The Tribe pitchers are finally getting some run support.

APTravis Hafner

Thanks for the runs?

MLB.com reporter Chris Vannini writes how the Indians have gotten something they haven't been accustomed to: run support.

Cleveland has scored at least five runs in seven of its past 10 games, and as a result, has won seven of those games. However, the Indians didn't score any runs on Thursday until the ninth inning, when they scored five to win, 5-4.

"You can only control your effort," starter Justin Masterson said. "That doesn't make [you] satisfied, by any means, when you're not getting victories as a team when you're pitching.

"You always feel like you can do something more. But when you [know you've put forth the best effort you can], you can't do too much more."

Starter Mitch Talbort will be in need of some of those runs on Friday.

Game stories

Cleveland.com: Hello Mr. Hafner. Goodbye baseball.

MLB.com: Tribe comes alive for five in ninth.

Ohio.com: Cleveland Indians beat Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto Star: Jays dealt gut-wrenching loss.

Are the Indians starting to have that "team of destiny" feel? What's changed since LeBron James made his decision to leave? Waitingfornextyear.com's Scott Sargent answered those question and more in a podcast with cleveland.com on Friday.

View full sizeAP Photo | Amy SancettaTravis Hafner and the Indians celebrated another walk-off win Thursday night.

Are the Indians starting to have that "team of destiny" feel? What's changed since LeBron James made his decision to leave?

Waitingfornextyear.com's Scott Sargent answered those question and more in a podcast with cleveland.com on Friday.

Among other topics discussed:

• Do the Indians have to make a trade this season if they want to make the playoffs?

• Is it time to bring up Jason Kipnis or will the Indians choose Jason Donald or Luis Valbuena instead?

• Do you think fans in Cleveland will ever get over LeBron James leaving?

• Is Omri Casspi a player that can help this team down the road if they can get back into contention?

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

**

Also from WFNY:

Hindsight Doesn't Help a Year After "The Decision"

Indians 5, Blue Jays 4: Don't Stop Believin'

Grady Sizemore's Strikeouts: Options Ahead

It looks like the NFL lockout could end as soon as this weekend, but Plain Dealer Browns reporter says the lockout will continue into next week. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Branson Wright and Bill Lubinger.

Cleveland Browns beat writer Tony Grossi returns after a two-week break to answer your questions from his weekly Hey, Tony! feature. Grossi shares his views on why the Browns need a change-of-pace back on third down, and what wide receiver Greg Little will bring to the receiving corps.

Speaking about the receivers, today's Starting Blocks poll wants to know if you believe in the Browns wide receivers.

SBTV returns Monday with Plain Dealer reporter Mary Kay Cabot discussing the NFL and the Browns.

Here's a list of the characters associated with Ohio State's response to the NCAA>

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerOhio State football head coach Jim Tressel photographed during the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas on Jan. 4.

Mike Adams

All-Big Ten left tackle will sit out the first five games of his senior season this fall for selling memorabilia, in violation of NCAA rules.

Chris Cicero

A Columbus attorney, Cicero earned a varsity football letter playing for Ohio State in 1983. That season, Tressel was a first-year OSU assistant coach. After learning that DeVier Posey and Terrelle Pryor were among the OSU players involved with selling Buckeye memorabilia to Rife, Cicero emailed Tressel in April 2010 to inform him that the players may have violated NCAA rules. Tressel did not report the information in those emails to the OSU compliance department or anyone at the school -- a major NCAA violation that eventually led to Tressel's resignation on May 30.

Jim Delany

The Big Ten commissioner. In December 2010, he lobbied to have the five OSU suspended players participate in the January 2011 Sugar Bowl against Arkansas, in the interest of maximizing the event for the bowl game and its sponsors. In April, after learning that Tressel knew of the violations back in the spring of 2010, Delany said if he had known that, neither he nor OSU AD Gene Smith would have asked the NCAA to allow the suspended Buckeyes to play in the Sugar Bowl.

Luke Fickell

Ohio State's current head football coach, named to the post after Tressel resigned. At age 37, Fickell is the third-youngest coach in major-college football, older than only USC's Lane Kiffin and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald. Fickell, the co-defensive coordinator last season, received a raise to $775,000, a little more than one-fifth of what Tressel was making.

Gordon Gee

Ohio State University's president. At a March 8 news conference announcing discovery of Tressel's major NCAA violations, he stood by the coach. Gee's joke about Tressel's job status - "I'm just hoping the coach doesn't dismiss me" -- has served as a punch line for critics of how OSU has handled the scandal from the beginning.

Dan Herron

All-Big Ten running back will sit out the first five games of his senior season this fall for selling memorabilia, in violation of NCAA rules.

DeVier Posey

The second-leading receiver for OSU in 2010, he will sit out the first five games of his senior season this fall for selling memorabilia, in violation of NCAA rules.

Marvin Fong | The Plain Dealer Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, and former OSU coach Jim Tressel.

Terrelle Pryor

Rated the No. 1 high school player in the country in 2008 out of Jeannette, Pa., the quarterback came to OSU and posted a 31-4 record in games he started. Pryor led OSU to three straight Big Ten titles and three wins over Michigan. He earned the MVP award for OSU's victories in the 2009 Rose Bowl and 2010 Sugar Bowl. Pryor was one of the players who was suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season -- which would have been his senior campaign -- for the memorabilia scandal. However, spurred by Tressel's resignation, Pryor dropped out of the OSU football program June 7 and announced he would petition to enter the NFL's supplemental draft, which is expected to be held sometime this month.

Edward Rife

The Columbus tattoo parlor owner at the center of the OSU football scandal. The federal drug raid of his home revealed memorabilia -- including Big Ten championship rings, Gold Pants trinkets for beating Michigan and Terrelle Pryor's 2009 Fiesta Bowl Sportsmanship Trophy -- that OSU players sold for cash or exchanged for tattoos. The raid set off the chain of events that led to the unraveling of the football program. Rife shared news of the raid with attorney Chris Cicero, who then emailed OSU head coach Jim Tressel to inform him of the development. On June 28, Rife pleaded guilty to federal charges involving the drug raid.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerTerrelle Pryor talks with Ted Sarniak.

Ted Sarniak

A businessman in Jeannette, Pa., and mentor of Terrelle Pryor during Pryor's high school days in Jeannette. Sarniak and his wife attended many of Pryor's games during his OSU career. After Jim Tressel received the emails from Chris Cicero about the memorabilia sales, Tressel -- while not informing anyone at Ohio State of the possible violations -- did email Sarniak to inform him of Pryor's involvement.

