place, there is no incentive for them to start free agency. My hunch is that Sanzenbacher would not be a player of interest to the Browns, but Darbut might. I would think the Browns would pursue the following positions among undrafted players -- defensive end, cornerback, safety, running back, quarterback, offensive tackle.

Hey, Tony: You say the Browns should have stayed at No. 6 and taken a premium/star player, presumably Julio Jones. But how many WRs in the entire NFL would you trade two 1sts, a 2nd, and two 4ths for? -- Casey Valentine, Dublin

Hey, Casey: My official position on the trade was I preferred trading down only a few spots -- not 21 notches, and then needing to give up a third-round pick to move up six. True, there aren't but a few receivers in the NFL you would trade that many draft picks for. I get that. But my overall point is the Browns need top-10 talent. OK, maybe you wouldn't take a receiver in the top 10. But take a player with talent that you wouldn't be able to get at No. 21. The teams successful at drafting consistently in the 20s are the ones with star players already in place. How did the Eagles become an elite team? They used the No. 2 pick in the 1999 draft on quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Hey, Tony: Is all the excitement about a new West Coast scheme just because Brian Daboll's offense hurt to watch? I didn't catch many Rams' games last year, so is there any reason to believe that it is more than just a dink and dunk passing attack? -- Matt Krystofik, Dayton

Hey, Matt: Yes, there are a lot of short passes in the West Coast scheme. But the general philosophy represents a quantum improvement in what the Browns tried to do offensively the previous two years. It's an aggressive approach to moving the ball and going for touchdowns rather than settling for field goals. It puts the ball quickly in receivers' hands and allows them to make plays after the catch.

Hey, Tony: Do you think maybe you could give the draft picks a chance instead of blowing them out of the water before they even play a snap? If you've actually worked for an NFL team and have participated in making actual decisions on draft picks please let me know, otherwise give it a rest already and let their performance on the field determine if it's a good draft or not. -- Ed Laughrin, Austintown

Hey, Ed: Anybody can judge a draft after three years. What's the fun of that?

View full sizeEd Zurga / Associated PressThere's always someone wondering if Kevin Kolb would be a better fit for the Browns, but Tony believes the team is certain to give Colt McCoy the full season to learn the new West Coast offense.

Hey, Tony: If Philadelphia would take one of our first-rounders in 2012, plus a fourth rounder for Kevin Kolb would you make the trade? -- Ronnie Butcher, Harrison

Hey, Ronnie: No. Acquiring Kolb would just create another Brady Quinn-Derek Anderson QB competition. I'm fine with investing in Colt McCoy. We should know by the end of 2011 if he is the guy or not.

Hey, Tony: Looking back, do you think letting Kamerion Wimbley go was a mistake? He could have played DE! -- Ernie Derose, Columbus

Hey, Ernie: I thought trading Wimbley was a mistake at the time. And you're right, he would be a starting defensive end in the 4-3. However, the third-round draft pick obtained from Oakland was used to select Colt McCoy. If he develops into a franchise quarterback, it will go down as one of the team's greatest trades.

Hey, Tony: The Browns have gaping holes at LB and RB, which should have been addressed in the draft. Instead, the took Owen Marecic and Jordan Cameron. I just don't see how those picks make this a better football team. At RB, they pass up the chance of picking up a complementary back to Hillis. I can't believe the front office is comfortable with Mike Bell getting carries next season. -- Matt Hawley, Wakeman

Hey, Matt: I do think the fourth-round picks -- Cameron and Marecic -- represent kind of a black hole of the past draft. They can fill the complementary running back role through free agency. I don't expect Mike Bell back. But I agree those selections would have been better served on positions like offensive line and perhaps cornerback.

