Valbuena's hitting .318. Huff struck out 10, allowing one run in seven innings. Kinston splits twin-bill. Akron and Lake County were idle. Crushers lose.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerDavid Huff pitching for the Cleveland Indians last season.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

AAA Columbus Clippers

Clippers 8, Bisons 2 SS Luis Valbuena (.318) drove in seven runs with a grand slam home run, a two-run homer and a bases-loaded walk, and LH David Huff (5-2, 4.04) struck out 10 and allowed one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings as the Clippers won an International League game in Buffalo (N.Y.). Valbuena has seven homers this season. CF Ezequiel Carrera (.286) and 3B Josh Rodriguez (.229) both had two hits for Columbus.

Notes: Valbuena, who has 17 doubles to go with his seven homers, has hit safely in 21 of his last 22 games. In that stretch, he is batting .418 (33-for-79) with seven doubles, three homers, 20 RBI and 15 runs.

RH Jeanmar Gomez (6-1, 2.28) is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings over his last five games, allowing 25 hits (one homer) while striking out 25 and walking 13....Huff has won his last two starts, allowing two runs on nine hits and two walks, with 13 strikeouts, in 14 innings....RF Chad Huffman (.274) is 11-for-24 (.458) with four doubles and two homers during his current seven-game hitting streak....IF Jason Kipnis (.293) is 9-for-18 (.500) in his last four games, with two homers and a triple.

AA Akron Aeros

The Aeros were off on Monday.

Notes: 1B Beau Mills (.292) is on a 10-game hitting streak, going 16-for-42 (.381) with two home runs, two doubles, eight RBI and eight runs....RH Paolo Espino (3-0, 2.91) has struck out 56 and walked 10 in 52 2/3 innings. He is 2-0 as a starter, with a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings. His other start was on May 21. As a reliever, Espino is 1-0 with one save and a 3.02 ERA in 41 1/3 innings....RH closer Cory Burns (0-3, 16 saves, 3.24) has struck out 36 and walked six in 25 innings....RH reliever Matt Langwell (2-1, three saves, 1.23 ERA) has not been scored upon in his last eight outings, pitching 11 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts, no walks and allowing eight hits....OF-1B Matt McBride (.280) was 2-for-3 with an RBI as the DH. McBride is batting .324 (47-for-145) with 10 homers, 10 doubles, three triples and 36 RBI in his last 38 games....LF Tim Fedroff (.341) is 4-for-8 with a double in his last two games. He was 0-for-16 in his previous four games, after hitting safely in 28 of 29 games....The Aeros (31-33) take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s game at Canal Park against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (37-25). It begins a six-game homestand.

Advanced A Kinston Indians

Indians 2-1, Red Sox 0-2 Indians LH T.J. House (4-6, 4.41) pitched a seven-inning, complete game one-hitter in the opener of the Carolina League doubleheader in Kinston (N.C.). Peter Hissey's bunt single leading off the sixth inning was the lone hit off House, who struck out six and walked four. The Indians scored both of their runs in the bottom of the sixth, one on a Salem error, and the other on a wild pitch. SS Casey Frawley (.218) had two of Kinston's three hits.

RH Clayton Cook (6-4, 3.12) took the loss for Kinston in the seven-inning second game, giving up a two-run homer to the Red Sox' David Mailman in the second inning. Cook struck out nine, walked one and gave up five hits in 6 2/3 innings. RF Anthony Gallas doubled home the Indians' lone run in the bottom of the first inning. It was his first at bat for Kinston after being promoted from Lake County.  

Notes: RH reliever Kyle Landis is 1-0 with one save in six games with Kinston, striking out 14, walking none and allowing one hit in 10 innings....House has won his last two starts, giving up one run on three hits in 13 2/3 innings....The Indians were coming off their 3-2, 23-inning win at home over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Sunday night. The innings are the most ever played in a Carolina League game. The league began play in 1945. The Kinston Free Press reported on Sunday night that 33,610 games had been played in Carolina League history.

A Lake County Captains

The Captains were off on Monday.

Notes: 1B Jesus Aguilar (.264), leading the team with nine homers and 37 RBI, is 16-for-38 (.421) with four doubles and two homers in his last 11 games....The Captains (27-36) take a five-game losing streak into their Tuesday night game against the Great Lakes Loons (34-29) at Eastlake’s Classic Park.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Beach Bums 7, Crushers 1 Traverse City (Mich.) handed the Crushers their fifth straight loss in the Frontier League game in Avon.

Notes: Going into Monday night’s game, the Crushers’ leading hitters were infielders Nick Mahin (.324) and Andrew Davis (.308), and outfielders Scott Houin (.300) and Patrick Norris (.300). Davis was leading the team with three homers and 20 RBI....The Crushers were getting superb relief pitching from RH Ruben Flores (2-0, three saves, 0.82), who had struck out 19 and allowed just four hits in 11 innings, and RH Kelyn Schellenberg (0-0, 0.61 in 14 2/3 innings).

First-year Wolverines coach stressing education, communication and accountability.

Associated PressFirst-year Michigan head coach Brady Hoke.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michigan has lost its last seven football games to Ohio State.

The Wolverines were 1-9 against the Buckeyes with Jim Tressel coaching OSU.

Tressel, though, resigned in the midst of the scandal that has engulfed the Buckeyes' program.

Carlos Monarrez writes for the Detroit Free Press that the Wolverines' first-year coach, Bardy Hoke, doesn't want his team to gloat over Ohio State's problems, but:

Instead, the Wolverines have tried to stay above the fray. On Saturday, Michigan coach Brady Hoke said he has used the Ohio State situation as a teaching moment for his players.