Gene Smith

Ohio State's athletic director, he has tried to keep morale high in the department as it works through the process with the NCAA. Is a Cleveland native and graduated from St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford.

AP fileOhio State Athletic Director Gene Smith.

Dennis Talbott

A Columbus photographer, he became the center of attention in the scandal for a few days in early June after ESPN -- citing an anonymous source -- reported that Talbott gave Pryor between $20,000 and $40,000 for memorabilia, in violation of NCAA rules. Talbott later denied the report, telling The Plain Dealer that while he had a friendly relationship with Pryor, he has never given Pryor money.

Solomon Thomas

A backup defensive end for the Buckeyes in 2010, he will sit out the first five games of his senior season this fall for selling memorabilia, in violation of NCAA rules.

Jim Tressel

A former Baldwin-Wallace quarterback under his father, legendary B-W coach Lee Tressel, he served as Ohio State's head football coach from the 2001 through 2010 seasons. On March 8, OSU announced that it was fining Tressel $250,000 and suspending him for two games for not reporting the player violations to his bosses or the OSU compliance department, and then attempting to cover it up. Tressel later asked to have his suspension raised to five games, matching the players'. By May 30, Tressel had resigned his job under pressure.

School offers a two-year NCAA probation, but no scholarship limits or bowl ban; hearing with NCAA will be Aug. 12.

Marvin Fong/ The Plain DealerFormer OSU head coach Jim Tressel

Ohio State University announced today that it has offered to vacate all of its victories from the 2010 football season, including the January 2011 Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas.

In announcing its reponse today to the NCAA notice of allegations, the school has made public those penalties and this entire list of self-imposed sanctions:

* Suspending five players for the first five games of next season;

* Accepting coach Jim Tressel’s resignation;

* Vacating the football program’s wins in the 2010 season, including its Sugar Bowl victory in January 2011;

* Self-imposing a two-year NCAA probation; and

* Implementing additional measures to enhance the university’s already extensive monitoring, educational and compliance programs.

Ohio State has an Aug. 12 hearing scheduled with the NCAA in Indianpolis. The Associated Press reported today that Tressel is expected to appear at that hearing.

From the OSU press release about its response to the NCAA:

Commenting on today’s filing, Athletics Director Gene Smith said, “We are fully cooperating with the NCAA, and we look forward to working together to bring a resolution to these current matters. Throughout the entire process since we discovered possible infractions, Ohio State has consistently acted to investigate any allegation, self-report its findings to the NCAA, communicate transparently about its findings, and take necessary remediation steps. Now, consistent with the direction set by our Board of Trustees, we are taking a very hard look on our own at all aspects of our athletic programs to identify and implement improvements designed to ensure that we uphold the highest ideals of honor and integrity.

“Throughout this time, we are also refocusing the entire athletics program on doing what we do best – representing our great university and its values well. We are proud that among our many positive accomplishments this year, our athletics program as a whole involved a record 523 scholar-athletes; 201 student-athletes earned degrees; and Ohio State finished second in the Division I Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, the highest finish in our history,” concluded Smith.

Smith said that Ohio State continues to work closely with the NCAA to review information concerning potential violations, including issues publicly raised subsequent to the university’s self-reporting on December 19, 2010, that resulted in the NCAA’s Notice of Allegation. Additionally, the university will have no further comment on specific allegations.

In its response to the NCAA, the university addresses the NCAA's specific allegations and also highlights steps the university has already taken, including:

Here is the text from the release Ohio State sent to the media regarding its response to the NCAA Notice of Allegations.

Ohio State provides update on developments regarding football program

University submits formal response to NCAA Notice of Allegations

Jim Tressel and Ohio State announce agreement

The Ohio State University has submitted its formal response to the NCAA's Notice of Allegations received by the university on April 21 related to specific questions involving Ohio State's football program and the actions of its former head football coach, Jim Tressel. Tressel also has submitted his own formal response as requested by the NCAA.

Additionally, Tressel and the university today announced an agreement under which Tressel will change his previously announced resignation to a retirement. The agreement also ends and resolves any issues arising out of Tressel's employment with Ohio State. Tressel and the university believe this agreement is reasonable and in the parties' best interests.

Regarding today's announcement, Tressel said, "I take full responsibility for my mistakes that have led to the ongoing NCAA inquiry and to scrutiny and criticism of the football program. I am grateful for this opportunity to retire from the university that I so deeply respect and that I will continue to support."

In its response to the NCAA, the university addresses the NCAA's specific allegations and also highlights steps the university has already taken, including:

• Suspending five players for the first five games of next season;
  
  
• Accepting Tressel's resignation;
  
  
• Vacating the football program's wins in the 2010 season, including its Sugar Bowl victory in January 2011;
  
  
• Self-imposing a two-year NCAA probation; and
  
  
• Implementing additional measures to enhance the university's already extensive monitoring, educational and compliance programs.

Commenting on today's filing, Athletics Director Gene Smith said, "We are fully cooperating with the NCAA, and we look forward to working together to bring a resolution to these current matters. Throughout the entire process since we discovered possible infractions, Ohio State has consistently acted to investigate any allegation, self-report its findings to the NCAA, communicate transparently about its findings, and take necessary remediation steps. Now, consistent with the direction set by our Board of Trustees, we are taking a very hard look on our own at all aspects of our athletic programs to identify and implement improvements designed to ensure that we uphold the highest ideals of honor and integrity.

"Throughout this time, we are also refocusing the entire athletics program on doing what we do best -- representing our great university and its values well. We are proud that among our many positive accomplishments this year, our athletics program as a whole involved a record 523 scholar-athletes; 201 student-athletes earned degrees; and Ohio State finished second in the Division I Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, the highest finish in our history," concluded Smith.

Smith said that Ohio State continues to work closely with the NCAA to review information concerning potential violations, including issues publicly raised subsequent to the university's self-reporting on December 19, 2010, that resulted in the NCAA's Notice of Allegation. Additionally, the university will have no further comment on specific allegations.

A copy of Ohio State's response to the NCAA Notice of Allegations and other related documents are available at http://www.osu.edu/news/ncaadocs.

Related download: Ohio State Notice of Allegations

Do you think the penalties be enough to satisfy the NCAA?

APCoach Jim Tressel and OSU athletic director Gene Smith at the December 2010 press conference announcing violations committed by five Ohio State football players.