Hey, Tony: You seem to love knocking the Browns for trading down. Are you familiar with the academic paper by Massey and Thaler (The Loser's Curse) which shows top picks are not worth the money and the most excess value (performance greater than pay) is actually found in the late first/early second round? I don't agree with it 100 percent, but you should give it a read before continually bashing the Browns' recent decisions. We don't need a repeat of Courtney Brown/Tim Couch/Big Money ... busts who we pay waaaay too much money to. -- Chetwood Dontavious, Hunting Valley

Hey, Chetwood: I haven't bashed the trade down. I questioned it. It is not a no-brainer in my opinion. I've said the trade made me uneasy, but acquiring a 2012 No. 1 made it tolerable. I don't think a team without stars can afford to pass up so many potential stars. If you have, say, a franchise quarterback and another star player on offense, it's much more sensible to play the trade-down game. If you think drafting out of the top 10 automatically guarantees you success, you are crazy. If you are uncomfortable drafting in the top 10, then the only solution is to win games and not finish in the top 10 draft order. Consistently trading out of the top 10 is no more a blueprint for building a team than consistently drafting in the top 10.

Hey, Tony: As far as Colt McCoy is concerned, the only negative we hear over and over is his lack of arm strength, and it seems to be your biggest concern as well. There must be an objective way to actually measure this. Are there reports comparing his velocity to other quarterbacks? Or perhaps data showing how far he can throw the ball? If they do exist, can you share them with us? -- Gary Kleinman, Aurora

Hey, Gary: How about this novel concept? Watch his throws in games in December. Don't make it overly scientific. Just watch and see if the ball arrives on time and at the right place and with enough spin to be unaffected -- or less affected -- by the weather elements. Does the quarterback wobble the ball on throws longer than a few yards? Does the ball hang in the air to allow cornerbacks to make plays on it? Just watch. It is not rocket science.

Hey, Tony: Please clarify why A.J. Green is a better deep threat than Greg Little. Didn't Little run a slightly faster time in the 40 at the combine? No comparison at this point as to who is the most polished reciever, but I don't understand the deep threat part. -- SL Smith, Canton

Hey, SL: Who said anything about a deep threat? The point is running after the catch. See the ball. Catch the ball. Run with the ball. Who had a better season in 2010? Oh, that's right, Greg Little did not play while A.J. Green competed at the highest level of college competition. I don't know anyone in their right mind who considers Little a better prospect than Green. It would be great if a player with Green's ability could be taken in the second round, but it's not going to happen.

Hey, Tony: Your article on football free agency didn't mention wide receiver or linebacker. Are we set, as is? -- William VanDorn, Lexington

Hey, William: I discussed the top three areas of need. I would not hold my breath waiting for the Browns to add a receiver in free agency. Linebacker, maybe.

View full sizeScott Shaw / The Plain DealerEric Steinbach and the rest of the Browns offensive line are either a strength of the team -- or one of its biggest concerns ... depending upon the fan who writes in.

Hey, Tony: Many readers are talking about an offensive tackle need. If Tony Pashos can not stay healthy, Floyd Womack played very well at tackle and Billy Yates did well at guard till injured. The young guys can earn the start and maybe push Eric Steinbach, who is a high-priced Savage free agent. -- Irish Dog, Perry

Hey, Dog: As I wrote in my pre-draft position analysis, some people won't be happy until the Browns devote first-round picks on every position on the offensive line. Lauvao has to come through at guard this year. Pinkston could be a backup swingman, possibly a developmental starting right tackle. Womack is a handy, heady player but has bad knees. If Yates returns, it could free up Pinkston to concentrate on tackle.

Hey, Tony: Julio Jones did not appear to be a No. 6 pick (with his butterfingers issues), and there wasn't any sure-fire picks the Browns needed, so tell me what's the matter with a trade that ended up with a solid #21 pick and a round one pick next year plus a few more extras? -- Mike Love, Merritt Island, Fla.

Hey, Mike: First of all, they traded down to 27 and then had to give up a third-round pick to move up to 21 for a defensive tackle, Phil Taylor. You call him a solid pick. Watch the tape of Illinois vs. Baylor and explain what happened there. Taylor was invisible. I applaud them for acquiring a No. 1 pick in 2012. Let's hope there is a draft in 2012. Commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed his concern that if the players are victorious in the current dispute, there will not be a draft. The league actually sent teams the warning: Trade (for future picks) at your own risk.