"You've got to educate them on a daily basis on the different things," Hoke said. "And it's just part of what you do as a coach. I don't know if anybody's ever been perfect, but as much as you can, the communication you have and the education you have (help).

"When you think about it, at the end of the day it's all about accountability to teammates and those 114 other guys. I think that's where it's got to come from."

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Ohio State coverage includes PD Buckeyes beat writer Doug Lesmerises' analysis of Ohio State's situation; Lesmerises' report on interim coach Luke Fickell's first press conference; another story by Lesmerises on Fickell's press conference, with video; Lesmerises' story on Fickell's visit to a high school football camp; his report on former quarterback Terrelle Pryor signing with a high-profile agent; John Caniglia's report on accusations against the lawyer who tipped off Tressel about Buckeyes' players' rules violations.

About the Buckeyes

Coaching Ohio State is the dream job, if not ideal situation, for Luke Fickell, writes Brian Bennett for ESPN.com.

Jim Tressel didn't attend a rules compliance seminar last week, Tim May writes for the Columbus Dispatch.

Paying players is not the answer to the problems in college athletics, B.J. Bethel writes for the Dayton Daily News.

Luke Fickell emphasizes unity and the future, Brian Bennett writes for ESPN.com.

The NCAA needs to hold a special convention to try to clean up the mess in college sports, Dennis Dodd writes for CBSSports.com.

Reports on Steubenville High School wide receiver-defensive back Najee Murray making an oral commitment to Ohio State, from wtov9.com in the Ohio Valley and Tim May for the Columbus Dispatch.

The Dallas Mavericks returned home in triumph on Monday, cheered by hundreds of fans celebrating the franchise's first NBA title and the first professional championship of any kind in the area in more than a decade.

Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, center, of Germany, raises his MVP trophy followed by teammates Jason Terry, second from left, and Tyson Chandler, left, as they exit the charter with owner Mark Cuban carrying the NBA Championship basketball trophy after the team's arrival at Love Field in Dallas, Monday, June 13, 2011. The Mavericks beat the Heat to win the NBA championship. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

DALLAS  — The Dallas Mavericks returned home in triumph on Monday, cheered by hundreds of fans celebrating the franchise's first NBA title and the first professional championship of any kind in the area in more than a decade.

Owner Mark Cuban walked off the plane at Love Field carrying the championship trophy he was handed after Sunday's Game 6 win over the Miami Heat.

Next came forward Dirk Nowitzki with hardware of his own: The NBA finals MVP trophy that was awarded after he overcame a finger injury, illness and smothering defense from the Heat to power fourth-quarter comeback wins.

Cuban, the Dallas billionaire who bought the team in 2000, had the championship trophy in a seat next to him on the plane and he apparently kept it close throughout the Sunday night celebration.

"This will sound weird," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm laying in bed. With the trophy next (to) me."

Cuban will keep the party going at least through Thursday morning, the date set for the team's victory parade through the streets of downtown Dallas.

Team spokeswoman Sarah Melton confirmed the date Monday, but said the precise route and other details would be announced Tuesday. Cuban has said that he will pick up the tab for the city's parade costs.

The championship, the first in the 31-year history of the Mavericks, represents a breakthrough. The franchise was once one of the worst in the NBA and, even after Cuban's infusion of cash and energy, had a reputation of failing to win big games — including a loss to Miami in the 2006 Finals after leading the series 2-0.

The title is city's first since the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and it comes four months after the Super Bowl in suburban Arlington included not the hometown Cowboys but Green Bay and Pittsburgh along with a spate of bad weather. The Texas Rangers advanced to the last World Series, but lost to San Francisco.

As the Mavericks wore down the Heat, fans crowded into downtown Dallas on Sunday night to celebrate. Police reported 14 arrests, including six for public intoxication, four for disorderly conduct and four people taken into custody on outstanding warrants.

By Monday, attention had turned to the homecoming.

The team charter passed under a water cannon salute after it landed. Cuban, a cigar in his mouth, walked off first, followed by Nowitzki, both holding the trophies high. They then went across the runway to a security fence, touching off a celebration that lasted about 30 minutes and allowing fans who spent hours waiting in 90-degree heat to get a taste of the title.

Cuban eventually handed off the championship trophy to members of the team, who walked along the fence as fans held cell phones high to take photos. As Nowitzki was driven away, he held the MVP trophy aloft through the sun roof of his sport utility vehicle.

In an old episode of "Saturday Night Live," William Shatner played a man standing in front of a mirror admiring his own physique.

By Bill Eichenberger

Viking, 303 pp., $26.95

In an old episode of "Saturday Night Live," William Shatner played a man standing in front of a mirror admiring his own physique.

Turns out Sugar Ray Leonard has the same compunction. In fact, we find him staring lovingly into a mirror in the preface to his autobiography, "The Big Fight," trying to determine, before his bout with Marvin Hagler in April 1987, which of his dueling personalities will show up.

Will it be Sugar Ray, a fighter "resilient, fearless, unwilling to accept failure"? -- if he does say so himself. Or will it be just plain Ray, "the part-time boxer at the age of thirty, whose best was well behind him"?

Mirrors become the motif. Leonard looks into them throughout "The Big Fight," gazing either adoringly or, less frequently, in disappointment. The implications for a man already perceived by many as an overweening egotist seems to have escaped Leonard and his co-writer, Michael Arkush. Then again, Narcissus types rarely glimpse how they are coming across to others.