Ohio State's football program announced that it is offering the following self-imposed sanctions as the penalty for the memorabilia scandal that resulted in the resignation of coach Jim Tressel:

* Suspending five players for the first five games of next season;

* Accepting coach Jim Tressel’s resignation;

* Vacating the football program’s wins in the 2010 season, including its Sugar Bowl victory in January 2011;

* Self-imposing a two-year NCAA probation; and

* Implementing additional measures to enhance the university’s already extensive monitoring, educational and compliance programs.

Key moments from the Tressel era, and the scandal that ended his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerJim Tressel's Ohio State teams had a 106-22 record in 10 seasons, won or shared seven Big Ten championships and were 1-2 in national championship games.

Ohio State football, Jim Tressel and the NCAA: A timeline

2001 – Tressel is hired at OSU.

2003 – OSU finishes its 14-0 national championship season with a 31-24 double overtime victory against No. 1 Miami. It is Ohio State’s first national title since 1968.

2003 - Ohio State suspends Maurice Clarett, the star tailback who as a freshman keyed the Buckeyes' national title run, for the 2003 athletic year after he was charged with filing a false police report. Clarett, who had been involved in several controversies, never returned to the team and eventually served 3 1/2 years in prison for gun law violations.

2006 – Ohio State beats Michigan, 42-39, in Ohio Stadium in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown to finish the regular season 12-0.

2007 – The favored Buckeyes are blown out by No. 2 Florida, 41-14, in the national championship game in the Fiesta Bowl.

2008 – Tressel leads OSU to their second straight national championship game, where the Buckeyes lose to No. 2 LSU, 38-24, in New Orleans.

2010 – In his first Rose Bowl as a head coach, the Buckeyes defeat Oregon, 26-17, to finish the season at 11-2 and ranked No. 5 in the country.

The Plain Dealer front page (with an AP photo) on Jan. 4, 2003, showed Ohio State players celebrating their national championship game win over Miami (Fla).

March 7, 2011 – Yahoo! Sports reports Tressel knew of potential violations involving his players in April 2010 – when he received information in an email that they may have sold memorabilia – and did not report that to his bosses or to Ohio State’s compliance office.

March 8 – Ohio State announces at a news conference that it discovered Tressel’s major NCAA violations while checking his emails in January on another matter and is self-reporting them to the NCAA. The news conference with Tressel, Smith and OSU President Gordon Gee is generally viewed as poorly handled, with Gee’s joke about Tressel’s job status – “I’m just hoping the coach doesn’t dismiss me” – serving to hover over the rest of this situation. Tressel is fined $250,000 and suspended for two games by Ohio State.

March 11 – Columbus attorney Chris Cicero, who informed Tressel in emails about his players” memorabilia sales and association with a suspected drug trafficker, tells ESPN the first players he told Tressel about were Terrelle Pryor and DeVier Posey.

March 14 – At his first public appearance since the announcement of sanctions, Tressel, at a banquet in Canton, says, “I sincerely apologize for what we’ve been through.” Part of his punishment includes a public apology, which he was supposed to deliver at the initial news conference but did not.

March 17 – After the NCAA denies Ohio State’s appeal to reduce the five-game suspensions for five players, Tressel’s suspension is increased from two games to five at his request, according to Ohio State.

March 25 – Though previously known to Ohio State, the fact that Tressel emailed Pryor mentor Ted Sarniak about the potential violations committed by Pryor, while not informing anyone at Ohio State, is revealed through a release of emails following a public records request.

March 30 – On the HBO show “Real Sports,” former OSU recruiting target and Auburn player Stanley McClover says he was given money by OSU boosters on a recruiting visit eight years earlier.

March 30 – At a news conference on the day before spring practice, Ohio State announces that assistant Luke Fickell will serve as the interim coach in Tressel’s absence. Asked if he considered resigning, Tressel says, “Never had that thought,” adding he’d only do it if he thought it best for his players. Meanwhile, at a news conference at the Final Four, new NCAA President Mark Emmert calls a lack of integrity the greatest threat to college athletics, which some view as an ominous sign for Tressel.

Marvin Fong, PD(Left to right) Gordon Gee, Jim Tressel and Gene Smith at a March 8, 2011 press conference.

April 2 – Oregon State President Ed Ray, a former OSU provost involved with Tressel’s hiring, tells The Plain Dealer – confirming previous quotes – how serious the Tressel matter is, “Everyone makes mistakes, but if people aren’t forthright, then the system isn’t going to work.” NCAA expert, lawyer and former Committee on Infractions chairman Gene Marsh says Tressel could survive the situation because of his previously good reputation. Marsh is later hired as Tressel’s lawyer.

April 4 – Two pairs of Ohio State gold pants, the trinket awarded for beating Michigan, are sold on the popular History Channel TV series “Pawn Stars.”

April 18 – Golfing legend and former OSU student Jack Nicklaus expresses a belief held by a segment of the Ohio State fan base that Tressel “took the hit” for others with his five-game suspension and fine, though Nicklaus admits that’s just his opinion.

April 25 – The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations to Ohio State is released, setting July 5 as Ohio State’s deadline to respond to the notice and Aug. 12 as the date for Ohio State’s hearing in Indianapolis before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

April 28 – Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany tells reporters in New Orleans that if it had been known in December that Tressel had previous knowledge of his players’ violations, neither Delany nor OSU AD Smith would have asked the NCAA to allow the suspended Buckeyes to play in the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State also releases the original letter it received from the Department of Justice.

May 7 – A Columbus Dispatch story reveals that players and their families may have received discounted cars from a Columbus dealership, charges which Ohio State says it will investigate.

May 13 – Tressel’s hiring of Marsh as his lawyer becomes known.

May 18 – To illustrate a story on the scandalous year in college sports, ESPN The Magazine puts a red sweater-vest, Tressel’s trademark, on its cover, with the word “Busted” in place of the Ohio State logo.

May 26 – Former OSU receiver Ray Small tells The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper, that he committed NCAA violations by selling Big Ten championship rings while an OSU player, and that when it came to receiving extra benefits such as cash for memorabilia or discounted cars, “Everybody was doing it.”

May 27 – After strong reaction from current and former OSU players that there was not a culture of violations at Ohio State, Small says his words were mischaracterized and that while he sold rings, he didn’t know of other players who did. The Lantern stands by its story. Also, Edward Rife, the tattoo parlor owner at the center of the OSU scandal, has his drug and money laundering charges revealed in U.S. District Court, with a court date set for June 28. He could face five years in prison.

