Ohio State's incoming freshmen are supposed to report to Columbus this weekend.

Terry Gilliam / Associated PressInterim Ohio State football coach Luke Fickell is trying to keep recruits in the fold with uncertainty around the program.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State's incoming football freshmen are supposed to report to campus by Sunday night, and it appears that the Buckeyes will be down at least one player from the class they signed in February.

Pittsburgh-area linebacker Ejuan Price wants out of his OSU commitment, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday. He is reportedly waiting for Ohio State to release him from his National Letter of Intent.

A three-star prospect, according to Rivals.com, Price had appeared to waver on Ohio State at other times during the recruiting process. Given Jim Tressel's resignation and the NCAA sanctions the program will be facing, it can't be a shock that Ohio State faces losing a recruit this way.

Ohio State signed 24 players in this class. Seven of them - quarterback Braxton Miller, linebacker Ryan Shazier, offensive lineman Tommy Brown, defensive back Jeremy Cash, defensive lineman Joel Hale, tight end Jeff Heuerman and defensive back Ron Tanner - are already enrolled at Ohio State and took part in spring practice. Another, Glenville quarterback Cardale Jones, signed with Ohio State but will attend prep school this fall, as planned.

That leaves 16 other incoming freshmen that Ohio State will be expecting this weekend, including Cleveland-area recruits like Elyria's Chase Farris, St. Vincent-St. Mary's Doran Grant and Shaker Heights' Tony Underwood. They all previously reaffirmed their choice of Ohio State.

Ohio State has nine players orally committed for the Class of 2012, including two players added since Luke Fickell was named the interim head coach after Tressel's departure. But the first order of business is getting the 2011 recruits to Columbus.

Vinnie Pestano said the goal of the Indians bullpen is to be a dominant force at the end of the game.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerVinnie Pestano says manager Manny Acta is a big reason for the bullpen's success.

DETROIT -- No bullpen is perfect, but when manager Manny Acta gives the Indians pen the ball with a lead it's fun to watch.

In Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Detroit, Fausto Carmona was done after five innings and 103 pitches. Acta called for the pen and they delivered:

• Rafael Perez, inheriting a 5-4 lead, worked a scoreless sixth.

• Vinnie Pestano came on in the seventh, walked Brennan Boesch to start the inning and then took care of business. Miguel Cabrera hit into a 6-4-3 double play and Victor Martinez flied out to right. Pestano, with a 6-4 lead, went out for the eighth and retired Magglio Ordonez.

• Tony Sipp was up next. He walked Alex Avila in the eighth, but retired two straight to end the inning.

• In the ninth, it was Chris Perez, who retired the Tigers in order for 11th straight save and 18th overall.

The pen is 11-6 with 17 saves. It ranks third in the AL with a 3.34 ERA.

"It has a lot to do with the way we're used," said Pestano. "Obviously, CP [Chris Perez] is used in the same situation every game, but Manny (Acta) has the great feel for who our stuff plays best against. He's got a great feel for matchups and is always going to put us in the best situation for us and the team."

Pestano says the bullpen is a "team within the team."

"Everyone of our guys has that bulldog mentality," he said. "We're a close knit bunch. We all do things alike. We go to lunch together. Things like that.

"If someone goes out there and gives up a run, I feel I give up a run."

The relievers have nicknamed themselves "The Bullpen Mafia." Pestano said the name shouldn't be taken the wrong way.

"We're family," he said.

As for the pen's goal, Pestano said, "We want to be that dominant force at the end of the game that people aren't happy to face. Everyone of us has a little chip on our shoulder. We've all had something to prove during our careers.

"We try to do it on a daily basis. It's not always going to work out. We're going to have our bad games like everyone else."

Joe Smith, Chad Durbin and Frank Herrmann are the other bullpen members.

Today's lineups:

Indians (36-30): CF Grady Sizemore (L), C Carlos Santana (S), CF Michael Brantley (L), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), 1B Matt LaPorta (R), LF Travis Buck (L), 2B Cord Phelps (S), 3B Adam Everett (R) and RHP Mitch Talbot (2-3, 4.01).

Tigers (37-31): CF Austin Jackson (R), 3B Don Kelly (L), LF Brennan Boesch (L), 1B Miguel Cabrera (R), DH Victor Martinez (S), RF Magglio Ordonez (R), C Alex Avila (L), SS Jhonny Peralta (R), 2B Ryan Raburn (R), RHP Max Scherzer (8-3, 4.39).

Him vs. me: The Tigers are hitting .339 (20-for-59) against Talbot. Magglio Ordonez leads the way with a .500 (4-for-8) with one homer and four RBI. The Indians are batting .215 (14-for-65) against Scherzer with Choo leading the way at .600 (6-for-10) with one homer and three RBI.

Right-left: Righties are hitting .203 (14-for-69) with three homers and lefties are hitting .400 (26-for-65) with two homers against Talbot.

Righties are hitting .259 (41-for-158) with three homers and lefties are hitting .298 (50-for-168) with nine homers against Scherzer. 

Umpires: H D.J. Reyburn, 1B Ted Barrett, 2B Tim McClelland, 3B Brian Runge.

Quote of the day: "They could have given me any number. They could have given me number one-hundred one. The number is nothing. I could have played my whole career without a number on my back, and it still wouldn’t have changed the person," former Tiger second baseman great Lou Whitaker, to the Detroit News, Feb. 20, 2004.

Next: RHP Josh Tomlin opens a three-game interleague series at home against the Pirates Kevin Correia (8-5, 3.73) Friday night at Progressive Field.

CBS will televise Big Ten games through the 2016-2017 under an agreement announced today.

View full sizeMarvin Fong,
The Plain DealerBig Ten games featuring players like Ohio State's Jared Sullinger will be carried on CBS through the 2016-2017 season under a TV deal announced today.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. — The Big Ten and CBS Sports say they have reached a multiyear agreement to broadcast basketball games through the 2016-17 season.
    
The announcement came Thursday. Terms were not disclosed.
    
The agreement begins next season and it calls for a minimum of 24 appearances on CBS by teams from the Big Ten. The network will continue to broadcast the Big Ten men’s tournament semifinal and championship games.
    
Additional appearances by various Big Ten women’s teams also will be featured on CBS.
    
The network also has deals with the Big East, Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences. 

Cavs are locked in on Kyrie Irving as their first-round pick, says ESPN and former Plain Dealer beat writer Brian Windhorst. Not so fast says Cavs coach Byron Scott, via Yahoo Sports.

Updated at 1:22 p.m.

View full sizeAP FileBet the farm on Kyrie Irving's next basketball uniform being the wine and gold of the Cleveland Cavaliers, says ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The Cavs are definitely going to take Kyrie Irving with the first pick of the NBA draft next Thursday ... unless they don't.