Leonard burst onto the national scene at the 1976 Olympics when he scored 30 points in his six fights to his opponents' zero. His domination of the light welterweight division -- 140 pounds -- was remarkable, his gold medal hard earned and well deserved.

Immediately after his gold medal fight, Leonard stunned television viewers with the announcement that he was retiring from boxing at age 20. "My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled," he said.

That utterance was the first of many false moments. A few months after the Olympics, Leonard came out of "retirement" and turned pro. Retiring and coming back became Leonard's modus operandi.

Here he proves an uncharitable narrator. He is dismissive of his corner man, Angelo Dundee, insisting that the boxing legend didn't teach him anything and suggesting that Dundee shirked his duties. This despite the fact that the man took far less to train Leonard than was standard for corner men at the time, 33 percent.

The boxer coldly criticizes almost everyone in his entourage. He praises only his business manager, Mike Trainer, primarily because the lawyer was deft at negotiating big contracts and steering sound investments.

No one in his life is three-dimensional. "They cared about me," he writes, "but they cared more for their own welfare, and no one else could provide for them and their families as I could."

His first description of his childhood sweetheart and first wife, Juanita Wilkinson, is telling: "Her face was that of an angel, and she sported a cute, curly Afro, and there was no way to diminish another part of her appeal, the size of her breasts. They were enormous and beautiful."

There is little more in "The Big Fight" not available on Wikipedia. Leonard recounts his bouts mostly in chronological order, always emphasizing the size of the purse. Cliches abound. He spends a few more pages on his three professional losses, peddling excuses.

Of his first, to Roberto Duran in 1980, he writes, "I believe in biorhythms, and mine were extremely low that night." Biorhythms. Seriously.

Leonard freely admits his long-standing addictions to cocaine and alcohol and to being a serial philanderer. His mother and father fought a lot at home, he writes, and twice as a youth he was groped by older, trusted men looking for sex.

"The Big Fight" amounts to a conversation between Leonard and himself. The reader is merely a spectator, parked in a nosebleed seat at that. 

Bill Eichenberger is a critic in Columbus, Ohio.

Here is Tuesday's essay by Ken Cooper of Westlake.

View full sizeWho knew that a lifetime .256 hitter could provide a memory that remains fresh a half-century later?

This spring, we asked readers to tell us their best memory at an Indians game. More than 600 responded. All season, The Plain Dealer will publish fan memories -- one each day the Indians are scheduled to play. Here is Tuesday's essay by Ken Cooper of Westlake.

My most unforgettable day at an Indians game was supposed to be the fifth game of the 1954 World Series. My dad had bought box seats and planned on taking me, already a die-hard Indians fan at the age of 10. Of course, there was no fifth game. Dusty Rhodes, Willie Mays and company squelched my boyhood dream of seeing a World Series game.

As it turned out, I had to wait 41 years for that dream to be realized. My dad had died four years earlier, but I was there with my son to watch the third game of the '95 World Series, an 11-inning thriller won by the Tribe.

As exciting as that game was, it was not my most unforgettable. For that I need to go back more than 50 years. The Indians were playing the Orioles that summer night in 1957. My dad and I had seats in the upper deck behind the plate. I brought my glove, as I usually did, though I had never even come close to a foul ball. That night was different. I came home with not one, but three foul balls.

The first two came in the same at-bat. Al Pilarcik fouled one back smack into my glove. I was still glowing with the thrill of catching my first foul ball when Pilarcik did the same thing two pitches later. I had caught two smokers off the bat of my new favorite Oriole.

A few innings later, somebody else hit a long foul deep into the left-field stands. I followed the path of the ball and watched as it bounced around the mostly empty seats. Immediately, some two dozen people descended on the section where the ball had landed. Amazingly, no one came away with the ball. I told my dad I knew where it was. "Then go get it," he said.

I ran the nine or 10 sections out to where the people were still looking and calmly climbed the steps to the row where the ball lay waiting. I picked it up, raced back to my seat and proudly handed it to my pop. Three balls in one game!

I've seen hundreds of Indians games over the more than 50 years since then, but that night against Baltimore and Al Pilarcik was one game I'll truly never forget.

The Canucks could have raised the Stanley Cup on Monday night, but the Bruins refused to allow a Garden party for the visitors. They even chased Luongo off their home ice in the first period, evening the series with a 5-2 victory.

Boston Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton, left, and center Tyler Seguin, right, sandwich Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa, center, during the third period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals in Boston, Monday, June 13, 2011. The Bruins won 5-2 to send the series to Game 7 Wednesday night in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON --  When Brad Marchand whistled a shot over Roberto Luongo's shoulder early in Game 6, Vancouver's enigmatic goalie looked a bit surprised, a little shaky.

When Milan Lucic trickled another goal through Luongo's legs 35 seconds later, the Boston Bruins could tell Luongo was off - and they were on.

The tension of an elimination game eroded right along with Luongo's poise. With another goal by Andrew Ference moments later, Luongo was history and the Bruins were headed back to Vancouver for the Stanley Cup finals' grand finale.

The Canucks could have raised the Stanley Cup on Monday night, but the Bruins refused to allow a Garden party for the visitors. They even chased Luongo off their home ice in the first period, evening the series with a 5-2 victory. [Box score]

"We wanted to make sure if we went down, we went down fighting," Marchand said.