Overall, I would have preferred trading down a few spots and taking a player in the top 15. As for Jones, he would have been my pick if the Browns had stayed at No. 6. But I was not enamored with him. The best scenario would have been trading down a few spots, gaining an extra second, and winding up with Jones.

Hey, Tony: With Andrew Luck a virtual impossibility (and hopefully unneeded), do you see any chance the Browns would trade up in 2012 for a chance at Alshon Jeffrey from South Carolina? He impressed me more than Jones or Green did last year and was only a sophomore. With the Browns still without that elite-level receiver and moving into a West Coast offense, could you see Tom Heckert going for this guy? -- Brandon Thacker, Chillicothe

Hey, Brandon: It's evident that Heckert does not value receivers high. What would influence him to change his thinking next year?

Hey, Tony: OK, Lawrence Vickers isn't the best fit in the West Coast offense but how do you think the loss of his blocking will affect Hillis' running game? It seemed Hillis had excellent hands, but only ran one or two routes -- was that him or the old system? -- Austin Lindsay, Logan

Hey, Austin: Nothing the Browns did on offense the previous two years is easily explained. I think the offensive changes will be good for everybody.

Hey, Tony: I am a bit confused. You rail on about how great the Steelers are for drafting by needs. You also say that the Browns made a mistake by dropping down in the 2011 draft. My question is, if defensive line was the biggest need, and they felt that Phil Taylor was the best defensive lineman in the draft, why would they take him at number 6? Didn't they make the best move by dropping down, getting more picks, and still selecting the guy they had rated the highest? Also, it always floors me how we rate drafts so soon. Don't we have to wait a few years before we can really judge a draft? -- Cliff Bonner, Amesville

Hey, Cliff: Let's be clear about what I've said. I preferred to trade down a few spots -- not 21 spots. I do like the fact they acquired a first-round pick in 2012. Yes, defensive line was the Browns' biggest need and they tabbed a defensive lineman with their first pick. These are the linemen taken before Taylor at No. 21 -- Aldon Smith, J.J. Watt, Nick Fairley, Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Corey Liuget and Adrian Clayborn. If Taylor turns out better than all of them, they made the right decision. As for your latter point, you and the team can wait three years to judge their draft. I have a deadline much sooner than that.

Hey, Tony: I enjoyed your recent discussion of DE Jabaal Sheard as one starter possibility opposite converted LB to DE Marcus Benard with Jayme Mitchell in the mix. You were previously strong on Matt Roth as a possible DE starter, if he were re-signed. Of these four, who would be your starters and who be their back ups. Do we need a fifth DE? -- Alan Fojt, Manassas, Va.

Hey, Alan: In the 4-3, the left defensive end generally is bigger and stouter vs. the run than the right end, who is the premier pass rusher. Under those guidelines, Sheard, Mitchell and Benard would compete at right end. Roth would be the only viable contender at left end. Since Roth is unsigned, I would suggest the need is for a free agent signee at left end. Maybe Mitchell can compete there, too.

View full sizeTracy Boulian / The Plain DealerLawrence Vickers clearing the way for the Ravens or the Steelers in 2011? That's a thought too grim for some fans to ponder.

Hey, Tony: As it looks, Vickers is out of the Browns' plans. Can't you already foresee him leading the way for Rashard Mendanhall or Ray Rice at the worst of times for Browns fans next season? Whether it's against us or deep in the playoffs -- ugh. I'd like to remember him a Brown! -- Jeff, Colorado Springs

Hey, Jeff: I've stated numerous times that I believe Vickers to be the best lead blocker in the NFL. Your question reminds me of why I keep a running tab of players who played for the Browns, departed, and then appeared in a Super Bowl with another team.

Hey, Tony: The Houston Texans are switching to a 3-4 scheme and Mario Williams looks to be transitioning into an OLB instead of a DE. We as fans know that might not work out. Any chance Heckert trades one of the first-rounders to get him? -- Tony Zalar, Cuyahoga Falls

Hey, Tony: There is zero chance of Houston trading Williams. Zero.

