Watch as the Cavaliers introduce their top two draft picks this afternoon at Cleveland Clinic courts courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio.
Watch live beginning at 1:30 p.m. as Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson meet the Cleveland media for the first time courtesy of FoxSportsOhio.com.
Kotoch says Tristan Thompson has a lot of room for improvement. Watch video
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers got their men in Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 overall pick and Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the No. 4 overall selection.
Those picks were good enough to receive a B-minus grade from Joe Kotoch of probasketballdraft.com. Kotoch, today's guest on SBTV with host Branson Wright, is high on Irving, but he says Thompson has plenty of room for improvement.
Kotoch also talks about the high number of international players selected in the draft and why this was a down year overall in the draft.
When it comes to his prediction for the rookie of the year next season, Kotoch gives us a surprising answer.
SBTV returns on Monday. Hopefully Chuck Yarborough will return in time.
Braylon Edwards involved in minor car accident.
DETROIT -- Authorities say New York Jets receiver and former Michigan standout Braylon Edwards was involved in a minor car crash on the Detroit River island park of Belle Isle.
Officer Phillip Cook said Edwards was driving a two-seat sports car with an unidentified passenger about 3:40 a.m. Friday when he lost control, drove off the road and into a pylon. Neither he nor his passenger was injured.
Cook said there were no tickets issued and alcohol doesn't appear to be a factor. Edwards tweeted: Got into a fender bender last night, turns out Audi's & rain don't mix to well. I'm good."
Edwards faces trial in a New York DWI case stemming from a Sept. 21 police stop. He has denied the charges.
"Ezequiel Carrera was here for a week in May, enough time to contribute more than Kearns has. In his first major league AB, he sent the bunt down the first base line in the eighth inning that gave the Tribe the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory over Cincinnati. He is batting .290 in Columbus with 21 RBI and 25 steals. Carrera could provide speed on the bases, defense, and bunting, all valuable things heading into National League parks for nine straight." - ncarolinafan
In response to the story Cleveland Indians at San Francisco Giants: On deck, cleveland.com reader ncarolinafan thinks the Indians should have turned to Ezequiel Carrera. This reader writes,
"Ezequiel Carrera was here for a week in May, enough time to contribute more than Kearns has. In his first major league AB, he sent the bunt down the first base line in the eighth inning that gave the Tribe the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory over Cincinnati. He is batting .290 in Columbus with 21 RBI and 25 steals. Carrera could provide speed on the bases, defense, and bunting, all valuable things heading into National League parks for nine straight."
"It's nice to see someone giving back a little. It seems like he's always doing something nice and he seems like a really fun, cool kid." - liferpart2
In response to the story Joe Haden treats dozens of fans to sushi, cleveland.com reader liferpart2 likes what he's seen from Joe Haden. This reader writes,
"It's nice to see someone giving back a little. It seems like he's always doing something nice and he seems like a really fun, cool kid."
Walsh Jesuit senior Ross Martin, one of the most highly recruited place-kickers in the country, has made an oral commitment to Duke. Martin was a Plain Dealer All-Star and was named All-Ohio last season after converting 34 consecutive point-after kicks -- extending his high school streak to 44-of-44 -- and making good on 8 of 15 field goal attempts,...
Walsh Jesuit senior Ross Martin, one of the most highly recruited place-kickers in the country, has made an oral commitment to Duke.
Martin was a Plain Dealer All-Star and was named All-Ohio last season after converting 34 consecutive point-after kicks -- extending his high school streak to 44-of-44 -- and making good on 8 of 15 field goal attempts, including distances of 43, 42 and 40 yards.
Martin (5-9, 180) is ranked as the top kicker in the class of 2012 by Kornblue Kicking. He's also included in the top five by Chris Sailer Kicking, Kohl's Professional Kicking, Rivals.com and ESPN.com.
Martin, a 3.94 student who plans on studying economics, had offers from Texas, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Iowa State, Kent State, Harvard, Cornell, Penn, Columbia and Dartmouth. He also had been recruited by Ohio State, Northwestern, Illinois, Notre Dame, Florida State, California, Stanford, West Virginia and Virginia.
His final four were Duke, Pitt, Texas and Harvard. He said the turmoil surrounding OSU had nothing to do with his decision as he had not received an offer from the Buckeyes.
"Duke has always been my dream school because of the great combination of world-class academics and Division I football in the Atlantic Coast Conference," said Martin, who reached his decision Thursday after making an official visit. "From the minute I stepped on campus everything about it felt like the perfect fit for me."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
trogers@plaind.com; 216-999-5169
Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo hopes to turn things around.
Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo is now at a point where the best he can make of his frustrating first half to season is to use an amphibian analogy, writes MLB.com reporter Anthony Castrovince.
Choo thinks of himself as a frog.
"You know a frog goes down, because he wants to go forward more?" Choo says. "I try to think like that."
Choo hopes the last three months was just a low point as he tries to break out of this slump. He's hoping for a continued surge.