Only Luongo went down. The Bruins put the Canucks' goalie and the Stanley Cup back on the shelf - and back on a plane to the West Coast for Game 7 on Wednesday night.

"I'm proud of the guys," said Mark Recchi, who had three assists. "We had our backs to the wall, we've been resilient all year, and we came out and had a great first period and did what we had to do tonight, and it comes down to Game 7. It's one game now."

For the sixth time in the last 10 seasons, the finals have been stretched to their limit. The home team hasn't lost in this series, with Vancouver winning three one-goal games and Boston posting three blowout victories, but the Bruins are riding a wave of momentum toward their first title since 1972 with three wins in the last four games.

Tim Thomas made 36 saves for the Bruins, giving up two third-period goals while burnishing his credentials for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

"Not too many people counted on us being at this point right now," said Thomas, who has allowed just eight goals in six finals games. "It's a great feeling. We battled hard tonight. We came to play, and it's coming down to one game. This is what we dream of, when you're little kids playing street hockey, you know, you're in Game 7."

League MVP Henrik Sedin scored his first point of the finals with a late power-play goal for the Canucks, who flopped in their first attempt to win the franchise's first championship. Maxim Lapierre also scored in the third period for the Canucks, who will get one last try at a Rogers Arena filled with worried Vancouverites hoping Luongo and their maddening team can come through.

Thomas has turned in a virtuoso performance in the finals - but the spotlight in Game 6 was trained squarely on the other net.

After Luongo led Vancouver to the brink of a title with a stellar performance in a 1-0 victory Friday, the Canucks hoped to celebrate in Boston. The Bruins canceled the festivities with yet another stunning barrage of goals against Luongo, who was ventilated for 15 goals in just over 4 1/2 periods in Boston.

"You can't hang your head and feel sorry for yourself," Luongo said. "That's the worst thing I could do. ... I had a good feeling all day. Before the series started, I said I enjoyed playing in this building. Just got to move on right now. Got to believe in myself, right?"

Boston even set a finals record with four goals in 4:14 while chasing Luongo and welcoming his backup, Cory Schneider, with a quick goal from Michael Ryder.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault wasted no time confirming Luongo will start Game 7 in Vancouver, where he already has two shutouts in the series.

"I don't have to say anything to him," Vigneault said. "He's a professional. His preparation is beyond reproach, and he's going to be ready for Game 7. ... It happened. There's nothing we can do about it. We've already turned the page on that, and we're going back home."

The Bruins are one win away from their Original Six franchise's first championship since 1972. Boston has lost its last five trips to the finals since, never even reaching a seventh game - but the Bruins can hang another banner in the Garden rafters with one road win.

And the Bruins have ample experience in Game 7. They've already played two in these playoffs, beating Montreal in the first round and Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals - but both of those games were at home, where Boston finished the postseason with 10 wins in its last 11 games.

If Vancouver can't regroup in the next 48 hours after another East Coast collapse, the Canucks will waste the best regular season in franchise history. Vancouver lost Game 7 of the 1994 finals to Mark Messier's New York Rangers, and hadn't been back to the finals since.

Vancouver probably could tell Game 6 was trouble from the opening shift: Second-line forward Mason Raymond was taken to a hospital with an undisclosed injury after he ran into the boards backward and bent at the waist in a collision with Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk. The Canucks gave no immediate details on his injury or condition.

After Henrik Sedin finally scored in the opening minute of the third period, playoffs scoring leader David Krejci got his 12th goal during a two-man advantage for Boston, with the 43-year-old Recchi picking up his third assist.

Luongo's career-long inconsistency has been pronounced in this series, with the Canadian Olympic champion alternating brilliance and borderline incompetence. He also didn't help himself after Game 5 by indirectly criticizing Thomas' technique on the Canucks' winning goal and then claiming Thomas never returns Luongo's compliments, saying he had been "pumping his tires" all series long.

The Boston crowd would have liked to slash Luongo's tires, key his driver's side door and pour sugar in his gas tank. They booed Luongo lustily and chanted his name derisively before Game 6 even began.

Luongo also was pulled from Game 4 in Boston early in the third period after falling behind 4-0 on the heels of the Bruins' 8-1 victory in Game 3. Luongo has been a sieve in Boston, yet he has given up just two goals in three games in Vancouver.

Boston also will be without Nathan Horton for this Game 7. The power forward had the winning goal in the decisive games against Montreal and Tampa Bay, but is out for the series after getting a concussion in Game 3.

Horton attended Game 6, getting a standing ovation from the Boston crowd when he appeared on the overhead scoreboard in the first period. Boston hardly needed the motivation in a series filled with cheap shots and insults.

While Luongo's struggles have been limited to the East Coast, the Sedin twins finally showed life for perhaps the first time in the series. The NHL's last two scoring champions have done a monumental disappearing act in the finals, although they doubled their point total for the entire series when Daniel Sedin assisted on Henrik Sedin's backhand in the slot for just the second goal of the series by Vancouver's league-best power play, which dropped to 2 for 31.

Daniel Sedin, the NHL scoring champion, added an assist on Lapierre's goal, giving him four points in the series.

Thomas has turned in one of the stingiest performances by a goalie in finals history, yet his teammates couldn't beat Luongo at any important moment in Vancouver. The Canucks won the opener on a final-minute goal and finished Game 2 just 11 seconds into overtime.

"He's been in his zone through the whole playoffs," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "You can barely count on one hand the bad goals he's given up in the whole playoffs. We all know that teams that have won the Stanley Cup have had unbelievable goaltending. We feel like we've got that."