May 30 – Tressel resigns as Ohio State’s football coach.

The Dispatch, Terry GilliamJim Tressel greets supporters at his Columbus home on June 4, 2011.

June 7 — ESPN, citing an anonymous source, reports that Columbus photographer Dennis Talbott gave Pryor between $20,000 and $40,000 for memorabilia.

June 7 — As first reported by The Plain Dealer, Pryor announces he is leaving the team.

June 9 — Talbott denies the ESPN report, telling The Plain Dealer that while he has a friendly relationship with Pryor, he has never given Pryor money.

June 13 — OSU introduces Luke Fickell as the program’s new head football coach. Fickell has spent 14 years at OSU as a player and assistant coach. At 37, he is the third-youngest coach in major college football, older than only USC's Lane Kiffin and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald. OSU gives him a raise to $775,000.

June 21 —St. Edward offensive tackle Kyle Kalis rescinds his oral commitment to the Buckeyes and opens up his recruitment, adding that he will keep OSU in the mix. Kalis is one of the top-rated offensive linemen in the country for the Class of 2012.

June 21 — An investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles finds no laws were broken among the 25 car sales to Ohio State football players and their families surveyed by the state. The report appears to be a help to OSU as it prepares its response  to the NCAA.

June 28 — Edward Rife, the Columbus tattoo parlor owner at the center of the OSU football scandal, pleads guilty to federal charges involving the drug raid where authorities seized the memorabilia that the OSU players sold for cash or exchanged for tattoos. The raid set off the chain of events that led to the unraveling of the OSU football program.

Plain Dealer Ohio State writer suspects NCAA won't let Buckeyes off with only the penalties the school has imposed. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Welcome to a special Ohio State football edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by David Campbell, Associate Sports Editor at The Plain Dealer.

Ohio State University has released its response to NCAA allegations against the football program. The Buckeyes have vacated all their wins from the 2010 season, including the Sugar Bowl victory in January 2011 over Arkansas.

Do you think the penalties OSU has imposed on itself will be enough? Doug Lesmerises, Ohio State beat writer for The Plain Dealer, agrees with a majority of people who have voted in our poll. He suspects the NCAA may impose a bowl ban of some sort.

Doug also talks about what it means to vacate a game; and what lies ahead in terms of internal and external developments with the violations in the football program.

Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall suffered a non-displaced sinus fracture under his right cheekbone after getting hit by a pitch Thursday night. He is listed as day-to-day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall suffered a non-displaced sinus fracture below the right cheekbone Thursday night, Tribe head trainer Lonnie Soloff said Friday afternoon.

Chisenhall is listed as day-to-day. The injury is expected to take 4-6 weeks to heal, but Chisenhall can play as soon as swelling around the eye sufficiently subsides. Surgery is not required.

Chisenhall was hit by a pitch from Blue Jays righty Carlos Villanueva early in the Tribe's 5-4 victory. The ball caromed off the helmet's earflap and shot across the cheek and nose. Chisenhall exited the game and was replaced by Jack Hannahan.

Given what can happen when a player gets hit in the head with a pitch, the Indians consider themselves fortunate. Chisenhall shows no sign of a concussion and his eyes checked out fine.

"We're very relieved, considering that the kid had a concussion not too long ago, and that he was hit in the face,'' Indians manager Manny Acta said. "If he doesn't make an appearance in the next three days, we should be able to have him for the start of the second half.''

While playing for Class AAA Columbus in June, Chisenhall suffered a concussion during a head-first slide.

The Indians wrap the first half Sunday against the Blue Jays. They begin the second half next Thursday in Baltimore.

Chisenhall likely will be fitted with a mask or protective device until the fracture heals.

New York Yankees shortstop wants to rest injured calf; may open up spot for Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera to start.

APDerek Jeter of the Yankees will sit out Tuesday's All-Star Game.

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees has pulled himself from the All-Star game, opening up the possibility that the Cleveland Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera might be the starter at shortstop for Tuesday night's showcase in Arizona.

The New York Yankees' shortstop says he wants to rest while coming back from a strained calf. He was elected by fans to start for the American League. Cabrera finished second to Jeter in fan voting at the shortstop position for the American League.

Jeter is two hits from 3,000 going into tonight's game against Tampa Bay.

Jeter has been moved down from the leadoff slot and will bat second against the Rays. He is in a 4-for-18 rut since coming off the disabled list last week.

Rookie Jeremy Hellickson was ready to pitch for the Rays. Maybe this is an omen: Hellickson's pet dog is named Jeter. Hellickson grew up rooting for Jeter, and named his Yorkie after the Yankees star.

When the walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass aren't biting, a frequent frustration during this roller coaster summer season of Lake Erie fishing, don't despair.

D'Arcy Egan, The Plain DealerAndy Rudd is more than happy with his first Lake Erie sheepshead. Rudd didn't know any better, though. The Englishman was on his very first Lake Erie fishing trip, and thought the sheepshead was a dandy catch.

 GULL SHOAL, OHIO

When the walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass aren't biting, a frequent frustration during this roller coaster summer season of Lake Erie fishing, don't despair.

The sheepshead, or freshwater drum, have been very aggressive and many favorite walleye spots around western Lake Erie seem to be home to the slab-sided, silver-grey fish. The drum have kept Ohio fishing guides on the move in a search of walleye hot spots, and yellow perch fishermen are catching their share of sheepshead as they lower emerald shiner minnows to the lake bottom.

It's not all bad.

While very few fishermen keep sheepshead for the table, they are fun to catch.

Drifting from deep water to the shallows of Gull Shoal, just north of Kelleys Island, my fishing partner and I broke out the weight-forward spinners this week and tipped them with nightcrawlers. Gull Shoal is one of our favorite walleye spots, a shallow reef complex surrounded by deeper water. Walleye move up on the rocks late in the day to chase baitfish as the sun begins to sink in the west.

The sonar screen was dotted with the marks to assure us fish were below the boat. We didn't wait long for a bite.

First up was a hefty sheepshead, a mighty 10-pounder using its dinner-plate shape to put up a vigorous fight. Walleye are fighters, too. Shaped like rockets, they try to head to the bottom and employ a steady, bull-dogging battle to stay away from a net. While sharp-toothed walleye seem to escape if given the least little bit of slack line, sheepshead  seldom seem to be able to spit a hook stuck in their sucker-like mouths.

 It's a bit of a surprise there are so many sheepshead around. A massive spring sheepshead kill in 2006 caused by viral hemmorhagic septicemia obviously didn't affect the population.