Now back to the frog.
And where did he come up with such a thing?
"My wife," he says with a smile.
Choo's wife, Won Mi Ha, for the record, is no herpetologist, either, but Choo found her rather rudimentary assessment of his situation to be helpful.
"I feel better," he says. "I feel a lot better."
School lessons
Cord Phelps learned at an early age that dedication pays off. That was the attitude he used to get into Stanford University.
''I got good grades in high school because I knew I had to get them to get into Stanford,'' said Phelps, 24. ''I had to get good grades because I knew I wasn't going to be recruited by Stanford for baseball because I was such as late bloomer.
''The attitude I had going in there was that if I couldn't play at Stanford, I wasn't going to be able to play professional baseball anyway. So I had to give it my all.''
Phelps graduated from Santa Barbara High School summa cum laude with a 4.83 grade-point average, writes Stephanie Storm. Phelps went to Stanford with academic scholarships for his major in human biology. He joined the baseball team as a walk-on.
At first, it was struggle. At the end of his sophomore season, he still hadn't hit a home run and had just 33 career RBI.
But Phelps did what he's always done when he really wants something — he worked at it.
NL parks bench the DH
Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer writes about the disadvantage the American League teams have in National League parks.
The Indians promote right-hander Chen-Chang Lee from Class AA Akron to take Lewis' spot at Columbus.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The Indians released reliever Jensen Lewis on Thursday night from their Class AAA Columbus farm team.
Lewis pitched parts of four seasons with the Indians. He made his big-league debut in 2007 and helped the Indians win the AL Central title by going 1-1 with a 2.15
ERA in 26 appearances down the stretch. He struck out 34 and walked 10 in 29 1/3 innings.
The Indians promoted right-hander Chen-Chang Lee from Class AA Akron to take Lewis' spot at Columbus.
Lewis, 27, avoided arbitration this winter and signed a $650,000 one-year guaranteed deal. He was designated for assignment in spring training, cleared waivers and was sent to Columbus.
After being informed of his release, Lewis tweeted, "Completely shell-shocked. Never thought this would happen."
Later he tweeted, "I want to thank all the Indians fans for their support over the years. Grew up always wanting to play for the Tribe & I've lived a dream."
Lewis' career numbers with the Indians are 7-11 with a 3.68 ERA. He had 14 saves in 161 appearances. This year at Columbus, he was 3-2 with two saves and a 5.14 ERA. He allowed 16 earned runs in 28 innings with 40 hits, 15 walks and 22 strikeouts.
Lee was 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 23 games at Akron. He has 56 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39 2/3 innings. Lee's WHIP (walks+hits divided by innings) was 0.96.
AKRON, Ohio - Akron schools superintendent David James is expected to advise the school board not to renew Firestone football coach Tim Flossie's supplemental contract, according to a district official. Joe Howard, the district's program manager for interscholastic athletics, said James will make the recommendation during Monday's meeting. If approved by the board, it will mean Firestone will not...
AKRON, Ohio - Akron schools superintendent David James is expected to advise the school board not to renew Firestone football coach Tim Flossie's supplemental contract, according to a district official.
Joe Howard, the district's program manager for interscholastic athletics, said James will make the recommendation during Monday's meeting. If approved by the board, it will mean Firestone will not have a coach with practice beginning in 36 days.
"I have no idea what is going on," said Flossie, who was told of James' decision while on a family vacation in Tybee Beach, Ga. "I am completely blindsided by this."
Flossie, whose trademark during his 30-year career has been his ability to build or rebuild programs, said he was scheduled to meet with district attorney Rhonda Porter and human resources director Kathy McVee on Monday at 10 a.m. The next board meeting is scheduled to take place that evening. He said he did not know if James was to attend the morning meeting.
James did not return a phone call from The Plain Dealer seeking comment.
A complaint by the parent of a Firestone player in December, almost two months after the season ended, prompted the district to launch an investigation.
Rebecca DiDonato-Heimbaugh, a former board member, charged that Flossie struck her son on two occasions during the regular season. Flossie denied the allegations and said he has a letter from the school board absolving him of all charges.
"I have not talked to Mr. James, ever," said Flossie, whose teams at Buchtel won two state championships and twice finished second. "He has never asked me for my side of the story. I guess if you are a parent you can get in to see him but you can't if you're a coach and an employee of the district."
Glads' 29-year-old GM has not forgotten his roots since being named to the position by majority owner Jim Ferraro in May.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No job is beneath Phil Tesar, the 29-year-old general manager of the Cleveland Gladiators. Tesar has not forgotten his roots since being named to the position by majority owner Jim Ferraro at the end of May.
"I'm still updating the Web site, posting on Facebook and tweeting," Tesar said. "I still pick up the pop at Giant Eagle for home games."
The Gladiators (7-6) host the San Jose SaberCats (5-8) at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Q.