The series has been bad-tempered from Game 1, when Vancouver's Alex Burrows escaped suspension for apparently biting the finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron. The teams taunted each other about the incident - but the series got serious when Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome leveled Horton with a late hit.

NOTES: Henrik Sedin hadn't played five games without a point since the end of the 2006-07 regular season. ... Boston D Dennis Seidenberg left the bench for several minutes in the third period, but returned. ... The Bruins won for just third time in 20 games when facing playoff elimination in a Game 6 while improving to 4-10 in finals elimination games. ... Boston extended a franchise record with its 24th playoff game of the spring. Vancouver matched its 1994 franchise record in its 24th postseason game. ... Home teams are 17-2 in the Stanley Cup finals since 2009.

For more Cinesport video on cleveland.com, go here.

Interim Ohio State coach Jim Fickell effectively orchestrated events that either led to or made easier quarterback Terrelle Pryor's decision to forgo his senior year. Was it the right thing to do for the school, for Pryor and for Fickell himself?

View full sizeAssociated PressInterim coach Luke Fickell may not have yanked the welcome mat out from under Terrelle Pryor, but he sure engineered the situation in a such a way as to let Pryor know his departure wouldn't be a heartbreaker.

Growing up on the family cattle ranch, each of us kids had a couple of pairs of boots. One was for church and social functions, so they were kept fairly clean. The other was for work, so they had a tendency to be, uh, not so clean, courtesy of a certain bovine byproduct.

Wonder if Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell has two pairs of sneakers, one for practices and press conferences and one for the mess he stepped into with first the suspension and now the resignation of disgraced coach Jim Tressel?

Now every farm kid knows to watch your step when walking in the pasture, even if you're wearin' those nasty work boots. Sooooo, to continue the analogy, we're kind of wondering if that's exactly what Fickell did when he chose against finding time to talk to now departed quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

There's a pile of, well, you know, on the Ohio State campus right now, but there's no sense in splattering yourself with it, right?

Maybe, and maybe not. Should he have taken the time to counsel a young man who clearly had no real guidance, especially since Pryor and his experience may have given Fickell the best chance to win, and thus keep his job?

Or was it the best way to deal with it, like yanking off a Band-aid for a quick burst of pain rather than plucking individual arm hairs one by one by slowly and painfully peeling it away?

There's no question that Pryor is/was a central character in the Greek tragedy that was Tressel's downfall. Perhaps by ridding the Buckeye program of him -- or setting it up so Pryor himself made the choice that wasn't a choice -- Fickell figured out a way to remove a human sword of Damocles dangling over his own future ... and that of the university.

What do you think?

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports. Will LeBron James ever figure it out and win a championship? How can the Indians jump start their offense?

Terry Pluto tackles your questions live every Tuesday at noon.

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

Will LeBron James ever figure it out and win a championship? How can the Indians jump start their offense?

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

"This shows both the arrogance and indifference of the players and the owners. This whole stoppage is predicated on the inability of these two groups to split the last 11% of the $9 billion dollar NFL yearly revenue and their stubbornness and selfishness is now directly affecting the very middle class base that drives the NFL's profits. The victims of these pay cuts and furloughs should be infuriated that their livelihoods and savings are being jeopardized by a group of millionaires and billionaires that still maintain their supposed allegiance to the fans." - PbZeppelin45

View full sizeAssociated PressRoger Goodell, NFL owners and NFL players are still struggling to reach an agreement.

In response to the story NFL lockout triggers pay cuts and furloughs for clubs and league, cleveland.com reader PbZeppelin45 thinks the NFL's arrogance - from owners and players - is showing. This reader writes,

"This shows both the arrogance and indifference of the players and the owners. This whole stoppage is predicated on the inability of these two groups to split the last 11% of the $9 billion dollar NFL yearly revenue and their stubbornness and selfishness is now directly affecting the very middle class base that drives the NFL's profits. The victims of these pay cuts and furloughs should be infuriated that their livelihoods and savings are being jeopardized by a group of millionaires and billionaires that still maintain their supposed allegiance to the fans."

"Trying to ride LeFraud's coattails to a championship was pathetic. Z doesn't deserve a ring for going there. And I love Z and will rock his old jersey when he retires. Also, if I recall correctly, Dallas was one of the teams interested in getting Z." - Scott Player

View full sizeC.W. Griffin | Miami Herald | MCTZydrunas Ilgauskas followed LeBron James to Miami in hopes of winning a championship.

In response to the story LeBron James remains 'chosen' ... for derision, skepticism and criticism after Finals meltdown: Brian Windhorst analysis, cleveland.com reader Scott Player is glad Zydrunas Ilgauskas didn't get a ring. This reader writes,

"Trying to ride LeFraud's coattails to a championship was pathetic. Z doesn't deserve a ring for going there. And I love Z and will rock his old jersey when he retires. Also, if I recall correctly, Dallas was one of the teams interested in getting Z."

"At this point, any win is a good win. As far as the offense, all you can do is keep running them out there. They're not going to hit this way the rest of the year." - timl

View full sizeAP Photo | Bill KostrounLou Marson, Chris Perez and the rest of the Indians got a much-needed win last night in New York.

In response to the story Carlos Carrasco, bullpen pitch Cleveland Indians to 1-0 victory over New York Yankees, cleveland.com reader timl is just happy the Indians won. This reader writes,

"At this point, any win is a good win. As far as the offense, all you can do is keep running them out there. They're not going to hit this way the rest of the year."