Rather than burn expensive fuel to search for good walleye grounds this late on a Wednesday evening, we kept casting.

D'Arcy Egan, The Plain DealerThere are a lot of prime channel catfish holes around Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay, and they grow bigger there than in most inland lakes.

 A very big channel catfish was next, its fighting tactics giving hope a walleye was on the line. Rather than the herky-jerky fight of a sheepshead, a big catfish's steady pull can be mistaken for the fight of a walleye.

This walleye imposter bent the spinning rod, stretched monofilament line, tested the reel's drag and was much more difficult to unhook and release.

 The third species of the evening was a hungry white bass. It attacked a nightcrawler-tipped Tiny Teaser walleye lure, most likely attracted by the flashing gold spinner blade.

Fish had been sporadically jumping around the boat, the catch confirming a small school of white bass were also enjoying this neighborhood.

With sunset just around the corner, we were the only fisherman around and there was still a chance we'd catch a walleye, or perhaps a smallmouth bass, from the limestone rock reefs below.

By now, we didn't care. We were enjoying lots of bites and plenty of fight from the non-target fish we were catching.

It definitely wasn't a waste of expensive worms.

This wasn't a quest to put flaky, white fillets in the freezer. It was a respite from the working world, the chance to enjoy calm waters, a spectacular Lake Erie sunset and enjoy catching a big fish that was full of fight.

 It was a reminder that a single-minded quest for the usual Lake Erie game fish could - and maybe should - go awry every once in a while. The sheepshead and catfish can't match a perch or walleye for dinner, but they're more willing to chase a lure and entertain an angler. 

What is your favorite fish to catch, asks D'Arcy Egan

D'Arcy Egan, The Plain DealerThe large schools of big white bass are seldom seen on Lake Erie these days. When the white bass do gather, they will aggressively chase a shiny spinner or spoon.

 While cruising the shoreline at Wingfoot Lake recently and talking to a wide variety of fishermen, it was obvious most had little focus on just what they wanted to catch.

The standard answer mirrored a survey done years ago by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. When asked what was their most popular fish, the majority had the same answer, and it wasn't bass, bluegill, walleye, crappie or catfish.

Whatever was biting right now was their favorite fish of the day.

When you hang around tournament bass anglers, dedicated walleye fishermen and steelhead trout fans, you get an earful about their favorite fish, and their preferred style of fishing. Steelheaders favor fly fishing, casting with spinning tackle and live bait or even center pin reels. Walleye fishermen are divided into those who subscribe to drift-and-cast fishing or trolling. Bass anglers cast either artificial lures or live bait.

 If you're a local angler, let us know your favorite fish, the way you like to catch them and why they tickle your fancy. Email degan@plaind.com or leave a message for D'Arcy Egan at 216-999-5158. We'll let you know the winners.
 - D'Arcy Egan

The premier Ohio three-year-old colts competing in the Ohio Sires Stakes this year are trotting and pacing at Northfield Park on Saturday night. It is the third of four legs in the OSS action for the sophomores.

 The premier Ohio three-year-old colts and geldings competing in the Ohio Sires Stakes this year are trotting and pacing at Northfield Park on Saturday night. It is the third of four legs in the OSS action for the sophomores.

The OSS schedule has four legs in each division for two- and three-year-old pacing and trotting colts and fillies. Ohio Super Night, with eight $75,000 OSS championships, is at Scioto Downs on Sept. 10. Northfield Park is in the running to host Ohio Super Night in 2012.

The OSS pace has a field of nine colts and geldings chasing $34,700, with Hare Craft the morning line favorite. Trained by Dan Ater and driven by Aaron Byron, Hare Craft was the OSS two-year-old pacing champ. He paced a career best of 1:49.3 on June 21 on the 7/8-mile oval at Milton, Ontario's Mohawk Raceway. 

 The trotters are split into a pair of $21,000 divisions on Saturday. Future Night Train and Northfield star Rose Run Mac should put together the strongest miles in their nine-horse division. Future Night Train won 9 of 11 as a two-year-old, while Rose Run Mac won at Northfield last Saturday with Don McKirgan in the sulky, trotting a hot 1:57 mile. In the other trotting division, J J Hall is the early favorite with Sam Noble III in the sulky. J J Hall was a recent winner in 1:58 at Indiana's Hoosier Park.

Michigan flavor at Thistle: The colony of Thistledown horsemen has a slightly different complexion this year, with jockeys and trainers from southeast Michigan's now-closed Pinnacle Race Course doing well at the North Randall track this summer.

Michigan rider Frederico Matta is leading the Thistledown jockey standings with 42 wins in 180 races, but ready to give him a challenge again is Yamil Rosario, who missed a week after being suspended from June 28-July 4 for a riding infraction. Rosario has 36 wins in 105 starts. Stakes star Luis Gonzalez is third with 30 wins, closely followed by Ernesto Oro (29 wins) and Kris Fox (25).

Gonzalez is the undisputed stakes king of the Ohio thoroughbred stakes races this year. He won the Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup on Saturday with Trophy Boy, Gonzalez's seventh Ohio stakes win of the season. Gonzalez captured the Petro Memorial and Angenora Stakes at Thistledown riding Pay The Man. The talented jockey also guided Catlaunch to victories this year in the Rowland Memorial at Thistledown; the Gendelman Memorial at River Downs and the Babst/Palacios Memorial at Beulah Park. He won the Classen Memorial at Thistledown aboard India Ink.

Gonzalez has won 57 stakes races over the last 25 years, with 30 coming at Ohio race tracks. 

 Doug Cowan trains Trophy Boy, and his win in the Gold Cup was his third straight - and could have been a fourth in a row. Cowans won with Marble Cliff in 2008, a gelding disqualified after the race for not being an Ohio-bred thoroughbred.

Jamie Ness continues to lead the Thistledown trainer standings with a phenomenal 53 percent winning percentage, saddling 23 winners in just 43 starts. Jevon Crumley (18 wins) is second, followed by Robert Gorham (16), who won the training title at Pinnacle in 2009-2010.

Battle rattle: Dave Bianconi, the head of racing at Northfield Park, was a little worried after changing the 26th $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie from an invitational pace to a late-closing event on July 23. Bianconi is breathing easier, with 11 nominations for the eight-horse field, including the past two winners, Hypnotic Blue Chip and Foiled Again. Hypnotic Blue Chip toppled favored Foiled Again last year, needing to match the Northfield Park track record of 1:49.4 to catch the speedster.