Since the Gladiators relocated from Las Vegas to Cleveland in 2007, Tesar basically has done everything for the franchise except own, play or coach. He was named director of communications by the Jim Ferraro/Bernie Kosar ownership group in December 2007. He did that job during the 2008 season.
When the Arena Football League went dark in 2009, Tesar was one of a handful to remain associated with the team. He was laid off that May but returned in December, as director of public relations, when the AFL and Gladiators resumed.
Last season, Tesar was named interim assistant general manager when General Manager John Adams took a leave of absence. Adams eventually moved on to the Philadelphia Soul. Over the winter, Cory Howerton became the Gladiators' GM, but resigned in late May to become president of the Georgia Force. Ferraro, who has called Tesar "a huge asset to the organization," promoted him to GM. Tesar has no assistant.
"I appreciate the faith Jim Ferraro has shown in me," he said. "We've got a small organization, a small staff, and we wear many hats. I've got a lot more responsibility, but it's an exciting opportunity."
Tesar knows AFL personnel. He would follow the indoor game even if he were not directly involved. He can rattle off stats and scouting reports when necessary. But Tesar's duties are more geared to the business side; Steve Thonn is coach and director of football operations.
"I think I talk to Steve more than most GMs talk to their coaches in this league," Tesar said. "We have a great relationship."
Tesar grew up in Brooklyn Heights. He attended Cuyahoga Heights High School, where he played soccer, basketball and baseball. He graduated from Hiram College with a degree in elementary education.
"And now I'm the GM of an AFL team," he said. "Funny how things unfold."
The Gladiators have lost three of their last four overall but are 5-1 at home. San Jose is 1-5 on the road. The Gladiators are tied with Pittsburgh atop the American East Division, but the Power holds the tiebreaker by virtue of a head-to-head victory in Pittsburgh on June 4. The rematch is July 15 at The Q.
Tesar and Thonn are excited about the return of receiver Troy Bergeron, who has missed the past four games because of a shoulder injury. At the time he went down, Bergeron led the team in receiving yards (727) and touchdowns (19).
San Jose features receiver Ben Nelson, who led the Gladiators last year with 151 receptions for 1,867 yards and 47 TDs. Nelson, injured late in the season, opted not to re-sign with Cleveland.
Former OSU starter plans visits to Atlanta and Phoenix, while New Orleans, Cleveland and San Antonio have been in contact.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers are among five teams that have expressed an interest in native Clevelander and Ohio State senior guard David Lighty, who was not selected in Thursday's NBA draft.
Lighty's agent, Joel Bell, said his client is set to visit Atlanta and Phoenix, while New Orleans, Cleveland and San Antonio have been in contact.
Lighty (6-6) was projected as a second-round pick. Bell said several teams with various roster issues talked to Lighty late in the two-round draft about playing a year overseas after being drafted, and Lighty declined.
"Why go overseas and limit yourself to one team?" Bell said.
Complicating matters is the fact the NBA's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire next week and free agents cannot sign contracts. Until the lockout begins, Lighty will try to find a tentative match.
"We're going to visit these teams and get as much of a feel as possible on how much interest there is going to be post-lockout, and make an intelligent decision," said Bell, who is based in suburban Washington, D.C.
Following the draft, Lighty tweeted, "U will see me in the NBA I promise you that..." He followed up with a nod to his hometown team and fans angry the Cavs did not take him, saying in a tweet, "And everybody stop being mad at the Cavs, lol, they did what they felt was best for the franchise, got to respect that."
"He's doing incredibly well," Bell said. "Some kids you'd be picking up off the floor after not being drafted. Not David Lighty."
The Cavs' draft consisted of a lock (Kyrie Irving) and a reach (Tristan Thompson). Watch video
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After the Cavaliers fooled most of us about their intentions on their second draft pick, let us not deceive ourselves about the other one.
Cleveland fans might not be the only group to find flaws with the consensus best player in the selections, former Duke freshman point guard Kyrie Irving. But grumbling is heard. The second guess is that the Cavs could have taken forward Derrick Williams, the second player selected overall, with their first pick and still have gotten a good point guard at the No. 4 spot in former Kentucky freshman Brandon Knight.
But you do not pass up the best player in the draft out of concern about whom you would pick as the fourth-best.
So, is Irving that much better than Knight?
Irving shot 52.9 percent from the floor overall and 46.2 percent from the arc in running Duke's high pick-and-roll offense. He came back after a turf toe injury and played in the NCAA Tournament as though he had never been out of the gym.
Like marathoners, NBA executives love finishers. Irving is ambidextrous around the rim. Knight can only go to his right at this stage. While that was true of Jerry West too, and, from the port side for fellow Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, it usually is a serious drawback, given the sophisticated overplays of the NBA.
Knight shot 42.3 percent overall, 37.7 percent from the arc, and 79.5 percent from the line. He was a fearless closer, beating Ohio State and Princeton in the final seconds in the NCAA Tournament. Against Princeton, that was his only basket of the game.