Coach Byron Scott told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the organization hasn't decided on whom the team will take with the No. 1 pick.

Pshaw, says Brian Windhorst, who cut his NBA teeth on the Cavs beat for the Akron Beacon-Journal and The Plain Dealer before moving on to ESPN as part of the  team covering LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Windhorst said on Twitter that Cleveland is locked in on Irving for the choice

WindhorstESPN 

 

2 players you can talk to Cavs about now: Ramon Sessions & JJ Hickson. Andy Varejao not available for just a draft pick.

WindhorstESPN

 

Most execs see this draft same way: 2 impact players then a bunch of role players + gambles. Everyone now just looking for best bet.

WindhorstESPN

 

Cavs going to draft Kyrie Irving with 1st pick. They're scheming to figure out how to get D. Williams but Irving is top of their board.

 

...  Who they decide to take with the top pick could be determined by whether they decide to pursue another guard like Kentucky’s Brandon Knight or Connecticut’s Kemba Walker at No. 4 – or whether they receive an enticing trade offer, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Cavs also have workouts scheduled for early next week that will factor in their decision.

“The main reason is we want to do our due diligence on the other guys as well,” Scott said on why a decision hasn’t been made. “We have a few more workouts we want to get in before we really want to start evaluating on who we think is the best possible pick at No. 1 and who we think is the best at No. 4. So, by no means, has anyone in our organization who has been to our workouts said, ‘Derrick Williams is our first pick’ or ‘Kyrie Irving is our first pick.’

 “We’re all keeping an open mind and understand we have a few more workouts to go through. Both of those guys are very, very good basketball players in our minds. Both are going to have a long career, but no way are we set on a guy.”

There's no rejoicing in State College, Pa., over the way the Terrelle Pryor era ended in Columbus.

View full sizeAP FilePenn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said there's no joy in State College over the way Pennsylvania native Terrelle Pryor's career ended at Ohio State.

Adam Rittenberg, who writes the Big Ten blog for ESPN.com, acknowledged that some in the league watched the Terrelle Pryor boondoggle unfold happy that he wasn't their problem.

Jay Paterno, coach at Penn State, wasn't one of them. This is from Rittenberg's blog today, quoting JaPa's column:

At recent alumni events, I've been asked by Penn Staters about the Ohio State situation and about Terrelle Pryor. The night he left school, I even got messages from people who were almost gleeful about the latest developments.

When Pryor went to Ohio State, both Joe Paterno and I were blamed by some media members and fans for being the reason he went elsewhere. Most would expect that I was happy the way things turned out.

Watching how this story has ended hasn't given me any joy. Quite the contrary, it has bothered and even saddened me.

Media friends express support for the Browns radio broadcaster and WKYC Channel 3 sports director, who had a bone marrow transplant Tuesday.

View full sizeCourtesy of WKYC Channel 3Jim Donovan, the radio voice of the Browns and WKYC Channel 3 sports director, underwent a bone marrow transplant Tuesday at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals. Donovan last month announced he is battling leukemia and taking a leave of absence.

Cleveland, Ohio - In the tight circle of the Northeast Ohio sports media, nearly everyone knows Jim Donovan.

But very few actually knew the radio voice of the Browns and WKYC Channel 3 sports director has been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) for 11 years. At least not until Donovan announced it May 25. Donovan had a bone marrow transplant Tuesday at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals.

"From what I've heard, things went well," said Sam Rutigliano, the former Browns coach who participates in Browns TV shows on SportsTime Ohio hosted by Donovan.

Donovan is expected to be out several months as he recovers, but hopes to be back for the Browns games in the fall.

Rutigliano had been aware of Donovan's duel with leukemia for "a few years." He knew the sportscaster had chemotherapy treatments, and there were times when he looked a little worn out.

"But he's a private guy, he never talked much about it," said Rutigliano. "He is the same every day -- upbeat and excited to do whatever show he's doing. He's a guy who parks his ego at the door. When he does a show, he wants you to look and sound good. It's not about him."

Plain Dealer Browns writer Mary Kay Cabot said she never heard about the leukemia until the day Donovan made it public. Like Rutigliano, she also did STO shows with Donovan.

"So few people knew," she said. "He spent a lot of time talking with me about [my husband] Bill's heart surgery last year. He really was concerned about that, and here he was going through this."

Someone who did know is Doug Dieken, who teams with Donovan on Browns radio broadcasts along with some STO shows.

"Jim reminds me so much of [former Browns radio voice] Nev Chandler because of his love of sports," said Dieken. "Sports are his Red Bull. When he does a game, he stands up in the booth for the entire game. When there's a big play, his arms are waving, he's pointing as he describes it. And remember, this guy has been battling leukemia."

Dieken said Chandler and Casey Coleman -- two Browns radio voices who died from cancer -- "are some of the toughest guys I've even been around, just like Jim. Players talk about playing hurt. Well, try working after chemo."

Keep in mind Dieken played left tackle for the Browns for 14 years, including games with broken bones and other significant injuries. But he is in awe of what he has seen from Chandler, Coleman and Donovan as they battled their diseases.

Why did Donovan keep it a secret?

"He loves to talk, but doesn't like to talk about himself," said Dieken. "Actually, he does talk to himself. He rehearses what he'll say for an opening to a show. Nev did the same thing. Those guys never used a teleprompter."

Dieken paused then added, "Those guys never wanted anyone to feel sorry for them. They're pros."

Andre Knott replaced Coleman as the Browns' sideline reporter. For several years, he traveled on the team plane with Dieken and Donovan to games.

"I was overwhelmed by all the preparation that Jim does," said Knott. "He'd study on the plane to the game on Saturday. We'd go out to dinner, and afterwards, he'd be back in his hotel room doing more homework for the game. I know he stayed up late, and he did it year after year."

Donovan was sick on the plane the day before a 2009 game at Kansas City. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to call the game the next day.

"I had to do it if Jim couldn't go," said Knott. "He kept talking to me, telling me that I'd do a good job. He told others that I'd be just fine filling in. He was the one who was sick, and he was worried about me."

But Donovan was in the booth for the 41-34 victory over the Chiefs.

"That was the game where [Joshua] Cribbs had all those great returns," said Dieken. "Jim was so excited, he was ready to jump out of the booth and run on the field."

Dieken talked about Donovan in the dressing room after games with his microphone and camera man, fighting the media mobs to secure interviews for his sportscasts.

"Some guys in his position would act like they are too big for that," said Dieken. "To Jim, it was part of doing a good job. Look, he's a guy who doesn't blow his own horn."

Channel 3 station manager Brooke Spectorsky has worked with Donovan for 13years.