Luke Fickell's audition year as interim head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes is likely to be his only year at the helm, reporter says. Watch video

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Bill Lubinger, Branson Wright having chosen this week to take his talents to Porchville.

Hafner is expected to be in the lineup when the Class AA Aeros host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats tonight at 7:05 p.m.

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerIndians designated hitter Travis Hafner, pictured May 13 hitting a walk-off, two-run home run against the Mariners, will begin a rehab assignment tonight in Akron. Hafner has not played since May 20 after straining his right oblique muscle.

AKRON, Ohio - Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner will begin a rehab assignment tonight with the Akron Aeros, the team announced this morning.

Hafner is expected to be in the lineup when the Class AA Aeros host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 7:05 p.m.

Hafner was placed on the disabled list on May 20 with a right oblique strain. Monday afternoon, he took batting practice and ran the bases for the third time in the past four days before returning to Cleveland in the evening.

In 32 games this season, Hafner is hitting .345 (39-for-113) with eight doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI, 13 walks, a .409 one-base percentage and a .549 slugging percentage.

Hafner has played three career games with the Aeros, all in 2005. He went 0-for-9 with a walk.

For Aeros tickets, call 330-253-5153 or visit akronaeros.com online.

Does LeBron James deserve all the criticism he's receiving? How can the Indians get their offense going again? Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

View full sizeMichael Laughlin | Sun Sentinel | MCTLeBron James' season ended in disappointment again.

Does LeBron James deserve all the criticism he's receiving? How can the Indians get their offense going again? 

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

Among other topics discussed:

• Could the Cavaliers actually end up being better off that LeBron James left?

• What did you think of LeBron's postgame comments after Game 6?

• If Carlos Carrasco continues to dominate like he has his last two starts, is it time to re-evaluate the Cliff Lee trade?

• Will Manny Acta's shakeup of the lineup help or does this team need help from someplace else?

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to also like Terry Pluto on Facebook.

Terrelle Pryor is hanging out with some guys who apparently wouldn't mind being his new teammates: the NFL's Chad Ochocinco, Antonio Brown and Donte Stallworth.

View full sizeDonte StallworthDonte Stallworth tweeted this picture after catching passes from former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. From left are Chad Ochocinco, Antonio Brown, Pryor and Stallworth.

Want to know what Terrelle Pryor has been up to since deciding to take his talents to the NFL -- or anyplace other than the Horseshoe home of the Ohio State Buckeyes?

Check out these tweets from NFL receivers Donte Stallworth, Chad Ochocinco and Antonio Brown, who were running routes today with Pryor airing it out to them:

Watch video of former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor apologizing to former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel as he met with the media with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Watch video of former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor apologizing to former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel as he met with the media with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Cinesport video: Terrelle Pryor apologizes to Jim Tressel 

For more Cinesport video on cleveland.com, go here.

Former Ohio State football player Terrelle Pryor looks on during a news conference Tuesday, June 14, 2011 in Miami Beach, Fla. Speaking out for the first time since his college career at Ohio State ended embroiled in scandal, Prior apologized to the Buckeyes, to his former teammates and to now-departed coach Jim Tressel for his role in the mess that may take down one of America's proudest programs.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Terrelle Pryor ended his silence Tuesday — for exactly 97 seconds.

Speaking out, albeit briefly, for the first time since his college career at Ohio State ended embroiled in scandal, Pryor appeared with agent Drew Rosenhaus and gave a brief statement. He apologized to the Buckeyes, to his former teammates and to now-departed coach Jim Tressel for his role in the mess that may take down one of America's proudest programs.

"I say sorry to all the Buckeye nation and all the Buckeye fans across the country," Pryor said. "I never meant to hurt anybody directly or indirectly with my conduct off the field and I am truly sorry."

Pryor had already been suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the first five games of what would have been his senior season this fall for accepting improper benefits, such as cash and discounted tattoos. The scandal led to Tressel's forced resignation. Tressel acknowledged knowing his players were taking improper benefits but covered it up for more than nine months before Ohio State officials discovered his knowledge.

Pryor is Ohio State's all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks, with 2,164 yards. He also threw 57 touchdown passes, tying a school record, and is now aiming to be selected in the NFL's supplemental draft this summer.

"In terms of coach Jim Tressel, a special shoutout," Pryor said. "I'm sorry for what all went down and I apologize with all my heart. I love you just like a father. You taught me a lot and I apologize for putting you in a situation and taking you out of a job and place that you loved to be. I regret the fact that you're not there any more and I regret the fact that I'm not there any more."

The NCAA continues investigating all aspects of Ohio State's athletic program, particularly the football team, including whether athletes received cars, money or other extra benefits that would be against collegiate rules. Last week, when Pryor revealed that he was leaving school, ESPN reported that a former friend of his, speaking to the network under the condition of anonymity, claimed he the quarterback made up to $40,000 annually signing autographs.

Pryor may still be asked to cooperate with that NCAA investigation. However, his attorney Larry James said last week the quarterback feels no obligation to speak with NCAA investigators now that he is no longer enrolled at Ohio State.

"He is very sad about what has happened to his college career and Ohio State," Rosenhaus said. "I can tell you that he is extremely, he is responsible for the mistakes that he has made. He has owned up to that. There are no excuses here, guys. No excuses at all. But the past is now the past for him and we have to move ahead. There is no point in him looking back."

Rosenhaus, who famously once kept repeating "Next question" at a news conference he hosted about client Terrell Owens — the agent even got the pronunciations of their first names mixed up at one point — took the tact of "No questions" on Tuesday.