Irving is not LeBron James, but, barring injury, he will be a good player for 10 years in the league. He is also a player in whose hands a team can put the ball when the game devolves into a free-throw contest, shooting 90.1 percent at the line.
The Cavs' other first-round pick, power forward Tristan Thompson from Texas, was the surprise of the draft. Clearly, the Indians' pitching staff could use the curve the Cavaliers threw at the media in regard to their true feelings about the No. 4 pick. "We had [Thompson] rated higher than fourth," said General Manager Chris Grant.
A problem with that, however, might be the curves Thompson launches from the free-throw line.
What's wrong with this picture: An energetic, long-armed 6-8 player in the paint and a good finisher at the rim, Thompson was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He will get fouled a lot with that kind of game in the NBA. He shot 48.7 percent from the line last year.
A list of the bigger bricklayers at the line would include Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Dudley and Jerome Lane, all of whom eventually played for the Cavs. Shaq, considered one of the all-time unsure shots at the line, made 52.7 percent during his NBA career. At LSU, he shot 57.5 percent.
Dudley, taken in the fourth round by the Cavs (No. 75 overall), shot 45.8 percent in the NBA, but he shot 51.2 percent at Yale.
Lane, taken 23rd in the first round by Denver, shot 37.9 percent in the NBA. But he was a 62.8 percent man at Pitt. As a Cavalier in 1992-93, Lane, reluctant to be fouled because he knew what was coming, tried 20 free throws in 21 games, making, ahem, five.
Another former Cavalier, Ben Wallace was not drafted. He shot 41.5 percent at the line for his NBA career.
The sobering evidence is that, despite Thompson's promise to spend "endless hours in the gym," free-throw shooters with holes in their stroke do not make enormous strides in closing them in the pros.
Thompson and incumbent power forward J.J. Hickson create a log jam at the position. While Hickson is a double-double many nights on the block in points and rebounds, the Cavs clearly did not think the position was one of strength.
There is at least some chance that Hickson is a good numbers guy on bad teams. The natural suspicion is Hickson, in the last year of his contract, might be headed elsewhere in a package with the starting point guard for much of last season, Ramon Sessions -- particularly since Thompson is a better shot-blocker and rebounder.
Otherwise, with Thompson looking like an offensive play-alike for Hickson, that's two J.J.'s on the team -- and not a jump shot between them.
On Twitter: @LivyPD
Rain forced Friday's qualifying sessions to be postponed until Saturday.
What: Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, the 10th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories -- Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle -- earn points toward 2011NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary and will pay tribute to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers and current stars. Rain forced Friday's qualifying sessions to be postponed until Saturday.
Where: Summit Motorsports Park, 1300 Ohio 18, Norwalk, Ohio. The track is located halfway between Cleveland and Toledo, with the Ohio Turnpike less than 10 minutes away.
When: Qualifying Saturday begins at 11:30 a.m. Eliminations start at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Tickets: Call 419-668-5555 or purchase online at tix.com
With two new faces of the franchise -- Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson -- joining the team Friday, the Cavaliers have begun the rebuilding process in earnest.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Maybe now, the Cavaliers can finally, at long last, turn the page.
With Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson introduced as the two newest members of the team Friday, with two of the top four picks in the NBA draft officially in Cleveland, there is new direction, a plan, and players to build around. No more scrambling, no more patching holes.
Maybe now, with two new faces of the franchise, all of Cleveland can forget about that Player Who Left.
"We're constantly looking forward -- day by day, brick by brick for us to get a little bit better every day," General Manager Chris Grant said. "Today was a chance to add two high-quality humans to the organization -- and they just happen to be really good basketball players. So for us, that's part of the process."
That process meant building the franchise around No. 1 pick Irving, a talented 19-year-old point guard from Duke who was the player the Cavaliers never wavered in wanting to select first. It meant adding the energetic Thompson, the pick at No. 4, who surprised many experts by going so high but whom Grant said was targeted all along by the team.
"We actually had him ranked much higher than fourth, to be perfectly honest," Grant said. "He's a player who basically since high school we have been tracking and watching. We just love what he's about and how he would fit into our organization. This was a very easy pick."
Grant stressed time and again how character was equally as important as talent when selecting the two picks who are going to be the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. He repeatedly said how both players possessed mature qualities that will help them to be leaders.
Irving displayed a smooth and calm demeanor immediately. As the Cavaliers presented Irving and Thompson with their jerseys -- Irving will wear No. 15 while Thompson is No. 13 -- in front of a crowd of season-ticket holders and guests at the team's practice facility, Irving's father, Drederick, noticed something awry.
He motioned toward his son with a quick nod, and Irving casually and quickly zipped up the pants of his dark gray suit with few noticing the faux pas.
On the court, coach Byron Scott was wowed immediately by Irving's poise.
"He's a true point guard in every sense of the word," Scott said. "You could see had great court vision, he really understands how to run an offense, he commanded that respect from his teammates."
Which is not to say that Scott expects Irving to immediately be the starting point guard. Veteran Baron Davis will not only mentor Irving, but will compete against him.