"He can do about anything -- news sports, weather, you name it," insisted Spectorsky. "In our last election, [newscaster] Tim White lost his voice. He couldn't go on the air. I thought about who to put on with Romona [Robinson], and gave it to Jim. You'd swear he had been doing that all his life."

Spectorsky said there were days when Donovan had "terrible sweats" from the leukemia treatments: "He'd go somewhere by himself for an hour, come back and do the show -- and you'd never guess what he was going through."

Knott mentioned being in a car with Donovan and Dieken after a game in Buffalo, and how Donovan kept switching to various NFL broadcasts on the Sirius network.

"He likes to hear what other broadcasters are doing," said Knott. "He wants to keep getting better. This guy is really good, and I think he's underrated."

Part of the reason is Donovan being in the same town as Cavs Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Tait and Tom Hamilton, who has developed a huge following doing Tribe radio games.

"We really have our own Big Three here with Joe, Tom and Jim," said Dieken. "Jim has done the Olympics. He did some network NFL telecasts before getting the Browns job [in 1999]. He's a big time talent."

The 54-year-old Donovan is from Boston, but he's been in the Cleveland market since 1985, doing the weeknight sportscasts on Channel 3. He settled in Northeast Ohio with his wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Megan.

"When he first came here, I thought Jim would want to get back to Boston," said Rutigliano. "But he embraced the teams and the area. He loves it here."

As Donovan wrote on Channel 3's website right before his surgery this week: "I was born in Boston, but Cleveland is my home. And one more thing, way to go Dallas Mavs!"

Indians take an early 2-0 lead on triples by Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo, but Mitch Talbot can't hold it.

DETROIT, Mich. -- The Tigers lead the Indians, 6-2, Thursday afternoon after six innings at Comerica Park.

Former Indian infielder Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn hit two-out homers off Mitch Talbot in the fourth give the Tigers at 4-2 lead. Peralta and Raburn were hitting eighth and ninth in manager Jim Leyland's lineup. Peralta has 10 homers.

Detroit made it 6-2 with two more runs in the fifth. Talbot gave up three straight ground-ball singles to Don Kelly, Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera to start the inning. Kelly scored on Cabrera's bouncer through the middle.

Frank Herrmann relieved Talbot. Victor Martinez dropped a soft single into center field to score Boesch, but Herrmann pitched his way out of further trouble.

The Tribe took a 2-0 lead in the first off Max Scherzer. Michael Brantley started the rally with a triple past first with two out. Brantley came around to score on second baseman Ryan Raburn's errant relay throw to third.

Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a long double to the gap in right center. Shin-Soo Choo scored him with a triple to right center. It was only Choo's second RBI in his last 21 games.

It was the first time the Indians have hit two triples in a game since Aug. 9, 2009 against the White Sox and the first time they've hit two triples in one inning since June 10, 2005 against the Giants.

Talbot, handed the two-out gift, gave it right back in the bottom of the first. He put himself in trouble by walking Austin Jackson to start the inning. Jackson stole second, spiking Asdrubal Cabrera in the process, and scored on Kelly's bloop single to left.

Singles by Boesch and Miguel Cabrera loaded the bases. Talbot, facing Martinez with no one, held the Tigers DH to a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the score. Then Talbot caught a real break. Magglio Ordonez sent a liner toward left center. Asdrubal Cabrera made a leaping catch and threw behind his back like a NBA point guard to Cord Phelps to double off Miguel Cabrera at second.

Talbot allowed six runs on nine hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out three on 96 pitches.

Scherzer kept giving the Indians chances to get back in the game, but they wouldn't cooperate.

Adam Everett doubled and Grady Sizemore was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out in the fifth. Scherzer struck out Carlos Santana and retired Brantley on a grounder.

In the sixth, Scherzer loaded the bases with two out when he walked Phelps. Al Alburquerque relieved and retired Everett on a fly ball to the track in right.

Turkish center Enes Kanter told reporters in Minnesota that he was returning to Cleveland for a second workout on Monday, and his agent told reporters Kanter was scheduled to meet Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Agent Max Ergul also told Minnesota reporters Kanter was not ''auditioning'' for the No. 4 pick, clearly indicating he thought his client could be taken...

View full sizeAP FileTurkish center Enes Kanter has a second workout with the Cavs scheduled before the NBA draft.

Turkish center Enes Kanter told reporters in Minnesota that he was returning to Cleveland for a second workout on Monday, and his agent told reporters Kanter was scheduled to meet Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

Agent Max Ergul also told Minnesota reporters Kanter was not ''auditioning'' for the No. 4 pick, clearly indicating he thought his client could be taken with the No. 1 pick.

Kanter worked out in Cleveland last Tuesday and worked out in Minnesota today. Derrick Williams also was scheduled to work out for the Wolves today.

As has been the case throughout the pre-draft process, the Cavs declined to comment on the reports or the workouts. Williams worked out in Cleveland on Tuesday and Kyrie Irving worked out in Cleveland last Thursday.

"I hate what this kid did in regards to dishonoring my alma mater, but don't kid yourself, Pryor is a supreme athlete and does bring some unique skills to the QB position. He needs refining, but he does have a big arm and has shown the ability to accurately throw deep. He runs like a deer - long-striding and stiff arming his way downfield like nobody's business." - randyosu

View full sizeTerrelle Pryor's future as an NFL quarterback has been a hot topic of debate among cleveland.com commenters.

In response to the story Pryor will get looks by NFL teams, but won't get on the field - Browns Comment of the Day, cleveland.com reader randyosu thinks Pryor could become a good NFL quarterback. This reader writes,

"I hate what this kid did in regards to dishonoring my alma mater, but don't kid yourself, Pryor is a supreme athlete and does bring some unique skills to the QB position. He needs refining, but he does have a big arm and has shown the ability to accurately throw deep. He runs like a deer - long-striding and stiff arming his way downfield like nobody's business."

Some contend that most wide receivers need two years of NFL experience before they reach their potential. More Browns links.

Lynn Ischay, The Plain DealerWide receivers Brian Robiskie (left) and Mohamed Massaquoi (right) were second-round draft picks of the Browns in 2009.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns haven't exactly been known for their excellence at wide receiver since returning as a franchise in 1999.

There's beeen a season here, a season there from one wideout or another -- Kevin Johnson, Braylon Edwards...

The Browns hope that draft choice Greg Little can make an immediate impact at the position.

Dave Kolonich, writing for Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report, contends that wide receivers sometimes emerge as go-to guys in their third seasons. That puts Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in the "you can always hope" category for 2011.

Kolonich writes:

Recent history has suggested that because of the complexity of NFL offenses, wide receivers need two years of development before reaching their full potential. In most cases, NFL wideouts need this time to redefine their mechanical route-running and grasp the concepts involved in playing multiple spots on the field. Or, in the Browns’ particular case, third-year wide receivers also traditionally have to adjust to constant coaching and scheme changes.