"I think I've said it all," Rosenhaus said after he spoke for about six minutes in which, among other things, insisted he believes Pryor will be a first-round pick in this summer's supplemental draft. "So I'd like to thank everybody for coming. Guys, we're going to shut it down right now and I appreciate your time. Thank you."

Reporters shouted questions and followed Rosenhaus, Pryor, other members of the entourage and some security up a hotel corridor, to no avail.

"Terrelle Pryor will be a great — not a good quarterback — a great quarterback in the National Football League," Rosenhaus said. "He is going to be a star. This experience that he has gone through will galvanize him and make him a better person, a stronger person."

Rosenhaus said he spoke with Tressel before signing Pryor as a client, and that the former Buckeyes coach will remain involved with Pryor's future. "He's going to champion this young man," Rosenhaus said.

The agent, who represents many NFL stars, also compared Pryor to Cam Newton, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. Some prognosticators have suggested Pryor may not be worth more than a fourth- or fifth-round pick in the supplemental draft, in which teams would have to forfeit a parallel round choice in the 2012 draft by making a selection. Others have speculated that Pryor may be better served changing positions.

"This league needs quarterbacks. Are you kidding me? Middle round for this guy?" Rosenhaus said.

As Rosenhaus was speaking during the event, Pryor mainly stared straight ahead, arms folded and resting on the table. He worked out Tuesday morning with a group including receiver Chad Ochocinco, who offered praise on Twitter.

"With the right coaching after what I saw today with my own eyes he can be a great QB," Ochocinco wrote.

Pryor also said he wants to graduate from Ohio State, noting he's nine credits short of his degree.

"I'm working hard every single day on the field and off the field to be a better quarterback," Pryor said. "Also, one of my goals is to be the best person I can possibly be off the field."

When Pryor finished, Rosenhaus looked at him and said, "Terrific. Thank you, Terrelle."

Pryor didn't speak again.

Maralyn H. West helped put Clevelanders in the Olympics and lead sports programs nationwide.

View full size

Euclid -- Maralyn H. West mentored Olympians, including the first Cleveland woman to win a gold medal.

She also led Cleveland's interscholastic sports program and several national sports groups.

West died May 27 at Richmond Heights Hospital at age 83.

Leonard Jackson, district athletics commissioner, called her "an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. No frills, no thrills. She did not believe in politics. She just loved what she did. She was 9 to 7, long hours. She helped bring back sports. She galvanized women's sports."

"She was very firm, no nonsense, didn't take any guff, but a very thoughtful, caring person," said Harrison Dillard, who won four Olympic golds under other mentors and later worked for the district. "Loved to work with kids."

West spent summers with the city recreation division and recruited 12-year-old Eleanor Montgomery for an all-star track team.

"She gave you the confidence that you could do anything if you put hard work in," said Montgomery, who won gold medals at the Pan-American Games and competed in the Olympics. "She gave you the strength to keep on keeping on."

West seldom talked about her childhood and had just distant survivors, so the details are sketchy. She was born in Lima, O., and moved to Amarillo, Texas. She said her parents ran a bowling alley and a sports store, and her brother died as a pilot in World War II.

Back in Lima, she spent her junior and senior year at South High School. According to school records, she competed in eight sports during just six scholastic seasons. Then she graduated from Bowling Green State University and played on a pro softball team in Chicago.

In 1954, she began to teach physical education at John Adams High School. At John Hay High, she became department chairman and assistant principal. By 1975, she was assistant principal of Collinwood High.

She also managed national teams at the Olympics, World Cup Games, Pan American Games and elsewhere. She helped several Clevelanders compete in the Olympics, including Madeline Manning, who overcame spinal meningitis and won the 800-meter race in 1968 at Mexico City under West.

Montgomery, a high jumper and long jumper, said West could be innovative. "We were jumping in sawdust and sand. She went and got inner tubes--the first port-a-beds. The other teams started doing that."

West often served as a referee. Starting in 1975, she refereed the first five state track tournaments for girls.

She chaired National Girls Track and Field and designed an emblem and pin for the sport. She also chaired the same sport for the Ohio High School Athletic Association for nearly 10 years and led many other sports groups.

In the 1970s, starting cross-town busing, the district closed interscholastic sports for two years. Then came several years when each school could fund just one sport per season per gender.

In 1982, West became directing supervisor of interscholastic athletics. She gradually revived old sports and added new ones for women. She lobbied vainly for an "Olympic Skills" magnet school. She retired in 1987.

Among her many local, state and national honors. The district named an annual track meet for her.

Though quiet and driven, she had a fun side. In the 1950s, covering a yearly trip by outstanding youths to Geauga Lake Park, The Plain Dealer reported that chaperone West roller-coastered 12 times in three hours and 24 times in a day.

In her spare time, West organized and led many softball and bowling leagues and teams. She lived in Euclid for years with a friend, June C. Buhaley, who died in 2009. For the past three months, Montgomery, her old protege, stayed with her and nursed her.

Maralyn Hope West

1928-2011

Memorial event: 1 p.m., June 25, Jakubs and Son, 936 E. 185th St., Cleveland.

Contributions: Cleveland Animal Protective League, 1729 Willey Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113, clevelandapl.org/donations.htm.

"I don't think it's going to help a whole lot, but I like the fact that Acta's at least trying something different instead of trotting out the same lineup everyday and then throwing up his hands in despair when it doesn't work." - senorpancake

View full sizeAP Photo | Ted S. WarrenManny Acta doesn't have many options when it comes to finding ways for his team to score more runs.