"We'll let them fight it out," Scott said. "There's no expectation on Kyrie to start. We expect Kyrie to come in and work hard, get better each and every day, and learn from some of the veterans we have. There is an opportunity, probably, because of the way I coach for him to play with Baron, as well. If you could have both those guys in the backcourt they can both handle the ball and both make great decisions -- and it makes us a better basketball team."
Although Thompson, 20, played just one year at Texas, he is ready to compete for the power forward position while saying it's not about proving he deserved to be the fourth pick in the draft.
"I'm a self-starter, a self motivator," Thompson said. "So the whole 'going number four motivation' ... I don't look at it that way. It's just a number."
With Irving and Thompson to build upon, the franchise has at long last begun the rebuilding process. There's a glut of point guards and power forwards, but Grant stressed that his work is not done. The free agency period looms, as does a potential NBA lockout.
"There's still pieces of our team we need to move around," Grant said. "That's what the next step is -- free agency. We'll continue to address those needs as we move forward, but we were able to add two very good young men to our team."
Dribbles: Grant explained further why Cavaliers opted to trade their 32nd pick, Justin Harper, to Orlando for two future second-round picks. In essence, the Cavaliers need veteran help more than another rookie. "We're likely to get a better player to add to the position we need in free agency," he said. "For us it was a pretty simple decision." ... ESPN's draft telecast earned the highest rating since 2007. Cleveland was the top viewing market, with a local rating of 5.6. Nationally, it earned a 2.4 rating, averaging 3,202,000 viewers, the most since 1996. ... Irving, on his reaction to being the No. pick: "After my name was called I wanted to hug my father for 10 minutes, knowing that all the hard work had led to this moment."
Duncan, just recalled from Class AAA Columbus, arrived with glowing reviews of the Clippers.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Clubhouse confidential: Shelley Duncan, just back from Class AAA Columbus, arrived with glowing reviews of the Clippers.
"The whole time I was there, we lost one game," said Duncan, who was sent down on June 8. "That team is so good, it's unfair to the rest of the [International League]. There's no one that will blow you out of the water, they're just overloaded with good baseball players at all positions and they have good pitching.
"It's really a tough job for [manager] Mike Sarbaugh to make sure everyone gets enough at-bats, but he's done an amazing job."
The Clippers have already won 50 games.
Memories: The last the Indians played at AT&T Park was 2005. Former Indian Omar Vizquel, then playing for the Giants, came into the locker room to say hello to some of his old teammates. One of them, reliever Arthur Rhodes, was not pleased to see him.
The two engaged in a yelling match and Vizquel left.
In 2001, when the Indians played Seattle, Vizquel complained to the plate umpire that the glare from Rhodes' diamond earrings was distracting him. Rhodes was so mad when the umpires made him take them out that he was ejected as the benches cleared.
Stat of the day: The Indians bullpen has the best ERA in the AL at 2.99.
Santana's errors fuel Giants' 3-run sixth inning; Indians place Choo on 15-day DL after wayward pitch from Jonathan Sanchez breaks outfielder's left thumb.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Carlos Santana didn't leave his heart in San Francisco on Friday night, but he did leave a potential Indians victory in the rubble of his performance at AT&T Park.
After hitting a two-run double in the first inning, Santana made two errors at first base in the sixth and was picked off first base in the eighth as the Giants rallied to beat the Indians, 4-3, in front of a soldout crowd of 41,690 fans.
To make the loss sting even more, Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo left the game in the fourth inning with a broken left thumb after being hit on the left hand by a Jonathan Sanchez pitch. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game.
"Losing Choo is a big blow for us," said manager Manny Acta. "He means so much to us not only offensively, but defensively and running the bases. He's a very important part of our lineup. Especially the way he was coming on with the bat the last couple of weeks."
Acta didn't know how long Choo would be on the disabled list. He was still at the hospital being examined when the game ended. He also suffered a cut on the thumb from the pitch that deflected off his hand and hit him in the batting helmet.
The Giants entered the sixth trailing Carlos Carrasco, 3-1, but that was before Santana's first baseman's glove deserted him. Santana, the Indians' regular catcher, is scheduled to see most of the playing time at first on this nine-game interleague trip against the Giants, Diamondbacks and Reds. Friday was Santana's 19th start at first this year.
"It was a bad night, but tomorrow is a new day," said Santana. "I'm going to come to the park with a lot of energy and try to help this team win."
Chris Stewart started the inning with a single to left. Pinch-hitter Nate Schierholtz sent a chopper to Santana. He made a leaping catch, but his throw to second for the force got past Asdrubal Cabrera for his first error to put runners on first and second.
"The throw to second base, I have seen Asdrubal catch tougher balls, but it wasn't a good throw," said Acta.
Andres Torres singled to center to load the bases. Emmannuel Burris followed with a slow roller to first. Santana charged the ball with the intention of going home for the force, but didn't handle it cleanly as Stewart scored to make it 3-2. That was error No.2.