Kolonich thinks Robiskie and Massaquoi are better suited to the West Coast offense that new coach Pat Shurmur favors.

Both Massaquoi and Robiskie will adjust to Shurmur’s new offense, which is a bit of a departure from former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Daboll’s offense during the past two seasons was predicated on receivers running more vertical routes and trying to gain separation from defenders. The idea was to create mismatches along the seams of the field. Shurmur’s offense during his time as St. Louis’ offensive coordinator was based on more quick, horizontal routes designed to take advantage of spacing across the field.

On paper, both Massaquoi and Robiskie should benefit from this scheme change, particularly since neither receiver is adept at playing the physical style demanded by Daboll. Collectively, the Browns’ offense under Daboll suffered from occasional breakdowns.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage features Terry Pluto's column about Browns radio play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan's battle with leukemia.

Browns talk

An ESPN.com panel ranks the top 10 left tackles in the NFL. You won't be surprised about No. 1.

Matt Florjancic of clevelandbrowns.com answers readers' questions about the team.

On the National Football Post, a Browns rookie is among the players to track for fantasy leaguers.

The Browns should spend a supplemental draft pick on Terrelle Pryor, James Walker writes for ESPN.com.

Reporters for Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report discuss the long-term potential of Browns draft picks.

Mavericks defeated the favored Miami Heat, 4 games to 2, to win the NBA title.

Associated PressMavericks stars (left to right) Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd during the team's victory parade in Dallas.

DALLAS, Texas -- The face of the Dallas Mavericks laughed, sang and even seemed to tear up.

For Dirk Nowitzki, the only thing that could come close to being an NBA champion for the first time was celebrating it with the fans in his adopted hometown of Dallas.

An expected crowd of 250,000 crammed downtown Thursday morning for a parade in the team's honor, with another 20,000 or so filling the arena for a rally filled with emotional moments.

After waiting 31 years for the franchise to be atop the NBA, fans honored it in a way that many said was worth the wait.

Nowitzki was the unquestioned star of the show, drawing the loudest cheers from start to finish — usually chants of "M! V! P!" There were German flags in the crowd, a sign calling him "Der Kaiser" and cut-out letters that spelled "Thank you Dirk."

After the parade and before the rally, Nowitzki and his teammates went to the balcony of the arena and spoke briefly to the crowd. Nowitzki capped it by leading a rousing rendition of their new favorite song, "We Are The Champions."

More singing came during the rally, when team owner Mark Cuban serenaded Nowitzki with "Happy Birthday"; he turns 33 on Sunday. Nowitzki got into it, too, pretending to conduct.

But this day had two other emotional crescendos for Nowitzki.

The first came when coach Rick Carlisle said, "You're looking at the best basketball team on the planet. It's also very clear we have in our presence the greatest basketball player on the planet." The overhead jumbo board showed a close-up shot of Nowitzki wiping his eyes.

When it was Nowitzki's turn to speak, his teammates and Cuban were among those standing and chanting "MVP." Nowitzki bit his bottom lip and looked down. He was too overcome with emotion to answer the first question from co-emcee Chuck Cooperstein.

"It's been an amazing ride, an amazing journey," Nowitzki said. "It's been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. This is the top of the iceberg. It feels absolutely amazing."

He relived his journey from a 19-year-old draftee with a bowl cut and a bad earring — "just a bad look," he said with a smile — to the greatest player in team history, a former league MVP and the newly minted finals MVP.

"I didn't really know what to expect," he said of his early days in Dallas. "It's been an amazing ride and you guys have been with me every step of the way. This is for our fans!"

Another highly charged moment came when it was Cuban's turn to speak.

He couldn't.

The rambunctious billionaire determined to do things his way seemed awed by the moment, surely thinking about his own journey from a fan who used to buy scalped tickets to buying the club in January 2000.

When Cooperstein joked about this being "a long way from Reunion Arena," Cuban just shook his head, lips pinched.

In came Carlisle to the rescue.

He grabbed the microphone and discussed something he said to the players a few days before, about the difference between success and fulfillment.

"Mark has had obvious success," Carlisle said. "The thing you have to understand is, to him, it doesn't matter the cost, it's to be able to bring this moment to you. So, thanks."

They hugged as fans stood and cheered. There were chants of "Thank you Mark," and Cuban wiped his eyes several times. Once he felt composed, the guy who loves being the center of attention motioned for quiet.

He had a story to tell.

"The day I bought the team, but it had not yet been announced, I went out with some friends to have an adult beverage," Cuban said. "I go into this bar and I see this tall, German, goofy-looking guy — with his bowl cut, earring — and I know I'm going to be his boss the very next day. He has no idea.

"So I walk up to him and say, 'Yo. Let me buy you a beer.' He just looks at me, shakes his head and walks away.

"The next day, we're at (the practice facility). I'm supposed to get introduced to the team. I walk in the door and I walk up and I just look at him and he just shakes his head. That's pretty much been our relationship for 13 years."

The video board cut to Nowitzki several times during the anecdote and he couldn't stop smiling and laughing.

There were all sorts of funny moments during the rally.

Brian Cardinal, a backup nicknamed "The Custodian," came on the stage with a broom and dustpan. With a stogie in his mouth, he tidied up a bit, then waved his arms to loud applause. He cupped a hand to his ears, asking for them to be louder, then went back into the tunnel.

Jason Kidd was the first player to speak and he talked about it being "a dream came true when I was drafted by the Mavericks in 1994."

"I just didn't know it was going to take 17 years to win a championship," he said. "We've got one championship, now we need to go and get another championship."

Tyson Chandler upped expectations.

"I hear they do things big in Dallas," he said. "So if we do it big, it can't be just one." He held up a hand and started flipping up fingers and counting, "One, two, three, four, five."

Jason Terry wore dark glasses and a Mardi Gras-style blue necklace. He did his traditional flying airplane motion to wild cheers, then flexed his right biceps to show off the tattoo of the trophy he added in October and vowed to scrub if they didn't win it all.

Terry and Nowitzki are the only holdovers from the Mavericks' only other finals team — in 2006, when they blew a 2-0 lead against Miami. So this title is especially sweet for them.

"Not only the way we did it, who we did it against," Terry said before the rally. "We'll never forget it. We'll never forget '05-06 and we sure as heck won't forget 2011."

Fans filled the downtown streets starting early Thursday, despite temperatures approaching 90 degrees by noon. The plaza around the arena was filled to its 3,000-person capacity about two hours before the parade even began.

Franchise founder Donald Carter and his wife, Linda, for whom he started the club as gift, were in the lead vehicle, a white convertible.

"Fantastic," Carter said.

At the end of the parade, those who rode along said they were overwhelmed by the turnout — people as far as they could see.

"I'm numb," said Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations.