Hey, Tony: I want to know if you have faith in Heckert's drafting. Impact players can be found anywhere in the draft. It's all about the organization's ability to find and evaluate talent and the coaching staff to build that talent. There will be busts all around the draft but the good teams know how to draft for their team and have the coaching staff to develop those players.

Also, some arrogant pre mock draft had us picking first overall next year and taking Andrew Luck. I believe we are currently heads above Washington and even Cincinnati right now and also would include Seattle and Arizona too. It's almost hurtful that the Browns are still viewed that low. -- Levi Mendenhall, Springfield

Hey, Levi: Yes, I do have confidence in Heckert's drafting. That doesn't mean everything he did in this draft graded an A. As for Patrick Peterson, I felt was he was the most overrated prospect in the top tier of the draft. We'll see. As for Luck, I think he's the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. My nightmare is the Browns wind up with the first pick in the draft and Heckert trades it. (Kidding, of course.)

Hey, Tony: When the Browns drafted Brian Robiskie he was considered an NFL-ready WR. His father was an NFL WR coach. Yet he was unproductive his rookie season. Greg Little did not play last year and he has only played WR for one season. Can we expect his rookie season will be unproductive until he is able to bring his game to NFL level? -- Jimmy Brock, Berkeley, Calif.

Hey, Jimmy: We shall see, but the point is valid.

Hey, Tony: I'm wondering why you are questioning the drafting techniques of Heckert so much? Its obvious he went after guys he liked and wanted. You may not agree, but that's why you're a writer and not a GM. -- Lenny, Mentor

Hey, Lenny: No, the reason I'm a writer is because that's what I wanted to be. I was educated and trained to be a writer. Writing is a skill. Writing is good. Bravo to all writers.

Hey, Tony: I don't understand why there is so much talk about getting another safety to replace Abe Elam. I don't think on the whole of the season T.J. Ward was any better than Elam and I would argue Elam is much better at passing coverage. However, Ward for some reason went legend last year in the eyes of fans and media, but was rather suspect in tackling especially in the second half of the year. Don't we have more important matters than replacing Elam? -- Michael Spitale, Galena

Hey, Michael: I guess I've written off Elam because he was brought in by Eric Mangini and a new coaching staff usually brings in its own favorites. I agree with your assessment of Ward, by the way.

Hey, Tony: What do you foresee the Browns doing in regards to their aging linebacker corps? -- Dave S., St Simons Island, Ga.

Hey, Dave: Not much this season. Maybe they'll sign a couple undrafted linebackers and hope to find a player there. Maybe they'll add a veteran free agent.

Hey, Tony: What is the status with Phil Dawson? Did he accept our tender? -- Dave Peter, Port Saint Lucie, Fla.

Hey, Dave: Dawson did not sign the franchise tender before all NFL business transactions came to a halt because of the owners lockout. The Browns want him back. Dawson was mentally and emotionally prepared for free agency.

Hey, Tony: With all the pre-draft info available nowadays, one thing about Owen Marecic has been extremely common. All (to my best recollection) have been sure to mention that he could be drafted as a LB as well as a FB. What's the chance, also considering the lack of depth in this year's LB class, Heckert actually had Marecic rated as the best LB prospect available and this is where he'll land on the roster? -- Jimmy D., Parts Forgotten

Hey, Jimmy: I have not seen a single report suggesting Marecic could be drafted as a linebacker. He filled in at the position his final season. Heckert emphasized that Marecic was drafted as a fullback and there is no thought of him competing at middle linebacker.

Hey, Tony: You wrote that Donte Whitier would be a target in free agency. While we'd all love a Cleveland and OSU guy, isn't he a strong safety and the Browns need a free safety? -- Ben Williamson, Fairfield, Conn.

Hey, Ben: No doubt Whitner's strong suit is not in coverage. Thus, he probably would not be a good fit here, after all.

Hey, Tony: I thought Shawn Lauvao was drafted last year to be the RG? Now that we've again drafted a guard, does this mean Lauvao was not as good as we were told? -- Jonesy, Spencer

Hey, Jonesy: Lauvao's first season certainly took a turn for the worse after his preseason high ankle sprain. I found the drafting of Jason Pinkston a bit baffling since the Browns, and other teams, consider him a guard prospect.