"On the ball coming in, he had a chance to pick it and get the force at the plate," said Acta. "He just bobbled it."
Pablo Sandoval tied it at 3 with a sacrifice fly to right as Torres advanced to third. Aubrey Huff sent a foul pop down the left-field line. Jack Hannahan, backpedaling on the ball, made the catch, but couldn't make a strong throw home as Torres scored for a 4-3 lead.
Carrasco (7-4, 3.62) finally ended the inning by retiring Pat Burrell on a fly ball to center. All three San Francisco runs were unearned. Carrasco's first complete game of the season came with four strikeouts. He allowed six hits.
"I was impressed with Carrasco in that inning," said Acta. "He didn't crumble. He could have given up a ton of runs and lose his concentration. He just kept his composure and went after hitters and kept the game at 4-3.
"He's maturing fast as a pitcher and we're happy to see that."
Santana's two-run double in the first off Sanchez gave the Indians the early 2-0 lead. Orlando Cabrera and Asdrubal Cabrera walked in front of Santana and scored on his drive to the wall in left center. Sanchez leads the NL in walks with 59.
Carrasco, trying to win his fourth consecutive start, faced the minimum in the first three innings. Torres started the game with a bunt single, but catcher Lou Marson threw him out on an attempted steal of second. Marson has thrown out 54 percent (15-for-28) of the runners who have tried to steal against him.
Hannahan pushed the Tribe lead to 3-0 with a RBI single in the fourth. It was only his third RBI in June and his sixth in the last two months. But that hit -- only the Indians' second of the night -- was their last of the night.
Torres gave the Giants their first run with a leadoff homer in the fourth. He hit Carrasco's 3-2 pitch.
Sanchez allowed three runs on two hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked six and struck out six, but the Indians didn't make the most of the runners he put on base. In his second start against the Indians, Sanchez thew 94 pitches, including 49 for strikes.
Brian Wilson pitched the ninth for his 22nd save. Santiago Casilla (1-1), who relieved Sanchez in the fifth, earned the victory.
Shin-Soo Choo will have his broken left thumb examined Monday by Cleveland Clinic hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham. He could miss between six to eight weeks.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, the Indians best player in 2009 and 2010, will return to Cleveland on Sunday to have his broken left thumb examined. He'll be seen by Cleveland Clinic hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham on Monday with surgery likely to follow at some point.
It usually takes a broken bone about six weeks to heal. Choo could miss between six and eight weeks. He also needed "two to three' stitches on his left thumb to close a cut suffered when a Jonathan Sanchez pitch smashed his thumb in the fourth inning Friday in the Indians 4-3 loss to the Giants.
Choo's injury is a displaced fracture, which means surgery might be the only way to stabilize it.
"This is a tough one," said Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer.
The Indians recalled Travis Buck from Class AAA Columbus to replace Choo.
This season has a struggled for Choo on and off the field. In May he was arrested on DUI charges. On the field, he's hitting .244 (65-for-266) with 10 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBI. Choo hit .300 in each of the last two years with at least 20 homers and 20 steals.
Since Rocky Balboa is now a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, why can't another fictional character join another hall?
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard Round the World, Red Smith, the best sportswriter of that day and just about any other, wrote, "The art of fiction is dead. Reality strangles invention."
Oh, yeah? Look no farther than the induction of Rocky Balboa this month into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The character of Rocky was based on Chuck Wepner, the "Bayonne Bleeder," whose bloody effusions earned respect from the Red Cross, among others, during a 1975 title fight against Muhammad Ali at old Richfield Coliseum. But did Wepner himself enter the boxing shrine? Well, of course not. Only his mythologized movie reincarnation, in the person of Sylvester Stallone as Rocky, got a bronze bust.
The nation's entertainment industry depends on boffo box office from superheroes. The Green Lantern has his own movie now. Spider-Man has a Broadway show, although it has been a troubled production. The X-Men are on the silver screen. Such characters are popular because the ones who auditioned for the role of heroes in real life took their talents to South Beach. Or lied to the NCAA. Or juiced with performance-enhancing drugs. Or returned a Heisman Trophy in disgrace.
We don't want reality shows. We want escape-from-reality shows. Or do we?
First of all, no superhero is invulnerable, or where would lie the conflict that creates dramatic tension? Superman did not fare well against kryptonite. The Green Lantern quailed before the color yellow. Wolverine never had a chance against the Buckeyes.
The point is that there is no magic bullet to slay the problems of sports, so why pretend? Several of our best-loved sports movies show our games to be flawed enterprises, filled with cheaters perverting science and protagonists who fell short of ultimate triumph.
In the original "Rocky," Rocky Balboa did not win. He only went the distance. The sequels are often derided as car-chase movies, only using fists. But they also show the Rock's inability to cope with sudden fame and his return to ordinary guydom.
"The Bad News Bears" did not win, despite the presence of a ringer in Tatum O'Neal.