Close to 100 arrested after Vancouver Canucks lose decisive Game 7 to Boston Bruins.

Associated PressPolice on horseback on a Vancouver street during the rioting that followed the Canucks' Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Almost 150 people required hospital treatment and close to 100 were arrested after rioters swept through downtown Vancouver following a Canucks loss to the Boston Bruins in the decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

Vancouver Coastal Health spokeswoman Anna Marie D'Angelo said Thursday that three stabbing victims had been admitted and an unidentified man was in critical condition with head injuries after a fall from a viaduct.

She said most of the rioting victims were treated at St. Paul's Hospital, while about 40, including the stabbing cases and the head injury patient, were being treated at Vancouver General Hospital.

Rioting and looting left cars burned, stores in shambles and windows shattered over a roughly 10-block radius of the city's main shopping district.

Police Chief Jim Chu said nine officers were injured, including one who required 14 stitches after being hit with a thrown brick. Chu said some officers suffered bite marks. He said 15 cars were burned, including two police cars.

He called those who incited the riot "criminals and anarchists" and said officers identified some in the crowd as the same people who smashed windows and caused trouble through the same streets the day after the 2010 Winter Olympics opened in 2010.

"These were people who came equipped with masks, goggles and gasoline," he said. "They had a plan."

Chu said those who stood by and filmed and cheered also bear some responsibility.

Assistant Fire Chief Wade Pierlot said people had to be rescued from rooftops and bathrooms where they had hidden for safety. He said some people moved burning dumpsters away from buildings to prevent further damage.

Mayor Gregor Robertson said "organized hoodlums bent on creating chaos incited the riot" and noted the city proved with the 2010 Winter Olympics that it could hold peaceful gatherings. A local business leader estimated more than 50 businesses were damaged.

"They were here to make trouble and they succeeded," Robertson said.

City councilor Suzanne Anton said the rioting has shaken Vancouver and overshadowed the hockey team's playoff run.

"I would never have believed that Vancouver would be a city where there would be looting," Anton said. "I just feel such a profound sense of disappointment. We like to think we live in paradise here in Vancouver. It's hard to imagine here."

It was similar to the scene that erupted in the city in 1994 following the Canucks' Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers.

Anton said there was no loss of life or police brutality in this latest incident. She said dozens of volunteers patrolled the city's entertainment strip on Thursday, picking up debris and garbage.

One of the volunteers, Al Cyrenne, carried his broom downtown to clean up the damage.

"I'm all choked up," he said, as he surveyed broken windows and debris on a downtown street.

"I can't believe the scene. Just talking about it brings me to tears. I can't believe the people of Vancouver would do this. It's just a few idiots."

While police said it was mostly young thugs responsible for the mayhem overnight, an equally young crew turned up in jeans and rubber gloves, some with Canucks jerseys, all carrying plastic garbage bags.

Dozens of remorseful and dismayed commuters crowded around the smashed and plywood covered display windows at the flagship Bay store, a historical building that was the first focus of rampaging looters Wednesday night.

Someone had tacked a rough, hand-painted sign that read: "On behalf of my team and my city, I am sorry." People waited in line to sign it.

Across the street at London Drugs, the windows were also smashed.

Wynn Powell, the president and CEO of London Drugs, estimated the damage there at $1 million alone.

Powell, sounding angry, said the looting wasn't the random consequence of a mob mentality.

"The rioters attacked us for two hours before they got into the store. They were down attacking the stores of Vancouver to try to steal product."

TV footage showed a man being beaten after he tried to stop looters from smashing windows at the Hudson Bay department store.

Looters were seen grabbing T-shirts and anything else they could get their hands on. Young women were seen escaping with MAC cosmetics, with one carrying out part of a mannequin. The landmark building was filling with smoke as people, their faces covered in bandannas, continued the violence.

The looters turned their attention next on a Future Shop store a few blocks away, smashing windows and flooding up the stairs to the second-floor store, only to turn around quickly. One witness said police were at the top of the stairs.

Sears and Chapters stores were also looted, their glass fronts smashed. For many, the ugly chaos made the Cup loss an afterthought.

"What I've seen is a complete disgrace," said Beth Hope, 28, who is originally from England but has lived in Vancouver for two years. "I'm a Canucks fan, but my jersey's in my bag. I'm ashamed to be a fan right now."

NBA star Steve Nash, from nearby Victoria and the brother-in-law of Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, sent a Twitter message imploring the fans to stop the violence. "We're a great city and have a lot of class. Our team is great and our championship will come. Soon," Nash wrote.

Some seemed to revel in the rampage, recording the vandalism on cell phones and video cameras. A few congratulated those who tried to attack police, and others erupted with cheers every time something was damaged.

The resounding success of a revised walleye stocking formula at Pymatuning Reservoir has Ohio fisheries officials trying to duplicate the sport fishing bonanza at Mosquito, West Branch and LaDue reservoirs and Lake Milton.

 The resounding success of a revised walleye stocking formula at Pymatuning Reservoir has Ohio fisheries officials trying to duplicate the sport fishing bonanza at Mosquito, West Branch and LaDue reservoirs and Lake Milton.

Ohio and Pennsylvania fisheries officials made a switch in 2008, increasing the size of walleye they released in the sprawling, 14,650-acre reservoir on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Instead of the more economical quarter-inch walleye fry - dubbed two eyes and a wiggle - they invested in raising walleye fry for a couple of months in Ohio hatcheries in order to stock 1- to 1.5-inch fingerling-sized walleye. The odds of survival are greater for the larger fingerlings.

 The results have been amazing. Walleye fishing is booming at Pymatuning this year, and will get better. About 90 percent of the walleye caught right now are an inch, or so, short of being a 15-inch "keeper" walleye.

"They grow so fast, those 14 1/2-inchers will be 'keepers' in the fall," said Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologist Matt Wolfe.

With Mosquito Reservoir's fabled walleye fishing in a slump the past two or three years, the Trumbull County lake received 362,112 walleye fingerlings recently from Ohio's hatcheries, more than 50 per acre. West Branch Reservoir, which hasn't been stocked since 1989, got 261,595 fingerlings. Fingerlings were also released in Lake Milton (173,160) and LaDue Reservoir (148,497).

"When we release fry and fingerlings each year, we mark them with different types of oxytetracycline," said Wolfe. "That identifies them when we do fall samplings. About 90% of the walleye we're checking at Pymatuning were released as fingerlings."

Anglers this year have found walleye, crappie, bluegill, bass and even muskie fishing more productive at Pymatuning. Wolfe says the muskie fishermen are secretive, but there are reports of 40- and even 50-pound muskies being caught.