Hey, Tony: So several players have been given the playbook. Are they allowed to make copies to pass around to other players? Is that frowned upon or completely against the rules? -- Ryan, Akron

Hey, Ryan: I would hope that Colt McCoy's playbook would have been copied by now and distributed to everybody on offense.

Hey, Tony: I don't recall the Browns drafting a LB in the draft this year and think this is a major concern. I understand that the 4-3 system makes DEs the primary pass rushers, but isn't it true that any defense needs good LBs to both rush the QB and drop into shallow coverage? After seeing what we have had, shouldn't we have drafted at least one in the first three rounds? Or do you think they plan to sign one in free agency? -- Alex Lawhorn, Hillsboro

Hey, Alex: Many GMs don't place a high premium on linebackers in the draft. Heckert is among that group. He never took a linebacker higher than the third round in Philadelphia. Last year, Heckert signed one linebacker in free agency (Scott Fujita) and traded for another (Chris Gocong). I think adding another linebacker in free agency is possible, but Heckert has said he is comfortable with his roster at that position.

Hey, Tony: ESPN reports Steve Smith wants to be traded and the asking price is between a second to fourth round pick. Do you think the Browns would consider a trade and do you recommend it? -- Mike Traylor, Rochester, N.Y.

Hey, Mike: I wouldn't give up two picks for him. He makes a lot of money, is over 30 and has declined in recent years.

Hey, Tony: So Colt McCoy has organized a few "mini-camps." It seems to me that these are only offensive camps. Are defensive players showing up, or are they planning on holding their own? Do we have a leader on defense like it seems Colt is to the offense? -- Jared Smith, Layton, Utah

Hey, Jared: The problem with the defensive workouts is nobody on defense has Dick Jauron's playbook. Offensive players can throw the ball around, but what can defensive players do in a productive workout? Not much.

Hey, Tony: With two first-round picks next year, do you think they are in a good position to get the No. 1 quarterback next year if McCoy doesn't show he can be the quarterback of our future? I thought of this, maybe they did too? -- Mike Aiello, Carlsbad, Calif.

Hey, Mike: The only way to get Andrew Luck next year, in my opinion, is to finish with the worst record in the NFL.

-- Tony

Leading the AL Central and being 10 or more games over .500 just can't ease the acid churning in some fans' stomachs.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain DealerHave a couple of wobbly innings, and suddenly Chris Perez is being compared to ... Bob Wickman?

Hey, Hoynsie: Is it just me, or does Chris Perez officially now reside in Bob Wickman territory: Picking up saves in name alone, while getting tattooed along the way? Do the metrics support what my eyes are telling me? I'll grant you, it's pretty hard to argue with the Indians' sensational start, but have you heard any rumblings at all from inside the organization about what it might take before they have to turn to someone else to close? -- Steve Tucker, Princeton, N.J.

Hey, Steve: Perhaps Perez isn't as sharp as he was in the second half of last season, but he's still 10-for-11 in save opportunities. In eight appearances since his only blown save of the year, he's 2-0 with four saves in four chances and a 3.38 ERA. Haven't heard a word about the Indians possibly replacing him.

As for Wickman, I don't think you appreciate the artistry involved in the intentional balk.

Hey, Hoynsie: I understand that I'm a voice of doom and gloom when it comes to the 2011 Tribe. With that said, are the players at all frustrated with the lack of national media attention that has followed this team? I'm beginning to think this team might just be for real. -- Joe Cepec, Dublin.

Hey, Joe: Just because the Indians don't get 10 minutes a night on SportsCenter doesn't mean they're being ignored. There has been more and more national writers doing stories on the Indians.

I haven't heard any players fretting over being ignored.

Hey, Hoynsie: What is going on with the sacrifice bunt today? In a recent game, Asdrubal Cabrera walked. Shin-Soo Choo, in a slump, hits into double play and Carlos Santana follows with a double and the Indians don't score. I have seen it so many times, why not bunt? -- Don Linden, Auburn, Calif.