In the classic baseball comedy "It Happens Every Spring," Ray Milland, as chemistry professor Vernon K. Simpson, having accidentally discovered a wood-repelling fluid at an unnamed Illinois college, promptly leaves his job and with his chemical spitter becomes a big-league sensation in St. Louis. Alas, the supply of the stuff is limited, the formula cannot be duplicated, and the fantasy runs out, Barry Bonds-like, short of a ring. Still, reaching the World Series is a nice consolation prize.
In the Disney movie, "The Absent-Minded Professor," Fred MacMurray plays Ned Brainard, a professor at Medfield College, a school in the Midwest, who, by a happy lab mistake, invents flying rubber, or "flubber." He soon applies the substance to the soles of the basketball team's sneakers, leading to slam dunks a-plenty. Medfield's team does not win the NCAA championship, however, because the players sold their game shoes for discount tattoos and money. (Hey, wait! Wrong team.)
"Major League," Cleveland's favorite baseball movie, features a devout Christian pitcher, Eddie Harris, whose best pitch is a "Vaseline ball." In one of the best basketball movies ever, "Hoosiers," coach Norman Dale has a Woody Hayes-like past, except that Gene Hackman's Dale had punched one of his own players.
A member of the Cinzano team, idolized by the peddling wanna-be in the cycling movie "Breaking Away," jams the kid's wheel with a bike pump, forcing him to crash.
Where is our inspiration? Where has invention hidden the pen that would prove mightier, not to mention loftier, than secret lubricants, jumping aids and bike pumps?
In a pair of Kevin Costner's movies, that's where.
In "Bull Durham," Costner as catcher Crash Davis delivers an erotic, funny, magical speech to Susan Sarandon about believing in "the hanging curveball ... the small of a woman's back ... a Constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter ... the sweet spot ... and opening your presents on Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve."
Crash showed big-league power there. After that speech, it didn't matter that "The Sporting News" didn't write a word about his minor-league home run record.
There is no finer moment in sports movies than that ... except in "Field of Dreams," the only movie with an imaginary hero guaranteed to make grown men cry. ("Brian's Song," a reality-based, made-for-TV movie, doesn't count).
The familiar message of "Dreams," repeated many times by the voice Costner's Ray Kinsella hears in his head, is "If you build it, he will come." We are led to believe "he" is former Indian "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. He is not. In the lump-in-the-throat ending, almost every viewer would, like Kinsella, plow, sow and reap any field just to play one more game of catch with his father.
Kevin Costner in Cooperstown? Yeah, I can see that.
On Twitter: @LivyPD
Once again, defensive mistakes prove the difference as the Indians drop their second straight in San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The Giants beat the Indians, 1-0, Saturday when left-hander Tony Sipp balked home the only run of the game in the seventh inning at AT&T Park.
Plate umpire Bob Davidson called Sipp for a balk while he was facing Emmanuel Burris with the bases loaded and two out. Miguel Tejada was waved home from third.
For the second straight game, the Indians were undone by errors at a critical time. This time rookie second baseman Cord Phelps made two errors in the seventh. Friday night first baseman Carlos Santana made two errors in the Giants' three-run sixth in a 4-3 loss.
Nate Schierholtz started the seventh with a double. He fell down between second and third trying for a triple and was tagged out. The Indians couldn't take advantage of that good fortune.
Tejada reached on Phelps' first error when he made a bad throw to first. Justin Masterson (5-6) retired Chris Stewart on a pop up for the second out, but Phelps struck again when he mishandled starter Matt Cain's bouncer behind second to put runners on first and second.
Sipp relieved Masterson and walked Andres Torres to load the bases. Then he balked home the winning run. Manager Manny Acta did not dispute the call.
It was another hard-luck loss for Masterson, who has not won since April 26. Masterson allowed an unearned run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Cain (7-4) pitched seven scoreless innings for the win.
The Indians tried to rally in the eighth. Travis Hafner and Michael Brantley singled and advanced on Phelps' bunt. Asdrubal Cabrera sent a grounder to third and pinch-runner Adam Everett was thrown out at the plate. After Javier Lopez intentionally walked Santana to load the bases, Grady Sizemore grounded out to first.
Sizemore went 0-for-4 and stranded seven runners.
Brian Wilson pitched the ninth for his 23rd save. The Indians finished with five hits. They were held to two hits on Friday.
The Indians started the game with singles by Brantley and Phelps, but Cain retired the next three batters. Brantley and Phelps were the Tribe's only baserunners through four innings.
The Tribe put together another threat in the sixth. Brantley hit a leadoff double down the right-field line to start the inning and went to third on Phelps' grounder to second. From there the threat turned to dust.
Asdrubal Cabrera, with the infield playing in, grounded out to first. Santana walked to put runners on the corners, but Sizemore popped out to first. Sizemore is in a 4-for-32 slump.