 Trophy walleye: Team DB III with Capt. Rick Hildbrand (6 walleye, 49.8 pounds) won the 19th annual Walleye Fishing Tournament held by the North Coast Charter Boat Association in Grand River on Saturday. Guide Mike Arnold and the Reeltime Charters Team won big fish honores with a 12.8-pound walleye.

United Way Bass Classic: Ray Halter of the Rodmaker's Shop in Strongsville teamed with Al Hustosky to win the Pine Lake Division in the recent Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Bass Classic. Halter and Hustosky checked a limit of five bass weighing 14.16 pounds. In the Lake Evans Division, Kent's Mike Mattern and Michael Miglets won with 15.81 pounds. Austin Dunlap of East Liverpool took the big bass trophy for a 4.55-pounder.

Out and about: Bob Russ of Cleveland was fishing for yellow perch Friday off Euclid General Hospital when he landed a 14 3/4-pound, 33-inch walleye on a perch rig in 24 feet of water . . . The small pond at the Irish Heritage Club in Avon Lake was a big hit for a recent kid's fishing event, with 11-year-old Kaley O'Conner's foot-long largemouth bass a winner . . . The published regulations for Ohio frog and turtle hunting have mistakes. The limit on frogs is 15, not 10. The turtle season begins July 1, not June 10.

Algae warnings: The Ohio EPA has a new web site (ohioalgaeinfo.com) for advisories on algal blooms, which are becoming a larger problem each year for Ohio lakes. This week, Grand Lake St. Marys and Buckeye Lake are on the list.

Catch a muskie: The 41st annual Ohio Huskie Muskie Club Open Summer Contest is July 9-10 on Alum Creek Reservoir in Delaware and open to the public. Registration is open on July 8 from 5-8 p.m. and July 9 from 6-10 a.m. at the pavilion below the dam at the spillway. Visit OHMCI.org.

Trim the herd: Deer hunters can apply for a lottery for deer bowhunting permits in the Summit County Metro Parks. Each permit is good for up to six people, including three adults and three youth hunters. An archery test is needed before the July 18 deadline. Contact Gander Mountain in Twinsburg, Hadley's Sports Center in Akron and The Marksman in Norton for details. Two box blinds are being installed for disabled hunters.

Sport hunters have killed 135 deer in three seasons of controlled Metro Parks bow hunts.

This spring, we asked readers to tell us their best memory at an Indians game. More than 600 responded. The five finalists and winner were featured during the week leading up to Opening Day. All season long, The Plain Dealer will publish other fan memories -- one each day the Indians are scheduled to play. Here is today's essay...

This spring, we asked readers to tell us their best memory at an Indians game. More than 600 responded. The five finalists and winner were featured during the week leading up to Opening Day. All season long, The Plain Dealer will publish other fan memories -- one each day the Indians are scheduled to play. Here is today's essay by Frank Vallo of Chardon:

My unforgettable game was in July of 1958. The Indians versus the Boston Red Sox. Myself and a small group of young men were sworn into the U.S. Navy in a ceremony at home plate. After the ceremony, Ted Williams came over to congratulate us, wish us well and shook our hands. Unbelievable! Don't remember who won. After the game, we all got on a bus to the Great Lakes Naval Base.

With a week to go before the NBA Draft on June 23, the Cavaliers maintain they have not decided on their No. 1 pick. Enes Kanter's agent, however, told reporters in Minnesota that his client was returning to Cleveland on Monday for another workout and that he was not "auditioning" for No. 4. Agent Max Ergul also said the...

With a week to go before the NBA Draft on June 23, the Cavaliers maintain they have not decided on their No. 1 pick.

Enes Kanter's agent, however, told reporters in Minnesota that his client was returning to Cleveland on Monday for another workout and that he was not "auditioning" for No. 4. Agent Max Ergul also said the Turkish center was going to meet with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, though the Cavs declined to comment.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Jay Bilas and Chad Ford said in a conference call with reporters that they expect Duke point guard Kyrie Irving to go No. 1 over Arizona's Derrick Williams.

View full sizeAssociated Press file photoESPN analysts see the Cavaliers taking Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, right, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on June 23.

Kanter worked out in Cleveland on June 7, Irving on June 9 and Williams on Tuesday. Irving has only worked out for Cleveland, whereas Williams worked out here and was in Minnesota on Tuesday.

Asked if he could see anybody but Irving or Williams go No. 1, Bilas said: "I honestly don't see anybody but Irving going No. 1. In today's game, the point guard position has become even more important than it may have been years ago and I think Irving is the best selection in this year's draft at No. 1. Derrick Williams is going to be a terrific scorer in the NBA, but all things considered, I think Irving is the pick there."

Ford said: "I think most of the talk about it not being Kyrie Irving is being generated out of Derrick Williams' camp. They've been trying for the last few weeks to create that sense of doubt, that sense of confusion. I think that helps Derrick Williams. I think it's going to be Kyrie Irving."

Although no Cavaliers officials have spoken on the record about their draft plans to local reporters, in an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears, coach Byron Scott said the Cavs had not made up their minds on the top pick. Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania and Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic are believed to be in the mix at No. 4. The Cavs will attend a Vesely workout Sunday in New Jersey, according to the Washington Post.

"The main reason is we want to do our due diligence on the other guys as well," Scott said on why a decision hasn't been made. "We have a few more workouts we want to get in before we really want to start evaluating on who we think is the best possible pick at No. 1 and who we think is the best at No. 4. So, by no means, has anyone in our organization who has been to our workouts said, 'Derrick Williams is our first pick' or 'Kyrie Irving is our first pick.'

"We're all keeping an open mind and understand we have a few more workouts to go through. Both of those guys are very, very good basketball players in our minds. Both are going to have a long career, but no way are we set on a guy."

By Stephanie Kuzydym, Special to The Plain Dealer ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said Thursday he is considering hiring private investigators to strengthen the monitoring of Buckeye student-athletes. Smith spoke at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort. He was part of a panel representing the...

By Stephanie Kuzydym, Special to The Plain Dealer

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said Thursday he is considering hiring private investigators to strengthen the monitoring of Buckeye student-athletes.

Smith spoke at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort. He was part of a panel representing the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association Compliance And Enforcement Task Force.

In 2008 Smith was one of the first members initiated to the task force trying to solve compliance issues in collegiate sports. Thursday, he talked about Ohio State's compliance issues, which include NCAA violations that led to the suspensions of five players for selling memorabilia and also led to Jim Tressel's resignation as OSU's football coach on May 30.

Smith said he hired two compliance officers in the past three weeks.

"One of our biggest problems are the third parties," Smith said. "Our young people are tempted, and the reality is, 'How do we get at them?'

"The reality is there's things that the third parties are good at. That's why they do what they do. They're good at it. And the reason they continue to do what they do is because they are successful and they adapt."

Kuzydym is a freelance writer based in Orlando, Fla.