 Happy hour happenings: The Finish Line Friday card at Thistledown is featuring the rock cover band, Cold Blue Steele, with drink specials and dollar hot dogs. The track opens at 11:30 a.m., live racing begins at 3:15 p.m. and the music is from 4-8 p.m.

Deaton hits 2,000: Ohio reinsman Elliott Deaton of Middletown, a winter reinsman at Northfield Park, scored the 2,000th win of his career at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino last month. Deaton guided Bigboppr Bluegrass to victory on June 21. Deaton has been one of the leading drivers over the past decade at Lebanon Raceway and Northfield Park. He won his 1,000th race at Northfield Park.

Deaton trains and drives horses for college basketball coach Gino Ford, who recently made the switch from Kent State University to Bradley University.

Mike Holmgren shows his support for dogs.

Joshua Gunter/The Plain DealerKen Dorsey

Former Cleveland Browns back-up quarterback Ken Dorsey retired after spending the 2010 season with Toronto of the Canadian Football League.

So now that he's not playing, he did the next best thing.

On MercuryNews.com:

Now Dorsey is the offensive coordinator of Riverview High in Sarasota, Fla., and is installing an offensive system for first-year coach Todd Johnson, a former NFL safety.

He also is quarterbacks coach at IMG Madden Football Academy in nearby Bradenton, working with athletes as young as 9 years old all the way up to Cam Newton, the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft.

"We get kids you are teaching the basics to, all the way up to those who are refining their game," Dorsey said.

Dorsey wants to be the offensive coordinator at a major college or in the NFL, writes Jerry McDonald of MercuryNews.com, but his "dream job" is returning to the Bay Area to run the offense at Cal.

100

Peyton Hillis of the Browns finished with a career-high 1,654 yards from scrimmage and 13 TDs last season, but he is not considered one of the top 100 players by his peers.

He was popular enough to be on the cover of Madden NFL 12, but Madden doesn't count when it comes to respect from NFL players, writes ESPN's James Walker.

Are there 100 or more players better than Hillis following last season's performance?

Or is Hillis a one-year wonder, which seemed to factor into the players' thinking? Does Hillis need to put together several strong seasons in Cleveland before he deserves to be mentioned among the top 100 players? 

 

Supporting those Dogs

A town in California wants to end its ban on dogs downtown. One area resident, Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren, talked about his love for dogs during an interview. It must be the power of the Dawg Pound.

Nice try, Ohio State, but not enough, seems to be the prevalent opinion around the country.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerFormer Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and ex-coach Jim Tressel, central figures in the scandal that has turned the Buckeyes' football program upside-down.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio State University football program has offered to vacate all 12 of its wins during the 2010 season and what now stands as its sixth straight Big Ten championship, in response to the memorabilia for tattoos/cash scandal and ex-coach Jim Tressel's ensuing coverup.

That's part of OSU's suggestion to the NCAA in trying to limit the damage of the scandal, as The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises reports:

However, Ohio State did not suggest more severe penalties like scholarship reductions or bowl bans.

The school also admitted it forced former football coach Jim Tressel to resign on May 30, which sources had told the Plain Dealer, though the university at the time attempted to frame the decision as Tressel's. Now the school is holding up the departure of its successful 10-year coach as one of its primary penalties.

Under Punitive Actions in its response, the school lists five penalties: vacating the 2010 wins, vacating the 2010 Big Ten title, suspending six players for some games in 2010, two years's probation and the fact it "sought and accepted the resignation of then Head Football Coach Tressel."

The NCAA could levy more sanctions against Ohio State, which next month will have a hearing before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

National reaction has been quick. Brian Bennett writes for ESPN.com that Ohio State's suggestions for penalties are not enough:

...What was lacking from the response was most telling.

The Buckeyes didn't impose scholarship reductions. They didn't implement a bowl ban, not even for one year. Nothing new that would harm the future of the program in any significant way was put on the table. Ohio State did place itself on two years' probation, which is essentially a slap on the wrist.

Not exactly the most painful of punishments, given the lying and covering up by former coach Jim Tressel, who knowingly used ineligible players all of last season.

The school's response says that it got rid of Tressel and suspended the players involved in memorabilia sales for five games this season. And we shouldn't forget that those are part of the measures the program has already taken.

But vacating wins was already an automatic outcome from the NCAA, which would have surely erased the Buckeyes' 2010 victories because of those ineligible players.

Check The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com for continued Ohio State coverage.

Elsewhere

Stewart Mandel writes for Sports Illustrated's SI.com that Ohio State's suggested self-imposed penalties seem light, yet reasonable.

"The Buckeyes just don't get it. They never have," Brett McMurphy writes for CBSSports.com.

The question now is whether Ohio State's response is good enough for the NCAA, Matt Hinton writes for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com.

"Ohio State just doesn't get it," Pete Fiutak, too, writes for Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com in his analysis of Ohio State's offer.

Comments on Ohio State's offered sanctions, by Jerry Hinnen and Tom Fornelli for CBSSports.com.

The University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor. From the Ann Arbor News: "Remember that 37-7 Ohio State win over Michigan last season? The one that extended the Buckeyes' win streak in The Game to seven? Never happened."

Once an example of all that was honorable at Ohio State, Tressel is now a rogue coach in the school's telling as Judgment Day with the NCAA approaches.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, PD file photoAll those stories Ohio State officials told about how honorable Jim Tressel was? Nevermind.

Friday the school said it "sought and accepted" the resignation of the greatest coach in Ohio State history not named Wayne Woodrow Hayes. This is the school's stance with a trip to the principal's office coming up at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis next month. Judgment Day could be very unpleasant, so all unessential items can be thrown under the bus now.

Officials also said OSU would vacate the victories from last season, including the one in the Sugar Bowl, and impose a two-year probation on itself. Dumping Tressel and blackening his name clearly is the linchpin of the strategy to lessen future penalties.

No longer is Tressel's "body of work" a defense for the cover-up of the memorabilia sale violations, although that was the school's story in March at a fiasco of a news conference designed to defuse the explosive story. That was when school President E. Gordon Gee said he never considered firing Tressel and was more worried that the coach might dismiss him. Gee should be kept locked in his office when serious issues are on the table in the future, lest his propensity to be the boardroom clown come out again.

All the "body of work" items -- Tressel's personal kindness on many levels, the inspirational messages to students and players, the patriotic gestures to troops in the Middle East -- will never be known. But the stories are real, and, by the hundreds, especially here in his hometown, people who came into contact with him can attest to them. On many personal "scoreboards," Tressel, despite the scandal, is still ahead.