Hey, Don: I think the game you're talking about was May 6 against the Angels and rookie starter Tyler Chatwood. It was in the sixth inning and the Indians had a 1-0 lead. In that game, the Indians hit the ball hard all night, but didn't have much to show for it. I'm guessing manager Manny Acta wanted to give Choo a chance to drive the ball.

Through Friday the Indians have eight sacrifice bunts, tying them for sixth place in the AL.

Hey, Hoynsie: On the West Coast trip an Indians player, I believe it was Orlando Cabrera, chopped a ball down the first-base line foul, but it rolled back into fair territory for an easy put out. If the batter could have caught up with the ball, could he have touched it in foul territory to prevent it from being a playable ball? -- Jeff Rich, Phoenix, Ariz.

Hey, Jeff: No, the runner would have been called out for interference because he was hindering the fielding team's ability to make a play. Still, I would have liked to see a player fast enough to try it.

Hey, Hoynsie: There is no reason to print this. I just think it needs to be said. You are one of the shortest, most cynical sportswriters that I have read. I read your weekly column and am appalled that you answer some of these questions with snarky comments that alienate the questioner and don't actually answer the question. Please just stop being a jerk to people and answer questions and do some research. -- Christopher Seller, Pioli, Ohio.

Hey, Christopher: This may surprise you, but you're not the first person to call me cynical, snarky or a jerk. I kind of like it. But short? You cut me to the quick.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerThe language of the typical big-league mound visit is typically the same regardless of the nationalities involved --- get out of the jam!

Hey, Hoynsie: When foreign catchers and pitchers have conversations on the mound (i.e. Fausto Carmona and Carlos Santana), do they speak in English or their native tongue? -- Dan Desai, Westlake

Hey, Dan: I've never been on the mound for one of those meetings, but I'm sure they speak Spanish, the language they're most comfortable with. Wouldn't you if you were in the same situation?

Hey, Hoynsie: Do big-league teams supply beer after the games to players and the media? Why do they charge so much for fans? -- Bryce Rice, Medina

Hey, Bryce: I know of no team that makes beer available to reporters after games. Each club regulates the amount of alcohol it makes available to players, managers and coaches a game. Teams charge what they do for beer at the ballpark because they're trying to make money. You always have the choice to abstain.

Hey, Hoynsie: I saw someone on The Plain Dealer Web site refer to Alex White as possibly this team's equivalent of Jaret Wright. Where is Jaret Wright these days? -- Dan Rocke, Durham, N.C.

Hey, Dan: Saw Clyde Wright, Jaret's father, when the Indians were in Anaheim, Calif. Jaret is married, living in California and raising a family. His last season was 2007, but he still surfs and is working on his golf game.

Hey, Hoynsie: How come the Tribe has been wearing the alternate blue jerseys a lot these past two weeks? -- Brandon King, Columbus

Hey, Brandon: Talked to Tony Amato, the Indians' clubhouse manager. He said the Indians wear the blue tops on every Tuesday home game. On the road, it's the starting pitcher's call.

On the last trip, they wore the blue tops five out of the six games. If the Indians want to wear the blue tops on the road, but they are similar to what the home team is wearing, the home team rules.

Hey, Hoynsie: With the good pitching and defense it seems Tribe games are moving along pretty quickly in 2011. What has been the average length of Indians games this season? And how does it compare to the rest of the league? -- Chris Holko, Cleveland

Hey, Chris: You have a good eye and watch. Through Friday, the average time for an Indians game is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The MLB average is 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Hey, Hoynsie: When can we expect to see Nick Hagadone moving up to Class AAA Columbus? His velocity and command seem fully recovered. He's dominating at Class AA and he's already 25. If he went to AAA now, couldn't he be ready to chip in later this year? -- Steven Alex, Gainesville, Fla.

Hey, Steven: It won't be long.