Nine days adrift in National League parks without the use of the designated hitter does not sit well with manager Manny Acta.

View full sizeChuck Crow, Plain Dealer file photoTravis Haftner will return to the Indians just in time for the team's National League road trip, which means Hafner will see little action.

Nine straight games without the designated hitter doesn't sit well with the Tribe's manager. He has already seen his team go 10-18 with DH Travis Hafner on the disabled list. If things go according to plan, Hafner will rejoin the Indians in the next several days, just in time to go on a nine-game interleague trip to San Francisco, Arizona and Cincinnati, where he will be reduced to a pinch hitter because the DH is verboten in NL parks.

Don't even think about Hafner playing first base. It's not going to happen. Essentially, Hafner won't resume his regular duties until the Indians open a seven-game homestand against the Yankees and Toronto on July 4, right before the All-Star break.

The Indians start their second and final run of interleague games Friday when Pittsburgh comes to Progressive Field for a three-game series. Colorado follows for another three-game set before the Tribe hits the road.

"When we play a National League team on our side [ballpark], I love it because we get to use the DH," said Acta. "I'm just not happy at all when I have to go to the other side for nine days in a row and lose my best hitter. I have to relegate him to being just a pinch hitter.

"I can't control the schedule, but it's not nice. It's not good when most of the clubs on this side [AL] are built around their DH and then you have to lose them for nine days in a row. Not three or six, but nine."

The Indians last year went 2-7 in their nine-game NL trip to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Cincinnati June 18-27. Hafner was 0-5 with a walk during the trip.

"I just don't like playing nine games in a row. I don't think it's fair to the American League," said Acta.

The Tribe's DHs in the 28 games Hafner has missed are hitting .183 (19-for-104) with three homers and 12 RBI. Hafner was hitting .345 (39-for-113) with five homers and 22 RBI before he was injured.

Behind the back: Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera ended the first inning Thursday when he made a leaping catch of Magglio Ordonez's liner and then flipped the ball behind his back to second where Cord Phelps doubled off Miguel Cabrera.

Asdrubal Cabrera looked like an NBA point guard on the play.

"As soon as I caught it, that's the play I thought of," he said.

Night and day: Mitch Talbot, who allowed six runs on nine hits in four innings against the Tigers, said he felt good in the bullpen.

"I felt pretty strong coming out of the pen," he said. "I was hitting my spots well. Then I got to the game mound and all that went out the window."

Nice job: Frank Herrmann controlled some of the damage Thursday with three scoreless innings in relief of Talbot. It was the second time Herrmann has thrown three innings this year.

"I had no problem going three innings," said Herrmann. "I was hoping we could come back, but it didn't happen. I was able to keep the ball down and had some good defense behind me."

Triple time: When Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo tripled in the first inning Thursday, it marked the first time the Indians have hit two triples in the same inning since June 10, 2005, against the Giants. Jody Gerut and Aaron Boone did the honors. It was the first time the Indians have hit two triples in a game since Aug. 9, 2009. Finally: Chris Perez has saved 27 of his last 28 save opportunities going back to last season. "I love giving him the ball in the ninth inning when we have the lead," said Acta. . . . Compare and contrast: The Tigers are 10-5 in June, while the Indians are 5-10.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

On the just-completed seven-game trip, Sizemore started three games in center field and four at DH.

View full sizePD fileGrady Sizemore has been used more at DH to give his knees a break.

Clubhouse confidential: The one good thing about Travis Hafner being on the disabled list is that manager Manny Acta has been able to use Grady Sizemore at DH to take care of his knees.

Sizemore had microfracture surgery on the left knee last year and opened the season on the disabled list. Then he injured his right knee in May and had to go back on the disabled list. On this just completed seven-game trip, Sizemore started three games in center field and four at DH.

Scoring change: Pitching coach Tim Belcher was upset when a scoring change from Wednesday's game added two earned runs to Fausto Carmona's pitching line. Miguel Cabrera's bouncer to third in the first inning was originally ruled an error on third baseman Jack Hannahan. It made the next two runs scored in the inning unearned.

After the game, it was changed to a hit for Cabrera, the Tigers cleanup hitter. It was a tough play for Hannahan and could have gone either way.

Stat of the day: One of the reasons the Indians moved Carlos Santana into the No. 2 spot was to take advantage of his ability to walk. Since making the move, Santana has walked once in 21 plate appearances. He has 45 walks overall.

-- Paul Hoynes

Ohio State may lose linebacker Ejaun Price from its 2011 recruiting class, but if all the other incoming freshman stay in the fold, the Buckeyes will be fine.

View full sizeGenaro Armas, Associated PressEjuan Price, a linebacker from Woodland Hills, Pa., High School, has asked to be released from his commitment to Ohio State.

Incoming freshman football players need to report to Columbus by Sunday, and OSU head coach Luke Fickell should be eagerly awaiting their arrivals. With Jim Tressel out and the NCAA still waiting to rule on the Buckeyes, Ohio State can't take anything for granted, even the players who more than four months ago signed national letters of intent with Ohio State.

A reporting date that served as a mere formality in past years will instead be another big step for Fickell as he steers the program though uncertain times.

"No matter what happens down there, you're always treated like family," Farris said. "It's time to get to Buckeye Nation and do what I've got to do."

Ohio State signed 24 players in the Class of 2011, with seven already enrolled in school and having taken part in spring ball, including quarterback Braxton Miller. Former Glenville quarterback Cardale Jones is heading to prep school, as planned, with the idea of enrolling in the winter. That leaves 16 players to show this weekend, 10 of them Ohio natives and six from out of state.

Already, that number is expected to be down to 15. Pittsburgh-area linebacker Ejuan Price has asked for a release from his letter of intent. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday that Price's request came more than a month ago, before Tressel's resignation May 30, and he expected an answer by today. If Ohio State grants his release, Price could sign with another school without penalty. If Ohio State refuses to release him, he would have to sit out a season and lose a year of eligibility by going elsewhere. The Buckeyes could also release him to some schools, but not all.

View full sizePD fileElyria defensive lineman Chase Farris remains committed to Ohio State despite the turmoil surrounding the football program.

Farris said he is asked about Ohio State's situation constantly, but he has never reconsidered his decision. But the news about Price can't be a complete surprise. Price had appeared to waver at times after his oral commitment. Assuming he's the only player Ohio State loses in this class -- with linebackers Curtis Grant (Virginia) and Conner Crowell (Maryland), longsnapper Bryce Haynes (Georgia), receiver Evan Spencer (Illinois) and offensive lineman Brian Bobek (Illinois) the other out-of-staters yet in the fold -- the Buckeyes wouldn't have too much to lament.