Masterson had to pitch out of jams in the second and third innings for the Tribe. Cody Ross walked and Schierholtz doubled him to third with one out in the second. Masterson struck out Tejada and intentionally walked Stewart to bring Cain to the plate.
He struck out Cain with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Sandoval and Aubrey Huff hit consecutive singles with two out in the third. Masterson, with runners on the corners, retired Ross on a pop up to shortstop.
After Huff's single in the third, Masterson retired 10 straight through the sixth.
Peyton Hillis isn't about to rest on his laurels now that he has a national profile.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On any given day in the town of Conway, Ark., Browns running back Peyton Hillis can be seen trudging through his neighborhood with a half-ton truck harnessed to his chest.
On lighter training days, he'll lug a small car or all-terrain vehicle around the block.
"I know it's weird, but if you saw it, you can see it works," he said. "It's just something a buddy of mine came up with and I've been doing it since my junior year in high school."
One thing is for certain: The newly-minted Madden 12 cover boy and 1,000-yard rusher hasn't let success or fame go to his head.
"You can never get complacent," said Hillis, who beat out Eagles QB Michael Vick for the Madden 12 cover that will debut in August. "All of this has been exciting for my friends and family and the people of Conway. Things like this don't happen around here very often and the people are very proud of me. It just makes me want to work that much harder for them, for the Cleveland fans and the people I grew up with. It's truly a blessing."
When Hillis isn't attached to a hunk of metal, he's doing a variety of other things to prepare for the season.
"I have coaches from Conway High working me out and all kinds of local fitness experts," he said. "I'm doing yoga, MMA and things like that. I'm an unorthodox player, so I have to do things that fit my kind of game."
Family and friends have also been able to help with the fumbling issue that plagued Hillis last season. After leading all running backs with eight fumbles in 2010 and tying for third among all NFL players with five lost, Hillis knew he had to take some drastic measures in the off-season.
"I'll carry a ball around with me all day and ask people to try to knock it out of my hand when I least expect it," he said. "I'll give them some money and stuff so people get pretty geeked up about that. It just helps me to take care of the ball without even thinking about it."
So has it cost him an arm and a leg?
"Sometimes they'll get it out, but most of the time they don't."
For the folks who think that Hillis wore down toward the end of last season, guess again. He was playing with cracked ribs for the final three games that made every breath, every move excruciating.
"I broke them at the very beginning of the Cincinnati game [Dec. 19] and then aggravated them in the Baltimore game the next week," he said. "They were really bad in the last game against Pittsburgh, too [six carries, 13 yards]. It was tough to cope with, but I did it because I wanted what's best for the team and I wanted to play for the guys. I wanted them to know how much the team meant to me, and I wanted to do them that favor."
That's one of the reasons Hillis is excited to have second-year running back Montario Hardesty recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Head coach Pat Shurmur said recently that Hardesty, who was pegged as the No. 1 tailback heading into last season, should be full-go by training camp.
"It'll take a lot of the beating off of me and he'll add a lot to the team," said Hillis. "I'm excited about having him back out there and I hope he comes back 100 percent. If he does, I know he'll help the team out tremendously."
Hillis even welcomes the threat to his starting tailback job.
"I always find competition in each and every thing I do and it will bring competition -- no doubt about it," he said. "But being professional and being who I am, I like competition. I like a good challenge and I'm always up for anything."
He's also up for whatever role Shurmur has for him in the West Coast offense -- the same scheme he excelled in as a rookie under Mike Shanahan in Denver in 2008.
"I'm going to go out with the same mindset I had last year, trying as hard as I can," he said. "I'll do all that I can, all they want me to do and I'll let everything else take care of itself."
Hillis, who rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 TDs in 2010, acknowledged that the West Coast is a good fit.
"There will definitely be more passing involved," he said. "You have to be more versatile to be a running back in the West Coast. Catching the ball out of the backfield is really important and they can also split you out wide a lot more in the slot and stuff like that. So it's all things I believe I can do really well and I feel really comfortable with that."
Hillis attended both of the "Camp Colts" at the University of Texas this off-season and regained his familiarity with the West Coast terminology.
"The first couple of days may be a little tough, but it will come to me a lot faster for sure than if I never learned it," he said. "Then again, the past five years I've had five different coaches and five different playbooks, so I'm kind of used to the situation."
Hillis said he hasn't been back to Cleveland since the end of the season, but is looking forward to his day-long youth football camp at St. Ignatius on July 9. Part of the proceeds will go the Cleveland Muny Football League.
"I really enjoy teaching kids the basics of football and giving them information," he said. "When I was growing up, I didn't go to any special camps. I hope it's exciting for them because I know it's exciting for me."
Hillis, who doesn't believe in the Madden curse, hasn't set any individual goals.
"I'm not going to be happy until Cleveland wins a Super Bowl," he said. "Those individual goals come and go, but Super Bowls and the relationships you make with coaches, teammates and fans last forever."
For more information on Hillis' youth camp, log onto peytonhilliscamp.com
On Twitter: @marykaycabot