Hey, Hoynsie: Umpire Tim McClelland has been recognized as one of the best. I watch the boxscores closely yet I rarely see his name as part of a crew. Further, I don't believe he umpired in any level of the playoffs last year. Is he a part-timer? I really enjoy his handling of home plate. -- Ian Freiberg, Shaker Heights

Hey, Ian: Checked with the umpires working the Mariners-Indians series and they said McClelland is still working this season.-- Hoynsie

Under NASCAR's revamped rules for qualifying for the Chase for the championship that emphasize wins, Matt Kenseth strengthened his bid to make the field with his second win.

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Matt Kenseth does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 15, 2011, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

DOVER, Del.  — Matt Kenseth called his own shot to get to Victory Lane.

He asked for two tires, not four, on the last pit stop. He zipped out of his stall, left contenders like Jimmie Johnson behind, and celebrated a winning strategy on the Monster Mile.

Kenseth and crew chief Jimmy Fennig called the audible on the last stop, and the crew made the switch before the car was dropped from the jack, leading Kenseth to a win Sunday in the Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.

"It went smooth, almost like we planned it," Kenseth said.

Kenseth's first idea was to skip pit road, take a chance he could start first on a restart and hang on for a victory.

Then, he had another thought: Why not just take two tires on pit road instead of four?

With his No. 17 Ford on the jack, Kenseth told Fennig to swap two.

"Two tires! Two tires!" Fennig said.

The move worked. Kenseth led the final 32 laps to win for the second time this season. He also won at Texas and became the third driver to win twice this season.

Under NASCAR's revamped rules for qualifying for the Chase for the championship that emphasize wins, Kenseth strengthened his bid to make the field with his second win.

"My mind is to be up there and try to lead those points going into the Chase and try to make the Chase in championship form," Kenseth said. "We don't want to have to slide off of wins. We want to go up there and race like this every week."

Mark Martin was second and Marcos Ambrose third. Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers rounded out the top five. Busch was forced to start in the rear of the field because of an engine change.

Kenseth made his Cup debut at Dover in 1998 as a fill-in for Bill Elliott. He won for the second time in the Cup series on the high-banked, 1-mile concrete track.

"It's one of those tracks that's a challenge to get around fast, whether you're racing someone or not," Kenseth said.

The 400-mile race was dominated by long stretches of green flag racing. Johnson and Edwards turned this into a two-car battle for first for the majority of the race. Edwards led 117 laps before falling to seventh place. Johnson led a race-high 207 laps and finished ninth.

Unlike Kenseth and crew, Edwards' crew chief Bob Osborne made a four-tire call on the last restart that dropped him to ninth and spoiled his chance at the win.

"I didn't have any choice in it, really," Edwards said. "That's up to the guys in the box. That is too tough of a choice to make right there and I don't blame Bob Osborne one bit."

Regan Smith was 34th a week after he shocked the sport with his first career win at Darlington Raceway.

Busch and Kevin Harvick had no incidents after a pit road dustup at Darlington landed them on probation. Harvick was 10th.

Martin stayed on the track on old tires to take the lead when the caution flag came out with 39 laps left. Kenseth made a quick stop and opted for two tires instead of four, the right number for him to move past Martin on the restart and then pull away for the victory.

"We were going to do four, we got in the stall and decided to do two. That was the key," Kenseth said.

Kenseth overruled his crew chief and made the call.

"When I was on the jack, I asked if he was sure we didn't want to try two and he said to put two on," Kenseth said. "It was really Jimmy's call and a good suggestion by me."

Kenseth said he was having trouble during the green flag racing because the rubber that built on the track made the concrete slick — an obstacle for a loose car.

When the short runs started coming, Kenseth found a cleaner track and clean air was enough to spark his run.

Kenseth, the 2003 series champion, won his 20th career Cup race.

Martin earned his first top-five of the season.

"Today, we finally got a finish," he said. "It looked like we were going to get 15th again with a really fast race car. We've had a race car this good a lot this year. But it seems like for some reason or another we end up in the back of the back."

Kenseth dominated when he won at Texas to end a 76-race winless streak. He's been strong this year and has four top fives, giving him the confidence that another victory was on the horizon. He started 24th and roared back to win.

"The whole organization has been building better, faster race cars," Kenseth said.

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