Price is also playing in the Big 33 game, on the Pennsylvania side. Ohio State recruits joining Farris on the Ohio team are Glenville's Jones at quarterback, Shaker Heights offensive lineman Tony Underwood, St. Vincent-St. Mary defensive back Doran Grant, Canton McKinley defensive lineman Steve Miller, Massillon receiver Devin Smith and Westerville Central tight end Nick Vannett.

Farris, in a phone interview Thursday afternoon, said he hasn't spoken with Price since arriving in Pennsylvania on Monday, but he has been spending more time with his other future teammates.

"All of us don't live close to each other," Farris said, "so when we get to come together, it's really fun."

Fickell is hoping everyone who is supposed to be together arrives Sunday.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479

In a city where Super Bowl and Stanley Cup parades are routine, they sell black and yellow T-shirts and bumper stickers with "City of Champions ... and the Pirates." But are the Pirates, in Cleveland today for a three-game interleague series with the Indians, finally on course to snap 18 straight losing seasons?

View full sizePaul J. Bereswill, Associated PressPirates pitcher Kevin Correia, at 8-5, trails only Philadelphia's Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay for wins in the National League. Correia starts for the Pirates tonight against the Indians at Progressive Field.

Like Cleveland's closet full of them, it, too, has a name: The Slide.

"Swung, line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here comes the throw to the plate! He is . . . safe! Braves win, Braves win, Braves win, Braves win!"

It was Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates had clawed back from being down three games to one and took a 2-0 lead over Atlanta into the last of the ninth.

Then, shockingly, a trip to the World Series drifted away in the dust of former Pirate Sid Bream's throw-beating slide to the plate for the winning run.

The Slide. For baseball fans in Pittsburgh, the words carry a painful double meaning, because it also represents the starting point in futility unmatched in professional sports.

But as the Pirates visit Progressive Field for a three-game interleague series starting today, there are hints the ineptitude may soon be over.

The season isn't half over yet, but manager Clint Hurdle, in his first year at Pittsburgh, has his two games over .500 at 35-33 after a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. They've won four in a row, seven of their past 10 and are only three games out of first in the NL Central Division.

"I'm really pleased with the progress of the major-league club this year," said Bob Nutting, the Pirates owner since 2007. "Clearly, dramatically improved from last year, but we're not satisfied or finished at this point."

Pirates fans haven't seen a winner since '92, when the club let superstar Barry Bonds and other top veterans slip away in free agency just weeks after The Slide. That's 18 straight losing seasons -- a third of them with at least 95 losses, including last summer's 105-loss disaster.

In a city where Super Bowl and Stanley Cup parades are routine, the losing skid has prompted black and yellow T-shirts and bumper stickers with, "City of Champions . . . and the Pirates."

A whole generation of baseball fans has grown up associating the Pirates with losing, not with the club's rich history. Young fans have no real sense of baseball's other shot heard 'round the world -- Bill Mazeroski's homer in the last of the ninth to beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series. No sense of the great Roberto Clemente, or of Willie Stargell leading the Pirates "Fam-a-lee" to a fifth world title in 1979.

This generation's impression of baseball in Pittsburgh is all the losing -- and, worse, the result of bleeding veteran talent and payroll to boost profits.

When the Pirates' private financial documents were leaked to the Associated Press last summer, fans were outraged. Reports suggested the ballclub made money despite the win-loss record by not pumping shared major-league revenue back into the team.

The rash of stories that resulted from the disclosure prompted T-shirts torching owner Nutting -- "Nuttin' from Nuttin'. His Legacy: Destroying PGH Baseball for Profit."

But like the Indians, the Pirates have been busy rebuilding from the ground up, a model for how teams in smaller cities have concluded they can compete.

The Pirates have spent more money in the draft than any other club over the last three years, taking the best player available regardless of price tag.

View full sizeEighteen straight losing seasons have made the Pirates punchlines on T-shirts.

They are aggressively pursuing talent globally. They built an "academy" to develop, train and educate players in the Dominican Republic, doubled the number of international scouts and were among baseball's big spenders on international free agents last year.

"We have a put a lot of time into developing a plan," Nutting said.

Like the Indians, ownership has also pledged payroll would increase with progress on the field.

The Pirates have a $45 million payroll, third lowest in baseball. That's up from $35 million last year, which was dead last.

Now there are signs suggesting the losing streak, the longest in American professional sports, could be wobbling.

They are hitting only about .240 as a team, but second baseman Neil Walker, among the top 10 in RBI in the National League, and speedy center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the team's top hitter among regulars and one of the league's most exciting all-around players, lead a core of emerging young talent.

So far, pitching has been a particular bright spot. Kevin Correia (8-5, 3.73) is among the major-league leaders in wins, and closer Joel Hanrahan has an ERA of 1.39 in 32 appearances.

Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington, a former assistant to the Indians' Mark Shapiro, responding by email, said the company has significantly reallocated and increased resources toward scouting, development and baseball operations.

View full sizeAPThe Pirates are expected to pay big bucks to top draft pick Gerrit Cole.

So a team that somehow managed to finish 79-83 and compete until the last week of the 1997 season on a $9 million payroll is spending nearly as much on top draft choices.

The Pirates paid a franchise-high $6.5 million to last year's top pick, pitcher Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 choice overall, and expect to write a bigger check to UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole, the No. 1 overall pick in this month's amateur draft. (The Pirates' second-round choice in 2010, by the way, was St. Edward High School ace Stetson Allie.)

"We wish we could have snapped our fingers before the 2008 season and gone from being one of the worst major-league teams with one of the worst farm systems in baseball to being one of the best major-league teams with one of the deepest farm systems," wrote Huntington, who was hired by the Pirates after the Indians 2007 pennant run, "but turnarounds in baseball do not happen overnight or as the result of hope."

When Pittsburgh built a new ballpark in 2001, fans were hopeful the club would spend the added revenue from the new stadium to build a winning team. But as seasons soured, higher-priced players were sent packing for prospects.

"Come the [trade] deadline," said Keith Osik, a Pirates catcher and third baseman from 1996 to 2002, "you knew the best players were leaving."

The Pirates lost 100 games that season, but the novelty of PNC Park still drew a franchise-record 2.4 million fans.

"It was crazy," said retired outfielder Brian Giles, who the Pirates acquired in 1998 in an off-season trade with the Indians. "We'd be struggling, and there'd be 35,000 people there every night."

Still, the club attendance record was only good enough for 17th of the 30 teams that season. Attendance has hovered near the league's lowest ever since, a reflection of market size and the awful record. But if the winning continues through the summer, the self-proclaimed city of champions may finally welcome the embarrassing uncle to the family dinner.

"They've made some trades. They've drafted well," said Cam Bonifay, who was forced to slash and burn the roster as Pirates general manager from mid-'93 to mid-'01. "Finally, it's starting to come together."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: blubinger@plaind.com, 216-999-5531