In response to the story Is there help down below for Tribe? Cleveland Indians daily briefing, cleveland.com reader senorpancake is glad that Manny Acta is shaking up the lineup. This reader writes,

"I don't think it's going to help a whole lot, but I like the fact that Acta's at least trying something different instead of trotting out the same lineup everyday and then throwing up his hands in despair when it doesn't work."

LeBron James says comments he made after the Heat lost Game 6 of the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks may have been misunderstood, and that when it comes to the overwhelming criticism of himself and his team, "not only myself, but everyone has to move on with their lives."

Miami Heat's LeBron James, left, and Dwyane Wade react during a basketball news conference, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 in Miami. Instead of hosting Game 7 of the NBA finals on Tuesday, the Heat packed up their stuff for the summer. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI, Florida -- LeBron James ended his first Miami Heat season with a clarification.

James says comments he made after the Heat lost Game 6 of the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks may have been misunderstood, and that when it comes to the overwhelming criticism of himself and his team, "not only myself, but everyone has to move on with their lives."

James raised eyebrows with the way he responded to a question about people being happy to see the Heat lose, saying then that those critics "have to get back to the real world."

After the team held its exit meetings Tuesday, James was saying that he's "not superior to anyone" and that he knows his comments could have been interpreted differently.

Here's what James said Tuesday, as reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

“I think it’s interpreted different than what I was trying to get out there,” he said during a media session at American Airlines Arena. “Basically, I was saying, at the end of the day, this season is over and regarding hatred, not only myself, but everyone has to move on with their lives, as well.

“They have to move on with their lives and their day-to-day, good or bad, as I do, too, at the end of the day. I’ve got to move on with my life.

“So it wasn’t saying that I’m superior or better than anyone else, any man or woman on this planet, I’m not. I would never, ever look at myself better than any of you guys sitting here or anybody that watches our game, or anybody that would look at me as a professional basketball player. I’m not superior to anyone. So, it may have come off wrong, but that wasn’t my intent.”

James also said,

"Everything that has to do with a low in life probably describes what I'm feeling right now This isn't the end of the road for me, this isn't the end of the road for the Miami Heat.

"At the end of the day, I've got to pick myself back up."

So, are you buying it? React in the comments section below.

Ohio State's Luke Fickell has the hardest job among the nation's major college football coaches.

View full sizeTerry Gilliam / Associated PressHas Luke Fickell accepted a challenge that is impossible to achieve? Terry Pluto is wondering.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Luke Fickell has one year get it right.

Of course, it's hard to know exactly what getting it right will mean at Ohio State. That's especially true after Jim Tressel's resignation, the major NCAA investigation and the departure of formerly suspended quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Is it 10 victories? Is it beating Michigan? Is it having a disciplined team as a result of more suspensions, but losing more games in the process? Suppose the Buckeyes are 8-4, but change the entitlement culture that led to the NCAA problems?

The Buckeyes have lost seven starters on defense, three on offense. It's likely that true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller will take over for Pryor. Three other starters will miss at least five games because of NCAA suspensions – including DeVier Posey, their only experienced receiver.

Doesn't exactly sound like a 10-2 record.

So what will be a successful season for Fickell? OSU hasn't made it very clear how he will be judged. Maybe the Buckeye bosses don't know. Certainly there will be a part of the fan base who will believe no matter Fickell does in 2011, a big-name coach such as Urban Meyer or Bo Pelini could do it better.

Fickell is an Ohio guy, a state high school wrestling champion. He later started 50 consecutive games at nose tackle for the Buckeyes. He coached under Lee Owens at Akron for two years, and then returned to Columbus as an assistant. In his nine seasons on the Buckeye coaching staff, he was always on defense.

His first move appears to have been asking Pryor to leave simply by not asking him to stay. His response to Pryor was silence. Fickell talked about "moving forward," but having Pryor around is like driving and staring in the rear view mirror.

So what else can Fickell do? He can try to capitalize on the tremendous credibility that Tressel has with high school coaches. He can continue recent academic success, as the Buckeyes were fifth in all of Division I football in the NCAA's recent Academic Progress Report.

Fickell insists he "didn't have blinders on," but knew little about the NCAA violations. Let's hope athletic director Gene Smith had someone check Fickell's email account before the 37-year-old assistant was offered the job. The last thing OSU needs is a repeat of how Tressel failed to report infractions to the NCAA.

Emails show Tressel was warned about some of Pryor's associates (and those of other players), but did little about it. We'll probably never know what Fickell thought of the dealing between the players and some boosters. Did he consider it the usual big-time college football business? Or did he believe a firmer hand was needed -- but Tressel wanted to play it loose to the vest with his players?

Tressel was the boss. But now Fickell is the boss. He knows there were some unsavory types hanging around the players. His strong response should be talk to compliance people, to players and other Buckeye coaches -- coming up with a long list of people and places that must be avoided.

Go there, get suspended. Go there again, go home. No more football scholarship.

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples recently rated the OSU football position and as the nation's second-best college coaching job -- right behind Texas. That may be right, even with serious NCAA sanctions possibly coming in the near future.

OSU can be a power in a few years again with the right coach. But not this year. Fickell hasn't been a head coach at any level. He's on a one-year contract. Fickell was correct at his press conference when saying, "I will take the shot any way I can [at being the Buckeyes head coach]."

So he does have the job. But the vague way OSU seems to have set this up, it will be hard for him to keep it.