Now that is no longer a factor. Tressel is simply a rogue coach to OSU now. What Tressel did usually results in firing or resignation, so it was no surprise that he did not survive failing to report -- indeed lying about -- ethical violations.

There is at least some surprise at how swiftly OSU officials have changed their tune, though.

"The responsibility is upon Tressel. No other institutional personnel were aware" of the violations, said Ohio State's official response to the NCAA's allegations.

"The institution is embarrassed by the actions of Tressel," the statement adds.

The people at the institution were so proud of Tressel when he was winning seven Big Ten championships, the past six in a row, and one national championship, though.

So proud, and so willing to look the other way. There was ample room for Ohio State to have been embarrassed before. Maurice Clarett, the best player on the 2002 national championship team in Tressel's second season; Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner; and Terrelle Pryor, the starting quarterback for most of the past three seasons, were the highest-profile players of the Tressel era. They were all suspended for receiving improper benefits.

In March, OSU was willing to limit Tressel's punishment for the cover-up to the wrist-slap of a $250,000 fine and two-game suspension. Reportedly, OSU will forget about the fine now. In exchange, the fingers that once signaled "We're No. 1" will now point incriminatingly at the former coach.

Despite the dribble of negative stories that came out, the scandal that claimed Tressel's job was never as big as academic fraud in the Minnesota basketball program years ago. There was no payroll to meet, as at SMU in the Pony Express Days. It was not former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer complaining, "I never knew I had to put signs up in the dorms that said, 'No shootin', no dopin', no rapin'."

It was not covering up positive drug tests, as at the University of Miami under former coach Dennis Erickson.

Tressel was, however, a trimmer, as are many successful coaches. He polished an image as a scrupulous follower of the rules, then got caught breaking them. The response in the media was toxic.

A hypocrite is the media's favorite meat. Scapegoat, however, is clearly the meal of choice at Ohio State.

Tribe began season 30-15, slid to 34-29, regrouped and is back to 47-39 three games before all-star break.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerMitch Talbot starts on the mound tonight for the Indians against the Blue Jays.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It wasn't difficult to find the pundits who felt the Cleveland Indians would fold after they followed their 30-15 start with a 14-loss in 18-game slide.

Instead, the Tribe has responded by winning 13 of its last 23 games -- nothing spectavular, but a respectable comeback from what threatened to be just the beginning of an irreversible trend.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com continues its Indians coverage as the team heads toward the all-star break. Three games remain before the break, including tonight's game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field.

Matt Beardmore previews tonight's game for STATS and AP. The Indians hope to follow up on Thursday night's dramatic 5-4 win over Toronto on Travis Hafner's walk-off grand slam, as detailed in Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes' game story.

A Blue Jays-Indians game preview by Chris Vannini on MLB.com. Right-hander Mitch Talbot of the Indians and Blue Jays righty Jo-Jo Reyes are the starting pitchers.

ESPN.com remembers, via video, when Indians coach and then-Tribe catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr., slugged a go-ahead home run for the victorious American League in the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, earning him game MVP honors.

Lineup shuffles and other Indians notes by Zack Meisel on MLB.com.

An Indians' 2011 draft signing update, by Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider.

Mountaineers will lose a scholarship for the upcoming season and have recruiting restrictions and staff reductions. The probation doesn't include postseason play.

Associated PressRich Rodriguez as West Virginia's coach in 2006. The Mountaineers football program committed NCAA rules violations during the coaching tenures of Rodriguez and Bill Stewart.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia -- The NCAA said Friday it has accepted West Virginia's self-imposed sanctions that include two years' probation for major rules violations under former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart.

The report by the NCAA infractions committee said three failure-to-monitor violations occurred involving out-of-season coaching and the use of non-coaching staff to work with players.

Under the sanctions released Friday, the Mountaineers will lose a scholarship for the upcoming season and have recruiting restrictions and staff reductions. The probation doesn't include postseason play.

"I am pleased that the Committee accepted the self-imposed penalties the University proposed, without imposing any additional ones," West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck said in a statement. "The University has already taken corrective action and put new systems in place to address all the issues raised."

The infractions committee didn't decide the Mountaineers failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance with NCAA rules, an initial allegation made by the NCAA last year. Rodriguez avoided the same finding during an earlier, separate investigation at Michigan, which in May 2010 admitted it had committed a series of violations related to practice time and coaching activities. Michigan fired Rodriguez in January.

The case was resolved through the summary disposition process instead of a formal hearing.

The NCAA said WVU exceeded coaching staff limits when it allowed staff members, graduate assistants and a student assistant coach to participate in coaching activities both on and off the field. That included five video graduate assistants who monitored or conducted skills-development drills and attended position meetings where they worked directly with coaches.

"Their participation qualified them as countable coaches and the program therefore exceeded its allowable number of coaches," the NCAA said.

That led to the failure-to-monitor violations levied against Rodriguez, Stewart and the school.

Rodriguez and Stewart have acknowledged failing to adequately monitor the duties and activities of the staffers involved, and WVU also acknowledged failing to properly monitor the activities of Rodriguez, Stewart and their staffs, the NCAA said.

The probation involves the 2011 and 2012 season and will end in July 2013.

Luck took over as athletic director in July 2010 and was on the job a month when the initial NCAA infractions were made.

"We have taken this case very seriously from the beginning and, as we've said, will move forward with a complete commitment to compliance in all that we do," Luck said.

Rodriguez led West Virginia, his alma mater, to two Bowl Championship Series berths and a 60-26 record in seven seasons before taking over at Michigan in December 2007. He left West Virginia two weeks after the Mountaineers lost to Pittsburgh in the 2007 regular-season finale and failed to secure a spot in the national championship game.

Stewart was named head coach after leading the Mountaineers to the Fiesta Bowl win after the 2007 season as interim coach.

Stewart went 28-12 in three seasons at WVU but failed to earn a Bowl Championship Series berth. He agreed to resign on June 10 and was replaced by coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen.

Rodriguez didn't immediately return a telephone message Friday. Stewart couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

Ohio State's self-imposed penalties weren't overly severe, and the school hopes forcing out former coach Jim Tressel is the biggest blow the football program suffers.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerOhio State hopes the NCAA sees its forcing out of football coach Jim Tressel as the biggest blow the program could suffer.

In a 63-page response to the NCAA, Ohio State did not suggest any of the most severe punishments for its football program, like a bowl ban or loss of scholarships. It did spell out five self-imposed penalties: vacating the 12 wins from 2010, including the Sugar Bowl victory; vacating the 2010 Big Ten title; suspending players for the start of the 2011 season, as was done in December, though one other player has joined the list; two years of probation; and that the school "sought and accepted the resignation of then Head Football Coach Tressel."

On May 30, the school characterized Tressel's decision to resign as his own, though sources told The Plain Dealer Tressel had been forced out. Five weeks later, Smith and the school are admitting Tressel was pushed. And that forced departure is being treated as the most severe penalty Ohio State thinks it should face.

Ohio State "took decisive action against a very successful coach in a popular sport in a very short period of time," the school wrote in its response. The school was required to respond by Friday to the Notice of Allegations the NCAA had sent April 21.

It's a reasonable strategy, according to experts, as the school continues to attempt to separate itself from Tressel. The coach shortcircuited his career by violating the NCAA's unethical conduct clause by not reporting his knowledge of potential violations committed by Terrelle Pryor and other players. Tressel's own response to the NCAA, also released Friday, explained his thinking, but offered no excuses for his violations. Tressel's lawyer, Gene Marsh, told The Plain Dealer that Tressel offered a "man-up" response -- direct, brief and honest.

Smith reaffirmed Friday that an investigation by Ohio State and the NCAA hasn't found that any other OSU employees shared Tressel's knowledge. Though enhancing its compliance department was also part of its response to the NCAA, Smith gave an emphatic, "No, not at all," when asked if the compliance department had been lax while Tressel and the players did wrong.

Ohio State and Tressel both face an Aug. 12 hearing in Indianapolis before the NCAA Committee on Infractions. That group will hand down a final decision about penalties about six to eight weeks later, and Smith said he's ready to fight if the school gets hammered.

"I'll be shocked and disappointed and on the offensive," Smith said. "I'm not saying I feel confident. What I'm saying is if they go that far as far as scholarship losses and things of that nature, I'm going to battle those hard.

"One thing we've done is work cooperatively with the NCAA. If they levy a sanction that they feel is right and I see they're right, I'll agree. But if I don't agree, then we'll do everything we can to battle it and go through the appeals process."

For the moment, Ohio State's penalties look more backward than forward. But Smith wouldn't dismiss the seriousness of what has been assessed.

"A lot of people may not view it that way, but it is significant," Smith said of the self-imposed penalties. "To vacate the 2010 season and vacate the bowl game is significant in itself. The string of Big Ten championships we enjoyed is now over. The win against Michigan, which is important to those athletes, has been vacated. And the probation is significant. We see these as significant. Might the NCAA do more? I just can't speculate."

Ohio State has aimed too low in the past, first suspending Tressel for two games, then increasing that to five games, then forcing him out. For now, Smith said investigations continue into other allegations of NCAA violations made in the media in recent months. He wouldn't talk specifically about those, but it doesn't seem as though Ohio State believes anything will change its situation for the worse in a major way. And Ohio State could always adjust its self-imposed penalties in the next month.

"They're probably trying to position themselves to allow them a little wiggle room as they approach the hearing," said Florida attorney Michael Buckner, who serves as a consultant in NCAA matters.

They have wiggled a bit with Tressel. Tressel's departure has been officially changed from a resignation to a retirement, at Tressel's request, according to Smith. The former coach also received what amounted to a $300,000 severance package -- a final month of base pay at $54,000 and the waiver of the $250,000 fine that was part of the original self-imposed penalty by the school. Smith said both sides also agreed to not sue each other.

"At the end of the day, we wanted to get to the point where both parties could move forward," Smith said.

They'll be back in the same room Aug. 12, with Ohio State hoping the NCAA sees those two parties as very much apart.

What would the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy be without an appearance from West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins? The former Akron head coach arrived at Rhodes Arena with the news, "I've been fishin'. Caught a few smallmouth [bass]." The Mountaineers' head coach also said rumors WVU will host Kent State on ESPN's annual all-day extravaganza of early season...

What would the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy be without an appearance from West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins? The former Akron head coach arrived at Rhodes Arena with the news, "I've been fishin'. Caught a few smallmouth [bass]."

The Mountaineers' head coach also said rumors WVU will host Kent State on ESPN's annual all-day extravaganza of early season basketball the first week of the season in November is true. So is the 10 a.m. start time.

"I told [ESPN] I'd do it if [Kent State] would do it," Huggins said.

This will be the second straight year Kent has played in this ESPN hoops marathon. The Golden Flashes hosted and defeated Robert Morris last year, 62-59, at Kent.

Smart move!: Tough for head coaches to stand out and be seen by recruits at the LBJ Skills Academy, when they are all standing/sitting like palisades beside each other. But Cleveland State used the simple tactic of watching the action from the opposite end of the arena, behind one basket, clearly keeping an eye on Shaker Heights High product Terry Rozier.

For a midmajor program, in a gym filled primarily with coaches from the country's big six conferences, CSU was hard to miss for a recruit with the Vikings on his mind.

Observation: The consensus, from many of the recruiting services on hand covering the event, is many of the players are being recruited above their ability. Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News gave the most generous appraisal of all.

"I think all but maybe 10 or so are BCS level players, but I will say a lot of players here need to pick the right spot."

And this was before the fatigue of four days in Akron with four games in the final two days began to take its toll on most of the campers.

Rozier update: While the Shaker guard has not taken an official visit yet, he has already visited Cleveland State, Akron and Kent State unofficially, and plans an unofficial visit to Cincinnati later this summer. In the fall, when he can take his official visits, he's hoping to travel to West Virginia, Illinois and "my dream school," Louisville, he said.

The 6-1 guard puts his chances on ultimately going away to play basketball vs. staying close to home at "51 percent away, 49 percent home."

Wrapup: Best shooter? Matt "auto-Matt-ic" Jones, a 6-4 junior guard from Texas has a funny looking stroke, but there is no denying it is going in . . . On the Block? Below the rim, no question it's Indiana's 6-11 Mitch McGary. He won't wow you with dunks, but everything else he can do. Above the rim? That's 7-1 Willie Cauley from Kansas. Best all-around? That's 6-11 Daniel Ochefu from Pennsylvania. Gets more than his share of dunks, but nice post-ups and defensively intimidates. Floor general? Spindly Marcus Paige from Iowa will need to bulk up considerably when he gets to North Carolina, but no question he's a playmaker on the court.